Focusing on the word brought up a new panel with a picture of a stone gate on a platform of polished, dark stone. The gate itself consisted of two stone halves in the shape of a bracket, between them was a mass of swirling, dark-blue energy. It looked every bit the magical teleportation gate one would see in a fantasy movie.

Portal: This structure allows for medium, long, and very-long distance travel. Be careful while traveling, as you won’t be able to return unless the other side also has this structure.

Curious. It’s not a gate connecting to other gates, but rather an actual teleporter. That’s both good and bad, Frank thought. His focus drifted from the description to the cost of building the structure.

Cost to Build: 300 SP (Requires Tier 3 Town Hall)

Tier 3, what? Frank blinked. Come to think of it, the description for Settlement Points said they were used for upgrading buildings as well, but I don’t see an option to upgrade Town Hall. Hmm, did Thomas not add permission to upgrade buildings to my War Adviser position? He could only shake his head mentally. The ‘SP’ part looks wrong too, there is a weird ‘T2’ symbol in front of it, while the other buildings had a ‘B’ symbol, similar to BitCoin. He sighed and closed all the panels, there would be time to figure everything out.

Opening his eyes he looked around, everyone was gone except for Carol, who sat relaxedly in a chair, her eyes glazed. Frank called out to her but got no response, figuring she was probably looking at the list of buildings, he decided not to disturb her. He left the room and found an orderly line of people waiting for their turn to come up to the Replica Core and submit their application, before leaving. He saw Steve standing nearby, leaning on the railing of the balcony as he watched over the crowd and tapped him on the shoulder.

“What’s happening?” Frank asked.

“Thomas said we should add everyone first so they can see the list of buildings too.”

“And where is Thomas?”

“He went outside, lookin’ for a spot for the warehouse.”

“Alright, guess I’ll head out too,” Frank announced and got a slight nod in response.

He sent a Group Chat message to his team, with a brief overview of what he'd learned, then left the building. The line of people waiting to apply stretched all the way to the base’s entrance and beyond. Frank rounded the corner but didn’t spot Thomas, he had to wander around for a bit before he finally found the man, who was animatedly discussing something with Baj. The two turned to face him as he approached, and a smile flashed across Thomas’s lips.

“Just in time, we need a tie-breaker,” Thomas said excitedly. “I am looking for a place for the Warehouse building. I want to place it close to the Southern entrance since it’s closest to the forest and it looks like we’re going to need to haul a lot of trees. But Baj here is worried that such placement makes it vulnerable if we get attacked, and thinks we should place it behind the Town Hall.”

“Um, we’ll need to get a new wall, encircling a larger area to hold everyone plus the buildings, so it shouldn’t matter,” Frank voiced his opinion after a moment.

“But building a full encirclement is going to take time, we’ll be vulnerable until the wall is completed,” Baj argued.

“True, but who’s going to attack us? And even if someone did and destroyed the Warehouse, we have no stored items for them to loot. Besides, wouldn’t most of us be dead by that point anyway?” Frank retorted.

“Thank you!” Thomas said, Frank’s words validating the argument he made himself.

“Anyway, I wanted to ask you something. Did you know there is a Portal building?”

“What?” Both men exclaimed in unison.

“Yeah, it’s the last in the list. However, it requires a tier 3 Town Hall to build, which is what I wanted to ask you about. Is there an option to upgrade existing buildings? If so, then you didn’t set the permission for me to see it.”

“Let me check… ah, crap, can’t do it from here. Baj, I am going to set the Warehouse by the South entrance. I’ll check on the permission settings afterward,” Thomas said and walked back to the central building.

“Maybe I am worried over nothing, but the whole “destroy this building to loot the spoils” vibe set off a red flag,” Baj muttered.

“The System certainly likes to encourage conflict,” Frank agreed. “Let’s go to the South entrance?”

He got an affirmative reply, and the two headed over. It didn’t take long before a cloud of purple mist to sip out from the ground. It expanded for about a minute or two before dissipating to reveal a plain-looking wooden barn. The structure was about eight by ten yards, and after walking around they found a set of wide double-sided doors facing the base’s entrance. Baj made a “hmm” sound as he walked up and pulled the doors open. It was completely empty inside. No shelves or storage boxes.

“Now what?” Baj wondered out loud.

“I mean, it’s supposed to store items, right?” Frank posed. He pulled out a short sword from his Spatial Ring and set it on the wooden floor. Nothing happened. “Weird. No instruction panels or anything.”

Baj summoned an item of his own, with the same results. He turned side to side, but there really was nothing else. “Maybe we’re supposed to just use it as regular storage?”

“The description said it’s used to exchange items into Settlement Points, so there has to be more to it than just a storage shed,” Frank said shaking his head.

