Winter followed Brax’s departure. Slowly rain replaced snow, and the frigid blistering breeze transitioned into cool blustering winds. As the snow melted to muddy ground, life began to blossom. Thaddeus watched residents meander the streets busy with chores and work. They held grateful faces, happy to have survived the harsh winter.

For the first time in a long time, he felt happy too. After Candice’s death, the company announced her departure and subsequent death. She was shot in front of him, and then buried in a brief memo. For most at the company life continued, however, Thaddeus found it hard to work because he knew the truth. But if he told anyone he too would be killed. Still, he replayed her death in his nightmares. The ringing gunshot echoed in his mind.

Masking his pain, he continued to work knowing the strong set the rules. And until he began strong enough or the rules changed, his best bet was to align him with his company, sponsors, and Twilight Family. So, he was efficient at work, passed his class, and advanced his settlements. He was diligent in earning recognition from his bosses, sponsors, family, and residents. And his diligence paid off. Spring arrived with a rare gift. Hearing the chime of a new message, he opened the notification.

System Message:

The Crafter Guild wishes to open a branch in Woodhaerst. Do you accept: (Y/N)

In a world filled with warriors, mages, and adventurers, the Crafter's Guild was solely dedicated to the protection and advocacy of crafters. They also ensured crafters earned fair wages, patented blueprints, mediated disputes, and insured crafters. The guild also had the largest library of crafting skill books. For Thaddeus, this meant he could patent furniture designs and purchase other blueprints and skill books.

When he selected, ‘yes’, the Crafter’s Guild phased into existence in the Central Plaza adjacent to the cathedral, casino, theatre, auction house, and town hall. The exterior granite walls, adorned with intricate carvings, told stories of legendary crafts. Outside, a global, regional, and local announcement broadcast Thaddeus’ achievement.

System Message: Global Announcement

Congratulations to Woodhaerst for becoming the player territory to host a Crafter Guild branch: 10% increase to settlement taxes, +5 fame, and a 5% tourism bonus.

Within days of the declaration, a massive migration commenced. Crafters from every corner of the realm, both independent artisans and guild members, began relocating to Ironwood and Woodhaerst.

Independent and guild crafters moved in mass to Woodhaerst or Ironwood to take advantage of Land of Artisan’s 20% crafting experience boost. The earlier news of the Land of Artisan's 20% crafting experience boost spread like wildfire through the crafter communities. It was a siren’s call to blacksmiths, leatherworkers, carpenters, and jewelers. In Ironwood, so large was the number of dwarves and blacksmiths arriving with their families that it became a city overnight.

In Woodhaerst, the newly built East District neighborhoods housed the new arrivals. Once noisy construction sites, they were now a buzz with activity. Growing numbers of retail shops, workshops, and galleries were springing up, each adding to the city's growing reputation as a crafting hub.

Even though Woodhaerst was a small city, compared to Pinewood or Pine Grove, it still had several amenities. The jump gate, marketplace, trading post, and auction house made it convenient for crafters to ship continentally. Moreover, the city's amenities and updated infrastructure provided the perfect environment for artisans to create, trade, and flourish.

The boost in crafting experience was not the only draw for these artisans. Under Thaddeus's leadership, Woodhaerst and Ironwood had low taxes, minimal crime, and a reputation for being welcoming to migrants.

This influx of talent also brought a surge in economic prosperity. It also increased the amount of monthly cultural skill points, cutting down his next purchase from two months to two weeks. Come April he purchases the Trade Ground and closes out the Regional Trade Tier on the Mercantile Skill Tree.

Spring in Woodhaerst was not just a season of new beginnings for the city but also for Thaddeus personally. It marked the first anniversary of his relationship with Sabrina and their journey in the game. Planning to make the occasion special, Thaddeus had meticulously organized a day filled with romantic activities. Spa day at the Four Season, an exclusive dinner riverboat cruiser with fireworks on the river all lined up to celebrate their time together. Yet, one crucial element remained undecided – the perfect anniversary gift for Sabrina, a science teacher who meant the world to him.

