100\% DROP RATE : Why is My Inventory Always so Full? Chapter 701 - Old Home

A week later, Lucien returned to the preserved region.

Construction had not begun yet, but there was plenty to prepare before Lilith and the others arrived.

The boundaries needed to be confirmed.

Dangerous battlefield impressions needed to be separated from usable ones.

Safe districts had to be marked.

The areas intended for suppression fields, training zones, medical districts, teleportation hubs, and large-scale simulations all needed room.

Before doing any of that, Lucien went somewhere else first.

The land Marie, Kaia, Sylra, and Marina had asked from him.

He had been curious about it ever since they made the request.

Lucien crossed the boundary.

Then he stopped.

His expression slowly changed.

A waterfall descended from a restored cliff ahead.

Water struck the pool below with a familiar rhythm.

Trees had returned around the banks.

Flowers grew near the water.

Even the shape of the surrounding stone seemed familiar.

Lucien stared.

He had seen this place before.

Not the actual location, but a preserved version of it inside a world in the void, where the four women’s systems had once guided them to the special locations connected to the true Liberators.

"So this was what they were after."

The place had been broken when they discovered it.

Apparently, they had decided that was unacceptable.

The cliff had been repaired.

The waterfall flowed again.

The collapsed areas had been cleared.

Even the vegetation looked as though someone had carefully restored it according to memories rather than simply allowing nature to grow wherever it wanted.

Spirits filled the area.

Earth spirits moved through the soil.

Small fire spirits floated lazily near warm stones.

Wind spirits played around the waterfall mist.

Water spirits darted across the pool.

Others were training farther away beneath the watch of more mature spirits.

The entire place felt alive.

Lucien looked at the waterfall again.

The strange familiarity grew stronger.

•••

He did not remain unnoticed for long.

Four presences approached almost immediately.

Marie appeared first. Then Kaia, Sylra, and Marina followed.

The moment they saw Lucien, their expressions brightened.

"You came."

Marina sounded far too pleased about something that should have been an ordinary visit.

Before Lucien could answer, Marina caught one of his arms.

Sylra took the other.

Marie and Kaia moved ahead.

Lucien allowed himself to be dragged toward the waterfall.

"I can walk."

"We know," Kaia said.

That apparently changed nothing.

They passed through the curtain of water.

Behind it was a restored opening in the cliff.

Lucien stepped inside, then he slowed again.

The dwelling beyond was tiny.

Calling it a residence was almost generous..

His private chamber in Lootwell was easily more than ten times larger.

Yet the moment Lucien entered, warmth settled over him.

The faint scent of water and stone.

The quiet sound of the waterfall behind them.

The way light entered through carefully opened cracks in the rock.

The placement of the seats.

Even the uneven stone floor.

Everything felt comfortable in a way luxury rarely managed.

Lucien looked around slowly.

"This place is small."

Marina looked offended.

"It is comfortable."

"I did not say it wasn’t."

Marie ran her fingers over one restored section of wall.

"It used to be worse."

Sylra smiled.

"We repaired it."

Lucien looked between them.

The four women began showing him around.

There was not much to show.

That somehow made it more amusing.

They explained everything with the ease of people who knew exactly where every object belonged.

Lucien noticed that.

They were not behaving like people who had recently designed a dwelling.

They moved through it as though they had simply returned after being away for a very long time.

He did not ask.

The place felt too peaceful for questions.

So Lucien listened.

The four women were calmer than usual too.

They simply showed him the home they had rebuilt.

Lucien found himself smiling more than once.

He still did not understand why the place felt so familiar.

But he understood why they wanted it.

It smelled like home.

•••

They remained there for some time before Lucien finally remembered why he had come.

He stepped back outside with the four women.

The waterfall continued behind them.

Spirits immediately began gathering nearby.

Lucien raised one hand.

A projection unfolded above the clearing.

The entire preserved region appeared.

The four women became serious.

"I need your help marking the construction zones."

He enlarged several sections.

"The safe districts will go here."

Another region brightened.

"Authority Resistance Fields here."

More lines appeared.

"Medical districts, teleportation hubs, observation points, battlefield simulation sectors, and the areas we absolutely do not touch until the impressions are properly stabilized."

Marie, Kaia, Sylra, and Marina studied the projection.

After several breaths, all four spoke at almost the same time.

"Easy."

Lucien looked at them.

Then they turned toward the spirits.

The atmosphere changed immediately.

The playful creatures straightened.

Lucien watched thousands of elemental spirits respond almost simultaneously.

Marie did not shout instructions.

Neither did Kaia.

Sylra and Marina barely moved.

Yet the spirits scattered.

Earth spirits disappeared beneath the ground and began marking underground boundaries.

Wind spirits raced toward distant sectors carrying location markers.

Water spirits followed rivers, underground streams, and old channels that could become natural borders.

Fire spirits moved through the ruined plains, establishing visible beacons in places where physical markers would be difficult to maintain.

