Gabriel arrived in Shanty Town after descending the mountain. The carts in the distance could just be made out, as the setting sun cast long shadows over the hilly terrain. The villagers continued to congregate in small groups, conversing in hushed whispers. Gabriel was about to approach one of these groups to inform them of the incoming goods and Village plans when a gangly youth appeared in front of him.

“My Lord, you said I was to inform you when the carts arrived. They are not here yet, is something wrong? Are you leaving us already?” [Billy] asked, he didn’t quite meet Gabriel’s eyes as he spoke.

“No, I am not going anywhere Billy. This is my territory now, I will not be letting anything or anyone drive me off of it. I can’t be leaving just as I arrived, there is so much still to do. I came down early because I finished with what I had to do at the manor and saw the carts approaching from the top of the mountain. I also wanted to notify everyone of a few things. Can you do me a favour and gather the Villagers here for me?”

[Billy] seemed to let go of the breath he didn’t know he was holding, after hearing Gabriel’s explanation, the very voice filled with steely determination when he said ‘my lands’. With a nod and smile, he sprinted off to do as asked. Within only a short 5 minutes, the Villagers all gathered together in front of Gabriel.

Gabriel led them through the renovations he had planned at the Map Table. Majority was happy to hear they would be getting a new home, only a small minority was unhappy to hear that their shacks would be demolished in the process.

“Excuse me Lord but how much do you plan to charge us for the new homes?” A spindly old man asked from the crowd.

“For now, absolutely nothing. I will not charge you any rent or force you to purchase your new homes. However, once this Village becomes a Tier 1 Town things will change. At that time, I believe majority of you will be working in your desired profession and receiving a decent income. I will then give you the option to rent your current homes or you can buy them from me. Of course, if you managed to save enough money, you can choose to have a new home constructed in the preference you desire.” Gabriel explained.

The Villagers murmured among themselves, digesting Gabriel’s words. Gabriel continued before more questions could come forth.

“Tomorrow we will begin the construction. My Steward should also arrive by then, she will run the census. At this time, we do not have many jobs to be done besides the initial construction, I would like to ask for every able-bodied person to help. The sooner we get everyone a safe and comfortable place to sleep behind some secure walls, the better.” Gabriel finished.

Some of the Villagers asked Gabriel questions, like where he planned to keep the incoming goods? Gabriel attempted to answer them all, some of the questions though, he had no answer for. This was all fairly new to Gabriel. He had led whole armies before, full of players and NPCs alike, worked out battle plans that had contingencies for multiple situations, he always tried his best to follow other players streams, to learn even the tinniest bit of information.

However, after hearing a question from one of the villagers, it made him realize he needed to do a lot more planning for his territory to thrive. The question the villager asked was, “Where are the construction tools for us to help out tomorrow?”

Gabriel was pretty sure that [Dagan], who he bought his supplies from, wouldn’t have provided him with new tools in the incoming delivery. Before Gabriel could formulate an answer, another Villager spoke up.

“My Brothers and I are lumberjacks by trade. We will need plenty of lumber from the local forest for the palisade. After a good meal, we could start cutting down some trees. We just need some axes; will they be in the upcoming delivery?” A large man with a full beard asked, behind him stood three almost identical men.

Gabriel just smiled and didn’t know how to respond. ‘Tools, god damn, how did I not think of buying tools. I’m a tool.’ Gabriel berated himself. The incoming carts were only a few minutes from the village now. Gabriel saw them approaching and used it as an excuse to answer their questions later. Gabriel wasn’t arrogant enough to not admit he made a mistake, but on his first day as [Baron] he wanted to instil a sense of complete trust in his first set of Villagers. Telling them he didn't order some very necessary equipment wouldn't help at all.

As Gabriel made his way over to the carts, he opened his PM system. He clicked on the game name [Gremlin]. Gabriel wrote a quick message, asking him if he could buy some tools for him and deliver them to Eagle Peak tomorrow. After only a short moment Gabriel received a reply from Tom, stating that he couldn’t do it, as tomorrow would be the last part of his current profession quest.

Gabriel understood and asked [T], [Rex] and [Mouse], getting an apology with a no, from all of them. [Mouse]’s quest from [Fortuna], had apparently taken him far away and he couldn’t return until he finished. Gabriel decided to ask [Phat-Cat] and [Lil Tiger], they were both currently offline, so he couldn’t get a reply yet.

