Lucan woke up to a new morning. Today, he needed to build the Smithy for Elara and Ronan. He stood up from his bed and walked outside.
The first thing he did was wash his face. As Lucan was washing, Kenny came to him with Elara and Ronan behind him.
Kenny said, "Lord, Elara and Ronan have come to say something."
Elara stepped forward. "Sir, good morning. When will you start building the Smithy?"
Ronan, who was with her, added, "Sir, will it take much time to build it? If it will take time, then we can wait."
Lucan, hearing their eagerness, looked at them and said, "Elara and Ronan, I can say this much: your Smithy will be built today. You both know how important it will be for Elysian."
Then, looking toward Kenny, Lucan said, "And Kenny, go and get Nors and everyone who can help with the work. Don't get the children or women, okay?"
"Yes, Lord. I'll do that," Kenny said and, following the order, left to gather everyone.
"Elara, you can help Dalia for some time, as I'll be taking Ronan with me," Lucan said.
"Sir, if you want, I can also help," Elara replied. Ronan didn't seem to mind, but Lucan couldn't let her do the heavy labor.
"Elara," he said firmly, "you need to follow what I said, okay?" Then, looking at Ronan, he added, "Ronan, come with me to the place where we'll build the Smithy."
Elara, following his order, went to meet Dalia, while Ronan walked beside Lucan.
Lucan and Ronan went to the edge of the cleared area — a spot near the main cluster of shelters but far enough to manage the noise and smoke from future forging.
Within a few minutes, Kenny returned, followed by Nors, Evan, Marcus, Elias, and Cedric.
Lucan looked at the group and said, "Everyone, today we'll build the Smithy for Ronan and Elara to make weapons and other tools. We need to finish by the end of the day."
Nors, hearing this, said, "Lord, a Smithy! If you think we old people can help, then we'll gladly do it. Ronan and Elara will finally have a proper place to work."
"I also think it's a good place for them," Cedric said.
Ronan, too happy to hide his excitement, smiled broadly. Everyone noticed, and the first to comment was Evan. "Ronan, aren't you a bit too happy? Let's build the Smithy first!"
Ronan, startled for a second, composed himself and said, "Yes, I will."
"Now, now," Lucan said, smiling slightly, "why don't we start working on the Smithy's base first?"
He then targeted each man working on the construction — Ronan, Nors, Kenny, Evan, Marcus, Elias, and Cedric. He invested 10 CP into each of them. It wasn't a sudden surge, but a gentle, pervasive boost to their physical strength, stamina, and focus.
The effect was immediate, though the men didn't realize where it came from.
As they started working, Lucan saw Ronan, who had been struggling to lift a heavy log for the frame before, suddenly finding the weight easy. Nors, usually hampered by old aches, was moving with surprising ease.
Ronan looked at Lucan, who was working beside him, and said, "Lord, I didn't think this log would be this light. I thought it was heavy because of its size, but it's really light."
Kenny, Evan, Marcus, and Elias, who were also working on the base, all said at once, "Yes, Lord! The work is really easy!"
"If it's like this, then it's actually fun!" Evan added with a laugh.
Lucan merely nodded, but the faint smile on his face said enough — he took pride in seeing the men work with such ease and energy.
They moved logs, hammered nails, and hauled the heavy stones that would form the Smithy's sturdy base.
A forge demanded a solid foundation — ideally a deep, stable layer of packed earth and stone to support the tremendous weight of the anvil and absorb the shock of constant hammering. It also had to withstand intense heat and prevent the building from settling unevenly.
What should have been hard, draining labor was instead almost effortless.
The Smithy took shape at an incredible rate. Within an hour, the stone foundation was laid. By the time the sun was high, the main wooden frame of the structure was fully erected, standing solid and square on Elysian's land.
The initial phase of the Smithy was mostly framed — completed many hours ahead of any normal construction timeline.
"Well done," Lucan said, a satisfied note in his voice. "Nors, you and the others should rest now. The rest of the work will be done later this afternoon."
"Lord, why don't you also rest with us? Dalia will probably bring some fruits for us to eat. We can eat together," Nors said.
Lucan thought for a moment, then nodded and sat near Nors and the others. They were all the main people of Elysian.
"Sir, I didn't think we'd make this base by noon," Elias said. He had been helping with the work and didn't even realize when it had become so easy.
"Yes, Lord, we'll really finish this Smithy by the end of the day," Kenny said.
Evan, lying flat on the ground, laughed. "Lord, if we can work this easily, then Elysian can be rebuilt in no time. But Lord, I'll say this — it must've been your magic or something you did. Otherwise, I don't know how we worked this much without resting."
Lucan froze for a second. Everyone was now staring at him, waiting for an answer. Before he could speak, Dalia and the others arrived, carrying fruits.
Lucan had been about to tell them it was indeed his magic, as he usually did, but decided against it for now.
Dalia came with Alian, Lyra, and Kaela's siblings. They handed out fruits to the men, then sat nearby and began eating.
Dalia, who was more comfortable with everyone now, asked, "Lord, how was this base built so fast?"
