After carrying Alice to the stairs, he set her down before they went below and sat at one of the tables. Everyone came in and ate breakfast after Kevin and his family were told about the castle's help. Alice went out and explored her kitchen and the cold room below with Jason.
Seeing Alice exit, she opens the stairs leading to a large room with several slabs of beef and hogs hanging from the ceiling on racks in a frozen room.
"Better not be my cows or hogs," Alice mutters as she turns to the people in the kitchen after closing the cool room door.
Jason grins at Alice before opening the heavily reinforced door with iron to the outside from the kitchen. The Eastern spike log wall that is twenty feet high blocks the rising sun. Already two men are paroling the wall on wooden walkways. Jason brought out his crossbow as Grace's voice spoke in his head.
"They are your constructs. I summon four already after building the two barracks. You will need to armor them and give them weapons beyond the simple short sword and cloth armor. When the armory is built, you can upgrade them with simple leather armor and weapons as you make them. The blacksmith's shop is already done and placed against the northeast side against the wall so the heat can filter into the greenhouse. I have not summoned a blacksmith or armorsmith. The barracks are next to the two blockhouses with a gate between them at the moment. The ten Axemen and Swordsmen will be done in fourteen hours after the next Swordsman is completed, which will be in five minutes. You will have four archers at the moment with common short bows. Six more archers will be summoned and then ten crossbowmen. The corral is done and can hold twenty horses or beasts, unlocking Calvary barrack and horse pen."
Warrior Barracks.
Level 2
4/10 Swordmen
0/10 Axemen
Level of Troops 2
Archer Barracks
Level 2
4/10 Longbowmen
0/10 Crossbowmen
Level of Troops 2
"Have the two swordsmen at the gate and one each at the corner blockhouses to watch for enemies. Go ahead and put the archer on the wall, archers. Allow half of them to rest in the blockhouses to get up tonight to guard. Do the archer have a bow?"
"They come with a simple bow or crossbow with twenty arrows or bolts in their quiver and a small dagger. That is all they have on them other than linen quilted armor. The archers will be level two the same as the warriors level."
"When we get more Kingdom Points, go ahead create the horse pens and then the Cavalry Barracks at level one for now." Jason star at the wall.
"There will be three types of horses that can be summoned, Light warhorse, Draft horse, and Mustangs when your Horse pens are created. At level one, there will be ten horses summon. There is no need to move them to the corral as the horse pens can house and feed ten horses.
Jason debated over creating the light warhorse or the mustangs at this time as he had always been partial to mustangs. After thinking about future fighting, they will need mobility and training of a warhorse. "Light Warhorse then, is there a breed?"
"No, My lord, they are only a general warhorse breed. From my memory, there may be more types of horses or beasts as the horse pen levels, and then you can get exotic horses and beasts." Grace said.
"When we get more funds, also build a level two barracks for my Calvary. Make them all archer at the start. Thinking about the mana infusion systems and seeing that his 30-30 rifle mention it can be infused with mana. If he can infuse some guns, it would be best to have archers use them, and having archer as riders at the moment would be best." With some training, he might be able to train the warriors to use guns, but first, he needs to mana Infuse a gun and see if it can work.
Standing there looking over everything, he felt movement behind him. Turning and seeing Keith stepping out and pointing his crossbow at the men on the wall.
Making a lowering motion with his hands, "They are my men. The kingdom orb made them.
Looking puzzles, "that the second time you mention a kingdom orb. Did it build this wall?" Turning to the house and seeing stone in place of wood. "And turn the house into a castle?"
"Yeah, but I will explain that to you later, or Alice will when we both got time. We need to hitch the horses up to the wagon and both buckboards so we can head to town and rescue some people and gather food. There should be forty men to guard the fort when we get back. I think I will have some go with us as protection."
[Ding! Sun has risen! New daily missions are open! Check mission tab!]
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
"Wait? What?" Jason pulls up his status and finds several tabs: status, daily mission, Kingdom mission, and kingdom management.
He already knows the first and last tabs, but the two mission tabs are new. Looking at the Daily mission, he finds three of them. Two kill missions and a survival mission.
[Daily mission:]
[Kill five demon beasts: 500 EXP and Kingdom Points.]
[Kill or subdue five humanoids: 500 EXP and Kingdom Points.]
[Explore 5 miles of land 100 EXP and Kingdom Points.]
[Long Term Kingdom Mission:]
[Summon or hire a Blacksmith, 100 Kingdom Points]
[Marry Lady Alice for first wive. 10,000 Kingdom Points]
[Marry Lady Edith or choose another for Second wive. 20,000 Kingdom Points]
[Add 100 refugees to the kingdom. 10,000 Kingdom Points]
"What? Grace! What the hell is this?" Staring at his mission screen.
"Lord Cross? Can I help you?" Grave voice answers in his head.
Growling, "yeah, you can help me. Why is it with the system trying to get me to marry more than one person using kingdom points to bribe me?"
"The gods create the system so humanity can survive as the months and years pass by because stronger creatures will come through the gates in the future. The stronger a kingdom lord is, the more likely their kingdom will survive. It is a reward and incentive to grow stronger."
"This is so wrong on so many levels," mutters Jason. He only wants to spend the rest of his life near the woman he has fallen in love with. This mission has just made him have more headaches. And hearing Alice's voice behind him almost makes him want to flee to the hills when she learns about it, considering how jealous she gets.
