Chapter 21 The Promised Land

  Morning came, and with it, the hangovers and the groans of regret. But we were alive, and it was time to move. We packed up what we had left, including the five Magic Bags that had survived our journey—though giving one up to Luiz still stung.

  Daisy, ever the trailblazer, took the lead. Her tail flicked with excitement as she glanced back at me. “You won’t regret this, Kaiser. I’m telling you, the wind… it’s like it’s talking to me.”

  “Right, the wind,” I muttered, skeptical but too tired to argue. Still, I trusted Daisy. She hadn’t let us down yet.

  The trek through the valley was uneventful, though the sheer scale of it was humbling. Towering cliffs framed our path, and the occasional gust of wind whistled through the narrow gaps. It felt like the valley itself was alive, guiding us forward.

  And then we saw it.

  Emerging from the valley, we stood on elevated terrain, and before us stretched a sight that stole my breath away. A massive lake glistened under the morning sun, its surface reflecting the sky like a mirror. Surrounding it was a vast expanse of land, lush and untouched, easily twice the size of Felor.

  I blinked, unable to process what I was seeing. “Wow… Daisy, you’ve done it.”

  Daisy grinned, her eyes shining with pride. “Told you. The wind never lies.”

  The cats behind us murmured in awe, their exhaustion momentarily forgotten. Even Lucky, who rarely handed out compliments, nodded approvingly.

  “This… this could be it,” I said, more to myself than anyone else. “Our new home.”

  Scruffy sidled up next to me, his usual smirk replaced by something softer. “Yeah, Kaiser. This place? It’s perfect.”

  The cats began to spread out, exploring the area with cautious enthusiasm. The air was crisp, the grass soft underfoot, and the scent of fresh water was invigorating.

  Daisy came up beside me, her tail brushing against mine. “What do you think?”

  “I think you’ve earned yourself a promotion,” I said with a grin. “This place… it’s everything we’ve been fighting for.”

  She laughed, flicking her ear at me. “I’ll hold you to that, Kaiser.”

  As I stood there, overlooking the land that could be our future, I felt something I hadn’t in a long time: hope. For the first time, it felt like we weren’t just surviving—we were building something.

  Demo’s voice broke through the serene awe of our discovery, bringing me crashing back to reality. “Wait, wait, wait… we’re not seriously living here, right? I mean, we’ll still go to cities, yeah?”

  I turned to look at him, his expression a mix of skepticism and discomfort. That was when it hit me—these cats weren’t exactly pioneers. They’d only agreed to this excursion because staying in Felor had become a death sentence.

  I sighed. My grand vision of a kingdom nestled here in this perfect spot wasn’t something they shared. Yet.

  “Alright, here’s the plan. Half of us will stay here to start setting things up. The other half can head to the cities to recruit more cats. We need numbers if we’re going to make this work.”

  Demo perked up immediately, his tail flicking. “Whoo! Recruitment mission, huh? Okay, who’s in? Raise your paws!”

  To my dismay, every single cat raised their paw. Except Lucky. And me.

  Lucky glanced at me, then at the sea of raised paws, and, with a theatrical sigh, raised his paw too.

  I stared at him, deadpan. “Seriously?”

  “What? I’m just saying, the city life calls to us, Kaiser,” Lucky said with a shrug. “We’re cats, you know? Alleyways, rooftops, garbage bins. It’s in our blood.”

  I pinched the bridge of my nose—or I would have if I had fingers. “Alright, fine. How about this? We cycle the numbers. Everyone gets a turn between staying here and going to the cities. Sound fair?”

  The cats murmured amongst themselves, nodding reluctantly. I knew they’d agreed because they thought the cities would always remain the priority, that this lake would just be a fallback spot.

  But I had other plans.

  “This place is going to be our base of operations. When things get too hot in the cities, we’ll retreat here. But make no mistake—this is going to be our stronghold. Our sanctuary. Our future.”

  I didn’t say it outright, but I wasn’t going to let this place be just some hideout. I’d turn it into our kingdom, one stone, one tree, one pawprint at a time.

