112. Village Construction Plan - Labyrinth Day 60
On Labyrinth Day 60, as I flipped through the monster encyclopedia one page at a time, recalling the appearances of all the monsters I'd encountered so far.
[Pop pop pop.]
"Welcome, yang."
[Nice to see you, pop pop.]
Omega had warped into our hideout. She trotted over to my side and poked her head forward.
[Pop pop. That's quite the artistic drawing. But do you really draw and record each monster by hand every time?]
"I used to, but now Kentaurides helps out sometimes."
[Isn't it tedious and tiring, pop pop? If you want, I could give you a camera.]
"Nah, I'm good—no cameras. There's a certain charm to drawing them by hand. Kentaurides and I both enjoy sketching them anyway."
[Hmm. So it's not just manual labor—more like a hobby... Got it. Pop pop.]
I closed the monster encyclopedia and stood up, gazing toward Passage 4.
Our destination today was the Oasis Shelter. We'd originally planned to go yesterday, but I'd postponed it by a day to nurse the mentally unstable Hedgehog Summoner God.
I didn't use Hyper Express. It wasn't that far—perfect distance for a casual stroll with my current abilities.
"Alright, time to head out."
[Ppororing.]
We entered Passage 4.
Chatting as we walked, we soon arrived at the Oasis Shelter.
A crystal orb house was placed around the oasis, and thanks to Prairie Solorb's protection, it was the safest spot in the entire desert.
[Aberrerral!!!]
[You've arrived.]
Two monsters greeted us warmly. The giant caterpillar that came out enthusiastically was Giant Caterpillar. The one who rose leisurely from the sunbed was Pharaoh Devil. They were the monsters I'd appointed as sub-manager and manager of the Oasis Shelter, respectively.
As I exchanged greetings with the shelter's monsters, Omega wandered slowly around the oasis, surveying the terrain.
[Pop pop. Not a bad spot.]
After saying that, Omega first installed a warp device next to the crystal orb house. Now the Oasis Shelter was just one second away from our hideout.
[Gauntlet. I just had an idea for what kind of village to build here, and I'd like your opinion on my design. Pop pop.]
"Sure, lay it on me."
[This might take a while, so come over here first. Pop.]
Omega set down a square table on the sand. It looked like a conference table.
I approached the table.
[Before I explain, let me show you a blueprint of the village I envisioned. Ppororing.]
Omega tapped the table with her knuckles. A massive hologram unfolded above it, displaying her village design in 3D.
The village she designed was circular, centered around the oasis.
"Whoa... so this is your village plan?"
[That's right. Pop pop.]
The desert village Omega showed was nothing like the machine factories. While those evoked dystopian robot-overrun future cities, this hologrammed desert village felt like a utopian ancient civilization from legend.
"It's bigger than I thought... but the overall structure's solid. I like it."
[Pop pop. Glad you approve.]
Omega wagged her hefty reptilian tail. She seemed pleased by the praise.
[Then I'll start explaining the village now. Pop pop.]
Omega manipulated the hologram, zooming in to reveal intricate details of the desert village.
[Pop pop. The village is designed in three concentric circles, with narrow, winding streets to maximize shade. Cool shelters and fountains are placed throughout. That's the basic structure—now, let's look at the innermost zone first.]
The hologram shifted to the center circle. The crystal orb house at the village heart and the surrounding central plaza came into view.
[This is the village's core—the residential area for leaders and managers. Key facilities are clustered here too. Pop pop.]
The hologram moved again, showing a towering structure next to the crystal orb.
[This is the Tower of Life. It draws water from the oasis, purifies it, and supplies the whole city via underground channels—like the city's heart. I'd recommend placing a water-manipulating monster here, ideally one that can produce water. Pop pop.]
Omega pressed the tower with her finger, revealing its interior.
[Inside the tower, we'll install vertical farms for food self-sufficiency. We'll need to source the seeds ourselves, though. Pop.]
She went on explaining other central facilities at length before shifting the hologram to the middle circle.
[This zone is residential—for inhabitants and major public facilities.]
Then the outermost circle.
[Pop pop. Commerce district, small industries, and a lab go here. And...]
Omega's finger pointed to a device on every building.
[Activating these will generate energy for the whole village. Ppororing.]
"These generate energy?"
[Yes. They're sand-to-energy converters. Pop pop.]
"So as long as there's sand, the village is fully energy-independent?"
[Correct. And all buildings will use wood as the main material.]
Omega pulled out a tree branch—likely grabbed from the apple farm yesterday.
[I analyzed it back home. It's made of a unique substance tougher than most metals. Perfect for building a new village—what do you think, Gauntlet? Pop pop.]
"That apple tree must be some seriously sturdy wood... Anyway, materials are your call. I'm clueless about that stuff, no objections or nitpicks here. I'll trust and back your judgment."
"Oh, one more question."
[Ask away. Pop pop.]
"We're building on sand, right? How do you plan to stabilize the shaky ground?"
[Pop pop. Already accounted for. Simple solution.]
Omega manipulated the hologram to show the underground structure and explained it clearly for me.
[I'll install a ground stabilization system beneath the village. Inject special nano-particles into the sand to bind the grains tightly, turning it into rock-like bedrock. For major buildings, floating tech for the foundations—they'll hover over the sand, adapting flexibly to shifts. More than enough for a desert village. Pop pop.]
After finishing, she explained other systems too—like a sand barrier enveloping the city to protect from storms while controlling sand flow to minimize terrain changes.
Stuff like that.
We kept discussing the village design afterward. No outer walls, though—Prairie Solorb's protection was sturdier than any wall.
[Hehe.]
"Get down."
[Hehe...]
Prairie Solorb, who was sneaking down slyly, shot back up into the sky.
We warped back to the hideout, then headed to the apple farm to gather wood for the desert village buildings. While selecting trees to chop...
"......"
[......]
I locked eyes with a passing monster. It was a Dolmaker, like yesterday's. Different individual, since that one was dead.
It stared without breaking gaze, as if about to use its ability on me.
Of course, the Dolmaker's ability didn't work on me. I immediately extended my arm toward it.
Then—flick to the forehead... no, Secret Technique: One Strike, bisecting its body.
Thud thud thud—
As the Dolmaker died, countless teddy bears poured from its personal space.
They reverted to original forms—mostly corpse lumps again. Only one live monster.
[Grooo... Who... are you...?]
The reverted monster looked up at me from the ground.
[You've saved the little one again...!]
Familiar appearance. Familiar speech.
It was Lionheart, the one I'd rescued yesterday.
[Truly grateful! I'll repay this favor twofold!]
"......"
This guy's been caught again.