The bathwater needed to be changed frequently, and the bathing area required regular cleaning. For ordinary people, that would be tiring work—but for players, it wasn't nearly as exhausting as one might think. After all, this was their own business; there was no way they'd slack off.
Felix even noticed that someone had uploaded a detailed digital map of Kazdel on the forums. It outlined the general layout of the city and even marked convenient spots like restaurants, weapon shops, and item stores—almost like a Terra-version of Google Maps.
And on that map, the Adventurer's Hot Spring stood out as one of the most notable landmarks. Players had even added their own icon for it, along with an assortment of colorful reviews beneath it:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: "The Sarkaz receptionist ladies have great figures and are so gentle. Makes me want to move permanently into this world."
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: "The water temperature's good, but it's a shame they don't serve chilled coffee milk like in real life."
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: "When are we getting mixed baths?"
By the way, players had already tested the limits of the system: even if they stripped off all their gear, male characters would still be left wearing shorts, and female characters would still have on undergarments. No matter how hard they tried, the last bit of modesty could never be removed—a serious disappointment for those chasing full realism.
Still, the hot springs had real benefits. In Higashi, it was common knowledge that hot springs promoted healing and relaxation. For the Infected, a good soak eased their chronic pain, making them feel comfortable and light for several days afterward.
And, importantly, the water that the Infected bathed in didn't become contaminated. That discovery reassured many curious Sarkaz mercenaries who decided to give it a try—and found a warmth that almost felt like home.
The bathhouse brought in tens of thousands of LMD in a single day, though expenses were just as high. The first day ended in the red, but the players didn't mind at all. The thrill of running a business in-game was more rewarding than profit.
Some players even discovered a new way to enjoy the game: store management.
In other MMOs, like FF 14, players who bought villas would often remodel them into shops or cafés. Others would role-play as customers, chatting and socializing instead of focusing on combat. Money wasn't the point—it was the sense of connection, and the satisfaction of owning something uniquely theirs.
Now, players realized they could do the same here in Kazdel's mobile city. They could pool funds to buy land and build real shops—perhaps a storefront below and a living space above. A single player couldn't afford it, but guilds could easily gather ten thousand or more LMD together. After all, some guilds were much smaller than the massive Strategy Team.
The idea exploded across the forums overnight. Threads filled with lively discussions about what kinds of shops players wanted to open. Kazdel was a city still rebuilding from ruin, lacking both infrastructure and entertainment—this was their perfect chance to shape it.
"I want to open a restaurant, but stocking ingredients is tough. I'll have to send guild members to the Frontier District for supplies."
"I've got a bartending skill, but the liquor here tastes like garbage."
"What do you think about opening an 18+ nightclub?"
"Damn, I want to hire one of those Sarkaz girls from the guild hall!"
Felix stared at the chaos on the forum, amused. He hadn't expected it to go this far—but by the next morning, a stack of petition forms was already sitting neatly on his desk. The players worked fast. Each document specified which plots they wanted to buy, how much they were willing to pay, and what kind of business they planned to open.
After skimming through the proposals, Felix summoned Loughshinny, Hoederer, and Giles to help review them.
"This is…" Giles murmured in awe. "This is Kazdel coming back to life."
He composed himself and added, "With the Frontier District's trade support, the mobile city no longer needs to worry about resource shortages. These adventurers' actions could very well revive Kazdel's economy."
"You understand this stuff, Giles?" Felix asked.
"Learned it on my own," the towering Goliath mercenary replied, scratching his head a little sheepishly. "Borrowed a few books from the library."
Felix nodded approvingly. "Good. Keep at it. I don't just need commanders and soldiers who can fight—I also need people who can govern, who can manage a city."
"Yes, sir."
Hoederer let out a low whistle. "I think it's perfectly feasible, sir. Like Giles said, Sarkaz need these kinds of social activities to reconnect with civilization. Otherwise, with nothing but fighting day after day, even the toughest warriors get weary. That's why the Frontier District became so popular in the first place."
