V56C7P1 – Construction Site

Residents of Morata changed into their construction worker attire.

“Take the construction beyond the walls. We need to keep expanding.”

“The farms will be overturned. The Arpen Empire will compensate for them later.”

“Build 5 layers of walls around the Great Landmarks. The Great Library possesses various pieces of information of which there are no other copies, so it must be protected at all costs.”

Cling-Clank!

Protective walls were being constructed all over Morata in preparation for the dragon’s attack.

The construction that began in the morning had become even larger by noon.

The building materials and workers from the Northern Continent streamed in endlessly.

“We will be short of stones around nightfall.”

“Let’s dig up the molten rocks from the mountains in the northwest.”

“About the transport teams plans… d.a.m.n. Just move the entire mountain.”

Thousands of bulls were supplied from nearby ranches.

Moooo~

The muscular and st.u.r.dy bulls dragged the wagons, transporting stones and piling small mountains everywhere.

“In order to save time, let’s implement the method of sliding the joints in. Use the damaged stones too.”

“What about the durability?”

“We aren’t defending against siege weapons. If the dragon slams with its body, we will be lucky if the walls hold at least once, so quick a.s.sembly on site is crucial.”

The surplus of novice players raised walls around the Great Landmarks and vital facilities.

Artists!

The artists that visited from Rhodium had their own sense of pride.

They walked the path of art since the early days of Royal Road.

They were often looked down upon as they were accused of being useless, but Weed, who started as a sculptor, had become the emperor.

Since Morata was their new station, the artists gathered at the Tower of Light.

“Now, what we must do is protect Morata!”

When Debs shouted on top of the podium, the painters and sculptors kept silent.

Some of them possessed combat abilities from hunting but they were the precious few.

They were unable to fight despite their desire to defend Morata. They had thought of throwing away their job cla.s.s characteristics to simply transport stones like the novice players.

“Why are we incapable? Artists should never accept that something is impossible!”

His words were flashy but had zero follow-through.

“We cannot battle Kaybern, but we must defend Morata.”

Such a thing wasn’t possible with just heart.

The artists were discouraged. Then, Debs announced with a loud voice.

“So, we must plagiarize!”

“…?”

“Huh?”

Plagiarism was forbidden for artists!

Debs explained his idea at the podium.

“Did you not feel anything after you observed the shoddy construction by the architects at Castle Bawell? Morata is filled with precious artworks. As you can see from this Tower of Light here. We all now take these for granted like the rest of the scenery in Morata, but just how incredible were these artworks when they were first released? A tower built from light just beside the city.”

The artists nodded in agreement.

The amazing street views of Morata weren’t born solely from architectural skills. It also came from the ma.s.sive sculptures such as the Tower of Light or the Statue of G.o.ddess Freya.

“The Tower of Light was a work that s.h.i.+ned above Morata. Anyhow, my plan is to make tons of artworks that are similar.”

“Hmm?”

“Just plagiarize. Copy them! Also, it would be great if they are sculptures or paintings that can attract more eyes than the original. While Kaybern destroys them, Morata will be that much safer!”

His plan was to craft similar copies of important artworks so that Kaybern would not destroy the originals!

The eyes and ears of artists who were struggling to find a task opened wide to this idea.

“What- that is amazing!”

“Now that is creative plagiarism. Plagiarism is the idea. There really is no limit in art.”

“To promote plagiarism is absurd. Truly insane.”

“Honestly, we were overly conscious about it. I have earned a hefty amount of gold by sculpting and I could easily copy Weed-nim’s sculptures.”

“It is also not difficult to divert Kaybern’s attention. All it would take is for me to build a statue of Kaybern spewing manure from its mouth, am I right?”

“Aren’t paintings that mock Kaybern better? I just have to draw a ridiculous painting.”

A switch of ideas!

The artist finally found their role.

They were a peculiar bunch that would become so immersed in something even if they weren’t paid. The Arpen Empire made an official announcement.

– Though it may not be much, the workers who a.s.sisted for the defense of Morata will be paid wages. It is difficult to keep a separate book, so all citizens will be paid 3 gold per day. All restaurants in Morata will be open for free meals. Festivals will be held at midnight.

“As expected of Weed-nim.”

“Haha… Just look at his deep consideration.”

“He is being generous given our hards.h.i.+ps. He always takes care of the novice players.”

“He did not change a single bit even after becoming the emperor.”

The policy was pushed ahead by Seoyoon and her grat.i.tude for the partic.i.p.ating players.

Architects and artists stepped up and the other players stuck like bee swarms and thus the fortification of Morata began.

The lead squad of the Hermes Guild also arrived in Morata.

“It seems like knights could lie in ambush over here. If we lure the dragon closer, a surprise attack would be possible”

“If a street battle breaks out due to the complex buildings, it would prove advantageous for us. It’s up to Weed-nim and the citizens to approve it.”

“To reduce the mobility range of the dragon, we must install the walls like a maze.

Height should be about 3, 4 meters. It shouldn’t just be about protecting the buildings but also securing the mages, archers and making sure there is a safe route for reinforcements. Would that be possible?”

The requests from the Hermes Guild were mostly taken into consideration by the Architect a.s.sociation.

Due to their shared goal of defending Morata, they could easily put their past grudges aside.

