Chapter 2.06

As Flint climbed the stairs to the [City Planning Table], he found himself missing the dogs. Not the bloodhounds so much since they wanted to be a part of the pack more than befriend him, but he wanted more time with the others. When he was still with the Iron Army, Flint would spend entire days away from Maya but always knew she was nearby waiting. Now, getting the fort running took up all of his time, and she was busy leading the pack.

One of the matrons in the orphanage had once told him that life rarely followed plans or adhered to hopes and dreams. However, not every unwanted event was a negative one. Flint hoped he was doing a good thing and working for everyone’s benefit with the base, but it wasn’t the quiet life he wanted. He kept making plans to spend more time with the dogs, but building projects or other responsibilities got in the way. It felt unfair to keep the dogs cooped up within the walls when he couldn’t afford to pay attention to them.

Hopefully, things would get better once he had a decent infrastructure set up and didn’t need to manage a dozen different things. Perhaps the life quest would give him a break once he completed the coming objectives. Then he could go hunting with the pack or just explore the countryside with them. Or maybe, he’d take the following day off too. The life quest had waited two weeks, and he was still recovering from his injuries. Everyone would fare just fine for a day without him.

Then Flint reached the second floor and heard the two classrooms full of children. The youngest filled the first, chanting phrases in the common tongue after their teacher. Winona led the second class, talking several teenagers through essence cultivation and harnessing. Flint spotted fae and Wyldbloods studying side by side. Much to his surprise, he spotted faces not native to the fort.

Is Miss Lya sending anyone with fae heritage our way too?

Flint sighed, cancelling his plans to shirk responsibility and head out with the dogs. He had taken on the responsibility to ensure the Woodson Fort’s residents had a secure future. If it were just adults, Flint would happily leave them to their own devices for a day or two. However, he refused to waste any more time until his charges were capable of protecting themselves. Flint walked past the classes into the room housing the [City Planning Table]. It would need a door once he moved his quarters into the fort, but for the time being, it was just fine.

The sand atop the table stirred as soon as he approached it. Flint’s brows furrowed as the bar that represented essence was twice as long as before.  Flint’s brows furrowed. He wasn’t sure how the fort’s essence gathering abilities worked. However, when the giants and soldiers died outside the gates, Flint had assumed they’d lost the essence.

Death of essence-rich individuals along the land’s borders has fed the fort.
Essence stores beyond capacity.
Use excess essence before it diffuses.

Flint looked through the node options and was surprised by the range of available crystals. He didn’t know one from another and had to select them individually to figure out their descriptions. Soon he figured that when he focused on just the crystals, the table would present them in alphabetical order. It didn’t take Flint long to find silica. He locked in the decision and placed the node in the shroom farm. Flint recalled Twylip had asked for bioluminescent mushrooms as a high-priority alchemy ingredient, so he placed them by the Silica crystal too.

More than half of the surplus remained. When a quick scan confirmed that there was no node for Aether crystals, Flint placed a second Aetherite node in the mines. The metal had proven invaluable for Adam’s workshop, and the by-products would go a long way as well.

Flint sighed. The bar showed a third extra over the limit. There was no clear indication of it, but Flint suspected that the maximum stores had increased. The table initially suggested that there was double the standard limit. Two nodes and the mushroom farm had depleted the bar last time. One mushroom strand was a lot less than an entire farm, but he expected to make a bigger dent.

“Instead of just resources, you should look into adding infrastructure as well,” Alais said, making Flint jump.

“Do you know how these tables work or what they have to offer?” Flint asked.

“Only in theory. These are ancient druidic creations, much like the Heartstones. I have a rough understanding of how the table uses the Heartstones to turn the entire territory into an essence absorption and generation system. It’s fascinating, really.” Alais’s eyes lit up as he got deeper into the explanation. “Fae scholars have spent over a thousand years trying to figure these things out, but we don’t know where to start. The druids managed to catalogue plants, metals, minerals, and so much more. Their runes don’t just store it all but can create sources of them using essence. Their sheer mastery and understanding of the arcane are thousands of years ahead of ours.”

“In practice, I’m as lost as you,” Alais said, chuckling. “I missed your last use. My new assistants have been keeping an eye out for when you next visit, so I can see how all of this works.”

Flint pointed at a line dividing the essence bar from the surplus. “If I don’t use this bit up, we’re going to lose it. I was stupid not to come up here and check the table straight after the battle. Who knows how much essence I already lost?”