Gabriel left it for the time being and went to meet the man in charge of this caravan. Giving him a wave, the four carts rolled up and parked in a line. A round bellied man, dressed in ostentatious garb and wide toothy smile, looking like a typical greasy merchant, got off the lone horse not attached to a cart and approached Gabriel. The Merchant stuck his hand out a couple of steps before reaching Gabriel, making Gabriel have to walk forwards to meet the Merchant’s handshake. It appeared to be a subtle way to say ‘we are equals'.

“Sooooo, you must be the new [Baron]. You’re also one of those new travelers, are you not?” The now sweaty man asked Gabriel.

“Yes, that’s me. [Baron Osiris], and you are?” Gabriel replied.

“Forgive me, where are my manners. I am just a humble Merchant. My name is [Tredor], I work for [Baron Malcus Deciumus].” [Tredor] replied. Even though he had a smile on his face, he never stopped observing everything behind Gabriel. The fat Merchant’s mouth crooked in a small smile, seeing the state of the village.

“So [Tredor], tell me why a Merchant from [House Deciumus] is has come to my little territory. I have only recently taken over and have no resources for trade as of yet. What could the Baron need from me?” Gabriel asked, he raised his voice slightly to catch the full attention of the Merchant.

“Oh, well your great name has already started to spread among the Nobles. My Lord owns the lands that border yours to the south. He knows that this land you have been entitled, is not developed and lacking in a few essentials. As you travellers have not been here for long, we imagined that you may need a helping hand. [Baron Malcus] generously offered to supply you with resources and funding, to help with a speedy development.” [Tredor] explained, holding his hands out grandly.

“Now, why would the [Baron] offer me anything. I have not exactly shown my worth as of yet. I also imagine that the generous offer of supplies and money, are not for free?” Gabriel asked, narrowing his eyes.

This whole conversation gave Gabriel an uncomfortable feeling. He felt talking to this Merchant, was like treading through high grass filled with snakes, always waiting for one to spring out and bite.

“You are quite right but the [Baron] is a wise man and can already see your worth. He is a man of the highest pedigree and has a way of seeing the value of something or someone, before it is apparent to anyone else. The [Baron]’s terms are, he will provide you with 500 units of supplies, including bricks, lumber, stone, iron and food stuffs. He will also give you 1000 Gold as additional funding. The only thing he asks for in return, is a little plot of land of yours that borders his territory.” [Tredor] said, pulling out a document and map from his jacket pocket.

Gabriel locked at the map and saw a line drawn that cut off about a quarter of his current territory. It was by no means a “small plot of land”. The land however, appeared to hold no value, it was empty grassland, with a small stream that led into a pond. That was it. Gabriel furrowed his brow and looked back and forth from the merchant to the map.

“I am sorry to say, but at this time, I will have to decline. You are right in saying I have only just inherited these lands. I have not had done a thorough investigation of everything this place holds yet. Until I do, I don’t think it will be a good idea to start chopping up my territory for others, like piece meal. Now, if you will excuse me, I have things to do.” Gabriel said, wanting to end to conversation and get moving.

Gabriel went to past by the Merchant, whose greasy smile was now frozen stiff, a chubby hand shot out surprisingly fast and grabbed his bicep. [Tredor] turned his head to face Gabriel, with narrowed beady eyes and gritted teeth.

“Do not be foolish little Baron. You are new to this world; you may not know it but my Lord has powerful friends. Don’t spit in his face and tell him it’s raining.” [Tredor] warned, his chubby hand trying to grip Gabriel’s bicep tighter.

Gabriel wrapped his own hand around [Tredor]’s and clenched down hard. The merchant let out a squeal of pain, sounding like a dying pig. Gabriel lent his forehead against the merchants and pushed slightly. To an outside observant it would look like they were a pair of Rams butting heads.

“Listen here [Tredor]. You return to your [Baron] and tell him that I decline. Do not enter my lands again without permission or I will throw you off Eagle Peak and blame it on a rogue Witch we must have missed. Also, tell [Baron Malcus] that trying to threaten me with [Primus Pilus]’s status won’t work on me. I don’t give two shits if he is the Baron’s nephew or not, nor I believe does he... Now fu*k off.” Gabriel said, ramming his forehead forwards with a bit more force, it in turn caused [Tredor] to take a step back.

