Chapter 264: War or Tomorrow

A meeting was underway in one of the private chambers of the second fortress. Only Haven’s leaders were present—and Luke. The table was cluttered with hand-drawn maps, and the voices around it carried more heat than patience.

“I think we should focus on this. Forget rebuilding houses and patching up the fortress. What we need is lumber,” Quinn argued.

“Are you insane?” Miranda shot back. “You want to bring children here, let them live in rubble, surrounded by monster corpses, with beasts still roaming nearby? No. First priority is turning this into a safe place to live.”

Luke exhaled sharply through his nose, tired already of their endless bickering. His arms rested on the chair’s worn armrests, fingers tapping a restless rhythm as if searching for an anchor.

“Isn’t a Safe Zone supposed to be safe enough?” Eugene asked.

Miranda’s eyes narrowed. “No. The rule is that Midnight Wardens won’t cross into it. That doesn’t stop a panther from wandering in at night, or a crocodile from lunging at women washing clothes, or—hell—someone getting a visit from a dinosaur while eating breakfast.”

Byron tapped the map with force, the echo of his knuckles against the wood sharp in the chamber. The parchment shifted, smudging faint lines of charcoal that traced the fortress streets. “These houses won’t survive a strong breeze. Reinforcing the homes, clearing the streets, setting up routines—that’s security.”

Gilbert leaned forward, voice low. “Time isn’t on our side.”

“Enough,” Allison cut in at last, her tone sharp enough to slice through the noise.

She let the silence hang before speaking again. “I know all of you are desperate to get back to Earth as fast as possible. But there are other factors more important than your impatience.”

Across the room, Evangeline sat slouched in a chair, one arm bandaged, the other hand holding a half-eaten sandwich. She didn’t even bother looking up.

“What?” she said flatly when everyone turned her way. “I’m starving.”

Allison ignored it and pressed on. “The next step is bringing as many people here as we can. Support those without a profession, help others level up. Organize hunting parties to boost combat experience. With enough healing potions, we can give them security.”

Mason nodded. “We also need lumber for boats. Magi and archers can help take down the river crocodiles. Lightning magic will be the key.”

Miranda opened her mouth to argue, but Allison raised a hand and stopped her cold. “I understand your concerns. But we’re not fifty starving castaways in a forest anymore. My focus is to fill this fortress with people. Once they’re here, we’ll organize by talent, let them gravitate toward what they’re good at. Why waste time fussing over structures or safety measures right now when we can divide labor later? The priority is growth—profession levels, class levels. Bring them here first. The rest will follow.”

Evangeline finally set her sandwich aside and stepped closer to the table. Her voice was calm, but the words carried weight. “We’ve got a bigger problem. It’s already six in the morning. Has that scouting party returned?”

Mason shook his head. “Not yet.”

“Then everything hangs on what they bring back,” she said, meeting each of their eyes. “That information will decide whether we’re going to war with Bartholomew today… or tomorrow.”

The dilemma sat heavy in the room. Activating the second mechanism had broadcast a notification across the area—every soul within range of the new Safe Zone would know. The real question was whether those outside the zone had seen it too.

If that was the case, then Bartholomew already knew the second mechanism had been activated. Which meant it was only a matter of hours before he showed up with his elite soldiers and tried to seize the fortress by force. They all knew they couldn’t withstand him if it came to that. That was why they needed to bring in as many people as possible, not just Haven, but civilians from the first Safe Zone as well. If they did, then either Bartholomew would have to soften his stance, or his mask would finally crack and everyone, including his own troops, would see he had no real interest in completing the tutorial.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“I’m betting if that happened, all of us here will end up branded criminals because of him,” Quinn muttered, pointing straight at Luke. “You know… that whole insane ‘terrorist’ angle?”

“The lunatics show up here, butcher us all, and the official story becomes that brave Bartholomew saved everyone, secured another fortress, and ascended as the strongest by wiping out his rivals,” Evangeline said flatly.

Her gaze hardened. “That’s exactly what he did with Marshall. And then only he remains.”

She leaned back, voice cold. “Every major opponent who’s been plotting under his nose is gathered here, weak after a brutal battle, and easy to finish off.”

The meeting circled in frustration, going nowhere. Everything hinged on a single piece of information: whether the other Safe Zone had received the notification or not. Without that, they were stuck.

While the arguments dragged on, Allison quietly slipped out. The others soon followed, making their way toward the treasure chamber. That was another dilemma they had yet to face. When they entered the vault, the massive chest waited in the center. They lifted the lid, and inside were hundreds of skill runes. The deeper they sifted through, the more endless the pile seemed.