Homecoming
An Agreement with the Orcs
Night gradually settled over the Terrania Forest.
While the people of Noaterra set up camp and rested...
Noah, Lania, and Orca left the campsite and headed toward the Orc settlement.
Lucia did not accompany them.
After what had happened in the Demonic Cave, Noah no longer doubted Lucia's instincts.
He knew...
as long as Lucia remained at the camp...
not a single threat would be able to approach his people.
Before long...
the Orc settlement came into view.
As soon as they entered the territory, Orca raised his massive axe high into the air.
"ARRRGHHH!!"
"Everyone, back to work!"
His booming voice echoed throughout the valley.
Noah carefully observed his surroundings.
To his right...
dozens of humans were busy forging weapons before enormous furnaces.
Their faces were blackened with soot.
Many worked with hands covered in scars.
Not far away...
hundreds of Orcs mined the hillside using simple tools.
Wooden carts loaded with chunks of iron ore continuously rolled out of the mine.
Seeing the scene...
Noah's eyes lit up.
"An iron deposit of this size..."
"...far exceeds my expectations."
He immediately turned toward Lania.
"Lania."
"Your turn."
Lania understood exactly what Noah meant.
She knew her master already had a plan.
But Noah also understood...
that negotiations were not his strength.
That was why...
he always entrusted diplomacy to Lania.
Without hesitation...
Lania stepped toward Orca.
"Chief Orca."
"There's something we'd like to discuss."
Orca folded his massive arms across his chest.
"Speak."
"We want to free all the humans working here."
The atmosphere instantly fell silent.
Orca immediately shook his head.
"If they leave..."
"...who will forge our iron?"
Lania remained calm.
"That's precisely why we've come with a proposal."
Orca looked at her suspiciously.
She continued.
"Let them finish every weapon they're currently forging."
"After that..."
"...set them free."
Orca still looked confused.
"And then?"
"We'll lose our blacksmiths."
Lania nodded.
"That's true."
"But in return..."
"...Noaterra will forge all of your iron ore."
Orca frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"All you have to do is mine the ore."
"Gather every piece of iron you can."
"Noaterra will collect it."
"We'll forge it into weapons."
"Then we'll deliver the finished weapons back to you."
Orca fell silent.
Several Orcs standing behind him exchanged puzzled looks.
After a long pause...
Orca spoke again.
"And..."
"...what do you gain from this?"
Lania answered without hesitation.
"As payment for our craftsmanship..."
"...for every weapon we deliver, we'll receive ten small carts of iron ore."
Orca's eyes widened.
"Ten carts?"
"That's a lot."
"That's the price of skilled craftsmanship."
Lania replied calmly.
Orca thought for another moment.
"But..."
"...how can I trust you?"
Lania met his gaze.
"We'll return before long."
"We'll bring you samples of weapons forged in Noaterra."
"If they're superior to the weapons you currently possess..."
"...then we'll finalize our agreement."
"For now..."
"...allow us to take one small cart of iron ore as a trial."
Orca glanced toward his mine.
Then he looked back at Noah, who had silently observed the entire negotiation.
A few moments later...
he burst into laughter.
"HAHAHAHA!!"
"Very well!"
"That's much better than having you wipe out my entire tribe."
Noah simply smiled.
He had never intended to solve every problem through force.
To him...
an agreement that benefited both sides was always worth more than victory won through war.
After the discussion ended...
Lania approached the humans still working at the forges.
She introduced herself.
Then she told them about Noaterra.
About a new life.
About freedom.
And about the chance to live without chains.
Not a single one refused.
Most of them had spent years living under Orc rule.
Even the smallest glimmer of hope was more precious than continuing the same life forever.
Before leaving the settlement...
Lania approached Orca once more.
"One more thing."
Orca turned toward her.
"Until we return..."
"...make sure they're treated properly."
"If not..."
"...our agreement is off."
"And..."
"...I don't know what Master Noah might do."
Orca remained silent for a moment.
He glanced at Noah.
Then slowly nodded.
"Very well."
"I'll take care of them."
Though his voice remained as loud as ever...
for the first time...
the Orcs began to consider the well-being of the humans they had always regarded as nothing more than slaves.
