CHAPTER 130: CHAPTER 130 - DISTANT FUTURE

A meeting was once again held in the Coalheart main territory.

"Everyone, you’re back so soon. Wait..." Lucien’s eyes narrowed as he studied them. "Have you all not slept yet?" The dark circles beneath their eyes gave the answer before anyone spoke.

"Young Lord, please don’t worry about us," Lukas said. His tone was steady despite his exhaustion. "We’ll rest after delivering the reports. The territories require urgent action."

"Yes, My Lord," Cecil added. "We left the freed group(brainwashed people) to assist each territory. They helped eased the people’s burdens even if only a little."

Lucien glanced at them and noted the eagerness shining through their weariness. He could see their resolve. A burning determination to see the territories flourish.

Perhaps they saw their own past struggles reflected in the eyes of the people. Perhaps the helplessness they witnessed had struck a chord within them, igniting something that would not allow them to rest.

Lucien nodded firmly. "Good. Let me see what we can do to improve their lives."

He accepted the bundles of reports from the Division Representatives.

He opened the first one. Green’s report.

"Young Lord," Green called out. "A familiar problem has arisen here... no, it may have begun in this very territory."

Lucien wasn’t surprised. His instincts told him what he would find and he was right. Vast swaths of farmland had turned gray. It was lifeless and stripped of all nutrients.

Soilwyrms.

They had hollowed out the soil, leaving only a fraction usable. The farmers could do nothing to restore it. And yet Coalheart had demanded impossible quotas. Quotas they themselves had ensured could never be met.

’Truly evil,’ Lucien thought with a sigh. ’I’ll have to sacrifice more of my Soilwyrms to gather their drops...’

He read further. Green had carefully recorded the voices of the people. Their hopes were simple.

To keep farming.

To restore their land.

To rebuild their homes.

To return to the livelihood they had been born into.

Lucien nodded once more. That had been his intention all along.

He then turned to Elk’s report.

The mining territory was in dire straits. Men were dying in alarming numbers, leaving behind an uneven ratio of women to men.

Accidents were frequent and without proper medical facilities, even minor injuries festered into death sentences. Overwork ground the miners down until their bodies simply failed.

Lucien’s expression hardened as he read but the next lines made him stop and lift his gaze toward Elk.

"Young Lord... I hope you won’t be angry," Elk said as she scratched her cheek with a faintly embarrassed look.

Lucien reread the passage carefully. Coalheart soldiers... were still stationed there. And not just a few.

"It seems Coalheart valued this territory the most," Elk’s voice was tight. "A hundred soldiers remained to supervise the mines. They pushed the workers to their limits to extract more ore for weapons and armor. When our agent tried to spread word of Coalheart’s fall, the soldiers refused to believe it. They beat him and threw him into the shafts to mine alongside the rest."

She paused, inhaled sharply... then exhaled as though forcing the bile back down. Her eyes burned with anger.

"When I arrived... I saw miners whipped bloody. Women were being forced into the tunnels. I couldn’t stand it." Her voice trailed off. Then with a bow, she admitted, "I acted on impulse. I beat them all to a pulp. I’m sorry, Young Lord."

Lucien rose from his seat. His eyes glinted.

"Stand tall, Elk. Be proud. Why would I be angry at you for protecting our people? That..." A slow grin spread across his face. "That is fantastic. Lootwell’s people should act exactly like this."

He gave her a firm thumbs up.

His gaze swept over the gathered representatives. Each of them had grown stronger. Not one lagged behind. All had reached Tier 6.

Even Elk, his territory’s best tailor, was now strong enough to crush a hundred Coalheart soldiers.

Lucien’s chest swelled with pride.

The needs of the miners were clear.

Medical facilities. Proper rest. And above all, freedom from oppression.

Next, Lucien opened Stone’s report.

The Logging Territory carried its own tragic tale.

Many who had overcut the forest were struck with curses from the so-called "spirits."

Now they lay motionless.

Unable to lift a hand.

Unable to work.

And because they could no longer meet quotas, Coalheart had taken more lives from this territory than any other.

Worse, the spirits that once appeared from time to time had vanished completely as though the people were no longer worthy of their presence.

"Young Lord," Stone explained, "the people here are gifted woodworkers but they can’t use their craft while paralyzed. Their only wish is to regain the spirits’ favor and to live in true coexistence with the forest... so they never anger it again."

