Auren and Neffi stare at the colossal construct in front of them, created purely out of shipping containers. Their expressions are weird. Neffi seems amused, but also genuinely impressed, while Auren immediately recognizes the clever use of the containers.
"This seems to be the... temporary headquarters," Auren suggests, looking up.
Looking at it once again, Auren analyses it carefully. "It's somewhat impressive. It was quickly welded together, but it looks sturdy. I think they used some materials to support the basic containers."
This is a genius idea! They'll be able to ship a lot of things here and even use the containers as construction material. Expensive, but cost isn't an issue at this point.
"Let's move on. It's not that interesting, Auren!" Neffi says as she moves towards the entrance, looking mildly amused about Auren's interest in the used containers.
"Fine..." he says, following behind her.
Not like you can see something like this in any normal place. This is really unique. A little appreciation can't hurt.
As the duo enters the weird building, they hear noise all over the place.
Through the entire building, Auren can hear heavy machinery being used, signalling that this building is anything but finished. Aside from that, people are hauling things through the corridors and loudly talking with each other.
It's a scene of pure chaos—however, despite the chaos, Auren still notices that everyone is working hard, with nobody slacking off.
Auren walks to a pair of random workers, both holding documents, loudly discussing them.
"Who's in charge, and where can I find that person?" Auren says, using his aura to give him more presence by focusing it on his throat, not only making his voice louder, but also containing Aura, deeply affecting every non-Nen-user nearby.
"You are... you look a little young, but I...surely you..." the man stammers, clearly confused by Auren, not recognizing him.
"Uhm, just ask the bosses. Sixth floor—the highest floor currently available," the other one says, sounding like he wants to get back to work as fast as possible.
"You heard them," Auren says to Neffi.
Together, they hurry up, aiming for the visible stairs at the end of the building.
On the way up, walking on top of a carefully welded set of stairs, they spot more and more workers of diverse appearances and by the looks of it, backgrounds, looking like they've been hired from all over the world. Everyone seems motivated, working hard and dutifully.
Finally, as they arrive on the sixth floor, they see workers already busy above them, the floor of the newly constructed floor not yet finished, with some holes remaining. While the workers are hard at work, Auren and Neffi move on.
To Auren's surprise, the sixth floor is almost completely empty. Only a small part is already ready to be used, containing a few desks and chairs, making it look like a temporary office space.
The little office-space is situated at the side of the building where the ceiling is already finished, slightly reducing noise from the workers on the seventh floor.
As he and Neffi approach, Auren immediately recognises one of the women sitting behind a desk, surrounded by three young-looking aides pointing at various papers and reports spread out before her. The Elder is quite tall, has long black hair, and is wearing a clean suit with a medium-length skirt, appearing like a businesswoman.
That's the youngest Elder I met during the Elder meeting. She should be in her forties, maybe ten or twelve years older than Rakshala herself. She's the one who treated Rakshala a decade ago. I need to remember her name. I heard it, and I read it in reports... it was something tribal, yet simple, almost reminding me of Rakshala herself.
The Elder, upon seeing Auren and Neffi, smiles widely, getting up immediately and rushing towards them.
She briefly hugs them both, then stretches her body, obviously happy. "Kyaaah! Auren, Neffi! You are finally here. I'm so happy. Your airship just landed, by the way. I've given you a nice, secure spot, and your people—and the various active cells you've brought with you—have been given the highest degree of freedom."
Elder... I'm drawing a blank here. I should've memorised their names more carefully.
"It's good to see you, Elder Kirda," Neffi says, grinning a little. "Looks like you're busy. Your aides are already getting impatient... you should deal with your paperwork more carefully."
"Oh, please!" Elder Kirda says. "Don't remind me. Also, I told you to call me by name, or simply sister." She lets out a dramatic breath, but her smile doesn't fade. "To be honest, I'm so happy I'll get to breathe for a minute. This project is just insane! All day I spread the Leader's mark to new arrivals, and then I spend up to eighteen hours a day signing various papers and getting yelled at by these annoying vultures surrounding me."
"That sounds rough," Auren admits.
I'd never live that way... it sounds like hell indeed. She likes to complain, but her loyalty to the cause is obvious. Her mark is the proof.
"Anyway, we are here to support you. I've been told there are some problems with diseases and poisons. The flora and fauna also seem to be problematic," Auren explains.
This will be troublesome, but exactly what I need in preparation for the expedition to the Island Ging told me about.
