Luke Crowe jolted awake to find Nova standing before him."What is it?""I'm detecting at least a hundred people circling the perimeter of our Domain," Nova said. His tone remained calm, but the force with which he'd thrown open the door betrayed his true state of mind."Understood."Nova's detection range extended only one Standard Size in radius, which meant these intruders were dangerously close. Luke immediately rushed toward Garrick and Beanpole's room, preparing to alert them, but stopped short when he found Garrick already stationed outside the door with his short sword drawn. Even Beanpole, trembling despite his fear, had positioned himself outside Luke's door."Good. Everyone's accounted for," Luke said, then turned back to Nova. "How many are we dealing with now?"Nova extended his senses briefly before responding with certainty. "At least a hundred."Luke exhaled slowly, his mind racing through possibilities. A hundred hostiles. Direct c

"Here's what we'll do.""Beanpole, bring me a sack of grain."Beanpole hurried to the storehouse and returned carrying a sack of grain.Luke Crowe took the grain and turned to Mr. Hollis. "Take it.""By my calculations, this should keep you going for a while.""Why... why would you do this?" Mr. Hollis's hands trembled as he reached for the sack."Because you have a family to feed too."Hollis clutched the sack but remained seated, his eyes lowered."Aren't you afraid... afraid I'll come back?""No, I am not," Luke replied."If you come back, I'll have better traps and better weapons waiting."Luke smiled.After a long silence, Hollis rose, clutching the sack.He bowed to Luke and turned to leave.Luke called after him."How many people do you have in total?"Mr. Hollis froze, then looked back over his shoulder. "A hundred and sixty, give or take.""How many can work?""About a hundred and ten.

After some time, Luke Crowe finally finished preparing all the labor contracts.The people didn't know what these things were, but when they saw Luke solemnly collecting the wooden slips stamped with their handprints and storing them away with care, something shifted inside them. They couldn't quite explain it, but a sense of security settled over them like a warm blanket.To them, those thin wooden slips represented more than just marks on wood. They were proof that the Lord standing before them no longer saw them as bandits or savages. He had truly accepted them.After pressing their handprints quietly, the people followed the Captains they had just been assigned to.Luke let out a long breath. He turned to face them, straightening the last of the contracts. "Alright, everyone. Let's get to work!"Garrick, Beanpole, and Hollis nodded in unison.Garrick led his group into the forest first. He carried a crude hand-drawn map with him, his limp pronounced

By the time they returned to Ashenvale, dusk was already settling.The moment Luke Crowe stepped back into the Domain, his gaze landed on a large pot set up in the center of the clearing. Steam rose from its bubbling contents, carrying the aroma of boiled grain and whatever scraps of meat they'd managed to scrounge. Clustered around it were the elderly and the children, the ones he'd left behind to handle the cooking while everyone else went out to work.The instant they noticed him approaching, they scrambled to their feet.Luke quickly waved them down. "Sit, sit. No need for that."He glanced at the pot, then back at them with a slight frown. "Why haven't you eaten yet?"An old man with weathered hands and a gentle smile spoke up. "My Lord, how could we eat before you returned?"Luke let out a short laugh and gestured broadly. "Go ahead and eat. One portion each, don't wait on me."He wanted them fed and done before the work crews came back, so t

Garrick returned after a few days' absence, and sure enough, the entire Domain looked as if it had undergone a complete transformation.The settlement had nearly doubled in size. Three tidy wooden cabins now stood among the tents, with work sheds, warehouses, and makeshift tool benches nearby. Packed dirt paths linked the areas, especially the garden and swamp.The place had taken on the appearance of a proper settlement, rudimentary though it still was. Compared to the primitive forest clearing it had been before, the change was dramatic.It seemed the people of the Domain had worked with tremendous energy during his absence."This is the place you were talking about?" A gruff voice came from behind Garrick. "Doesn't look like much to me."The speaker paused, then added with a note of disbelief, "The former Captain of the famous Wolfmane Squad is staying in this shabby little outpost?"Garrick quickly clapped a hand over the man's mouth, his expression