Chapter 301: Expanded Defences

The only problem with deciding whether to put up guard posts, or have a constant roaming patrol, or both, was that nobody could decide which one they wanted.

Every option had its logic, and each had its supporters.

Doing both was seen as a waste of manpower to the ones who would prefer one or the other, but as an extra layer of security to the ones who thought it was the best option.

So, Kalli found herself in the middle of a heated debate in the Hall of Heroes the next morning, with everyone using cutlery like wands to make their points. The kitchen had brought in a buffet breakfast for them, as they were expecting this meeting, and that only gave everyone more reason to sit here and "Debate".

"Alright, the largest faction, by far, is for the roaming patrols, the same as we’ve been doing. However, I see no harm in putting up three watch stations.

First, they can be used as beacons and safe houses, if the farmers are attacked further from the city. Second, they can also house farm workers in the future, if the threat of attacks is low.

But most importantly, they will expand the amount of territory that the System recognizes as fully belonging to Marimgar. If we put them two kilometres out, on the sides away from the ocean, we should be in very good shape for defence.

So far, everything but the flying monsters has come from inland, we haven’t seen any boat fleets raiding and pillaging.

And we likely won’t.

The Sea Folk are top of the chart right now. Anyone coming to us crosses their territory, and they have already shown that they’re not interested in attacking creatures on land. Only in the water if the land floods.

Since that is the case, we can view them as a form of defence from the ocean side of the city.

Three towers is easy enough to build, and I can make them thick concrete bunkers, so that they’re not easily smashed down by monsters. At least then, they will make good safe houses, even in the case of another severe storm."

Kalli paused to see what the reaction was, and found that the others were genuinely considering the option to build a few towers and post a watch on them.

Even if it was only a few to each tower, just enough to watch and warn in case of an attack, it would be enough. And it wouldn’t cost them too many people, while also giving the city a larger footprint for the System’s consideration.

"Why don’t we have the earth mages use their work hours to raise up a secondary wall? Put it on the other side of that stand of trees, and just make a defensive ring around the inland side of the city? We could put the towers closer, near the farms, but having a wall would slow down attackers while the patrols spotted them," one of the warriors suggested.

One of the Earth mages rolled his eyes in annoyance before replying. "Spoken like a man who doesn’t have to do the work he’s suggesting. A wall five kilometres from the city, extending in an arc is a massive amount of work.

Even if we had Kalli do it with the System, we would need a whole other Trial just to get the points to afford it. Since neither of those is practical, I suggest that we go with the three bunkers. If you really like walls, we can put a small one around them, in case of flooding.

We are on the flood plain of the river, after all."

"Actually, that’s not a bad idea. Not full on fortress walls, but if you make them tall enough to keep small animals inside we can use them as secure paddocks for the livestock.

When we have enough livestock again.

John has some cows and a bull. But they’re happy in the city for now. I’ve got chickens, but they’re also happy where they are, and we’ve got the production plants for eggs and meat chickens.

You guys did get that sorted out, right?"

The teams who had been called to "Sort Out" the chicken issue laughed.

The earth mage chuckled. "Yes, Coordinator. We all agreed that when they get to five kilos, they will be culled. Any larger than that and they start getting magical powers. I’m honestly terrified of what yours might be able to do if someone attacked the hall.

We all know that chicken wire is not keeping them in, they’re staying voluntarily."

The man had a good point.

The chicken wire was just wire. Not a magical item, one of the common items from the store. The building was reinforced, so there was a durable roof over their outdoor run, but the walls were just wire mesh that even Kalli could tear apart with her bare hands if she wanted.

It definitely wouldn’t stop an angry chicken.

"Well, the matter of chicken security aside, it’s good to hear that we’ve got the meat and eggs situation sorted out in the warehouses. Were there any other security concerns that we had before I start picking the spots for the new towers?" Kalli asked.

There was some muttering, but eventually, everyone agreed that this was likely the best way.

"Just make them large enough to land the speeders on the roof. If nothing else, they’ll make a good bathroom break and snack stop in the middle of a run," Alexei suggested.

"That’s actually not a bad idea.

Alright, I will make them that way, so we can land a flight of speeders on the roof, with a low wall around the outside. It might not live through a flood like we just saw, but two metres is enough to call it a proper fence, and it will keep minor flooding out long enough for us to rescue anyone caught in the fields during a flash flood."

The teams that had been pushing for a larger defensive formation smiled happily as their concerns were addressed.

Kalli made somewhere for the outer groups to safely hide from danger, even natural disasters.

That was all that they could have asked for out of this meeting.