Chapter 245: Chapter 236: Outpost in another world

Priam started running before he realized Esmée was struggling to keep up. The young woman wasn’t slow, but the attribute difference was massive. He slowed his pace and signaled to Jasmine, who was watching them from the cliff top, to follow. His subordinate jumped, and Priam's eyes widened momentarily before he remembered she wouldn't die from a fall that high.

The sand gave way to a carpet of leaves, different from those in Elysium. The climate and the trees reminded him of the Caribbean. Priam guided Esmée through the mahoganies, courbarils, and palm trees while tracking Kazuki with his aether perception and his sense of smell.

The hoplite champion had left no visible trace on the ground but hadn’t accounted for the aether particles he naturally produced or his scent. In Elysium, this was almost negligible, but in Valaryth, the foreign energy stood out against the natural energy—something the keenest natives would undoubtedly notice.

A hundred meters inland, Priam, Esmée, and Jasmine, who had just caught up, stopped behind Kazuki. The hoplite was kneeling and observing the ground closely.

“This is the fourth time I’ve seen these kinds of tracks,” the warrior said, pointing to two marks on the ground. “All similar but not identical.”

The rivals understood the message: different creatures of the same species had passed through here.

Priam approached and frowned upon seeing actual holes. The marks were about thirty centimeters long and ten deep. One didn’t need to be a tracker to spot such imprints.

“The front marks are caused by claws,” Priam noted. “Is that why you think they’re draconic creatures?”

“That and my bloodline.” The hoplite offered no further explanation, and Priam didn’t press.

“It’s hard to be sure, but judging by the lack of scent, I’d say these are at least a week old,” said Jasmine.

“Not much older, since the leaves that have fallen in haven’t started decomposing yet,” Kazuki remarked. “Given the soil’s resistance, the depth of the tracks, and the distance from the landing site—about a hundred meters from here—I would say the creature that jumped here has a strength over two thousand.”

“That’s a lot,” Esmée said, opening her grimoire. “They don’t have our System, so their attributes must be balanced, or their bodies would break down.”

Having a strength of two thousand and a constitution of five hundred was a good way to die stupidly by jumping too high or crashing into a wall. System users had resistances, skills, and Talents to offset their imbalances, but the natives did not.

“That doesn’t surprise me much,” Priam said. “The first time I came here, I heard a howl from a city and dove into the water to escape the creature. My instinct told me that staying behind meant certain death. Later, the Rehms confirmed they avoid the shore.”

“So it’s a dangerous place.”

“I detect no enemies within at least a kilometer,” Esmée declared. “There are animals, but nothing hostile or powerful.”

“That’s good, but they can return anytime,” Kazuki warned. “First, we shall protect the rift. I don’t have access to the Sun Shop here, do you?”

Priam’s attention turned to his interface.

Sun Shop

Error. Only a member of the Royalty or the holder of the World Key can invoke this function in a non-integrated world.

“Damn. Valaryth isn’t part of the Universe of the Seven, which limits the System.” Priam forced himself to breathe, trying to dispel his frustration. He had planned to use his Sun points to facilitate their settlement, and his plan was already falling apart.

“We’ll have to build the defenses ourselves.” Kazuki frowned.

“I can buy the blueprints and materials,” Priam suggested. “It’s slower than summoning the structures directly, but it’s possible.”

“Possible but dangerous.” Kazuki pointed at the deep tracks. “No visible tracks before these: this creature is stealthy. If it’s hostile, the builders could die before even seeing it.”

“I could monitor the surroundings,” Esmée offered. “Mutating the Moon Wyrm egg will only take part of my attention. In exchange, I would like to go through my Tribulations in this world, if that’s okay with you?”

“That sounds fair,” Priam agreed.

“Good. However, without knowing the creature’s characteristics, I’m not sure I can contain it.”

“I’ll handle that,” Jasmine intervened. Priam nodded. His quest for draconic trophies would likely take him far, preventing him from defending the outpost himself.

“Don’t forget about me and a few hoplites willing to explore this world. Now, we have our defenders, but we lack builders. Alain is an excellent constructor, but he can’t do everything alone.”

