Free Web NovelChapter 29: Warehouse
Edgar stared at the gradually declining Eternal Night and the return of the murky grey-black fog.
The entirety of the last night, Edgar had spent in a really tough situation.
Despite being burned to death, more and more monsters kept rushing towards the fortress.
Edgar drew in a deep breath and leaned on the battlement, closing his tired eyes.
Even though Nightmare Stones glittered all around the fortress, he wasn’t in the mood to collect them.
’How did they come up with a counter-plan for the Fortress Wall so fast?’
Edgar wondered, feeling a bubbling frustration growing underneath his skin.
The plan to use the Rootwalkers as bridges had been almost perfect.
If he hadn’t unlocked the flamethrower at the last second, the fortress might have been overrun.
’...No way.’ A grim thought surfaced in his mind. ’Are they watching us during the day?’
That was the only thing that could explain the sudden plan of using Rootwalkers.
The Rootwalkers had begun moving almost immediately after the Eternal Night descended.
’These Nightmares are much smarter than I expected...’
The realization left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Until now, he had viewed the monsters as dangerous beasts.
They might be powerful and deadly, but in the end, easy to predict.
That assumption was becoming harder and harder to maintain.
Edgar slowly opened his eyes and stared into the fog.
The wilderness looked peaceful once more.
Andrew climbed onto the patrol path carrying a bucket.
The young boy looked refreshed after a few hours of sleep.
"Young Master."
"Hm?"
"The monsters are gone."
Edgar gave him a weird look. "Why do you always point out the obvious?"
The boy scratched his nose. "It’s just a habit."
Edgar chuckled and walked down the staircase along with the young boy.
He had been ignoring a system prompt for quite some time now.
---
⟨Tower of Souls Refinement Complete⟩
⟨Products Ready For Collection⟩
---
Stretching his body, the boy moved towards the ⟨Tower of Souls⟩ that still had that coldness around it.
’Hmm, if I don’t feed it for some time, then it turns cold?’
Musing at the thought, Edgar said softly,
"Collect."
Edgar was interested to know if the same type of corpses could yield different refined products.
’Well, I hope it does.’
The tower trembled and items floated out from beyond the darkness.
The first thing Edgar noticed was another pale white crystal.
The second was a black orb similar to the previous one, and the third was a pile of gray ash.
They were the same items from the first refinement.
But what caught Edgar’s attention was the fourth item.
A line of text began to appear above it.
⟨Blood Crystal⟩
⟨Grade: Green⟩
⟨Description: A crystal formed from the vitality of numerous Nightmare creatures. Can be used in rituals, alchemy, and special constructions.⟩
Edgar smiled happily as he picked up the item that confirmed his theory.
The Tower of Souls wasn’t limited to producing a fixed set of materials.
The same set of corpses could yield different items as well.
’And I am sure different sets of corpses will definitely produce different refined items.’
Andrew peeked over his shoulder.
"What is it?"
"A Green-grade material."
The young boy’s eyes widened. "Again?"
Edgar nodded his head. He had already told him about the hide’s true value.
Without wasting time, Edgar decided to store the item safely.
Anything Green-grade was too valuable to leave lying around.
His gaze then drifted toward the remaining corpses inside the fortress.
And there were many more outside the fortress as well.
Edgar turned to look at the young boy and smiled brightly. "Get to work."
The boy smiled back and straightened his back. "Let me collect all the Nightmare Stones outside first!"
Edgar nodded. "Take old man Oswald as well. Oh, and collect blood from the Rootwalkers."
"Alright!"
Andrew rushed out of the fortress while Edgar walked towards the northern section.
He decided to complete the warehouse first so he could keep all the useful items inside.
Taking out five Nightmare Stones, Edgar willed the construction into existence.
They floated into the air and cracked as milky-white liquid flowed out of them.
It swept across the empty ground Edgar had selected earlier and began outlining the shape of a building.
A rectangular foundation slowly emerged from the earth.
Unlike the sinister appearance of the ⟨Tower of Souls⟩, the construction of the warehouse felt stable and practical. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
Wooden beams rose from the foundation one after another.
They connected flawlessly, forming a sturdy frame.
Stone supports emerged beneath the raised floor while ventilation openings appeared along the upper walls.
Within less than a minute, the construction was complete.
The white glow gradually faded.
A large warehouse stood proudly in the northern section of the fortress. ƒrēewebnovel.com
It was nearly fifteen meters long and eight meters wide.
The raised flooring kept it away from moisture while dozens of ventilation openings ensured proper airflow.
Edgar slowly walked around the building, inspecting every corner.
Compared to the crude sheds he remembered from Earth, this warehouse looked surprisingly professional.
Pushing open the wooden door, Edgar stepped inside.
The interior was surprisingly spacious.
The temperature inside felt noticeably cooler than outside.
’I might as well sleep here during summer...’
Edgar looked towards the front entrance where Lady Viera entered.
She looked around the warehouse with fascination.
"...Your buildings are always different from traditional ones, young master," she complimented with a smile. "Our clan never had such a thing."
Edgar titled his head. "Your Bullan Clan doesn’t have warehouses?"
She replied, shaking her head.
"We used to dig huge holes in the ground and put the food inside."
’...Hm, a good idea, but it’s not practical during the rainy season.’
"Would you mind putting all the food items inside?" Edgar asked politely.
"Sure," she replied. "I will ask Andrew if I need any help."
Lady Viera immediately got to work.
Watching her leave, Edgar stepped out of the warehouse and glanced around the fortress.
He had almost everything a small fortress would need.
’But I still need to work more on defense.’
All three ⟨Watch Towers⟩ were consuming a lot of Nightmare Stones.
Even though it was sustainable for now, it could become problematic down the line.
A weapon that was less dependent on Nightmare Stones was desperately needed.
Edgar rubbed the back of his neck and walked towards his house.
Entering inside, he sat down on his bed and unwrapped a wooden parchment.
Taking the quill, Edgar began to wonder,
’What weapon should I create?’
He couldn’t create any modern weapons, nor any chemical weapons.
’Frankly, I don’t know how to make gunpowder, and I was never good at chemistry.’
He sat alone for a long while before he finally began drawing the outline of a weapon.
