A bit later Ben was standing in front of the library together with Adam and Barry. “I have to admit, I feel a bit cheated by the Systems. Let’s hope the content makes up for the size."
After opening the door, they stood in a small foyer that had a bit of office space on one side and restrooms on the other. Beyond that it opened up into the main room which had a bunch of book shelfs on the walls as well as free standing in the room. Those shelfs were filled with… nothing.
Empty.
Before he could engage with his feelings of frustration a golden system notification appeared in his vision. He opened it up directly.
Congratulations on building the first Library in the Protectorate.
The Library is a place of study and learning, a place of growth.
It also represents one of the goals that the systems pursue, the retaining of your civilization. Therefore, with the library comes an ongoing mission for the Protector and citizens of the Protectorate: collect the knowledge of planet earth, before it is lost.
After you have appointed a head librarian, you will receive five scanners, if you hold them close to books, they will be scanned and copies will be created in the library.
The more books you scan, the more additional books will be made available to you from the systems. Additional rewards are possible.
Good luck!
Ben turned to Barry and Adam, “Did you get the message as well?”
They shook their heads, so he read it to them.
“Well, that is quite the plot twist, isn’t it?” Adam mused. “Now we have to go and hunt for libraries? It’s not like growing this place to tens of thousands of people isn’t challenging enough…”
Barry nodded but didn’t comment on the challenge. “From the people you brought from town, is there anybody you think would be best suited for the role as head librarian?”
Ben frowned and looked at Adam. They both thought for a few seconds before Ben said, “the only person that springs to mind is Rose. I would think that this role is not all consuming, at least right now, so even if she wants to spend most of her time as a teacher or, whatever else, it could still be compatible.”
Adam nodded, not having an obvious candidate.
Half an hour later they were back, this time with Rose, who had been happy to take the role, at least for now.
The moment Ben had appointed Rose as Head Librarian, a few things materialized on one of the desks. First, there were five small golden cubes, about two times the size of a die with one side gleaming in the bright blue of Meta’s system messages.
Second, to Ben’s great delight a number of books were created as well. Most of them were quite thin, but it was a start. One offered to be a primer on the history and purpose of the systems; another was a primer on crafting. There were also books about Energy-created flora and fauna, as well as the fundamentals on dungeons. Ben was maybe the most curious about a book about perks.
“This is awesome. We will have to see what’s inside but these few books make me almost as happy as all the buildings we built today.” Ben exclaimed.
“Indeed. I think this is a good start for the Protectorate Academy. It gives us an additional purpose, as well. The more books we save out there, the more we get in additional material that is geared towards this new world.”
***
It was night, and Ben lay in his new bed for the first time. In the end, they had decided that Julia and her family, including her ex, Robin, would stay with him and his mother in his big new apartment. Adam, as part of the family, would also stay with them. His mother had suggested that, though not strictly necessary yet, having protection for the Protector might prove useful—a notion Ben found odd but accepted. By that logic, Jamal, Michael, and Anne would stay in the guest suite. She doubted it would cause unrest, but this gave them a clear explanation if anyone asked. Also, with ten people staying in the Headquarters, there was significantly more room and flexibility in the apartment buildings, which was a boon to everyone.
It had been a long day, full of thrilling developments Ben welcomed, yet he worried—the systems wouldn’t grant so much if the future were about to quiet down. He also didn’t think that the book-collection mission was what Meta and Mesa had hinted at. There was definitely more to come.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
The next two days passed by quickly. Ben spent a lot of time training and sparring. In addition, he ran the wilderness dungeon twice, and collaborated with his team to run both of the other two dungeons. In parallel, Adam found work for many of the new arrivals, some lessons for the kids were scheduled, and Tracy and Barry were running additional classes to get those of the new arrivals in shape that had a lot of catching up to do. Quite a few of the newcomers were interested in potentially becoming Protectors, but Allison had decided to give people a bit of time to find their footing and start out with the normal militia training first.
Based on a suggestion by Allison, the council had also agreed to increase the size of the clearing that hosted the settlement over time. For now it wasn’t a problem, but should they ever extend the palisades outward to their current maximum size they would reach the forest, which she did not think would be safe. As this was their core competency and they had additional arms and legs with now over a hundred people in the settlement, that was a project that they could engage in whenever there was time. It could also double down as a community-building and fitness exercise at the same time.