On the journey back to the campsite...
Noah walked beside Lania.
A small smile crossed his face.
"That was incredible."
Lania looked at him.
"What do you mean, Master?"
Noah chuckled.
"Everything you said back there..."
"...would never have occurred to me."
Lania smiled in return.
"That's why you created us."
"Each of us has our own expertise."
Noah gave a quiet nod.
That night...
they returned to the campsite.
Beneath the star-filled skies of the Terrania Forest...
Home at Last
Morning arrived.
But that morning, the people of Noaterra weren't in any hurry to continue their journey.
The campfire was lit once more. Some people prepared breakfast, others chatted casually, while the children resumed playing around the campsite.
Noah let them enjoy the peaceful morning.
He sat on a fallen tree trunk with his notebook open in his lap. From time to time, he wrote down plans for future construction before lifting his gaze to watch the villagers.
For the first time, they were spending a morning free from the fear of monsters... or the uncertainty of having to flee again.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Perhaps... this is what it feels like to have a home."
Around noon...
the caravan resumed its journey toward Noaterra.
Behind Noah's wagon was now a small cart loaded with iron ore—the first result of his agreement with the Orcs.
Several villagers whispered among themselves.
"Incredible..."
"Not only did he earn the Orcs' respect..."
"...he even brought back iron ore."
"At this rate, Noaterra will grow even faster."
A few people laughed quietly.
For the first time...
they looked toward the future without fear.
The journey continued until late afternoon.
After leaving the Orc territory, they encountered no major threats.
Occasionally, wild beasts emerged from the bushes.
But Lee and Lania dealt with them with ease.
As dusk approached...
the trees began to thin.
One of the villagers suddenly cried out,
"Look!"
Before them stretched a neatly constructed road.
Rows of street lamps lined both sides, gradually casting a warm glow as the sun dipped below the horizon.
The villagers stared in amazement.
"It's beautiful..."
Even Noah fell silent.
The last time he had left Noaterra...
that road had been overgrown with weeds.
Now, everything had changed.
A smile spread across his face.
"Classic Tomas..."
"This had to be your idea."
Not long afterward...
a massive wooden gate came into view.
It was far sturdier than before.
At the top...
Luk and several of his companions were installing a large wooden sign.
NOATERRA
The moment the sign was secured...
Luk looked toward the road.
His eyes widened.
"MASTER NOAH HAS RETURNED!!"
His shout echoed throughout the settlement.
The newcomers instinctively looked up at the massive sign.
For the very first time...
they saw the name of the place that would become their new home.
Noaterra.
Noah stepped to the front of the caravan.
He was about to speak...
when a pair of small arms suddenly wrapped tightly around him from behind.
"Brother!"
"You're finally back!"
Noah turned around.
Amira was hugging him tightly, tears of joy glistening in her eyes.
He smiled warmly.
"Amira..."
"Look who I brought with me."
Amira let go of him.
The moment she saw the hundreds of people standing behind Noah...
her eyes grew wide.
"So many..."
Noah then turned toward the crowd.
"Welcome."
"This..."
"...is your new home."
"Noaterra."
Soon afterward, everyone was invited through the gates.
As Noah stepped inside...
even he was left speechless.
"A square this large?"
"So many houses?"
"And..."
"...what's that huge building?"
He had almost forgotten...
that nearly a month had passed since he had left Noaterra.
Not long afterward, Tomas, Arcer, and Luk came to greet him.
Meanwhile, Lee and Lania helped the new villagers settle in.
Amira had already run off with the children, excitedly showing them around the village.
Tomas spoke first.
"Master."
"Ever since Luk and his companions arrived..."
"...construction has progressed much faster."
Luk simply smiled.
Noah looked once more at the largest stone building in the center of the settlement.
"Tomas."
"You built dozens of houses in such a short time..."
"And what is that large building?"
"It's the main residence."
"You, Master Lee, and Miss Amira will live there."
"It has a larger study, a kitchen, a magic training room, and several bedrooms."
Noah could only nod in admiration.
Arcer added proudly,
"Tomas built my house beside the fields so I can oversee the farm more easily."
Tomas continued,
"Luk and three of his companions live near my house."
"It makes discussing future construction much easier."