Felix agreed. Since Kazdel's mobile city was adopting this strategy, the northern Frontier District would do the same. As a commercial hub, its land would naturally be more expensive—and its guests wouldn't just be Sarkaz mercenaries, but merchants from distant lands as well.
Loughshinny's eyes gleamed with insight. She pulled out a thick sheet of textured paper from her folder and unfolded it. It was a map of Kazdel—faded yet detailed enough for planning.
"Perhaps," she began, "this is the perfect opportunity to formally define Kazdel's internal districts and their respective land values."
Hoederer immediately nodded in agreement. "She's right. The old Kazdel was little more than an oversized military camp. Apart from the Parliament Hall, every other district looked nearly identical."
"Doesn't Kazdel have any landmarks of historical significance?" Felix asked curiously. "Not even one?"
"There was one…" Hoederer hesitated. "A statue of the former Sarkaz King once stood in the main plaza. But a hundred years ago, during the Coalition's assault, a certain Feline used a strange Originium art to shatter it completely."
Felix went silent for a moment, then sighed. "Don't tell me… that Feline was Doctor Kal'tsit?"
Hoederer's mouth twitched. He seemed to want to laugh but managed to restrain himself, coughing lightly instead. "Now, Kazdel has nothing left but its ordinary residential quarters."
"We'll need more people involved in city planning," Felix decided. "And it's best if we gather opinions from the city's own residents too."
Giles nodded gratefully, feeling genuinely respected by the Pioneer.
Soon after, the members of Tomorrow's Development convened for a large-scale meeting to discuss Kazdel's new urban zoning plan.
As Felix listened to everyone's suggestions, he made one thing clear: he did not want to divide the Sarkaz people into "upper" and "lower" districts. His goal in coming here wasn't to create social hierarchy—it was to give the Sarkaz bread, shelter, and dignity.
Every city needed a heart, a center. In Lungmen, they called it the Central District. Following that model, they decided that Kazdel's Core District would include the government offices and the city's main drive tower—the heart that kept the mobile city alive.
Next came Wales, the most densely populated residential area, envisioned as a melting pot of cultures and everyday life.
The East Gate district would serve as the commercial and industrial hub, modeled after the lifestyles of the Eastern people. It would become the bustling center of trade and production.
Of course, every city with light also needed its shadows. The Knight's Quarter—a grittier sector—was designated for the Scar Market mercenaries to manage. Felix believed such gray zones were necessary, as they often provided valuable intelligence. Controlling them would be simple enough: their previous leader had been slain by Ascalon, leaving them headless. Felix would merely have to appoint a new one to keep them in line.
The Packa District would host large-scale factories and military production facilities. Once Kazdel was fully electrified, this area would also house the city's power plants and generators. Felix planned to entrust its oversight to Tomorrow's Development's production corps.
He couldn't afford to build such factories in Lungmen—it would immediately draw the scrutiny of Wei Yenwu, who would be obligated to "inspect the water meters," as they used to say. Privately producing weapons there was a serious offense, akin to hiding arms from the state.
Now, at last, Felix had found a place where he could forge his own weapons and equipment freely. He had originally planned to do this in Kazimierz, but building it here, close to home, was far more practical.
"I'll have the new urban regulations drafted and circulated soon," he said calmly.
"I understand," someone replied. "But relocation will be the hardest part."
"That's the nature of policy," Felix said, his tone steady. "Implementation is always more difficult than decision-making. Announce this to the adventurers as well—I'm certain we'll soon gather substantial funds to support city reconstruction and relocation efforts."
Kazdel's situation wasn't too dire—after all, it was only one city. The real chaos lay in Victoria, where every noble and every city fought for itself. Though Victoria called itself a military powerhouse, its unity was a façade. Orders from the central government meant different things to different mobile cities—some obeyed outwardly but ignored them in secret, while others simply treated them as noise.
Now that Victoria was leaderless, the nobles had completely taken over.
City-building would take time—but in Terra's current timeline, in the year 1094, Felix still had two full years to consolidate his rule. His only true rival, the rightful heir of Kazdel, had already led another faction of Sarkaz to settle in Londinium. For now, Felix faced no direct opposition.