Lucien blinked.

The four women were not commanding every spirit individually.

They were transmitting intent, direction, and purpose.

The spirits understood.

A cluster of earth spirits changed course before Marie said anything.

Several wind spirits divided into smaller teams when Sylra glanced toward a distant ridge.

Marina redirected dozens of water spirits with a thought.

Kaia’s fire spirits spread into precise intervals across an enormous stretch of land.

Lucien crossed his arms.

They really had grown.

Not only the four women.

The spirits too.

What had once looked like a collection of energetic elemental creatures now moved like an organized force.

Not an army exactly.

Something more natural than that.

Extensions of four elemental wills.

•••

The work continued for the entire day.

The preserved region was simply too large to finish quickly.

Lucien spent most of that time in the air, comparing the markings below with the projected plans.

Lines gradually appeared across the landscape.

Some were visible.

Others existed only through elemental markers embedded beneath the ground or within the environment.

Dangerous battlefield impressions were circled and isolated.

Stable areas were divided into future facilities.

Natural terrain that could be useful for training was preserved rather than flattened.

Several ruined valleys became obvious candidates for large-scale combat simulations.

A wide plateau was marked for the main gathering district.

Old waterways were incorporated into the transportation plan.

Lucien adjusted several boundaries as new information arrived.

The spirits adapted instantly.

By sunset, the enormous projection above the land finally matched the physical markers below.

Lucien looked across the region.

The dead battlefield no longer looked directionless.

For the first time, it had structure.

A future.

He descended.

The spirits gathered again.

Some looked exhausted.

Others looked extremely pleased with themselves.

Lucien smiled.

"You did well."

The reaction was immediate.

Several young spirits brightened visibly.

One earth spirit puffed itself up until it became almost twice its normal size.

Kaia glanced at it.

It returned to normal.

Lucien pretended not to notice.

He looked toward the four women.

"You too."

Marina smiled proudly.

Marie simply nodded, although her expression softened.

Sylra looked pleased.

Kaia tried to appear indifferent and failed.

"Construction should begin soon," Lucien said. "Until then, keep training them."

The spirits became slightly less enthusiastic.

Lucien almost laughed.

•••

Before leaving, Lucien remembered something else.

He looked toward the gathered spirits.

There were tens of thousands now.

Many were still young.

Some had already become remarkably intelligent.

Others were developing combat abilities, healing capabilities, environmental control, or specialized elemental support.

Eventually, they would interact more closely with the Thousand Races.

Lucien had already thought about that.

"If any of them become ready to form contracts with people, you can allow it."

The four women looked toward him.

Lucien continued.

"But only if the person is suitable."

His expression became more serious.

He had no intention of letting spirits become convenient tools for whoever could pressure them into a contract.

A spirit companion could change someone’s entire path.

They could strengthen elemental affinity, support techniques, provide environmental control, and protect their partners.

Some could even alter the outcome of a battle simply by controlling the terrain around them.

That kind of bond was valuable.

Which meant people would inevitably try to exploit it.

"Make sure they understand what they’re agreeing to," Lucien said. "And teach them how to judge the people approaching them."

Marie nodded immediately.

"You don’t need to worry about that."

Kaia looked toward the spirits.

"If someone tries to take advantage of them, they will regret it."

Lucien believed her.

Sylra smiled.

"They are learning more than combat."

Marina added, "And they can always refuse."

That was enough for Lucien.

Then Marie looked at him.

A strange amusement entered her eyes.

"Besides, we already know what a good contract looks like."

Lucien paused.

Kaia smiled.

Marina’s expression became suspiciously innocent.

Sylra looked away.

Lucien narrowed his eyes.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Marie answered naturally.

"The four of us already have one with you."

Lucien froze.

He searched his memories.

He remembered many things involving the four elemental women..

He did not remember ever signing a spirit contract with them.

"When did that happen?"

None of them answered.

Marina smiled.

Kaia folded her arms.

Sylra suddenly seemed very interested in the waterfall.

Marie simply looked pleased with herself.

Lucien stared at them.

The silence became increasingly suspicious.

Before he could press further, the Grace System reacted.

A message arrived.

Lucien glanced at it.

Then his expression changed.

It’s from Lilith.

[The World Fortification Network is complete.]

Lucien read the message again.

The Lifeline Routes.

The Tidewatch Network.

The emergency systems.

The continental fortifications.

Everything had finally reached completion.

He looked across the marked region.

For weeks, it had been waiting.

Now the people he needed were free.

Construction could begin.

Lucien slowly smiled.

The four women noticed the change.

"What happened?" Marina asked.

Lucien closed the message.

"They finished."

His gaze moved across the preserved battlefield.

Thousands of elemental markers glowed faintly beneath the evening sky.

The boundaries had been drawn.

The land had been prepared.

The World Fortification Plan was complete.

And the next project was already waiting.