Chapter 98: From Settlement to Castle Town

Chapter 98: From Settlement to Castle Town "What the..." Xu Tao groaned as he looked around. From his memory, there should have been barely twenty people here. There were supposed to be five outer disciples of the Azure Dragon Sect, five of Jehanne’s soldiers, Arthur, and a few dark elves he’d taken in. However, now, there were even a few races that Xu Tao had never seen before. They came in various shapes and sizes... but all had one thing in common—they were pointing some kind of weapon at him. "W-We greet the Great Elder!" The next moment, the five outer disciples rushed forward and knelt, pressing their heads to the ground. From their actions, they looked panicked, probably because they had just pointed blades at him moments ago. Of course, aside from sparring, pointing a weapon toward an elder within the sect was tantamount to treason. If caught red-handed, punishment could range from fifty lashes up to immediate execution. Thus, their reactions weren’t over the top, but the natural consequence of their blunder. Thankfully, Xu Tao wasn’t paying attention. And even if he was, he wouldn’t really punish them just for that minor misdemeanor—something they did in an effort to protect themselves. Xu Tao was looking past the wall of unfamiliar faces, toward the large castle standing behind them. Yes, a western-style castle made of gray stone. He could still see the three log houses he remembered nearby, but further behind was that big-ass castle. It wasn’t that big—probably three stories tall at most. However, the presence it exuded wasn’t something he could ignore. To add, apart from the three log houses, more buildings had popped up all around. It was to the point that Xu Tao’s little walled settlement could now be considered a proper "village"—or more appropriately, a castle town! "What the hell happened?" Xu Tao couldn’t help but gawk in surprise. "My little home turned into a fortress!" "Huh? Ah..." Jehanne groaned, hearing Xu Tao’s reaction. "That just happened when we welcomed the rest of the locals into our settlement right after the second wave..." "...Second wave?" Hearing that term, Xu Tao finally recalled the small warning he’d read after they finished the first wave. A warning that the second wave was scheduled to hit one week later. Xu Tao scanned their faces and sighed in relief. ’Good. Nobody died from the wave...’ During the first wave, they had a hard time especially during the boss fight, after all. "The monsters were the same, but they started off about 50% stronger than the first wave’s," Jehanne explained. "And for the boss, I beat it alone while wearing the suit you gave me." "...Was everything alright when that happened?" He still remembered how Arthur had practically lost himself when Jehanne fought in the bunny suit. It wasn’t hard to imagine a repeat. "Ah, no need to worry about that!" Jehanne’s smile was sweet and innocent—completely opposite to her brutal words. "I whacked everyone who tried to approach me while wearing the suit, so other than a few injuries, nothing much happened~!" Well... in a certain light, one could say she had mastered the use of the Bunny Suit already. "As for the town’s improvement—after the wave, I made use of the new blueprints that Sir Tao picked up the day you disappeared." As the "Proxy" who was able to use the Lost System’s degraded version, Jehanne had done splendidly. If Xu Tao were to grade her performance in his absence, he’d give her a perfect score with no hesitation. Not only did she protect everyone, she even improved the entire place. New homes were built, wells providing water were dug, and roads were made. There was even a second wall that "hugged" the first wall Xu Tao had constructed, on which the new castle now stood! "Still..." After digesting the summary, Xu Tao began scanning the faces of those who had gathered around. "I’m sure it’s hard to manage all these people. How many are there now?" "You mean the locals? There’s about a thousand of them," Jehanne answered. "And it wasn’t hard for me, really. Arthur had taken it upon himself to lead the locals. He’s quite the charismatic ruler, apparently. Everyone followed him from day one—especially the dark elves." "Well, he did say he was a former king..." Xu Tao nodded, weirdly convinced by Arthur’s success. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something else had helped raise Arthur’s fame, especially given how she’d mentioned the dark elves. "Well, as long as they do it in moderation..." he whispered, shaking his head. "Anyway, I’ll rest for today. Which one’s my house again?" he asked, looking around. There were so many new buildings. Some were the same log houses as before, making things rather confusing. "Yes, Sir Tao. That one, of course." But Jehanne didn’t hesitate at all, pointing him in a specific direction... It was... supposedly the right one. "...Are you sure?" Xu Tao asked. "Because no matter how I see it, you’re pointing at that weird castle in the distance." Jehanne smiled and nodded. "Of course, Sir Tao. As our leader, you deserve to live in the grandest home of all," she said, her voice filled with joy and confidence. "Though please allow me a few minutes to clean it up. It hasn’t been used since its creation—until today, three days later." "Please leave the cleaning up to us!" Before Xu Tao could raise another complaint, two groups shouted at the same time—Jehanne’s soldiers and the five outer disciples! As if competing, they exchanged sharp glances before turning and running. Naturally, their destination couldn’t be more obvious! "Ah..." Jehanne gasped, her hand grasping nothing but air. "I wanted to be the one to clean..." Unfortunately for her, it was already too late to stop them. Although that disappointed her a little, Jehanne didn’t dwell on the small things and moved on. "Well, let’s leave the cleaning to them, then. How about we have dinner first while we wait~?" "Dinner, huh..." Xu Tao muttered, glancing at Yifa behind him. "Yes, that sounds like a good idea. We haven’t eaten anything since noon." "Great! Then please follow me, this way—to our home~!" With renewed vigor, she began walking ahead, leading the way. She looked genuinely excited, evident in the bounce in her steps. "...Let’s go." "Huh?" And with a casual tug, Xu Tao pulled on Yifa’s hand, gently but forcefully dragging her forward. "I-Is this okay..." she mumbled with a hint of fear... while clutching his hand tightly.