Chapter 184 Looking Around

[Elara’s POV]

The three women walked along one of the newly repaired paths inside the Fortress, with Sister Elara quietly looking around at everything she passed.

She had expected an old military stronghold when she first heard about Edgar’s territory, but the place in front of her looked completely different from the stories she had heard.

“I never thought I would see a Fortress like this so far in the south.”

Hera blinked and looked at her. “Have you been here before?”

Elara shook her head. “No. I’ve only heard stories about this region.”

She looked toward the distant walls before continuing.

“There have been many cases of people disappearing in the southern territories. A lot of their families eventually came to the church looking for help.”

Semele casually walked beside them with her hands behind her back. “Most of them died in the Han River.”

Elara looked toward her.

Semele’s gentle smile remained unchanged.

“People always underestimate how powerful that river is. They think they can cross it because it looks calm from a distance.”

She glanced toward the horizon. “They usually realize their mistake when it’s already too late.”

Elara nodded slowly. “I’ve heard similar stories.”

She quickly changed the subject and pointed toward one of the large structures nearby. “Can I look at that?”

Hera followed her finger. “The Agricultural House?”

Elara nodded. “I’ve never seen a building like that before.”

Hera smiled. “Sure.”

She turned toward the structure and began walking.

The two women followed the path toward the Agricultural House.

As they passed through the area, several workers noticed Hera and immediately bowed.

“Lady Hera.”

“Good afternoon, Lady Hera.”

Hera returned their greetings with small nods.

Elara watched the workers carefully. “They all seem to respect you.”

Hera looked slightly embarrassed. “I don’t think I deserve that much respect.”

Elara smiled. “You must have done something to earn it.”

Hera shook her head. “Edgar has done most of the important things. I’m only helping where I can.”

Semele glanced at Hera with a faint smile but didn’t say anything.

They eventually reached the entrance of the Agricultural House.

The moment Elara stepped inside, she stopped. Her eyes widened slightly.

Rows upon rows of plants filled the interior, with vegetables growing in carefully maintained beds and workers moving between them.

The warm air carried the smell of damp soil and fresh vegetation.

Elara slowly walked forward. “This…”

She approached one of the plants and gently touched its leaves.

A bright smile appeared on her face. “I’ve never seen cultivation done like this.”

She seemed to realize that she had become distracted and quickly pulled her hand away.

“Sorry. I got carried away.”

“You don’t need to apologize.” Hera smiled and gestured toward the building. “Edgar made this.”

Elara looked around again. “He designed all of this?”

“Yes.”

Hera began leading her toward the ramp connecting the different floors.

The three of them walked upward while several workers continued tending to the crops.

When they reached the first floor, Elara was greeted by even more plants.

Vegetables, fruits, herbs, and other crops were being cultivated in carefully arranged sections.

“There are a lot of these.”

“There are.” Hera pointed toward several rows. “We harvest tons of fruits and vegetables every week.”

Elara blinked. “Every week?”

Hera nodded. “Yes.”

Elara looked at her strangely.

Hera smiled slightly. “I keep records of everything happening in the Fortress.”

“You do?”

“I’m also handling the accounting.”

Elara’s expression became one of understanding. “That’s actually a good thing. Someone needs to keep track of the resources.”

Hera nodded. “It can be exhausting sometimes, but it’s important.”

Elara looked around again. “If the church knew about this, they would probably be very interested in purchasing some of these.”

Semele’s eyebrows rose. “The church?”

There was something strange about her tone.

Elara immediately noticed it. “Do you dislike the church?”

“No.” Semele smiled. “It’s nothing like that.”

Elara looked at her for another second before deciding not to question it.

They continued walking until they reached the highest floor.

The temperature was slightly cooler here, and the smell of wheat filled the air.

Rows of wheat stood tall in front of them, most of the plants already mature and ready for harvesting.

Elara slowly walked between the rows.

“This is…” She looked around with genuine admiration. “It’s a nice place to live.”

Elara reached the edge of the floor and looked outside.

Her expression slowly changed.

