18 Dinner

Time quickly passed.

The sun could be seen in the western hills of Solana Greenlands, scattering evening light throughout the forest.

It was getting close to nighttime.

The brilliant stars started to gently emerge in the sky. The freshly formed settlement was soon bathed in a dazzling white light from a crescent moon.

It was where Autumnvale was located.

The villagers of Autumnvale stayed busy.

Using their equipment, they removed the unnecessary grass, goblin dung, and dispersed tents, leaving the area looking cleaner.

"Get dinner ready. We might just be making larger portions tonight."

Leon looked at the exhausted Villagers and troops. He wore a smile on his lips as he said, "Put more dried meat into the meals. We all need better nourishment after a day of hard work."

The three villagers who served as cooks nodded and began to get the kitchen utensils ready.

Those three were given their orders by Leon beforehand, so they did not participate in the cleanup of the Autumnvale. They needed to prepare dinner at noon since Leon asked for the dinner to be prepared in bigger, loftier portions.

Although they were not all that proficient in cooking, as long as there was meat, the dinner would become an excellent feast regardless.

Furthermore, more than 15 baskets full of wild fruits had been collected in the morning.

While they still lacked a sustainable food source, they no longer had to immediately worry about food.

The kitchen furnaces in the Town Hall were ignited.

In mere moments, the fragrance of food wafted throughout the village along with the wind.

The villagers, who only had some bread and at noon, were famished. All of them gulped as they smelled the enticing fragrance. Their eyes were fixed on the kitchen.

The wait before the meal was excruciating for those famished villagers.

However, the troops on guard duty were having an even harder time as they held their swords, axes and bows.

They had not had much to eat at lunchtime.

However, for the sake of the village's safety, they needed to make sacrifices.

The troops were divided into five groups composing of six barbarians, 2 archers, and one wizard. They stood guard at the east, west, north and south of the village, respectively, while the last group are station at the top of the waterfall were they previously set up their tents when they came here. As dusk came, the dazzling stars and bright moonlight enabled them to barely see what was out there over 300 feet away.

They had been on-guard and watching for the goblins.

The troops of Autumnvale were just as careful and alert.

At least for the moment, it was fortunate that things were still safe,

However, their luck was not an excuse to let their guards down. No one knew when those greedy, brutal goblins would retaliate for the earlier slaughter.

[ Bigger and Better:

Upgrade the Town Hall to Level 2: Done

Reward: Cannon x1, Elixir collector x1, Gold mine x1 ]

[ Note: New Buildings are unlocked at the shop. ]

As Leon stood vigil, a familiar golden dialogue box materialized before him, its contents announcing the completion of the town hall's leveling up process. He glanced at the message with a sense of satisfaction, acknowledging the hard work of the builders.

"Looks like the builders have also finished their work, huh?" Leon remarked, a hint of pride evident in his voice as he surveyed the newly upgraded structure. Leon then look at the information of the rewards.

[ Cannon ]

[ Cannons are great for point defense. Upgrade cannons to increase their firepower, but beware that your defensive turrets cannot shoot while being upgraded! The Cannon is a single-target defense that deals moderate damage. It is the first defensive structure that a player builds at the start of their Clash of Clans adventure ]

[ Elixir Collector ]

[ The Elixir Collector collects Elixir from an underground reserve (a.k.a Ley Lines) and stores it until collected and placed into an Elixir Storage. When the collector is full, production will be stopped until it is collected ]

[ Gold Mine ]

[ The Gold Mine collects Gold from an unlimited underground reserve and stores it until collected and placed into a Gold Storage. When the mine is full, production will be stopped until it is collected ]

[ Note: the host will need to find and get/own a resource point first before you can place the resources buildings otherwise it won't work ]

Turning his attention to the information regarding the elixir and gold mine, Leon's brows furrowed as he scrutinized the details presented before him. However, it was the note at the end of the information that caught him off guard, prompting a bemused expression to cross his features.

"Well, that makes sense, but the system is totally different from the mechanics of the game, huh?" Leon mused aloud.

"Dinner is ready."

Three villagers brought pots out of the kitchen.

There were bread slices toasted to golden perfection, as well hearty vegetable soup made using dried meat and cabbage.

There was also the freshly plucked fruits.

The villagers eagerly lined up, their stomachs rumbling with anticipation as they awaited their turn to partake in the evening feast.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of the gathering, Leon's attention was drawn to the approaching figures of Ion and Reed, the two dwarf builders who had tirelessly worked on the town hall's construction. As they drew near, they greeted him with respect, their faces etched with exhaustion yet pride.

"The building of the town hall has been finished, my lord," Ion announced, his voice filled with satisfaction.

