By the time the imposing stone gatehouse came into view, a wave of relief washed over me. The village, with its System-inspired medieval architecture, stood as a beacon of safety on the horizon. Throughout the long night, we had maintained a vigilant watch, our senses heightened by the lingering presence of the monsters that had attacked. The survivors, seeking refuge in the Miller's house and the enclosed backyard, bore the weight of their harrowing experience in their haunted eyes. On the sixth day since the System's arrival, they made their decision without debate or hesitation. All the survivors gathered what little they could salvage and joined us, seeking sanctuary within the walls of our village.

As we approached the sturdy gatehouse, another team from our village, assisted by the System Resource Excavator, had tirelessly cleared the houses leading up to Columbia Street. The once-familiar surroundings now felt different, like a separate entity from our old neighborhood. Leading eight families through the gates of our village, it was a bittersweet moment of hope mixed with the grim reality of our existence.

Wesley turned and motioned for everyone to rest near the tavern, his voice carrying a reassuring tone, "Give us a bit of time to make necessary arrangements."

Mr. Lowe, the village's dependable sergeant at arms, hurried from his office within the gatehouse, his concern etched on his face. He swiftly approached Wesley, grasping his elbow, and ushered him into the tavern. Sensing the gravity of their conversation, Jayden and I exchanged glances before following them inside.

Mr. Lowe, his stolid demeanor contrasting with Wesley's calm resolve, voiced his worries, "Where did you find them all, Wes? And how the hell are we supposed to feed this many people?"

Wesley shrugged off Mr. Lowe's hand from his shoulder, his voice tinged with both weariness and determination, "We needed a farmer, and I found one."

Mr. Lowe moved to a window, peering out into the village, "That's a lot more than just one farmer. You know we're running low on food supplies."

"Hobgoblins and other monsters ravaged their village. Many perished before we could save those we did," Wesley responded, his voice carrying the weight of their tragic circumstances. "I won't apologize for saving lives."

Mr. Lowe turned away from the window, sinking into a chair with a sigh, his concern evident, "I know, Wes. It's just that we're walking a tightrope here. If we have to rely on buying food from the System store, it'll deplete everything we have."

Although I wasn't entirely convinced, I didn't have the courage to interject in a conversation between adults who surpassed me in age and experience. Wesley accessed his inventory, placing a gold coin on the table in front of Mr. Lowe. "If it comes down to it, we'll do what we must. This should cover us for a while."

My guilt began to gnaw at me, but there was little time to dwell on it as Wesley strode past Jayden and me. "Come on, you two. Let's gather the rest of the group. We need to explore options for additional housing."

He pointed us toward the gatehouse and added, "You both head on. I'll find Hanna and Sarah and meet you there."

As we ascended the stairwell, Jayden whispered, "Damn, I had no idea he had already earned a gold piece."

I felt a twinge of guilt intensify, responding, "Come on, man. We're doing alright, especially with the auctions. Contributing to the village's needs wouldn't hurt us too much."

As we made our way to the top floor, Jayden muttered, "Easy for you to say, Cade. You're a walking ATM. Have you even checked how many of those auctions sold from yesterday?"

Between the exhausting battles and a sleepless night, I hadn't given it much thought. The constant influx of blue auction alerts had become easy to ignore. Now, standing in front of the system store kiosk on the top floor, I hurriedly accessed the store and selected the "Claim all auction sales" option. The system consolidated twenty-four settled auctions and deposited 4 gold, 38 silver, and 36 copper into my money pouch.

Jayden's whistle broke the silence, "Damn. You listed them for a gold each, right?"

"None of them sold for that. All the auctions ended when they expired. If my math is correct, they averaged eighteen silver each," I replied, my guilt growing heavier.

Determined to make amends, I vowed two things as we continued our ascent. First, I would donate as much as needed to help sustain the village until we could cultivate enough crops. Second, I would ensure the auction house featured more mana-infused ammo by the end of the day, contributing further to our communal well-being.

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"We need to establish an apothecary for more healing options," Hanna suggested, her gaze fixed on the village displayed on our admin screen.

Sarah, her eyes equally distant, disagreed, "We have Wesley's healing abilities, but what we truly need is an alchemist's lab. We need mana regeneration and offensive potions."

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Wesley let out a weary sigh, allowing them to deliberate for longer than he normally would. "We have more families now, and once the systemized farm field is ready, we will prioritize additional housing."

Jayden had vanished downstairs, likely engrossed in browsing the auction house. Both women had a valid point. We needed enhanced mana regeneration from alchemical potions, but we were also short on healers. Only an apothecary could craft healing potions. However, the most pressing matter at hand was housing and ensuring an ample food supply.

Studying the map on my display, I noticed the ninety-foot wall between the gatehouse and the row of houses, which formed a solid barrier facing the northern woodlands. I wondered about the fate of the materials used for that wall if we added a few houses in between.

"System, what happens to the materials if we remove a building or wall?" I inquired.

System-incorporated materials are recycled.