Beyond the walls of the Fortress, the battlefield from the previous night was still visible.

Hundreds of Nightmare corpses had been gathered outside, their bodies scattered across the darkened ground.

She stared at the battlefield. “What happened here?”

—

Meanwhile, Edgar was standing in another section of the Fortress.

A small system window floated in front of him as he selected another construction option.

“Basic House.”

Nightmare Stones were consumed alongside, and the system immediately began constructing the structure.

A few moments later, the foundations appeared.

Edgar watched as the walls slowly formed.

He had already built several houses, but he knew that wouldn’t be enough.

If he wanted merchants, workers, craftsmen, and other people to eventually come to the Fortress, he needed somewhere to put them.

‘Once I start showing people what we can produce, traders will probably start coming here.’

That would create another problem.

Accommodation. There was no point attracting merchants if they had nowhere to stay.

Edgar continued constructing several more houses. He also made sure they weren’t packed too closely together.

There needed to be enough room for future roads, additional buildings, and other infrastructure.

‘I’m more or less prepared for the initial influx.’ Edgar looked around. ‘At least when it comes to housing.’

There was another matter he needed to address. His own forces.

The Soul Guardians were extremely useful, but Edgar didn’t want his entire military strength to depend on them.

He needed ordinary soldiers.

People who could patrol the Fortress, operate defensive structures, protect important locations, and eventually fight alongside his Soul Guardians.

‘I’ll need to start recruiting and training an actual army.’

Edgar rubbed his chin. That could wait for a little while.

There were still many other things that required his attention first.

Once the final house was completed, Edgar dismissed the system window.

He looked toward the Fortress walls. The territory was becoming crowded.

Buildings were appearing everywhere, agricultural production was increasing, and more people were beginning to settle inside.

Edgar slowly walked toward the outer gate. When he stepped outside, he stopped and looked back.

From this distance, the Fortress looked far more impressive than it had only a short time ago.

The repaired walls surrounded the territory like a giant barrier, while smoke from several chimneys rose into the grey-black sky.

Edgar crossed his arms. ‘It’s time to expand.’

The current Fortress was enough for now, but it wouldn’t remain enough forever.

There would be more houses. Farms. Storage and roads.

‘I’ll start the expansion after Sister Elara returns.’

He didn’t want to begin making major changes while a representative of the church was still inside the territory.

Even though he trusted her enough to allow her into his home, he still needed to be cautious.

Edgar turned around. He began walking away from the Fortress.

The surrounding land was relatively quiet.

Edgar continued walking. He wasn’t in a hurry.

He simply wanted to inspect the surrounding land himself. After walking for nearly six hundred metres, he finally stopped.

Something had caught his attention.

Edgar lowered his gaze. A tiny green plant was growing from the ground.

It looked completely ordinary at first glance.

However, Edgar knew it wasn’t ordinary. He slowly crouched down.

The small plant had only a few leaves, and its stem was still thin enough to bend under a strong wind.

Yet Edgar could feel an incredibly faint presence of life energy coming from it.

A smile slowly appeared on his face.

‘The World Tree is growing.’

He carefully looked at the tiny plant.

Compared to the enormous World Tree he had imagined, this thing was almost laughably small.

Edgar reached out but stopped before touching it.

He didn’t want to accidentally damage it.

‘If it continues growing…’

His eyes became serious.

He had no idea what the World Tree would eventually become.

Perhaps it would take years but if the legends surrounding it were even partially true, then its existence could completely change the Fortress.

Edgar stood up and looked back toward his territory. The Fortress was slowly becoming a settlement.

The church had begun establishing a relationship with him.

And now, the World Tree had begun growing beneath the Eternal Night.

Edgar looked at the tiny plant once again.

“Grow well.”

With a smile he stood up and walked back.

While he walked Edgar couldn’t help but think about elves and the world tree.

‘I wonder if the elves will come running if they knew about the world tree.’ He chuckled and shook his head. ‘No way that is happening.’

There was still an enormous amount of work waiting for him.