“Well, I am out of ideas,” Baj said, spreading his hands.

“That makes two of us,” Frank said with a chuckle. “Oh, just got a notice saying I can now upgrade existing buildings. Going to go check it out,” he added and began to leave. One had to be inside Town Hall to access the Settlement tab.

Baj looked around one more time, then headed out as well. Frank was already moving toward the large building when he suddenly stopped.

The following item has been placed into the Warehouse: Short Sword (Common quality). Do you want to store this item or convert it into SP?

Frank selected the first option and made a one-eighty turn, returning to the Warehouse. Baj was walking toward him with a dejected expression.

“Did you do anything after I left? I just got a notification saying I’ve placed a sword into the Warehouse,” Frank explained.

“Huh? I didn’t do anything,” Baj said. “I closed the doors, I guess,” he added after some contemplation.

“That’s it! We are supposed to place items inside, then when the doors are closed the System uses some mumbo-jumbo to store them,” Frank said, snapping his fingers.

“I thought you picked the sword up before you left,” Baj muttered, as the two walked up to the building again.

Upon entering the Warehouse, a panel appeared in Frank’s view which listed the items he had in storage. Focusing on the sword gave him three options: take out, convert to SP, donate to Settlement. He chose the first option, and the sword appeared on the floor in front of him. Simple enough, he thought as he bent over to pick up the weapon. He swung it around a few times before placing it back on the floor and following Baj outside. They closed the doors shut, and a few seconds later Frank got the familiar pop up asking him if he wanted to store the sword or convert it into SP. This time he chose the latter option, causing the panel to disappear.

Frank sighed in defeat. Now to find where this God damned SP is listed, or would I have to be inside the Town Hall? New things were exciting but annoying to deal with. He closed his eyes, his hand moving up to massage the bridge of his nose. The System really dropped the ball with instructions this time, he lamented. He opened his Profile to look for new things when his attention was pulled toward the current tab. Previously, the main tab just had his name followed by his attributes, however, now there were two additional lines under his name.

Member of Refuge Settlement (War Adviser)

0.2SP

There was the ‘B’ symbol in front of his SP number. Focusing on the number brought up three options: take out, convert to other tiers, give to Settlement. Frank scratched his head, the second option was what he was looking for, but “take out” piqued his curiosity. He selected it and immediately felt something appear in his hand. Dismissing the Profile, he looked down at his hand to see that he was holding a sort of coin. About two inches in diameter, and thick, more like a cookie than a traditional coin, it shone with a dull golden radiance. The same ‘B’ symbol was etched on both sides of the coin. Focussing on it brought up a panel telling him that it was 0.2 SP.

“That is?” Baj asked, bringing Frank back from his thoughts.

“Settlement Points… coin. Apparently, we can take the SP out in such a fashion,” Frank replied. “Actually, here. See what kind of options it gives you,” he added, handing the coin to Baj as an idea struck him.

Baj shrugged and took the coin, his eyes losing focus for a bit.

“Oh, fuck,” he swore, his expression turning sour. “Yeah, I can add it to my own.”

“Isn’t that good? It means we can trade with others, and use it as currency among ourselves,” Frank asked, feeling puzzled by the man’s reaction.

“It also means people can steal it. Combined with the Warehouse being a juicy pinata, the chances of getting raided are even higher now,” Baj said and grimaced.

“We’d have walls for protection, not to mention the other buildings I saw on the list. I doubt anyone would risk their lives to attack us when they could just kill monsters instead,” Frank retorted.

“I am surprised, such a view seems rather naive. How many people got transported here when the System arrived? All the planes and boats in the world, a million? Two? Say it’s just half a million. There are less than a hundred Settlements on the map. Even if half the people already died, it would still leave two and a half thousand per Settlement. We don’t even have five hundred,” Baj explained.

“Meaning we are much smaller than average. That’s a troubling thought, though I doubt anyone would actually raid us, not at this point at least,” Frank said while caressing his chin. “All the more reasons to get stronger, I suppose.”

They continued to experiment with the Warehouse and were soon joined by Thomas and the others. Testing the SP values of different items took quite a while. Finally, they were finished and reconvened for another meeting in the Core room of the Town Hall. There were several new people as well, Tom and Ben – the scout leaders from Frank’s and Thomas’s groups respectively, Kareem, as well as an average-looking blond man in his thirties named Jordan – the guy Thomas appointed in charge of hunting and foraging.

“Ah, the life of a political elite. While ordinary people sit on the ground, we get this nice leather furniture,” Ben said with a chuckle as everyone made themselves comfortable.

