Ines regarded Felix with a puzzled look as he straightened his clothes and rubbed at his neck — where a faint bite mark remained.
"…So tell me," he asked dryly, "does W normally bite people when she can't win a fight?"
Ines's lips twitched. She clearly wanted to laugh but didn't dare. If she laughed, Felix might let it slide — but W would probably find a way to blow her tent up that same night.
"Ahem… no," Ines finally said, trying to keep a straight face. "That's just… W's way of expressing herself."
After a short cough to hide her amusement, she added softly, "Still, I didn't expect you to choose W."
Earlier, W had been so infuriated by Felix's words that she couldn't think straight. And even though she couldn't refute him, the frustration burned inside her — so she took it out in the simplest, most direct way she knew: she bit him.
The mark wasn't deep. She hadn't really used any force.
"I'd have chosen anyone from the former Babel forces," Felix said as he cast one last glance at the now-darkened tent and began walking away. "But there are certain qualities I find particularly important."
He paused for a moment. "First — an unshakable faith and devotion to Her Highness, and a genuine belief that the future she envisioned can be realized. And second…" His eyes flicked sideways toward Ines. "Their relationship with me."
"You didn't seriously think I'd allow a second Babel to rise in Kazdel, did you?"
His profile shifted between shadow and light as he spoke. "You, of all people, should understand, Ines. You've worked with mercenaries long enough to know what happens when too many voices fight for control. I want the former Babel members to integrate into this new family — not build another fortress apart from it."
Ines's expression softened with realization.
Felix wasn't looking for someone who could rival his authority — not even if that person had once been one of Theresa's most trusted subordinates. Kazdel didn't need two leaders. It needed one clear voice.
And W… fit that role perfectly.
Her loyalty to Theresa was absolute, but she lacked the ambition to claim power for herself. She didn't have the mindset — or the experience — to lead a faction independently. She wasn't even twenty yet, probably.
Ines and W shared a quiet bond — not one of words, but of mutual understanding as comrades who had lived and bled side by side.
She could tell Felix was using W, but at the same time, he was giving her something she desperately needed: a reason to keep moving. A new purpose to replace her grief.
Ines had worried about W's mental state for some time. Every attempt to talk to her was met with half-hearted deflections. Yet Felix hadn't hesitated — he had struck directly at the heart of W's problem, without mercy.
From that angle… maybe his "manipulation" was actually a kind of salvation. After all, Ines had watched Felix for long enough to know — his methods might be cold, but his goals were never wicked.
---
Three days later, the ruins had been completely cleared.
Early one morning, as the citizens of the Kazdel Mobile City were waking up, the sound of engines echoed across the sky. When they looked out their windows, they were greeted by the sight of dozens of massive VTOL transport aircraft hovering overhead.
Ropes descended — followed by people in Tomorrow's Development uniforms… who, rather unceremoniously, began falling.
One after another.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The sound of bodies hitting the ground filled the streets. A few mercenaries cautiously opened their doors, only to find their street entrances stacked with Adventurers like some sort of terran pyramid.
They were the advance detachment from Lungmen's Tomorrow's Development. After contacting Felix, Loughshinny had swiftly delegated her Lungmen operations to Anthony, who was already familiar with all administrative work. Then, she herself gathered several dozen transport crafts capable of carrying hundreds of people — along with Degenbrecher and a team of experienced staff — and flew straight to Kazdel to join the operation personally.
Upon arrival, and after consulting with Felix, Loughshinny immediately repurposed the massive square in front of the former Capitol — once a public dueling ground and a memorial for Sarkaz ancestors — into a Gathering Hall, modeled after those in the Frontier District.
Kazdel, in her eyes, was like a pile of rot — old, hardened, and foul-smelling. To make it livable again would take immense effort. Years of decay and stagnation had sunk deep into its foundations.
Rebuilding from scratch would've been easier than reforming this mess.
Under Loughshinny's direction, Tomorrow's Development personnel began moving into the new Gathering Hall. For safety, each administrative worker was assigned a squad of three adventurers as personal guards.
Then, the posting began — mission boards going up one after another.
