The Great Stonemasons' Brotherhood Was Founded Today! Mirian, You'd Better Not Shortchange Us on Our Wages!

Murphy had made it sound reassuring, telling the construction crew not to feel pressured. But after taking Mother Jules and the thoroughly satisfied children on a tour of the Blood Vulture Corridor, then returning to camp with them, the young civil engineering student was still on the verge of a breakdown.

He kept reminding himself that they were just NPCs woven from strings of code, and that he was only doing a career-related quest. Even if he failed, it wouldn't have any real consequences.

But it was easy to fool other people. Fooling himself was another matter.

Especially since the construction worker was the responsible, sensitive sort.

The thought that a flaw in his plans could lead to casualties in the Crimson Castle, which was about to be rebuilt, once winter came made his heart clench.

So when he returned to his tent office, the pressure had left him completely deflated.

His assistant noticed the change at once as she brought him a cup of tea.

The assistant assigned to him was one of a pair of sisters. They had been born into a merchant family in the city and should have led lives of luxury, but the disaster in the Astral Realm had destroyed everything. Fortunately, their mother had survived.

Yes, the two young women were the daughters of Lady Blanche Pallien Fedor, who had been appointed logistics commander of Count Cadman's domain.

They had inherited their mother's sharp instincts as a merchant, and their mother was more than happy to see her daughters get along with the Count's warriors.

Whether this was yet another shrewd businesswoman's "investment" was hard to say.

After spending many days together, though, the Pallien sisters had discovered that the construction worker was nothing like the mountain folk's reputation for being crude. In fact,