The battle for Longdale was finally won, yet Jude was grievously injured both externally and internally.  His HP was able to recover, but the broken bones of his chest were quite troublesome.  Longdale no longer had any Advance Class healers.  It was only because of Ellie’s Fleshsmithing that the bones were set correctly, but it would still take a while for him to fully recover.

Jude’s Modicuit was another story altogether.  The raging spectral energy finally dissipated when his Modicuit was completely ruined.  But Jude wasn’t completely disappointed in this.  Spell Analyst was becoming much more attractive, and it clearly had sufficient power to keep himself safe.  Regardless, things about his Modicuit would have to wait.

Due to the corrosive nature of demons and the prolonged battle that took place inside of the town, Longdale was nearly in ruins.  Many people fled, others turned into demons, and the rest fought or died.  Those who did survive were richly rewarded by the .  Armor, weapons, items, EXP and more.  They even received a title, Heroes of Longdale.

Heroes of Longdale

These are the brave defenders of Longdale who defeated the Demon Lord.  By their bravery and at the cost of many lives they have saved the world from the doom of demons.  All shall regard these heroes with the respect and dignity that they deserve, lest the wrath of the heavens smite you.

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After the defeat of Lerhadar, all of the kingdom and the entire world received the notification of the demons defeat.  Many who fled Longdale began to return.  Those who had fought looked up to Jude and Morgan as their new leaders.  The organizations that they had once been apart now ruined beyond repair.  Even the temple had been ravaged by fleeing demons or worse, looters.

The biggest impact to Longdale was the loss of its Town Stone.  Jude hadn’t realized how many functions that it provided in the past, but he had an idea that might solve it.  He was currently discussing it with Morgan.

“We can’t just bring another Town Stone here,” Morgan explained. “It takes a long time for a stone to upgrade from one tier to another.  It progresses from Hamlet Stone, to Village Stone, to Town Stone, then City Stone.  Now if we have a lot of people here, the upgrade process is quick, but we are still talking years.  Besides, getting a Hamlet Stone is no easy task.”

“What if we didn’t use a stone at all?” Jude asked.

“That’s not possible.  Not only does the stone protect the people in its area, but it also provides the necessary functions of running a town.  Somethings we can live without, and others can be substituted, but how will anyone apply to be an EnPeaCee?”

Jude looked at Morgan strangely and asked, “Did you just say NPC?”

“Yes, EnPeaCee.  How are you going to get anyone to join the guards if they can’t respawn?  They would end up turning to the Theif class, and then everything would go downhill from there.”

Jude was quite shocked. He had no idea that people could apply to be NPC’s.  In fact, it disgusted him a little bit.  Who would want to become a Non-Player-Character?  Yet for these people, it was a way of life.  So as he thought about it, it slowly started to make sense.  Then he began wondering if there were any other advantages to being an NPC.  Not that he wanted to be one.

Morgan was a natural teacher, so he continued to explain, “EnPeaCee’s have many advantages, they also get access to the quest system and .  In the past, the organizations in Longdale had hoarded these positions only allowing their own people to gain access to them. 

“Probably the most important part of EnPeaCee’s is for those who want to settle down.  It’s hard to have kids when you are out adventuring all the time.  But once you become an EnPeaCee, life settles down and becomes stable.  Even if you don’t have a good business, the will take care of you.  The only restriction is that you are limited to the area of the stone.”

“Once you become an NPC, are you always an NPC?” Jude asked.

“I don’t know. I’ve never heard of a person who wanted to remove their NPC status.”

“It’s possible,” Anthea answered.  She was the Switch of Longdale once, so she knew better than anyone.

“Getting back to the point,” Morgan said, “we need to move these people to another town at the very least.”

The refugee’s had all gathered under Morgan and Jude’s banner.  Morgan was a man of the Temple and was a good fellow.  His war achievements had earned him lots of respect from the people.  But after the battle, he didn’t want to take leadership.  Instead, he differed to Jude.  Jude didn’t want to be tied down by leadership either, but in the short term, he would be okay with it.  There was no one else who had the people's support like Jude did.

The Riwa Kingdom would eventually make its move.  But like all governments, it was slow moving.

Since there was a problem, there needed to be a solution.  And Jude loved finding solutions to problems.  But since it was Jude, he wasn’t going to solve the problem the conventional way.