“It’s got its perks,” Thomas replied while others chuckled. “Anyway, we’ve gotten a good idea of how the SP system works, now let’s discuss our next step. The Portal building caused a steer of enthusiasm, but with SP converting at 10 to 1 between tiers, a tier 3 Town Hall is going to cost 100,000 base SP, or even more if the cost goes up between tiers. Since going straight for the Portal isn’t feasible, what buildings should we build next?”

“We must build the wall, and make this Settlement great again,” Frank said, doing his best to mimic the voice.

“I knew someone would do it,” Steve said after laughing.

“All jokes aside, I agree. Not only is there a chance to get raided by other Settlements for our resources, but the Monster Ground with the wolves is still out there, and ours is the closest Settlement to it,” Baj said seriously.

“A full wall is going to take a while to build though. Assuming a radius of three hundred yards, to have enough room for people and all the buildings, we are looking at a circumference of roughly two thousand yards. At half SP per yard, that’s one thousand SP,” Thomas countered.

“Still, it should be our main focus. Although, I think we should get an Observation Orb first. It’s only 50 SP and would alert us to large groups of enemies in a thirty-mile radius,” Baj said.

“Anyone opposed? Then Observation Orb it is. Anything else we should build before focusing on the wall?” Thomas asked.

“Bathrooms!” Carol said loudly.

“Ah yes, the five bathrooms you guys had here aren’t enough now,” Thomas concurred. “What about wells?”

“Water isn’t really an issue, we’ve got plenty of flasks, and the river is nearby. Maybe one or two,” Frank suggested.

“Alright. Anything else?”

“The Shop,” Kareem suggested.

“You just want to see what kinds of skills and grids are available in it,” Frank said with a smile.

“That too. However, as Thomas has pointed out, we’re going to be stuck here for a while. Building the Portal and going home is a good goal, but it’s too far away, people need something more achievable to keep them motivated day to day. A new skill or a piece of equipment that will improve survivability would fit the bill nicely,” Kareem explained.

“And it would give people a way to use their SP. Otherwise, if everyone just donates everything to the Settlement, resentment would likely arise, as some would be more hardworking than others,” Carol added.

“I am sold. Anyone opposed? Then we’ll build it before starting on the wall,” Thomas announced. “Any other suggestions?”

“I mean, all the buildings sound useful, but we can get them afterward. I don’t want to fight a thousand wolves in the open where they can surround us,” Frank said.

“Alright. We’ll decide on the next buildings once the wall is finished. Which brings us to SP. As you know, one can give their SP to the Settlement, however, the main way to get SP is via a tax. I can set a daily amount that everyone will need to give to the Settlement,” Thomas explained. “What would be a reasonable, sustainable number?”

“One SP?” Baj proposed.

“That might be a bit much. Right now, everyone is flush with equipment from all the previous battles, but what about moving forward?” Thomas retorted.

“The issue is that we have no way to reliably farm resources. Foraging is good, and the occasional monster encounters are a nice bonus, but it’s not enough for four hundred people,” Frank mused.

“The only accessible resource is wood, but at half SP per tree, we’ll chop this whole forest down in a few weeks,” Kareem said.

“Not to mention we’ll need two thousand trees for the wall,” Chon added.

“Plus, it’s better to use Magical Crafting to process a tree into clubs and shields and such,” Steve chimed in.

“I wonder if this is what Monster Grounds are for. To give us a reliable source of farmable resources,” Ben said.

“The System isn’t that nice. And if that’s actually the case, it only spells trouble for us, should conflict arise over Monster Grounds,” Baj said.

“Fighting other people over monsters, what a world,” Tom muttered.

“No need to worry about what-ifs,” Jordan said. “If 1 SP is too much, how about half SP? Might still be pushing it, but it should be fine for some time. We can come back to it after the wall is up.” Others expressed their agreement.

“Carol, what about the plants and crystals?” Frank asked the woman.

“The foodstuff is barely worth anything, it’s like 0.02 SP per pound, but the crystals are worth half a point each. One SP if you turn it into a potion. It takes the flowers about a week to fully grow, and they produce new crystals every week,” Carol explained.

“There is also mining,” Chon chimed in. “In the mine by the goblins’ base, there were these nodes, hitting them with a pickaxe would damage them, yielding some ore at seventy, forty, and zero percent. Afterward, the nodes disappeared, but I assume they respawn.”

It felt rather weird listening to Chon speak. He clearly spoke Korean, yet the System would translate the words and feed Frank their meaning. Frank shook his head and focused back on the conversation.

“A single node gives 1 SP worth of ore, and there were fifteen nodes when we dispatched the goblins,” Chon finished.

“That reminds me, the ore you brought back was mined by the goblins from the same mine, right? Magically Infused Tier 1 Metal Ore,” Steve said, shifting his gaze to Frank, who nodded in response. “We couldn’t do anything with it. I wonder if we could process it in the Smithy building.”

