Was it really such a big surprise that they ended up looking to the Wildlands, then?

In other words, the five new colonies were from the losing nations; La Vive, Ashdale, Itarim, Bellas, and the Nine Mountains, from east to west, in that order.

The one cutting trees around the Rock Fist Ape Lord came from the Nine Mountains.

On the east side, the one closest to KarGoth was the one from Bellas. They were just on the other side of the Storm Pegasus King, set up on an idyllic sh.o.r.e of the northernmost of the Five Lakes.

Farther east, Itarim had set up their own mining colony in the hills in between the Storm Pegasus King's Five Lakes and the Great Deep, supposedly the territory of the Lake Emperor. Did they know there was an Emperor of the Wilds in that lake?!

Probably not. Ashdale didn't seem to know either, because they set up their own colony on the other side of it.

Then there was La Vive, who set up their new settlement in the territory of the North Wind King.

"Are they being attacked by Beast Waves?" George asked.

"Not as far as we can tell. But what does it matter?" Song Chen asked, puzzled. "Once the Beast Tide arrives, they're all done for."

"Haven't we warned them?"

"We sent messengers, yes. I don't think they believed us." Song Chen answered. "Or maybe they just didn't care. The Nine Mountains colony even sent back our messenger naked."

George's eyes narrowed. "Well, I'm not going to help that one, then. Tell the Rock Fist that we have nothing to do with those idiots. They can face the Wilds on their own."

"The Itarim guys said that we were stealing their manpower and demanded we send all Iron Legion personnel over to them. Now, Markus says the Iron Legion doesn't answer to Itarim, that they're an international organization dedicated to protecting the entire length of the Road that just happens to be headquartered in Itarim, but the Itarim colony claims that we owe them manpower and some compensation."

"Not helping that one either. The Iron Legion can go wherever they like. I won't stop them. But there's no way I'm asking them to leave."

"The Bellas people think their fortifications are strong enough to handle a Beast Tide all by themselves." Song Chen went on. "Apparently, it's a battle-proven design that has served them well throughout this entire world war. Something about a formation of how their towers are placed. I don't get it, and the whole thing looks like it would collapse at the first rush of a Beast Tide, but they seem to believe in it very much."

"That's not going to save them when the Tide erupts. How many people are there? Would one Sky Barge be enough to evacuate them all?"

"Probably."

"Then maybe we'll send a Barge over to pull them out once the Tide crushes their defenses." George mused.

"Don't you want all our Barges here, protecting our own people?"

"No, I don't intend to fight the Tide when it comes. I think it's best we just huddle everyone in the mines and in KarGoth itself until it blows over."

"What about Three Pines?"

"They can hide in the trees."

"Right… is that why you've been emphasizing underground and treetop housing? Was this your plan from the start?"

"Pretty much."

"I like it." Song Chen nodded. "Anyway. The Ashdale settlement thinks that there's a lot of potential and riches to be found in the Wildlands, and suggests that we could both increase our profits for lower costs if we worked together."

"At least they're friendly." George mused.

"They're also setting up factories that send up a lot of smoke. I don't have high expectations for their longevity at this rate."

"Ah, Ashdale." George sighed.

"Then there's the La Vive colony. They actually seem to want our help." Song Chen paused. "In fact, they kind of asked for food and materials."

"Just how many of them are there?"

"About a hundred people, I think? They seem more like refugees than pioneers."

"Well, invite them over for lunch, then invite them to stay long term." George said. "We have enough room for a hundred more, I think."

"The underground housing expansions have been THAT ma.s.sive?" Song Chen asked, in a daze. "We already have about five thousand people around KarGoth, the farms and the riverside alone, not counting those at Three Pines or the mines."

"Didn't you know? We've holed out the nine hills from here all the way to the New Quarry, and the four on the Goth side near the river. We could fit in ten thousand, easy. So long as we have air access to long distance trade, we can hold out indefinitely."

"You're a.s.suming the coming Beast Tide would be the same as the last one." Song Chen frowned. "But what if the next one has flyers?"

There was a long, heavy silence.

"We better stock up on supplies." George said at last.

"Uhuh."

***

Remian woke up under silky maroon sheets, and found himself staring at a ceiling painted with clouds and little winged angels.

"Wha…?" He suddenly felt what the others must have felt when he warped them to him. "Where am I?"

He took a look around. He was in a jaw-droppingly luxurious room, although he personally felt he should call it a 'hall'. It was really that big, adorned with gilded heavy furniture. Everything here seemed to be big, from the bedside table and lamp, to the sofa at the foot of the bed, even the bed itself had bedposts, a tent-curtain sort of frame and was easily large enough for six of him to roll around on.

"What am I doing here?" was his next question, but again, it went unanswered.

He tried to get up, only to have a wave of dizziness. .h.i.t him like a punch. "Ugh. Maybe… maybe I better just sit still for a bit."

There was quiet as he lay back and wondered about his situation. There were vague noises in the distance, doors opening, some furniture sc.r.a.ping, a muted voice or two… he wasn't alone here. Was that a good thing, or a bad thing? Judging by the luxury in this room, he was probably among friends. It didn't seem like a prison.

"h.e.l.lo?" Remian called.

More voices rose up. Footsteps sounded, and then Mindy barged in.

"Remian! You're awake!" Mindy exclaimed.

"I think so. Where am I? What happened?"

Mindy's face grew serious. "There's good news and bad news. The bad news is, we aren't guests here."

Remian frowned. "What's the good news?"

"The good news is, I own this place." Mindy grinned. "Like it?"

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"You own it…?" Remian stared blankly.

"Yes! My very own mansion! Just up the road from Charlie's house!" Mindy lowered her voice. "I bought it at rock bottom prices. It's because of the war, you see. Ashdale is actually losing, and Germat is coming this way."

"What? Then what are we doing here?"

"Buying mansions, obviously. I also bought the one next door." Mindy informed him. "And the one after."

"But why? If Germat's coming…"

"Oh, relax. I've already talked to Sir Stout about the Wasps. He says they'll send someone over to negotiate with us about the sales… just as soon as you wake up."

"Why didn't you handle the negotiations yourself?"

"Because they wouldn't take me seriously? I even had to ask Alex to front for me to buy these mansions." Mindy shook her head. "Oh, and by the way, I bought some guns and ammunition."

"Great. How many, and what kind?"

"Two hundred breech-loaded rifles." Mindy grinned.

"What does that even mean?"

"It means reloading them is a cinch. Five seconds is enough for me."

"Any downsides?"

"Getting bullets for them isn't easy. I only managed to snag six hundred boxes. That's sixty thousand rounds." Mindy grimaced. "It'll do for Tier 3 Wilds, and could hurt Tier 4's, but that's it for stopping power."

"Six hundred boxes…?! How long have I been asleep…?" Remian asked.

"Four days." Mindy informed him. "Phoebe said you almost died nine times since we got here, but since yesterday, there was nothing to worry about any more. Oh, and she said to give you a message."

"What message?"

"She said, if you overdo it this badly ever again, she's going to dump you."

Days since last Beast Tide: 78. Current Kill Count: 8597 (552 since yesterday).