Jude turned toward Anthea and said, “I want you to have your minions scout out Longdale and find a suitable place to setup a Node.  In the meantime, make me a list of what all the old Town Stone could do, and I’ll see if I can replicate them.”

Morgan was shocked and angered by what he heard, “You can’t do that, do you know how dangerous she is?” Morgan pointed to Anthea.

“I know you have concerns, but trust me when I say that things are under control,” Jude responded in an even tone.

But Morgan gave his warning nonetheless, “Jude you are young so let me educate you a bit.  Spawn areas can be dangerous when left unchecked and spawn areas that are controlled by a boss are incredibly dangerous.  They will try to expand their territory and consume all that is in it.  I know she used to be the Switch of Longdale, but now she is Anthea of Allur Forest.  She cannot be trusted.”

“I saved your pathetic town and your people,” Anthea responded coldly. “When I was the Switch, the people despised me, and after I saved them, they fear me.  But do not fear, one named Morgan, Jude is my master and the one who saved me.  He is the one who respects me and in turn I’ve offered him my .”

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“So it’s true,” Morgan had seen Anthea on the battlefield and heard rumors that Jude had a companion.  But he still had misgivings about Anthea.  “Even if she is your companion, it doesn’t mean that one day she won’t turn the entire Riwa Kingdom into her own domain.  This is why humanity is stuck here in the south.”

“What do you mean?” Jude inquired.

“This world has a very long history,” Morgan explained.  “North of all the kingdoms of man, dwarves and elves are the Beast Lands.  The Beast Lands are the spawning grounds of monster’s level 200-250.  These spawning grounds are all lead by a leader as well.  He took over all of the north and pushed all of the other races south.  It is only because the South holds little value to them that they don’t come further.  But even so, a random beast from the north can devastate us here in the south.

“Major Raids are regularly positioned up north to protect us, but it costs the lives of many people to do so.  This is why people view spawning areas with great trepidation.  Intelligent monsters that take control of a spawning area are considered very dangerous.”

“I see, and I understand,” Jude said, “But I have ways to control the situation and even change it.”

“I want to believe you, but how can I?”

“Anthea does not make you believe?” Jude asked questionly.

“What do you mean?” Morgan asked confused.

“You know that Anthea was once the Switch, yet you haven’t asked the important question.  How did she become Anthea, a ?  I will tell you.  Theodwin and I found the nodes that control Allur Forest.   Through a unique means, I gained access to these nodes like a Switch does to a Town Stone.  So when the Switch was in trouble and near death, I took her to one of the nodes and transformed her.  Afterward, she pledged to be my .  The node that we will set up will be like no other node before it."

Morgan was to shocked to respond, so Jude used this moment to press his opinion further.

“I have studied the Town Stone and the nodes of Allur Forest.  The are two things of similar nature.  The difference is that we know how to control a Town Stone.

“With the power of Allur Forest, I can not only protect the people, but I can also provide them with a better lifestyle.  I can also use it to remove the demon corruption from the land and use the spawns to guard the people.

“Not only that, I can change the very nature and levels of the spawns so that the progress curve from going to one level from another to be smoother.  I can also raise the highest level so that the people can gain a better chance at leveling.

“Tell me, is this not worth it?”

Morgan wanted to disagree, but if all Jude said was true, the perhaps it was better this way.  But he would still like assurances, “It sounds good, but what happens if it doesn’t go your way.  What is the contingency plan?”

Anthea chimed in at this moment, “Do you not understand what a is?  Jude’s will is my will.  If the spawn system does not work as intended, then I will destroy it.”

***

Plans for the node were underway, and Jude was walking through town to his next destination.  The pain in his chest was causing him to walk slower than he would like.  If his followers didn’t revere him so much, they would have made him stay back at the HQ.  But now, few had the guts to tell him what not to do, so all Jude had to do was wait for them not to be around.

Ellie was out helping rebuild and looking for her Blacksmith Master Theodwin who hadn’t been seen since the demons came.  Krinn and Wen were off on their own assignments as Heroic Retribution was now becoming a lot larger.  And Morgan was putting out political fires that Jude had made with his idea about the node.

