Chapter 536: Building Our Own Base, Trouble in the Central Base

Chapter 536: Chapter 536: Building Our Own Base, Trouble in the Central Base

Seraphina Sullivan stared at the string of numbers, a slight headache beginning to form.

Of the requirements, she had only met the third.

And that was simply by having just become a level 5 Player.

One thousand Players, and one hundred thousand ordinary civilians.

It was easy, in a sense. If she wanted to, she could go to the various Survivor Bases and recruit people. Using the promise of safety and food as bait, she could gather those numbers in a short amount of time.

But it was also difficult.

With a larger population, all sorts of people would emerge.

There would be those who were truly loyal, those looking to take advantage of the chaos, those with malicious intent, and even those like Kyle Kane who could betray her at any moment.

’Can I manage all of them by myself?’

It wasn’t as if she had never seen the ugliness of human nature.

The greed and betrayal of the Awakeners in the Demonic Apocalypse Dungeon were still vivid in her memory.

Seraphina Sullivan returned the Crown to her Space, leaned against the tree trunk, and closed her eyes.

’I want to build a Shelter, a truly safe place.’

’But I don’t want to build a powder keg that could explode at any moment. What should I do?’

After mulling it over, Seraphina Sullivan decided to tell Dexter Luther and the others about establishing the Shelter.

They were the ones who had been through thick and thin with her, her most trusted companions in this world.

She needed their opinions on the matter.

—

「Night fell.」

A campfire crackled to life beneath the Redwood Tree.

Seraphina Sullivan had called everyone over—Crystal Lynn, Dexter Luther, Matthew Dawson, Paul Payne, and the others.

They sat in a circle around the fire, the flickering light dancing across their faces, casting them in shifting light and shadow.

Seraphina Sullivan didn’t beat around the bush. She told them everything about the Imperial Crown, including its conditions for use and her own concerns.

After she finished speaking, silence fell over the campfire for a long time.

Dexter Luther was the first to speak, scratching his head. "A thousand Players, a hundred thousand ordinary people... Sullivan, are you trying to found a nation?"

Seraphina Sullivan didn’t deny it.

Fulfilling the item’s conditions was practically the same as founding a nation.

Dexter Luther’s eyes lit up. "Well, that would be awesome! Our current Shelter is nice and all, but at the end of the day, it’s just a hideout.

If we actually founded a nation, that would be—that would be incredible!"

Crystal Lynn shot him a look. "All you can think about is how ’incredible’ it would be. Sullivan is worried about the management issues. What if there are too many people to handle?"

Dexter Luther chuckled. "If we can’t handle them, we’ll just find people who can. Sullivan isn’t alone, right? She’s still got us."

Matthew Dawson mused for a moment. "Sullivan, I think this is feasible, but we can’t rush it. The hundred thousand civilians will be easy to find; the Survivor Bases are full of people.

The real issue is the one thousand Players. Players all have Abilities, and people with power are difficult to manage."

Paul Payne spoke up softly, "What if... we start by recruiting people we trust? Like Brandon Barton and his group. We’ve dealt with them before, so we know they’re decent people."

’That’s a nice thought, but Brandon Barton is a member of the Central Base.’

Flora Sullivan, who rarely spoke up, offered, "We can create a tiered system. Core members, official members, and ordinary residents, with different levels of authority for each. Core members, like us, would be completely trusted. Official members would be vetted and could participate in management. Ordinary residents would be the general populace, receiving protection in exchange for fulfilling certain duties."

Dexter Luther slapped his thigh. "That’s a great idea, Flora! It’s just like a company, with shareholders, employees, and temp workers!"

As Seraphina Sullivan watched them chime in one after another, the heavy pressure in her heart began to dissipate.

She wasn’t fighting this battle alone; she had friends.

Crystal Lynn took her hand. "Seraphina, you don’t have to worry. We’ll support you no matter what you decide to do. If you want to found a nation, we’ll help you do it. You’ve helped us so many times; we want to do our best to help you meet the item’s conditions, too."

Seraphina Sullivan looked at her, at the sincerity and determination in her eyes, and a warmth spread through her heart.

"Okay," she said. "Then let’s do this together."

Buoyed by everyone’s enthusiasm, much of the heavy pressure on Seraphina Sullivan’s heart lifted.

She took a deep breath, her gaze sweeping over each face seated around the campfire—Crystal Lynn’s determination, Dexter Luther’s excitement, Matthew Dawson’s composure, Paul Payne’s earnestness, and Flora Sullivan’s tranquility. These people were her strongest support.

"Then let’s start preparing," Seraphina Sullivan said, her voice calm yet carrying an undeniable weight. "First, we’ll build our own base to shelter the survivors."

Seraphina Sullivan paused before continuing, "On Azure Star, there are still many ordinary people struggling to survive all sorts of natural disasters.

They might not be able to get into the Central Base, or they might not want to go there at all, forcing them to eke out a meager existence in different places.

What we need to do is find these people and ask them if they are willing to join us."

Dexter Luther’s eyes lit up, but then his brow furrowed. "Sullivan, if we do this, won’t we be targeted by the Central Base? It feels like we’d be directly opposing them."

Hearing this, Seraphina Sullivan fell silent for a moment.

She had considered this problem as well.

The Central Base was currently the largest gathering of survivors on Azure Star, home to a vast number of Players and civilians, and its power was immense.

If she were to openly recruit within the Central Base’s "sphere of influence," it could indeed provoke unnecessary conflict.

"We’ll go farther out," Seraphina Sullivan said.

"The Central Base around here is genuinely looking out for many ordinary survivors, and they’re doing a good job.

The survivors in this area aren’t going to join our not-yet-established ’big family’ just because we say a few nice words."

She paused, a slight smile playing on her lips. "But I’m not short on food."

As soon as she said this, everyone froze for a second before slowly realizing what she meant.

Crystal Lynn was the first to understand, her eyes brightening. "You mean... you’re going to use food to convince them to join?"

Seraphina Sullivan nodded.

The extreme weather disasters outside were still ongoing, and food was spoiling at an alarming rate.

For ordinary survivors, the biggest problem wasn’t safety, but sustenance. Food they found one day could be spoiled, rotten, and inedible by the next.

Those ordinary people without the protection of a Player worried about their next meal every single day.

And she had the Scavenger’s Farm, Magic Cuisine, and enough food reserves to feed tens of thousands.

"But the Central Base should have its own solutions,"

Seraphina Sullivan added, "with so many Players gathered there, someone can surely solve the food spoilage problem. We don’t need to worry about them."

She said as much, but Seraphina Sullivan knew that while the Central Base did indeed have a solution, they had no idea that the real problem wasn’t the food at all.

—

Over the next few days, Seraphina Sullivan rested while beginning to plan the construction of the base.

Dexter Luther was in charge of scouting for a suitable location to establish the base.

Matthew Dawson and Paul Payne remained in the Shelter to organize supplies. Crystal Lynn took Beau to patrol the surrounding area and ensure their safety.

Meanwhile, Flora Sullivan continued to use her Ability to accelerate crop growth, preparing for the upcoming expansion.

Everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion.

Until the fourth day, when Dexter Luther came rushing back from the outside.

"Sullivan! Something’s happened!"

His face was deathly pale, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. "The Central Base... something terrible has happened at the Central Base!"

「Two days earlier.」