Len watched Jorge's sergeants - Matthews, Cooper, Wells, and Thorne - process everything they'd shared about the grove. Their expressions had shifted from skepticism to respect as he and Rick detailed the Sylvani's achievements.

  Lieutenant Hayes, the logistics officer, scratched calculations in his notebook. "Standard lumber from the outer ring, but we avoid anything near the Sylvani structures. We'll need more industrial winches, to get down the harvests. See what we can make here. Create hand carts as well, bring everything here."

  He eyed the opening where a few of his people were. "Hoping we can get a winch in there to haul everything up." he sucked on his teeth. "Then we're going to have to get in a work order on the roads."

  He tapped his pencil against his notebook. "Roads first, the harvest will hold. Have a team working on figuring out how to get everything from here back to the Forgotten library. That's going to give us lumber anyway. Then we'll start harvesting in here."

  "If that's the case it would be a good idea to run dungeon clears to keep the creature numbers down. We want to keep their population as low as possible," Rick said.

  "It would also be a good idea to check in on the Sylvani trees in between, see what their mana levels are like when we enter and exit the dungeon," Len said.

  "Those are interesting points," Hayes said.

  Jorge cleared his throat. "Speaking of interesting things - Goran's changed since you left. Lady Carolyn's consolidated power. The screens and skills have spread through most of the population. Productivity's through the roof."

  "How's the farms going?" Len asked.

  "Your heating crystals changed everything," Jorge said. "We've got twelve fields now with full coverage. The growing formations accelerate everything - wheat's gonna be ready in weeks instead of months."

  Wells stepped forward, nodding. "I helped set up the last three fields myself. Lady Carolyn's got us all spread out, learning how to cut down trees, farm, mine, bits about alchemy and enchantments. Got us working whenever we're not training."

  "Strange seeing full fields as fall approaches," Jorge said. "Keep thinking that they're just going to die off. Your dad and the other farmers are confident they're going to do well. Got people making up drying racks for the ingredient patches too."

  "How about the beasts?" Rick asked.

  "Drove them off, got patrols all the time. Some lumberjacks got attacked, but there was a squad near at hand, couple of healing spells saved lives and third company led a hunting party to the surrounding areas to clear out dens of creatures," Jorge said.

  "The new city layout's coming along too," Cooper said. "We've got foundations for the towers and military camps set."

  "They use extruders for the foundations?" Rick asked.

  "Yeah, they take their sweet time though so a lot of work has gone into the warehouse district, and there's stone coming in from the quarries constantly."

  "The biggest change had been Tenebrook's workspace," Jorge said. "The alchemist has four research labs. The first stone buildings. The wood ones kept blowing up."

  Len and Rick shared a look. Alchemists.

  "Then they got plans to make two other buildings," Jorge continued. "One to create stamina potions, the other healing potions, they're supposed to churn out liters of the stuff. Once their built that is, and when they have enough ingredients. The only other building is the library, right now its one of the fighting arenas. A stone roof was put over top and its under Adrian and Everett's supervision. Filled with all the books coming from the forgotten library and the books Tenebrook and his people had."

  "What about alchemical powder?" Rick asked.

  "Still no luck there, though he's been hopeful with his latest trials," Jorge said.

  Thorne pulled out an empty potion vial. "With all the explosions Tenebrook had to make new type of glass. This should apparently shrug off a pretty powerful blast. No more worried about potions breaking during transport."

  "Should get those filled up in the alchemy tree," Len said. "How's my dad been doing with the Xintas?"

  "Your father's been holed up with them in that workshop by the tracks since you left," Jorge said. "They've got these massive blueprints spread across tables."

  Len smiled, picturing his father's enthusiasm for steam engines coming in handy. "Any idea what they're working on?"

  "Not exactly. But they've been pulling in skilled metalworkers and engineers from Eskon. The workshop's grown - open forges running day and night, furnaces belching smoke. Christina's got teams working in shifts." Jorge shifted. "Matthews you were helping them out?"

  "They've been turning iron into steel, also making different steam engines." Matthews chuckled. "Your father was complaining last week that you weren't there to help with some enchanting. Think he was just worried about you."

