Worship

After more than a week, Krei was able to stabilize his company. The sale of over a thousand cubic meters of wood brought in an additional 35 million pesos for Krei. Through this fortune, a new round of capital was injected into the company.

The price per board foot Krei got from selling his wood didn't decrease. Instead, his associates had given him a better deal.

It was primarily due to their admiration for the wood's quality. Moreover, they no longer dare to con Krei after learning of his ability to procure illegally logged wood.

With ample money, Krei's construction firm was able to smoothly obtain the materials they need. The materials were mostly sourced from an organization that was tightly associated with the officials.

As for the price, it was slightly above the market price. Krei didn't have any opinions on the pricing as he gained more from the expansion of the network of people he knew.

But when the materials were delivered on-site, the experienced eyes of Krei's foreman were able to sense something amiss.

" Boss! These are ridiculous, look at these cements. They are already way out of their prime. These are already too old. " Jerich opened a sack of cement and clasped a handful of it.

" Are these still usable? How terrible is it? " Krei asked, he didn't have an adequate understanding of this field.

" We might get in trouble if we use these. There are already plenty of cement lumps here. They had likely stored these inappropriately "

Realizing that he might directly get implicated once something goes wrong, Krei reached out to the company that sold the materials.

However, before the organization responded to Krei's inquiries, the government official had phoned him and angrily instructed him to use the supplied materials.

Krei was inwardly furious at the condescending tone of the government official. However, he didn't lash out. Instead, he kept his resentment in check.

' This will be remembered. ' As the other side hanged up, Krei's eyes instantly turned to slits.

Apart from that incident, there had been no major disruptions in the project's timetable. Krei's company is even way ahead of schedule.

The earthwork which takes considerable time had been finished in a flash.

With Krei's storage space, he can remove more than a hundred cubic meters worth of materials at a time. And as he used his powers more, the dimensional space gradually expanded.

The only restriction was that he had to ensure that no prying eyes were in the vicinity of the construction site whenever he used his power. As a result, Krei only worked in the dead of the night.

.....

Evening at the other world.

In the village square, the tribe gathered. The home of the Lord stands in front of them. Krei's wooden house is two stories tall and occupied a much larger plot of land than the regular huts in Sekle village.

The warehouses on its side are where Krei stacked goods worth more than 2 million pesos. Rice sacks, canned goods, vegetables, fruits, and other food items were the most common products stored.

With Krei's decree, each person receives half a kilogram of rice, canned sardines, and a couple of vegetables or fruits every day. The portion can vary, for example, children receive less rice but more vegetables and fruits.

Furthermore, Krei made it possible for people to earn more. If they work hard, they can get additional rations like eggs, condiments, and whatever is available in the warehouses. Krei even rewarded sweets to those who labored exceptionally well.

Through Krei's policy, everyone was agitated to work tirelessly. Candies had also become an informal currency among the tribespeople. The sweetness it brings had mesmerized them.

" Thank the Supreme Lord for his blessing! " Sugude directed the crowd in prostrating in front of the Lord's residence.

" We thank the Lord for his brilliant blessing. May the lands be illuminated by the Lord's radiance forevermore! "

" Praise our Dear God for his abundant miracles! With our Lord's brilliance, harmony will be upon his land! "

Every evening, the food is allocated. After every successful distribution, the tribespeople prostrates and kowtows. Their subject of deification is the image of their Lord that is being displayed by a projector.

Reverence to the Lord is drilled into their minds. They were taught how to pray to Krei. However, the worship is still not standardized. The people had the freedom to express their prayers however they like.

When the worship had finished, Krei convened the leaders to his hall.

Inside, Krei sat on a wooden polished throne. On each side, there are 6 seats. His hall had mimicked ancient Chinese halls. The decorations were modest, it consisted of fiery wallpapers and carpets. But instead of using ancient types of furniture, Krei opted to buy modern ones as they offered better comfort.

If a designer sees Krei's residence, they would surely be surprised with how mish-mashed the features of the hall are.

" Have you finished the tasks that I had allocated? " Krei scanned through the crowds.

Sugude was the first to make a move, he went to Krei's front and kneeled. " My Lord, the construction of accommodations is almost complete and there are still surplus materials. We have also created shared commune spaces. But we are presently having trouble with the equipment connected to the toilets. "

" What trouble? Wasn't the equipment already functional when I gave them to you? " Krei's eyes perked.

