***
Athena stepped into the Office Space, and for a moment, forgot to breathe.
It was... modern.
Flawlessly modern. Bright lighting, polished wood floors, sleek glass desks, and—was that a laptop?
She took a cautious step forward, glancing around in awe. There were wall-length bookshelves, empty for now, and a machine humming softly in the corner that looked suspiciously like a coffee maker. A soft hum announced the arrival of someone else.
Her assistant.
"Welcome, Mistress," a smooth, gender-neutral voice greeted her. A humanoid figure rolled forward—sleek white metal with glowing blue eyes and a silver plate where its heart might have been. "I am your assigned assistant."
Athena tilted her head, amused. "Do you have a name?"
"No, Mistress."
She crossed her arms. "Fine, I'll call you Robo."
"Designation accepted: Robo."
"Robot, what are your abilities?"
Robo's glowing eyes pulsed slightly as it began. "I have access to all the knowledge you currently possess. I can assist you in penning down any information, creating documents, and organizing them. I can also generate copies of any written work at your command. I serve coffee, set reminders and timers, and offer scheduling assistance. You may upgrade me in the future to access features beyond this Office Space. For now, my functions are limited to this environment."
Athena nodded, impressed despite herself. "Efficient."
She pulled up the System interface and paid the 10 development coins. The moment the transaction completed, Robo's eyes flashed.
"All systems online. How may I assist, Athena?"
She gave it a half-smile. "I need a book on mining."
"Noted."
"And one on farming as well."
"Understood."
Athena paused, tapping her chin. "Add 'Introduction to Elven Language,' 'Introduction to English,' and 'Basic Mathematics I.'"
Robo's eyes glowed steadily. "How many copies for each?"
"Ten copies for the first two. Two hundred copies each for the rest."
A pause. "Can you manage that under 24 hours?"
"Of course, Mistress. I will begin immediately."
Athena hesitated, glancing around. "Can I stay? I want to see how you work."
"In order to execute large-scale tasks—such as printing multiple copies, transcribing full books, or synthesizing data—you will need to exit the Office Space. I cannot begin such operations until you're gone."
Athena raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"System restrictions. Major processes run through isolated computing cores only accessible when the user is absent."
She sighed. "So basically, if I want to write something myself, I stay. If I want you to do the heavy lifting, I leave."
"Correct, Mistress."
With a sigh, she stood up. "Fine,But can I get a cup of coffee before I go,I'll be fast."
The robot handed her a cup of coffee a few minutes later. Athena sat down as she savoured the taste,soon she was done.
As the shimmering walls of the Office began to dissolve, Athena found herself once again back in Faelyn's workshop.
Jimmy muttered to himself, he could have sworn he saw disappear for like a second and them she was back. 'A mage?' He asked himself but then he shook it off. 'No way. That was too fast.' Apart from Sir Elandor their chief,he was yet to see or meet another mage. All he knew about them were stories they were told as kids,but one thing was sure...that was no spell.
Faelyn soon returned, this time with a much larger man in tow. Athena's eyes flicked over him immediately. Unlike Faelyn, who was relatively clean and tidy even by the town's rough standards, this newcomer was... not. His clothes were stained with dirt and dust, his hair matted in places, and he carried a strong earthy smell with him.
"This is Faelor," Faelyn introduced, stepping slightly to the side.
Athena nodded once. Her gaze sharpened as she examined the man. Faelor looked older than Faelyn by at least a few years, with broad shoulders, a solid build, and calloused hands that spoke of years of manual labor.
"You really have experience in mining?" she asked, voice direct.
Faelor nodded once, a slow, solid motion. "Years of it."
That was enough for her. Athena gave a firm nod."You can read and write?" she asked, testing him.
Faelor nodded slowly. "Taught myself. Needed it for work contracts back in Solvaris."
Good enough. Athena glanced at Faelyn, who smiled lightly, then back at Faelor.
"I'm giving you two days," she said crisply, her tone brooking no argument, "to gather 300 men. You'll be paid 250 a month."
Faelor's eyebrows shot up slightly, but to his credit, he didn't react beyond that small motion.
"You'll travel four days to the site, and four days back. Travel time doesn't count toward your working month. You'll work three weeks, then one week off."
Faelor listened carefully, nodding along.
"You'll earn 400 per month yourself as the head. You answer only to me."
Faelor gave a sharp nod. "Understood." His voice was almost reverent — Solvaris had paid less and treated its miners worse. This deal was better than he had hoped for.
Athena was about to leave when she turned slightly toward Faelyn, who had been quietly observing.
"I'll need desks and chairs," she said. "Plenty of them."
Faelyn blinked, a bit startled. "How many?"
"Keep crafting until I say stop," Athena said, her tone leaving no room for argument.
Without another word, she turned on her heel and walked away, her mind already racing toward her next steps. Behind her, Faelyn exchanged a wide-eyed glance with Jimmy, who had been quietly eavesdropping nearby.
"Better get the tools ready," Faelyn muttered, rolling up his sleeves.
**
After Athena appeared back on the streets, she approached a few women, asking if they could help her clean the manors. The women, eager for work and perhaps even a sense of purpose, nodded and followed her without hesitation. Some of the children also joined, grabbing their old clothes to use as rags for dusting. Others began sweeping, while a few of the smaller ones carried clay bowls to fetch water. Most of the kids took charge of carrying out the waste and trash, cleaning up the forgotten remnants of the nobles who had left in a rush.
Athena watched as the workers made their way through the vast estate. She had expected chaos, but the energy was surprisingly organized. Furniture that had been left behind by the fleeing nobles was moved outside to be dusted and cleaned. The scent of old wood, stale air, and dust filled the air, but it didn't matter. The workers were relentless in their tasks, even the children helping with enthusiasm.
Soon, the group of workers began to grow. Every time the women went to fetch water, they returned with more people in tow. Athena didn't mind. She stood back, allowing them to take charge. Whenever she tried to pitch in and help, someone would magically materialize to take over her task. The community came together quickly, as if the work was never as burdensome when shared.
After hours of cleaning, furniture was dusted, floors swept, and the trash cleared from every room. Athena couldn't help but marvel at how efficiently everything had been done. There was an energy here that she hadn't expected. As the workers finished, many of them began to pack up their things, heading towards the exit.
One woman, smiling with pride, lifted a noble's forgotten underwear she had discovered. She laughed hysterically, shaking her head. "My, oh my, what were they thinking?" she joked, causing the others to burst into laughter. The tension and heaviness of the task seemed to fade with the lighter atmosphere.
Athena, however, felt a pang of guilt. She hadn't expected so many people to turn up, and now that the work was done, she didn't have anything to offer them in return. She sent someone for fetch apples with the wagon then she stood at the gate and handed the workers apples as they filed out, tired but smiling.
"It's okay, Your Highness. You don't need to give us anything," a woman called out as she waved goodbye. "You've already given us what we could ask for."
A chorus of affirmations followed. "We're just happy to help," one of the children added.
A small girl, clutching her ragged cloth looked up at Athena. "Can we do this again tomorrow?"
"Of course," Athena said, her heart warmed by their willingness to help. "We still have a lot to clean, let's all go home and rest. Tomorrow will be a busy day."
The crowd of workers began to disperse, many of them laughing and chatting as they made their way home.
**
Meanwhile far across the vast sea and scattered islands...