"That's not how you do it, you numbskull!" he shouted at his skeletons.
Just as satisfaction began to settle in over his plan for perpetual manual labor, Rohan realized it would not unfold as smoothly as he had hoped.
Unlike him, his skeletons had no construction skills at all, not even the basics. He had to put in a great deal of effort just to supervise them. The skeletons, meanwhile, simply scratched their bald skulls whenever they made a mistake.
Seeing how much Rohan struggled to manage them, Luciana stepped in, her expression cool and unimpressed as she addressed the skeletons.
"No, not like that. Watch closely," she said. "Like this. Then this. Try to keep up."
"No!" Rohan snapped. "Luciana, you're no different. You're teaching them wrong."
She turned to him slowly, one brow raised. "Am I? I'm just trying to help."
He stared at her for a moment, then sighed. His gaze shifted to Arminius, who was preparing to leave for the city. He had mentioned that he wanted to look around and spend some of his money on magical items.
Rohan had no real objection to that. Still, a faint concern lingered that Arminius might get captured again. He was about to urge Luciana to accompany him. However, he stopped himself.
He could guess how she felt. After the way humans had treated her, it was only natural that she now felt reluctant to get close to so many humans inside the city. And when he glanced at Keana and Belluci, he could tell they felt much the same.
As for Arminius, Rohan could tell he was completely different. Mentally, he was unbroken. He carried himself as if years of enslavement under humans had been nothing more than a brief inconvenience.
A moment later, Arminius waved him off with an easy grin. "Whoa, hey, just one look at your face and I can tell you're worrying way too much," he said. "Relax. I'm strong, I'm capable, and trust me, I learn from my mistakes."
He tapped his temple lightly. "The whole 'getting captured and sold into slavery' thing happened because I trusted a human too much. Big mistake."
His smile sharpened. "But not this time. I won't fall for that again."
After reassuring Rohan, Arminius set off toward the city, with his long gray hair fluttering behind him as he moved at a quick pace.
For a moment, Rohan watched him disappear from view. And soon after, he turned his attention back to his two skeletons and Luciana.
"All right, everyone who wants to help with the construction," he said, while also glancing toward Keana and Belluci as they watched from afar. "Raise your hand."
Since Keana and Belluci had nothing to do and wanted shelter from the sunlight, they were more than willing to help and raised their hands.
Luciana, of course, was also willing. She let out a faint sigh. "Must you always ask the obvious? We were helping you before you ran off to the city."
He didn't look at her, but he still replied, "Well, just to make sure." He clapped his hands together. "No more wasting time. I, your construction manager, will teach you what you all need to know about basic construction."
True to his word, Rohan explained everything he knew, everything he had learned from his father. He told them about the importance of a stable foundation, how the ground had to be firm and level before anything could be built. He told them about the frame, comparing it to a skeleton that carried and distributed weight.
He went on about proper joints and connections, emphasizing that strength did not come from nails alone but from how the wood fit together. He explained the importance of a well-built roof to protect against water and prevent decay. He also told them about choosing the right kind of wood, how some were stronger, some more resistant, and others unsuitable if used carelessly.
In the end, he made it clear that building was not just about putting things together, but about understanding how each part supported the whole.
Soon after he finished, Belluci suddenly raised her hand. She hesitated for a moment, her fingers curling slightly as if unsure whether to speak, before gathering her composure. "Can you repeat everything? I still don't understand."
Suddenly, Rohan's eyelids twitched. He then noticed his two skeletons nodding in agreement with her.
After explaining several times over, they finally started to move and began building the roof. They hauled the beams upward and forced them into place one by one.
For them, this part tested them the most. It was slow and often frustrating. The pieces did not always align as he intended, and more than once they had to undo their work and try again.
Still, they pressed on. They followed Rohan's instructions step by step to minimize their mistakes.
And at last, the final piece was set.
For a moment, all of them simply stood there, staring. In the open space, a small wooden structure had taken shape. It was rough and uneven, far from perfect, yet it stood, a church.
But it was not finished yet. The interior still needed work. After several more rounds of frustrating labor, they finally completed the windows, the door, and the rows of chairs.
[Quest Complete]
[A fragment of the Storm God's authority has entered your body]
[New Quest: Establish the Word of the Storm]
[Objective: Compose a Holy Book 50,000 words]
[Progress: 0 / 50,000]
[Reward: Divine Steel of Storm]
[Time Limit: 30 days]
[Failure: Paralyzed for 30 days]
At that exact moment, countless prayers suddenly echoed inside his mind. The sheer volume made him grimace as the voices pressed in all at once.
He quickly understood what had changed. With the new fragment of divine authority, one of his abilities had been enhanced. His followers could now pray to him from anywhere, no longer needing to be near the sea or a lake for him to hear them. Once he began muting most of the voices, allowing only a faint whisper to remain, he gradually regained his focus.
With that settled, Rohan glanced at his new quest for a moment and let out a relieved breath. For once, the system had given him something simple, and he was grateful for it.
He then turned his attention to the reward he had received for completing the church. Unlike the first time he obtained a divine fragment, this time the knowledge came with it. Information about his newly gained authority flowed into his mind.
It did not arrive all at once, but in fragments, each piece slowly settling into place. With it came a quiet realization.
From now on, he could grant blessings to his followers. The number was limited, though the exact limit remained unclear.
As for what these blessings of the storm actually did, he had yet to find out.
The next benefit he got was not actually an ability, but rather an effect. Within a mile radius of his church, both Rohan and his followers would receive a boost in strength, both mentally and physically.
But obviously, he had hoped for more, faster healing, a raging storm, perhaps even a blizzard. As the Storm God, he felt he should be capable of such things.
With a quiet sigh, he let the thought fade.
And a moment later, he noticed his two skeletons wandering inside the church, as if admiring their own creation. And once he noticed his essence was nearly drained, he canceled the summoning.
He then noticed Keana and Belluci resting along the rows of chairs. And moments later, Luciana, who had been outside, hurried into the church to escape the sunlight as it grew higher and brighter.
Seeing that everyone had gathered, Rohan let out a quiet breath. He then sat cross-legged on the wooden floor and began to express his gratitude to them for helping with the construction.
Keana shifted slightly, not quite comfortable with the gratitude, but she nodded anyway. "You don't have to thank us," she said, her tone steady and practical. "We needed this as much as you did."
Belluci rested her hand lightly on the back of a chair, her expression calm but distant. "There is still much that could be improved, but for now, it will stand."
Luciana, however, remained silent for a while before she finally spoke. "If we can build this, then building a house for ourselves should be no problem."