  Demo gave me a skeptical look, but he didn’t argue. The rest of the cats, distracted by the promise of rotating city missions, seemed appeased.

  Lucky sidled up beside me, her voice low. “You’re not letting this go, are you?”

  I grinned. “Not a chance. This place is perfect. They’ll come around eventually. And if they don’t, I’ll just have to make it so amazing they can’t resist.”

  Lucky smirked. “You’re stubborn, Kaiser. But I guess that’s why we’re still here.”

  I chuckled. “Damn right. Now, let’s get to work.”

  The first steps of building our kingdom wouldn’t be easy, but I wasn’t backing down. This was our land, and I’d make it a home worth fighting for—even if it meant dragging these city-loving furballs into the future by the scruff of their necks.

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  I cleared my throat and addressed the cats around me.

  “Okay, listen up! Squad A, led by Scruffy, and Squad B, led by Chunky, will set up bases in the nearest city and focus on recruitment. Here’s how it’ll work: After 30 days, Squad A will return home and be replaced by Squad C. After another 30 days, Squad B will return home and be replaced by Squad D. We’ll keep cycling like that. No objections?”

  The cats exchanged glances but said nothing. Silence was as good as a yes in my book.

  “Good. The remaining cats will stay here to work on building stuff.”

  Lucky raised a paw, her tone skeptical. “Uuuh… and how exactly do we do that? We’re cats, Kaiser. Not… I don’t know, dwarves?”

  It hit me hard. Cats weren’t exactly built for construction. I knew that of course… I guessed too much enthusiasm could hurt too…

  “Alright, this is going to take some serious creativity.”

  Scruffy tilted his head. “You’re talking to yourself again, boss.”

  I crossed my paws and smirked. “We’ll figure it out. The rings we’ve got enhance our strength and stamina, so we’re not just regular cats anymore. We’ll manage. First priority is housing.”

  Chunky raised his tail. “What about us in the cities?”

  “Your current highest priority is setting up a proper base there and recruiting more cats. Keep it lowkey, and don’t draw too much attention to yourselves. We’re still fugitives, remember?”

  Chunky nodded, though he didn’t look thrilled.

  “This phase is going to take a lot of trial and error. I ask all of you to be patient. We’re building something big here, something that’ll last. Got it?”

  A few reluctant nods followed, but most of the cats seemed skeptical. I couldn’t blame them. This wasn’t exactly in our nature.

  Scruffy sighed. “Alright, boss. We’ll do it your way.”

  “Damn right you will. Now, let’s get to work.”

  With that, the groups dispersed. Squad A and Squad B prepared for their missions to the cities, while the rest of us started brainstorming ways to build shelter. I wasn’t entirely sure how we’d pull this off, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me.

  This was going to be our kingdom, and I’d make it happen—even if it meant teaching a bunch of cats how to build.

  After the squads left to prepare for their missions, I plopped down on a smooth patch of rock overlooking the lake. The air was cool, the breeze refreshing, but my mind was restless. This whole "building a kingdom" thing was daunting, and I needed a miracle—or at least a good idea.

  That’s when I remembered.

  “Oh crap, I haven’t checked the Kaiser Shop in forever!”

  Excitement bubbled in my chest as I opened the interface in my mind. The familiar glow of the shop menu appeared before my eyes, and I nearly lost my fur when I saw what was being offered.

  “Oh wow, that’s perfect!”

