Eternal Night: Building an Empire from Scratch

Edgar took a deep breath before turning around and looking at Andrew and Oswald.

Both men were still standing near the edge of the Fortress Wall, their expressions noticeably more serious than before.

They understood that the message was similar to what they had seen in the Yamhad Clan’s territory.

Edgar looked between them before speaking.

"We need to prepare for a Nightmare Tide unlike anything we’ve experienced before."

His voice remained calm, but there was no uncertainty behind his words.

"This time, I expect it to be a brutal fight, and we can’t assume the Fortress will remain safe just because we’ve survived previous tides."

Andrew stared at him for a moment before a small smile appeared on his face.

"As long as you don’t abandon us, we won’t abandon you."

Edgar’s expression softened slightly. "I wasn’t planning to."

He turned toward the settlement below and immediately began giving orders.

"Andrew, I want you to start marking the area around the Fortress."

Andrew raised an eyebrow. "Marking it for what?"

"We’re going to dig a massive trench around the Fortress."

Edgar pointed toward the outer fields. "I want it deep enough that anything trying to approach the walls will have difficulty reaching them."

Andrew’s eyes immediately brightened. "So we’re digging a giant hole?"

"Exactly."

Andrew grinned. "That sounds fun."

He immediately turned around and started gathering several workers and his minions.

Edgar watched him leave before turning toward Oswald.

"Uncle Oswald."

The old man immediately bowed. "Young master?"

"I want you to store as much food as possible inside the warehouses."

Oswald looked slightly surprised. "How much?"

"As much as we can reasonably store."

Edgar’s expression became serious.

"If the Nightmare we’re dealing with is intelligent enough to communicate with us, then we have to assume it can think strategically."

His gaze shifted toward the settlement. "It may not attack the walls directly."

Oswald’s expression slowly became grim. "You believe it could try to destroy our supplies?"

"Yes." Edgar nodded. "If it can starve us, it won’t need to break through the walls."

Oswald immediately understood the danger. "I’ll take care of it."

Edgar nodded. "Good."

He turned toward the Fortress before adding another command.

"I will put two Soul Guardians in charge of the main warehouse."

Oswald’s expression became slightly surprised, but he didn’t question the decision. "Understood."

Edgar remained on the wall for several minutes after the two men left.

He stared toward the forest where the grey fog would eventually swallow everything.

A week.

That was all the time he had.

He needed stronger defenses, more food, more soldiers, and most importantly, a way to deal with whatever Nightmare was powerful enough to call itself a king.

Edgar eventually turned around. "First, I need to find ways to protect myself."

---

Edgar walked toward the Blacksmith House.

The familiar sound of metal striking metal became louder as he approached the building.

CLANG!

CLANG!

CLANG!

When Edgar stepped inside, he immediately found Sir Steven working on several pieces of equipment.

The old blacksmith was surrounded by tools, metal plates, and several unfinished projects that Edgar had previously asked him to work on.

Steven noticed him and immediately looked up.

"My lord." He wiped his hands against a piece of cloth. "I heard you’ve already conquered Soragon Bazaar."

Edgar nodded. "It wasn’t particularly difficult."

Steven gave him a skeptical look. "That’s not what the people coming from there said."

Edgar ignored the comment and looked toward the equipment scattered around the workshop.

Steven quickly noticed the serious expression on his face. "Is something wrong?"

"I need armor."

Steven immediately nodded. "I can make you a proper set, but it’ll take some time if you want—"

"That’s not exactly what I mean." Edgar interrupted him. "I want to put ancient runes on it."

Steven’s expression grew peculiar. The old blacksmith stared at Edgar for several seconds without saying anything.

"Ancient runes?"

Edgar nodded. "I want the armor to be able to hold them."

Steven slowly placed his tools down. "I’ve never worked with anything like that before."

"I know." Edgar looked toward the half-finished armor sitting nearby. "That’s why I want you to work with me."

Steven remained silent for a moment, then he finally asked the question that was bothering him.

"How certain are you that this will actually work?"

Edgar thought about it honestly. "...About ten percent."

Steven’s eyebrows rose in disbelief. "Only ten percent?"

"For now." Edgar’s expression remained calm. "...But the more I learn about the runes, the higher that chance becomes."

The old blacksmith looked toward the armor again.

He knew Edgar well enough by now to understand that the boy wasn’t going to abandon the idea simply because it was difficult.

After several seconds, Steven sighed.

"Fine." He picked up his tools again. "We can try."

A faint smile appeared on Edgar’s face. "Good."

He turned around and walked toward the exit. "I’ll bring you the runes when I have them ready."

Steven nodded. "I’ll start preparing the armor."

Edgar left the Blacksmith House.

---

The moment he stepped outside, Edgar stopped.

His gaze slowly moved across the settlement.

Workers were already digging trenches while others moved food toward the warehouses.

Soul Guardians patrolled the forest, and soldiers were beginning to reinforce several sections of the Fortress.

Everything was moving according to his orders, but his eyes eventually settled on the Fortress Wall.

The old structure stood between the settlement and the endless forest.

Edgar stared at it for several seconds as he could see several cracks visible along its surface because of last night’s battle.

He could repair them without much problem, but Edgar felt like he couldn’t rely on the current structure much.

Edgar slowly folded his arms. ’This won’t be enough.’

If the Nightmare really was as intelligent as he suspected, it would eventually find a weakness.

And if an entire Nightmare Tide came toward the Fortress, relying on the existing walls would be foolish.

Edgar slowly raised his head. "System."

A familiar interface appeared before his eyes.

He looked at the Fortress Wall for several seconds before making his decision.

"...It’s time to upgrade it."