Trade Begins

Two weeks had passed since the Shadow Kingdom had begun paying its people, and the transformation had been undeniable.

Where once there had been a scattered encampment of survivors, there was now the foundation of a thriving settlement. The wages had increased productivity tenfold—where before people had worked out of necessity, now they worked with purpose. The result was staggering.

The third apartment complex had been completed, standing taller than the rest at five stories high, large enough to house entire families, skilled workers, and incoming recruits. It was the largest structure in the settlement, its stone walls reinforced with iron beams, making it a symbol of stability amid the once-ruined wastelands.