Chapter 4049: Rough Patch (Part 2) "Yet they still need to eat. The Lutians went through enough. They don’t deserve to also starve." "That’s very generous of you, Dad." Brina was so surprised that her tired hands stopped shaking. "Thanks, but I’d appreciate your words more if you didn’t sound so surprised." Vexal grunted. "We are bakers, daughter. Soldiers fight, we make bread. It is a different kind of duty, but a duty nonetheless. "Besides, we are the lucky ones." He nodded at Salman. "While everyone else scrambled to escape with their lives, we sat safely on the sidelines. We need- No. I need to make a difference. I owe it to the dead." Brina looked at her father and noticed something different in his eyes. Pain, guilt, and compassion fought hard against his greed. For once, they were holding their ground. "I’m proud of you, Dad." She said. "Thanks, daughter." Vexal replied grumpily. "Then you need a place to work." Lith said. "I’ll give priority to the reconstruction of your shop. Don’t worry about the ingredients, I’ll have them delivered to your doorstep." A flick of Lith’s fingers conjured a heavy bag of silver coins in the baker’s hands. "This is for the bread. Keep the change as an advance payment for the rest. I trust your bookkeeping." "Didn’t you hear me? I don’t need to be paid!" Vexal stood up in outrage, handing the bag back. "Don’t you?" Lith asked. "I said I’ll rebuild your shop, not your house. Also, you need to hire assistants. My Demons won’t keep helping you forever. And don’t forget that soldiers get paid for their job. "You and Brina are going to need this money when the Kingdom revokes the emergency status and you have to buy the ingredients yourself. I’m afraid Lutia is about to go through a rough patch, and so are you." Vexal looked at the money, then at his daughter, and lastly at the ruins of his house. Generations of Cornerstones had lived there, Vexal had made it thrive, and the Dead King had destroyed everything in a single night. It was infuriating, but also depressing. ’I’m too old. I don’t know if I have the strength to start from scratch. I-’ "We gladly accept the money." Irha, his wife, took the silver and the choice out of his hands. "I’m too old to sleep in the middle of the street out of dumb pride. Especially with winter right around the corner." "But-" "You’re old too." She cut him short again while she added sugar to his tea and stirred it for him. "So, save your energy for your money-makers. We have a home to rebuild." "Fine, you win, woman." A thin smile formed on Vexal’s face. "Do you mind leaving the big guy with us, Lith? I feel much safer with him." "Not a problem." Zekell replied. "I’m moving in with my in-laws until I’m done rebuilding my home. Salman is all yours." Salman and Lith exchanged a glance, shrugging. "Now that’s settled, I might need some help as well." The blacksmith said. "I’m still waiting for the reports from the other shops throughout the Kingdom, but I expect good news. The real problem is the temple." He pointed at the fuming pile of rubble. "Building it took a lot of people, free labor, and time. Especially the various pieces of art. I can’t afford to restore everything, yet I don’t want to let Meln win. You should have seen his face when he looked at the temple. "He was so filled with envy that his eyes almost popped out of his sockets. The kind of expression I want him to make for the rest of his hopefully short, miserable life." "I share the sentiment, but founding my own cult would be controversial at best." Lith scratched his head in embarrassment. "I can’t help you with that. I can pay for your house, though." Zekell felt betrayed in his time of need and turned to glare at Lith in the eyes. Then, Lith winked. "I see." Zekell winked back in understanding. "I’ll take what I can. Rebuilding my house will cost a lot, after all." *** Once Lith was done discussing the details of the restoration of Lutia with the local authorities and the Demons completed all the construction work that didn’t require specialized skills, the Verhens returned home. "This is not what I meant when I said I’d come to live with you." Zekell grunted. "I was talking about the Mansion. The big, luxurious place with all those spacious rooms. This place is cramped!" "Shut up and be thankful we have a roof over our head, old goat." Sirma, his wife, replied. "There is no person in Lutia who wouldn’t gladly trade places with you." Truth be told, no Lutian had been left homeless. Yet the emergency houses didn’t have indoor bathrooms, heating systems, running water, a fully stocked pantry, and state-of-the-art magical protections. After the events of the previous night, complete strangers slept in the same room just to feel safe. To have someone to share their fear and loss. Any of them would consider the Supreme Magus’ house as safe as the Royal Palace and just as comfortable, even if they had to sleep on the floor. "Don’t worry, Grandpa. You can sleep in my room. Onyx can shrink to the size of a cat if needed." Aran said. Onyx flared her nostrils in annoyance, but said nothing. Just because she could adjust her size didn’t mean that she liked it. Meanwhile, Lith was in the Trawn Woods, discussing the aftermath of Orpal’s attack with the three kings. "I’m very sorry, Lith. We did all we could, but there’s only so much that an Emperor Beast can do against a Divine Beast, and almost nothing magical beasts can do." Reaper the Manticore said. "Even rescuing people cost the lives of a few of us." "I know, and I’m sorry for your loss." Lith replied. "This wasn’t supposed to happen. I prepared the arrays of the Verhen Home and kept them constantly active exactly to prevent Frost Soul from crippling your abilities." "And if the Upyrs attacked here, things would have gone differently, but I’m not sure your house would still stand." Lifebringer the Kirin said. "The enemy had hundreds of Divine Beasts and a Blade Spell. We couldn’t compete anyway." "I’m sorry, Scourge." Sentinel the Garmr bowed her head. "You’ve wasted your resources on us. I don’t think we can be of much help." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚 "Maybe, and maybe not." Lith said. "Lotho the Treant said something about the Trawn Woods before leaving. According to him, the trees are angry and close to achieving self-awareness." "The Woods are indeed brimming with world energy ever since you burned the corruption left by the Wither." Reaper nodded. "But it’s not enough. The spirit of our forest is too young, or it would have awakened when your Council friend came here." "Care to elaborate?" Lith asked, sharing everything with Solus, who was still in the tower to regain her strength. "What separates a regular plant from a plant folk is mana and sentience." Lifebringer replied. "The mana geyser strengthens the mana of all living beings, and your friend amplified the will of hundreds of hectares of forest to assemble his army of Treantlings."