[Tredor] just stared at Gabriel for a moment, before he waddled away with a humorless chuckle. Mounting his horse, [Tredor] rode away without a look back. Gabriel watched until the merchant and his horse became a dot in the distance. A muscular Dwarf, with a grey beard, in a leather workman's vest approached the stationary Gabriel.

“Are you [Baron Osiris]?” The Dwarf asked.

“That’s me, are you one of the workers [Dagan] sent over?” Gabriel turned to face the Dwarf and asked.

“Aye [Baron]. My name is [Brettile], I am a [Journeyman Builder] and in charge of the other laborers for as long as you need us.” [Brettile] replied, slapping his meaty chest in pride at his profession level.

Gabriel then explained his current plans. After listening, [Brettile] recommended they reinforce one of the unused shacks first and make it a temporary storehouse for their supplies. Gabriel also informed the foreman, that the Villagers will also give a hand tomorrow when Gabriel gets some more tools and [Brettile] can use them where he needs. After they finished working out a couple other small problems, [Brettile] called over his workers to unload everything.

“By the way [Brettile], I also hired four [Prospectors], where are they? Did they not come with you?” Gabriel asked before the Dwarf walked away.

“Aye they came. All four of them got out of the carts where your territory begins. They told me to let you know, that they have already started their survey and should be done within three days. They will wait for you at your manor on top of the mountain. Odd bunch of lads if you ask me.” [Brittle] replied.

Gabriel walked back over to the Villagers, who had slowly begun surrounding the carts when they arrived. They appeared like a swarm of seagulls, just waiting for the laborers to unload the food before they swooped in. Gabriel stood in front of the crowd and clapped his hands to capture their attention.

“Everybody please, listen to me. Every person here will get a piece of flatbread and a flagon of fresh milk once the supplies have been unloaded. Now please line up in an orderly manner and moved to the side once you have received your serving. [Billy] and [Sarah] can you come and give me a hand.” Gabriel called out.

[Billy] and [Sarah] ran over to Gabriel, almost jumping on the spot. He gathered them close and spoke in a soft voice for only the two to heal.

“Okay you two, I will need [Sarah] to distribute the flat bread and [Billy] to distribute the Milk. Please make sure each person only gets one. No matter what they say, if they persist let me know and I will handle it. Don’t forget to also give yourselves the same amount at the end too. Now can I trust you two to do this for me?” Gabriel asked, giving them both a firm look.

“Yes, my Lord.”

“You can trust in me my Lord.”

After seeing the two show such serious faces, at what they must have felt was a very important task. Gabriel patted them softly on their shoulders and handed over a Silver to them each. Gabriel knew it would take a little time before everything was set up. Some of the workers and villagers had already started lighting torches, as the sun began to fall from the sky. He decided to use the time to do the [Clear Water] quest.

Gabriel made his way around the base of the mountain, watching the scenery closely and checking for any noteworthy marks. After walking for twenty minutes, Gabriel saw an out of the place wooden board, it was leaning against the barren mountain. Gabriel lifted the board about half his height and threw it to the side.

With the board moved, a circular tunnel was revealed, the size of the opening would require Gabriel to crouch on his hands and knees to enter. From Gabriel’s perspective, the tunnel looked like a slide, as the surface appeared smooth and went straight down.

Just before Gabriel was about to enter, a notification accompanied by the sound of a ding stole his attention.

[Your item [Guild Token (Gold Rank)] auction time has finished. Player [BadBoyBraxen] has won, with the final bid of – 42,000 Gold. The total amount, minus 2% for Marketplace fees, will be transferred to your account within the hour]

Gabriel almost fell in the hole reading the notification, he read it again just to make sure. Gabriel was expecting a large amount, but didn’t think it would be this much. Considering how it was still quite early in game, he didn’t think anyone would be able to gather that amount of Gold in only twelve short hours.

Gabriel also took notice of the Player who won the bid. This was information that didn’t give him any shock, [BadBoyBraxen] was Leonard’s oldest son Jack. Braxen Co was one of the first companies to invest so much, so early on in D.O., giving them a powerful head start compared to others.

“You will get yours soon enough Jack, you little basta*d.” Gabriel muttered, his face darkening at the memories of the sadistic man.

Gabriel took a moment to calm himself down, as images of his past interactions with Jack Braxen flashed through his mind. Shaking his head, Gabriel took a deep breath and sat on his butt, he put his hands on the sides of the tunnel and started sliding down the hole towards the underground spring.