An alarm sounded as they approached their destination.

"Is it time, my lord?" Lu Bu grumbed over the sound of the wind.

"Yes. Go below and tell everyone that we'll be landing momentarily."

The man ran towards the rear of the ship and disappeared down the stairwell. Shortly after they left Raven City the others had chosen to go down into the lower decks due to the wind and temperature. Benji stayed at the controls, using the time to plan what needed to happen once they arrived at the Ferrell family property.

The property was the home of the Ferrell family for the last 200 years, passed down from one generation to the next though it was abandoned for the last fifteen years. His grandparents had died when Benji was very young so he had no real connection to the place, just a few hazy memories of coming here as a toddler.

The property itself covered a 2.5 square kilometer area of the countryside. Most of the property was open grassland surrounded on three sides by a dense forest. The northern side of the property ended at a cliff edge, which dropped down 100 meters to the land below, a remnant of some massive geological event in the distant past. A single dirt road that passed through the western part of the dense forest leading up to the property and was impassable without heavy machinery to clear the way.

The main house, a large eastern style family manor, was located in the middle of the grassland. According to his mother it had six bedrooms, a traditional style kitchen and a large dining area. The house had been renovated at some point in the past to accommodate for modern electronics but maintained the classic feel or so she said. The view from above showed that it was in sore need or repair before it would be of any use.

As Benji scanned the property at the control panel, he heard footsteps from the rear of the ship. He turned to see his mother walking towards him, followed closely by his friends and Zoe. The two paper knights were gesturing to each other at the end of the ship as they looked down below.

“Well, it certainly hasn't aged well.” Isabel sighed as she looked at the aging house.

“That won't be much of a problem, mom.” He turned to speak to the group. "Once we land don't stray too far from the airship."

"What do you mean, dear?" his mother questioned.

"You'll see." A smile touched his lips, eliciting a look of exasperation from her.

Benji tapped a few buttons, bringing Voyager down slowly to rest half a kilometer from the large manor house. The two knights broke off their silent conversation and tossed two rope ladders over the railing before quickly climbing down after them. The group descended into the waist high grass below but did as they were asked and stuck close to the massive airship.

“Benjamin, do whatever it is you've planned. I'd like for us all to have a hot meal and a bit of rest before the deadline gets here.”

“Lu Bu." The man stood at attention as his master spoke. "You are to protect this property from all aggressors. You are to kill on sight any plants, animals or other living creatures that threaten our property. Only the people you see here are allowed on the property. Anyone else must receive permission from me. Do you understand your orders?” Benji stared into the man’s eyes.

“Yes, my lord!” Lu Bu bowed his head slightly.

"Sovereign Right."

You've chosen to create your own kingdom. Your current location will be used to found your capital. Do you accept?

"I do." Benji swiped at the screen causing it to appear in front everyone else.

Please designate an heir. This option can be changed at a later time.

Isabel started to speak but Benji continued.

"Isabel Ferrell."

Do you wish to announce your coronation to the world?

"Absolutely not."

Processing request.

Error.

Request denied.

Announcing coronation in 5..4..3..2..

Greetings Earthlings! It is I, the great and powerful Bob! I know I'm a few hours early but don't despair! One among your population has decided to rise up and lead you in your time of need. As a coronation gift I won't reveal his exact location but I will share his name. All hail King Benjamin Ferrell!

"What the fuck is this!?" Benji screamed.

"Wait a sec." Alex took a step back, stunned by the annoucement. "Was that really just announced to the entire planet?"

"A.I., I explicitly said not to announce it!" Benji did his best to supress his anger as he spoke.

Sorry about that. Since you were the first human to found a kingdom using their Bob-gifted right, I was overridden by Bob himself. I suggest you bring up the status menu for your kingdom and get to work.

The status menu appeared before Benji could act.

Welcome to Kingdom Builder! Brought to you by Bob. Please select an option below.

Free Build Mode

Kingdom Metrics

Employment

Settings

He chose Free Build Mode, causing another screen to pop up which reminded him of building games he had played in the past. He was able to see an aerial overlay of the entire property and he could view different layers above and below ground. Much like a game, his building resources were limited to what was available on the property.

Benji sighed before turning to the group. “There will be a moderate amount of noise and shaking but don’t be alarmed. This will only take a few minutes.”

Benji turned back to the interface and brought up the list of broken objects on the property. The solar cells and various supports and walls of the house needed fixing. Benji reached back and pulled out his game console as well an assortment of electronics that were purchased from both stores and placed them all on the ground. He was surprised to find that a large portion of the surrounding forest was considered part of the property. After pressing a few buttons a hammering sound could be heard from the roof of the house. A moment later the walls of the house shuddered as the foundations and framing were reinforced and restored.

After looking at the menu he saw that the house contained six bedrooms, a large kitchen, two restrooms, a single large shower as well as several common rooms and storage closets. He reorganized the basic layout which added several hundred square meters onto the house. The front door, located on the west side of the house, now located at the center of the house, was comprised of a large lounge area, a massive dining room, a kitchen worthy of a professional chef and a large pantry. The northern end of the mansion featured 12 bedrooms while the southern end, just passed the kitchen, held the restrooms, a bank of 6 self contained shower stalls, and a single large hot springs which was fed from a source deep underground. After checking over the layout one final time he returned to the electrical system, repairing the solar panels and battery system.

Benji flipped the screen away and turned back towards the group. “Well, that’s the house done. I want to work on some defensive features but you all can go inside and check the place out.”

Isabel led the three teenagers towards the house, flanked on either side by a paper knight. Lu Bu stood near Benji while scanning the property for threats while his master worked. Benji quickly navigated through the assorted blueprints provided by Free Build Mode and decided on a material to use for a massive defensive wall. He drew from a rich quartzite deposit from deep underground and built a wall surrounding the edge of the property, leaving a few hundred meters of open land between the walls and the forest. Iron deposits and carbon found in the dirt turned into a single reinforced steel gate on the western wall providing the only entrance and exit. The wall itself measured 10 meters in height. Along the wall at set intervals were large guard towers that rose up above the tree line. The wall ended at the cliff face leaving it open to maintain the scenic view.

Benji stared at one particular function that was grayed out due to lack of materials; the futuristic shield generator. If he sacrificed all the electronics they brought with them he still wouldn't have enough materials. Benji motioned for Lu Bu to follow and ran towards the front door. Arriving inside he saw his mother waiting for him.

"Mom, you can yell at me in a minute." He turned and called into the house. "Duncan! I need your help."

Duncan appeared from one of the bedrooms and rejoined his friend near the front door.

"What can I do for you?"

"I need you to draw up about a dozen laser turrets." Benji used Free Build Mode to create a three meter by three meter pad of paper using trees from the surrounding forest. "You've got about five hours."

"I'll do my best." Duncan motioned to his paper knights who ran up to the giant stack of paper and carefully carried it to a clear spot off to one side of the lounge area.

Benji navigated back through the defensive options and placed automated ballista every ten meters on the top of the wall. He didn't know how they worked but his A.I. assured him they function correctly. It would have to be enough until he found the resources to build more high tech defenses. He finally swiped the menu away and faced his mother.

"Okay, mom, I'm all ears."