Lost in the array of gift options online, Thaddeus was contemplating between a custom teddy bear and a shirt that creatively used the periodic table to spell out 'teacher.' It was a tough choice, reflecting Sabrina’s love for teaching and science. As he scrolled through the suggestions for 'best gifts for science teachers,' his thought process was interrupted by the sound of a third system chime.

System Message: Happy Anniversary

To celebrate our first anniversary, we are awarding each player a badge. Our first-anniversary badge entitles players to a one-time 5% discount in the auction house. Badges will also be awarded for fame, occupations, guild affiliation, coins purchased, forum participation, etc.

Thaddeus’s attention shifted from the dilemma of the gift to the message. He quickly scanned his heads-up display and noticed that he had received a total of six badges. Each badge represented a different aspect of his journey and achievements in Heaven's Gate: the first-anniversary badge, verified user, artisan, noble, forum master, and member of the Church of Earth.

The badges were more than just virtual accolades; they reflected his multifaceted identity in the game. The 'artisan' badge highlighted his dedication to crafting, while the 'noble' badge was a nod to his status as the leader of Woodhaerst. The 'forum master' badge acknowledged his active participation and contributions in the game’s community forums, and the 'Church of Earth' badge indicated his alignment and role within one of the game's religious factions.

As he absorbed the significance of each badge, Thaddeus felt a sense of accomplishment. Each one was a milestone, marking the various paths he had walked in the virtual world. They were reminders of the challenges he had faced, the communities he had built, and the impact he had made.

Returning to his original task, Thaddeus's thoughts again drifted to Sabrina’s gift. He wanted something meaningful that would resonate with her passions. After a moment of contemplation, he decided to check the auction house for ideas.

Pet Care

Adventurer

Petty Lord

Forging

Alchemy

Jewelry

Saddle (5% speed boost)

Teleportation Scroll to Dragon Realm

Atelier and Bardic Academy

Vampiric Demon armor forging design

Long lasting Healing pill recipe

Gold Necklace (5% endurance boost)

Mystery Beast Eggs

Partial map of the Underground World

Jousting ground and siege works

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Vampiric Demon dagger forging design

Bone Marrow pill recipe

Leather Bracer (10% archer accuracy multiplier)

Magical pet food (1-time advancement)

Hamlet Deed—Reclaim a random dungeon hamlet

Military Academy and Brothel

Lightening armor forging design

Thunder Tribulation pill recipe

Bejeweled Wizard Staff (15% wisdom multiplier)

Rare Beast Armor

Blink martial movement scroll

Magic Tower and Archery Range

Lightening Spear forging design

Mind Clarity pill recipe

Diamond Earring (15% defense multiplier)

Tamer class change token

Legendary Soul Shattering Sword (sealed)

Town Hall Annex

Legendary Forging Hammer (sealed)

Legendary Alchemy Cauldron (sealed)

Master Rank Gold Ring (1,000 storage units)

When Thaddeus pulled up the auction he was impressed by the selections. At work, each department was tasked to contribute five items to the auction, so he was familiar with the settlement items. Yet, this was his first time seeing what the other departments supplied. From the top, down, the rows increased in price. Items on the first row ranged from 100-500 gold and on the bottom prices fluctuated between 2,000-5,000 gold. Also, the number of items from top to bottom decreased in quantity. The quantity for each item in the top row was in the high millions, by the bottom row it was in the low hundreds.

Still, Thaddeus was fortunate to have just over 3,500 gold in his settlement account. Thanks to presents from the family, bonuses from his sponsors, and a holiday bonus company his settlement finances were secure. Thaddeus felt he could buy two to three items comfortably.

Looking at the table several things piqued his interest. The first Hamlet Deed, but unfortunately those were locked to those with the adventuring class only. The next thing that caught his eye was the Blink movement scroll. With the scroll, he’d be able to move quickly between the carpentry and tannery. It would also serve him useful if he found his way into another fight.

In the Petty Lord column, the atelier and bardic college listed for 250 was a great bang for your buck deal. Based on the quantity and low price, it was clear the arts were under-appreciated in this world. He quickly moved the atelier and bardic college to his cart. Next, he turned his attention to the Town Hall Annex. Currently, the four-story Town Hall, as it was now, had a large council room, as well as mayoral and ministerial offices. This was fine for now, but at some point, he’d need to increase his ministerial staff. Over-dependence on Alfred may prove devasting.