“The players don’t hate us as much as I thought.”

“There were even people asking for autographs.”

“What’s more… I don’t know if we have enough forces against the dragon.”

The Hermes Guild heads remembered when they confronted Kaybern in the past.

The ludicrous combat level of the Black Dragon!

It was true that at the players’ current level, the battle was overburdening.

Lamifter spoke.

“I’m sure Weed-nim has a plan. The forces of the Hermes Guild will be the core of it all. Even so, we need more preparations to ensure victory.”

Calcus approached slowly.

“Do you have any good ideas?”

“We never got a chance to use it in Garnav Plains, but how about bringing the hextech cannon?”

“Cannon?”

“There was a first-cla.s.s security lock placed on it. An ancient artifact, a magical equipment that was different from a naval cannon. It shoots based on the magic level of the mages.”

“Does it blow things up?”

“It is not an explosive type. It emits a dense light made of magic that is not suitable for a siege. Still, the accuracy and penetration is decent enough that it could be potentially used for hunting ma.s.sive creatures, so it has been kept secret. I think it could be used against the dragon.”

The guild members having a range of experience hunting boss level monsters conjured up various ideas.

“The tiger hide chair will be delivered by the Lebre Merchant Council in a few days. Please install it on top of the walls.”

The unusual request from the Slaughterer Calcus drew a bit of attention.

“What would be your reason?”

Flame, who was in charge of the construction in the region, asked.

Calcus was far above him in terms of levels, but he himself was the manager in charge of the arrangement of facilities.

Calcus held his head high pridefully and explained.

“Who knows when Weed-nim will make a visit? If he sits there, he will have the entire view of the defense line.”

“…”

As the guild decided to make amends with the Arpen Empire, Calcus turned enthusiastic.

In reality, the overall atmosphere of the guild was changing even more in Morata.

It was hard to find members that continued to burn with vengeance and speak of killing Weed in the future.

As soon as they found out that the tide of power had turned in Morata, more were ready to transfer their loyalty.

In all honesty, their actions weren’t all that strange.

From the beginning they sought power and authority and got to their current standings, based on that principle they simply decided to follow Weed.

– Gather. In Morata!

– A construction site is underway. Gra.s.s Porridge Cult, a.s.semble!

– Protect the sacred grounds.

Players from Puhol Waterpark were flooding in and a huge movement began in the Central Continent.

The Hermes Guild members felt pressured by the huge number of players roaming in Morata.

“There is no end to the crowd of people in this city.”

“Thousands are entering through the gate each minute.”

“This is a huge city. If the shantytowns were turned into stone buildings, this city would have been more developed than Castle Aren.”

Although most were novice players, the population was extraordinary.

Their goal was to a.s.sist in the fortification of Morata and observe the war with the fate of the Versailles Continent on the line.

The novice players walking through the gate in a line chattered in excitement.

“It’s amazing to see how many people gathered to stop Cletta.”

“It’s all thanks to Weed-nim acting as the center of everything.”

“So, Weed-nim and Bard Ray will fight alongside one another?”

“Yup. Whoever ends up hunting down Kaybern, it will be a spectacle.”

“What if they all die…”

“…”

“Cough.”

Since Weed and the Hermes Guild put their knuckles down to work, they seemed to have a fighting chance against Kaybern.

The players gathered in Morata partic.i.p.ated eagerly in the fortification process.

***

“What is going on?”

Reverse logged in soon after.

In less than a day, Morata was completely turned into a construction zone.

“I thought I realized it before, but is this truly Weed’s influence?”

The gate front that was calm just a day ago was now a pandemonium.

“Pa.s.sing through. Please step aside!”

Workers and bulls pa.s.sed busily and transported building materials.

Architects stuck to the walls and made progress on structural reinforcement in addition to the barriers.

The scale of the construction expanded by the hour. It is expected to be completely transformed by the time of the dragon’s arrival.

The Garnav Plains were a vast barren land, but Morata was a giant city with great human resources and no troubles in supplies.

Based simply on the number of active players, it was the largest city in the Versailles Continent!

“We have to hurry. We don’t have time to spare for us to complete more than 5 round trips!”

Simultaneously, the important data in the Arts Center and the Great Library were being siphoned away to neighboring cities.

Morata would be the site of final stand, but there was still an urgent preservation plan to prevent treasures from being destroyed by the dragon’s breath or AOE spells.

A few words found their way into the ears of Reverse who stood blankly near the gate.

“Whoever wants gra.s.s porridge, come this way!”

Huge pots were boiling thick in the construction sites.

In large-scale construction sites in the north, gra.s.s porridge always made its appearance!

The players working in construction lined up and each took a bowl in their hands.

“The gra.s.s porridge this time tastes good.”

“It’s less bitter… Nutty as well. I can see a few berries too.”

“This is luxury. Indulgence.”

Reverse, too, naturally stood in line.

‘Real gra.s.s porridge. This is a chance to taste it.’

He was curious about the taste of gra.s.s porridge ever since Weed built the pyramids of Rosenheim Kingdom.

“Enjoy.”

“Thank you.”

“Please work hard.”

“I will until my back snaps.”

The gra.s.s porridge cooked by novice chefs!

It was a chance for them to increase their proficiencies through large quant.i.ties.

(To be continued…)