After the celebrations and the official signing of papers with the Dwarven Kingdom, Michael had nothing left to do but return to the Nation of Reborn and spread the good news of this cooperation.
Michael’s body descended into the shadows as he replaced himself with the clone he had back in his house in the Parched Lands.
Upon arriving, he immediately sought the attention of Lolo to tell him what happened with the Dwarven Kingdom.
There was a lot to do. First of all, they had to spread the word to the entire village that they were now officially a part of a sovereign state, where the name Nation of Reborn would finally be visible on a map.
This was a tremendous step in their progress, one that Michael was sure that everyone would rejoice in.
The second thing they had to do was to start preparations for the projects he made with the Dwarven King. They needed a lot of manpower to create the railway system, the automobile projects, the plumbing and electrical system, and other such plans that needed a lot of organizing.
The best HobMankey to arrange everything was none other than Lolo, who knew every single inhabitant in this nation, including all their jobs and their talents. He would best know which one could handle which job.
Michael was about to walk out the door to look for Lolo himself, but he suddenly realized that he was already in front of his gates.
“Welcome back, Boss,” Lolo said, bowing to Michael.
“I was just about to find you. There’s a lot of things we need to discuss,” he said.
However, it was only now that he noticed that Lolo wasn’t alone. Behind him were a variety of demi-humans and monsters who meekly looked up at Michael with curiosity and reverence in their eyes.
“Who are they?” Michael asked.
“Boss, while you were away, we did not stop our efforts in trying to find more refugees from the desert. And in our search, we happened upon a couple of different species and villages that needed our help.
Upon hearing about our situation, they traveled through the desert in hopes of settling here in our village,” Lolo explained.
There was a group of demi-humans who had the top half of a human, but the bottom half of a goat. ChatJK3 explained to him that they were a species called Satyrs.
“We beg of the magnificent human… Please accept us! We have nowhere else to go,” the oldest Satyr said, burying his head on the concrete ground trying to plead his case to Michael.
“We beg!” The thirty or so Satyrs behind him copied his movements and bowed their heads at Michael.
Upon seeing this, the other group of demi-humans begged for Michael’s mercy as well.
“Human, help us…we will not take much, for we can sustain ourselves with nothing but grass… we just need a safe haven from the black liquid…”
This other group of demi-humans had a very short stature, almost the same as the dwarves. However, they had skin made entirely out of stone, with grass and flowers growing on their bodies.
And interestingly enough, they all looked like they were lifeless stone boulders when they bowed their heads to Michael.
[According to the Bestiary, they are a species called Trolls, who live in the desert among the rocks and dunes.] ChatJK3 explained.
“Usssss too. Pleasssssee help us sssshield ourssselvess from thissss heat. Our sscalesss are ssshedding!”
Next to the Trolls was another interesting group of demi-humans. From what he could see, these species were mostly made out of women, with their top half as humans, while their bottom halves were that of a giant snake’s body.
ChatJK3 told him that they were called Lamias, and that the majority of their species were women.
Michael almost felt awkward staring at their bodies because it looked like they were wearing their scales as a two-piece bikini.
“O honored human… please accept our patronage… we will devote ourselves to your service… Please let us live in this paradise!”
The last group of demi-humans was the tallest, and in contrast to the Lamias, were composed mostly of men.
Just like most demi-humans, their torso up to their heads was human, while the bottom half of their torso was connected to what seemed to be a camel’s body.
[These demi-humans are a variant of Centaurs. They have evolved to have humps on their horse bodies to preserve water in the desert environment.]
The demi-humans all showed desperation in their eyes. They clutched the ground as if they were afraid of ever separating from this paradise now that they had found it in the middle of this desert.
“Boss, what should we do?” Lolo asked.
“What’s there to do? Of course we’re going to take them in,” Michael said nonchalantly.
He had already decided his mind before they even arrived in this place. He vowed to himself that he wouldn’t turn away any demi-humans who sought refuge in their nation, no matter the kind of species they were.
As Michael liked to say, the more the merrier.
“Tell Kong to prepare a temporary lodging for them while we prepare a suitable habitat for their species,” Michael said to Lolo.
The old HobMankey bowed to Michael, with a smile forming on his mouth. He knew that his Boss wouldn’t heartlessly turn away those in need, just like how he accepted them when they were just Mankeys.
“I have already instructed Kong to give them housing, Boss.”
Michael nodded, appreciating their nation’s mayor for his quick actions.
“For the Satyrs, make sure they have houses inside the forest, with plenty of greens and vegetation growing. For the Lamias, we should construct a river across the territory where they could freely live in….”
Michael made sure to accommodate their different needs. Unlike the HobMankeys, demi-humans like Satyrs and Lamias were not suited to live in concrete houses. They needed their own space that was suitable to their needs.
This surprised the demi-humans. They were already grateful enough that Michael gave them permission to live in their paradise, but now, he also planned to give them their own version of a paradise without even asking for anything in return.
“Oh, and once you have all settled in, make sure to visit my house so that I can awaken your talents.”
