Horn was standing with Grom, discussing their building order. The architect was just explaining to him how the whole process worked. “… and so these points are an easy estimate of how much work a building would take. To simplify for someone of your, hmm – wisdom - each level of a worker counts as a single build point. If they are managed by a constructor, you add ten percent by each level of the constructor, who in turn also gives double the points for his level, and finally, if several groups of constructors are managed by me, you double their output.”

“Okay, that’s quite clear, and what about unskilled workers?”

“They give you a third of their levels in build points, and mostly they can support only at the beginning of the construction, cleaning, maybe hauling some resources. Mostly, they’re just useless.”

“And levels of builder’s skills?”

“They mostly affect the final quality of the building. Us dwarves make structures that these hoomish bastards can only dream of! Look at this,” Grom pointed to his surroundings, “This was made by them, and what? A few thousand years, and there’s nothing left! Amateurs! Did you see what they used for mortar?” Grom bent to pick a piece of old stone. His trousers on suspenders moved a bit by doing so, showing Horn a view he wanted to erase from his mind.

“Yea, I believe you!” He quickly shouted, trying to turn away, but his eyes remained locked. It was horrible like a curse was cast over him. He felt bile rising in his throat, but then finally Grom raised, hiding the terrible view.

“So, as I was saying. We have around twenty builders, but more are coming by the minute. The one thing that hoomish are good for is doing paperwork. Who needs it in a building?” Grom rhetorically asked before adding, “With my boys, we’re up to four constructors and twenty-seven builders. Each constructor can have a team of ten under him, so we’re missing some workers. With their levels, it comes to around six hundred points a day. It's quite a bit for low tier buildings, and its pittance for the higher-level ones.”

“So, what are our options? Did you prepare the list of blueprints we have?” Horn asked,

“Aye, here it is.” Grom gave him a list.

Building type

Tier 1

Tier 2

Basic gathering

150-250

200-350

Advanced gathering

400-500

-

Basic processing

200-300

250-350

Advanced processing

350-450

-

Warehouse

200

275

Dwelling

150

250

Basic Utility

150-350

200-450

Advanced Utility

350-600

850-1200

Long House

200

350

Barracks

250

450

Arena

175

350

Training field

450

850

House of Knowledge

400

850

Chieftain Hut

175

400

Market

175

550

Townhall

1500

5000

Guild hall

1500

5000

Shrine

850

1450

Minor Temple

1350

2900

Temple

1750

4000

Cathedral

15000

-

Crafter hall

1600

2000

Basic workshop

300-600

800-1400

Advanced workshop

600-1200

1500-2500

Slave pens

400

1050

Breeding pens

900

1500

Prison

1350

-

Guard towers

950

1850

Defensive walls by 5-yard segment

550

1300

Shamanistic circle

1750

3000

Ship cradle

500

1500

Docks

6000

10000

Gryphon's Nest

15000

25000

Thankfully Grom shortened it, adding some asterisk next to different types of buildings. For example, the basic gathering type ranged from Herbalist hut, lumberjack camp, quarry, and even a mine. The processing buildings were ones like Windmill or a Crucible. Basic utilities covered latrines, baths, kitchens, while advanced had tavern, inn, and school inside. Grom said the list was only what they had available and that hundreds more could be built. The possibilities were just mindboggling. Beside the list, he had several higher-tier buildings unlocked. A third tier training course that could improve attributes, the reward for arena challenge, the fourth tier Gryphon nest, the third level shamanistic circle, looted from goblin’s chief in tribe versus tribe challenge, and tier three walls found in the library.

On top of that, he had the rewards from challenges. Divine workshop hearthstone, an item that could upgrade any workshop to who knows what Tier. He had a random high-level technology to claim when they built a House of Learning. He also could upgrade a dungeon with Divine Dungeon Evolution Orb, and finally, he had Arena Portal stone, that if he understood correctly, would create a link to the arena instance where he could fight for rewards and meet other tribes.

