Free City's walls had gone up later than the Great Wall on the Tartun Empire's Northern Frontier, and its recruitment drive was far smaller. But Free City had one advantage: its Defense Line was nowhere near as long.
After deliberating at the City Lord's Mansion, they decided against further expansion and kept the three Musketeer Corps units at six thousand soldiers in total. Free City's finances could certainly support a larger army, but too many full-time soldiers would change the city's makeup and hinder its development.
Instead, they began training every resident, at least enough to use a Magic Musket.
Amid all the bustling activity, the Pantheon was officially completed, though few people paid it much attention.
Compared with the gods, who had been silent for nearly two years, food, clothing, and shelter mattered more.
Annan remembered that he still had a God Statue in his possession. He asked the maid Abby to prepare a Carriage, then went to his Study.
The Spider Queen's statue stood on the desk. Beside it, Little Spider sat in a Glass Bottle amid a thick web.
"Have you tried worshipping this Spider Ancestor?"
Annan teased Little Spider. It responded by diving into its lair and refusing to come out.
Come to think of it, ever since he had extended Little Spider's life with Lomme's special honey, it had been less affectionate toward him...
It used to chase his finger around the Glass Bottle...
Annan picked up the Spider Queen's statue and met Abby, who had the Carriage ready.
"Where's Della?"
Abby glanced around in confusion. "I saw her just a moment ago..."
"If you see her, tell her I've taken the God Statue to the Pantheon."
"Oh."
Abby glanced at the God Statue in Annan's arms, then quickly looked away. Its fearsome half-human, half-spider