Amazon Apocalypse 2: Chapter 67 (Patreon)

After Cyra was settled, I spent what time I had left leaving orders and establishing something along the lines of a chain of command in my district of Shadefall. I wanted the four city blocks I owned cleared and, eventually, for more workshops and warehouses to be built in it.

On my next visit, I would bring plenty of copper wire here from Earth. I'd rather people suspect the Mana Bombs and other products of Earth had been made here than all the way out on an unintegrated planet. Having these workshops at least appear to be operational would be useful.

Misa had returned with plenty of food, and I made sure all the workers under my care were fed—along with their families. Starving people didn't exactly make good employees, and I already had quite a bit of work for them to do.

After all, I'd looted four workshops dry of everything they had, including all their tools and materials. Once we had a building up, it wasn't hard to outfit a few hundred workstations. I flipped through my lists of blueprints and eventually realized I already had a project in mind for these people.

"What is this thing?" a worker asked as she hefted a piece of a wall outlet. I’d had to get the magical power source I'd given to Bridget back from her, so that my workers could copy the design.

"It is an item that will be extremely valuable in a very distant land. This item is a power source. It's meant to provide a steady stream of electrical energy to a device connected to it through a cable." I demonstrated what I meant by plugging in Bridget's electric stove.

"So... like lightning mana?" the worker asked, scratching their head.

More of them gathered around to examine this new project.

"Yes, like lighting mana—though it's important that you provide the right kind of lightning mana. That's why there are several stages of energy regulation built into the enchantment. We can't just draw lightning mana directly from a lightning monster core." I gestured to several unassembled cores before me.

Carefully explaining each stage, I walked this group of workers through crafting power adapters. Once they'd mastered the item, I had each of them teach a dozen others. Soon, I had hundreds of my workers building power adapters. When I returned to Earth, these things would make life a lot easier for everyone in Crownhill. There would be no more need for messing around with generators or fixing the power grid.

Just slap a magical power adapter onto your gadget, and you’d be back in action. Not to mention, I had plans for all that wire currently in useless power lines.

I hadn't measured the amount of energy a monster core could output—yet—but judging from how much time Bridget had already put on this one using her stove all the time, I was certain these monster cores packed a huge amount of energy in them for their tiny mass.

A big enough bundle of them would likely put out enough energy to compete with a fission reactor rod. In fact, I was pretty sure I was more on the mark with that analogy than I'd intended. The energy stored in the monster cores certainly wasn't chemical—which meant there had to be some peculiar physics going on inside them.

If I were more scientifically minded, I might try to perform experiments to figure out exactly what was happening. Who knows… maybe I would someday. But for now, all that mattered was that they worked. And they were going to cut down the amount of time it would take for Earth to reindustrialize—I figured they’d reduce that from decades or centuries to months or, at worst, a few years.

"Whew... finally done with all that heavy lifting!" Myrina wiped her brow.

She, Bridget, and Sakura had been playing the part of day laborers lately. Myrina's levels and strength stat, in particular, meant she was one of the few who could lift the full-size beams we'd framed the warehouse with. Her help had been invaluable—and not just with assembling the new workshop, either.

The storefronts I'd purchased often needed a few simple repairs to get them operational again. Someday, these shops would sell Earth's goods to the people walking the streets of Shadefall—but for now, they would sell the food Misa was bringing in from out of town.

My workers had their food guaranteed as part of their wages, but I wasn't against helping the rest of the city get back on its feet. And I'd told Misa to sell the food at cost, rather than aiming for a profit. It wasn't like the margins on trading grain were all that great, anyway. It was certainly not anywhere near as profitable as selling Mana Bombs.

"Yeah, I guess we're done." I chuckled. "Let's sit down at one of those stores we set up and see if we've got any customers."

We found a place that I'd earmarked for a coffee shop. Unfortunately, it was empty, but I was certain that wouldn't always be the case. We ate simple food, since it wasn't right to hold an extravagant feast in a city on the verge of starvation.

