Chapter 136: Reinforcements II
Coop woke up early, not feeling particularly rested, but ready to go regardless. They had finally reached Day 64. Mentally, he was out of sorts as his nerves oscillated somewhere between excited and anxious for the settlement upgrade. They would finally replenish Ghost Reef’s mana reserves after the siege, and that meant they could call for reinforcements and return the phantoms. There were several points of concern when it came to how the phantoms would come back, but as long as the same people returned, Coop wasn’t particularly worried about any penalties they might receive. They could work through any difficulties together.
Even Sunny was caught by surprise when Coop jogged down the spiraling stairs of the lighthouse and stood in the living room, vigilant enough to head into battle, in spite of the early morning hour. Sunny scrambled from underneath the coffee table, paws sliding against the floor as he tried to match the Champion’s energy.
Sunny had never failed to anticipate Coop’s arrival, bouncing on his front paws with his tail wagging so hard his entire body wiggled back and forth when Coop’s footsteps reached the ground floor. But today, he had to struggle to catch up.
“Let’s go, bud.” Coop encouraged him, holding the door open for them both.
Coop led the way outside, beating the sun’s climb over the edge of the horizon by at least an hour. He didn’t hurry as he followed the stone path north across the island, knowing he was only rushing to wait. Every few dozen yards, a stack of ten folded tables had been staged next to a bundle of other materials. The residents would set them up once they roused for the day, as the planned celebration would begin later in the morning. It was long overdue, commemorating the original residents who took a potentially fatal chance in joining an unknown settlement as well as Ghost Reef’s victory during the siege event.
Coop continued all the way to the fort, passing the phantom guards waiting in the darkness with a quick, “Good morning.” He didn’t stop until he was next to the civilization shard. Accessing the menus, he double checked to see the incremental progress, confirming that it wasn’t determined by the day, but there was still plenty of time. The quest to upgrade the settlement from a Village to a Town had 5:23:14 to count down. Just a few more hours of stability before it was ready.
“No one will mess with us before then.” Coop nodded to himself as he wishfully manifested a smooth final stretch. If even the envoy had failed to introduce instability, he expected them to be fine for the last hours.
Some of his anxiety was relieved as he chuckled at the system’s settlement designations. Looking at the quest reminded him that they were going from a Village to a Town. He believed they had already progressed beyond a simple town by leaps and bounds, but that’s what they were on the verge of upgrading into, according to the system. Maybe if the considerations were based entirely on population it made some sense, but he had to imagine the major population centers going through the same stages at roughly the same speed were experiencing some appellative dissonance.
The optional quest was complete, with the Effigy of Constructs Trophy mounted on an interior ledge of the stone citadel that protected the shard. Whatever bonus it would provide would trigger along with the settlement upgrade. It was a creepy thing, which was appropriate considering the siege boss that had rewarded it. He was glad the colors hadn’t aimed for realism, instead appearing as if it was an ivory sculpture created for someone to decorate with eclectic taste.
Balor had cleverly installed nooks and spaces into the elevated interior of the citadel for the future treasures acquired by Ghost Reef. For now, they were hidden crannies for Jett to explore. The settlement essentially had an empty trophy case in the form of vaulted shelves. They could both prominently display their conquests in a centralized location while also keeping them protected in the event of a last stand. The Spectral Relic was a unique instance that both the stonemason and the settlement’s advisors agreed shouldn’t be tampered with. Coop suspected at least a small part of their collective opinion was based on a desire to avoid stepping on Jett’s toes. Even if she had expanded her exploration across the fort, she still held the lighthouse in special regard.
From what Coop understood, the Spectral Relic had already provided its upgrade to the fort and its continued presence wasn’t necessary for the settlement to empower the phantoms or the territory’s mana itself. They wouldn’t lose the Shipwright’s newfound ability to construct more ghost ships, and the crafters would still be able to create specialized items like Erasimus’s Spectral Under Armor, even if the relic was disturbed. The rewards that manipulated the settlement’s mana composition had been from the system itself and now emanated from the civilization shard, like the Purified buff that the Purification Chip had given the settlement. Still, he followed their lead and left the relic alone.
Coop settled into one of the smooth stone benches that faced the shard, happy to spend some time in the atrium of the citadel. It had real zen vibes with the vegetation blooming on the edges, the cool breeze slipping through cleverly placed gaps, the intricate swirling stone work patterned on the floor, and the gently glowing crystal in the center. He wanted to upgrade the settlement the second the opportunity arose, so he waited and enjoyed the early morning ambience of Ghost Reef’s central courtyard with the sun slowly joining him. It took a while before the bright light snuck above the fort walls, and when it did, the light immediately rushed into the crystal, through carefully angled slits, refracting all across the interior of the citadel like a ruby kaleidoscope.