They all looked at the bundle curiously. Even Ferlin who carried the bundle did not know what was inside except that it was heavy and hard.

Chris waited, with a smug expression on his face. [I've read enough world-building novels to know, that this where it all starts.]

Cat found his expression funny but turned her head to what was inside the bundle. "This is... a rock?" Said Cat. "No, it's two rocks stuck together?"

"Exactly." Said Chris and right then he threw the block as hard as he could on the ground. The two rocks didn't separate, only a bit of the grey substance binding them chipped off.

Mia exclaimed: "Incredible... This... This is a mortar stronger than clay!"

[Huhu. A little showmanship always pays off.]

Chris enjoyed their expression before continuing: "The second thing needed are strong fortifications. We do not have the skills of the dwarves, nor the magic of the elves, our options are more limited. But this..." Chris picked up the rock. "This will make up for it. I can guarantee you, that a wall built with this can withstand the Kunalls' strength."

"Berg, hit it as hard as you can." Ordered Chris.

"Lord..." Hesitated Berg. "My sword."

"Oh, right." Chris handed the sword back with red cheeks. He did his best to avoid Mia's eyes and Catherine's smirk.

A loud noise immediately echoed in the tent as Berg's sword slashed at the rock. A long silence followed this as everyone witnessed that the mortar was only chipped away once again and not broken.

"This can change the world." Continued Chris with his trademark smug smile. "The things we can do with this are limitless. And this is just the beginning, I have even better stuff to show you."

"I have 'this' and I have talented people. But like you, I need more of them, much much more."

"So what I am saying is..." Chris took a dramatic 'cool' pause. "Let's go out!"

Silence.

"Ahem." Berg leaned in. "Ask the other thing instead, my Lord. The other thing."

"Second base?"

"Second base? What is it? I mean... Ask them to join us." Pushed Berg.

"B-but, the Sun King and Queen of logistics, a match made in heaven?"

Chris finally gave up.

"Ahem." Coughed Chris. "I meant, let's join our two groups. Together, we'll be one step closer to our dream."

"Very well. Let's do it." Mia's voice was clear and held no hesitation. It looks like she had already made her decision, and she probably decided to ignore his first request.

"But if it turns out you are a tyrant, I'll send Cat after you!"

Chris was ecstatic "Don't worry! Don't worry! I have no intention to mistreat my dead people or to cheat on you!"

"What was that last part?" Asked Mia but before she could finish, she was cut off by Chris.

"Did you hear that Bergy!"

"Yes, my Lord, congratulations!" Said Berg sincerely.

Titus and Ferlin followed up "Congratulations my Lord!"

Mia sighed. [Why does it sounds like they are blessing a marriage.]

"Nevermind, please tell me more about this bonding agent." Asked Mia.

Chris was in an excellent mood, so he eagerly described the process of making this mortar.

"Bergy, remember what I was doing for the last three days before leaving Five Cave Village?"

"Yes my Lord, you prepared the red hornet traps which you called "Shameless Sucker Traps", then you bothered the leather workers and tailors for three days straight for a new pillow... Then... You tried to teach our women the skin benefits of naked mud baths, then..." Berg started recalling the last few days.

"I-I am not talking about that! I mean the cave exploring part!" Quickly corrected Chris.

"Oh right, you took a few people to explore all the five caves and came back with strange rocks." Said Berg.

"That's right! And in the deepest one, I found those porous rocks, they are called limestone, and they are the main ingredient for this mortar. They are very easy to find, but there are differences in quality. The limestones from the cave are only "so-so" for our needs. But we should find some more suited ones in Molten Valley."

Mia was stunned "Even better? Incredible..."

"Right? Right?" Chris was delighted. Of course, this was just limestone mortar, with better tools and ingredients he could even make cement.

"For now let's get our spoils of wars." He continued.

"That's right." Said Berg excitedly. "The weapons!"

The weapons used by Kunalls were as tall as a man and were very heavy. The Kunalls strength allowed them to swing those heavy weapons and use their weight to do even more damage. It was not an exaggeration to say a man would be cleaved in two by such weapons and to resist such heavy impacts, the weapons had to be made of solid iron as wood, bone or stone would just crumble.

The weapons were so heavy that the hunters had to team up in teams of two or three to carry them. Berg's interest was not in the weapons themselves, but the iron they were made of. This was not pig iron, once reforged each weapon would make many high-quality tools or human fit weapons. Now that they had a blacksmith, that iron was invaluable.

This was literally free materials. And with the merger, they needed tools to build. There was an iron mine north of here. However, it was too far from Molten Valley, and it was now probably overrun by monsters.

The next step, once the Kunall weapons were secured, was to collect all the arrows and arrowheads they could find, and finally, move the Kunall bodies to the nearby forest. The bodies would be too visible on the road, and this could lead to trouble.

Moving dead bodies as big as the Kunalls was no easy task, but luckily the refugee village had plenty of carts to speed up the process. The bodies were thrown in the forest. The beasts would take care of the rest.

That night a victory feast was held in the refugee camp. The mood was very festive, and many stories of the donkey Knight or the savage Kunalls were shared.

Mia took the opportunity to share the big news and announce the merger.

The refugee camp was now under the banner of the Sun King. Chris was a little tense, but the news seemed to be very well received. Today's battle played no small part in their reaction, but he guessed that they were used to changes in leaders, and they probably also really trusted Mia's judgment.

Chris now had three thousand people under him!

**** ****

A little later in Mia's tent, Chris and his subordinates were planning their next moves.

Mia gave Chris a list of their current resources and tools. This time, everything was properly organized on leather scrolls.

"Did you write this Mia?" Asked Chris "The writing is so beautiful and cute."

"Please stay on topic my Lord." Answered Mia calmly.

"R-right. I see the camp has many tools, carts, and horses. This will help us a lot." Continued Chris.

He was impressed, and he finally understood how they managed to move all the books, tools, and non-essential luxuries.

"Now we need to plan our move to Molten Valley. There is no point in lingering here any longer. We'll be safer there as well." Said Chris.

Everyone agreed. They had just fought Kunalls nearby, and if the scout camp somehow heard of it, this would be the first place they would check.

Chris pointed to the map. "This is the best place for us to settle. There is open space and all the resources we'll need."

"This camp is closest." Noticed Mia. "Then I would recommend using our carts and wagons to first move this camp and prepare the area for the people of Five Cave Village. That way they can use, in turn, the carts and wagons."

"Let's do this then." Agreed Chris.

"Lord. I recommend sending back our hunters to Five Cave Village Lord. Their rations won't hold forever, and they will need to stockpile for the trip." said Ferlin.

"Very well, let's send them back tomorrow morning." Said Chris. "Oh, and write a message for Cid. He has much to prepare."

"Titus". Continued Chris. "For my mortar, I will need a lot of sand and lime. Can I count on your scouts to find some for us in Molten Valley? We need large deposits."

"Of course, Lord." Answered Titus.

The meeting went on until very late, but Mia took down notes of every order given. She was very diligent and made sure nothing would be forgotten.

Everything from troop assignment, food distribution, raw materials, was cataloged.

Chris and his subordinates felt that in comparison they had been just coasting along like amateurs.

It was only at midnight that Mia was satisfied and closed her little book.

Chris finally breathed and said "Alright, let's go to bed everyone. Tomorrow is an important day. Prepare your traveling bags!"

"Tomorrow, we step foot on the ground of our first city!"