Now that he had some time to think he expanded into the library yet again. He knew he should open up the area directly in front of his gates but claiming the library had become a bit of an obsession at this point. Besides with his dungeon senses maybe he would find some hidden book in a secret alcove somewhere. He hadn't found anything this time, but you never know until you try, right? Thanks to those elves he almost had enough to expand again, and he couldn't wait.
Meanwhile everything had already returned to business as usual. He was always surprised by how fast they were able to move on after an attack. He watched as the mages checked out the newly built dueling arena. None of them were at the level where they felt comfortable wielding their magic in battle, but it wouldn't be long before that dueling arena would see some use. The Melee arena however was almost constantly being used. He still didn't want them putting themselves in harms way but he didn't think they would willingly sit out much longer.
He briefly considered upgrading his spawners or waiting to purchase a new spawner but getting the entire library really had become an obsession. He wasn't sure anymore if it was his human side or his dungeon side but only owning part of a building just did not sit right with him. So, with that he spent the mana and expanded yet again. This time he found a hole in the north wall that allowed Cid to get to the library and see how far his boarder had expanded into it. Beyond that all he found was more cheesy romance novels and a handful of small desks obviously meant for reading. He conveyed to Cid that people could use this library if they wanted to which Cid replied that they would probably be using most if not all of the buildings once they were no longer on the edge of the border or outside the border. Logan pondered that for a minute before noting that the first house he had encountered was at some point converted into a makeshift cafeteria. He had to admit that it made sense after all his borders were technically the front lines and things rarely turned out well for civilians living on the front lines back on earth. Also, he had yet to face an attack from the east but that didn't mean he wouldn't, and he couldn't be sure there was a wall to protect them from such a thing. Same goes for the west now that he thinks about it, although he does actually have a wall protecting all but a relatively small sliver of his western side for now.
The next few days passed by rather slowly. At least for him. Allyson was busy cataloging and organizing her samples, the Cooks were experimenting with bread making to ... mixed success, Carver had been hard at work making the first primitive microscope, and Maribel was trying to work on adding the spider silk left behind in that last battle to actual clothing. He watched as Allyson began eagerly studying her samples. As for Maribel he already decided if she succeeded in weaving spider silk into clothing, he would send a couple spiders to make sure she was constantly stocked up on it. Everyone else was busy sparing, practicing magic, or outside his territory most of the time.
Finally, He had enough to expand again, and this got him two double doors each 75cm by 245cm which he guessed were the main doors of the library as well as what could only be the library gate in the wall. He also got a book on herbalism which he decided to have Cid give to Allyson. Herbs were needed in alchemy after all so being able to grow them herself would only help her. After that Cid took it upon himself to have a few people search the rest of the library. He tried to search himself but whatever strange force prevented Logan from going outside his field of perception also worked on Cid now. He could still see outside although he said it was like looking into a fog. No matter how clear it was you could still tell it was there. The people he sent to search did find some interesting things though. For one thing they found books on woodworking, leatherworking, and even a few cookbooks. The woodworking and leatherworking books were extremely basic being the literal definition of a beginner's guide. The cookbooks on the other hand were likely left behind for an entirely different reason as they contained some of the most elaborate recipes he had ever seen. Definitely not something you would have the time or resources to make while trying to survive.
