That day was sunny, the remnants of earlier snow having finally melted away, and the rare warmth made the air surprisingly pleasant.
On this day, after days of debate and preparation, the satyrs finally packed up their belongings and, alongside Charles, hit the road—leaving the dwarven mines behind in search of their new home.
It wasn't just the satyrs; a handful of residents from the Mountaineer Tribe decided to join the journey as well.
Even with Charles backing her credibility, Nidalee's influence was only so great—not quite what her father commanded. And since he was unwilling to abandon his old allies, he merely gave tacit approval to Nidalee's actions and never voiced any public support.
So in the end, she could only rally a small number to follow.
Charles, for his part, didn't judge, didn't complain. He took these people in stride, leading them as they trekked across the mountains toward their chosen destination.
And with this, the once-mighty Alliance of the Mountain Purifiers was all but dead in name and deed.
But none of that mattered anymore to Charles, the Green Vines tribe, or those who had chosen to leave. The future was still full of uncertainty, but they walked toward it with steady steps—determined to claim a new home.
Thankfully, the next two days brought nothing but mild weather, and with magical assistance, the travel wasn't half as harsh as it could've been.
By dusk on the third day, they finally arrived at the crucial crossroads Charles had picked out on the map—the spot that would become their future hub.
By now, though, the sky was growing dark.
The wind whipped through the mountains, promising a brutally cold night. The refugees following Charles had already camped out for two nights in the dead of winter. Many were starting to look worn down.
And seeing that the promised land was just a barren patch of earth—no "warm homes," no signs of the future Charles had talked up—a wave of doubt and fear began to churn in their chests. The residents who'd come along started whispering among themselves, anxious about how they'd survive the night, and what sort of life waited for them on this empty stretch of dirt.
"Charles…"
At the front of the group, Willo walked just behind him, eyes full of worry as she peered out at the empty field ahead. "How are we supposed to get through tonight?"
In other circumstances, those words might have sounded loaded, but right now there was nothing romantic—only deep anxiety about her kin's future.
Charles simply smiled, utterly unfazed, confident as ever. "No worries. Just leave it to me."
He opened his system and flipped to the construction page. In a hidden corner, the "Goddess Church" project was now unlocked—build that, and he could officially establish his first branch out here in the deep mountains.
The catch? It was a bit pricey.
Ten thousand Purification Points…
Staring at the price tag made Charles wince inside. Reaching level nine had cost him fourteen thousand Purification Points, and purifying Montport only earned him a bit over four thousand. Even with all his other income, he had just over thirty thousand points on hand.
Spending a third of his savings in one go—his heart ached!
But thinking about the local terrain and all the resources hidden in these mountains, he knew his investment would pay off. This branch was going to rake in huge profits down the line.
This was an investment worth making.
Resolved, he stepped forward, moved out in front of the group, picked the most prominent spot, and pressed his hand to the system interface—
Buzz—
Ten thousand Purification Points vanished from his account. A moment later, waves of pure, milky light poured out from him and spread across the ground. Before long, a small chapel dedicated to the Goddess of Life sprang up from the bare earth.
Behind him, all those muttering refugees fell silent. Everyone stared, eyes wide, utterly stunned.
Even Adele, who rarely missed a chance to mouth off about Charles, found herself gawking, unable to believe what she was seeing.
What just happened? Where did that building come from?
What was even more stunning came next. Before anyone could start theorizing, beam after beam of silvery light shot out from Charles's body, landing over another section of earth and rapidly forming row after row of neat, simple houses.
The buildings were basic but orderly, arranged with well-kept passages between them. From above, it looked as though a team of top designers had overseen a perfectly-planned neighborhood. In the blink of an eye, the area went from desolate wilderness to a proper residential community.
The entire group was floored. Then, unable to contain themselves, they started whispering in awe. The satyrs, who all had at least some magical knowledge, were the first to theorize wildly:
"How did he do that? All those houses, just appearing at once?"
"No clue—even high-level Mold Earth magic can't pull off something like that!"
"My guess? Maybe it's advanced teleportation magic. He built them somewhere else, then bam, teleported them all in at once!"
"Or maybe he built the houses here ahead of time and just camouflaged them with illusions—he dropped the spell just now?"
"Yeah, that could be it!"
...
The Mountain People discussed it in a dozen different ways, but Charles didn't bother correcting anyone. He looked over the new buildings, thought for a second, then added a bathhouse and a clinic, nearly emptying his remaining funds. Only then did he turn to face the crowd and said, "The Goddess has provided rooms for everyone. Please, go and pick the one you want."
"Because the divine power is limited, only two hundred rooms are available right now. Some will still need to squeeze in and share, and I'm sorry I can't yet make good on the full promise."
He spoke sincerely, which finally calmed the murmurs behind him. Willo promptly stepped forward and called in a grateful voice, "Priest, there's no need to apologize. The fact you could do so much for us, on such short notice, is a blessing. We're incredibly grateful."
She turned to the rest and raised her voice, "My kin, let's pick our houses! This is a kindness from the Priest—let's not let it go to waste."
"After tonight, come tomorrow, we'll get to work building homes that truly belong to us!"
The crowd, recently so anxious, quieted immediately. Their faces shone with gratitude. Without even needing instructions, families and groups formed up, picked houses, and crowded in to get through the cold night.
With only two hundred rooms, there wasn't space for every refugee, but this was an emergency—there were tents from before, so it was workable.
Any complaints had evaporated. Fired up, people started working right then and there. Those with magic used spells, the rest pitched in with muscle, digging trenches, putting up fences, building storehouses, refusing to rest until late in the night.
Everyone burned with passion, building a new home. Only when they were all dead tired did they finally listen to Charles and the nuns' gentle urging, and go off to catch some sleep.
After the last satyr slipped into his new home, and the regular nuns went to their tents, only the witch sisters and Nidalee remained with Charles.
Watching Charles's weary expression, Nidalee, a little nervous but full of hope, asked, "Master, what now? Are we heading back to South Harbor District for some rest?"
She'd just managed to persuade part of her kin to move here; naturally she wanted to stay a while and help them settle in, make sure they survived the winter.
She'd just begun to savor what it was like to wield real power, and her mind was full of ways to help those who'd chosen to put their faith in her.
But this whole journey—chasing down spies, forging alliances, fighting the Abyssal Lord, arranging the refugee resettlement—had taken more than half a month. Part of her worried Charles's next move would be a quick return to South Harbor to reunite with Hattie and the others.
She didn't know Charles had his own calculations—and that he, too, had no intention of heading back immediately.
Facing her question, he slowly shook his head. "No, we're definitely not going back to Liberl Port."
He turned his eyes to the rows of new houses and said, "We're staying. Time to preach."
"To spread the doctrine of the Goddess of Life. To call these people… to become nuns."
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