Noah looked toward Luk.
"And your other two companions?"
Luk pointed toward the fields.
"They're helping Master Arcer."
"They're still working."
Following his gaze...
Noah realized the farmland was now almost hidden behind rows of newly built structures.
Then something caught his attention.
"Wait..."
"These walls..."
"...they're made of stone?"
He immediately turned toward Tomas.
"Where did you get so much stone?"
Tomas smiled proudly.
"Thanks to Miss Amira."
"Her magic has improved tremendously."
"While expanding Master Arcer's farmland, she shattered several rocky cliffs."
"I used every piece of stone as construction material."
Noah looked toward Amira.
In the distance, the little girl was happily running around with Vian and the other children.
Without realizing it...
everyone in Noaterra had grown.
Night soon fell.
Arcer and Luk mingled with the newcomers.
A large bonfire burned in the center of the village square.
They ate together.
Shared stories.
And got to know one another.
Lee and Lania assigned completed houses to the new residents.
Families who hadn't yet received homes were invited to rest in temporary tents.
Beginning tomorrow...
everyone would work together to build homes for the remaining families.
Still standing beside Noah, Tomas pointed toward the small wagon they had brought back.
"Master."
"What's inside that cart?"
Noah smiled.
"Iron ore."
He recounted everything about the Orcs, the iron mine, and the agreement they had reached.
When he finished...
Tomas quietly asked,
"Master..."
"Do you want me to forge weapons?"
Noah nodded.
But Tomas slowly shook his head.
"I'm sorry."
"I can build houses."
"Warehouses."
"Roads."
"Even fortresses."
"But..."
"...I'm not a blacksmith."
Noah chuckled.
"Haha..."
"That's alright."
"You keep focusing on construction."
Although he smiled...
inside, Noah realized something.
"This was my mistake."
"I created Tomas as a master builder..."
"Not as a master blacksmith."
"In that case..."
"Someday, Noaterra will need a true blacksmith."
Tomas then wheeled the cart of iron ore toward the main warehouse.
Once again, Noah was astonished.
The warehouse was far larger than he had imagined.
It had even been divided into separate sections for building materials and food storage.
And yet...
he had only been away for nearly a month.
"Astra..."
Noah spoke silently in his mind.
"Can my creations grow stronger as well?"
Info: Certainly.
All of your creations can continue to develop within their respective fields.
Their magical abilities will also improve through experience and training.
Noah slowly nodded.
Now everything made sense.
It wasn't only Noaterra that had grown.
The people he had created...
had grown alongside it.
A little later, Noah walked over to Amira.
The little girl immediately ran toward him.
"Brother!"
"Aren't you curious about the lamps?"
Noah smiled.
"You're right."
Amira pointed proudly at the rows of street lamps.
"At first, Tomas wanted to make lamps that didn't need oil."
"So we tried using blue magic gems."
"I charged them with magic."
"When it starts getting dark..."
"...they light up all by themselves."
Noah stared at the lamps in amazement.
"Incredible..."
Amira continued excitedly,
"Oh!"
"Brother Leon went to the city."
"He sold some of the monster gems he collected."
"And all the gems and coins we received are stored in the main house."
"It's the safest place."
Noah simply smiled.
Even while he had been away...
Noaterra had never stopped growing.
The night grew deeper.
Lucia returned to her Rabiba form and curled up on Noah's lap.
In the distance...
Amira and Vian were teaching the other children how to weave flower crowns.
Meanwhile, Lee seemed to be enjoying his far more comfortable new home.
At last, Noah entered the main residence.
He walked through the stone hallways...
before opening the storage room.
"..."
His eyes widened.
"So many gems?"
Red gems.
Blue gems.
Golden gems.
All carefully organized.
He turned toward the other side of the room.
"S...silver coins?"
"Gold coins too?"
Noah stood there with his mouth slightly open in disbelief.
He had never imagined...
that Noaterra could develop this far in less than a month.
Outside...
the joyful laughter of the villagers still echoed through the night.
Noaterra was still only a small village.
But it had already become a place of prosperity...
peace...
and hope.
And for Noah...
this was the very first step toward his dream.
To build a kingdom...
that would become a home for anyone longing for a peaceful life.