Within the wooden hut, Caelen sat down into his wooden chair and sighed. It wasn't lavish, but it was home. At least, for now. The tools which he had built were arranged neatly upon the shelf, and the small fire flickered in the corner.
Zira came in, looking around with amazement. "This place is warm," she said.
"Yep," Caelen replied with a small smile.
[System: Detected Population: 2]
[Reward for +1 Population: +10 Google Brain Searches]
[Searches: 20 → 30]
Caelen's eyes blinked when the system appeared.
Wait, more people equal more searches? That's truly wonderful.
He stared down, thinking. If I build a village, then maybe I could have infinite searches. I would be able to create whatever I want.
He smiled automatically. Zira raised an eyebrow.
"Caelen? Why are you smiling like this?"
"Oh, it's nothing. An idea," he dismissed with a wave of his hand.
He looked at her again, still not knowing much about her.
"Where are you from?" he inquired.
"I'm from south side of Forgotten Forest," she said. "There is a goblin village there."
"Why'd you come here?"
"There was a rebellion," she answered. "Our town split. Some goblins aligned with the humans, some the demons. I aligned with the humans. That's why I had to run.
Caelen nodded slowly. "So the guy who shot you?"
"He was looking for me. He knew I was a goblin, even under the illusion magic."
"Well… you're lucky I was there," Caelen said.
Zira smiled slightly. "I know. Thank you, Caelen."
He massaged the back of his head. "No problem."
"May I stay here?" she said. "I have nowhere else to go."
Caelen paused. He didn't want to commit too hastily. He thought for a moment.
Do I trust her? He slapped his head.
[Google Brain: Run Scan]
[Scanning. No deception signals found]
He took a breath. "Okay. You can stay here."
"Really?" she said, eyes sparkling.
"Yeah."
"Thanks!" She grabbed his hand. "Where do I sleep?"
"I'll sleep on the floor. You can have the bed," Caelen said to her.
Zira smiled. "We could share it?"
"Nope. Too early for that," Caelen said quickly.
She laughed. "Okay, okay."
The fire crackled gently. Caelen stood up and added fuel to the furnace.
"We'll start building your house tomorrow," he said.
"Really?" said Zira.
"Yeah. You need to have a place to live if you're going to stay here."
Caelen leaned back. He looked at the system again.
[System: Village Milestone Detected]
[Hint: More Population = More Search Power]
He smiled again. If I build a village, I can have more searches. That means more tools, more inventions, and better survival. I'll become Elon Musk of Medieval Fantasy world.
He looked around his small hut. There wasn't much yet—but it was growing. Now he had someone to share it with.
Tomorrow, they'd begin something new.