Chapter 39: The shop and Glory Points

For the common folk, receiving copper coins was undoubtedly a great thing—who wouldn't be happy about getting money?

But poor Old Ford was suffering. Watching those beloved gold coins once again flow into the hands of these dirt-covered laborers, he felt as if he was swallowing a bitter pill, forced to put on a smile that looked even worse than crying.

The craftsmen in Idar City were already paid well every month, but Bruno still gave each of them an additional gold coin as a reward.

As for the officials and overseers who supervised the construction of the Hanging Garden, those who deserved a raise got a raise, and those who deserved a promotion got a promotion. However, since these rewards were complicated and tied to different relationships, Bruno simply left the matter to Old Ford to handle.

Once the rewards were mostly settled, Master Andy casually walked over, making his presence known.

"Good morning, Master Andy!" Bruno greeted him with a bright smile.

"My lord!" Andy bowed slightly and returned the greeting.

"Master Andy, now that the Hanging Garden is complete… what are your plans?" Bruno asked, extending an olive branch.

"After a few more days here, I might leave… This Hanging Garden, after all, is something I poured my heart into. I'd be reluctant to part with it." Andy gazed at the magnificent scene of the garden, his expression conflicted. "But… I have also been away from the Basel Kingdom for a long time, and I do want to go back and see it again…"

"Here?"

To be honest, Andy was deeply torn. On one hand, he indeed wanted to stay and admire the fruit of his labor, but on the other hand, his many old friends were in the Basel Kingdom. As time passed, he began to miss them more and more…

After all, Andy was already over fifty years old. In a world where the average lifespan was only forty to fifty years, he was undoubtedly an old man, and it was only natural for him to feel nostalgic.

"Of course, I wouldn't stop you if you truly wish to leave," Bruno said, hesitating slightly as if he had more to say.

"What is it?" Andy's face grew serious.

Bruno put on a worried expression. "As you know, Idar is located at the easternmost part of the Norman Empire, a remote region where the people live in hardship. There's an old saying here: 'In barren mountains and turbulent waters, outlaws arise.' Recently, a large band of bandits has been occupying the only road leading south to the Basel Kingdom…"

As he spoke, Bruno even blinked innocently at Andy.

Andy felt a rush of frustration building in his chest. What bandits? This was clearly just an excuse from the earl of idar to stop him from leaving!

When Bruno had invited him to Idar, it was through similarly underhanded means claiming to have "rescued" him from baron Soren's hands, even though the so called kidnappers were actually Idar's own soldiers!

And now, before he even confirmed his departure, Bruno had already fabricated a ruthless bandit gang…

At this moment, Andy was certain that if he insisted on leaving, he would definitely run into Sam Layton disguised as a bandit along the way…

Shameless!

"There's no need to rush, Master Andy. You must understand this Hanging Garden is not the last wonder Idar will build…" Bruno said meaningfully, glancing at Andy. "If you stay, you can continue helping me construct more wonders…"

Upon hearing this, Andy's eyes widened. "More… more wonders?"

"Of course." Bruno nodded matter of factly.

"I'm staying! I won't leave! I'll settle down in Idar!" Andy immediately changed his mind.

What a joke! If just this one Hanging Garden could be considered a wonder, then if there were more…

Andy could already envision the future countless sculpting apprentices worshiping his statues, hailing him as a genius, the most extraordinary sculptor of the era!

People pursue different things in life some seek power, some seek wealth, but what Andy sought was the legacy of a true master sculptor!

Bruno understood this well, which was why he had predicted Andy's change of heart in advance.

Still… there was always a chance things could go wrong, so Bruno had prepared a backup plan. A batch of masks for disguising his personal guards as bandits had already been sent to their garrison yesterday. If Andy had refused, those "bandits" would have conveniently kidnapped him again, giving Bruno another chance to "rescue" him.

Now that Andy had made his decision, Bruno personally saw him off and instructed Lister to build a house for him in Idar City.

Although the process of persuading Andy was a bit… coercive, the result was all that mattered!

Success!

Once Bruno returned to the lord's castle, he didn't speak to anyone. He practically sprinted inside, dashed up the stairs, and burst into his study.

"Lister, unless it's something truly urgent, no one is allowed to disturb me!" he ordered as soon as he stepped in.

"My lord, what counts as… truly urgent?" Lister hesitated but asked seriously.

"An earthquake, a tsunami, a volcanic eruption, or the collapse of a wonder things like that. You decide," Bruno replied impatiently.

"…Understood."

Slamming the door shut, Bruno leaned back in his chair and reactivated the Wonder Construction System.

Aside from the wonder traits, he had also received 160 Glory Points as a task reward. He wasn't sure what they were used for yet. The system shop had also been unlocked, but he hadn't had a chance to see what it offered. And there was still the next quest to check… If it weren't for the crowd surrounding him earlier, he would've examined all of this long ago!

Now, finally back in the castle, he eagerly activated the system.

The task reward from building the Hanging Garden was 150 Glory Points, plus an additional 10 Glory Points from a "Diligent Effort Award." If Bruno's guess was correct, Glory Points were the currency for the system shop.

Moreover, the rating system for wonders didn't evaluate the wonder itself but rather Bruno's execution of it. The grade reflected how well he replicated the original blueprint in terms of scale and grandeur not necessarily how powerful the wonder was.

In other words, an SSS-grade wonder wasn't necessarily stronger than an S-grade wonder. If Bruno invested more time, effort, money, and manpower into constructing a wonder, it would receive a higher rating.