Still, Bridget put her cooking skills to the test yet again and cooked up a delicious barley stew that cured fatigue. Normally, I hated both barley and stew, but with Bridget’s skills behind it, the meal was worth every bite. The smell was enough to bring a few wandering shell-shocked survivors wandering over to investigate, and we ended up giving away our leftovers.

"So... Myrina," Bridget began. "When are you coming back to Earth?"

Myrina coughed on her coffee, spluttering and red-faced.

"Like... like... coming to live with Carter and you all?" Myrina asked.

Bridget smiled in reply. "Why not? We've taken advantage of your hospitality several times now. It would be poor manners for us to not return the favor. Besides, you've had to put up with my limited cooking in the field. With a proper kitchen, I can make something much nicer."

I wrapped an arm around Bridget's shoulder and chuckled. "You’re far too humble, Bridget."

Myrina took another sip of coffee, coughing to clear her throat. "Well... I told Carter this before, but I can't come to Earth quite yet—not until your shard has stabilized. And even then, the System would not allow me full use of my levels. I likely wouldn't be able to cross over at full power until you've merged several times."

Sakura leaned forward. "But you would be able to visit if Carter finished wiping out all the other factions around Crownhill?"

Myrina shrugged. "Probably? After the System merges you with five large fragments of similar size, the System might let me teleport over in a weakened state. It really depends.” She frowned. “The rules change from integration to integration, depending on the power of the locals. The System does what it can to give the newly integrated world a fighting chance before letting outsiders in. Some need a bigger handicap than others."

I stroked my chin, feeling the stubble there. It was starting to get itchy, but I didn't have a razor. Perhaps making facial hair a toggle was something I could fix with my next racial evolution. My brows drew down as I considered how to make it possible for Myrina to visit Earth.

Eventually, I nodded. "I suppose that's one more reason to wipe out the remaining leaders of the Crownhill County Prison. They're the last factions I can recall back on Earth standing in our way. Once they're gone, Myrina should be able to drop by and say hello."

"Well..." Myrina looked uncomfortable. "Going with you... it's just..."

"Just what?" Bridget asked.

"It’s just not the sort of thing my mother or the elders would allow… not without their approval, at least."

Sakura scoffed. "Myrina, you're a grown woman. You don't have to ask for your family's permission to leave the house."

Myrina shifted awkwardly in her seat.

I held up a hand. "Myrina's family has some… ah… some unique traditions. It isn't our place to tell her what she can and can't do, and I won't let us be a wedge that separates her from her kin. Most of them have been good to us."

Sakura's eyes darted between Myrina, me and Bridget. There was a certain sharp look in her eyes that I recognized. It was the kind of look I hadn't seen too often since the integration. It was the way she looked when she saw a problem that needed solving, and knew she was the one who had to solve it.

Sakura rested a familiar hand on my shoulder. "Carter, why don't you catch up with Cyra again? She seemed to be getting the most out of your help." She turned her eyes to lock gazes with Myrina. "Bridget, Myrina, and I need to have a girl-to-girl talk."

I shrugged. "Alright, ladies. I'll leave this in your capable hands. But please, don't talk Myrina into getting herself in trouble."

"Oh, nothing of the sort. We just want to figure out where she stands... and what she plans to do going forward. You know, the usual." Sakura ushered me off.

I was familiar with this kind of conversation. Sakura used to enjoy having the ‘what are your plans’ talk with most of her employees back in the office. I shrugged. I wasn't about to deny the three women in my life a bit of girls’ time.

So far, I'd gotten pretty lucky. I was still surprised that Bridget and Sakura got along so well, largely through their own efforts. I knew when to stick my nose into something and when not to—and this was one of those ‘not to’ times.

"I'll be back in a bit then." I excused myself and was soon on my way.

I took a tour of the city. Without a pair of tough-looking woman on either arm marking me as a clear member of the invading force, I was able to listen in on what the city's conquered residents were talking about in a little more detail.

"The new governor the Samhains appointed isn't as crazy as you'd think," a woman was saying.

