Chapter 37

The next morning, the village awoke buzzing with even more excitement.

Temporary market stalls now lined the wide concrete path leading up to the gates. Plastic banners, flaglets and colourful balloons that made everyone mesmerised fluttered in the breeze. While local sellers wore the same coloured red and green long-sleeve shirts that I distributed last night. Colourful earth clothes and rubber shoes were displayed, farmer tools from Igor's shops, baked goods from the newly opened bakeries, and woven crafts from the Kael's family textile shop.

The smell of fresh bread, pizza , roasted meats, and sweet herbs and spices filled the air.

The Dirk Grocery Store stood proudly at the heart of it all—a sturdy two-storey timber building with a wide front porch. Beside it, the Bakeshop's chimney puffed out soft clouds of warm-smelling smoke.

Inside, Ella and Elvie were already bustling about with the ten newly hired salesladies—local girls with bright faces and quick hands, proudly wearing red shirts with aprons bearing the store's crest: a sprouting vine curled around a shield.

They stocked shelves with fresh vegetables and rare fruits from our gardens—golden apples, crimson peppers, blue carrots—all unseen in this kingdom. Jars of pickled goods, bundles of dried herbs, and even simple medicines lined the walls.

While rows of toiletries, baking goods, fresh meats, boxes of dairy, pantry staples, snacks and canned and dry goods. Products that no other town could offer.

Ella managed the moneybox and kept the ledger, sharp-eyed and quick with numbers. Elvie charmed the customers, making even the most hardened traveller crack a smile.

Meanwhile, Lord Weslin, after personally selecting an assortment of Earth-made soaps, dried pasta, flour, spices, a few bottles of homemade fruit wine, bread and more products, paid generously—twenty gleaming gold coins without even blinking.

He packed the goods into enchanted storage chests (one of the few luxuries he hadn't lost after leaving the capital) and prepared to leave with his family.

Before departing, Weslin clasped my arm in a firm grip.

"I'll spread the word carefully," he promised. "There are still allies scattered across the kingdom who remember the old ways—the true strength of our land. When the time comes, you'll have more than just villagers behind you."

He mounted his horse, his wife and children following in a small convoy, leaving a trail of dust down the southern road.

As he disappeared into the horizon, the first visitors arrived.

A group of rough-looking adventurers, their armour patched and travel-worn, strode into the market with curious eyes. They smelt the fresh bread, saw the exotic vegetables, and nearly ran to the stalls.

Behind them came a small caravan of merchant waggons, their banners marked with the symbol of a wandering traders' guild. Beasts of burden, adorned with colourful reins and bells, snorted as they pulled carts filled with cloth, spices, pottery, and iron tools.

The lead merchant, a round man with a booming laugh, approached me directly, wiping his sweaty hands on his tunic.

"I was told this place had goods from the 'Blessed Lands'—thought it was just a drunken rumor!" he exclaimed. "But look at this! Vegetables that sparkle, bread soft as a queen's pillow, and soap that smells like a dream!"

"Not to mention the noodles in a cup infused with mana."

He clapped me on the back hard enough to make Kael reach for his sword—and hard enough to make Sylphy smirk.

"I'll tell every merchant and caravan from here to the mainland," he declared. "If you can keep up the supply, you'll have more buyers than you know what to do with!"

I simply nodded, a small smile tugging at my lips.

That first day, the marketplace bustled like a living thing. Gold and silver coins clinked. Children laughed as they tasted sweet breads, mamons and chocolates. Adventurers traded battered relics and mana stones for supplies. Farmers from nearby villages brought waggons full of livestock and grains to barter.

By nightfall, the coffers of the grocery store were heavy with coins—and the villagers gathered again in celebration, already dreaming of what the future could bring. As the last fires flickered low in the marketplace and the sounds of laughter faded into soft murmurs, I leaned against a wooden post, quietly observing.

Families huddled together near their makeshift homes, mothers wrapping shawls around their children, fathers sharing hearty slaps on the back with old friends.

Neighbours exchanged warm hugs and easy smiles, while children, still giddy from the excitement of the day, chased each other around until their mothers caught them with a laugh and guided them home.

In the soft golden glow of the magic stones street light, the whole village looked alive—vibrant with hope. I found myself smiling without even realising it. For a moment, I simply stood there, soaking in the scene—the way the cold night air carried the scent of roasted meats and baked bread, the gentle crackling of fires, and the low hum of satisfied chatter. Ella and Elvie were still busy in the shops. While Miss Agnes went straight to the manor to retire early. Felix trailing behind me.

My heart felt lighter. I may not be a perfect lord for them, I thought, hands tucked into my cloak, but I'm doing everything I can to give them something better. It wasn't grand yet, after all; the Robinson territory was still under construction. Maybe we didn't have stone houses or high towers yet. But there was warmth here. There was hope. And that was more precious than gold.

Later at midnight, when the streets had emptied and the last torch had been doused, I sat alone in my room in the manor, mana stone table light flickering across the mahogany desk.

The Guardian Screen pulsed gently in the corner of my vision.

[Store: Special Purchase Available]

Cost: 500 small gold coins.

Without hesitation, I scrolled through the items—basic tools, groceries, dry goods, construction supplies, seeds, high-quality fabrics, and even small and large cooking utensils.

Things that could make daily life easier for everyone. But still I wish I could purchase an appliance, but it would take too much magic stone to convert it from electricity usage.

Sighing. It wasn't cheap.

Five hundred coins was nearly half of my current reserves. But after seeing their tired, happy faces tonight, I didn't even hesitate.

I tapped Purchase.

A soft filled the room as the goods were transferred into the system storage, ready to be distributed over the coming days.

I leaned back in my chair, feeling the slight pinch of fatigue in my shoulders. It didn't matter that I hadn't made a huge profit today. It didn't matter that the coin purse felt lighter. Tomorrow was another day. And I had already decided—This village would rise, and I'd be rich, and these people would have a future. Better than before. Better than in the mainland.

Even if I had to build it for them with my own hands.

I turned off the light, casting the room into darkness, and allowed myself one final thought before sleep took me:

From the watchtower, I saw more silhouettes in the distance—more travellers, drawn by the whispers of a village where the land itself was reborn.