Night had fallen over Ashengate, and Holly had logged out.

  Jack now sat across the desk from the same realtor who’d handed him a key just the day before. The man gave both sideburns a quick pat, as if checking they were perfectly level, then folded his hands atop the desk.

  “Here you go,” Jack said, sliding the key across.

  “Was the house not to your liking? We can always sort something out. Plenty of other rentals available.”

  “No, the house was fine. It’s just that I don't need it anymore."

  The realtor pulled out the familiar collar strung with keys and unlocked a drawer.

  “We don’t usually do this,” he said, retrieving something from within, “but you were there such a short time, and you have a solid reputation as an artisan. Here.”

  A soft kachim sounded as Jack’s inventory updated.

  You’ve received 3.5 gold from Ashengate Real Estate Agency.

  “This… Thanks!”

  “Prorated for the days unused,” the man said with a wink. “All the best in your adventures, sir.”

  Jack stepped out of the warm office, already following the coordinates Horace had sent him.

  As he moved through the city, his gaze kept drifting to his left—the side where Holly had sat in the carriage, walked beside him, and crouched to inspect the robots. The warmth of her presence still clung to that space. It was strange. She’d only joined him in the game this once, but her absence was palpable.

  “You’re kind of impressive, too…” Her voice echoed in his mind, along with the way their eyes had met afterward.

  Jack rubbed his face with both hands. “Argh. Stop it, Jack,” he muttered, too loud. A few passersby turned their heads. “Get your act together. You’re running against the clock here.”

  It was a tug-of-war, pushing her out of his thoughts. During their time together, he’d been helpless, his emotions running the show. But at least now, with her gone, he could rein them in.

  He had to.

  The house Horace had chosen looked unassuming from the outside. It was a single-story building. The place didn’t look all that big.

  I thought Horace was going to go for something more opulent, Jack mused.

  As Jack drew closer, he noticed the frames were carved from hardwood rather than bone. Maybe it was a subtle jab from Horace. A subtle claim that woodworkers were better bone carvers. Knowing Horace, it probably was.

  He pushed the door open and stepped inside.

  A long, narrow corridor stretched ahead. Echoes of conversation carried through the passage.

  The hallway opened into a central courtyard. Four rectangular wings enclosed it, their stone fa?ades marked by evenly spaced doors. Torches burned in regular intervals along the walls, casting flickering light across a floor of smooth slate.

  The firelight and the building’s stark simplicity reminded Jack of a military outpost.

  In one corner, a row of forest-green Pot Hives sat quietly, their surfaces humming with the soft, steady buzz of activity. The group was gathered a fair distance away. Jack jogged over, leaned his staff against the wall near the hives to give the bees the acacia rod’s buff, then crossed the courtyard to join the others.

  They stepped back, opening the circle to let him in.

  “Hey, Jack!” Amari called, then glanced left and right before leaning in slightly. “Your friend is gone, right?”

  Jack chuckled. “Don’t worry, Amari. She’s left.”

  Amari let out a breath. “Phew. She was intense. I mean… really cool, don’t get me wrong. I was flattered. But also kind of terrified.”

  Horace elbowed him. Jack shifted slightly, registering Horace at his left. That felt strange. He gave a small shake of his head and let the feeling pass.

  “So? What do you think? Nice, right?” Horace asked, gesturing to the building around them.

  “It’s awesome, man. Good job!”

  Horace straightened at the praise, clearly satisfied.

  Jack was quietly relieved Horace hadn’t teased him about Holly like he teased Marie about Rob. He wasn’t sure he was ready for that.

  Then he glanced toward Marie. He’d braced for interrogation, but she just smirked at him with a look that made him feel like she was leafing through his thoughts and taking notes.

  What a creepy look. Does she have mind-reading powers or something? Jack thought, forcing a smile in her direction.

  Beside her, Rob stood with arms crossed, eyeing him closely.

  Jack turned to him. “How did it go with the construction company?”