The book he was most interested in though was what appeared to be a historical account. From what he could tell Thana used to be entirely human. Roughly 1000 years ago the Orcs, Goblins, Elves, Dwarves, Kobolds, Minitours, and Ogres. got sent to this world along with a dungeon for each group by some strange power. "That sounds vaguely familiar" He thought passive aggressively. Apparently the first group of humans they encountered mistakenly thought that they were monsters being sent out by an as yet undiscovered dungeon. Once a few dungeons were found they and their "monsters" were eliminated under the mistaken belief they had been actively sending out hostile encounters. Learning what happened to the minitours and ogres the other races that were still left decided to launch a war of extermination. Realizing their mistake, the humans tried for many years to appease them fighting only defensively. Even setting up safe zones around them where human construction was forbidden. Eventually as human settlements and outposts began to fall the humans realized that appeasement wasn't going to ever work. For a while though they still allowed them to attack neighboring kingdoms hoping to claim that kingdoms land for themselves. By the time the humans actually got around to working together instead of as separate kingdoms they no longer had the numerical advantage they once had. Through the years many attempts were made to end the war but the few who would even listen such as the elves and dwarves would only do so if humanity allowed itself to be enslaved. This was considered unacceptable by the humans. "Understandable" Logan thought. Orcs on the other hand found humans quite tasty and wanted to keep them as livestock. That the humans took as a personal insult, stepping up their attacks on orc encampments. This caused the other races to go after now undefended or at least lightly defended human settlements. "Great so these people are facing extinction for a mistake their ancestors made around 1000 years ago" he thought, "and it appears that nothing short of slavery will end this war" something he agreed was unacceptable. As for why the other races turned on each other the book didn't say. Though from what he could gather that was a very recent development. The book also made no mention of sanctuaries except to say that each race was brought here with a dungeon and from what he can tell this world uses the term sanctuary to refer to a dungeon that is friendly to one race or another. He ponders the relationship between humans and dungeons before the arrival of the other races but with no evidence one way or the other all he can do is speculate. He also realizes that most people alive today probably have no idea why the other races hate them so much. At this point it's just seen as a fact of life.
Maribel is the one who ends up taking on leatherworking. She says that leather armor is better for things that require speed and stealth such as scouting. Plus, leatherworking is a natural extension of her tailoring skill. If only she had some leather to practice on. They could use the rat hide to get leather, especially the dire rats, but nobody wants to be responsible for weakening the sanctuary. Maribel then surprises Logan and says that they can just use chicken hide to make leather since they already use the basic chickens for food anyway. Well, if that'll work, he certainly isn't against it. The farmers have already begun using the organs and such to make compost and fertilizer. The Woodworking book was claimed by Yangus. Logan offered him a spot near Maribel to work but he told Cid that he prefers to work out in the open. He explains that it's what caused him to suddenly decide to take up woodworking. Logan understands that he won't get good at woodworking overnight, but he hopes that he will soon be good enough to at least make chairs and tables. That way they won't need to eat while sitting on the floor holding their plates. Sure, there is a table and chairs and the reading desks help but there is also a lot of people now. Looking at it now, he realizes he should have done something a while ago. Now though he thinks it might be good for Yangus to have a goal to work towards. The cookbook rather obviously goes to the cooks who each skim through it but realizing they don't have the ingredients for any of the recipes, quickly put it aside for later.
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Logan watched for the next few days as everyone trained up their skills. Melee fighters were now sparing in teams of four. The arena isn't really designed for teams that size, but they make it work somehow. There have even been a few dueling matches in the magic arena. Although he thinks calling them duels is a bit generous since it mostly just involved two fire mages lobing spells in each other's general direction. Of course, the life mage was on hand just in case, she does need to practice healing after all. Maribel and Yangus spent a lot of time going between reading practicing and then rereading their respective books. Maribel went through a lot of chickens learning how to properly skin one. she still has a ways to go but progress has been made. Yangus on the other hand produces a lot of very interesting 'art' while practicing. He is trying to produce a chair but to call what Yangus produces right now a chair would just be wrong. Still if you tilt your head and squint really hard his designs are actually starting to have the right basic shape. Allyson actually left her little area. She said that she wanted to try and find some herbs, but so far hasn't had any luck. On a side note, the patrols have been going further and further away from the sanctuary each day looking for other humans as well as hoping to spot any attacks well in advance. Logan isn't happy about them being so far out during the day, but he is running a sanctuary and not a prison after all.
Expanding once more got him more of the library but nothing else. Not that he was expecting it to, having already sent humans in to pick this place clean of anything useful. He is thankful to have his residents, as he tries to calculate how big he would be right now without them and realizes he wouldn't even be a third as big as he is now. He is starting to wonder how big the library actually is though. It's getting close to covering a little less than half his territory on the surface.
The next few days shows marked improvement from several of his residence. The mages are at least starting to aim now. Their shots are still way off but much closer than they use to be. Maribel successfully skinned a chicken, turns out just a simple rune carved into the skin is enough to turn it into leather unlike on earth where it is a very long and tedious process. Yangus successfully made his first chair, although by successfully made Logan just means it can be sat on and kind of resembles a chair. It's still very crude but another few days and he should be producing low quality chairs which is a major step up from crude chairs. Allyson still hasn't found any herbs, but she says it's just a matter of time. Apparently, she is saving the rest of her samples to compare to what she makes since she doesn't have a master alchemist to review her work for her. Another great thing about having residents is watching their slow and steady progress helps pass the time when he is waiting for mana to build up. It's like his own private reality tv show.