Horn wanted it all, best at once, but he knew it was impossible. The build order was critical. The newcomers were a blessing in disguise, multiplying his capabilities but also needs. With six hundred build points a day, he could make most of the basic buildings daily, that was until Grom started talking about resources. They had plenty of raw stone from the ruins, but it had to be cut into workable pieces. They had plenty of trees in the forest, but the wood had to be processed to be useful. They had very little metal remaining, the mountains around probably held riches, but one had to first find them. Overall, he had hundreds of workers and nothing to work with.

They quickly set up a basic plan. The builders would split into several groups, as any single project he had in mind was too small to accommodate them all. One group doing around two hundred BP daily would focus on building Tier two longhouses. They were large dwellings with some split-off rooms for even a shred of privacy. Each could accommodate around thirty-five dwarves. By pushing work hours a bit, they could finish a single one in a day. The building would be made with a mix of stone and wood to lessen the strain on the resources.

The second smaller group would work on basic gathering buildings. Lumber camps with carts to haul timber, some basic shelter to minimalize the time away from the job, a stonecutting workshop with some ingenious pulley system to haul large blocks of stone for processing. Lumbermill to process the raw timber into wooden planks. Gathering camps with sorting stations and corals for their livestock, later with the addition of a hen house.

The third group would start with utility buildings, latrines had to be dug, bathhouses built. One of Grom’s builders found an exit of an old aqueduct which had to be inspected and rebuilt. The issue with the plateau was the lack of running water. The closest stream was half a mile away, and the logistics of bringing up the water would be a mess. In the meantime, they also needed a mess hall with a large kitchen.

Then the fourth group would focus first on a few workshops, then on a shrine and a townhall. The workshops would start with a smithy and forge, then the crafting hall, which had basic tools for most crafts. It would be crowded, but the time for dedicated workshops would come. Horn maybe acting foolishly but decided to skip the fortifications for the time being. The amount of work and resources to make them viable was just too much. He had to jump-start the productions chains first.

On top of splitting builders, he gathered every Geomancer adept and miner and sent them all over the valley to look for metals. They had to start mining asap to keep up with builders’ demand. Finally, the orders were set in motion, a literal sea of his people departed the plateau to their assignments.

Horn took a moment to rest. He envisioned the city that would be built here. He decided to split the city into four districts, with the townhall right next to the entrance to the tunnels and the side chamber with the Soul Well. Opposite to it, a military quarter would be built, with barracks, training grounds, armories, an arena, and siege workshops. Adjacent to that a living space with longhouses and later on just houses, he even envisioned it to be half underground as his people didn’t mind that. On the opposite wall, a crafting and trading hub, and finally, the last part just next to the townhall would be reserved for other unique buildings like magical corps, temples, and guild houses.

For the first time since the beginning of the game, he finally felt in the right place. Watching his dwarves work, watching literal walls being raised before his eyes. The feeling was exciting, invigorating even. Full of energy, he stood and started helping where he could. Maybe that wasn’t the chiefly way of doing things, but building something with his own hands was amazing.

The evening came quickly and brought the procession of tired dwarves returning to the camp. Horn was already resting. Today no building was finished, but progress was amazing. Foundations of two longhouses waited for planks to finish. The first workshop had its stonework similarly done, and rubble was cleared for a proper camp. The returning dwarves brought gifts. Several carts of ready planks were hauled back. They were still green, wet with resin, and for sure would require replacing in a few months, but the labor of the day’s work was there. On top of that, some game and forage were coming back, sacks of wild vegetables, berries, and even edible bark were brought in. Carcasses of animals, from squirrels to a pair of deer. It seemed pitiful for a five hundred strong clan, but that was a start.

The clan was in a jovial mood. Despite the hardships, the work without much danger was bringing the best out of his industrious people. He was chatting with one of the builders, who taught him his craft throughout the day when Bismar the innkeeper approached. With a sly smile saying, “Chieftain, I have happened to find a bottle of our best ale. You deserve it for making it a reality. It’s a shame it’ll be the last we have until my girls set up a proper brewery. It can take months.”

