“Yes” All three chorused, they could not get the answer out quick enough.
Ding!
[CAL]
Hidden quest complete: Become a founding member of Spartan Fire.
Rewards:
Player Kit will be responsible for the development of Spartan Fire.
Player Kit will have access to Spartan Fire menu after a town hall is built.
When Spartan Fire is large enough to generate income. Player will share 5% of Spartan Fire income with other founding members.
Player Kit will receive triple experience points when in the forsaken state.
Kit's body was overcome with exhilaration, his heart pounding wildly in his chest. He couldn't contain the bursts of giggles that escaped his mouth as he thought about building a town and a renowned restaurant. It felt like his soul was soaring out of his body; this was just as thrilling as discovering the treasure map. No, it was even more exciting!
Kit rolled around on the ground, basking in pure joy until he naturally calmed down from his excitement. Then, he pulled up the information about becoming a founding member of Spartan Fire. He had been too caught up in his excitement earlier to read it properly.
"Haha! My brain might actually melt from all this excitement," Kit thought to himself. "A 5% share of town income... if we can turn this into a city, it could provide a decent income. And with income from my restaurant and the town, I won't have trouble paying bills."
His excitement resurfaced as he continued reading. "Holy purple eggplants! Triple experience! How is this even possible?" Kit couldn't believe what he was seeing. With triple experience, reaching level 100 would be much easier. Suddenly, the goal of finding the treasure seemed achievable again.
Kit's odd giggles returned as he rolled onto his side and gazed at Mars. A strange smile spread across his face as their eyes met.
"Kit, I'm so glad I met you," Mars said sincerely. "I don't even want to think about playing without you. My time in CAL would be so dull."
"Same here Mars," Kit replied honestly. "It's great to have a friend to share all these amazing experiences with." Playing with Mars meant more to Kit than anything else in the world; if he could choose his family, Mars would definitely be his brother.
As Kit turned to his other side, he noticed Twix with a sad expression on his face. He realised that Twix must have felt left out. Instead of trying to cheer him up with words, Kit decided to bond with him in a different way. He remembered playing wrestling games with his friends when they were overly excited, and he thought it would be perfect for this moment.
So Kit tackled Twix and started tickling him. Mars soon joined in, and the three of them ended up out of breath on the ground, silly grins plastered on their faces. In that moment, they were just three friends having fun together.
“Are you three calm now?” The old man's smile faded as he addressed them. Kit sat up straight, feeling like he was back in school facing the headmaster.
Without thinking, he gave the elderly man his full attention, and he noticed that his two friends did the same. “That's better. Now, I'm planning to retire from my position as a founding member. I want to spend more time fishing and less time worrying about this town. I've been looking forward to stepping down for a while now."
Kit couldn't believe what he was hearing. He felt like he had been fooled into taking on a new responsibility by the old man. His excitement over becoming a founding member vanished as quickly as it came. It seemed like this was all part of the sly fox's master plan from the beginning.
Despite feeling slightly betrayed, Kit couldn't help but admire the old man's cunningness. And in the end, they would all benefit from this arrangement. Kit pulled himself away from his thoughts and refocused on the conversation at hand.
"Currently, Spartan Fire has 50 residents, making it eligible to become a small village. However, that is not the only requirement for levelling up. You three will need to work hard to complete all other necessary tasks."
"The first task is to build a town hall. Without one, we cannot obtain any building blueprints which are crucial for attracting new residents to our town. As a congratulatory gift, I will pass down the blueprint for a town hall to you three."
Kit felt like he had just been doused with cold water. Build a town hall? He had no idea how to do that! He had naively thought that buildings would simply appear out of thin air once they reached a certain level of development. Panic started to rise within him as he realised this wasn't going to be an easy task after all.
As Kit started to spiral into a state of self-doubt and worry, the old man continued speaking.
"But before I resign, I will fulfil my promise of giving you a plot of land by the lake. Now that you are a founding member, it only makes sense to give you the best plot available."
It took Kit a moment to process what the old man was saying. He had been so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't fully comprehend the offer. But when he finally understood, he couldn't help but feel grateful and even more determined to succeed in evolving Spartan Fire.
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“Ahh, look at you with that big smile on your face. It warms my heart to see young folks like you so happy,” exclaimed Grandpa. “Follow me, and I'll show you the land that is now yours.”
Kit's mind was racing as he finally understood what Grandpa was saying. 'Is this for real? Free land?' All of his previous thoughts disappeared as he focused on the opportunity in front of him. This was the chance to make his dream come true - opening his own restaurant. He couldn't contain his excitement and jumped up from the ground.
"LET'S GO!" Kit shouted, unable to contain his enthusiasm. He was going to have his own piece of paradise right here. He could start building his restaurant today! His anticipation grew with each step as he followed Grandpa towards the lake.
Kit looked back and noticed that Mars and Twix weren’t following him. He observed as Mars let go of Pint's leash, allowing the horse to roam freely. Then, Mars turned to Kit with a smile.
Now that Pint was taken care of, Mars quickly caught up, Twix wasn’t far behind him. The old man was already halfway towards the lake by the time Kit turned back around. Kit hurried to catch up, eager to see his new land.