Finally gaining enough mana he expands again, still not finding the other wall of the library. "How big is this stupid building?" he whines to himself long since done with every expansion being taken up almost entirely by a single building. He isn't sure what it is he wants to find but some variety would be nice. Still there is that small part of him which demands he claim the entire library before moving on, a part he is wishing more and more he could just ignore. The one bright side is that he is so long now that despite only extending out three meters each expansion now gives him 126 square meters. of actual territory, which is roughly the same area as a three-bedroom house just stretched out by a lot. This means that each time he expands his creatures will have a lot more room to move around. Not that they are trapped in his territory, but he is pretty sure he doesn't get anything if they kill something outside his territory.
Watching his residents, the next couple of days they don't make as much progress as they had been making. It seems they are already at the limit of what they can learn from the books. It was just the basics of the basics after all. Still, as long as they continue to try that's all he can ask. Taking a moment to expand yet again he is disappointed to find exactly what he expected to find, more library. This sends him over the edge, and he spends the next two days singing "this is the library that never ends, yes it goes on and on my friends, I started claiming it not knowing what it was, and I'll continue claiming it forever just because, this is the library that never ends". After enough time passes he almost reluctantly expands again and ... finds the other end of the library. At first he is shocked and spends a few hours just staring at it. Then his mind starts racing each new expansion now having the potential to hold almost anything. At this point he'll take anything that isn't library. Still, he is a little disappointed he didn't find a single secret alcove or hidden chamber or anything. That thought doesn't keep him from enjoying this minor accomplishment though. His happiness at finding the edge of the library translates to his creatures being much more cheerful, even the spiders ... somehow seem to have a more upbeat attitude. This cheery nature can't help but infect his residents as well and soon enough the entire atmosphere within his territory seems that much lighter. For the first time in almost a week he is actually looking forward to the next expansion. Even if he is pretty sure what he will get there is a chance for him to be surprised which he hasn't had in a while.
The next few days fly by and for the first time in a long time he actually considers which way to expand. Thinking logically he knows there should be a defensive wall a little further in the direction he's been going, but he also wants to expand out away from the north and south gates so he isn't blindsided. Not that he would be completely blindsided, Cid and the others tend to give him plenty of warning about upcoming attacks. He can't actually engage them until they enter his field of perception though. Still expanding north or south will require him to wait almost another two full days because of how much he expanded to the east. So, the question is should he expand now or wait and expand in a few days grabbing a lot more actual area. Eventually he makes up his mind. As tempting as it might be to expand now, he would like to see further than just over half a meter past what is essentially his front and back doors.
While he waits, he notices that Yangus has started producing actual chairs. Not crude approximations of chairs but actual easily recognizable chairs. Now he turns his attention to making tables and Logan can already see him applying what he learned making the chairs. He also notes that Allyson now has almost a complete set of alchemy equipment. This allows her to study the samples in more detail which in turn somehow gives her clues as to where to find the herbs used. She wants to save as much as possible to compare with what she is able to produce but she can't help breaking in the new equipment and she is glad she did. Getting a clue about one of the herbs she starts checking the houses finding a colony of mushrooms in the house near where he started. Logan had forgotten all about those mushrooms honestly, but it seems that there was enough moisture for them to take root in the rotting floorboards. After carefully checking to verify that it is the right kind of mushrooms, she takes a few samples as well as some dirt from the surrounding area just outside the house. She then goes down to the bottom of his territory finds an as yet unused room and plants the mushroom sample. After that she makes several trips filling the room with 25cm of dirt. Finally, she grabs some water from the cooks and waters the dirt surrounding the mushroom, then goes to ask Carver for a metal jug for holding water after he is done with the rest of the alchemy equipment. Normally, he'd be against making so many things for one person back-to-back like this, but he knows it's for the good of the settlement, so he agrees. Marbel on the other hand has started making actual leather armor ... or at least trying to. Turns out making armor and making clothing is not as related as she had thought. Not entirely unrelated but still she isn't used to having to factor protection values into her designs.