The tents in the base camp was noticeably more dispersed and opulent than the ones that Gaius had lived in for the past two days. It also helped that dust and sandy soil was far less common in snowy areas, a perennial truth that extended even to another world. As a result, even the unused tents seemed pristine, untouched.

“I don’t think I need to tell you which tent you’ll be in, do I?” asked Major Degurechaff, who had his hands full with boxes that contained Gaius’ equipment.

“No, sir.”

Of all the tents in Gaius’ vicinity, only one had snowmen and snow sculptures flanking the path leading to the entrance, like an honour guard of sorts. A little girl and a female soldier were pushing a snowball together, and by the time Major Degurechaff and Gaius had reached the tent, the snowball was already a metre tall.

“I see you’re having fun, ladies.” Major Degurechaff stopped five metres away from the entrance, clearly reluctant to continue down a road flanked by snowmen and castles.

“Sir!” The soldier pushing the snowball jerked up straight, and saluted.

“Don’t mind me, Lieutenant Ornielle. Joy has been a rather scarce commodity in the recent years.” The major coughed lightly. “Continue playing with Gaius’ sister, while I get him settled and briefed.”

“Sir, let me—”

“It’s an order.”

The lieutenant fell silent, torn between obeying Major Degurechaff’s order and her duties as a secretary. But in that moment of indecision, the major had walked down the path and pushed the tent flap open. She looked at Nakama and smiled wryly, before the duo continued to push the snowball.

There wasn’t really much Gaius could do, so he followed the major’s footsteps and entered the tent. His eyebrows shot up as he stepped over the threshold — the interior of the tent was actually at a comfortable temperature.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” said Major Degurechaff. “When I did my first inspection here, my facial expressions were even more exaggerated than yours. The wonders of artificing are on full display here.”

“Artificing?”

“The study of making tools, both magical and non-magical.” The major rubbed his nose in contemplation. “Today’s Tuesday, which means that the next artificing class will be two days later. I trust that you can hold in your curiosity for that long?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Excellent. Now, inside these boxes are mostly winter clothes, since this place is winter all year round. The bags that you’re carrying with your left hand—” The major pointed at them. “—are full of materials. Metal, string, wood, flammables. You can replenish them at the Gem exchange for a price when you run out.”

Major Degurechaff held up a hand as Gaius opened his mouth. “You don’t need to ask. But first, let me tell you what your job here is. Do you know about the world’s creation?”

“The one about the two ancient gods who fought each other?”

“Correct.” The major nodded in approval. “Our world wasn’t like this in the age of the Great Struggle, when Tiadall and Pabar fought each other to the death. It was the God of Earth and Animals, Rahwei, and Conrah, the God of Water and Life, who made the world suitable for us to live in. They accomplished such a task by creating a layer of earth and water above the original world, building upon the foundation of land that formed after the two Ancients passed away.”

The major spread his hands. “What you see here is where the real Orb and the one created by Lord Rahwei and Lord Conrah intersect. The real Orb is a world of gemstones, each of them valuable because of their properties. Your job here is to explore this intersection and bring back gemstones for us.”

“In that case,” asked Gaius, “why aren’t the soldiers…above doing this job?”

“Because they’re all above twenty years old, and entering Heritage has an age limit for reasons no one knows why,” replied Major Degurechaff, a bitter smile on his face. “By the time the Second Extermination ended, most of our young soldiers had died. Only those that were too young, like you, managed to survive. At the same time, we needed to replenish our troops, which meant that the conventional strategy of sending out as many people as possible here was no longer viable.”

The major sighed, the lines on his forehead making him look far older than he should be. “We decided to send only the talented here, to provide an environment where they can be nurtured, and to give them opportunities. The places where gemstones can be harvested are also home to very powerful energies, which can boost one’s cultivation rapidly.”

“In return, any gemstones they harvest will be used to fuel Ark City’s defences. We’ll exchange resources for gemstones — weapons, food…anything we have is on the table.” The major passed a piece of paper over to Gaius. “Written here is the quota of gems we want every month. It’s a manageable amount, but there will always be risks.”

“Risks?” asked Gaius.

“The Cardinal continents, as well as the Central Circle, also have access to this place as well,” answered Major Degurechaff. “Anyone not part of the same faction will be attacked on sight, and sometimes even people on the same faction would kill each other, if they’re backed by political factions hostile to each other. By and large, we try to discourage such actions, but these do occur.”

“Sounds risky. But I don’t think I can refuse, now that I’ve seen all this, can I?”

“Technically, you can.” The major rolled his eyes. “But there’s always a price. Besides, do you seriously want your sister to sleep in a communal tent, where only one meal is served every day? The base camp serves lunch and dinner, with a guaranteed meat serving.”

“These conditions are very tempting. You should have told me that earlier.” Gaius’ stomach rumbled as he replied matter-of-factly.

“You’re in, then?”

“Naturally. I’ll be in your care, Major Degurechaff.”

“Likewise, Harvester Gaius.”

Gaius placed the boxes beside a bed. The tent had only two beds inside, and one of them was clearly moved in just an hour or so ago, presumably to accommodate Nakama.

The major looked at him with a smile. “I think you and your sister just had lunch, but would you care for another serving?”

“Definitely, sir.”