As the group dispersed to their various tasks, Hana pulled Bo aside. Her warm brown eyes were soft with worry. "You need to calm down, Bo. And you to need sleep."

"But—"

"You can't keep going like this. And Tess isn't wrong, either. You're yelling at our kid for doing the same exact thing you're doing, which is trying to take care of everyone."

Bo shrugged off her concern, his mind already distant. "I'll sleep soon. When the work is progressing, and they can continue without me."

Hana's hand fell off his back.

Bo stalked along the hillside, where several neighbors were milling around. He held onto the blueprints, the parchment worn and crinkled from constant handling. He put two fingers in his mouth and blew a loud whistle.

"Hey everyone, I need [Carpenters]!" Bo called out. "Snow's coming. You gotta be willing to bust ass, but there are blueprints in it for you!"

A White man with braces approached Bo and eyed him warily. "Blueprints? I can work; got a [Carpentry] profession through Caretaker Job and everything."

Bo thrust the blueprint into his hands. "I need a Shack built, and a whole lot more just like it. You in?"

The [Carpenter] squinted at the plans. "Might be doable. My family get to sleep in one of 'em?"

"Can't promise that, but I'm willing to pay you a Copper Coin a day."

"One Copper per Shack."

Fuck's sake.

"All right, one Copper per Shack. Deal?"

Seventeen Copper Coins per Shack.

"But I ain't got the materials."

"Leave that to me."

Bo was already turning to bark orders at a group of wide-eyed teenagers. "Want to make a Copper? Gather up some rocks and stick them in a pile. Big flat ones! And you!" He pointed at a gangly boy with a shock of red hair. "Find Sam and the other [Lumberjacks]. Tell them I'm tired of waiting on those logs."

Bo turned back to the [Carpenter]. "I'll get you what you need. But I need your word that you'll see this through. No matter what."

The man hesitated, then gave a curt nod. "I'll do my best."

"Your best isn't what I'm looking for," Bo growled. "It's going to be cold tonight. As in snowing, freezing people, and frostbite. What I need from you is housing. What I need is hardcore work-your-ass-off-all-day-long, we clear?"

The [Carpenter] swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. "Crystal."

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Bo clapped him on the shoulder. "What's your name?"

"Ben."

"Good man, Ben. Hang tight, and we'll absorb the blueprint together when the materials arrive."

Ben nodded.

Bo closed his eyes, accessed his [City Planner] interface, and selected Construction Zones. A prompt appeared asking him what he would like to build; he mentally indicated the [Crappy Shack]. When he re-opened his eyes, a glowing grid was superimposed over the hill. He studied it intently, and moved it to different locations on the hill. It glowed green to indicate acceptable building sites.

The Shack would be small; no more than 15-foot by 15-foot. Rough logs for the walls, with a few precious boards for the table and bed. Small rocks to form a fireplace. Bo pictured two rows of Shacks circling the base of the hill, and facing each other across what would one day become a proper road. It wasn't much, but it was a start.

Measure twice, cut once.

A saying he had heard a thousand times when he worked in construction, but the lesson still applied. Planning was key. He turned to survey the hill once more with a critical gaze. He didn't want to start off the new Settlement with a mistake.

Bo hadn't absorbed his new books yet; he hoped he wasn't making a mistake by not slowing down and absorbing them. However, that storm looked serious. He wouldn't let anyone freeze to death so that he could sit around and read. That would be inexcusable.

Bo wiped the sweat from his brow, leaving a streak of dirt in its wake. It was freezing out, but he was still hot. He looked down at the other blueprints he held. He needed to find someone to build the furniture. Multiple someones, in fact.

Bo called out to the crowd. "Anyone else able to do construction or woodworking? Trying to get these buildings going!"

An energetic young Black woman with a short afro introduced herself as Angie. She was also a [Carpenter], and Bo presented her with the blueprint for a table.

"Think you can handle this?"

Angie raised an eyebrow. "I renovated my own house and built most of my own furniture. I'm pretty sure I can handle this."

"Good! These Shacks must get finished today; the more the better. It's gonna be very cold tonight, and we need to get as many people indoors as we can."

Angie nodded. "I'm going to need the materials, and I don't have any Copper. This says it needs two Copper to be made? Who do we even pay that to?"

Good question.

"I'm not sure, but we'll be figuring that out pretty soon."

Bo called Ben over.

"I'm going to propose an arrangement," Bo said. "Since these Shacks are being built for the Kingdom of Raintree, the Kingdom will obviously cover all material costs and Copper costs. I'll teach you the blueprints you need to know. I'll pay Ben a Copper for each completed Shack. Angie, since the tables should be less work and faster to build, I'll pay you half a Copper per table. That sound fair?"

Ben and Angie looked at each other, then shrugged.

"Sure," said Angie.

"Great! Now, in return for the blueprint, the Kingdom will receive 10 percent of all profits from future non-Raintree tables that Angie makes, and any future non-Raintree Shacks that Ben makes. That work for you guys?"

"With everything going on, this seems a bit unnecessary?" Angie said.

"I hope it is, but if we're going to setup a town here for the long haul, we might as well start out right. You in?"

Bo and Angie shook hands. A prompt appeared, which outlined the terms of their agreement, and which was signed by Caretaker Transparency. They both accepted the prompt, and Bo and Angie magically absorbed the blueprint.

Angie left to gather materials and to speak with Hana about the necessary tools.

Bo shook hands with Ben, they accepted their magical agreement, and they both absorbed the blueprint.

Bo still needed a bed and a chair to complete the Shack. He found two more [Carpenters] and made similar deals with them.

I'm up to twenty Copper per Shack now.

As the workers dispersed to commence their tasks, Bo decided on the location of the first dwelling. He navigated through his interface, and marked out a Construction Zone. He could sense his mana trickling away, and the peculiar sensation of time distortion settling in. Bo surmised that only those possessing construction skills could use a Construction Zone.

With the materials finally prepared and stacked up, Bo called Ben into the distorted time zone, and outlined the plan for the two rows of Shacks.

The actual construction was left to Ben, while Bo tried his best to lend a hand wherever possible. Bo could contribute thanks to his [Micromanager] specialization, but he found it challenging to keep pace with Ben's swift assembly.

It bothered Bo a lot more than he let on.

Onlookers gaped at the spectacle of a dwelling rapidly assembling itself before their eyes.

Bo weaved in and out of the time-altered zone, handing out orders and procuring more resources as needed. He ran between the partially completed structure and the nearby forest where [Lumberjacks] were hard at work. He was fatigued and drenched in sweat, but he couldn't ask others to push themselves hard and not give 100 percent himself.

It didn't take long until the Shack was completed. Bo breathed a sigh of relief when it didn't sink.

The furniture [Carpenters] returned with their creations.

"So, the Copper Coins required just disappeared—'poof'—when the item was made?" Bo asked.

"Yep. Poof." Angie held out her table.

Despite its small size, the Shack was designed to sleep two people on the bed, with enough room for others to sleep on the floor. The walls weren't exactly sturdy, but they did give some protection from the cold wind. The small fireplace gave off more warmth than Bo had figured. Although it was going to be a snug fit, the Shack could house a family.

When all the furniture items were placed inside the Shack, a notification appeared.

[As the owner of this fiefdom, you must establish a Settlement. Are you ready to do this now?]

Bo mentally selected 'yes'.

[What would you like to name the Settlement?]

Dammit.

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