[Codex Fundamenta
Allows the building of basic structures and a rudimentary system of governance.
Features:
Structures – Mud Path, Mud House, Wooden House, Small Farm, Storehouse, Chieftain's Hall
Roles – Gatherer, Woodcutter, Builder, Hunter, Farmer
Titles – Subchief]
Codex Fundamenta, one of the two codices I have unlocked, was exactly how it sounded. It dealt with the foundational stage of kingdom-building- building the first settlement. It was quite a downgrade from the Codex Aedificii I was used to, but for the time being, it would suffice.
From the codex interface screen, I turned my eyes to the two confused faces in front of me. One of them was my younger brother Elendil, and the other was my most trusted vassal, Rumil. Five hundred years older than I was, he was already my father's reliable hand long before I was born.
With the noble title of Count, he was my home world's steward, taking my place whenever I was off-world fighting the empire's wars.
"Forgive me, Rumil… I think I will have to demote you," I said, grunting as I sat back beneath the tree. I was jesting but could not muster a more appropriate facial expression.
"Sorry?" The elf's face, which would look as young as mine without closer inspection, twisted.
[You have offered the Codex Fundamenta title
Rumil's eyes widened, staring at something in the air. He looked down at me and grinned.
"How? I thought they stripped you of access to all codices. What's this?" Rumil chuckled in disbelief.
"If you accept the role… it will bring you closer to the answer," I answered.
[Rumil Everglow has accepted the Codex Fundamenta title
[Rumil Everglow has been given access to the Codex Fundamenta of the Codex Novus]
The elf was soon swiping at the invisible screen with his finger, his child-like excitement masking the fact he was nearly a millennium old.
"I know it is no Codex Aedificii or Codex Administratum, but it will have to do for now. I want you to begin the building of a city along the river, big enough for 45,000. If possible, I want it done within a few days," I instructed.
"At once, if you permit, Lordship," the old elf snappily replied, keeping the wide smile.
I nodded. "You can begin as early as you want."
Rumil bowed and then briskly walked toward the crowd. Elendil watched the old elf for a moment before retaking his seat on the adjacent tree root.
"Is it what I think it is, Eryndor?" my brother asked me, leaning close enough for me to smell the meat on his breath.
I ignored his question and opened the other unlocked codex.
[Codex Custodiae
Allows the creation of militia units, the construction of basic fortifications, and the production of crude armaments.
Features:
Structures – Sandbags, Mud Wall, Wooden Barricades, Wooden Wall, Watch Tower, Small Barracks
Armaments – Crude Wooden Slow-shot Beam Rifle
Roles – Militiamen
Titles – Captain]
"Would you want to build the first military force we'll have on this planet?" I asked Elendil, knowing full well the answer. He was my second-in-command in the campaigns—a brilliant commander and a proven leader.
"Of course," he said, a chuckle escaping his lips.
[You have offered the Codex Custodiae title
[Elendil Stormlord has accepted the Codex Custodiae title
[Elendil Stormlord has been given access to the Codex Fundamenta of the Codex Novus]
If he even tried, Elendil had spectacularly failed to hide his joy. With eyes fixed on something in the empty air in front of his face, he stood up and paced around, an oafish grin on his face.
And I could totally understand him. We weren't allowed to bring weapons with us in our exile—another blatant violation of well-established conventions. Now, we were unarmed no longer.
"You are to work together with Rumil. Prioritize the crafting of the firearms, then the walls around the city. And I want eyes on the nearby settlement," I ordered.
"Consider it done, brother."
What were weary travelers in the morning had become lively and energetic workers in the afternoon. Male woodcutters swarmed the mountains and started cutting down the trees, while mostly female gatherers flocked to the riverside to pluck every stalk of reed, rush, or tall grass.
Unlike the lesser races, we elves were basically tireless. If it were not for the damaging desert heat, all the marching would have barely made a dent in our stamina. The more tolerable heat around the river and near the mountain, as well as the presence of flora and fauna, was enough to bring swift revitalization.
[+120 Wood]
[+215 Stalks]
[+115 Wood]
[+350 Stalks]
[+100 Stalks]
[+132 Wood]
[+210 Wood]
The notifications rushed into my periphery. The purpose of the woodcutting and gathering roles was for instant storing. Each time a woodcutter cut a tree, it disappeared before it could fall to the ground, sent directly to the codex inventory as uniformly sized pieces of wood. Similarly, as soon as the gatherer plucked a reed, rush, or grass off the root, it vanished in the gatherer's hands, sent directly to the inventory as a generic stalk.
What then was the use of the storehouse? Only a handful had access to the codex inventory. Thus, a storehouse's purpose was for resources to be stored inside it to be accessed by the civilians. Rumil and I had the ability to draw resources from the non-physical codex inventory and dump them in the physical storage.
While woodcutters and gatherers cannot tap into the codex inventory, the builders have limited access. Their role allows the use of stored building materials. And theirs was the easiest job, not needing to haul needed materials or even wield tools.
The builders spread throughout the grasslands surrounding the river. They waited for Rumil to give them the signal and the permission to build the structures.
I saw the first building pop out of thin air. They built it at the center of the planned city. The sizeable glorified hut was not only my residence but also the administration headquarters.
[-300 Wood]
[-650 Stalk]
[Chieftain's Hall had been built]
[You have built your first Civilization Center]
[Acquired Rank – Chieftain]
[Do you wish to design your banner?]
[Do you wish to name your civilization?]