Chapter 637: Covenant Base

The administration spent three days assigning jobs to everyone. All those who contributed to the base’s reconstruction would be allocated a house, which would be considered their personal property, with an unlimited supply of water and electricity.

When this news was announced, everyone was ecstatic.

Owning one’s own house was everyone’s dream. Even if it was tiny, only big enough for a single bed, it was still a home.

A haven from the elements, a place where they no longer had to live a life of wandering.

To protect the pregnant women and new mothers at the base, Rhys Chase had a very large tent set up. It was divided in two: one half for the expectant mothers and the other for the new mothers and their infants.

Evelyn Ford just had to go over to do a check-up at ten in the morning and again at four in the afternoon.

The rest of the convoys arrived in Eldoria one after another. People from The Third Base and The Fourth Base came as well, and the population on the grasslands grew steadily.

「A month later.」

Everyone from all the bases had arrived, including Arden Base from the frontier, Tarr Base from the Southward, and others.

Meanwhile, the power station on the freshwater lake was beginning to take shape. To the south of Eldoria, in the camp belonging to The Second Base, rows of red brick houses had appeared.

After all the bases converged, the commanders and administrators held a two-day meeting. They unanimously decided to merge, with each former base governing its own designated zone, but all operating under a single, unified name.

They likened Eldoria to a city, with each base acting as an individual school under the city’s governance.

The commanders’ positions all remained unchanged, but Rhys Chase was promoted, becoming the overall Commander-in-Chief.

This was the last thing he had expected.

The reasoning was simple. Although he didn’t have many supplies, he possessed the most weapons. Everyone understood the principle of "might makes right." What’s more, his people had been the first to discover Eldoria and designate it as the main encampment.

And just like that, Rhys Chase became the Commander-in-Chief. Ryan Rowe took his former position, becoming the head of the Second District. Liam Sterling, however, refused any official post. He went to find Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick, telling them he wanted to work with their group.

Evelyn Ford was stunned.

"Liam Sterling, I heard from Ronan Kendrick that you were the original choice for Head of the Second District, but you point-blank refused. Then Rhys Chase asked you to stay on as his second-in-command, and you refused that too. I can’t believe you actually want to come work with us instead. Will Rhys Chase even allow it? You’re his right-hand man."

Liam Sterling burst out laughing. "Mr. Chase agreed. Mr. Kendrick, Evelyn, I’m just begging you both to take me in now. Otherwise, I’ll have to go back to being just another cog in the machine.

You probably don’t know how I met Mr. Chase and Ryan Rowe, do you? He found both of us on the road when we were fleeing the disasters. We’ve been with him for ten years now. Back then, Mr. Chase wasn’t yet the Commander of The Second Base. The former commander passed away and left the position to him. From what I know, Mr. Chase had saved that commander’s life, which is why he was entrusted with the role.

Ryan Rowe and I became his assistants and have been with him ever since. Of course, I would never leave or betray him. I just feel that I prefer farming and fieldwork over being an assistant. Mr. Chase said he’s not worried about me coming to join you all. But, from the look on his face, he wasn’t too happy about it. ’He’s probably just jealous,’ I guess. After all, he’s always wanted to step down, and now, far from stepping down, he’s become the Commander-in-Chief."

Evelyn Ford...

Ronan Kendrick...

The others...

"Are you serious about that last part? Way to make everyone jealous," Quincy said through gritted teeth.

Liam Sterling smiled, pressing his lips together. "Actually, Mr. Chase has told me several times that if it weren’t for the former commander’s last request, he would have taken us and skipped town long ago. He really hates pulling all-nighters and dealing with paperwork. I handled most of his documents for him."

Quincy gloated a little. "Now that you’ve suddenly resigned, do you really think he’ll sincerely let you go? Liam Sterling, you’re in danger. I think Rhys Chase might have you assassinated."

"You’re overthinking it. Mr. Chase has plenty of capable people under him. Now that I’ve resigned, many others can fill my role. Besides, Mr. Chase is broad-minded; he wouldn’t fuss over such matters."

Liam Sterling was fiercely protective of his image of Rhys Chase, refusing to let anyone slander or speak ill of him.

Quincy huffed. "Well, since you love working so much, you can start picking cotton tomorrow. How about you handle twenty acres by yourself? No problem, right?"

Evelyn Ford shot Quincy a look. "Alright, that’s enough. How would you like it if I told you to pick thirty acres?"

"I’d be thrilled! Work brings me joy."

Evelyn Ford couldn’t be bothered with him.

"Liam Sterling, welcome to the team. But I have to warn you, there’s a ton of work to be done. These guys are worked to the bone every day."

Liam Sterling stood up and bowed to everyone. "Thank you all for taking me in. By the way, Evelyn, is my old room still available?"

"It is. You want to move in?"

"Yes. I’d like to live here with everyone."

Evelyn Ford smiled and led a round of applause to welcome him.

"To celebrate our newest member, we’re having whole roasted lamb tonight!"

The moment she heard this, Zoe shot up. "Wow, whole roasted lamb! I want whole roasted lamb!"

Liam Sterling looked a little embarrassed. "I promise I’ll pull my weight."

"By the way, since the bases are merging, did they pick a new name? Or is it still just ’the base’?"

"It’s called Covenant Base, approved unanimously by all the commanders. The First Base is now the First District, The Second Base is the Second District, Arden Base is the Arden District, and so on. There’s a two-kilometer gap separating each district, and all medical resources, books, education, and grain seeds will be shared among everyone."

"Covenant Base. That’s a good name," Taylor Vance said with a satisfied smile.

"What about Central Base? Any luck contacting them?"

Liam Sterling sighed. "Not yet. Let’s just hope their telegraph machine is broken. They say Central Base has over ten million people. After all, it’s where the survivors from several northern provinces gathered."

At the mention of this topic, the group fell silent.

"Oh, right. The base decided to recruit soldiers. Young people between thirteen and twenty-six can sign up. The notice should go out tomorrow."

"I bet a lot of people will sign up. If I were a few years younger, I’d want to go, too," Miles Vaughn said quietly, but the longing and regret in his voice were unmistakable.

"This recruitment isn’t just for base defense. Mr. Chase is planning ahead. He’s worried that raiders might invade our territory to steal supplies or try to seize our land."

"That’s definitely a threat we need to prepare for. A few hundred kilometers north of Khoros are the Outlands."

"There’s no need to be so afraid," Taylor Vance said, reassuring them. "We’ll deal with whatever comes our way. When faced with a true crisis, our people’s ability to unite is beyond question."

"Exactly! What’s there to be afraid of? We have weapons. If one comes, we kill one. If two come, we kill them both."

"Kill!" Zoe shouted, raising her tiny fist with adorable ferocity.