As we headed out of the Adventurer’s Guild with the addition of Koto, we made our way to the new town hall.

  Upon entering, I received a notification.

  - Welcome, Lord Drake. As this is your first time in the town hall, you have been provided with a book containing basic information about the settlement. -

  Popping right in front of me was a book named “Settlers Hamlet: A Basic Guide Not to Die.” Looking for an author, I couldn’t find one, no matter where I searched. Sighing at the book, I kept hold of it as we continued to look around the building.

  As I looked, I noticed that the building is tall enough for there to be at least two floors, but there weren’t. What instead greets the eyes is a large, open room with a long table positioned in the center, surrounded by chairs interspersed on either side, with one chair at the head of the table. At the far end of the hall is a fireplace, and above it is a banner depicting my coat of arms.

  Continuing to look around the room, there are four other doors spread throughout. Two are on the right-hand side, one is on the left, and the final one is located right next to the fireplace. Spreading out, we all went to inspect the rooms and see what secrets they hold. In the two rooms on the right, there was a set of a small table and chairs, which we figured were for holding more private discussions. In the left room, there is a kitchen, and in the final room is a small sleeping area, probably for the lord to sleep.

  Considering all of this, I can only assume that this building was what I was supposed to start with when I first came, if this was supposed to be a Hamlet initially.

  With all of us having explored all the building has to offer, we decided to hold the rest of the meeting here in the town hall. As people were taking their seats, Laxreal leaned over and mentioned something interesting. While the overall look of the chairs didn’t change much, there were some subtle changes that, when looking for them, became quite obvious. Some backs would elongate to accommodate some of the taller people in the group. Grooves would be placed on the backs for those who have prominent shoulder blades. After examining these small changes, I also took note of the adjustments made to my seat, which added more comfort for me, but not so much that I would want to stay there for very long.

  Contemplating what we should do next, Eleanor speaks up. “With the new buildings in the settlement handled and with us having an actual place to hold meetings, I think it is prudent to focus on what we can do next. I know there aren’t that many things to focus on right now, but there are a couple of things that I would like to bring up to the council.”

  Everyone’s attention is focused on her at this point. “We should be preparing for the beast swarm that is going to be running rampant through the lands soon. My thought would be to get people as part of the Adventurer’s Guild to get quests to clear our nearby area, or at least scout out our area. We should also encourage everyone to go out and try to level up. I know it isn’t easy, but it wouldn’t hurt to have them go out.”

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  I nod along with her suggestion, there aren’t many people above level 10 that I am aware of, if you don’t count Laxreal and me. There is a small chorus of agreement from everyone, and that is when a notification appeared.

  - Would you like to create the mission ‘Explore The Territory’ for the Adventurer’s Guild mission board? Yes/No -

  Intrigued by this prospect, I want to select yes, but I am curious where the reward will come from. Not receiving any information from PUN right now, I can only think of the book I am holding onto. It probably has information about this situation. Not wanting to dwell on the matter for long, I informed everyone about how we created a mission.

  “Interesting,” Draemish remarks, “I am curious as to how we can create more of these missions.”

  “One way to find out, let’s think of some other things we would like to have done around the settlement and put them to a vote on whether that will be something we should have on our list of things to do,” Narus says.

  After a couple of minutes, there are only a couple of things people can think of other than the initial scouting of the terrain that has been added after our recent settlement tier increase.

  First, we considered adding benefits for those willing to brave the fog and bring back as many chests as they can. Second, having people create items that we can use throughout the settlement, such as weapons or other valuable items. Third, there is a mission to help those new to the settlement figure their way around the settlement and the situation they are in. Finally, we consider having a guard rotation as part of the Adventurer’s Guild responsibilities for the moment, will we can have a more formal guard system in place.

  As we start putting these points into a vote, I find that while these things are essential to the settlement, one other mission was available to submit to the Adventurer’s Guild, which isn’t a surprise. The mission was to brave the fog. Sighing, I was hoping that with the incentive of the mission, we might be able to get some more people to be on guard duty.

  After sending both of the missions to the Adventurer’s Guild, I asked a question to the group. “Is there anything else we should take note of, or might we adjourn this meeting so we can all proceed with our days?” While my tone sounds impatient, I honestly can’t say I wasn’t. With the Adventurer’s Guild in swing, I wanted to grab my party so we could register and start running missions of our own.

  “What about building new buildings and those new blueprints that we won at the auction? We haven’t figured out which ones we have, so we don’t know if there is anything we should specifically ask people to look for when they are out on their missions.” Brathfolim asks.

  Thinking about it, I can’t help but think of someone. I know this is putting more than he expects into his own hands, but I feel like since he can’t leave the settlement, he is the best option. Upon reviewing my available options, I notice that a new tab has been opened on the settlement menu. Opening it, I see that there are a couple of spots available for someone to be assigned. It isn’t much, but I select the one that specifies a seneschal and choose Laxreal. While he won’t be able to do everything, he will be able to make decisions in my stead as well as manage the resources and place buildings where they need to go.

  Making this announcement to the room, everyone there nods their heads in agreement. “Is there anything else?” I asked one final time, truly growing impatient to move on to my next adventure.

  With a silence that is deafening, I take it that we are done. “With that, I adjourn this meeting. Have a great day, everyone. We plan to meet again right before the Beast Swarm.”

  Getting up from my seat, I wait as patiently as I can for everyone to leave the building before making my way out as well. Heading back over to the Adventurer’s Guild, I ran into Gibnic and told him I would like to gather the party so we can register and then head out for an adventure.