She just input a 1 followed by a series of 0's to discover how long the input field was. It took sixteen digits, so deciding that half of that would be appropriate she removed eight of the zeroes and left the one. The input did not automatically apply a decimal point but once she entered the figure she'd chosen a decimal point and two more zeroes were added to the number.
Ten million? Well, hopefully that will be sufficient for my needs, she thought.
The final thing it requested was the construct order number and Freyja was glad that she hadn't run this program before putting the order in for her construct. Then, with all the data entered and questions answered, she submitted the form.
'Supporting documentation will be delivered in: Nine days.'
was the only message that the program gave her once she was done.
~ ~ ~
Eddie spent a few hours sketching out ideas for the greenhouse. He was pretty sure that between his engineering and carpentry skills he'd be able to make something usable.
Think ahead and put it somewhere up near the castle since if this works that crop will probably be almost as valuable as the herbs, he thought.
With Brokkr and most of the dwarfish guards gone, things had returned to a mostly normal state. Jern was still working on the stonework for Paul's projects, but he'd also taken on the task of building a building to use for an embassy himself. He was bound and determined to put it near the smithy and the path leading back to the Hold.
There were a bunch of caves up there, like he'd said, but most were fairly shallow. That didn't deter Jern in the slightest. He was simply expanding it to the size he wanted. With working on Paul's projects in the morning and the embassy in the afternoon, Eddie only saw Jern at dinnertime any more. The dwarf seemed happy though, and he also seemed to be building up a friendship with the two guards that remained behind.
Jern's level of business left Eddie with a choice of him and/or Tiana to build the base for the greenhouse. Since he was building it to surprise her with chocolate he'd decided to just take care of it himself. There wasn't a lot of stonework needed for the greenhouse so he just swiped enough for his project from the stockpile they had for building the castle since it was right nearby.
After that he needed to bring up a few loads of rough planks. Since the building's walls were mainly needed as a framework for windows and the studs for the roof as framework for the roof glass, it went quickly. Tamshir had told him that his glass had all been cut to the sizes he'd requested a day or two back. He'd hauled it to the building site for the greenhouse and now he just had to set the windows in place.
Eddie had decided that the best way to secure the windows would be through magic. The wood shaping spell Becky had demonstrated during the raid seemed optimal for the function he was after, so he'd asked her and she'd agreed to help. Now he was just waiting for her to show up. They'd need one more person to do it the way he'd planned, so she'd offered to bring one of her helpers.
Lucky was off gallivanting through the meadows that surrounded the castle. She'd discovered a lot of the lowest level bunnies in the fields, although fortunately no lairs of them, just normal sized bunny warrens. So Eddie had more bunny corpses than he knew what to do with at the moment.
Becky arrived and Eddie and her helper held the first pane of glass in the opening for it. Becky cast her wood shaping spell, molding the edges of the planks out over the glass to hold it in place. They repeated that over and over to finish the greenhouse. The roof was trickier, but Eddie had a pair of ladders for himself and the helper to stand on to keep the panes in place as Becky secured them down.
I just hope I can find someone with a mend spell or something if any of this glass ever breaks, Eddie thought.
When they were done, the greenhouse was finished. Eddie just needed to move a few things into it for it to be all set. Barrels of water to raise the humidity were the first. He figured the temperature inside of the greenhouse would probably be warm enough to just evaporate the water, but maybe, after he revealed the surprise to Tiana, he'd have her create one of the permanent springs in here so the water wouldn't have to be filled on a daily basis. For now, the barrels would work fine.
The other thing he had to install was a small crank. It would lift a section of boards when cranked or secure them closed when cranked the other way. That way if it got too hot in the greenhouse he could cool it back down some.
After that was all in and installed, he planted the cocoa beans he'd purchased. It would take a day or two for them to sprout as opposed to the five to ten days they'd take in the real world, but he'd kept them in damp, warm cloth for a few days and they were all showing an initial root that told him they were still alive.
I suppose I could Accelerated Plant Growth them right after planting, but that doesn't feel right to me somehow, it feels like I should wait until they sprout on their own before doing that, so I'll go with my feelings on this one, he thought.
Planting accomplished, he turned and looked at the castle. The four outer towers were all complete at this point and the masons were working on the walls that connected them and the roof of the place, which would enclose the entire area between the towers. The last thing that would need to be done was a central tower rising up from the roof. The supports for it were in the blueprint and showed on the floors of the castle proper, but it wouldn't be a proper tower until above the roof of the castle and from there it would rise up thirty more feet to exceed all the other towers by a good ten feet.
~ ~ ~
Eddie met up with Tiana and the others at the inn for dinner. Jern was brimming with news. He'd gotten the mining skill while they excavated and now was very excited that they'd found a vein of coal while extending the cave he'd chosen. His guards were at a nearby table and Jern was loud enough that Eddie noticed the guards breaking into a smile while Jern relayed the story about the coal vein.