Reading the description, the annex provided offices for the tax minister, land minister, and labor minister. The tax minister would increase the cities’ revenue but incur a happiness penalty. No matter the planet, no one liked tax collectors. The land office would also increase revenue by allowing him to set property prices. People would have to visit this office to purchase a homestead or private property on his territory. The last ministerial office was labor. The labor minister was responsible for staffing and recruiting workers to increase performance. Together these three departments would increase cities’ overall gross domestic product by 20%. Despite the expensive 2,500 gold price, Thaddeus added it to his cart.

Last, he searched for anniversary gift ideas. At once, his eyes locked in on the sealed legendary alchemy cauldron and diamond earning. Except, buying a sealed cauldron seemed wasteful. He could also purchase superior diamond earrings from Ironwood. So, he bought the mind clarity pill recipe that temporarily increased a mage’s wisdom by a multiple of 15% and sent an order for diamond earrings to Vakdraen.

As soon as he purchased the items, they appeared in his inventory. He quickly placed the Atelier and Bardic College along the river hoping the scenic view would inspire artists. He hoped the buildings would fill Woodhaerst with beautiful art and music, and his account with more monthly cultural points. At once the annex placed two people Atelier to study music and Kira, Woodhaerst’s traveling bard, in the Bardic College.

With that taken care of, there was only one item left on Thaddeus’ to-do list. Traveling to the farms, he knew Arthur and the farmers were busy planting. Thanks to Demeter’s blessings, all farmers had to do was plant and harvest. Walking past the southern gate, he saw stern, armed, adventures returning from, or leaving to complete quests. Above the gate, he spotted soldiers on the battlements building the arbalest ballista.

Stepping outside the city, Thaddeus was mesmerized by the large swath of farmland. The acres of farmland were so vast, he couldn’t even see the end. Twenty farmers on tractors, pulling planters behind them. It was a sight to behold.

“Impressive, right? The bosses are happy. They’re planning to use this feed for commercials,” Sawyer complimented.

Nodding his head, Thaddeus asked, “How far south does the farmland go?”

“Not much farther Baron Brown. We stopped farming further away because we were worried about monsters and bandits. We coordinated with the watchtowers to make sure the soldiers could see the further farm. Before the omen was announced, I was planning to speak with you about settling more villages,” Arthur answered coming over.

Thaddeus was surprised by Arthur's revelation. Woodhaerst’s wasn’t even full, yet people already wanted to build satellite villages. Before he could address expanding further, he had two pressing concerns. “How many harvests are we expecting? And do we have enough space to store all this?”

“Three harvests. Thanks to your blessing, the crops have a three-month cycle from seed to fruit. Per the farmers' contract, all the cotton belongs to Cargil, the company also plans to purchase crops,” Sawyer informed him.

‘Alfred, make sure the majority of crops are purchased Woodhaerst and Ironwood,’ Thaddeus declared.

“Yes, sir,” Alfred replied.

Sawyer frowned and looked at Thaddeus, “I just got a message saying there was a cap placed on the amount of wheat and vegetables the company could purchase. Again, we’re not your enemy. The company is not so heartless as to leave the farmers hungry.”

Thaddeus smiled, “I know. But I hope you understand crops are a major export for the town. I must also have enough to store for a siege or winter.” Then he turned to Arthur and said, “I don’t mean to keep you; I can tell you all are busy. Arthur, I came to give these saltbush saplings. Have you heard of this plant before?”

“Yes, Baron Brown. I’m familiar with these plans. Their fruit is salty and attracts insects. Placing them inside the coops is a fine idea. This should decrease the bags of millet we feed them,” Arthur sounded amazed.

“Later, I’ll show you how to turn the fruit into salt. We’ll begin exporting the salt come May. I appreciate the work you’re both doing, keep up the work,” Thaddeus said walking away.

The sun was beginning to set as Thaddeus made his way back to Woodhaerst. The streets were alive with the activities of the evening – shopkeepers closing their stores, adventurers sharing tales of their quests, and farmers returning from the fields. As he entered the city, Thaddeus felt a sense of contentment seeing his community thrive.