Lucien fell silent, tapping the page thoughtfully. ’Spirits? Perhaps monsters like Sparkles. Creatures that do not harm people without reason.’

"Good work," he said at last. "As for the curses, we can deal with those. And for the matter of the spirits... we’ll seek our resident elf’s advice on how to honor nature properly. I’ll make the arrangements."

Elunara’s name came to mind. Perhaps it was a stereotype because she’s an elf but if any of them understood the forest’s will, it would be her.

Lucien then turned to Lukas’s report.

The Outlying Territory had been fortunate this time. Lukas and the freed group had arrived at the perfect moment.

The hunters had been wounded after delving too deeply for food and worse... monsters had trailed them back to the territory.

The beasts had been on the verge of overrunning the territory when Lukas’s group stepped in, preventing disaster.

"Young Lord," Lukas said, "the people here lack equipment. Even so, they’ve become skilled hunters with what little they have. But their growth is capped. Coalheart kept them from realizing their true potential."

Lucien nodded. His lips curved. Hunters and warriors. Natural talent was already there. With proper support, they could rise quickly.

And equipment? He had stockpiles of drops gathering dust in his spatial bags. It was finally time to put them to good use.

The territory itself needed rebuilding, too.

Walls must be rebuilt to stand firm against future attacks. As for the surrounding monster habitats... those beasts would either be exterminated or turned into pets.

Cecil’s report came next.

The Fishing Territory, compared to the others, had fared somewhat better. The sea itself had been their ally, providing just enough for survival.

But their tools were crude and without proper equipment, the yield was far below what it could be.

"My Lord," Cecil explained, "the people say many fishermen have vanished into the ocean over the years. They don’t dare venture too far these days. When I investigated, I traced signs of a large monster lurking beneath the waves."

Lucien’s expression tightened. ’Of course. Just as I was craving fish, a monster decides to stake its claim. If left unchecked, it wouldn’t just hunt the depths. It might rise to the surface and devour the people.’

He sighed inwardly.

’Troublesome, but not insurmountable. If I can secure the ocean, this territory will flourish.’

Finally, Clara stepped forward with her report.

"My Lord, those with evil thoughts have been cleansed. There are no longer any threats in this territory." She clasped her hands together and closed her eyes as though in prayer. "I believe it is the right time to expand the chu—"

"Alright, let’s move to the next topic," Lucien cut in swiftly before she could finish.

With the reports concluded, Lucien turned to the group.

"Now, let’s hear your thoughts. How do we improve the territories?"

One by one, voices filled the chamber. Each representative offered ideas born from the people’s struggles and strengths. Even Cielius, Edric, Maxim and Sebas chimed in with fresh perspectives. Their eyes shone as they saw the possibilities.

If even half of these visions came to fruition, the change would be monumental.

Lucien nodded with satisfaction.

The path was clear. Each territory would rise by leaning into its own strengths and specialties. That was the way forward.

After the brainstorming, Lucien shared his own vision.

"First, we’ll connect the territories with proper roads," he said. "Merchants, travelers and aid should move freely and without delay."

Then with a flick of his hand, he revealed something greater. A magic circle drawn across a parchment.

The Constellation Gate Seal.

Gasps rippled through the hall as the representatives leaned in.

"This," Lucien explained, "will bind our lands together. Instant travel between territories. No delays. No distance."

Their eyes widened. Such thing would change everything.

Commerce, defense, unity. With it, they could respond to crises at once without wasting a single day.

Lucien had already solved the greatest flaw of instant transfer.

Within his Craft feature, he discovered a certain item. One that stabilized the process entirely. With it, there would be no backfires and no messy calculations of mana cost.

When he laid out the blueprint, every pair of eyes lit up.

Elk who was more knowledgeable in crafts than the rest, froze in astonishment. Her expression alone said it all...

The Crafting Division has a great deal of work ahead.

But no one complained. Instead, their gazes turned toward the horizon, seeing what Lucien saw.

A future abundant, prosperous, unstoppable.

Lucien smiled faintly. "Alright, everyone. We start today. I expect much from you. And as your Lord, I thank you. I can’t do this alone."

He divided the tasks once more with each person shouldering their share with determination.

And Clara...

"My Lord, is it alright if we build more chu—"

"...Next topic." Lucien interrupted smoothly.

•••

Time flowed swiftly.

And a full month passed.