Chapter 234: Bustling Town (1/2)

In less than three weeks, Rino could see everything finally coming together. Although the marketplace and bank might take longer to construct, the first living quarter apartment was ready. Not to mention, the bath house' promotional opening free for anyone to use for a week was a big hit.

The bathhouse addiction wasn't limited to just the undead subordinates. Rino found out that the genesis fairies enjoyed it a fair bit too. Hot spring sessions became a huge socialising opportunity as they strengthened the bonds between different species and occupations. It didn't matter if they worked as a patrol officer, a courier runner or a miner. Everyone loved it, and unsurprisingly, the next common topic was food.

Rino considered it an overwhelmingly positive reaction, so he deemed that one week a holiday break for the hardworking project labourers who completed most of their objectives ahead of time.

Checking the daily quest that was long completed, RIno finally claimed it.

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Daily Quest #31 (complete)

Objective: Build Pathways

Time Limit: 30 Days

Tutorial here.

Reward: Town Speed Buff

Claim your reward here.

Penalty: Deduct 24 hours of sleep upon failure and [Curse of Overtime] until quest is forcefully completed.

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The town speed buff was applied automatically to his town's barrier, and Rino discovered what that actually meant.

At first, the lich thought the buff was faulty because nothing happened when it was first applied. However, the moment he placed a boot on the pavement, Rino felt the difference in speed.

The speed buff only applied to those who travelled along the built pavements. Hence, the animals in his barn and workers in other places were unaffected. Travelling became more fun, and the fairies tested the speed buff by flying through the air along the built pavements.

The speed buff worked on everyone who travelled along that path regardless of how they did it. Rino could be crawling on all fours, and the buff would still work. It worked on any race, making it an experience everyone could talk about.

Yet, Rino found himself needing to implement rules about racing on the streets after the first wagon crash occurred, injuring five who could not regenerate automatically. The destruction of newly built property was also a bummer, but thankfully, it wasn't anything permanent.

Apart from a few hiccups, Rino found himself wanting to expand the town's paths to his other outposts. The first place he thought of creating paved roads towards was to the abandoned mines and his personal study. The pavements were not as well made compared to the ones in Town Zera. However, they were practical.

Building rough travelling paths from the mines back to Town Zera made transporting salt rock and fired bricks easier. At the same time, Rino decided that it made more sense to build the crafting guild inside the dwarven mine with all the materials there. The crafting guild was in charge of mining, smelting, smithing and crafting. The other activities that the crafting guild oversees from afar were the tailoring and tannery operations, but Rino trusted the local management to handle their departments independently, even without Ubel's interference.

With Town Zera bustling full of activities even in its downtime, Rino decided to finalise the credit earning system based on various inputs by managers of every department in his town. He also wondered if the same benefits should be given to those in Noir Province.

Back in his world, villagers did not concern themselves much with money because they were self-sufficient with their farms feeding their families. Money was only used to exchange for things like candles, firewood and clothes for the winter in towns with other villagers of different professions.

Here, Rino knew that the villagers in Spudville, Cypress County and his other outposts did not face any resource shortage. The credits would not be very useful either because there was limited entertainment and desire for material benefit. The people there were different from those in Town Zera. They were more simple-minded and easily content with what they were given. Their earnest nature made Rino wonder why the subordinates in Town Zera were so competitive.

As a ruler, Rino wanted to treat everyone fairly. He wrote a letter to Kragami and asked for several suggestions about what the villagers in Noir Province would desire in exchange for credits earned from their work.

The reply came quickly, and there were only a few things these villagers wanted. Their demands greatly surprised Rino because of how different it was to the desires of those in Town Zera.

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Noir Province's most wanted benefits:

1. Personal book and writing supply