When they finally arrived at their destination, John climbed down from Black Dust's back. Without saying another word, he rose into the air and steadily flew upward, stopping when he reached a height of 200 meters.
Hovering in midair, John carefully surveyed the land spread out beneath him. From the very beginning, he had planned to terraform at least a 100-kilometer radius of land. It was neither too small nor too large — just perfect for a starting point.
Looking at the uneven, rugged landscape below, John thought about his first step. He decided that before any real terraforming could begin, he needed to build a massive wall to enclose the entire area. With that decision made, he descended smoothly back to the ground and turned to face Black Dust and Red Dust.
"I want you both to send your fellow tribesmen as far as possible in all directions," John instructed firmly. "Communicate with them mentally. Once you reach a point where you can no longer communicate, tell them to stay where they are and not to move from that spot."
Although neither Black Dust nor Red Dust fully understood what John was planning, they had become his contracted beasts and trusted him with all their hearts. Without asking any further questions, they began contacting their fellow tribesmen, passing on John's instructions.
It didn't take long. One by one, the tribesmen picked a direction and started walking steadily outward.
Watching this, John nodded in satisfaction. The reason he had given these orders was simple — he wanted to test the communication range of his beasts. That distance would define the border of the first city he planned to build here. With this setup, John would be able to monitor everything that happened within the city in the future. In other words, it would serve as a prototype intelligence network.
After all, the only people who would come to this city were star wizards, and they would certainly want to contract creatures like Black Dust and Red Dust. Whether it was for survival in the harsh wilderness outside the city or for transportation, these creatures would be of great value.
It didn't take long for the tribesmen to reach their final positions. According to John's estimate, the five-tailed Red Dust could communicate mentally with the others across a distance of about 150 kilometers. Any farther than that, and the mental connection would break.
Now that John clearly understood the area he needed to enclose with walls, he prepared to get to work. As a Level 2 Star Wizard, a task like this was well within his abilities.
John climbed onto Black Dust's back again and told him to start walking slowly. Sitting comfortably and facing backwards, John began manipulating the earth behind them, raising massive stone walls from the ground as they moved. In just 15 minutes, he had covered an area of 5 kilometers with a sturdy wall.
It took John over seven hours of continuous work to build a giant wall covering a 150-kilometer radius. By the time he finished, the sun was already setting, and exhaustion weighed heavily on him. To rest, John quickly built a small tent and lay down to sleep.
The next day, when John finally woke up, it was already 3 p.m. in the afternoon — a clear sign of just how drained he had been after all the work he did the day before.
---
John slowly sat up inside the small tent, his body still heavy from deep sleep. A dull ache ran through his shoulders and arms, a lingering stiffness from the previous day's intense work. As he stretched, the thin, cold air of Mars brushed across his skin, dry and sharp, carrying a faint metallic tang. The soft reddish light filtered through the fabric of the tent, signaling that the long Martian afternoon had already begun.
Pushing aside the tent flap, John stepped outside. The scene before him was vast and alien — an endless expanse of dusty red plains, scattered with jagged rocks and craters. The sky above was a soft butterscotch hue, its thin atmosphere making the sunlight seem weaker, yet still glaring. There was no greenery, no water, no life except for the creatures that had come with him. The towering wall he had built the day before loomed across the horizon, enclosing a colossal stretch of barren Martian soil. Its surface was rough and cracked, made from compressed red dust and solidified rock — a testament to his power as a Level 2 Star Wizard.
Not far away, Black Dust and Red Dust rested on the rust-colored ground. Their dark, scaled forms blended faintly with the landscape, their tails coiled loosely around their bodies. They stirred as soon as they noticed John emerging.
"You're awake, Master," Black Dust rumbled, his deep voice echoing faintly in his mind.
John let out a tired breath and gave a slight nod. "Yeah… Seems like I slept longer than I thought."
He rubbed the back of his neck as he surveyed the enclosed land. Even though it was lifeless and hostile, it was perfect for what he intended to create. A fortified city on Mars — a sanctuary for star wizards and a foundation for future expansion.
Walking towards a large, flat rock nearby, John sat down slowly, resting his elbows on his knees as his mind began to work again. The first step after securing the perimeter was clear: flatten the uneven Martian surface inside the wall, then lay out the sections for the city. He wanted to build specialized zones — housing quarters, artifact workshops, beast stables, market areas, and a central plaza where beast contracts could be made officially.
But before all that, he needed a clear map.
Reaching into his spatial ring, John pulled out a long, blank paper and a pen. Spreading the paper on a small wooden board, he closed his eyes for a few seconds, recalling the aerial view of the land that he had memorized the day before. His mind, sharpened by years of training, pieced together every ridge, crater, and rocky patch.
With slow, deliberate strokes, he began to sketch. The massive circular wall appeared first, marked with thick lines. Inside, he mapped out every rise and depression in the land. The Martian soil was dry and cracked, with fine red dust coating every surface, so he carefully marked areas where the ground was stable enough to build on and places where reinforcements would be needed.
As John worked quietly, Black Dust and Red Dust sat close by, their golden eyes calmly watching him. After a while, Black Dust tilted his head and asked, "Master, what exactly are we building here? You've told us about a city, but what is a city?"
John set the pen on the paper and looked up, his expression thoughtful. After a moment, he spoke in a calm, clear voice.
"A city… it's like a big home," John explained slowly. "It's a place where many people live together, work together, and help each other. There will be houses where people can rest, markets where they can trade things they need, and workshops where they can make powerful artifacts. There will also be a big open space where star wizards can meet and form contracts with beasts like you and Red Dust."
He paused, glancing at the wide, empty land around them.
"Everything will be inside these walls, safe from the dangers outside. It'll be a place where star wizards can grow stronger, learn new things, and prepare for their journeys beyond this land. You can think of it as a safe nest for powerful people and their beasts."
Black Dust blinked slowly, his golden eyes reflecting a hint of understanding. He gave a small nod, and said through the mental link with interest.
"I see… a place for many to gather and grow. That sounds… good."