Making salt had taken more than an hour. Just as the process wrapped up, Khumba spoke in a loud, expectant tone, "Lord Aaron, when will you meet the people from our village?"

Aaron turned toward him and replied without hesitation, 

"Let's go. But do you have enough houses to accommodate all of us?"

Khumba puffed his chest slightly, "Of course, Lord Aaron. We once had a population of over two thousand. But over the years, monster attacks have reduced us to just five hundred."

His voice faltered at the end, and a bitter expression crossed his face.

Aaron nodded solemnly, "I won't offer empty comfort. But I will do everything I can to improve your living conditions, and train your people to defend themselves."

He turned to his group, "Torvald, Kelly, Captain Monga, you're coming with me."

The three stepped forward without hesitation.

Khumba looked at Rumba and said, "Stay here and protect the others. We'll be back soon."

Rumba nodded silently.

Time passed as they walked across uneven terrain. 

Aaron glanced at the rocky path and muttered to himself, 

"I need to build roads, especially where resources can be gathered."

As they walked, he asked, "Old chief, what do your people eat?"

Khumba answered in his usual booming voice, "Lord Aaron, our diet depends on where we settle. Right now, we're near Green River.  We hunt deer, rabbits, wild buffalo, and goats. Sometimes we fish, but it takes too long, so we rarely bother."

"We also gather wild fruits, mushrooms, and edible plants from the forest."

Aaron nodded, gaining a clearer understanding of their survival methods.

Then he asked the question that had been bothering him, 

"You mentioned settling in different places. Don't you stay in one location?"

Khumba shook his head. Jumba, walking beside him, spoke in a somber tone, "It's not that we don't want to settle. But monsters from Green Fort hunt us every few days. We're forced to relocate weekly. We've found five suitable spots so far, and that's how we've managed to survive."

Aaron was stunned. He frowned and asked, "Green Fort… from the name, I assumed there was an actual fort here?"

Khumba stopped in his tracks, a look of disbelief on his face. He muttered, "Why haven't I seen one in my entire life?"

Jumba and Tumba shared the same confused expression.

Aaron's face darkened. He took a deep breath, finally realizing, there was no fort at all.

He steadied himself and asked, "What about the previous lords? Didn't they try to build a settlement or territory?"

Khumba's eyes lit with realization, "Lord Aaron, the last noble tried to explore the Savannah Mountain Range. He was killed by monsters. Only a few of his people survived, and they left soon after."

"Before that, two or three nobles came during my father's time. He told me they were too weak to build anything. They died in monster attacks before they could establish a  territory."

Aaron clicked his tongue in frustration. Then he looked at Khumba and asked, "Do you want to find a proper place to settle?"

Khumba replied instantly, "Of course, Lord Aaron, Who wouldn't want a safe, stable home? But the problem is, where can we find such a place?"

Aaron massaged his forehead, trying to calm the storm of thoughts swirling in his mind. Torvald, standing nearby, looked stunned, his expression blank, almost comically frozen.

He finally blurted out, "Hey… are you people serious?"

Then he turned sharply toward Aaron, "Aaron, you know I need a proper place to work. If we have to move every week, I won't be able to build anything. I don't even know what to do!"

Aaron looked at him calmly and replied, "Torvald, did you really think I'd let us relocate every week? No, I'll find a suitable place to build our territory. And don't forget why I asked you to create the Ballistia."

Torvald slapped his thigh, a spark of excitement lighting up his face, "Right! How could I forget?"

He looked at Aaron and added, "I've built five Ballistia so far. There wasn't enough space for more. Do you want me to make additional ones?"

Aaron nodded, "Of course."

Torvald grinned, "With the materials we have, I can make three more. After that, I'll need manpower, people to cut trees and process the wood."

Aaron waved his hand dismissively, "Don't worry. I'll assign people to you soon."

While speaking, Aaron unfolded the map and began to study it carefully. His eyes traced the path of the Green River, which originated from the Savannah Mountain Range. It flowed for about 4,000 meters beyond the bay where they had docked, eventually meeting the blue sea.

He inspected the terrain around it. The river wasn't particularly wide, more like a stream formed by excess runoff from the mountains.

Turning to Khumba, he asked, "Old chief, does the Green River have water all year round?"

Khumba wore a thoughtful expression before replying, 

"Lord Aaron, the Green River only carries water after it rains. It lasts for about five days, after that, it leaves behind muddy patches."

Aaron nodded slowly, absorbing the information. Then he asked, "Where are the other locations your people have settled?"

Khumba responded without hesitation, "One is near the shore, where you docked. Another is inside a large cave, but it's gloomy… and some children disappeared there, so we avoid it now."

"The third is a day's journey away. Resources there are scarce, especially for hunting. We stay there for two, maybe three days at most."

"The last is in a valley surrounded by mountains, It's rocky and has no water source, so we rarely stay more than three days there either."

Aaron nodded again, his expression thoughtful, "So your main settlement is near the Green River?"

Khumba looked slightly embarrassed, but he nodded in agreement.

Aaron, with a thoughtful look on his face, muttered to himself, "The resources near Green River are

abundant. And it's close to the shore. Building the territory here… this is the best choice."

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