Chapter 31: Rise of the Builders
Location: Swamp Kingdom – Stonepine Redoubt, Inner Citadel | 3 Days After the Swamp Confederacy Formed
The forge-hammers never stopped ringing.
From dawn till dusk, the capital of the Swamp Kingdom thundered with the sounds of rebirth. Where once the wetlands bred monsters and pestilence, now stood scaffolds of vine-steel and rune-laced masonry. Teams of NPC workers, tamed elementals, and contracted mercenary guilds labored under the flickering glow of lantern-drones—constructs powered by [Elemental Core Reactors].
[Kingdom Project Update]
– [Swampgate Market Zone] – 72% Complete
– [Hero Hall] – 98% Complete
– [Defensive Outposts – West Marsh] – 34%
– [Agricultural Expansion – Deeproot Beds] – 19%
Ashen stood on a floating platform crafted with [Elemental Force Field: Solid Step], scanning the kingdom's heart. His cloak billowed behind him, rippling with the sigil of a coiled serpent devouring a sun—his newly updated royal crest.