  Kaiser Shop - Daily Inventory

  CurrentKP: 585

  Tailblade Dagger - A lightweight dagger designed to be worn on the tail, perfect for swift, agile attacks. (Cost: 450 KP)

  Shadowstep Cloak - Grants temporary stealth, allowing the wearer to vanish for 15 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes. (Cost: 500 KP)

  Ironclaw Gauntlets - Durable gauntlets that enhance claw strength, increasing melee attack power by 15%. (Cost: 400 KP)

  Ring of Fleetness - A small gold ring that passively boosts speed by 10%. (Cost: 350 KP)

  Blueprint: Tree Canopy Outpost - Instructions for building a sturdy shelter high in the trees, ideal for scouting and defense. (Cost: 300 KP)

  Feral Pendant - Increases physical attack damage by 20% when health drops below 50%. (Cost: 500 KP)

  Scroll of Ember Barrage - A one-time-use scroll that rains small fireballs on enemies in a 15-foot radius. (Cost: 450 KP)

  Blueprint: Underground Den - Plans for creating a hidden underground lair with basic defensive measures. (Cost: 350 KP)

  Windcatcher Earrings - Stylish earrings that increase agility and grant a minor jump boost. (Cost: 300 KP)

  Stoneshield Charm - A charm that activates a protective stone barrier when health is critically low. Single use. (Cost: 550 KP)

  I stared at the screen, completely blown away.

  “This shop is nuts.”

  Then reality hit me like a slap to the face.

  “Ugh… I don’t have enough KP for any of this.”

  I could afford a blueprint though.

  I sighed and slumped down on the rock. The shop was teasing me with all these incredible tools, but I was flat broke. Well, not entirely broke—I had some KP, but not nearly enough for the things I really wanted.

  “Great. Just great.”

  Hmmm… I had no idea how the Kaiser System’s economics worked, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that some of the items were way cheaper than when I first started using it. Maybe I was just imagining things. Or maybe… nah, it didn’t matter.

  Whoa~ What was this? A little notification blinked in the corner of my vision. I mentally clicked on it, and suddenly a message popped up:

  [Congratulations for surviving this far!]

  I had an inkling suspicion my Kaiser System was either alive or connected to some kind of cosmic higher power. What else could explain this nonsense?

  [Quest System Activated!]

  [You will receive a number of Daily Quests each day.]

  Okay, this was new. I squinted as the details rolled out in front of me.

  [Daily Quest: (1) Walk 3000 steps. (2) Kill one creature. (3) Eat fish. ]

  [Reward: 100 KP.]

  Alright. That could wait for now, I guess. But the gears in my mind were already turning. If I could figure out how to generate quests or manipulate them, I might be able to abuse this system and rake in KP like nobody’s business.

  There was more, though. I scrolled through the updates.

  [New Updates!]

  [The Kaiser Gacha is now open!]

  [100 KP for a pull.]

  [Good luck!]

  Suspicious. So very suspicious. My instincts told me not to trust it, but curiosity got the better of me. I decided to give it a shot. One pull wouldn’t hurt, right?

  Big mistake.

  [Thank you for using Kaiser Gacha!]

  [You won… a rock!]

  A rock. A literal, worthless rock appeared in front of me. I stared at it, then kicked it into the bushes in frustration. "Well, that was a waste of KP."

  Shaking off the regret, I turned back to the shop. The Blueprint: Tree Canopy Outpost caught my eye. It seemed practical, and at 300 KP, it wouldn’t drain me completely. I bought it.

  The moment I confirmed the purchase, a rolled-up blueprint materialized in front of me. Curious, I grabbed it and unrolled it. Before I could even study it, the thing disintegrated into motes of light and shot straight into my head.

  “Whoa…” Knowledge of the blueprint flooded my brain. It was like I’d spent hours studying architectural plans, and now I just knew how to build the outpost. Convenient, but also a little unsettling.

  I turned to the others, clapping my paws for attention. No sound came out of my clapping, cuz I’m a cat. Force of habit. “Alright, listen up! You, you, you, and you—follow me. We’re building an outpost or something.”

  The selected cats exchanged uncertain glances but didn’t argue. Authority radiated from me, after all. “The rest of you,” I continued, pointing at the rest of the crew, “explore the lakeside, the mountains, and the forest. Secure the area, mark anything useful, and report back. We need to know what we’re working with here, okay?”

  A chorus of affirmative meows and nods answered me.

  With that, I led my small team toward the perfect spot to begin construction. My kingdom-building journey had just begun, and if this blueprint was any indication, I was about to make history.