“I’d feel bad exploiting my father,” Priam admitted, smiling. “Why not hire artisans from Elysium with the Sun Shop? Ymir is a good recruit.”

“He’s cool,” Jasmine confirmed. “He even makes nice vegetarian dishes with Blueberry.”

Priam's smile wavered. The inhabitants of Oasis were getting to know each other while he trained alone. Sometimes, despite his obsession, he missed the idle loafing and friendly conversations.

“It’s settled then,” Kazuki declared. “Are you going to oversee the construction of the defenses?”

“My Tribulations force me to focus on my progression... and I think it’s the same for you.” All the rivals nodded. “Do you think Hyshana...?”

Kazuki shook his head. “With the tribes and our rivals prowling, my wife can’t manage the defenses of both Oasis and Valaryth. To be honest, defending Oasis is an opportunity for her, which explains her enthusiasm, but building an outpost here won’t interest her.”

Priam nodded, slightly disappointed. Hyshana was doing a great job in Oasis, and he trusted her. However, the hoplite wasn’t under his command; she was an ally, and he respected her choices.

“Nevertheless, she won’t refuse to fight alongside us in case of an invasion,” the hoplite added. “My friends are her friends.”

“Thank you,” Priam replied, looking his rival in the eyes. The hoplite didn’t have his immortality but was willing to risk his life to help him. “I hope you know you can count on me too.”

“I do.”

A solemn and brotherly silence fell, soon broken by Jasmine.

“Why not ask Alain to oversee the construction? He was an architect, right?”

“My father can easily handle building an outpost around the rift with a crew of experts, but the administrative work—scheduling patrols with the hoplites, managing resources, or even setting up meals... Well, he’s capable, but he’d make mistakes.”

On Earth, a mistake could have serious consequences, but here, it was almost a certainty. Priam was reluctant to take that risk.

“Myuri could help.”

Priam turned to Esmée. “How so?”

“Because of their racial Talent, the bastards of the royal family are trained to be secretaries,” the princess explained. “In practice, they often manage the Empire’s projects—under a man’s supervision, of course.” A sneer twisted Esmée’s lips. “She could easily assist Alain and his team in building these defenses by managing the materials, buying what’s needed, or liaising with the hoplites and Oasis.”

Priam hesitated before turning to Jasmine. “I don’t know her well. What do you think?”

“She’s a quiet girl who doesn’t want to be a burden. I know she helps Rose a lot and sometimes Alain too. She won’t be lost.”

Priam considered the proposal. The Empyrean royal family had the gift of influencing the world to favor their endeavors. With Muyri as the administrator, most obstacles that could slow a project would resolve themselves.

“Very well. Jasmine, find my father and then talk to Muyri about this position. If she’s interested, have her see me today. Kazuki…”

“I’ll see which hoplites are interested in this world. Then I’ll start mapping it.”

“Perfect. It’s time to establish an outpost in this new world!”

Lvl Up: [Revelation Resilience] lvl 46

MEM +3

META (Affinity) +3

META (Authority) +3

At the base of Log-a-rhythm, Priam scrolled through the Sun Shop interface. Now that the portal to Valaryth was stabilized, they could travel freely between the two worlds.

Esmée was waiting by his side. Before the princess tended to his egg, Priam had asked for her help in recruiting artisans. Why choose blindly when his rival could provide information about the strangers who would come to live in Oasis?

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Sun Shop

Artisan I (5,000 points) - Summons an Artisan. Requires Workshop or Forum. ACQUIRED.

Artisan selection... Scanning your territory... Match found.

Your territory and location match the criteria of a hundred and fifty-three Artisans.

Hëlo Mor - Tier 0 - Drow

A forty-four-year-old artisan with three epic skills. Orphaned, he was taken in by the Brothers of Redemption and currently resides in the sixth fortress of Knaya.

Specialty: Stonemason.

Salary: 150 Sun Points per day.

Lamnas Foen - Tier 0 - Elf

A forty-nine-year-old artisan with three epic skills. The last of a long line of artisans, he currently resides in the seventh fortress of Knaya.

