As Cronos stepped out of the meeting hall, he let out a heavy sigh and placed his hand against his chest. He had to admit, his acting skills were impeccable.
The way he'd presented himself in front of the council, speaking with such conviction about taking over Blackwood and restoring it to its former glory — it was all just that.
Acting.
In truth, he had no idea where to even begin. His heart weighed heavy as he walked through the streets, each step echoing his uncertainty.
The town was crumbling, its once-thriving marketplace now barren, and its people — once hopeful — had lost faith in him.
The hopeful looks that had greeted him on his arrival had long since turned into whispered doubts.
No matter what he said or did, he couldn't shake the feeling that everything was slipping through his fingers. Blackwood felt like it was hanging on by a thread, teetering on the edge of collapse.
His thoughts spiraled as he passed the broken remnants of homes, their foundations cracked and windows boarded up.
The streets, once lively, were now eerily quiet, with only the occasional group of townsfolk walking past, their heads down, avoiding his gaze.
Cronos ran a hand through his silver hair, frustration gnawing at him.
'What now?' he thought, feeling the weight of responsibility pressing down on him like a thousand-pound stone.
"Let's deal with the problem of food for now," Cronos muttered to himself, pushing the worries to the back of his mind.
At least if he could solve that problem, it would buy him some time.
It was the one issue that everyone was talking about, and the one thing that could cause the people to lose even the last shred of hope they had.
He turned and began striding forward, his boots clicking on the cobbled streets as he walked toward the outer edges of the town.
The hustle and bustle of the central market soon faded into the distance, and he entered the less crowded part of Blackwood. It was a quiet area, where the Farmlands lay.
These vast fields, stretching for miles, should have been filled with crops, but as Cronos reached the area, his heart sank.
Some fields were lush with greenery — crops growing steadily, if a bit sluggishly.
But as he looked further, he could see the truth. A vast number of the fields were barren. The land was dry, cracked, and devoid of life.
The once-fertile soil was now little more than dust. It was clear that something was wrong — this wasn't just a normal dry season. Something more had happened to the land.
He bent down beside one of the fields, picking up a pinch of sand in his hands.
The grains slipped through his fingers as he stared at the dry earth. He could almost feel the land itself groaning in agony.
'Dry,' he thought with a sigh. The crops weren't growing here, and it was becoming more and more evident that the situation was dire.
But it wasn't just the land. It was the weather. The seasons had become unpredictable, with strange shifts in temperature that wreaked havoc on the crops.
And if this continued, Blackwood would starve. The people would starve.
A grim sense of frustration rose within him.
The System — the one thing that had been his lifeline since he'd come to this world — had to have something that could help.
He closed his eyes, trying to calm his thoughts. Cronos sighed a bit, taking in a deep breath.
"Shop," he muttered.
The words slipped from his mouth as naturally as breathing, and instantly, a new window opened before him, revealing the System's store.
He knew it well by now — the endless list of items that could be purchased with Evolution Coins, the currency the System operated on.
Items ranging from basic necessities to the more outlandish and powerful tools, all available at the right price.
He frowned. How many Evolution Coins did he have left?
"Five hundred," he muttered under his breath, recalling the amount he had checked yesterday.
It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. He had been saving them, unsure of what exactly to spend them on, but now — now it seemed like the time to use them.
The town was on the brink, and if he didn't act soon, it would be too late.
His eyes scanned the options on the screen. He was looking for something to address the food crisis, something that could help get the Farmlands back on track.
His gaze landed on an item: Apple Orchard.
'That could work,' he thought. Apple trees grew quickly, and apples were a staple that could feed the town for some time.
He clicked on the item for more details.
Cronos's mind raced for a moment. The price was low enough that he could afford it, and the benefits could be significant.
He had no time to waste, so he quickly confirmed the purchase.
"Yes," he muttered under his breath, and with the familiar chime of a successful transaction, the blue screen vanished.
He looked up at the barren field before him, his heart pounding in his chest. This was it — the first step toward fixing things.
He reached out his hand and placed it gently on the ground. The wind picked up around him, his silver hair whipping in the gusts.
And then, in a dazzling display of energy, the field before him began to change.
The dry, cracked earth shifted as the magic of the Apple Orchard took hold. Trees sprouted from the ground, their trunks thick and strong, their branches bending under the weight of ripe, red apples.
The once-barren land had transformed into a lush orchard that stretched as far as the eye could see. The apples shone brightly in the sunlight, each one a promise of sustenance. Cronos smiled, feeling a surge of relief as he surveyed the scene before him.
For the first time in a long while, hope stirred in his chest.
"Let's get to work," he murmured, his gaze turning toward the town. With this orchard, he could begin to feed the people of Blackwood once more. It was a start, at least. A small victory in a world that seemed to be crumbling.
But it was a victory, and for now, that was enough.