With a nod of appreciation, Leon replied, "Yeah, thank you for your hard work. You two should go eat now."

Grateful for the acknowledgement, Ion and Reed joined the line of villagers, their expressions reflecting a sense of relief and contentment as they awaited their share of the meal.

As the villagers enjoyed their food, Leon observed the scene before him with a smile. The sound of happy chatter filled the air, mingling with the clinking of utensils and the laughter of children.

In the midst of the festivities, Leon couldn't help but notice the Lumberjacks at the bonfire of the army camp. They all sat together, and the scene was quite lively. The lumberjacks boasting amongst themselves about who was the one who chopped more trees today, their pride evident as they exchanged tales of their accomplishments. It was a sight that filled him with pride, knowing that the efforts of each individual contributed to the sense of community and camaraderie that thrived within Autumnvale.

Leons dinner was prepared as well.

His portion had black pepper and sugar, as well as fine, white salt.

"Not bad at all."

Leon nodded in satisfaction.

The dried meat had been roasted and given a dash of crushed black pepper, making it exude a mesmerizing fragrance.

He gulped them down and narrowed his gaze. He quipped with a smile, "This is really good."

The dinner had been a very good one.

Leon was not the only one who enjoyed the meal. The Villagers, builders, and lumberjacks who had been working hard throughout the day, shared the same thoughts.

Even the troops who took turns eating dinner expressed heartfelt gratitude for the food.

Caww~

As Leon savored his meal, a cry pierced through the air, drawing his attention to the arrival of an elegant silver eagle. The majestic bird landed gracefully on Leon's shoulder, its piercing gaze meeting his own.

"Hi there, Cid," Leon greeted the eagle with a warm smile, reaching up to gently stroke its feathers.

With a soft chirp of acknowledgment, Cid settled onto Leon's shoulder, his presence a familiar comfort amidst the bustling activity of Autumnvale.

Leon turned to a nearby villager, instructing them to provide Cid with a meal of meat. With a nod of understanding, the villager hurried off to fulfill the request, ensuring that the loyal companion would be well-fed and cared for.

Once the meal had concluded, Leon made his way to the town hall, marveling at its newly constructed form.

At level 2, the Town Hall gets the roof tiled and raised slightly with orange and has the walls "straightened out" and made of stone. The bottom of the corner poles and window walls are now made of stone.

Turning his attention to the patrolling barbarians.

"Stay sharp in the night." Leon gave a final order before going to bed.

The Barbarians answered affirmatively, "Rest assured, My Lord."

Everyone had experienced a long day, so it was a good idea for them to go to bed early.

As for the troops, they took turns resting. After all, they were the ones who had taken up guard duty in the night to keep everyone safe.

Before long, everyone had gone to bed.

When the villagers and lumberjacks go to the new houses and lied down to their respective beds, loud snoring was quickly heard throughout the village, which sounded rather irritating.

The night was no longer young. Midnight soon arrived.

Only the snores of the villagers continued to be heard throughout the Autumnvale.

There were four barbarians standing guard and staying alert for everyone else at the top of the waterfall.

"Gosh, the snoring is awful."

One of the barbarians shook his head exasperatingly and sighed. "I can't even sleep even if I want to now."

"Just bear with it. This is nothing." The other barbarian held onto his sword. He spoke in an unfazed manner. "You have no idea just how awful your snoring was when I was sleeping by your side."

"What? For real?" The barbarian rolled his eyes exasperatedly and asked, "How come I know nothing of it?"

"You were fast asleep just like a dead pig, Jed" the other barbarian jested.

The barbarian who was named Jed was just about to retort when he caught sight of something not far away from the forest. There seemed to be some dark shadows at the forest, which alerted him.

"Hey, what's that over there?"

He did not let his guard down. He instead jabbed at the other barbarian with his arm.

"Huh?" That other barbarian peered toward that direction as he frowned.

The forest at the east of the Autumnvale had starlight and moonlight shining over them. The bushes seemed like it was being move by a creature.

That babarian expression became serious as he said, "Something is not right."

"Yeah, I saw shadows just a moment ago," Jed added with a gulp.

He had a bad feeling and was unable to help but mumble, "Are those damned goblins really going to sneak up on us in the night?"

"Go and wake the others."

The other barbarian did not respond to him. Instead, he said in a serious tone, "Be quick about it!"

"Will do." Jed behaved just as seriously as he ran toward the town hall.

Shadows were lurking on the forest at the end of the two barbarians' line of sight. They did not look like a beast under the moonlight. There was no way the barbarians would not be able to tell that the scattered goblins were sneaking up on them in the dark of night.