“I even got my Mining up to five already. You wouldn't mind if we kept mining out an area in there, would you?” Jern asked.
“So long as you don't intersect with the existing tunnels, I've got no problem with that Jern,” Eddie said, glad enough to contribute to the dwarf's happiness.
“So what are we doing now, anyhow?” Tiana asked. “I mean, as a group.”
“Well, I was thinking we might try some of those tunnels we hear the orcs in on the way to Hammer Hold,” Eddie said. “Now that Jern has no worries about being closer to the Hold, we can adventure down there. Didn't Charles say something about those areas?”
“Yes,” Allie replied. “He was saying they found orcs scavenging and mining. He thought there might be another orcish settlement in there but he couldn't find it. He said most of the groups were three to nine orcs of varying types.”
“I think our group could handle even the larger groups you just mentioned. Plus, Jern could bring along a pickax and if we find anything worth bothering with he could mine it while we regenerate, what do you think?” Eddie asked.
“It is somewhere we haven't gone yet,” Tiana said. “Plus, that would probably let me work my light spell up a few points since we'd need them going all the time.”
“Works for me,” Karl said. “Orcs are still pretty good experience for us, right?”
“Well, some experience at least,” Eddie replied, “But probably better for you.”
Karl glared at Eddie for the couched reference to their level differences.
“At least it's close and qualifies for the adventuring you need to do,” Dominic said. “But there's the possibility of some alchemical ingredients being available down there as well, so I vote yes.”
Dominic had spent days making the potions he could and distributing them to the party. He was selling some to other adventurers in the area as well, but he was currently getting zero experience for creating the low level potions that he had the ingredients for. The experience on them had zeroed out once he got his Alchemy skill to a five.
The next day Eddie was surprised by the wagons
returning right after lunch. Paul was with them.
“Hey Paul, how are things going out there?” Eddie asked.
“Town Hall is up, not as fancy as yours, but quicker at least. I laid out the blueprints for some bunkhouses and a barn, got them started and shared, then Charles told me they were all set, so I came back.”
“Well, I need to talk to Ingolf, but I think he'll be heading up our other settlement. I know he was leaving the mill, he didn't have any plans, and this is productive. Most importantly to him, though, it's not here,” Eddie said.
“Good, I hope he takes it. He's a good man, just...” Paul shook his head. “I don't have the words for what I think of Arvid and how he tried to raise Ingolf. We talked a lot while working the sawmill and pretty much everything productive that Ingolf has done, he had to do on his own with no support.”
“Well, I already made the offer to him. He said he needed to think on it and finish training those two to take his place.”
“I'm headed out there now. I'll tell him you're wondering if he's come to an answer yet,” Paul said. “Then once I know the sawmill is okay, it's home to my wife. Becky's been staying with her, but she needs to spend hours a day with all those animals of hers so...”
“I won't hold you up Paul. I guess it's almost time for a trip to Charles' settlement for me.”
“He did say to tell you he got the settlement message and the town hall was ready for you,” Paul said. “And on that note, I'm off.”
Paul continued on down the road towards his mill and house while Eddie dropped back into the inn. That evening at dinner, he broached the idea of a quick trip to Charles' settlement to claim it for the Meadowlands.
“I haven't been doing all that much recently,” Eddie said, “and it bothers me. So I need to make this trip and then when I get back maybe I can find some new project to work on.”
All of the group except for Dominic volunteered to go.
“I'll just slow you down,” Dominic said. “You know how low my stamina is.”
“Alright then. Tomorrow is a road trip, well a path trip?” Eddie said. “You know what I mean.”
Karl just laughed at him outright while the rest of the people at the table looked mildly amused.
~ ~ ~
In the morning everyone was ready to go, even Karl. Surprisingly, the scout wasn't even hung over. Tamshir was coming along with them also, since she'd finished with the glass and she wanted to get back to her own group. They set out, heading east along the road. Once they reached the area they'd captured the cows at before, the road started to peter out, ending up as a rough trail.
The fields to either side of the trail were filled with some sort of mound or raised trail that looked like giant gophers had been digging through them. Eddie resolutely kept going, despite a burning curiosity that pushed him to examine those trails. Even when Lucky went over, sniffed at the burrow, then whined before skulking back to him.
“Nope, not gonna do it,” he said aloud.
Tiana grinned at him.
“Curious though, no?” she asked.
“Stop that wench, don't tempt me,” Eddie said.
She simply laughed.
“If we've got enough light on the way back through, we can check it out then,” she said.
Eddie nodded once, firmly, then picked up the pace so the trails sparking his curiosity would be out of sight sooner.
They passed a herd of cows, but there were fewer of them than they'd left so Eddie assumed it was another group. They were pushing the pace hard, so they made what should have been a six hour trip in just under four hours, arriving right around lunch time.
The area Charles had chosen for building was evident. The town hall, already completed, had something like a flagpole on top of it, holding a flag twenty feet above the roof of the hall. The flag was just pure white, but Eddie was sure that Charles had plans for it to be something else at some point.