" My Lord, it indeed worked well. But there had been some accidents with the cooking flames that the toilets produce. "

" The biogas digester? or the stove? "

" Both, my Lord. There were a couple of cooks that had some minor skin burns while operating the system. As for the toilet, we only have limited digesters, we can't accommodate everyone's waste. "

" Then just let the excess waste compost in the bins, no need to add them into the digester. And make sure that the safety procedures are followed at all times. " Krei then added. " In the future, I want a centralized kitchen so that we no longer have to hand out those cold rations. To make this possible, the rigorous training of the cooks should be continued. Soon, it is best if the cooks take care of everyone's hot meal. Sugude, Tolui will supervise this work from now on."

With his report finished, Sugude went back to his seat. He was the closest to Krei on the right flank.

" My lord, the learning hall is about to be finished. Can we take responsibility for the education and training? " A leader named Ekeste moved forward and kowtowed to Krei. Then, after him, four leaders went behind his back and also kneeled to Krei.

Their intentions were clear. However, this surprised Krei. He thought that the 9 leaders had teamed up against the trio of Sugude. Now, it seems like they had fragmented further.

Just by looking at the faces of the left behind leaders, it was apparent that they were also alarmed by the blatant power grab of Ekeste and his accomplices.

And just as expected, the other 4 leaders were disgruntled as they hurriedly opposed.

" My Lord, we are all under your decree. Teaching the divine knowledge that had been imparted to us by your Excellency is a sacred undertaking. It should not be done by people of ulterior motives. " Oyuun and the other 3 leaders adamantly pleaded.

The hall had entered into a heated debate. Everyone was vying to get Krei's support. However, while they were onto each other's throats, Krei remained silent. He observed the dispute.

Instead of being angry, Krei heartily enjoyed the ruckus. The more fragmented the tribe leaders, the lesser the threat they pose to Krei's rule.

" Each one of you will pick 10 students. We will discuss this further after you had trained your students. Those that perform remarkably will be rewarded. " Krei silenced them with his ruling.

Just as Krei was thinking of ending the discussion, Yisu had pushed forth and reported in a worried manner.

" Your Holiness, there's a crisis that has been overlooked. Because of the previous battles, the main force of the tribe had been devastated. The women had lost their husbands and sons, and we are lacking in men. "

" How's the situation? If the manpower is lacking, then order the women and children to support. "

" The women of the tribe are already participating in the construction but if we can't supplement the tribe, the hunting and planting will be impeded, My Lord. "

" I'll keep that in mind. As for now, you don't have to worry about food security. Our next agenda will focus on training and building this place. " Krei assured everyone while allocating small duties.

After finishing the meeting, Krei toured the village. The pathway around the village is pleasant to stroll around even though it is already nighttime.

Some trees were left behind and they dotted the village. They were left behind to give shade, breathing space for the people, and also acted as posts for the light bulbs.

There are also rows of almost identical huts that are a mix of nipa roofs as well as galvanized metal roofs. These huts share a common yard and commune space.

Proper hygiene and reliable disposal of waste are extensively promoted. Each household is responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of its vicinity.

Those who were caught neglecting their cleaning duties were given sanctions. Likewise, people who litter the environment are subject to punishment. Repeat offenders are given harsher penalties like flogging or forced labor.

While he strolled, Krei couldn't help but look in the night sky and admire its serene beauty. Unknowingly, Krei whispered.

"

Stars scarred heaven's dome.

Shards of jewel they roam.

Carefully placed as they danced in the sky.

Blissfully sparkling, pridefully standing high.

Moon holds the throne.

Soon, it will not be alone.

"

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Biogas Digester:

- Did you know that you can turn human waste, food scraps, and other biodegradable into fuel for your stove? The designs of these are simple and easy to use. You can look it up on the internet if you're interested.

Currency ( Phillippine pesos and U.S. dollar. ):

- I've forgotten to mention this. Different currencies will be used depending on the circumstance. A rough conversion that I am using is 1 USD = 50 PHP.

Wood prices:

- I've taken the liberty to set the wood price to around 50 PHP - 80 PHP per board foot. I also didn't focus much on the wood types. Just think of the procured wood from the other world as similar to those in the tropical regions of the Earth. That also means that the Sekle village is situated in a tropical climate.

Nipa Hut:

- This is a common type of roof for wooden homes back in my mother's province. This roofing comes from processed nipa leaves.

Ekeste:

- One of the twelve leaders. He is currently leading an alliance of 5 tribe leaders.

Oyuun:

- Also one of the twelve leaders. He is currently leading an alliance of 4 tribe leaders.

Tribe leaders factions:

- Sugude's Faction: Sugude, Yisu, Tolui.

- Ekeste Faction: Ekeste, ---, ---, ---, ---.

- Oyuun Faction: Oyuun, ---, ---, ---.

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