  Len nodded his thanks, a smile spreading across his face.

  "They heard about the books recovered from the engineering section of the forgotten library. That got them excited too," Matthews added. "Left before they arrived in Goran but I bet they're nose deep in them. I know they were learning the translation spell from Tenebrook's people."

  Len made a mental note to stop by the workshop when they returned. His father had always dreamed of building better engines - now he finally had the resources and expertise to do it properly.

  Jorge and his guys fell quiet, all caught up on new happenings.

  Wonder what Lucius has been up to and what's going on with Plynthia as a whole.

  Hayes looked up from his calculations. "Which is why we need to secure resources now, before competition increases. I'm going to check in on my people preparing the road."

  Len nodded.

  "Gentlemen," Hayes departed, heading off to marshal his people.

  "Alright, we'll give you the tour of the place, also get you some new gear," Len said.

  "New gear?" Jorge asked. "You been holding out on me?"

  "Maybe a little," Rick said.

  ***

  Len watched Jorge run his hand along the living wood armor, his expression a mix of awe and wariness as the material shifted and flowed to match his form. The Sylvani craftsmanship was something else - each piece adjusting perfectly to its wearer.

  "This is incredible," Jorge said, flexing his arms in the breastplate. "Light as cloth but harder than steel."

  Rick stood beside Len with arms crossed. "The wood responds to mana. Feed it a bit and it'll repair itself."

  The sergeants spread out through the armory, helping their squads select weapons and armor.

  "These bows," Thorne called out, lifting one. "They're warm to the touch."

  "Living wood," Len explained. "They adjust to the user's draw power and have an acceleration enchantment to up the arrow speed. Try it."

  Thorne nocked an arrow and drew back, aiming at a target down the training hall. The bow hummed, threads of green energy spiraling along its length. The arrow flew with a sharp crack, embedding itself deep in a wooden target.

  That sent excited rumblings through the troops.

  "Alright, looks like we're going to be checking everyone's bow skills. They're not like rifles."

  "Those of you with staves with me." Wells gathered several soldiers around a rack of staves.

  "I'm looking forward to when we can go back to rifles, though the dungeons are usually tight," Jorge said.

  "Ah, you just haven't met the masterful 'shotgun'," Rick grinned.

  "The dungeon sweeper," Len's smile took on an edge.

  "Making me all excited now." Jorge leaned forward.

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  "Uses a shell that's packed with powder and shot, you pump the action and fire. Comes out in a cone of fire," Len said.

  "Basically fucks up anything that you're pointing it at," Rick said.

  ***

  Len squinted as Sunlight hit his face, after days in the dungeon's green light. The air felt different - sharper, cleaner than the dungeon's heavy atmosphere.

  Rick emerged behind him, they'd shed food, bedding and other comforts in order to pack in as many samples from the dungeon as possible.

  Jorge stood at the entrance, his new armor gleaming with subtle patterns in the morning light. "The road crew's made good progress. Should have proper access within the week."

  "Good." Len stretched, bones popping.

  Rick adjusted his pack. "Keep an eye on the Sylavani tree's mana levels."

  "Already set up monitoring shifts." Jorge said.

  "Smart." Len nodded.

  "Safe travels," Jorge said. "Lady Carolyn will want to hear about everything."

  "Take care of the place," Rick said.

  Len took one last look at the dungeon entrance before heading down the newly cleared path with Rick. The morning sun filtered through the canopy above, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

  Len spotted Hayes's crew working along the path between dungeons. The logisticians had marked trees with red paint, creating a clear route that would connect the whispering grove to the forgotten library.

  "Mind if we help speed things up?" Len called out.

  Hayes looked up from his notebook. "Be my guest."

  Len drew his sword, the blade humming with stored energy. His enhanced strength and speed made the weapon feel lighter than ever. Rick pulled out his hammer, giving it an experimental swing.

  "Race you to the library?" Rick grinned.

  "You're on."

  Len burst forward, his legs propelling him faster than he'd moved in this life. The world blurred around him as he approached the first marked tree. His sword sliced through the trunk like butter, the massive tree groaning as it toppled away from the path.

