The streets of Newborn Town bustled with people.
Even with large numbers of able-bodied workers transferred to Minas Tirith, it remained the most prosperous town around the Gray Swamp.
Miport's policies had also been implemented in Newborn Town, and Veylin made a special trip to the flea market to see the results.
At the flea market in the town center, farmers who had finished the year's fieldwork were spending their accumulated Merit Points on supplies for the winter.
Freshly fired clay pots, gloves made from tanned boar hide, and wild food they had gathered themselves-every item had a wooden tag marked in charcoal with circles and bars indicating its price in Merit Points.
Veylin walked along the gravel path, with Old Walker and Leo following behind him.
Whenever the townspeople saw him, they stopped, placed a hand over their chest, and bowed.
Veylin smiled and nodded to each of them in return.
They had just left the Origin Society's research institute in the mountains.
Another round of the "Strong Foundations Plan" had been completed. After a two-week adjustment period, the ten selected soldiers would begin their attempts to become Level-Four Professionals under Ola and Barrett's guidance.
"My lord." Old Walker leaned closer, his face covered in wrinkles, his back noticeably straighter than before. "Work at Minas Tirith is going smoothly. Excavation for the first terrace you planned is nearly finished. Before the snow falls next month, the Stone-Skinned Soft Vines will be able to finish all the main structures. The second terrace is also a third complete."
He counted on his rough fingers.
"When we dug down to the second terrace, we hit blue hempstone. Hard as anything. Sparks flew whenever our pickaxes struck it. Several Worker Mantises wore their claws blunt. Still, at this rate, we'll definitely finish excavating