  “It was good. Good,” Rob said, nodding slowly. “We’ve got a lot to talk about.”

  Jack gulped. Rob knew. Marie had run her mouth.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Amari clapped his hands once. “All right! Second-class advancements are locked in. Time to start planning the next phase. We need to scout out places to build the village. Any ideas?”

  Rob spoke first. “As I told you before, IronIre has no pull in the Sand Sea. Why not go there?”

  Amari nodded. “I’ve thought about it, too.”

  “What is the Sand Sea?” Jack asked.

  Amari turned to him. “You don’t know about the Hinterlands?”

  He shook his head.

  “Alright. It might be easier if I show you. Give me a sec.”

  He swiped through the air, navigating his menu. A notification popped up.

  Amari wants to share his World Map with you. Do you accept?

  Jack accepted, and a glowing holographic map of New Earth unfolded between them.

  “Okay, this here is the Twin Rings,” Amari said.

  Jack nodded. He recognized the layout: one massive circular wall, with familiar gate towns marked at each break. Ashengate, Pearlgate, Embersgate, and seven others.

  Smaller dots scattered across the In-Between-Rings zone marked dozens of villages. Somewhere in there was Bright Hill, where he’d first started. And at the center stood Eternia, the capital city he had yet to visit.

  “Between levels ten and thirty,” Amari continued, “most players stick to the gate towns and quests near the Outer Wall. Like the pottery shards mission we did together, or the one capturing insects.”

  “Or when we caught the baby allosaurus,” Horace added.

  “Exactly.” Amari pinched the map, zooming it out. “The farther you go from the wall, the stronger the beasts. Once you're about an hour’s walk from the gates, you hit the area for level thirty to fifty players. That’s the Frontier. It marks the edge of the Human Zone and the beginning of the Hinterlands.”

  “Hinterlands?” Jack repeated.

  The map zoomed out again. The Twin Rings shrank into a dot, overwhelmed by the vast terrain. The outer edges blurred into a fog of unexplored gray.

  “The Hinterlands are for players above level fifty. You need to complete your second class advancement to survive out there.”

  Jack glanced at the scale of the wilderness. He suddenly felt very small.

  “So far, five major zones have been discovered.”

  Amari rotated the map toward a wide ocean speckled with islands.

  “The Deep End. It’s the most explored, but it's completely off-limits. The Krakens control most of it. They have the strongest fleet in the game and dominate the sea.”

  He swiped the view again.

  “Then there’s the Wilds,” he said, pointing to a sprawling jungle. “That one’s off the table too.”

  “Why?” Jack asked.

  “It’s IronIre territory,” Rob said.

  Amari shifted the map again, this time showing a frozen mountain range.

  “The White Crown. Snow-covered peaks and frozen valleys.”

  Jack couldn’t help but think of the Breach’s peak. Part of him felt like he’d had his fill of snowy landscapes for a lifetime. But then again, with all the cold resistance he’d stacked, he might actually hold his own in that region.

  The view turned once more, now showing scorched land and volcanic peaks glowing with orange veins.

  “This is the Scorchlands,” Amari said.

  “You’ve seen the volcano outside Ashengate, right?” Marie asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “That’s already part of it,” she replied.

  Rob stepped in. “And finally, there’s the Sand Sea.”

  Amari brought up an endless expanse of dunes.

  “It’s the most unstable zone,” Rob said. “No guild has established full control. Fortresses change hands constantly.”

  Jack tilted his head. “So the Hinterlands are for players over level fifty?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Then why build our village there? Wouldn’t we be overrun?”

  “There’s no real reason to build a village anywhere else,” Marie said. “Gate towns already serve players in the Twin Rings and the Frontier. If we want our village to matter, it needs to be in the Hinterlands.”

  “At least, that’s the theory,” Amari added. “We’re in uncharted territory.”

  The idea of skipping an entire zone of the game gave Jack chills. If there were allosaurus near the wall, what waited farther out? But judging by everyone’s faces, this was already decided.

