Sparks flew as over one hundred workers crawled inside the hull of Jake's ship. Meanwhile, Jake was enjoying a well-deserved break after working for more than ten consecutive days. During that time, he had constructed the bridge section and begun equipping it with the necessary consoles. He installed a second set of flight controls and organized the various systems for weapons, shields, science, navigation, and radar. Directly beneath the bridge were the planning and briefing rooms, with the gravity and secondary engineering areas located below those. The next floor was fully occupied by the main cannon and ammunition storage, which had been reinforced with multiple layers of armor to prevent catastrophic explosions. Below that, the remaining floors consisted of a mix of private and training rooms, along with two large hangars that opened into space. These hangars were protected by heavy doors and small shield arrays. At the back of the ship, the structure from the top floor to the bottom was divided into engineering spaces and open areas. For now, only the ship's skeleton and a well-equipped bridge had been completed. Jake discovered that many individuals were eager to work on his ship for free because each worker would receive credit from the system for contributing to a soulbound vessel, gaining significant experience points and potentially a title, especially since this ship was unprecedented. There was also a certain individual named Harry who was quite politically savvy.
After taking a day off, Jake returned to work, accompanied by his team of scientists and, of course, Harry. Nearby, four women observed the bustling activity, concealed by an invisibility barrier. From left to right, they were Jayne, the Demon of Death, followed by Aaliyah and Erica. Erica was still sulking over her recent defeat. The Demon of Death glanced at the young Nordicless with a grin. “A loss is a loss, and you chose the wrong side—unlike my new apprentice and adopted daughter here. Speaking of which, I’m still waiting for my grandchildren, daughter.”
“You only won because she cheated,” Aaliyah interjected.
“Cheated? No. You never specified that she couldn't use those cleaning potions; you only said she couldn't use potions designed as weapons,” the Demon of Death countered.
“That's nonsense, and you know it. That was a weapon; it was never meant for—”
As Aaliyah spoke, the four of them watched as Jake pulled out a potion and poured it over himself.
“What the hell? He's insane,” Aaliyah exclaimed.
“Well, that settles it then. Jayne is the winner, and she didn’t cheat; you two will abide by the agreement,” the Demon of Death declared.
Emma
was sitting in her office when a man suddenly appeared before her. “Good morning, Lady Emma. I am the system-imposed manager of all of Jake's territories. I look forward to working with you. On that note, I will be making a few changes to the political structure of the settlement.” A notification then popped up in front of her.
Notification
Alric has disbanded the council and required all members and residents of the settlement to report to the council hall for citizenship and mandatory voting on new council members. Anyone can be nominated for a position.
“Wait, does that mean I'm no longer a member of the council?”
“Yes, you are now relieved of your duties, at least for now, but I do have a job for you. Jake will be returning to Earth soon, and he will need a crew for his ship. Please find a flight crew of sixteen, an engineering crew of five, six fighter pilots, and the Demon's Hand special forces under Jake's command.”
Emma received a quest notification, as if it had come directly from Jake himself, which was more than enough for her to work with this new individual. “Yes, sir, I will complete your request immediately.”
Five days later, the group of people Alric requested arrived at the meeting hall. Most of them were on hunting expeditions, while others were training or at the new settlement in Wonthaggi. The new settlement was established because accessing the main one was difficult for those with low levels.
As they entered the hall, each individual received a notification asking if they wanted to become citizens of the demon territory. The benefits of citizenship were outlined, and a simple character assessment would be conducted for those who chose to join.
Before anyone decided, Mary asked the man floating in the hall, “Who are you, and what happens if we say no or fail the test?”
“If you say no, you won’t be able to use the system facilities or the teleportation array once it is established. You also won’t be able to vote or join the council.”
“Okay, that sounds reasonable, but who are you?”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“Apologies, my name is Alric, and I am the system-imposed manager of all of Jake's territories.”
“Where is Jake? Why can't he tell us this himself?” another person asked.
Emma answered this time, “Jake is currently in a different solar system and won't return until he has completed his task. I can only share limited information until you become citizens, but I assure you that what he is working on will greatly benefit all of you.”
After some hesitation and encouragement, all but five chose to become citizens. The five who opted not to join had failed the character assessment, as they were only there to spy on Jake and steal secrets.