The setup was uncannily familiar: dozens of cheerful receptionists lined up behind wooden counters, while a few burly, cat-eared Feline workers busied themselves over a massive cauldron, trying to make passable meals from local ingredients.
For a moment, even Felix had to wonder — was this still Arknights, or had they just stepped into Monster Hunter?
Because the area around the Kazdel Mobile City hadn't experienced any Catastrophes for years, most of the assigned tasks came from Felix himself:
— expanding the city's perimeter,
— excavating foundations for future construction,
— exterminating infected beasts,
— and establishing secure transport routes to the northern Frontier District.
Around two thousand players had arrived this time — the vanguard of Lungmen's Tomorrow's Development division.
Despite their less-than-graceful landings (and a few unfortunate casualties from gravity), they quickly adapted and began exchanging intel with the players already stationed in Kazdel — those who had followed the Pioneer since the fall of Babel and witnessed the rebirth of Tomorrow's Development.
Many among them had seen, and heard firsthand, the speech that sparked it all — the words of the Pioneer himself that reignited their will to fight.
After getting a clear picture of the situation, the two thousand high-level players immediately grew excited. Just as several strategy groups and pro players had said on the forums—it was true! This was a main quest of "Tomorrow's Development"!
Damn! Make Kazdel great again!
And the fact that the Pioneer—who was a Sankta—wanted to make a Sarkaz nation great again… didn't that practically make him a living saint? He must be! No, he definitely was!
Without wasting time, the players eagerly began forming parties and diving into the missions. The streets of the mobile city were filled with debris, and every bit of it needed to be cleared away step by step. No one was in a rush; after all, you eat a meal one bite at a time. If they finished the main quest too quickly—what would be the fun in that?
The players busied themselves with enthusiasm, running all over the city to complete their assigned work. Meanwhile, the faction missions from Tomorrow's Development offered increased rewards for excavation and reclamation tasks—an obvious invitation for players to dig to their hearts' content. Even if someone accidentally unearthed an ancestor's grave, the Pioneer would still shower them with rewards.
Naturally, this thrilled the treasure-hunter types—those "tomb-raider" and "mountain-moving" players—and they gleefully got back to digging, pickaxes swinging.
During this period, Loughshinny, acting on behalf of Felix, met with representatives of the other two factions—Giles of the former Military Commission, and the newly appointed leader of the former Babel forces… W.
Giles was a staunch warrior type, known for his silence and obedience during missions. When he learned that a new leadership structure had been established, he showed no objection. Loughshinny simply placed before him the city development report she had submitted to Felix.
"So," Giles asked after reading through it, "Tomorrow's Development intends to accept all mercenaries who once fought against Babel—and provide them with the same housing as everyone else?"
He cast a sidelong glance at W, who gave a dismissive "hmph" and turned her head away. Giles then fell silent. "And what does Tomorrow's Development want in return?"
"This isn't a job reserved only for internal staff," Loughshinny replied evenly. "The Gathering Hall's contracts and commissions are open to all mercenaries. While Tomorrow's Development's strength lies in research and industry, our core business is transportation and mercenary services. In fact, last year, our market share in the mercenary sector was only seven percent behind Blacksteel International. Considering that Blacksteel has operated for years and is famous across Terra—while Tomorrow's Development was founded only recently—that's quite an achievement."
"So you're saying… even we can accept contracts from Tomorrow's Development?"
"Exactly. However, there's one condition: internal employees receive full payment, while external workers must pay a small commission fee."
It was a fair arrangement—simple economics, really. If Tomorrow's Development shared its work, it was only natural they would earn something in return. Giles couldn't argue with that logic, and so he fell silent once again.
"Wait, hold on!" W blurted, clearly frustrated. "Do I have to join Tomorrow's Development? What if I don't want to? Isn't there some other option?"
Loughshinny, anticipating the outburst, merely raised an eyebrow. What surprised her was the intensity of W's resistance—it was clear the girl still harbored resentment.
"In that case," Loughshinny said calmly, "you may join Tomorrow's Development's Kazdel-based subcontractor, Frontier District Co. The pay and treatment are identical. If your performance is excellent—or if you simply feel you're doing well—you can later apply for full membership. Does that sound acceptable?"