  Another tree fell to his blade, then another. The wood split cleanly with each strike, his enhanced muscles and reflexes allowing precise cuts that would make any lumberjack jealous.

  Rick's hammer crashed through trunks beside him. Though they didn't send splinters flying. Instead where he hit turned into a wooden plank as he utilized his skills and spells.

  The tree toppled as he swung out at every one along their path. They leapfrogged past each other, leaving a trail of felled trees in their wake.

  Len's arms burned pleasantly from the exertion. Each swing taught him more about his new capabilities - how to channel his strength, where his limits lay. The sword moved like an extension of his arm, guided by muscle memory enhanced by their time in the grove.

  Hayes's crew grew smaller behind them as they carved their way through the forest. Their enhanced speed let them cover ground that would have taken the work crews days to clear.

  "Getting tired yet?" Rick called out.

  Len answered by accelerating, his blade flashing in the filtered sunlight as another tree crashed down.

  Rick laughed and followed.

  ***

  Len and Rick emerged from the forest path to find the forgotten library's entrance transformed.

  The soldiers were staring, with a squad watching the road Must've heard half the damn forest coming down.

  The sounds of construction filled the air - hammers striking nails, saws cutting through wood, workers calling out measurements and instructions. It was a far cry from the quiet clearing they'd first discovered.

  Where Gibson's outlined camp had stood, proper wooden structures now lined the clearing. Engineers moved purposefully between buildings, carrying tools and materials.

  Mackie stood near the entrance talking to three other men. His new lieutenant's insignia gleamed on his collar. He turned at their approach, a grin spreading across his weathered face.

  "Was wondering what was making all that noise toppling them trees. Thought it was an errant bear!"

  The squad watching where the road was going to pass through relaxed as Rick and Len walked through the camp towards Mackie.

  "Just thought we'd help Hayes out on the road," Rick said, casting his eyes over the buildings and the wooden wall that was going up.

  "Sergeant Surez, get your squad de-limbing the trees and moving them over to the lumberyard!"

  "Yes sir, come on lads, lets get some of those axes."

  The squad who had been watching the road moved off.

  "Congratulations on the promotion," Len said as he reached Mackie.

  "Thanks. Lady Carolyn's been handing them out like candy lately. Got my own platoon now." Mackie gestured at the organized chaos around them. "Gibson left good plans - we're expanding on them. Building proper storage, setting up lifts to handle the heavy loads."

  Mackie gestured to a tall man beside him with graying temples wearing a captain's insignia. "This is Captain Reynolds. He's our engineering specialist."

  Reynolds gave a crisp nod, his weathered hands clutching a roll of blueprints. "The road between dungeons is priority. We're cutting it wide enough for two carts to pass, with drainage ditches on both sides to prevent washout. My crews are working in sections - clear, grade, then lay gravel."

  Len noticed the man's boots were caked with fresh mud despite his otherwise pristine uniform. This one works alongside his men.

  "Show them the plans for concealment," Mackie said.

  Reynolds spread his blueprints across a nearby table. "We're leaving a screen of trees along both sides, thick enough to block view from any passing merchants or travelers. We'll keep a hut at the tree line to stop people from going deeper. We won't extend the road down it, keep it a dirt trail. It will look like an old logging trail from the outside."

  His finger traced lines on the paper. "Storage facilities will be built into the hillsides around the hut where possible, or disguised as hunter's lodges. Already have three false frontages built."

  "The lifts and loading equipment?" Rick asked.

  "All manual for now - don't want steam engines drawing attention. Though we're setting up the infrastructure to add powered systems later." Reynolds tapped another section of the blueprint. "Main challenge is moving materials efficiently while keeping everything hidden. We've got rotating guard posts and scout patrols watching all approaches." He looked to Mackie who nodded. Clearly the two had been working well with one another.

  Rick studied the detailed plans with Len. "Building materials?"

  "Well it seems that we jut got a lot more wood," Reynolds glanced back along the path they'd come with a wry smile. "The library regenerates the shelves and the walls, giving us plenty of shaped stone and planked wood."

  "Anything else?" Len asked.

  "Something from each of the sections, parts in the engineering, casting devices in the arcane, potions in the alchemical," Mackie supplied.