"Kit my boy, slow down. We'll get there soon enough. I can practically feel your impatience rubbing off on me," the old man chuckled as he spoke.
Despite telling Kit to calm down, Grandpa picked up his pace as eager as Kit to get there. They eventually arrived at the riverbank and Grandpa started showing Kit the size of his new land.
"Your land starts here and extends all the way down to the large silver acacia tree in the distance. You can't miss it; it has silver bark and red fluffy flowers. I thought this would be a decent size for a founding member. What do you say? Do you accept it?"
Kit stood in awe as he took in the vast expanse of land before him. It was far more than what he would need to build a restaurant. But it wasn't just the size that amazed him; the scenery was breathtaking.
At the edge of the property, Grandpa had indicated a clear blue lake that stretched for miles, with the Devouring ranges rising up behind it. The mountain peaks were shrouded in clouds, adding to the grandeur of the view.
This was far beyond what Kit had expected to receive. He couldn't find words to express his gratitude or excitement. His mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air, but no words came out. He tried to nod or say "yes," but the shock was too overwhelming. He could only stand there, speechless.
The three people next to him laughed, but Kit hardly noticed. It wasn't until his mind finally calmed down and his voice returned that he could form a coherent response.
"YES! YES! YES, I ACCEPT!" he shouted with joy and relief.
Ding!
[CAL]
Player Kit is now the owner of a small farm in Spartan Fire.
Land bound to player Kit.
Unlocked: land development.
Kit's body shuddered as he read the words. "It's the size of a small farm! I could build a hundred massive restaurants here and still have space left over. Ha ha, I'll create the most extravagant restaurant anyone has ever seen." Kit's mind raced with excitement; it felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest.
He hugged the old man, overwhelmed with gratitude. "Thank you so much! This is the best gift I've ever received. I will work tirelessly to make you proud."
Kit was determined to follow through on his promises, to make this the top restaurant in all of CAL. As soon as possible, he would start building it on this very lot. But first, he needed to calm down and think clearly.
He let go of the old man and took a few deep breaths to steady himself. Then he realised he had no idea how to actually begin building. He turned back to the old man, trying to sound composed despite his racing thoughts. "Grandpa, I want to start building my restaurant today. Can you tell me what I need to do?"
"I'm sorry, Kit, that won't be possible," the old man replied kindly. "As I mentioned before, you need to unlock blueprints in order to access buildings. Right now, the only thing you can build is a simple mud hut for shelter. However, if you do build it on this land, it will become your permanent residence and you won't be able to construct a restaurant here."
The news was disappointing, but then the old man offered a solution. "But I can sell you a separate plot of land before I retire from my founding position. That way, you can at least have a place to live while you work towards your dream restaurant."
Kit's excitement came to a sudden halt. "What is this, some kind of joke? I can't even construct a basic restaurant until I unlock the blueprint." Kit was on the verge of tears. He had to abandon his dream of building the perfect restaurant and focus on evolving the town first. His whole face crumpled in disappointment.
"Hey, it's okay, Kit," Mars tried to console him. "We can start building the town hall today instead. And we can figure out how to unlock those pesky blueprints for your restaurant. Plus, you did want more recipes before opening anyways, right?"
Taking a deep breath, Kit realised that Mars was right. It wouldn't hurt to wait a little longer to unlock the blueprints if it meant having more meals available to sell when he finally opened his restaurant. His excitement started to rise once again. He now owned a plot of land that was perfect for his dream restaurant!
Feeling better after being brought back to reality by Mars, Kit remembered what Grandpa had said about buying land to build a house. Now that they were permanent residents of Spartan Fire, it seemed like a good idea.
"I think I'll take your advice, Grandpa. I'd like to buy a piece of land to build a house on," Kit announced.
"How big of a piece are you looking for?" Grandpa asked.
"Just enough for a small house would be fine," Kit replied.
"Okay then, 100 bronze crowns should cover it. You can have the plot next to Twix's house."
Kit's eyes widened as he saw the surprisingly low price of land in this undeveloped town. Without hesitation, he decided to take advantage of the opportunity and purchase a large farm plot for future use as well. This way, he could grow his own ingredients right here in Spartan Fire and avoid having to constantly buy from a market. "Grandpa, can I also buy a large farm? It would help me greatly with my restaurant plans."
"That's a brilliant idea, Kit! I'll sell you the best plot available. Let's see...this one should do. It will cost you 20 silver crowns."
The old man beamed with pride at Kit's forward-thinking mindset. "You've only been a resident of Spartan Fire for 30 minutes and you're already considering its future. I knew I picked the right person to continue its evolution."
"Thank you, Grandpa. I'll do my best," Kit replied, realising that he now had a responsibility to work hard and contribute to the growth of the town if he wanted his restaurant to succeed. He handed over the money to finalise the sale.
Ding!
[CAL]
Player Kit is now the owner of an extra large block of land in Spartan Fire.
Player Kit is now the owner of the largest farm in Spartan Fire. Farming bonus of 5% extra yield.
Land bound to player Kit.
Unlocked: land development.
Kit was content with his newly acquired plot of land. However, they still needed to determine their next course of action. Kit turned to Mars and Twix for input; this decision would need to be made together.