Chapter 832: Construction
[ Shane: You planning to accept? ]
Shane replied after a few moments. To be honest, he was also surprised by Natalie’s sudden message. They were certainly not enemies, but it was hard to call themselves friends.
After all, their relationship was mostly built through various business transactions.
[ Natalie: I am. But only if you’re okay with it. I won’t let them turn this into an anti-Shane movement. If I lead, I’ll steer it toward survival... not rebellion. ]
[ Shane: That’s all I ask. I don’t want to fight other Survivors. I want to end the Apocalypse. If they follow you, they’ll listen. You’ve got credibility and compassion. And you’re not trying to play god like Lancelot... ]
Although it seemed like it was just lip service, Natalie still smiled after seeing Shane’s reply.
[ Natalie: Speaking of him... I’ve heard some information... Stormcall Assembly and Celestial Circle are backing the Pact too. But they’re not clean. I suspect Lancelot’s hand is behind them. ]
"Oh? I had no idea about that." Shane muttered inside his chamber. He didn’t expect that Lancelot had those two top ranking Clans backing him already. Of course, he also felt impressed at Natalie’s information gathering ability.
[ Shane: He’s playing a long game. I know. But he’s not the only one with allies, right? ]
[ Natalie: True. You’ve been trading with us for months. Talismans, Tokens, even Fuel. Without Eclipse Domain’s refinery, half our generators would’ve gone dark. ]
[Shane: And your holy water saved my scouts more than once. We’re not officially allied, but we’ve been helping each other longer than most Clans have existed. ]
[ Natalie: Then let’s make it clear. I’ll accept the leadership role. But I’ll make sure the Pact doesn’t become a weapon against you. If anything, I’ll use it to keep Lancelot in check.
[ Shane: Good. I’ll keep Eclipse Revenant out of their way... Unless they come for us first.
[ Natalie: They won’t. Not while I’m leading. ]
[ Shane: Then we have an understanding. ]
[ Natalie: We do. ]
There was a pause. Then Shane sent one last message.
[Shane: Thanks, Natalie. I trust you. ]
[ Natalie: Likewise. Now... time to make an entrance. ]
Moments later, the World Chat lit up with her message.
[ Natalie (Sector 4): I’ve been reading. And yes... I accept. If the Survivor Pact truly seeks unity, healing, and strength, then New Haven will stand at its heart. ]
The chat exploded with excitement. Survivors from every Sector began celebrating her arrival, unaware that behind the scenes, Shane and Natalie had already secured the future of the Pact.
While Lancelot had his Lord Alliance, Stormcall Assembly, and Celestial Circle... Shane had Eclipse Revenant.
And quietly, he had New Haven too... Furthermore, it could even be said that the Drakeheart Vanguard of Travis was also one of his biggest allies.
His connections ran deep... It was not through domination, but through trust, trade, and shared survival.
And in the days to come, those connections would matter more than ever.
***
Three days passed quickly.
During this time, a lot of things had happened.
The Eclipse Domain Shelter had transformed yet again.
The roads leading to their Gold Mine and other important outposts were finally complete...
They weren’t just reinforced with high-quality construction materials, but there were also many outposts lined with turrets controlled by his A.I. Cloud...
Of course, some larger outposts that had been established at key junctions were built with Barrier Generators and had 15 to 20 people guarding them.
Indeed, each outpost was manned by level 40 or so Survivors and equipped with many early-warning systems linked to Shane’s command deck.
Meanwhile, the New Genesis Shelter had finished assembling five more Reaper Mech Frames.
Since they had proven themselves in the Vampire Lord Extermination quest, more pilots wanted to try them.
Furthermore, Chief Mechanic Rhona added a few things to these humanoid machines, like modular weapon slots and others.
With these additions, Shane’s mobile firepower had reached a new tier.
Then, the Springriver Manor had also become a bustling hub within these three days.
Perhaps due to Shane’s boost in his Reputation Points, more wandering merchants arrived daily...
Of course, merchants had been visiting this place long ago, but the number this time had doubled.
They were most likely drawn by his reputation, aside from the safety of Eclipse Revenant territory...
Thanks to that, they had a lot of resources to construct buildings.
Soon, new buildings would rise... More blacksmiths, apothecaries, even a small tavern where Survivors could rest and exchange stories would be there...
Without a doubt, the Manor was evolving into a cultural and economic land, a place where people didn’t have to worry about Zombies...
Finally, at the Silver Mine Camp, Diana, Shane’s younger sister, had found something huge within the Spirit Vein...
They had unearthed a massive Spirit Stone. It was all thanks to the new Mining Equipment she bought in the Grand Auction Hall...
Obviously, the camp erupted in celebration after that discovery.
Diana seemed to have a plan on how to use this, and Shane just let her do the work she was familiar with... Rumors spread that she intended to use it to forge a new type of defensive artifact—something that could amplify spiritual resistance across an entire Shelter. Shane hadn’t asked for details yet. He trusted her instincts.
As for Shane himself, he was at the southern plaza of Eclipse Domain, watching the twelve Builder Slaves he had purchased from the Grand Auction Nexus.
Mute and tireless, the slaves moved like robots...
They were worth 200,000 Points, an investment few Survivors could afford. But Shane had no regrets.
They had been working nonstop on the Spirit Pulse Obelisk.
And now, it was nearly complete.
The towering structure with compressed Spirit Cores looked incredible...
The Spirit Pulse Obelisk was designed for one purpose: large-scale enemy suppression.
Once activated, it could unleash waves of compressed shock-force pulses that was capable of neutralizing hordes of enemies, disrupting even magical constructs, and even destabilizing airborne threats.
At the very least, that was what Shane learned from the blueprint and the auctioneer’s words.
It was a weapon of last resort, but also a symbol of Shane’s growing dominance.
He watched as the final pieces were fitted into place.
Soon, the Obelisk would be online.