Winston made his way through the rows of tents, nodding to a few familiar faces as he passed.
The morning air here was a lot fresher compared to the air in the Silver Mine Camp... It seed that the existence of the elves and nurous mystical plants in this place created a sanctuary unique only within the shelter.
For now, he wasn’t heading straight to the roadwork zone... not yet.
Instead, he turned toward the center of the shelter, where Shane’s Warlord Monunt stood tall...
It wasn’t just a statue. It was a mystical structure, infused with blessings and mysterious power.
Survivors who stood before it, especially those who had contributed to the shelter’s growth, could receive temporary buffs.
It could be related to strength, stamina, and clarity. For so reason, it varied depending on the person. It seed to be due to their physique or how many blessings they could take within their bodies.
Anyway, Winston didn’t fully understand how it worked, but he knew it helped.
He approached the monunt and stood still, placing one hand on the base.
One minute... Two minutes... Three minutes...
Then, after a few more seconds, a faint pulse of warmth traveled up his arm.
[ Monunt Buff Activated: 10% Strength, 15% Stamina Recovery, Duration: 10 Hours ]
"Ten hours? Nice..." Winston exhaled slowly.
His muscles felt lighter. His joints are less stiff and the fatigue from yesterday’s labor hadn’t vanished, but it had dulled.
"Thank you..." he whispered... Not to the system, but to Shane himself.
He had never t the man and only heard stories, but if half of them were true, Winston owed him more than just shelter.
With the buff active, Winston turned and headed toward the southern lane, where he could work...
Today’s work was actually to connect the bathhouse to the west gate.
It wasn’t glorious work, but it was work that mattered.
As soon as he arrived at the station, he couldn’t help but smile as he saw the familiar faces of his friends and co-workers...
The workplace it self wasn’t glamorous, but it was necessary. Springriver’s expansion demanded stable walkways, paths for carts, drainage channels, and well-maintained lanes that wouldn’t collapse under the weight of supply convoys.
He walked to the tool station, where a few other workers were already gathering. His pickaxe had been replaced with a compact ground press, a tool designed to flatten and seal gravel layers.
He then checked the fuel cell, adjusted the grip, and nodded to the foreman...
"South lane today," the foreman said. "We’re connecting the bathhouse to the west gate."
Winston nodded. He was already aware of it.
"Got it."
The work wasn’t too difficult with everyone working together. He and three others laid down gravel, mixed binding compound, and pressed it into place. Every few ters, they paused to check alignnt and slope.
Winston’s instincts as a miner helped since he could feel when the ground was uneven, when the pressure wasn’t right, when the mix was off...
It was a skill he obtained that he didn’t think he would be able to use elsewhere.
He didn’t talk much to preserve his energy, but the others respected him.
By midday, he took a break near the soup station. He was able to get a free bowl of stew and a slice of dried bread with everyone else....
After lunch, he returned to the road. The sun was higher now and obviously, hotter as well.
As they worked, the gravel stead slightly under the compound’s reaction. He worked until the lane was sealed, then marked the edges with reflective stones for night visibility...
It was so unique items, and he really liked these stones that could help people even during the night. After all, there was a limit to what the lamps could do for them.
At around five, the work was finally done. However, before heading back ho, he stopped by the Trade Kiosk, exchanging his Zombie Cores for so food, a bundle of clean cloth, and a few packets of seasonings like black pepper, salt, soy sauce, chili powder, and others...
Mira would appreciate that since she really wanted to improve their food.
Back at the tent, the family gathered for dinner. Tovin talked about the water pump repairs...
Mira, on the other hand, shared news from the farming plots while their youngest showed off a drawing she made of "Papa with a hamr," even though he hadn’t used one in weeks.
Winston smiled.
He didn’t miss the mines. The feeling of being underground was sothing he was used to, but he was also liking his job right now.
Here, above ground, he felt healthier and closer to his family...
"I hope I can continue working like this..." Winston muttered.
***
At this ti, in another region in the east, Tundra stood at the edge of a rocky cliff...
After several days of traveling, they had finally seen the sea for the first ti...
It was still several kiloters away, but the air had changed already. It felt cooler, and there was also the unmistakable breath of the ocean.
Behind him, the rest of the team was still climbing the slope.
Sona, the Ice Mage, used her staff as a support while climbing. Her pale blue scarf trailed behind her like a banner, and it was her protection in case of ambush...
Otto, in contrast, was already complaining.
"Why are we climbing cliffs again?" he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. "There’s a perfectly flat valley back there. We could’ve just..."
"You want to settle in a floodplain?" Tundra replied without turning.
"One good rain and we’d be swimming in rot."
The weather near the sea could be unpredictable, so they had to be careful...
Otto grunted but didn’t argue further.
Zephyrion, the Necromancer, said nothing. He moved silently with his black robes that were sohow untouched by the dust and wind.
Whoosh~
A small skeletal bird perched on his shoulder with its eye sockets glowing faintly. It seed to be informing him about the situation ahead of them...
Finally, there was Eldric, the man previously known as the strongest Scavenger.
He arrived last, not because he was slow, but because he had to ensure their safety from the back as well...
"I didn’t find any shelters around, but I saw an abandoned villa..." Zephyrion said after processing the information he got from the skeletal bird...
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