The "Mud Fortress" at the base of the cliff was bursting at the seams. It was built for 24 Kobolds. It now housed over 200 reptiles. Everything smelled of unwashed bodies, rotting fish guts, and tension.
Red hovered over the chaos. He saw a Grey-Fin Lizardman shoving a Mud-Skipper who had accidentally stepped on his tail. He saw Kobolds hoarding the best sleeping spots near the forge.
"They are too crowded," Red analyzed. "If I don't give them space, they'll kill each other before the enemy does."
He opened the [ BLUEPRINTS ] tab. He didn't want to buy individual huts. He needed a layout.
[ BLUEPRINT: CITY PLANNING (TRI-DISTRICT) ]
[ COST: 3,000 DP ]
→ Description: Optimized zoning for multi-species co-habitation. Includes Sanitation, Defense, and Common Areas.
"Buy," Red ordered.
[ DP: 154,900 ]
He didn't beam the houses into existence. That would make them lazy. Instead, he beamed the understanding into Krug's mind.
'KRUG.'
The High Priest was currently breaking up a fight between two juveniles. He froze, his eyes glowing violet.
'THE HIVE IS TOO FULL. WE DO NOT LIVE LIKE RATS. WE BUILD.'
Red projected the mental map into Krug's brain. He highlighted the three zones.
'THE CLIFF IS FOR THE KOBOLDS. DRY AND HARD.THE SHORE IS FOR THE GREY-FINS. WET AND DEEP.THE MARSH IS FOR THE SKIPPERS. MUD AND REEDS.IN THE CENTER, WE BUILD THE TEMPLE. WHERE ALL BLOOD MEETS.'
Krug blinked, the architectural knowledge settling into his primitive mind. He stood up, slamming his spear butt against a hollow log.
"Listen!" Krug bellowed. "God demands a City!"
For the next three days, Red did something he hadn't done since he arrived: He did nothing.
He watched.
He saw the Kobolds taking the lead on the Cliff District. They used the iron pickaxes to carve dwelling caves directly into the rock face, reinforcing them with beams from the Cypress trees. They built a proper Smeltery with a chimney to vent the smoke away from the living quarters.
He saw the Grey-Fins working on the Shore District. They dredged the clay from the lake to build submerged cooling pits and sleeping pools. They used the massive Hydra bones to create archways and piers extending into the water.
He saw the Mud-Skippers in the Marsh District. They were master weavers. They took the thick vines and reeds of the swamp and wove intricate, hanging pod-huts suspended above the mud on stilts. It looked like a village of hanging baskets, safe from the rising tides.
Red's finger hovered over the [ MIRACLE ] button a dozen times. He saw a wall collapse in the Kobold sector. He wanted to fix it. He saw a Grey-Fin struggle to lift a heavy beam. He wanted to use Poltergeist.
But he stopped.
"If I lift it for them," Red whispered, "their muscles won't grow."
So he watched the Kobold rebuild the wall, better this time. He watched the Grey-Fin call for help, and a Kobold came to assist him.
[ SYSTEM ALERT: SOCIAL COHESION INCREASED ]
[ FAITH QUALITY UPGRADE: SELF-RELIANCE ]
→ Your followers are solving problems in your name, rather than waiting for your hand.
→ Faith Generation Multiplier: 1.2x.
"Good," Red smiled. "They're growing up."
By the fourth day, the districts were habitable. But the centerpiece was the Plaza.
Located at the intersection of the rock, the water, and the mud, the tribe had built a flat, circular courtyard paved with Hydra scales and flat stones.
In the center, they built the Temple.
It wasn't a cathedral. It was a bunker. Built directly over the spot where they had buried the [ Fragment of the Forgotten ], it was a squat, heavy structure made of black iron-stone and Hydra bone. It had no windows. The entrance was the gaping maw of the Hydra's skull, propped open.
Inside, there was a simple altar of obsidian. An eternal fire burned there, fed by the oil from the Hydra's fat.
Krug stood before the completed structure. He looked at the three tribes gathered in the Plaza.
"This is The Bastion," Krug announced. "Here, we eat. Here, we pray. Here, we sharpen."
The 200 followers roared in approval.
Red checked his Faith counter. The passive income from 200 followers, plus the new "Self-Reliance" multiplier, and the "Fanatic" bonus from the Hydra kill...
[ DAILY FAITH INCOME: ~2,500 ][ CURRENT UNCLAIMED FAITH: 10,000 ]
"Convert," Red said.
[100x MULTIPLIER ACTIVATED]
[X700 CHARGE LEFT]
[ DP: 164,900 ]
With the base secure, it was time for the next step.
Red projected himself into the Temple, manifesting as a flickering shadow over the altar fire. Only Krug was inside.
'THE CITY IS GOOD,' Red whispered. 'BUT IT IS EMPTY. 200 IS A TRIBE. I NEED A NATION.'
Krug bowed. "We hunt for more?"
'WE SCOUT,' Red corrected. 'SEND THEM OUT. THREE TEAMS. NORTH, WEST, SOUTH.MIX THE BLOODS. A KOBOLD TO TALK. A LIZARD TO SWIM. A SKIPPER TO TRAP.'
Red pulled up the map.
NORTH: THE ROCKY HIGHLANDS. (Border of Gorr's Territory).WEST: THE DEEP SWAMP. (Home of the Grey-Fins).SOUTH: THE MISTY MARSH. (Unknown).
"What do we look for?" Krug asked.
'ANYTHING THAT HAS SCALES AND HUNGER,' Red commanded. 'TROGLODYTES. TURTLE-KIN. CROCODILE-MEN. IF THEY ARE WEAK, OFFER THEM IRON AND MEAT. IF THEY ARE STRONG, MARK THEM ON THE MAP AND RETURN.'
'DO NOT FIGHT UNLESS ATTACKED. DEAD SCOUTS BRING NO NEWS.'
Krug nodded and walked out to the Plaza.
Red watched as Krug hand-picked the teams. He didn't just pick the strongest, but also the smartest. Swift-Tail led the West team. Moss-Eye led the South team. Iron-Scale, who was Krug's second-in-command, led the North team.
Each team was equipped with the new iron spears, dried hydra-meat rations, and nets.
"Go!" Krug ordered. "Fill the empty huts!"
==x=x==
A/N- Hey guys, Noah here. Are you guys enjoying this novel? Do you like how it's progressing? Are there any doubts you want me to clear? Any questions? Give your feedback so I can know better.
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