The builder next to Horn shot up in alert. The panic in his eyes was clearly visible. He was about to rush to start building the damn brewery. Horn chuckled and said, “Thanks, the brewery is one of the priorities, maybe the highest one, but how would it help us if we don’t have anything to brew? We need to first plant the hops, gather fruits and honey before we can start preparing the ale. It’ll come, mister Brismar, it’ll come.”

The dwarf grumbled a bit but finally nodded. They said their goodbyes, and Horn was left with a bottle. The builder next to him looked at it like it was his long-lost family member. Horn just chuckled again and passed the bottle. That simple exchange was interesting for him, and it felt so good. This was why he was building the city.

However, his good mood was quickly thrown away as commotion started deeper in the camp. He heard shouts calling for arms. Horn promptly ran towards the sounds. What he found stopped him dead. An actual combat line of Valkyries covered a dozen or so their civilians. Against it, a few dozen of his dwarves hefted weapons, even just pieces of timber, ready to clash. Ingrid was in front of her troops trying to calm down the scene, but without much success. Seeing the inevitable clash in his mind, Horn did the only thing coming to mind. He cast Flame Strike into the air. The unexpected column of fire erupting behind their backs cooled off his people. Getting into the middle, he shouted, “What the hell is going on in here?”

A choir of voices accusing the riders of everything from stealing personal belongings to poisoning the water erupted. Horn was dumbstruck. He didn’t expect such an answer. “Enough!”

“They are our allies, they didn’t do anything against us, and their vow bounds them to the Lightforge. I have no idea where you heard these lies you’re spewing, but this ends tonight. Anyone found raising their arms against our allies or spreading the accusations will be punished! Is that clear?!”

Most of his men hesitantly nodded. However, Horn saw several angry looks. Even a few of clear hatred. A few days ago, his clan somehow accepted the Riders, but he didn’t account for all newcomers. They didn’t see them in action, and they didn’t go through the challenge. For them, Ingrid’s people were traitors. That was an issue.

As the crowd dispersed, he approached his ex-champion. “We have a problem, don’t we?”

“Yes, pumpkin. It won’t go away. This situation escalated from bumping into somebody. They almost lynched us, and we would have to defend ourselves.” She replied, her eyes dropping to the ground.

“Well, shit.” Horn grumbled, “We have to separate you. It’ll be unfair, but my clan needs time.”

“I know, I’ve told you so, but you never listen.”

Horn just nodded thoughtfully, wondering what could be done. Exiling her wasn’t an option. He’d never consider that, but keeping them with the main clan was a recipe for disaster. The newcomers needed time to adjust to their ways. Acting like the issue didn’t exist would only lead to a bloodbath or worse, a rebellion. Just as the things began to click, the issue arrived.

He considered building a secondary settlement for her, but that would stretch him too thin. He barely had dwarfpower to prepare the main city. He looked at the dark valley and the tiny dot of fire at one of the passes where his scouts kept watch, and it hit him. Turning toward Ingrid, he said, “How would you like to own your own land?”

She threw him a surprised look, “What do you mean?”

“Follow me. You cannot stay with the main clan, as this will blow up in our faces. I won’t allow you to leave altogether. But if we could get the best of the two? If your order would rebuild one of the mountain pass forts and call it your home? You have the manpower. I can even lend you a team of builders to assist. We’d have to work out an agreement regarding free passage, defensive forces, taxation, and so on, but I think we can iron that out, don’t you?”

As he spoke, he saw her eyes widening. He smiled, knowing it hit the right spot. Ingrid remained speechless for quite a while. Finally, she replied, “Are you sure, Horn? This will raise problems down the road.”

“I know, but screw it. You deserve it. Without you, I wouldn’t be standing here. It seems like ages ago, but remember our first fight? The damn rats? I couldn’t do this without you. It's time to reward that.”

He noticed tears gathering in the corner of her eyes. Politely, he turned away, asking, “So which one? The western passage we’ve come through or the eastern one?”

Silence fell again, with a quiet sob from behind, before in a calmer voice, she replied, “East. Where the sun rises.”

“So be it.”