Chapter 632: Day 5,160 – Return To Purgatory

Chapter 632: Day 5,160 – Return To Purgatory

I was lying down on the bridge of the airship as it flew towards Purgatory. The city had taken down the shield, but there were a lot of remaining problems to sort through. Thankfully the vast majority of people survived. The bad news was that the city was submerged, partially underground.

There had been some debate about if I should go back and if it should remain the capital. I had made an executive decision, that both were going to happen. It was a symbol of perseverance at this point. After fighting for so long I wasnt about to retreat or give up ground.

In other good news the monsters had been reappearing and the cities that had been destroyed were resetting themselves. Clarissa had dispatched large contingents of soldiers to bring the cities back under control and grinders were moving back East. We had also reestablished contact with the East Bastion, which almost went independent but quickly reversed course once they got word that I was alive.n0ve(l)bi(n.)co/m

That was what my presence meant. The threat of internal rebellion was nearly non-existent. Martial law had ended as well, which made people happy, and the obvious threat was no longer present. Rebuilding is going to be a nightmare, Clarissa muttered as we got closer to our destination.

You mean, since the city has sunk into the ground? I asked.

It is a mess. But you just need to focus on getting better, Clarissa said while staring at me. I nodded and got back to focusing on my stats. I needed to get my health issues fixed as soon as possible.

There, you can see the depression. The surrounding roads have reset, but now there is a giant hole, Clarissa pointed out.

At least the store is working, I said.

Small mercies, but beyond that, it is a mess. Shipping in taxes and having people move through is going to be a nightmare. As well as security. Going to need to build a road around the city, since the terrain just goes straight up outside the walls, Clarissa said.

Well, the outside towers, seem to almost reach up to ground level, I said while looking out over the city.

There is no store option to increase their height. We will need to build airship ports around the outside and then drawbridges most likely. Cranes can be set up above the towers to lower in crystals and other people who dont want to make the walk. But there is a reason people dont build vertical cities, Clarissa said.

It adds character, I replied, and she turned to glare at me. I gave her a cheeky grin and she rolled her eyes.

It does add character. Too much character and the headache to go along with it. We are actually going to have to construct stuff now. The worst part is defense. We are completely exposed at this lower elevation, Clarissa said.

About ten stories? I asked.

Yes. Thats about how far down the city has sunk. If we want buildings that high, we are looking at around 10.1 billion points per building. That came from the increasing cost per floor. The sixth floor was only 25 million points. The seventh floor was a billion, and the price scaled up a billion per floor after that. That meant that building the tenth floor, cost 4 billion points.

Trillions, I replied, and Clarissa nodded.

Fourteen years old is pushing it, in both directions. We cant have useless people doing nothing for a long period of time enjoying government charity. But any younger and there would be maturity concerns. Also, the social risk as well, I said. While slavery was outlawed, where there was any kind of social structure with finite there was inequality.

The airship circled around the inner city so we got a good look at the surroundings. The outer dirt walls. They are holding up? I asked.

Remarkably well. But, we will be building roads and cutting out pieces of building to shore them up. The problem is that the shield curves like a bubble. It isnt straight up and down. If we build up and activate the shield, there could be gaps created by building vertically, Clarissa said.

With the tests we have run? I asked.

It is possible. Not saying it is likely to happen, but it is possible. It is one way, but if there is a large summon in place, and something moves through on the inside, Clarissa suggested. That was disgusting, but it was a way to break a shield.

Wouldnt a summon be disrupted? I asked.

They are interfered with, but the end result isnt perfect, Clarissa replied. I really needed to stay on top of the research more, since I was clearly missing things. It is a minor thing, but now that the city is a pit, something we have to consider.

Well, you have my full authority to take charge however you need to. I am guessing I need to put in an appearance? I asked.

A roof seat is more than enough to be seen and people know you are alive. Even if you were injured, it shouldnt hurt your image, Clarissa replied. I waved my left hand at that.

It doesnt matter. Well, it does, but better to try and not hide that I took a beating like we discussed. We cant have people mistrusting what we do. Rather endure a bit of hassle now and get people to go along with martial law and stuff like that later on, I replied, thinking through the situation.

This place was miserable enough without me making it worse for people. I wouldnt sugar coat things, but I wouldnt outright lie either. At least the city hadnt burned down under the shield. Did XLR8 keep things togeather? I asked.

Both him and Commander Carlson who I left in charge. They managed things decently enough. What about your church. I notice you have dropped the Almighty from the Almighty System, she said.

I dont know. If there are multiple stages of grief are there multiple stages of religion? I asked.

Maybe? Going to have a schism now? she asked. I shook my head.

No. But, I am annoyed. But that is the concept of fairness. For all we know the System is fighting some supernatural war or something. But it has issues. That much has been revealed. I was quite unhappy with everything, but it was like screaming against the sky hoping to change the weather. It was futile, but it made a person feel a bit better.

I was kind of hoping the System would show up and explain or smite me, or anything really. Instead it seemed to be going back to normal based on all the reports I had seen so far. But the veil had been lifted from my eyes now.