Store up grain, and wait before proclaiming kingship.
That was his philosophy. Even now, he hadn't publicly declared any legitimacy to his claim. Everyone could see he was the strongest power in Kazdel—but he wasn't foolish enough to boast about it.
When Giles and Ines carried this news to the guild hall, the players immediately swarmed around them. The moment they learned Kazdel's mobile city would be re-zoned, the atmosphere exploded with excitement. And when Ines revealed that players would be able to purchase land in designated areas ahead of time, several guilds broke out into heated arguments on the spot.
Ines couldn't help but admire the scene. Though she had long hoped for reforms like this, she also knew that Kazdel had no money left. If her boss, Felix, had been the one footing the bill for everything, it would've been far too much to ask.
None of them had expected that a single decision from the Pioneers would send the adventurers into such a frenzy — it was as if they had all been injected with pure excitement. And when they learned that they could design and build their own houses, their enthusiasm only skyrocketed. The guilds began quarreling loudly, arguing over bids and locations, while others — those on better terms — were already discussing what kind of architectural style their future buildings should have. It's definitely going to be anime aesthetics, isn't it?
Then, a line from Felix echoed in Ines's mind:
"Let the adventurers stir up some hype first. Then we'll hold an auction for the land plots."
Ines couldn't help but smile in admiration. So that's where the funding comes from… brilliant.
Meanwhile, Giles, who was responsible for spreading the news, naturally became the first to be questioned about the sudden announcement. The members of Tomorrow's Development observed these citywide changes with quiet detachment. Seeing that everything was progressing smoothly, they didn't interfere. Some even joined the new Frontier District, taking on jobs posted at the guild hall.
But building a new city and moving an entire populace were two very different things.
After all, as the saying goes, "There's no place like home." Home — no matter how shabby — was sacred to the Sarkaz. They were wanderers by blood, people who had long been without a place to truly call their own. Now that they finally had one, they weren't about to give it up easily.
So Giles declared that relocation would not be mandatory. However, those who chose to move voluntarily would receive generous compensation — along with a guaranteed property in the new district.
That simple statement softened even the toughest skeptics. If housing's included… maybe it's worth it after all?
Of course, there were still a few stubborn holdouts, but their numbers were small. And as Felix had said before:
"If money can solve it, it's not really a problem."
Kazdel was the homeland of the Sarkaz. Felix would never use the authority of the Military Commission to forcibly take their homes away.
This city would be one protected and maintained by its people. To Felix's quiet satisfaction, the adventurers — the players — were already treating it as the future main city of Tomorrow's Development.
To the Sarkaz residents, the adventurers were something new — mysterious outsiders, not quite terran, not quite infected — yet they treated everyone the same. Before long, the term "undying ones," once used as an insult, began to fade, replaced by a single word spoken with curiosity and respect: "Adventurers."
In the Packa District, the players received their first set of construction assignments. The area had once been home to former Babel mercenaries who'd followed the Princess in exile. Now, with their relocation complete, the empty space was transforming into an industrial zone — the birthplace of a massive mechanical arms factory, the beating heart of Kazdel's future.
And as long as those players' hearts continued to beat for this city, the rebuilding would never stop.
Felix pondered for a moment, then opened the faction quest interface. After a bit of thought, he created a new long-term mission — one meant for the mid-to-late stage of Version 2.0, destined to become the next main storyline.
S-Rank Mission: "Dawn of Kazdel"
Mission Details:
The glory of the past has faded into memory. Standing upon the land of Kazdel, one can almost hear echoes of the laughter that once filled these streets. The resolve in your heart grows stronger… When the first roof tile is laid anew, when the first sprout breaks through the rubble, when children once again chase and laugh beneath the sun — you will understand that all this hardship was worth it. Together, with our hands and sweat, let us rekindle the light of hope in our home.
Mission Objectives:
Rebuild the City of Kazdel (4%)
Liberate Kazdel (35%)
Rewards:
100,000 EXP
100,000 LMD
Title: "Wings of Dawn"