Giles nodded. Refusing at this point would be foolish, not prideful. He glanced at W—this reckless, short-tempered girl—and wondered how in the world she ended up representing the former Babel mercenaries in such a serious negotiation.
"I'll do it!" W declared, slapping the table, face flushed with defiance.
She could sense Giles' unspoken disbelief and felt her cheeks burn hotter. Still, she forced herself to keep her pride.
The truth was, almost all former Babel members had already joined Tomorrow's Development—not just most of them, but all of them. They trusted Felix, the man their beloved Theresa once trusted, and had long since integrated with the Frontier's operations.
The so-called "Frontier District Co." was simply a convenient stepping stone, created to absorb the remaining mercenaries who still felt uneasy about joining directly—those who didn't yet understand the Pioneer, or who still carried the baggage of the old Military Commission. In essence, it was identical to Tomorrow's Development—just a gentler illusion for the Sarkaz to convince themselves they weren't really submitting.
From the look Giles gave her, W could tell he'd seen right through it. That only made her blush harder, half from anger and half from embarrassment.
"Giles," Loughshinny said finally, "I hope we can work together as the Pioneer's right and left hands—to build tomorrow, together."
Giles—towering, broad-shouldered, and scarred—bowed deeply.
The gesture was not only one of respect toward Loughshinny, but also of gratitude toward the Pioneer himself.
Without another word, he left the room, eager to share the news with his Goliath Guard—to spread the word to the mercenary captains under his command.
Left behind and still fuming, W crossed her arms with a scowl.
"W, isn't it? I've heard about you from Felix," Loughshinny said gently, her eyes calm and observant.
W turned toward her, suspicion flashing in her crimson gaze. From Loughshinny's faint smile, she sensed no hostility—but that only irritated her further. "Oh? I'm guessing it wasn't anything good. Let me guess—'immature, impulsive, hot-headed mercenary,' right?"
Loughshinny shook her head. "No. He said you hide a deep sense of responsibility behind that attitude. That you act tough and reckless as a mask. He said… you're actually a lot like Her Highness—someone who hides kindness and love beneath the surface."
"Don't compare me to Her Highness!" W snapped through gritted teeth, lowering her voice in frustration. "Stop spouting sentimental nonsense like that!"
She turned abruptly, glaring as she grabbed her gear. "I'm leaving. If you need something, contact me—but don't let me hear that man's voice again!"
With that, she stormed out of the room, silver teeth clenched tight, leaving only the sound of her boots echoing down the corridor—a sharp, restless rhythm fading into the distance.
Loughshinny watched her go and couldn't help but smile softly. She's actually kind of adorable… like a little sister trying to act tough. Beneath the harsh words, W's heart was still gentle.
After the first round of missions had been completely cleared out by the players, the receptionists at the Gathering Hall began pinning up a new batch of quests. This time, some of the local mercenaries from Kazdel's mobile city—who had been watching from the sidelines—finally stepped forward to take a look.
[Mission: Transport Construction Materials]
Objective: Move the materials at the northern gate of the mobile city to the former Babel site.
Reward: 3,000 LMD or 2,800 Victorian pounds
"Excuse me, can we take this job too?"
A middle-aged mercenary asked, holding the request sheet carefully. Some of the onlookers recognized him—he'd once served as a guard outside the old Military Commission headquarters. But ever since the Commission's withdrawal from Kazdel's mobile city, he'd been jobless. He had a wife and child at home—and none of them had eaten properly in days.
"Yes," replied the receptionist with a kind smile. "As long as you're registered with Tomorrow's Development or its subcontractor Frontier District Co., you'll receive full payment with no commission fee."
She then handed him two company brochures. In truth, there wasn't much difference between the two—except that Frontier District's leader was Ulšulah, a Sarkaz, which made it feel more familiar and approachable to locals than the Sankta Pioneer himself.
That small detail was enough to ease his hesitation. Without a second thought, he signed up with Tomorrow's Development.
Moments later, he received his employee ID card. Wasting no time, he rounded up a few old comrades and set off toward the northern gate to begin work.
The remaining mercenaries looked at each other, realization dawning on their faces—then, all at once, chaos broke out.
"Oi! Don't you dare take that one from me!"