There were people working on several partially constructed buildings in the area and it took Eddie a bit to find Charles. He eventually had to ask one of the workers and they told him that Charles was probably in the town hall.
When Eddie went in, he didn't see Charles at all, but a few moments later he heard people talking. Following the voices led him to what he'd thought was a closet off the hallway on the ground floor. He knocked tentatively and a moment later the door opened.
“Eddie,” Charles said. “Cool, I was hoping you could explain some of these dials and settings to me. Ephram and I were looking, but we're not certain what any of them do. I mean, we can guess, but...”
Eddie laughed.
“Yeah, guesstimating was how I figured it out. I'm guessing you want to increase your construction energy?”
“And farming energy. We put down a field while Paul was laying out all the buildings and getting them started.”
“Alright,” Eddie said. “First we go to this main panel and look for the labels you want to adjust...”
Eddie spent about a half hour explaining what he'd figured out from his own control panels. Then he paused.
“Not that you'll probably ever need it, but if you want another settlement under yours, you need access to both control rooms.”
Eddie paused and chalked his name on the board over the door.
“That gives me access here, I've been physically present in this control room also, so once I'm home again I should be given the option to put this place under my jurisdiction. Understand that's all guesswork, but it's how it worked with Rotthorpe, so I'm hoping it works the same way with this place.”
“Irondale,” Charles said.
“Huh?” Eddie said.
“Irondale. You keep saying 'this place'. I'm calling it Irondale.”
“Oh, okay. So anyhow once I'm back to my control room I should get the option to put Irondale under the jurisdiction of the Meadowlands. I'll do that as soon as I get back there.”
“Good,” Charles said. “So, to review you use these dials here to...”
Charles pretty much had what Eddie said down, at least close enough to be functional in the control room, so they headed out and Charles greeted the rest of the group.
The group stopped for lunch and Eddie took a while to help out with the carpentry. They already had the town hall and one bunkhouse completed. Eddie helped for a little more than an hour, getting a second bunkhouse finished with the help of the other carpenters.
“Alright, Charles. I'd love to stay and help more, but we really need to get back. Plus, we saw something interesting on the way here. Some sort of tunnel or mound through the fields?”
Charles grinned broadly.
“Giant Burrowing Acid Ants, or at least one of them. Its hide is curing out back of the town hall. Damaged some of the party's equipment with its acid, but we took it down. Tamshir would've been handy then, could've trapped it underground while we killed it.”
Charles glanced at the wizard in question briefly and shook his head.
“But we got it. Evidently those guys are in the foothills around here. I never did explore the foothills much, just the mountains where the orcs were.”
“So, much more to learn then,” Eddie said. “I'll have to check out the foothills back near us. That'd be an unpleasant thing to have wander into the City.”
Charles nodded his agreement.
“Never saw any there before, not that that means much. But we'll be keeping a lookout for them around here, you can be sure of that.”
“Well, as much as I'd like to stay and chat, we really do need to go. Thanks again, Charles.”
“You're welcome, but it's my pleasure. I never understood why you enjoyed building so much, but I might be starting to understand now. I may even spend a point for carpentry or masonry just to help more. So far I've just been supervising.”
He shuddered.
“Not really cut out for just that, so we'll see.”
Eddie chuckled.
“I get it, I really do, but we're of
f. We'll see if there are any others of those things around on our way back through.”
They headed out, stopping at the field with the massive burrows again. They found no sign of the massive ant Charles had mentioned, but they did find the remains of several of the cows down in the tunnels. Lucky had entirely refused to go down into the burrows.
“Huh,” Eddie said. “I guess maybe that was the same herd and this thing was just feeding on them. Well, at least Charles got rid of it for us. I wonder how it managed to get into the Meadowlands?”
It was a rhetorical question and everyone knew it, even so Karl had to pipe up.
“Um, burrowed?” he said.
Eddie grabbed a handful of dirt and flung it at Karl before turning and climbing out of the burrow. Once they were all up they headed west, making good time but still not arriving until after dark.
The first stop was at the inn to get some dinner. Walking for a good portion of the day had left them all hungry, so it was a necessity. After Eddie had eaten enough he headed out towards the town hall. Lucky had run around back when they got to the inn to get herself some dinner from the pond, so Eddie was surprised when she showed up and followed him down there.
Up in the control room he touched the control board and a message flashed up for him.
The owner of this control panel also has rights to the control panel of a smaller settlement (Irondale). Do you wish to place the smaller settlement(Irondale) under the jurisdiction of this one?
(y/n)
Yes, Eddie thought.
The Hamlet of: Irondale has been placed under the jurisdiction of the City: The Meadowlands. Increase the settlement level of: The Meadowlands to Player Capitol and add one more settlement under: The Meadowlands, to form a kingdom.
Eddie grinned at the reminder of his current overall goal. Then he headed out and back to the inn, Lucky thumping against his hip as he walked there. When he got into the inn, he sat down with Tiana.
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