92. Four Pioneers Leave
Days four through six passed at nearly the same pace for the Garuda Pioneers. However, the results were beginning to show.
Every morning, the regional chat was already bustling as soon as the sun rose.
The Pioneers who had reached Level Three earlier began dividing up tasks without needing further direction.
Some invited others to explore Tropical Island. Others headed to Swamp Island. Some chose Stone Island or Desert Island depending on which materials they needed.
The mentorship system Rangga had proposed several days earlier was beginning to run on its own.
"Those who are new, stick with me... Don't wander off on your own. Just follow my instructions."
Messages like that filled the regional chat almost every day.
On Tropical Island, Fajar had become far more confident when facing Mechanical Herrerasaurus.
"Those in the back, don't split up... If it attacks from above, let me handle it."
The new Pioneers simply nodded and followed his every instruction.
On Swamp Island, Andre had grown accustomed to using a crossbow.
His shots were becoming increasingly accurate.
He also began teaching the new Pioneers where to find Mechanical Simosuchus hiding spots.
"See that... The thing that looks like a floating log? That's a crocodile, but it's vegetarian..."
Several Pioneers were fooled at first. But after hunting a few times, they began learning to recognize its camouflage.
On another Tropical Island, Rian was busy teaching them how to maintain their distance when fighting mechanical dinosaurs.
Meanwhile, Siska focused more on teaching them how to use bows and how to take advantage of safe positions during combat.
At first, even they had still depended on Rangga. Now, they were beginning to guide others themselves.
Meanwhile, Rangga was almost never on the same island for an entire day. From morning until afternoon, he was busy gathering materials for his own needs.
Wood, Hardwood, Stone, Metal Ore, Coal, and various medicinal plants. All of them continued filling his warehouse little by little.
Occasionally, he also explored with Mayor Deri.
They weren't just looking for materials. They also went through simple training exercises given by Mayor Deri to rebuild Rangga's confidence after what had happened with Broto.
At night, Rangga transformed back into a courier. His Production Bench almost never stopped working.
Armor, swords, bows, crossbows, shields.
One by one, they were completed using the materials gathered by the new Pioneers.
Once all the orders were finished, Rangga immediately boarded his ship.
He traveled from one island to another, delivering equipment, collecting payment in the form of raw materials, and then setting off again for the next island.
The routine repeated for three consecutive days. Slowly, the results began to show. More and more new names appeared in the regional chat.
"Bro, I'm Level Three!"
"Finally made it."
"Who can I join tomorrow?"
Every time a Pioneer reached Level Three, there was always a mentor ready to offer assistance.
No one truly had to explore alone anymore.
By the end of Day Six, Mayor Deri opened the list of Garuda Pioneers.
He looked at the number of Pioneers remaining.
Although four names were still in the process of naturalization, and overall progress was actually much better than it had been several days earlier—
all 32 Garuda Pioneers had now reached Level Three.
That number made them one of the fastest-developing Pioneer groups, while also proving that the mutual mentoring system they had built was beginning to produce tangible results.
Day Seven
As usual, immediately after sunrise, the voice of the World Administrator echoed across the sky.
"Messages from Earth have been received."
Rangga, who had just finished preparing his equipment, immediately stopped and opened his message panel.
The first message was from Putri.
As usual, Putri told him about school, her new friends, and reminded Rangga not to push himself too hard.
Rangga smiled faintly as he read every sentence.
"Hmm... Thank goodness."
He closed the message feeling more at ease.
The second message came from the Garuda government.
Rangga read it slowly.
The government once again expressed its gratitude for the assistance he had continued providing to fellow Garuda Pioneers.
They also reported that the mentoring system being carried out by the Pioneers was producing excellent results. The number of Garuda Pioneers who had reached Level Three had increased far faster than initially expected.
At the end of the message, the government once again asked him to continue assisting the development of other Pioneers whenever possible, while still prioritizing his own safety.
Rangga smiled faintly.
"Got it... As long as I can handle it."
He closed the message panel. Meanwhile, Broto had also received the same message, but this time, he didn't open it immediately.
Instead, dozens of offers from various countries were displayed before him. He read through them one by one.
The Golden Lion Nation, the Bald Eagle Nation, the Sakura Nation, and several others. But eventually, his eyes stopped on one particular message.
The Brown Bear Nation.
At the bottom of the message was the sender's name. President of the Brown Bear Nation, upon Lucas's recommendation.
Lucas hadn't promised wealth. Nor had he made any extravagant offers.
He had simply explained the condition of the Brown Bear Pioneers, the cooperation they were currently building, and stated that Broto would be welcomed as a partner if he genuinely wished to join them.
Broto remained silent for a while.
He remembered his encounter with Lucas on Stone Island.
Lucas had been calm, never pressured him, and never looked down on him.
Broto finally nodded slowly.
"Fine... I'll go there."
He opened the naturalization selection panel, and the list of countries appeared before him once again.
Without hesitation, Broto selected the Brown Bear Nation.
A few seconds later, a faint light appeared before the panel.
"Naturalization successful."
"Pioneer nationality has changed to: Brown Bear Nation."
Broto stared at the notification for a moment before smiling with satisfaction.
"From now on... I'm no longer a Garuda Pioneer."
He closed the panel.
To him, this was a fresh start.
And he was convinced that this decision would take him somewhere he would be appreciated more.
Across the Pioneer world, decisions were being made one by one.
The naturalization panels opened before the sixteen Pioneers whose names had appeared on the list.
Not all of them chose immediately. Some were still reviewing the various offers they had received. Others had already made up their minds from the beginning.
On a distant island far from Garuda, a Pioneer sighed before selecting the country they wanted to join.
A faint light surrounded their panel.
"Naturalization successful."
Elsewhere, another Pioneer made the same decision. One by one, their names disappeared from the naturalization list.
In the Garuda Nation, besides Broto, who chose to join the Brown Bear Nation. The other three Garuda Pioneers eventually made a different choice.
Juna, Darius, and Anton.
All three accepted offers from the Bald Eagle Nation. For them, the offer was highly attractive, particularly the guarantees provided for their families on Earth and the full support promised for their development as Pioneers.
Not only that, the Bald Eagle Nation also successfully recruited five other Pioneers from various countries.
Their goal from the beginning had been simple:
Increase the number of active Pioneers as quickly as possible so that the supply of resources to Earth would increase.
Eight new Pioneers at once represented a considerable increase in their strength.
Meanwhile, the remaining Pioneers were distributed among various countries.
Some joined the Sakura Nation. Others chose the Golden Lion Nation. Some headed to the Green Jaguar Nation and several others chose smaller nations that had been suffering from a shortage of Pioneers from the beginning.
No single nation truly dominated.
Each Pioneer made their own decision based on their individual considerations.
On Earth, the data was updated immediately.
The distribution map of Pioneers around the world changed within minutes.
Some countries grew stronger. Others lost Pioneers. Meanwhile, the Garuda Nation officially lost four Pioneers.
Even so, the attention of many analysts was focused on something else.
The number of active Garuda Pioneers had indeed decreased.
But the development rate of those who remained was still among the fastest, thanks to the cooperation and mentoring system they had established over the past several days.