Back to Elowen

Riku crouched beside the nearest child. "How would you all feel about moving to a new place?"

The children exchanged looks.

"Is it far?" one girl asked, clutching a wooden toy shaped like a bird.

"A bit," Riku said. "But it has lots of space. Fresh food. Clean water that never runs out. And a big field you can keep running on till you fall."

A few of them giggled.

"Do we get to go together?" another boy asked, more seriously.

"All of you," Lysaria confirmed. "Including Sister Alia."

"But… why?" asked the eldest boy, confused. "People don't usually want to take us anywhere."

Lila knelt beside him, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Because you deserve better."

Riku nodded. "We're building a church there. A real one. Not a marble tower, but a place where people actually care. And we want all of you to be part of it."

The youngest girl raised her hand like she was in a classroom. "Will there be buns?"

"Endless," Riku said solemnly.

The room erupted into cheers.

Lila laughed along with them, then turned to Riku with a bright grin. "You know," she said, "if my father doesn't agree, I'll fight him myself."

Riku smirked. "That's the spirit."

Lady Alia watched it all in silence, one hand to her chest. Her eyes glistened, but her smile never wavered.

"Then it's settled," Riku said, rising to his feet. "We'll go back and finish the church. We'll be back in under a month."

"And we'll be waiting," Alia said softly.

Lysaria gave a small bow. "Thank you as well, for bearing all these hardships to help these kids. I can assure you that good days are ahead."

--------------------------

The sun hung low over Elowen as the cart rolled in from the forest path, its wheels crunching softly on the familiar dirt road. The moment Riku stepped down near the village square, a familiar voice called out.

"Well, well. Took you long enough," said Chief Barou, hands on his hips, his usual frown softening into a grin. "I thought maybe the city had eaten you whole."

"Tempting," Riku replied, stretching his arms. "But they don't have fans and mochi like we do."

Barou chuckled. "Fair point."

Behind Riku, Lila jumped down from the cart, while Lysaria lowered her hood with a small, reverent smile at the lush village scenery. The fields were thriving — rice swaying gently in the wind, patches of pulses and herbs beginning to sprout.

"Alright," Riku said, rolling his shoulders once. "Let's get this started."

He reached into his cloak and tapped the silver band on his finger.

Flick.

In a small flash of blue light, a bundle of thick beams, crates of tiles, a pile of steel rods, plaster sacks, and neat stacks of shaped stone blinked into existence, stacking themselves in place on the grassy clearing beside the well.

Barou stepped back in awe.

"What in the seven spirits' name…? Did you rob a builder's guild?"

"Nope," Riku said, tossing him a rolled-up scroll. "I built one."

Barou unrolled the parchment and scanned the design.

His brows rose with every inch he read.

"…This is beautiful," he finally murmured. "You drew this?"

"Yup, for the most part," Riku said with a shrug. "It's functional. Strong foundation. Natural ventilation. And the eastern wall faces the sunrise."

Barou exhaled, then looked up with a new spark in his eyes.

"You leave this with me," he said, waving over two nearby villagers. "I'll get every able hand moving within the hour. We'll lay the foundation by tomorrow morning."

"Thanks, Chief," Riku said.

"There's more," Lila added quickly. "We met some kids. There is an orphanage in the city linked to the church, but they have had it very hard there. Riku plans to bring them here into Elowen."

Lila slowly told her father the whole story about meeting the children and Sister Alia. She did filter out some of the violent confrontations with the church to avoid an unpleasant tension.

Barou blinked.

Then grinned.

"Well, then we better make room," he said. "There's an old storage house near the hill — good structure. We can clear it out and lay extra rooms alongside. Better to have a place ready for them when they come."

Lysaria's face lit up, visibly relieved. "That would mean the world."

With that, the villagers began to mobilize — calling out names, fetching tools, clearing the field with a sense of purpose. Lila joined them to help mark out space for the orphanage, while Lysaria wandered to the eastern edge to speak with some of the older women about food preparations for the workers.

Riku, however, walked back to the inn.

The late afternoon light poured through the window as he closed the door behind him and sat down on the futon with a satisfied sigh.

Then his system pinged.

[You have earned Goodwill Points.]

Source: Sharing Joy through Buns and Mochi.

+40 Goodwill

+Unlock: Mini Electricity Generator Unit Blueprint

Total Goodwill Points: 100

"Nice," Riku murmured, opening the blueprint. "That'll help me generate electricity using mana."

But then, a second notification hovered in his peripheral vision.

[Quest in Progress: Guardian of the Forgotten]

Source: Support to Orphanage under Sanctuary of the Dawn

Progress: 50%

Reward: Locked

Riku frowned, tilting his head slightly.

"Locked, huh?"

He tapped on the quest.

There was no further information on the panel — just a pulsing indicator and a small note:

"Completion condition: Full Restoration of Peace."

"…I guess it's waiting for me to bring the kids here. After that, it should be completed."

He closed the panel, leaning back with a yawn.

But as he stared at the soft glow of the window, something unspoken curled in the pit of his stomach. A sliver of tension, buried deep — like something unresolved was watching from the shadows of a perfect day.

He brushed it off.

"For now… one thing at a time. Let's focus on building the church and making some delicious treats. Gnord should have completed the Coolbox Mk1 by now."