  “It’s about finding the right balance between safety and profitability,” Horace said, still studying the map.

  “So we’re choosing between the Scorchlands, the White Crown, and the Sand Sea,” Jack said.

  “Exactly,” Amari replied. “Those are our only real options.”

  “What are those zones like?” Jack asked.

  “There are already a few strong guilds established in the Scorchlands and the White Crown,” Rob said. “If we go there, we’ll need to be very smart about where we set up.”

  As the map floated between them, the others began placing markers, dragging points of interest onto the hologram, and overlaying data. Fortresses, resources, popular hunting grounds, guild territories, all of it appeared in neat layers as they talked.

  Rob highlighted a valley near the White Crown’s edge. “Why not this place?”

  “The Basilisks have a fortress in the Frontier about an hour out. I’d like our village to be farther from any stronghold, if possible.”

  Marie added a pin to the Sand Sea. “The scorpions in this area are good game, and it’s pretty far from everything else. Settling here could be really profitable.”

  “Good. Pin it.”

  “I think this spot in the Scorchlands might be a good choice, too," Rob said. “I know it's one hour away from a Yeti fortress, but they have been short-staffed lately. They’ve dropped three spots in the rankings this past week.”

  They spoke in shorthand, naming guilds Jack barely recognized, referencing battles he didn’t remember. Strategies layered over politics, layered over zones he hadn’t even seen.

  He stood quietly at the edge of the group, hands clasped behind his back, trying to follow the conversation. But despite his best efforts, he was lost. To him, it sounded like an impossible choice between freezing to death, burning to death, or dying of thirst.

  After a while, he raised a hand. Since it was his first time speaking up, everyone fell silent.

  “Yes, Jack?” Amari asked.

  “Uh... I don’t think I have anything I can bring to the table. Should I just go craft?”

  The others exchanged glances.

  “Are you sure?” Amari asked.

  “Whatever you guys decide is good for me.”

  “Alright. We’ll narrow it down to three options, and then check in with you for a tie-breaker. Cool?”

  “Perfect. Okay then,” Jack replied. “Horace, where should I go?”

  “Go in there!” Horace said, pointing to a door on the north building. “I think you’ll like it.”

  Jack gave him a curious look, then stepped away from the discussion, following Horace’s direction.

  Through the door was a wide room, easily twice the size of his old shack. And this one wasn’t empty.

  “Oh my goodness. Is that—?”

  It was. A kiln. Not as large as the ones at the Pottery or Masonry Associations, and shaped a bit like a pizza oven, but still perfectly serviceable for firing pots.

  That’s why he sounded so cheeky, Jack thought, smiling to himself.

  He pulled firewood from his inventory, sparked it to life with his tinderbox, and soon had a steady fire going. He wasn’t planning to make pottery, but the stamina bonus and extra lighting would be useful.

  He unpacked the components he’d bought earlier. Soon, there was a tidy pile: clown heads, lidded boxes, gear parts, springs, buttons, and latches. He stacked the XP-boosting vases around his workbench.

  He measured the distance to the fire and the vases, making sure the fire was out of range and the vases in it. Then, he activated his ring’s skill.

  Time Field.

  The fire slowed to a crawl, flames flickering in slow motion. That would halve fuel consumption and let him stay in the zone longer.

  Jack flexed his fingers.

  “Alright. Let’s see what happens when I level up tinkering a little more.”

  He picked up the first box and got to work on a [Jack-in-a-Box].

  Spring to the base. A little duct tape. Clown head to the spring. Latch to hold it down. Button wired to the release.

  He’d made enough of them by now that his hands moved on their own, leaving his thoughts free to wander.

  They drifted first to the village. The Sand Sea, the White Crown, the Scorchlands. Somewhere out there, they’d build something permanent.

  Then his mind turned to his parents. And finally, to Holly.

  He caught himself smiling, shook his head, and picked up the next box.