With the heat of spring thawing winter away, came the tourists. Nero watched from the station administration as the first train arrived, packed with returnees, opportunists, and curious people. Those working to rebuild the city left in the last days of autumn with stories of a renewed and urban settlement, modern, technological, and magical at the same time. Families were reunited, tears shed. Eyes took in the sights of the train station, mysteriously spared from the fire. Others too curious to see the sights before anyone else poured right past the touching reunions into the city beyond.

On the last train, Nero's guests arrived. The station guards, already alerted of their presence, led the unsuspecting and wary group of people still unused to the brass bracers on their left forearm down into the currently-unused military section of the station.

Nero smiled as he recognized a tiny furry person coming along the group of forty. The heir to Honeywitch glanced at an empty space and a shimmering portal leading into black hole opened. Nero walked within. The next moment it was as if he was never there.

In the black box, he paused for a moment to think. New people came, old people went on their way. Fotia and Knazer settled with their fellow villagers in Honeywitch. Free from the threat of conscription, they decided to carve their own path. Nine of the fourteen knights - including the two responsible for the massacre of the villagers - decided to return to Coriander with the soldiers while the other five enlisted in the city guard with the intent of protecting the former princess and her foster family. The addition of five fifth-tier elites made Honeywitch into a powerhouse among the vassals of Bast. Finally, Rodther and Moira stayed in Nero's party, and Hefalina became Crystal's maid and lady-in-waiting.

He felt bitter at the eanlings' departure. To an outside observer, it was as if they were just talking shelter under an awning during a storm only to flee back home when the skies cleared. But Nero didn't shelter them for his own sake or to obtain loyal servants. It was because it felt like the right thing to do. They were friends, not servants or - gods forbid - slaves. And Nero stayed almost two months away. It was easy to forget that they spent all this time delving and helping Altia and Crystal grow.

No. Fotia and Knazer deserved to follow their own hearts. And Nero could very well understand the desire to stay close to one's family. Now the twins would spearhead the budding Adventurer community in Honeywitch. They had superb Attributes and equipment for a first-tier along with enviable growth potential. They would certainly be thankful to those who reached out to them during difficult times. And no doubt the fact that Rodther found that Nero resonated with the same sentiment that led him to smuggle people across the border influenced his decision to remain under Nero's employment. A thing to thank the twins for.

Putting those thoughts in the back burner, Nero walked through another portal to find himself next to Rodther and Moira.

The relationship between the former smuggler and the sergeant evolved during the winter. Rumors of marriage were on the horizon. Since Moira and her niece were fervent admirers and followers to a certain former princess, maybe

The diminutive squiig leaped twice and got on a raised podium made for him on the platform.

"Professor Glom, welcome to Honeywitch!" Nero beamed.

Glom chuckled. "You're climbing the ladder, lad. Congratulations. I hope your family is in good health."

"They are. We'll talk over dinner tonight. Are these the candidates?" Nero shifted the subject to the newcomers. It would be rude to ignore them after he made them travel by train all the way from their villages to meet him.

Glom adjusted his glasses and nodded, his tail flicking to show he was amused and pleased. "Indeed. I convinced forty-seven of them to come here and listen to your proposal. They are all aware of the general terms."

"Good. I think it is time for my speech." The diminutive professor nodded and waved his hand to point toward the small crowd. Nero took a step forward. "Gentleman. Ladies. I am grateful you took the time to come here and listen to my offer. First, welcome to Honeywitch. I am Nero, son of Count Honeywitch. What I have for you is an offer of gainful employment. I believe you found what all of you have in common. Anyone knows why you have been chosen?"

An owl garuda with gray feathers raised one of his hands. "All of us have a level cap under fifty."

Nero smiled and clapped his hands. "That is correct. All of us here have a level cap under fifty. Mine, by the way, is a flat zero!" He exclaimed, tapping his Arbitrium. Nero raised an arm with a stretched palm to signal for silence. "Almost a year ago, when professor Glom activated my Arbitrium, I was dejected. Crushed. Scorned. I felt like a cripple. A waste of the Essence my parents paid for this device.

"However, through effort, perseverance, and a lot of luck, I turned the tables on my fate. I found a way to obtain a modicum of power and carve a path for myself. I need capable people to work for me in various positions. There's another common theme linking all of you. Most of you don't have a Class, and those that do have Classes still have open Skill slots. If you choose to work for me, I'll need you to take the build I designed for that position. Hear the full offer before you reject it."

Nero did a small pause before continuing. He feared someone would voice disagreement and it was their right. He wasn't enslaving these people, he was offering them a well-paying job.