At her question, everyone looked back at Lucan, remembering they hadn't gotten an answer earlier. But Nors, who was sitting beside Lucan — with Cedric beside him — spoke first.
"It's because Lord is a mage, you know. He can do that easily. Now don't disturb Lord and let him eat."
As soon as Nors said that, everyone nodded, satisfied with the explanation.
Lucan then turned slightly. "Cedric," he called.
Before Cedric could answer, Nors, sitting between them, looked over and said, "Yes, Lord?"
Lucan looked at Nors, suppressing a small sigh. "Nors, I was calling Cedric. Can you sit on the other side for a bit? It's for his work."
Nors blinked, confused for a moment about what Lucan wanted from Cedric, but then stood and moved aside. Cedric shifted closer and said, "Yes, Lord. What did you need?"
Lucan gestured with his hand, revealing a small bundle of seeds — tomatoes, onions, seed potatoes, and chilies. They had been purchased from the store, costing 40 CP for 100 grams each.
"Cedric," Lucan said, handing the bundle over, "you can use these to grow vegetables. Let the chilies grow only until they're green, okay? I prefer green ones."
Cedric looked at the bundle, then at Lucan, and nodded. "Yes, Lord, I'll do that. But we need to finish this first," he said, pointing at the Smithy.
Lucan followed his gaze, then looked back at him. "Cedric, go and sow the seeds. Get help from the children. We have enough people to finish this build."
Cedric thought for a moment, then nodded. "If you say so, Lord." He stood up and went to gather the children to start work on the farm, while Lucan and the others continued eating.
Before joining them again, Lucan spoke briefly to Nors. "I'll be back in two minutes."
Nors nodded without looking up, still checking a wooden beam.
Lucan walked toward the farming area. The path was quiet except for the faint sound of hammers and voices echoing behind him. When he reached the fields, the sight before him made him pause.
Cedric and the children were working together — passing tools, watering the soil, tending to the crops. Their faces were tired, but there was joy there too.
Lucan crouched down and placed his hand over the soil. A soft light flickered for a second as he used 15 LP, letting the energy spread evenly across the plot. He knew it would help the crops grow faster, though still appear natural.
Afterward, he stood up and gave Cedric a small nod before heading back to the Smithy.
By the time he returned, the others had resumed work. The sound of hammering filled the air again. Lucan joined in, helping them align the metal frame and reinforce the walls. The air was heavy with the smell of sweat and burning wood, but no one complained.
As the sun began to set, the sky turned deep orange, and long shadows stretched across the ground. The Smithy was finally completed.
The men, though tired, had finished installing the ventilation system and building the forging pit. Everyone felt proud of the day's work — but none more than Ronan.
He stood before his new workplace, smiling wide. Then he turned to Lucan, who was inspecting the finished work, gratitude shining in his eyes.
"Sir Lucan," Ronan said, his voice full of emotion. "This Smithy is perfect. With this, we can make all the tools Elysian needs. The forge is good, the anvil is good. Now we just need the materials. If you want, sir, we can also make armor — we'll just need the resources."
Elara, who had arrived a few minutes earlier, stepped forward. The respect in her eyes was clear. "Yes, sir. We only need the materials you usually provide. Then we can make any weapons or armor you want."
Lucan looked at both of them, then back at the others. "Elara, Ronan — I'll provide the materials when needed. For now, let's go eat. The Smithy is complete."
Nors chuckled. "Yes, Lord, let's eat. The sun's down, and it'll be time to sleep soon anyway."
Everyone nodded, and they all walked toward the fire area where they would eat.
After a few minutes, they arrived. All the other members of Elysian were there — the children, Cedric, everyone.
They sat together, and Lucan said to Dalia, "Dalia, help me make this." He explained what to prepare and worked with her as everyone else watched.
Lucan picked up a pot filled with water and set it to boil. Everyone watched curiously as he worked. Dalia brought over some herbs to add as well.
After a few minutes of boiling, Lucan added sugar as needed, then dropped in the tea leaves. The dark brew slowly deepened in color, filling the air with a sharp, rich scent. A few minutes later, the tea was ready. Dalia poured it into cups and handed them around.
Lucan took one for himself and said, "Drink this black tea. It's good for the work we've done today. From now on, we'll drink it every morning and again before sunset, alright?"
Everyone nodded and began drinking.
Nors was the first to take a sip, followed by Cedric, and then the others. The dark, bitter warmth spread through them, lifting their minds and easing their fatigue.
"This is really good, Lord," Nors said, taking another sip. "A fine way to lift the mood."
Evan added, "Lord, if we had this every day, it'd be a great product for Elysian."
"Yes, Lord, it really would," Kenny agreed.
Then the hunter duo spoke up. "Sir, if we drank this daily, our patrols would improve. We'd be sharper and more focused."
The blacksmith couple and Kaela's siblings chimed in as well. "Lord, if we can have this often, it would help everyone's work in the long run."
Lucan listened to the praise, then took a slow sip of his own. The brew was strong, warm, and energizing—just as they described—but something felt missing. After a brief pause, it struck him like thunder: milk.
The tea was good, but not complete. It needed the smooth richness that only fresh milk could bring.