Upon his return, Thaddeus was informed that Baronet Garlan Reinhold, the new Master of the Crafter's Guild, awaited his audience. Intrigued and curious to meet the guild master, Thaddeus made his way to the imposing building of the Crafter's Guild.

The guild hall was as magnificent as ever, with its intricately carved granite walls and mosaics telling stories of legendary crafts. The interior displayed mosaics of masons, blacksmiths, leatherworkers, carpenters, cobblers, chandlers, weavers, and jewelers. Thaddeus was greeted by the guild’s staff and led to a lavishly decorated office where Baronet Reinhold was waiting.

"Baron Brown, it is an honor to meet you," Garlan began, standing to greet Thaddeus with a firm handshake. "Everyone at the guild is impressed by you. To think you turn a wilderness homestead into two prosperous cities. Let me tell you, we were overjoyed when your settlement earned the Land of Artisan title. Congratulations.”

"Thank you, Guild Master Reinhold," Thaddeus replied.

Garlan smiled, “Thank you for welcoming the Crafter’s Guild into Woodhaerst. But I must confess, I am a fan of your Iron and Oak business! You are a genius. I have greatly coveted your line of upscale bespoke rustic furniture. I would be honored to have a piece in the guild.”

Thaddeus was surprised to learn he had fans, “Of course, I’m happy to commission a piece for the crafter guild.”

Garlan continued, “Ha, that is great news. I’ll be the envy of every guild master.” Realizing he’d spoken his thoughts out loud he apologized. “Ahem, moving on. I wish to establish a series of workshops and masterclasses for local crafters. Might you be interested in teaching a class? This will help elevate young crafters’ skill level and introduce them to new techniques and designs."

“That’s fine with me, but please know my schedule is very busy," Thaddeus responded.

“Of course, a man such as yourself, how could you not be,” Garlan said pointing outside to the town.

When Thaddeus said he was busy, he meant work and school. By now, the settlements pretty much governed themselves. Alfred, Brand, Vakdraen, and city council members managed the cities with little input from him. Other than his signature on bills, he did very little governing.

“There’s one more thing,” Garlan added. “We propose organizing a quarterly crafts fair, inviting artisans from all over the empire to showcase and sell their work. It will be a platform for exchange and a draw for tourists, enhancing Woodhaerst’s reputation as a crafting center.”

Thaddeus was impressed. "That’s a good idea. We host it the first day of summer, I should have the Trade Grounds by then.”

“Good, I’m glad you like it Aside from the economic benefits, this could put Woodhaerst on the map as a center for crafting and bring me…" Garlan coughed and corrected himself, “…I mean us more prestige and benefits.”

Thaddeus laughed and waved off the mistake. As long as Garlan was focused on advancing Woodhaerst and Ironwood he was fine with his ambition.

Garlan smiled, “Excellent! This collaboration could transform Woodhaerst into a hub for high-quality, unique crafts, attracting even more artisans and buyers. I believe this is the beginning of a prosperous partnership.”

As Thaddeus was preparing to leave the guild hall, Garlan called out, "Baron Thaddeus, there's another matter I'd like to address.” Garlan reached into his desk and pulled out a sleek, silver card. “In recognition of your contributions to the crafting community and the flourishing state of Woodhaerst, the Crafter's Guild has decided to upgrade your membership from bronze to silver."

Thaddeus's eyes widened in surprise. He didn’t even know the Crafter’s Guildhall's various guild cars.

"With this silver card, you will now enjoy a 25% discount on transactions with the Crafter’s Guild, as opposed to the 20% discount of the bronze level," Garlan explained, handing the card to Thaddeus.

Thaddeus took the card, feeling its weight and the engraved details. "This is unexpected but greatly appreciated, Guild Master Reinhold.”

Garlan nodded. "The Guild is proud to support leaders who demonstrate such dedication to the artisan community."

Thaddeus examined the silver card. Beyond its immediate monetary benefits, it symbolized a deeper relationship with the Crafter's Guild and an acknowledgment of his efforts to elevate the status of crafters in his territory.