"For making the trip here, each one of you will receive five thousand Essence and a week at one of the city's inns. Rodther here will hand over the pouches. You keep that to yourself, and you may leave at any moment. That's already yours. Those that stay, will be able to pick a position among those that I have open. You'll be called in order of level cap, from the lowest to the highest. In case of a tie, ladies go first, and then in order of seniority. For each position, a set of Skills is mandatory. If you still don't have a Class, we will offer you one that fits the job. Should you find no acceptable job, you are free to go back.

"Now the perks. All the jobs come with a five-year contract. You will earn a fifty thousand Essence bonus per year on top of your salary but this bonus will only be paid at the end of the five years. You can quit the job at any time but if you quit in the first year well charge you for the Skills and Classes we will give you at cost. After the first year, you'll only lose the bonus. You will also have free board and meals as well as one day off every week, according to your shift schedule. Those that have a family will be able to bring them to live here in Honeywitch. We will offer them a big discount on the rent for as long as you keep working for me.

"Finally, no Skill or Class we'll give you is of a grade lower than blue."

The last statement hooked them in. Nero remembered how hard it was to obtain Altia's blue-grade Class in the middle of the mobilization for war. To these people, considered cripples by society, it was something almost unobtainable.

Of the forty-seven, five decided to take the Essence and the week off, departing to splurge their easy money on the city's shops. The other forty-two lined up to pick an occupation. They were in for a surprise. All of the jobs involved work in Nero's shelter. Farming, processing goods, construction, crafting, tending the herd, and housekeeping. All of these with a twist. The first four relied [Essence Manipulation] and mana pool enhancing Skills. Their job was to weave lifeforce into the goods harvested from the shelters and make them real enough to be taken outside the shelter. Those tending the herds became [Beast Tamer] with a skillset to foster growth, health, and yield of the livestock. And housekeeping also involved using magic to repair and renew objects.

Most open positions were for farming - actually harvesting because the plants were ripe from the moment the shelter was created - and processing. Nero's shelters were a treasure trove of plant resources but nothing could be brought outside without a hefty and expensive infusion of Essence. There was only a few export item that didn't require any effort, like manure, for example. The cattle grazed and pooped, the plant fibers naturally changing nature during the trip down the digestive tract just the gore from slain monsters did in a Dungeon. The others were wool, milk, some dairy products that didn't depend on added water, and chicken eggs too. But mostly manure.

The rest of the day was spent getting people assigned to their job, confirming they had the right Class and Skills, and getting them settled in the shelter. Late at night, he went to the Goblin's Den for one last farming run.

His timepiece chimed one in the morning when Nero plopped on the bed. He looked to his side and saw Altia in a brand new silk nightgown glaring at him.

"How was it with the workers?" She pouted.

Altia was annoyed she couldn't come with him to greet the new hires. Some nobles from the capital came in the first train and dropped unannounced by the Count's estates. Count Honeywitch, the aristocracy grapevine reckoned, had excellent connections. Not only he was a renowned Adventurer, but he also had close ties to the Lyceum, the Guild, and the Royal Family. She had to stay behind with Crystal to entertain the noble ladies.

The nightgown was probably a gift she received. While these nobles were either desperate or avid social climbers, they were not frugal in their gifts. After all, the impression of wealth was more important than real wealth.

"Good. Only five decided to leave with the bonus. We got forty-two workers contracted for a year at least," Nero replied while he played with the straps of her gown.

She sighed and bit her lower lip. "Did you have to go to the Dungeon again tonight?"

"Yes, I did. I had to, there's not enough food for the city. Today was the last day, though. From tomorrow on, we're opening the stew kitchen."

Nero would offer the townsfolk free stew every night at a windowless building next to the main square where a statue of Mayleefa now watched over Honeywitch. The building, however, was empty. A portal at the doorway would lead people into an equal building in a temporary shelter where the stew was cooked with produce from the shelter. To avoid any intruders, the ingredients would be brought into the kitchen and the passage to the main shelter closed before it would open to the outside.

"Do you think anyone will notice?" She asked.

"Maybe. Those that know the effects will. After all, if they try to take the stew outside most of it will vanish."

The meat was real, and so was the water. The vegetables, not so much. It was an experiment. Over the five months, since they started rebuilding the city, Nero's herd grew big enough that he could slaughter one cow and four pigs every day. Most of the herd was let loose in the shelter to graze and grow. Nero hoped the new workers could take the herd and care for the animals.

"And the day after tomorrow, we will go to the capital. We got a busy schedule ahead of us," He remarked.

The three press units he bought are ready to be installed, prince Ahadi wanted to talk to them, and he had his promise to spend spring with Amaryllis.

"No rest for the wicked, eh?" Altia beamed.

Nero pulled the nightgown strap, revealing a soft lump of skin. "Maybe not."