Specialty: Gardener.

Salary: 185 Sun Points per day.

…

Priam's add-on reviewed the various candidates before returning an error. The information from the Sun Shop wasn't enough to separate the wheat from the chaff.

“One hundred fifty-three artisans available,” Priam counted after reading all the descriptions aloud.

“That’s a lot,” Esmée replied. “The last time I talked to Aydan, he only had three proposals, and two of them were a disgrace to their profession.”

“Having a fortified base and a superior Nobility Title helps,” Priam guessed. “How much time do you need to analyze all these people?”

“Oh, it’s already done.”

Priam's eyes widened, and the princess smiled. “I managed to get information on you despite your ideal resistance; these Tier 0s didn’t stand a chance.”

“So you admit you know things about me?”

“Not as much as I would like,” the princess replied innocently.

“The feeling is mutual.” Priam’s tone was far from innocent, and Esmée blushed.

“I feel compelled to warn you that even with my perception, I could hear you from afar.”

Mortified, Priam and Esmée turned to see Alain approaching.

“Dad,” Priam coughed. “We’re going to summon some artisans to help you build an outpost in Valaryth.”

“Jasmine already told me,” Alain smiled. Priam noticed that his father's smile had fewer wrinkles than before the Tutorial.

“Perfect. Esmée, you were saying?”

“After compiling their information, I have made a shortlist of five candidates based on your needs.”

With a wave of her hand, the princess conjured an emerald hologram sheet. Five profiles were listed, with descriptions of their favorite skills, social relationships, photographs, and other characteristics. Seeing this, Priam remembered that each rival was terrifying in their own right.

“Among them, two pairs know and hate each other, so you can only choose three.”

“Will that be enough?”

“It will be sufficient,” Alain answered. “With good skills, high attributes, and the experience I’ve gained here, building a fortress can be quick. Supervising three people to ensure they don’t sabotage the work is my limit.”

Hiring strangers carried risks of sabotage, intentional or not. As the master builder, Priam’s father was responsible for the construction site.

“First choice, Hëlo Mor or Lamnas Foen,” Esmée announced. “Hëlo works with stone and can use parts of the bedrock from the islands. Walls built with this type of block would be tough to destroy. The issue is, he’s slow to carve and hates Lamnas.”

“The gardener,” Priam recalled.

“An elf able to help trees grow and reinforce them. He could create planks from Log-a-rhythm without impacting its growth.”

Alain looked thoughtful. “It’s clear both are exceptional candidates. Couldn’t we recruit Lamnas in Oasis and Hëlo in Valaryth?”

“That would be ideal, but it’s the System that handles their contracts, not them. The candidates set their conditions, and the System matches them with compatible Nobles. That way, they never have access to sensitive information.”

“I suppose Lamnas was selected by the System because of Log-a-rhythm?” Priam asked.

“Most likely. Without it, there’s little chance an artisan like Lamnas would agree to work with Oasis.”

“You’re tough, but I suppose you’re right.” Priam knew Oasis had potential thanks to Log-a-rhythm and the rivals, but it didn’t amount to much against tribes with Tier 4s. With the necro event ongoing, artisans were likely looking for a faction capable of protecting them. “Well, if they refuse to work for the same faction, there’s nothing we can do. Dad, what do you think of these two?”

The old man was squinting at the descriptions of his potential subordinates.

“According to Esmée’s information, they’re both passionate and honest about their work. Both are racist, one hating drows and the other hating elves, but that’s irrelevant for now. Based on their skills alone, I lean towards the gardener.”

“Oh? I agree, but I thought you’d prefer the stonemason for the walls?”

Alain raised an eyebrow. “I know the System gave you a nice stone rampart like in the eleventh century, but I don’t plan to spend a decade doing masonry. Unless you plan on giving me a hand, son?”

Priam looked sheepish, raising his hands. “I need to temper my body…”

“That’s what I thought,” Alain chuckled before explaining. “The wood from Log-a-rhythm is stronger than regular stone and will get more durable over time. That’s partly why I decided to focus my skills on wood manipulation and treatment. Plus, building the fortifications in wood will allow me to update them later.”