"I call bullshit on that. You weren't near the gates, but I heard firsthand from my brother what happened. She was there in the thick of it, covered in blood and bellowing like a madwoman as she cut down anything in her path. That's our glorious new leader," a man scoffed.

The woman shook her head. "But that's just it. She may be battle-mad and crazy in a fight, but she's reestablished law and order fairly quickly. In fact, she and her guards are doing a better job patrolling the streets than the Shadefall main family ever did!"

"Propaganda!" the man snorted. "I've read my history books. Every time the Samhains stick their nose in anything but military affairs or interplanetary politics, things go to shit. They're good at fighting and they're good at popping out extra tough babies for horny old bastards so rich they have their own planet. Nothing else."

"Maybe not every Samhain fits in that neat little box..." the woman replied.

Their bickering continued a while longer, though it soon turned to other subjects and I moved on to listen in on others. Those two were a fair representation of the general opinion of the populace, though. People were surprised by the fact that Cyra was doing a good job, though they were still anxiously waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Eventually I met up with the city’s glorious new leader, herself. I waved her down in the streets while she was on patrol.

"Carter." Cyra nodded to me. "Do you have something to report to me and my guards? Or is this a social call? I'm afraid I can't stop while on patrol."

I chuckled. "It's a bit of both. And I'll walk with you on patrol, if you'd like. I heard some rumors you might be interested in."

I repeated what I'd heard to Cyra, as well as a few suggestions I had for clearing the air between her and the citizens. It would be some time before they were truly comfortable with Cyra—and, even then, there was no telling what the future held.

After all, Kyrina had appointed Cyra as governor of Shadefall, not permanent lordship over it. From what I'd gathered, Kyrina, the elders, and even the city's residents expected Cyra to reign over Shadefall as a petty dictator. They figured she’d strip the city of its wealth and maintain order with an iron fist.

But they'd all underestimated Cyra's sense of responsibility. The moment she heard the people here were her responsibility, she'd set out to do right by them. She was a good leader.

"These rumors are useful, thank you, Carter," Cyra said.

"Anytime," I chuckled and gave Cyra a pat on the arm. I still didn't feel even close to having cleared my debt with her, given all that Cyra had done for me. "Now, I think it's past time I check back in with Myrina, Bridget, and Sakura. I trust Bridget, but Sakura and Myrina working together could get her into trouble..."

As I turned to leave, I felt Cyra grab my wrist. "Wait, Carter. I have heard some rumors, too. Rumors about you."

I turned, surprised at the urgency I heard in Cyra's tone. "People have been talking about me?"

It wasn't too surprising that Cyra's soldiers might talk. After all, I’d spent a lot of time with both her and her sister. And her mother, too, come to think of it. There had been plenty of gossip about me back when I was just hanging out with Myrina. Nowadays, they no doubt had far more to say.

"More than gossip…" Cyra shook her head, as if sensing my next question. "I’ve heard rumors about what the elders have planned for you."

I frowned. "Your mother likes me. And all besides Thalassa seem pleasantly disposed or at least neutral to me. What's the issue?"

Cyra let out a tired breath. "As you might expect, these rumors come from Elder Thalassa’s troops. If it were only her, though, things would be fine and mother could counter them. But that woman has a growing distaste for you. She thinks you are a bad influence on Myrina and on me, and seeks to see you cast aside and see our patronage stopped.”

Cyra pinched the bridge of her nose. “Mother refused her first request, but there are others among the elders who follow Elder Thalassa's lead. And of those who do, some operate in… in less than savory ways. Be careful, Carter. In fact, it may be best if you avoid walking around the city alone.” She looked around. “Even when fishing for rumors for me."

"I... see..." I took Cyra's grim warning to heart. "I promise I'll be careful—at least until the elders and their forces leave the city."

"We're nearly done with my patrol. Show me this coffee shop my little sister is making trouble in. I will walk with you there." Cyra took up a guard position at my side.

I didn't miss the wary look she cast a group of Elder Thalassa's warriors off in the distance.