For the first ti in months—
Elarion celebrated.
Winter had finally ended, and sohow the territory was still standing.
That alone deserved celebration.
The fortress courtyards transford over three days as workers hung banners between stone walls, rchants reopened market rows buried beneath snow all season, and massive fire pits were built throughout the settlent for the spring festival.
Even the factories slowed production slightly.
Slightly.
The dwarves had argued against stopping entirely.
Violently.
"We are losing productive hours!"
Cedric stared at them in disbelief.
"You fought monsters for four months."
"And now we celebrate surviving by producing more steel!"
"That is not celebrating!"
"It is dwarven celebrating."
Fair enough honestly.
By evening the entire lower district glowed beneath torchlight and bonfires while music echoed through the valley for the first ti since autumn.
Children ran through the streets again.
Workers drank openly beside the market fires.
Soldiers finally removed armor without expecting warning bells every six hours.
One rifleman held a mug toward the sky dramatically.
"To surviving!"
Another nodded seriously.
"To the cannon not exploding!"
From sowhere nearby, an offended dwarf scread:
"SHE NEVER EXPLODED!"
The crowd burst into laughter imdiately.
Near the central square, rchants sold hot at stew, roasted bread, and spiced ale while exhausted workers spent half the festival sleeping beside the fire pits.
One older laborer stared into his bowl quietly.
"You know..."
His friend looked up.
"What?"
"I genuinely thought we were going to die."
A pause.
"...Several tis."
The second worker nodded slowly.
"Sa."
Then both started laughing tiredly.
Above the celebration, Aurethar rested atop the fortress walls while watching the festival below with open confusion.
"Humans celebrate survival strangely."
Lucas stood nearby holding warm wine.
"We almost died repeatedly. People need this."
"They are singing badly."
"That is also part of the celebration."
The dragon listened to the distant music again.
"...I dislike how correct that sounds."
anwhile the First Rifle Regint occupied nearly half the eastern taverns already.
One soldier proudly attempted explaining rifle chanics to a completely uninterested rchant girl.
"So technically the rifling stabilizes projectile trajectory—"
"You fought monsters, right?"
"...Yes."
"Lead with that next ti."
Nearby another marksman drunkenly pointed toward the western battlents.
"I’m telling you the cannon talks."
His friend sighed deeply.
"That’s because the blast damaged your brain."
"No seriously. She’s encouraging ."
At the center of the square, Lucien quietly watched the festival from beside one of the large bonfires while snow lted slowly across the valley roads around them.
This.
Was more than the walls.
More than the rifles.
And this mattered.
Because Elarion finally felt like ho to its people.
Not rely survival.
Not an exile territory.
A future.
Cedric approached carrying two mugs afterward before handing one over.
"You look thoughtful."
Lucien accepted the drink.
"I’m thinking about how impossible this would’ve sounded a year ago."
Cedric snorted.
"A year ago I was still a slave trader."
A pause.
"...Actually that sounds worse out loud."
"It does."
Nearby, Gandalf argued with three dwarves while attempting to explain steam pressure using festival sausages.
"This one is the boiler."
"Why is the boiler edible?"
"Because science should inspire people."
"That sausage is leaking."
"That ans the pressure system works."
One dwarf slowly walked away afterward.
"I miss simpler technology."
Then—
Ding.
Lucien froze slightly.
The system window appeared instantly before his eyes while festival lights reflected across the screen.
[Seasonal Event Completed]
First Spring Festival Successfully Held
Conditions:
Civilian morale stabilized
Population survival maintained
Territory prosperity increased
Military loyalty strengthened
Reward Granted:
[10x Uncommon Lottery Voucher]
Special Note:
Usable for advanced industrial, military, civilian, or infrastructure rewards.
Higher rarity probability slightly increased due to territorial milestone.
Lucien’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
A ten-pull voucher.
And based on previous system rewards—
That could an almost anything.
Blueprints.
Machines.
Materials.
Knowledge.
Potentially dangerous knowledge.
Unfortunately Lucas noticed the expression imdiately.
"...No."
Lucien blinked once.
"What?"
"That look ans the system gave you sothing."
Cedric looked alard instantly.
"How can you tell?"
"Because he suddenly looks optimistic."
"That IS terrifying."
Aurethar lowered his massive head from the wall above.
"The human has received another terrible idea?"
Lucien considered answering honestly.
Then decided against it.
"...Possibly."
The dragon groaned loudly.
"Every ti you say that, civilization changes."
anwhile the festival below continued growing louder.
Music echoed through the valley.
Workers danced badly.
Soldiers drank too much.
And sowhere near the western district—
Soone apparently allowed the dwarves to launch small experintal fireworks.
This proved to be a catastrophic mistake.
A loud explosion shook half the settlent.
Several guards reached for weapons instinctively.
Lucas closed his eyes slowly.
"...I knew peace wouldn’t survive the night."
From the distance, a dwarf proudly scread:
"THE BLUE ONES WORKED!"
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