Ben joined many other citizens for dinner in the new inn’s massive yet cozy common room. Luz was still officially leading the kitchen, but she was very happy to hand over responsibilities to Maria, the chef, who in turn was glad to be able to contribute to the Protectorate by following her passion. They had quite a few helpers, young and old, so the workload was manageable for all.
Sarah sat opposite him, Kevin by her side. She was clearly on a mission, though Ben hadn’t yet guessed her aim. “I have convinced Tracy and Barry to host a martial arts class for us teenagers on top of the fitness sessions in the morning, and they have made me a junior instructor.”
“And she is really great at doing it!” Kevin butted in.
Ben had to smile at Kevin’s enthusiasm, as he wasn’t quite sure that it was completely objective. “That sounds great, congratulations, Sarah.”
She just ignored the interruptions and continued on, “As you suggested, I am now also part of the regular watch rotations; given the increased size of the palisades and the larger number of people, we have increased the number of guards to three during a shift.”
Ben was even more amused—he’d backed his mother’s decision and had pulled a few watches himself. Nonetheless, he nodded gravely.
“So, I was thinking… It’s not too long until my birthday, when I will get my first perk. One seems to get a perk that is related to what one is passionate about, or does a lot, etc. Given that I want to be a Protector, I was wondering whether I could participate in one of your dungeon runs, or trips to the city?” Her words sped up until the final sentence was almost a blur.
“Hmm, first of all, I think your parents should be your first port of call for that kind of discussion. I would never go against their wishes. But, I can tell you right now that I will definitely not take you on a dungeon run before you have a perk that is going to help you stay alive, and even then, I want to introduce a system where Barry and my mother assess what people are best suited to do and which risks they are recommended to take…”
“But Ben, I am already better at some of the martial arts stuff than some of the adults. That is so unfair!” She was clearly angry, but it showed only in her blushing slightly; she tried to stay reasonable.
“You are doing very well, and I have no doubt that you will be an exceptional Protector. And don’t forget, no matter what your first perk is, it is in your hands to shape your future growth path. I am only asking for a little patience. But why don’t you talk with your parents? If they have a different opinion than I do, then we can discuss it with my mother. OK?”
Kevin was about to speak up, but Ben interrupted him with a raised eyebrow. “I hope you are not asking for the same thing right now after attending one training session, right?”
The boy wilted under Ben’s gaze and shook his head.
Ben had to laugh and was just about to make a bit of good-natured fun of the two teenagers when a blue notification popped up. He excused himself from the two and started walking to the Headquarters while opening the message.
Mission alert – Evacuation
Several settlements in high-Energy zones are being overwhelmed and pose a hindrance for efficient operations for Meta.
You are to offer the members of the community the opportunity to escape their circumstances. No further efforts will be made to protect them.
Once you are ready, find and acknowledge this mission under your [Knight Protector] perk and a portal to the settlement will be opened on the central plaza; it will remain active as long as the mission is ongoing.
Target: Buddhist Monastery.
Importance: Medium
Urgency: High (24 h)
A mission! A portal to another place on Earth, not just a dungeon. A monastery. I need the team! Ben’s mind raced. He had been anxious about what potential missions could be. This sounded not just doable but was also a purpose he could more than get behind.
Ben pivoted, collected Adam, Jamal, and Michael from dinner, and hurried back to HQ, where Anne and his mother were located.
After Ben outlined the mission, they decided Adam would stay to prepare for incoming citizens—temporary or not—while the rest of the team went through the portal.
Allison swiftly reshuffled the shift schedule, and within thirty minutes they gathered in the plaza’s fading sunlight.
Ben led the team to the east side beside their very first dungeon and accepted the mission. Within seconds a portal, similar to the dungeon gates, rose from the floor. Unlike a dungeon gate, this portal revealed its destination after a few seconds, shimmering behind a pale blue veil.
As Ben touched the portal a message popped up
You are about to leave the Protectorate.
You are about to enter a high-Energy density area.
This portal will remain open for a maximum of: 23h
You can close this portal at any time.
Ben looked at the others, shrugged, and stepped through.