"What so wrong?" Alice asks as she walks up to Jason.
A panic look appears on his face before a resigned look. He has always made it a point to be truthful to everyone when he can. Even white lies can hurt a person. "The Systems gave me mission with high kingdom points."
"That good. Right?" searching Jason's flush face.
"For some people, yes. It even made a mission of giving me ten thousand kingdom points to marry you."
"Wow, that nice of the system, right?" She looked a little surprised at the cost.
Shaking his head. "It gave me a mission to marry my second wive for twenty thousand kingdom points."
Her eyes narrow as they turn towards her house, "and?" she asks. She is thinking about kicking a kingdom orb. Every since the gates appeared yesterday, it has been a roller-coaster ride. But if not for the orb, there would not be a fort and people to protect everyone here.
"It gave me a mission to marry Edith as my second wife." he searched Alice's lovely freckle face for her reaction.
Stumble for a second as Jason caught her. "Eh, Edith? Have, have you decided what you are going to do?" She whispers.
Whispering into her ear as he straightens her up. "Yes, I only plan to marry you. I don't want to compete for top kingdoms. I just want to keep you safe and anyone else that seeks our help safe. I don't need anyone but you to do that."
Warmth feeling flush through her from the inside upon hearing him saying those words. But she feels in her heart that the system will force the issue on them. Out of all the women around Jason, Edith is not a bad choice for a wife. She has been flirting with Jason for a few years to get him to date Alice or cause Alice to date him out of jealousy. Only backfire on Edith because she knows in her heart that she would not harm her. I know it is weird, but Edith is her best friend, and she has told her many times that Jason has turned her advances down. He politely told her she was a beautiful woman, but he was already smitten by another. Edith then proceeds to push her into asking him out but remembers reading about kingdoms this morning briefly and about the roles of wives after Sheila broke the news to Jason. She looked over on the subject of wives. She knows that in the future, gates will be open to let stronger groups through. If Jason is killed, it will doom everyone in this kingdom. It is selfless of her to keep him all for herself when it can save everyone.
Putting her hand on his chest, she kisses his lips. "I know I'm going to regret this, but we can't rule that out right now. No matter how jealous I am about the idea. Stronger monsters will come through those gates in the future. Even worse, our own human race can be both our help and hindrance in reaching our goals. Someone will want what is ours, so don't promise something to me that we may have to break next week or a month or two down the road. I love Edith with all my heart. She is my oldest and dearest friend, and I know she will not do anything to break us apart. Hell bells, she been trying to get us together.
[Ding]
Alice looks at her mission page.
[Marry Jason and become his first wive 10,000 experience. +10,000 kingdom points. +10 Charm and Mental.]
[Ding!]
[Ask Edith, your friend, to become the second wife. 20,000 experience. +20,000 kingdom points. +20 Charm and Mental.]
[Ding!]
[Talk Lord Jason Cross into accepting Sheila into becoming third wife, +30,000 experience and kingdom points. + 30 Charm and Mental.]
Reading the missions and rewards, she turns to Jason, "We are so screwed," she whispers. "I just got three missions. One is to marry you and gain ten thousand experience and ten thousand kingdom points plus ten in charm and mental."
Jason looks at her raising an eyebrow. "Let me guess the other is to have me marry Edith?"
"Yeah, it bribing me with twenty thousand experience and kingdom points and a plus twenty in charm and mental. The third mission your not going to like."
Groaning and wiping his face with his hand. "Okay, tell me the third mission. I know I'm not going to like this."
She nods to him, "yeah, you're going to hate the third mission. It wants me to talk you into accepting Sheila as your third wife!"
Jason just stood there with his mouth open, staring at her. For about a few minutes, he blinked his eyes a few times and closed his mouth, and was about to walk away and stop and look at her. Opening and closed his mouth a few more times.
"What the bribe on this mission?" he is almost afraid to ask.
"Thirty thousand experience and kingdom points with plus thirty in charm and mental." She said, knowing that Jason is close to a meltdown. The last time he looked like this was when a guy at the supermarket slapped her on the butt, and she told Jason about it. It took everything for her and Edith to keep him from heading into town and beat the hell out of the guy that she already decked and knocked the guy out and leaving him with a black eye and on the floor of the supermarket unconscious. Rubbing his chest to calm him down. He plops down on the ground shaking his head as she sits on the ground next to him.
"All I wanted is a quiet life ranching with you and have no drama," he mutters as he looks her in the eyes. "Sorry, dear, I shouldn't accept the orbs."
Putting her head against his chest, and said. "I know, but we are going to have to accept the lemons given to us."
She grinned when he snorted. "You are giving me that lemonade metaphor I always spout off to you, huh?" he said, smiling, still feeling overwhelmed. But it is nice having her next to him.
[Ding! New Quest]
"Crap. What now?" Jason groan.
[Save the Girls Part One]
Save two women fleeing for their lives from a group of thugs that have taken over Hendrick's place. The girls have killed two attempted rapists, and they are seeking protection.
Kill or subdue four attackers upon your kingdom.
Protect two refugees.
Reward several refugees, Loyalty at 70%.
Hero class gained by one of the Refugee.
Experience 200 and Kingdom Points 200.
The continue of the quest.
Unknown rewards.
Someone is knocking on the gate in the distance.