“I trust you,” Priam smiled, placing a hand on the trunk of his tree. It was growing at its own pace, but a gardener with the right skills wouldn’t be useless, even if only to help the other trees in the domain. “So it’ll be Lamnas. Next?”

“We have a husband and wife, Bertomne and Bertaplm Gah’l,” Esmée read. “Two members of a small tribe ravaged by an unending Necro Wave this week. They’re currently hiding in a tree trunk a few thousand kilometers from here.”

“They don’t want to be together?”

“They hate each other,” the princess shrugged. “Their son died, and they blame each other. They’re both sand singers. Given Valaryth’s sandy soil, either could create solid foundations for the outpost and glass.”

Priam’s eyes gleamed. “That could be useful. Dad?”

“Which one is more talented?”

“Bertomne. He’s stubborn but honest.”

“Bertomne it is.”

“Last but not least, Trap. A goblin specialized in traps. She’s expensive, almost three hundred Sun points per day, but extremely efficient.”

“Let’s take her too,” Priam declared, summoning the three artisans. “They’ll arrive in two hours.”

“Then I’ll prepare the workshop,” Alain said.

The rift shimmered as Priam crossed it. He had entrusted the Moon Wyrm egg to Esmée so she could begin the preparations for its mutation. In a few days, he would have a holy guardian and face a choice: sacrifice the beast to temper his body or keep it to guard Oasis.

Deep down, he already knew what he would choose.

Looking up at Valaryth’s single sun, the young man smiled. The omnipresence of the Necromoon annoyed him, and he was glad to see a world free from its influence.

A seagull cried high in the sky. Watching the bird fly inland, Priam had an idea. I should have a few minutes before Myuri arrives…

Drawing thermal energy from the matter within his Domain, he converted it to kinetic energy and took off. A few seconds later, he caught up with the seagull, which screeched in outrage. Laughing, Priam overtook it and ascended.

Just before reaching the first clouds, Priam stopped to gaze at the blue world stretching below him. Small islands dotted the ocean to the horizon, which curved slightly, revealing Valaryth as a planet. His rift was at the southern tip of a huge island’s peninsula. Seeing this, Priam mentally thanked the System.

The rift’s location was easily defensible from land by blocking off the peninsula. The geography gave Priam a wild idea he couldn’t shake. His musings were interrupted by movement.

About twenty kilometers north of his position, the ruins of a city were surrounded by forest. Squinting, Priam saw several black dots rising above them. A fraction of a second later, he cursed, realizing winged creatures had spotted him and were hunting him down. Gaining some altitude gave him an unparalleled view but also made him a target.

Diving towards the rift to avoid attracting more attention, Priam saw Myuri and Jasmine emerging from it. Muttering another curse, the warrior adjusted his trajectory. Flying east, he skimmed the water, checking that the creatures were still pursuing him. They were.

Suppressing a smile, Priam landed a few kilometers away on an isolated sandbank. Promesse appeared in his hand as the flying creatures approached, roaring their impatience. Their shrill cries annoyed him, but a thought calmed the Ace.

“Soon, you’ll have a good reason to scream.”

Status:

PHYSICAL:

Strength 707

Constitution 1 105

Agility 614

Vitality 1 040

Perception 760

MENTAL:

Vivacity (D) 570

Dexterity 652

Memory 830 (+6)

Willpower 1 134

Charisma 661

META:

Meta-affinity 784 (+4)

Meta-focus 403

Meta-endurance 608

Meta-perception 339

Meta-chance 274

Meta-authority 210 (+3)

Potential: 13 520 (+3)

Tier 0

Sun points: 1 464 802 (-4 594)

[He Who Eludes Death] charge: PRIMED

[Tribulation]: Five Tribulations pending.

Future Tribulations delayed until:

Time: 156 days 15 hours 47 minutes 30 seconds.

Next thresholds: 12 attributes > 600 / 6 attributes > 900 / 1 attribute > 1 200