Wesley, Sarah, and Hanna stared at me, puzzled. As I explained the system's answer, Sarah seemed to grasp a solution. "We used over four hundred stone units on that wall, and it's only six feet high. If we reclaim those resources, we could construct several houses in that space. It would require some additional wood and metal, but not as much as extending the wall of houses while leaving the existing structure intact."

It didn't take us long to adjust the town map, adding three more houses. However, we still needed three additional homes. Additionally, two other families had lost their parents in the hobgoblin attack, leaving six orphaned children in need of shelter.

We managed to add the extra houses by investing three hundred wood units, one hundred eighty stone units, and thirty metal units to the long wall of houses along the northern flank. Hanna and Sarah exchanged satisfied smirks. Hanna remarked, "Looks like we have enough space to accommodate both the apothecary and the alchemist lab."

Wesley let out a relieved sigh, saying, "Finally, let's make these additions to the map and see what resources we have left."

A few minutes later, we had enough room for twenty families to have their own homes. However, I soon noticed a problem. "Where will the Littles and Watsons stay? There's no way we can squeeze those kids into the available rooms in the inn."

Hanna gave me a mischievous smile, suggesting, "Come on, you and Jay would make perfect roommates."

Jayden was my best friend, but we had learned that sleepovers were a nightmare. I gestured obscenely at Hanna, expressing my disagreement.

Wesley shook his head, then suggested after a moment, "You know, we could upgrade the inn and add a third floor. That would provide us with six more rooms, another shower room, and a toilet room."

Sarah sighed wistfully as she examined the tavern/inn layout. "What I wouldn't give for individual bathrooms in each room."

Wesley explained, "It's possible, but it would increase the building's footprint and significantly raise the amount of metal required."

He made an adjustment on the map, adding an iron fence anchored at the southern edge of the gatehouse. It extended south about twenty-five paces before turning east for three hundred feet, crossing the entire village from east to west. The fence then turned north, connecting with a stone wall Wesley had sketched, which ran along the row of houses bordering the woodlands.

A faint smile played on Wesley's lips as he concluded, "It's not a tall stone wall or a wooden palisade, but a metal fence. At six feet tall, it will make it more challenging for anyone to sneak up on us until we can gather enough stone to replace it with a more defensible structure."

It was a practical use for our excess metal. Once we reached an agreement, I headed to the stairwell, calling out, "Hey, Jayden! Come on up. We're finished. Everyone needs to vote to approve the changes."

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"Do we really need to buy systemized fertilizer," I gasped, staring at the price displayed on the store's kiosk.

Wesley tapped the screen, confirming my shock. "Twenty-five silver per system acre."

I let out a whistle of disbelief. "And we have to purchase it each time we plant?"

He glanced at Mr. Fischer, seeking confirmation. The old farmer nodded solemnly. "That's right. According to the help files for my class, we should expect six to ten harvests per year. Without fertilizer, the amount produced goes way down."

I winced at the thought. "That's over two gold per year."

Mr. Fischer shrugged, a weathered smile on his face. "Welcome to the realities of farming, kid. Although, we could try collecting manure from the septic systems to save some money in the long run. On the bright side, corn and wheat seeds are only ten silver per acre, and we can save some after each harvest. So, maybe we won't have to buy seeds next time."

Taking a deep breath, I transferred seventy silver to the auction house to cover the cost of the fertilizer. It pained me to spend so much, but we needed it to ensure successful crops. "Wes, we need to figure out a tax system for purchases from the store and auction house. I can't keep acting as the village's bank."

He clapped me on the back, offering reassurance. "Thanks, Caden. We'll establish a balance sheet for the town and make sure you get paid back once we have some income."

With the purchase complete, I watched as the system gave me a new alert.

Your purchase of fertilizer has been deposited on the nearest open ground near the System Store. Your purchase of [grain] and [corn] seed has been deposited on the nearest open ground near the System Store.

A moment later, an alert flashed at the corner of my vision.

Congratulations

As a village council, you have successfully recruited least [1] farmer to your village

You are awarded 100XP

Wesley rubbed his chin in satisfaction. "Nice. It looks like we finally received credit for completing the quest. I suppose we needed the supplies for Bill to start farming."

I had no intention of getting my hands dirty by shoveling manure onto the systemized fields. Instead, I opened the auction house interface. The first items on display were goblin-forged blades, essentially trash loot someone had dropped into the auction house. Curiosity got the better of me, and I selected the "More Information" option for one of the auctions.

A new screen appeared, revealing that the seller was located in South America, with the auction listed under UDS Store #13047. Taking a step back, I realized that there were now over thirteen thousand villages scattered across the world, and likely even more. I explored several dozen more auctions and found listings from UDS Stores with numbers exceeding fifteen thousand. Villages had sprouted up on every inhabited continent.

Returning to the inn, I grabbed a couple dozen more .227 ammo and spent some time infusing mana into the cartridges. I then listed them on the auction house, determined to keep the coins flowing in if I was going to support the village financially.