That left him with Cairfray and Nellie who were following him.  Nellie took up the position of his personal physician since he was hurt and rarely left his side.  Cairfray had become even more devoted to him since the defeat of the and the fall of the giant spectral sword.  The sword was what he was checking on today.

The energy of the sword had continuously drained out of the tip until it slowly shrank until it stabilized itself.   Jude guessed that the stabilization effect came from the he layed.  His intention was to stabilize it from falling, but it apparently took it a step further and stabilized the sword as a whole.

Jude was out of breath and winching from the pain in his chest by the time he reached the sword.  Guards from Heroic Retribution were stationed here to keep others away.  They respectfully bowed to Jude as he passed them.  The sword was now about 30 meters long and had left a hole in the ground as the blade had shrunk.  He still had a connection to it but would be unable to control it without the correct circuits in his Modicuit.  However, the sword was not the only reason for him being here.  

Down the hole, he could see an odd crystal pulsing with spectral power.  He wished he still had to investigate, but instead had to rely on a combination of and .  He cast the spell with the help of and sent the tendrils of his consciousness into the stone below.

His mind exploded, not with pain, but with the intense energy that resided in the stone.  was different than the other .  It let him delve, not only into the circuitry of the item but also its properties.  The crystal was now a raw resource, so its circuitry was non-existent.  But it’s properties were extensive.  He found that the majority of the stone had infused with the spectral magic and had become a type of floatstone.  The only reason why it hadn’t lifted itself out of the ground was due to the remaining spectral sword and foundation pinning it in place.

Jude could just dream of the possibilities of floatstone!  The most propitiate one would be air ships!  But the stone was still corrupted.  The time it would take to remove this amount of corruption would not be short.  It would also take time to refine and figure out the best way to use the stone.  But Jude still wanted to dream.  One day he would have his own air ship!

***

Things settle down quickly as the town of Longdale changed.  The Node was setup with no problem, and Jude was able to make the necessary modifications to it so that it functioned like a Town Stone.  But instead of having a Switch, Anthea created several supervising creators.  These became known as the Feytrees. They were intelligent trees with a face surrounded by fairies.  People would go to the fairies for simple tasks and the tree face for the more complicated ones.

The town itself also changed.   It went from the stark human buildings, dirt roads, and a few cobblestone paths to an integration of forest and structured buildings.  Stone roads sprang up from the ground, and the line between house and tree began to blur.  It started to look more like a wood elf town rather than a human one.  But the human element was still noticeably there, the rigid lines of their architecture were still evident and only made more beautiful by the contrast of nature seamlessly integrated into it.

The HQ of Heroic Retribution had completely changed.  The core of it was still the same as the were still active.  But now all the buildings around it had been absorbed, creating a large complex.  It quickly became the new Citadel of Longdale, the node being situated inside as well.

Jude was good at taking responsibility and giving out orders for the general direction.  But for the everyday tasks, he let others take care of them.  Krinn had become the defacto Lord of Longdale with Morgan help him along the way.  This worked out perfect for Jude as it allowed him to heal and experiment with magic.  Krinn took to the position extremely well. It was almost like he was born for it.  It was a hard and stressful job, yet it filled him with purpose and joy.

Wen had taken a liking to training recruits, and now Longdale was a level 1-20 area for all.  But the real danger that the trainees feared wasn’t the monsters of Allur, but Wen herself!  She was strict, but her results were also good.  Her trainees quickly became disciplined and rose through levels and skills alike at speeds others could not match.

Ellie continued to work on her blacksmithing skills.  She was unrivaled in her ability to advance.  After all, she could gain experience through killing and crafting.  Who else could do that?  However, it was balanced by her class being an Elite Class, so it required more EXP than a normal one.  

Her only concern was that she couldn’t find her master Theodwin.  Jude felt a twinge of regret as well.  He truly enjoyed Theodwin and still had much he wanted to ask.

Cairfray and Nellie became Jude’s silent sentinels.  They were always with him, whether out or in experimentation.  Most of the others in Heroic Retribution also gained leadership positions, especially now that it was so much bigger.  Jude now had over a thousand people working for him.  How they were paid and what they did, Jude did not concern himself with it.  Krinn managed all the details.

And so, Time passed.  Jude healed.  And his magic became even more mystical.