Mandy's Project

"Three floors and roof access." Max rubbed his chin as he and Mandy met Remian to discuss the shop house. "Walls strong enough to fend off Tier 3 Wilds. Possible accommodation for wolfcats. A basement for storage, and the ground floor should be a shop open to customers. That's…"

"Can it be done?" Remian asked.

"It could take some figuring out." Max said at last. "Maybe a couple days."

"We need the design ready by tomorrow morning." Remian told him. "We'll do it like the Guard Tower. The first phase should be dug and built by tomorrow. I want at least the basement and two floors ready by the time the Beast Wave arrives."

"That's going to put a hold on all the other projects." Max winced. "Also, given the size you want and the plot of land you have, I'm afraid you'll have to bid goodbye to the yard."

"We don't need a whole yard. We could use pots and put them on the roof. Or just make gardening beds on the roof. Would that work?" Mandy asked.

"It should work. We'll need stronger materials, but you were planning to make the roof sturdy enough to run around on anyway." Max nodded.

"I actually wanted to use it for laundry." Mandy admitted. "But we should put up guard rails at the side to prevent children falling off."

"Right. So if we put the garden beds lining the sides, the roof would be surrounded by hedges of green in the future." Max made a note in the already messy design plans. "That should also keep people away from the edges."

Mandy grinned. She seemed to like that idea. "So why build it in town? Why not outside town, near the Legion camp? We can have all the space we want. The building is designed to fend off Tier 3 Wilds, right?"

"Tier 3 Wilds, yes. But what would you do when a Tier 4 shows up?" Remian asked. "Beast Waves usually have a few of those."

Mandy grimaced.

"Plus, they seem to be getting stronger." Max added. "The first wave I faced here had only one Tier 4. The second one had three. Whatever's coming next… I'm guessing there'll be more."

"Can the Guard Towers survive a Tier 4 Wild?" Mandy had to ask.

"If a bear like Buff attacked our Tower in its current state… it would hold for a while, but not forever. Eventually, the walls would be torn to pieces and then everyone inside would have to run for their lives." Remian answered. "That's also why we're trying to reinforce the walls and build a stone layer for the second phase early. To really fend off a Tier 4, simply building thicker, stronger walls won't be enough. The towers will need some serious firepower, something stronger than those ground floor Scorpions. We'll need the Ballistae."

"We have a man on it." Max grunted. "He's a petty criminal who used to be a siege engineer for the Ashdale Kingdom. He tried to steal something, was caught, then opted to join the Iron Legion instead of rotting in prison for five years."

"And you guys are okay with him joining the Legion and handling siege weapons?"

"Yeah. More than half the Legion have some sort of criminal record. Their kingdoms chuck them at us in the name of supporting the noble cause of the Legion. As long as they're not too shady, nobody makes a fuss about it. Their lives might be at risk, but at least they get to work for redemption that way."

Mandy had a queer look on her face.

"What's the matter?" Remian had to ask.

"Can we… import stuff? From the airship?" Mandy asked. "Furniture and such?"

"Of course. Just take a look at whatever's in their hold the next time they come by." Remian shrugged.

"Not those. I mean… special orders. The kind where we ask them specifically for things." Mandy explained. "Matching sets of rosewood furniture from Ashdale, for example."

Remian hesitated. "That would be expensive. I'm not sure we can afford that sort of thing…"

Mandy looked at him in disbelief. Remian tried his utmost to keep a straight face despite his sudden gnawing worries.

She knew, of course, about the mana potions. While she seemed to understand the part about being suddenly rich, she did not seem to really understand the part about keeping it quiet. In her mind, they were wealthy, and thus spending a big amount in public was just natural, and never mind that they lived smack dab in a settlement of gangsters and criminals.

Then again, perhaps she thought she could speak freely in front of Max, because it was Max, after all. As for buying stuff on order, if they asked Charlie, they might actually manage to do it discreetly. Images of fluffy beds and rosewood furniture flickered in Remian's mind. A truly comfortable, beautiful home might be worth the risk…

Except that anyone visiting would immediately spot it all.

"One month." Remian decided with a sigh. "If you want to order luxury furniture, do it after one month, after the mine is up and running and everyone who works in the Guild is richer."

One year would have been safer, but the look on Mandy's face was strained enough already. But above all else, safety was Remian's concern.

Pointing out a tree on an open field was easy. It was not so easy pointing one out from a forest. If everyone was barely able to afford a few Lir for meals every day, spending thousands on furniture was just begging for trouble. But if anyone could do it themselves with a little budgeting, such spending might incite little more than a few comments.

"Phase by phase." Remian advised at last. "First, we use the cheap stuff, asking the airship only for what we need that we can't get around here, and we ask for cheap versions. We can improve everything else bit by bit over time. More importantly, we need to build the place first, and we need to build it strong."

"If you want our help, we need logistic assistance." Max spelled out, then. "We'll help you design and build your shop house, and you help us transport the stones for the Towers from the quarry."

"We'll have to put the farm on hold." Remian decided. "While the hunters and the wolfcats cart stone and the bear helps the boys with the roof. We need everyone in on this first. The towers and the shop house take priority. Max, can your engineer build a ballista in our tower too?"

"Take care of all our meals this week, and we'll handle that too."

"Can the girls manage?" Remian asked Mandy.

"We'll even take care of your laundry if it'll help us get our home faster." Mandy offered.

"They'll have to manage without you. I need you on the shop house project." Remian pointed out. "Design, amendments, furniture and everything."

"What about you? Where will you be?" Mandy asked.

"I'll be out with Carrie looking for mana crystals and books."

"Books?" Mandy blinked.

"They might be valuable…" Remian paused. "Or truly invaluable."

***

It took them four days to finish the ground floor, and even then they had to borrow the wolfcats to dig out the basement and foundation. This delayed the transportation of the stones for a bit, but when Carrie and Remian got back, they turned their focus to the stones and managed to haul enough for the towers' Second Phase by the time the Shop House's basement First Phase was done.

The Second Phase of the shop house, that is, the ground floor, was built by the Legion while the Adventurers built the towers outside. It was odd that they would exchange places like that, but the shop house had complex issues like indoor plumbing and ventilation and insulation that were over the kids' heads. Sticking stones around already built walls was much simpler, though possibly more tiring. With the help of over twenty wolfcats and a bear, however, they managed.

After the Guard Towers were reinforced, and the shop house was completed to the Second Phase, they held a day of celebration. Everyone was in attendance except for the poor engineer building the Ballistae… and, oddly enough, Remian Vin.