“Ah, yes, there was one such node in the mine, but we couldn’t damage it,” Chon said.

“You couldn’t? But why? The goblins clearly could, since they had mined it. You got the mining pickaxes from the goblins, right?” Frank asked.

“Yes, from the goblins. Maybe they used some special technique? Or a mining skill?” Chon said and shrugged.

“Hm, the Town Hall upgrade requires Tier 1 wood. Does it mean there are Magically Infused trees out there? And stones?” Thomas mused. “Anyway, we should definitely make use of this mine, and look for others. That aside, does everyone agree with the proposed daily tax of half SP for now?”

Everyone expressed their agreement, and Thomas continued. “Just two more topics and we’ll be done. First, what about people like me, Steve and his crafters, and Carol and her team of gardeners? How will they earn SP if they stay inside the Settlement? Plus, they are providing a public service and should be compensated for it.”

“Ain’t an issue for me. If people or the Settlement need somethin’ crafted, like potions or armor, and they provide the materials, the crafter can take a commission of say half the difference between the SP values of the raw materials and the finished product,” Steve explained after shaking his head vigorously.

“Um, it’s a bit more complex for my people. Since the food is worth little, and the crystals will be needed by the Settlement,” Carol said hesitantly.

“Why don’t we let you keep half of what you grow, and you can split it among your people as you see fit,” Jordan proposed. “This way, one can choose to go out foraging, where they’d keep everything but face the danger, or they could grow food in the safety of the Settlement, but would only keep half.”

“Yeah, I guess that works,” Carol said after thinking the idea over.

“As for you, Thomas, I think you should draw a salary. Since I have a feeling you’ll have your hands full with running this place and won’t have time to fight monsters,” Jordan said.

“Won’t that cause resentment? People are out there working their butt off and risking their lives, and I am here, enjoying this furniture while taking their hard-earned spoils,” Thomas asked.

“As long as everyone sees you working hard, and the amount is reasonable, people shouldn’t hold a grudge. Besides, if you went foraging and got killed, that’d be bad,” Frank reassured him.

“I guess we’ll go with that. I’ll wait until the wall is finished, and we have a better understanding of how much SP people can earn before I propose a number for you to approve,” Thomas said. “And now, our last topic: relations with other Settlements. The closest ones are New Shanghai, 168 miles to the north, and New Rome, 318 miles to the East. I propose we make contact with both, though Shanghai is the more important one. Not only are they much closer, but there is also that bad history, potentially,” Thomas said, referring to Helen’s and Demi’s ordeal with some men not far from where the Settlement was located.

“Sure, I and my guys will go,” Ben said without hesitation.

“That attitude is why you are a scout,” Thomas said with a chuckle. “Establishing friendly relations would be best. At the very least, you should get a read on their attitude towards us and other settlements, as well as their numbers, level of organization, and general mood. Anything else Baj?”

“That about covers it. I doubt Ben can tell their power compared to us. Maybe keep an eye for equipment? Like if they have plenty of people with armor, that would make them ahead of us on that front,” Baj said after a short while.

“As for New Rome, how about you, Tom?” Thomas asked, turning to face the short, pudgy man who seemed to be enjoying himself, sitting lazily in his chair.

“Huh? Come on, they are 300 miles away, that’s like 5 days, at least. Probably more if the terrain is bad or we have to fight monsters.” He turned toward Steve and continued, “don’t forget, I lost one of my men in that goblin fight.”

Baj wanted to say something, but Frank interrupted him, causing the man to swallow his words. “Do you feel the trip is too dangerous or is there something you want to do to prepare for it first?” Frank asked. Looks like he hasn’t fully recovered from that fight. Either that or he’s trying to dodge his job, he thought.

“Um, I… I’d like to find a new member, to get our numbers back to six. Plus, we need to level our Hide skill. We’ve just gotten it while spying on the goblins, so it’s currently at below level 20 for all of us. Spending a week on combat training would be good too. Maybe some potions so I won’t run out of mana,” Tom began counting.

“I suppose that sounds reasonable?” Frank asked, looking at Thomas and Baj.

“Yes, a week should be fine,” Thomas agreed after musing for a bit. “That wraps things up. We can get started with the Observation Orb and the Shop tomorrow,” he continued, as he got up and stretched.

“And the bathrooms!” Carol reminded him.

“Yes, yes, the bathrooms too. Trust me, I don’t enjoy waiting in line for half an hour any more than you do,” Thomas said.

The group shuffled out of the room, each one going their own way after exiting the building. Frank looked at the Sun, which had begun to set. Should still be a few hours before dawn, he thought. Time to train!