  Len nodded. The books were the most important and having an endless supply of stone was going to be great.

  "How long is it going to take to build all of this?" Rick asked.

  "Two weeks for the road and storage. Month and a half to have the defensive facilities and barracks up full implementation, assuming weather holds. Could be shorter depending on how people's skills grow and their stats." Reynolds rolled up the blueprints. "Lady Carolyn was quite clear - speed matters, but secrecy matters more."

  Len watched the logisticians work with practiced efficiency, loading bookshelves onto carts. The simple wooden buildings they'd constructed from fused wood provided temporary shelter for the library's contents.

  "We took out every book, then they got cataloged and kept dry. Was our top priority. Thankfully Gibson and his people had cleared out a lot for us," Mackie said.

  "Who's that?" Len tilted his chin towards a group off to the side, talking with a logistician.

  "Traders from Velkaris," Mackie said, sounding uncomfortable.

  Len turned back and raised his eyebrow.

  "They were in the area, had the right information. They're taking the random items we figured wouldn't be useful for us. They've been professional, got the logisticians keeping records of what they're taking."

  Lucius said he had people in the area. It was better to sell what they couldn't use than let it go to waste.

  "Smart having them take the extras," Rick said to Mackie. "Those enchanted items would just collect dust in Goran's vaults."

  "Enchantments aren't a normal thing yet so they're going to earn a good bit of coin as well," Len said.

  The logisticians had their own system, marking each shelf with chalk numbers before moving them. Their carts were loaded in precise arrangements to maximize space while preventing damage during transport.

  "Well I'm going to check on my guys," Reynolds nodded to them and headed off into the midst of construction.

  "We're sending out a convoy tomorrow morning," Mackie said. "Hayes' logistics teams will handle transport. Got enough carts to move a good portion of what we've cataloged."

  Rick's brow furrowed. "Always nice to have competent people. Talking about competent—why's Reynolds out here instead of working on the city fortifications? Man seems sharp enough for that kind of work."

  Mackie chuckled. "That's exactly why Everett sent him here. Reynolds gets... restless with standard projects. Likes building things from scratch, figuring out new solutions. Put him on city walls and he'd probably try redesigning the whole defensive system out of boredom."

  "And cause trouble," Rick added with a knowing grin.

  "Exactly. Out here, he's got free rein to innovate without disrupting existing infrastructure. Everett's words not mine." Mackie grinned.

  Len couldn't help but smile, remembering similar characters they'd served with over the years. Some soldiers needed the challenge of new problems to stay focused. Give them routine work and they'd find ways to make it complicated just to keep themselves interested.

  "Smart of Everett," Len said. "Better to channel that energy into something useful."

  "We'll make better time on foot, can make it there before tonight's train back to Goran," Rick said.

  "Sounds good to me," Len said.

  "Well, safe travels." Mackie reached out his hand Rick and then Len shaking it.

  "Goodluck, but it seems you have things well in hand," Rick said.

  "Thanks sir."

  They turned and walked away from the dungeon along the road to Warwick.

  Len adjusted his pack, the weight of their dungeon finds settling comfortably against his enhanced muscles. Rick fell into step beside him as they left the dungeon camp behind.

  Once clear of the work crews, Len broke into a run. His legs propelled him forward with supernatural speed, the forest blurring around him. Rick matched his pace easily, skipping over dips and running over rises, trees becoming their footholds as easily as the ground.

  "Since we're going through Warwick, should we have a little chat with Lord Warwick?" Len asked between breaths, remembering the noble's mounting debts and poor management of the region.

  Rick's grin turned predatory. "Absolutely. Been meaning to discuss some business opportunities with him. Might be needing a contract or two."

  They accelerated, eating up the miles with mechanical efficiency. Their enhanced bodies barely registered the exertion, a testament to their time in the grove. Trees whipped past as they emerged into the farming fields that surrounded the village.

  Many of the fields were sagging, the farmers fled. They were building up things in Goran and around the dungeons. Though there was a lot of suffering going on out there.

  One couldn't simply solve it all.

  They slowed their pace as they got closer to Warwick.