“Hah… I think we’re done with this room.” Finlay said as he wiped his face from all the sweat. Looking around him, the nicely polished floor and the wood walls shone with cleanliness.
‘There are still a few more floors to take care of. But… We’re almost done.’ He thought to himself with a satisfied smile.
Finlay couldn’t be more delighted with the progress. The most essential parts have been built, the main foundation, floors, the outside structure, windows, and most of the interior design. Everyone had done their part and more which made this possible.
“Good work.”
As he was like that, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Looking up, he realized that Arthur had approached him with a bottle of water in his hand and gave it to Finlay.
“Thank you.” The boy took the bottle and drank from it. He felt immediately rejuvenated after the sip of water. Finlay had exhausted himself working for long hours to make sure things went without a hitch. Even with his immense stamina, he had truly pushed himself to the limit.
“How is the progress so far, Finlay?” Arthur asked as he looked around him curiously. He could see that the rooms were taking their final shape already but there were some things left to do before they could finally put the last touches on their new place and call it home.
“Well, apart from cleaning around and finishing the last few floors, we are done. We have put everything important into the building. Including the defensive measures.” He said.
When the two dwarves were planning the design, they made sure to include iron doors that could be locked to stop intruders. They also used fortified glass for the window for even more security. Not to mention the layout of the building which will confuse the enemy when they try to get inside.
“If I recall correctly, Isla had gone to buy an item you asked for. What is it?” Arthur asked.
“A fortification field around the building. She told me that such an item exists. It alerts the people inside if someone they don’t know tries to enter the building when it is locked.” He said.
‘Oh… An alarm system.’ Arthur mused. ‘The amount of things people can create with mana is amazing. They don’t have technology, but they have their own inventions that do the same job.’
He had already seen several items that work just like technological devices in the real world.
“In any case, I should move to the next floor now. Serko had already started there.” The boy said as he turned around and started walking out of the room.
“You should rest, Finlay. You’re exhausting yourself.”
“… I’m fine. I can go for another hour.” The boy replied with a smile before he left.
Arthur stared at the empty spot where he was without blinking. ‘What a hard worker.’ He thought to himself.
The hours slowly passed and the day quickly came to an end. The group stopped work for the day as the weather that night was extremely cold and they would risk getting sick working in that low temperature.
Isla gave the prisoners the permission to leave the building and stop working. The rest of the work was something they could handle on their own without the need for their help. She knew that these people needed to find their lives again and start building themselves from scratch. With the money they had, they were most definitely able to do that.
That night, the group finally sat down in the lounge on the first floor. Isla bought most of the furniture needed, but it arrived later in the evening, so they could only set up the first two floors.
“Wow, these couches are so comfy! I could sleep here!” Emmy exclaimed as she sat down on the couch, feeling the softness on her back. After a hard day of work, her back almost sighed in relief when she finally sat down.
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“Mm, these are definitely high-quality! My back is cracking!” Arthur closed his eyes for a moment as he stared up.
The entire lounge was illuminated with candles hanging in every corner and a large chandelier above their heads.
“This is really cozy, and warm.”
“Yeah, I can literally sleep till the next day if I can.”
“But, that’s the problem, you can’t. We still have some stuff to do before we can say our new place is finished.”
Herculia growled as he rubbed his face. “I know, I know. You don’t need to remind me.”
The big guy was already exhausted from all the work. But, at the same time, he was having a lot of fun working with everyone on this project. The team work was brilliant and the results were great.
“Now that I think about it,” Arthur muttered. “What should we call this guild?”
“Oh…”
“Good question.”
“That’s actually… Wait, what should we call it?”
The question hit everyone hard as they had completely forgotten about that particular detail with all the stuff that happened.
“A name, huh?” Danny muttered. “I believe it should be something simple but still strong and can resonate with people. We want to attract all the upcoming players to join us.”
“… A short, resonating name…” Emmy muttered as she rubbed her chin.
“Hmm, hey! I got an idea!” Herculia exclaimed. “How about ‘The Powerful’?! It’s a cool name!”
“The Powerful?” Isla raised an eyebrow. “I doubt that would work. It is too simple.”
“Hmm, then how about ‘The Protectors?’?” Emmy asked.
“It is not strong enough,” Danny replied. “We need to balance both aspects for a perfect name.”
Then, the group went completely silent for a good few seconds as they tried to think of a name. The task proved to be way harder than they thought. A name that would attract the attention of players needed to be impactful without any explanation. It had to give them a sense of curiosity and power.
“This is hard. I’m trying to think, but I can’t imagine any better name than my suggestion.” Herculia groaned.
“…”
“Tsk, who will want to join a guild called The Powerful?” Emmy replied. “We will lose the future before we can even start.”
“Hmph, like your suggestion is any better. It sounds like the name of a heroic group in a cheap comic book.”
“What?! Take that back! I will kill you!”
“No, you take that back!”
“Hey, you two. Stop it.”
As the two were bickering, Arthur suddenly opened his eyes. “Uh, I have a suggestion, guys.” He said.
“Hm?”
Immediately, they all looked at him curiously. Arthur had been silent the entire time they were talking so when he spoke, they paid attention.
“I don’t know if this name is good or not but… How about we call it ‘Horizon’.” He said.
“Horizon?” Isla repeated.
“Yes, Horizon, the future that is within our vision that will always exist.” He said. “I think it fits the goals of this guild perfectly.”
Arthur stood to the idea of the future in his choice as this guild wanted to become the strongest entity in the entire capital and even the entire empire and the world if they could.
“Horizon… I like the sound of it. It rings well in my head.” Herculia said.
“That is actually a good name… Our Horizon Guild… Wow, that does ring well.” Emmy nodded.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought. It’s a good name.” Arthur said. “What do you think, Danny?”
“…” Being suddenly asked, the boy flinched for a second before he cleared his throat. “Well… I would be lying if I said the name sounds bad. I don’t mind it. What about you, Isla?”
The girl had been silent, repeating the name in her head. She imagined how it would look in newspapers and in people’s voices. Yet, all she could see was a very strong name that could truly push them up to the standard they wanted to achieve.
‘It will work.’ She thought to herself. ‘Horizon… Staring directly at the future.’
“I believe this is a good name. But, for the sake of formality, who agrees that this name is perfect? Lift your hand.”
Isla wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page before making the decision. This has been her method of leadership this entire time as it allowed her to know who agrees and who doesn’t.
“I’m in.” The first to lift his hand was Herculia. “I like the name a lot.”
“Me too. I agree.” Emmy was the second one.
The last one was Danny who sighed and lifted his hand. “I also agree.”
Seeing that they all accepted it, she nodded her head. “Then, our official name shall be ‘Horizon’. Let’s make this name one that people will never forget. Our opportunity to etch it into the global mind is here. I believe this team will be able to reach that level and higher.” Isla said as she stretched her hand on the table.
They all stared at her for a moment before they understood what she wanted. The first to move was Arthur who put his hand on top of hers. Then, Herculia, Emmy, and Danny. They all shared one look filled with ambition and determination.
“For a better future for all of us,” Isla said calmly.
A//N: Don’t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3