“Wyld healing or not, you started working much too soon after your injury,” Alais said. “The fact that you pushed yourself to get up here is a testament enough to how dedicated you are to this land, Flint. Give yourself a break.” The old puck placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “I don’t speak for all the fae, but your efforts have gotten our attention. Pushing the name Woodson on everyone was a bit much, but we get your intention. As for what to spend the essence on, why don’t you use it to repair the water pumping system?”

“What do you mean?” Flint asked. The [City Planning Table] responded before Alais could answer. The node options disappeared, and the sand shifted to show the fort’s basement levels. Then Flint saw it. The natural streams were collecting in a large pool before flowing out through a side cavern. The feeding point of a pipe system peeked out of the lake’s bed. As the sand structures grew, showing him the details, Flint noticed Aether crystals, runes, and mechanisms he didn’t understand. “Is that an essence driven water pumping system?”

Alais nodded. “Lefa was checking for natural aquatic fauna a couple of days ago, and she found the remains. Ideally, you’d want to fix it yourself and save the essence, but you have a surplus here. I doubt Adam’s tinkering skills are enough to manoeuvre that as well.”

“That’ll be challenging for anyone that can’t breathe underwater. But, if the table will let me do it remotely, that’s a major problem solved.” Flint poked the sand structure, and the yellow paled into a white.

Essence-made aqua pumped has suffered critical damage.
The aqua pumping system is clogged.
Repairing the system will drain 90% of the maximum stores.

“That’s not a small amount,” Flint said. “I don’t know how I feel about almost draining all of the fort’s essence on a short cut.”

“Reread the language, Flint,” Alais said. “After using up the surplus, there will still be half the stores left. Besides, you’ve already made the fort more efficient. The Aetherite Nodes do not drain the land’s essence to grow. Instead, they’re absorbing ambient essence and becoming self-sufficient. That’s why you’re getting Aether crystals. Besides that, all living beings in the fort are feeding the fort by just living in it. I think you didn’t lose too much essence from the fight because everyone—including the plants—has been contributing essence. They most likely balanced out the natural decay.”

“I didn’t consider that.” Flint furrowed his eyebrows. He needed to fix the sewage system too. The [City Planning Table] shifted to show it off too but didn’t give him an option for improving it. The sand fell away, and only the network of pipes remained, showing him the damage. “After fixing the water supply, I’ll need to get on this as soon as possible. Otherwise, the wastewater will have nowhere to go.”

“That’s true, but I’d advise you to fix this straight away.” Alais stood next to Flint with his arms crossed. “If people have easy access to water, they’ll waste less energy getting to and back from sources. That’s time they can dedicate to more useful tasks—tasks that produce or consume essence. While we’re on the topic of sewage, are you seriously planning on filling the external moat with sewage?”

“Yes,” Flint said. “It should deter attackers.”

“You’re asking for disease and vermin,” Alais said. “Once you’ve fixed the sewage system. I’d advise investing in Grey Weed. It’s an aquatic plant that feeds on waste material and turns greywater clean. If you can fill the moats and the pipeline with fish, they’ll act as another food source and clean up clogs.”

“I’m sold.” Flint laughed and instructed the [City Planning Table] to fix the sewer system. The sand shifted, showing parts of the mechanism grow and shift into place. Then the lakebed shrunk away, opening up the feed pipe. The water levels started shrinking away, and Flint heard a distant rattle and creaking. The sand display retreated away from the basement showing the water supply network. Pipes straightened themselves and solidified where they had thinned.

Simultaneously, the essence bar shrunk. First, the surplus disappeared. Then the rest disappeared chunk by chunk. When the process finished, just under half the essence remained. “I know you don’t want the trouble of being on the council, Alais,” Flint said. “I’d very much like you to serve as my advisor, though. There’s just too much I don’t know.”

“Of course,” Alais replied, clapping him on the back. “I’m going to go test the floor’s fountains.”

Instead of following him, Flint reached out to the humming Heartstone. It gave him six options, but Flint knew what he wanted at a glance. He picked [Rune Engraving] for Adam. He’d never heard of the skill before, but it would speed up his production considerably. The second he hoped would assist Ed. The Heartstone only called the stone [Traversal]. Flint believed it had potential to provide speed and agility-boosting abilities in the [Aura Node]. If not, he very much hoped Jaime the archer would get good use out of it. Flint still recalled her stellar performance during the last battle. He wanted to see her shine.

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