She nods eagerly. "Yes, yes. However, it's still tolerable here at our current camp, close to point A. The real danger is further off the coast. Some people, mostly our scouts, are sick and carry diseases. They're treated a little farther away from the camp." Her tone turns brisk, like she's already sorting through the problem in her head. "We've drawn blood and are currently working on antivenoms, antidotes, and even vaccinations. It will probably take a few months to tweak the currently available treatments so they work against the new dangers we're facing here. We have some real experts here, so I am confident these issues will be resolved sooner or later... but in the meantime...."
"I'm guessing I should treat the patients to reduce casualties?" Auren interjects, deciding to show some initiative.
"Yes. There are only a couple of dozen people who are in bad condition; the others can be treated by conventional means." Elder Kirda's expression softens a little. "If you'd be so kind as to treat them, it would not only save a few lives, but it would also raise morale when they rejoin their groups."
"I see," Auren replies. "You look a little overworked, but you are without a doubt quite capable. I'll agree to your request."
"What else is there I should deal with? Exploring? Dealing with monsters?" Auren asks, showing interest in the new, unexplored home they're trying to build.
"That would be great," the Elder says, smiling. "We've spotted some terrifying wolves relatively close to our landing point. As well as some kind of bears, beavers, rats, and even small, cute-looking cats that turn out to be dangerous carnivores trying to eat us. All of them are dangerous, larger than most known species, and unpredictable."
She shakes her head, as if she still can't believe it. "We've been preparing the place for construction by cutting down the nearby forest and levelling the ground to create a fitting place to construct various buildings. For now, we're relying on tents and these kinds of container buildings. This makes us especially vulnerable to these damn beasts, roaming around, especially during the night. Some of these pests are capable of digging tunnels, which is a nightmare for us."
She continues, looking genuinely disgusted. "We're trying to create some barricades, but we need more time. It's best if you and the others can cull as many beasts as you can. It will take years to turn this into a real city. Still, we're making progress." Elder Kirda taps the papers on her desk, already thinking ahead. "I'll prepare a map for you with a few threats and some areas that haven't been explored yet. However, please focus on healing people first."
"I'll heal them and then work on the tasks," Auren states. "Are you the only Elder here?"
"No... Two more Elders are close by, currently on the ground supervising various things. One is in charge of distributing jobs, while the other is in charge of the construction projects. I'm taking care of the administration. Of course, we all have mark-duty when new people arrive. We've also appointed fifteen senior members to lead various projects, with hundreds of people under them, while the seniors are serving directly under the Elders. Since we're dealing with thousands... no, tens of thousands of new people by now, that much is required," Elder Kirda informs them. "Do you require... a room? I can offer you rooms on the ground floor of this building. It's nothing special, but it's the best I have... maybe a tent, if you want to be closer to the forest?"
"No, thank you," Auren says. "Our airship will suffice."
"Auren... no... Vice-Leader." Elder Kirda looks serious now, almost pleading. "I have a personal request."
"What is it?" Auren responds, not committing to anything just yet.
"Let me... sleep on your airship every once in a while. Since the ships will leave any day now, I can't stand these damn accommodations. It's hell! There is noise day and night, I need my beauty sleep."
"Hehe," Auren laughs, surprised by her honesty. "No problem. I have some spare rooms. You can offer them to the other Elders as well."
"Thank you!" she says, hugging Auren again, giggling like she's just won a prize.
"We'll let you continue working now," Neffi says, dragging Auren backwards. "Give us the information later! For now, we'll look around and heal the injured people. We'll ask around for information."
"Why don't you stay a little longer—" Elder Kirda says, trying to follow after them, only to get stopped by her aides. They forcibly pull her back to her chair and desk, and someone practically shoves a pen into her hand.
"No...." she whines. "This is torture!"
Auren and Neffi leave the giant container building and head towards the port.
They spot their own airship, as well as a few others, landed on a small provisional airport, which, in truth, is just a flat dirt field.
As they get closer, they already spot Vanessa, Eren, and Leira outside of their airship, looking a bit bored.
"There you are!" Vanessa says as she spots them. "I'm so jealous. That looked incredibly fun."
Auren and Neffi quickly join them on the airship.
"You'll get your own," Neffi says in a teasing voice. "Once you're capable of using them without splashing onto the ground."
"You can try one soon, Vanessa," Auren clarifies. "Where are our guests?"
"They already left, took their supplies with them. We have permission to stay here," Eren says. "Jolt and Marsha are taking a break and will hold down the fort."
"Good," Auren says, satisfied with the situation.
"This is a fascinating place," Leira notes. "I take it we're exploring the nearby wild?"
"Yes," Auren confirms. "I'll need to take care of a bunch of sick people first, so feel free to just look around for today. Afterwards, we'll deal with the dangerous beasts threatening this place and explore the wild."
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