Valerian sat in the heart of the newly forged city hall, a chamber of sleek, dark stone that hummed with a quiet power. It was built atop a hill, its foundation a single, massive stone carved into the very top of the waterfall. He smiled to himself, a genuine warmth spreading through him. I have to admit, Sou really does know how to construct a master class city, he thought, gazing out a large, floor-to-ceiling window.

  The water of the falls flowed past the glass like a living melody, a constant, thundering presence. Normally, being this close to such a powerful force would cause the entire structure to tremble, but the hall was as still as a calm lake. He rose and walked to the center of the room, to a wide opening in the floor, and looked down at the city.

  Oasis was a marvel. Well-lit and lush, it was a green paradise carved from stone and water. Aesthetic houses and buildings sprawled across the land, and in the distance, a massive shopping center had already been established for the future. He looked further out and smiled, even more, seeing the vast, empty tracts of land set aside for future development and the carefully tended farmlands. A profound sense of contentment settled over him. This city would one day be one of the top ten on the continent. As he stood, mesmerized by his own creation, he heard footsteps approaching from behind.

  "Is it time? Has everyone gathered?" he asked without turning.

  "Yes, my lord," Anya's calm voice replied.

  He took in the magnificent sight one last time, turned, and walked with Anya toward the meeting chamber. Just as he was about to enter, the sweet voice of his wife, Antheros, reached his ears—but the sound was anything but sweet.

  "Who gave you permission to go to the hunting grounds?"

  Valerian’s footsteps faltered. Azuma's timid voice followed. "Mom... I'm grown up. I can go hunting with the team." He was hiding behind Rufe, who shifted uncomfortably.

  Antheros’s furious gaze landed on Rufe, who smiled awkwardly and shrugged.

  "What's your age?" she asked Rufe, her voice dangerously soft.

  "Ah... why do you... I'm 150 years old," Rufe stammered.

  Azuma's eyes went wide. "You... you're an old grandpa?"

  Tuk. Rufe's knuckle rapped Azuma's head. "Who are you calling grandpa?!" he bellowed, his voice echoing in the hall.

  Azuma sat on the floor, rubbing his head. "Ouch! My mother is younger than you, so that makes you a grandpa!"

  "That's not how it works," Rufe began to scold, but a silent glare from Antheros stopped him cold. He fell quiet, standing stiffly in place.

  Antheros’s cold smile returned. "See? You can go to the hunting grounds when you're 150."

  "What?!" Azuma exclaimed. "That's so long from now!"

  "But that's final," Antheros said, the authority in her voice brooking no argument. "Or else you're under house arrest. Do you understand?"

  "But... but... I really got permission... from Dad."

  Valerian's body jerked as he heard his son give him up. He let out a nervous laugh. "I just remembered I forgot something important! I have to go there now. Can we postpone the meeting?" He turned to leave, but Antheros's next words stopped him like a bolt of lightning.

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  "Darling, where are you going?" she asked, the saccharine tone in her voice a stark contrast to the ferocity in her eyes.

  He gulped, his mind racing for a solution. His eyes landed on Azuma. With a scowl, he looked at his son and demanded, "Azuma, don't lie. Who gave you permission?"

  "You did," Azuma said bluntly.

  "When did I say that?!" Valerian exclaimed.

  "You said I need to be in the sun once in a while to have a healthy body," Azuma said, his eyes wide and innocent.

  "Yes, I did," Valerian admitted, unable to deny his own words. "But..."

  "Darling, did you give him permission?" Antheros asked, her voice like ice.

  Valerian panicked. "It was Anya who took him, not me! I told her not to, but she took him anyway. It's her fault!"

  Anya calmly looked at Valerian. "When did you say that, my lord?"

  "Right after you left," he said, hoping to sound convincing.

  "You mean right before she left, right, honey?" Antheros chimed in.

  "No... I was busy, so I said it right after," Valerian mumbled.

  "So how was she supposed to hear that?" Antheros asked, her voice laced with a cold irritation.

  "She's a scout; she has good hearing, so I trusted her capabilities! "I'm disappointed, Anya. A scout of your caliber should have heard me clearly" he said, trying to deflect the blame.

  "I could not hear you, Your Highness, because you were in the city, and I was in the FU**** hunting grounds."

  "LANGUAGE!" both parents yelled in unison.

  Anya sighed and left the room. She knew this monologue all too well. It happened every time. The truth was, she had a weakness: she couldn't say no to a child, and Azuma always found a way to get her to go along with his schemes.

  "No excuses, Azuma," Antheros said in a cold voice. "You are grounded for a week, and that's final." She looked at a guard. "Take him to my house." The guard nodded and led a dejected Azuma away.

  Antheros smiled at Valerian and then at the others. "Let's begin the meeting."

  Anya, who had re-entered the room carrying her report, , began her briefing. "We have 15 monsters, which will last approximately 20 days. The stone hearts can be used to fuel the formation. It's a good harvest." She looked at everyone. "It would be more than sufficient if we continue like this. But since winter is coming, we have to stock up for that as well."

  Valerian's expression turned serious. The winter is four months long, he pondered. Which means there will be fewer monsters in the Twin Peaks. His thoughts turned grim as he remembered the dangers they'd faced during their first winter. Food scarcity wasn't just a problem for them; it was a problem for the daemons in the Cursed Lands, and some of them would go hunting aggressively. We must not repeat our mistake of going outside the Twin Peaks to hunt. The defenses must be stronger this time.

  He then looked at the gathered people. "We only have a stock for 60 days. We need to build more within the next two months. The winter lasts for four months, so we need a total of 240 days' worth of stock. That means, with the same yield, we need to hunt once a week to reach our target. Not to mention the 50% tribute to the daemons as per our agreement, which means we need to hunt twice a week. Fortunately," he said with a small, confident smile, pulling a large, glowing stone from his pocket, "we have an A-rank stone heart that can fuel the formation for two months. Now we can hunt aggressively. Pack half of the hunted monsters and send them to the daemons. Keep the rest in the storage unit."

  "My lord, wait," Dhruba said, his voice hesitant. "I think it's safe to say that we are in a good position now, considering we are inside the Cursed Land, but do we really need to honor the agreement with the daemons? I mean, they helped us once, but we have been repaying them for the last two years. I think our debt is settled."

  Valerian looked at Dhruba and smiled gently. "I know you are saying this from the good of your heart, Dhruba. You are worried about whether we will make it through the winter and feed the population."

  "More like he is worried about feeding himself, my lord," Virkam interjected with a mocking tone.

  "What the hell did you say, Virkam, you imbecile? I dare you to say that to my face!" Dhruba retorted, his hands clenched into fists.

  "Oh, you think I'm afraid of you?" Virkam said, a smirk on his face.

  "Stop it," Valerian said, his voice firm and commanding. He looked at Dhruba. "It's true that they only helped us once, but think of the situation. Could we have survived without them or even gathered food as we do now?"

  Dhruba went silent.

  "It was their help that saw us through. For that survival, I will honor their reasonable demands, even now." He stood, his gaze sweeping over the council with a finality that brooked no argument. "This meeting is adjourned."