The Demon's Hand special forces apprehended all five on the spot.
"We need four more engineers and one pilot. Can some of you go find them? I'm done with these traitors; it’s been five days and already over half the council is either spying or worse," Emma declared.
After a brief discussion among the group, two of the new members departed with a list of names.
"Okay, everyone, listen up," Emma continued. "I’ll give you a quick overview of your tasks moving forward, but first, let me tell you what Jake is working on. Right now, he's constructing a spaceship larger than anything we currently possess. It’s classified as a corvette and is a soulbound item. Each of you will need to familiarize yourselves with at least one advanced system, and you must all undergo training in theoretical space warfare and fleet tactics. As you know, humanity has never truly operated in space, so everything you learn will be largely theoretical. That said, we have established training facilities tailored to what we believe will be relevant."
“With my help, I might even be able to turn you all into a proper crew yet,” Alric added before drifting off to attend to another task.
Jake
Jake stood on the bridge of his new ship; the hull was complete, and it was time for the upgrades. In his hand, he held the first token intended for the ship, which, if all went well, would change its class. The only hitch was that Harry had mentioned a notification should appear when the ship was brought to life. However, Jake's system was different from everyone else's, so he was uncertain if it would work.
"No time like the present," Jake muttered.
"Sorry, did you say something?" Harry inquired.
"It's nothing. I’m going to start now," Jake replied, activating the token. He immediately pulled up his terminal and began spamming the command for notifications until, at last, he received one.
Notification
Item upgrade
Waiting for item completion before determining upgrade.
Warning: If the item is not completed before 30:24:00:00, the token will be destroyed and the item will be locked in an unranked grade.
“Damn it.”
“What’s wrong? Did something go wrong?” Harry asked.
“You could say that. How long will it take to finish the rest of the fit-out?”
“About three months, given our current manpower and supplies. Why do you ask?”
“Because we have thirty-one days to get this done; otherwise, the ship will be locked into an unranked grade no matter what we do.”
“Damn,” Harry exclaimed, before adding, “I’ll go light a fire under the workers and sort out the supply issues. You focus on finishing this behemoth.”
“That sounds good. I'll be down in main engineering. Send some people to help when you can. We’ll start with the main systems first and then finish the rest.”
Harry hurried out, but he was stopped by four women waiting for him. "What's the hurry, young man?" the demon of death asked.
“We have no time. I need help now.”
“Help with what?” Aaliyah asked.
“The ship will fail in thirty-one days if we don't complete it by then.”
“Is there anything we can do to help?” Jayne asked.
“I don't think so, unless you’re Smith or can provide us with a huge supply shipment by the end of the day. If not, please step aside.”
The four women moved out of the way for the man, then exchanged glances. Aaliyah nodded and entered the ship, while the demon of death took the other two with him to address the supply issues.
Jake stood in the vast space where the engines and other components were meant to be, unsure of where to begin, when the scent of blooming flowers wafted through the air.
“It’s been a while, Jake Everval. I still remember that young boy who fought off spiders as he ran deeper into the cave system, completely unencumbered,” a familiar voice said.
“What brings you here, Aaliyah? I don’t have anything you might want. Isn’t that what everyone seeks: points, territories, titles? You have them all, so I don’t understand your intentions.”
“Maybe I just want my profession to continue after I’m gone,” Aaliyah replied sweetly.
“Come on, you’re a god by now, right? Can gods even die?”
With a hint of sadness, she replied, “I’m not a god, and I never will be. My path was limited the moment this world died. If it weren't for a very kind man, I would have perished long ago.”
Jake finally turned to face her. “So you’re not here to take something. Then why are you here? Please don’t say it’s to help me finish this ship. I doubt that’s even possible, and you won’t earn enough points to make it worthwhile.”
“Time—that's the real issue, isn’t it? I would like to offer my assistance in building this magnificent ship. After all, the last ship I built on this planet wasn’t my finest work, and I’d like to rectify that.” Jake let out a small sigh. “Okay, I’ll work on the FTL system, and you can handle the engines. Just try not to drain an entire galaxy this time.” Aaliyah laughed lightly as she walked over to the blueprints spread out on the ground.
In a quiet voice, Aaliyah remarked, “This is a good ship. With a few minor adjustments, it could become an adequate reconnaissance vessel with formidable durability in a fight.”