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Chapter 23 - Food Production Buildings

Xabi was still sitting on the floor, his back now leaning lazily against the wall.

"So… it's true?" he asked quietly. "You're the one who made the walls. And the book hut?"

Finn nodded.

There was no point in hiding it anymore. Not from Xabi.

"Yeah," he said. "That was me."

Xabi didn't look surprised. In fact, he barely blinked.

"I figured," he said. "You were at the center of it all. Even when the beast attacked, you managed to outrun it with that body of yours."

He looked over at Finn, calm and steady.

"So what else can you do?"

Finn paused.

"That's the thing. I can do a lot. But I don't know what I should be doing first. I want to make this village better. But where do I even start?"

Xabi thought about it, rubbing his chin.

"What about food?" he asked. "Can you do anything about that?"

Finn's eyes lit up.

"That's something I've been meaning to check."

He raised his hand which was not necessary actually, and summoned the panel silently.

Only he could see it, floating before his eyes with its glowing blue frames.

Xabi blinked at him.

"What are you doing?"

Finn smiled without taking his eyes off the panel.

"Wait a minute. I'm going to show you my magic."

He scrolled through the Builder Panel until he reached the section labeled:

[Food Production]

=====

[Crop Field – Tier 1]

Size: 60m x 60m

Output: Grows mixed seasonal vegetables and grains

Production Rate: Feeds up to 100 villagers daily

Function: Automatically plants, waters, and harvests staple crops using climate-controlled soil patches

Security: Guarded by 2 robot assistants with patrol and maintenance programming

Build Cost: 1 Builder Point

=====

[Chicken Coop – Tier 1]

Size: 25m x 25m

Output: Produces up to 60 eggs and 3–5 chickens per day

Function: Houses a self-sustaining flock with automated feeding, cleaning, and egg collection

Security: Guarded and maintained by 1 robot assistant

Build Cost: 1 Builder Point

=====

[Goat Pen – Tier 1]

Size: 30m x 30m

Output: Provides up to 15 liters of milk and 2 goats for meat daily

Function: Automatically manages herd health, breeding, and milking through support bots

Security: Guarded by 1 robot assistant

Build Cost: 1 Builder Point

=====

[Cow Shed – Tier 1]

Size: 40m x 40m

Output: Produces up to 30 liters of milk per day and 1 cow for meat daily

Function: Sustains a small dairy herd with temperature and hygiene controls managed by robots

Security: Guarded and maintained by 2 robot assistants

Build Cost: 1 Builder Point

=====

[Animal Farm – Tier 1]

Size: 60m x 60m

Output: Mixed livestock including rabbits, ducks, and occasional boars; feeds up to 100 villagers daily

Function: Integrated animal ecosystem with nutrient recycling and breeding systems

Security: Patrolled by 2 robot assistants

Build Cost: 1 Builder Point

=====

Finn muttered under his breath.

"Robot assistant…?"

He frowned, unfamiliar with the word. Still, the production was more than enough to cover everyone. He believed that the system would allow him to set a command in order to ensure fairness when distributing everything to all villagers.

"Is everything okay?" Xabi asked.

Finn shook his head and gave a crooked smile.

"Yeah. It's just… something I don't understand. But doesn't matter. Come on. I want to show you something."

They stepped outside.

Just outside the wall, there were open spaces—grassy, unused land that hadn't yet been cultivated. It stretched roughly 400 meters wide and extended deeper toward the river.

Finn stopped and pointed.

"This is it. For now, I'll place the food production buildings here."

Xabi looked around and nodded.

"Plenty of space," he paused before continuing with a question, "But is it safe to build something out here?"

"No worries," Finn answered confidently. "I can move and build more walls."

He had read it before that he could change the position of any of the structures if he wanted to, later on. So, he planned to make the walls surround the new buildings.

Finn brought up the panel again. He started placing the blue outlines on the ground on the map, faint glowing grids only he could see. As he did, the panel calculated and auto-adjusted the space allocation.

======

Total Layout Plan:

Crop Field – 60m x 60m

Animal Farm – 60m x 60m

Cow Shed – 40m x 40m

Goat Pen – 30m x 30m

Chicken Coop – 25m x 25m

Buffer paths and clearances – ~150 meters

Total Width Usage: ~395 meters

=====

It would fit perfectly within the space near the West Gate, with a small buffer left between each building for walkways and robot patrols.

Finn took a deep breath.

"This is going to change everything," he said.

Xabi's eyes widened as the first structure began to rise.

It started with a hum. Then, piece by piece, bricks, wooden frames, roofing tiles, and metal parts hovered into place as if guided by unseen hands. The materials stacked themselves neatly, assembling faster than anything humanly possible.

Five buildings—each unique in shape and size—rose from the ground in perfect order.

The Crop Field was the largest, with freshly tilled soil and rows of ready-made planting beds. Next to it stood the Animal Farm, followed by the Cow Shed, Goat Pen, and finally the Chicken Coop, each coming together like clockwork.

Xabi took a slow step back, staring.

"So this is… magic," he muttered under his breath.

Then he turned to Finn, his voice quieter now.

"Who are you, Finn?"

Finn gave a helpless shrug.

"I wish I knew too."

The last piece of wood settled into place. All five buildings stood completed. They were clean, precise, and far more advanced than anything Riverwood had ever seen.

Finn opened the Builder Panel again and selected the Wall Stones. He brought up the current perimeter and began dragging the West Gate's boundary outward. The panel responded smoothly, as if it had been waiting for the update.

With a few thoughts and hand motions, the entire West Wall shifted. The existing gates and stone lines moved forward, expanding the protective ring to include the new buildings.

As it did, the glowing grid on the ground flickered and faded. It was replaced by real, solid walls stretching out like growing roots.

At the old West Gate, two guards dropped their spears in shock as the stones around them slid forward like a living beast.

"Wha—"

"Hey!" Xabi shouted, waving at them. "Move over there!"

The guards jumped, scrambling to grab their weapons before sprinting toward the new section of wall. They stopped a few meters short of the new buildings, panting, still trying to process what they had just seen.

Finn didn't waste time.

He willed the system to open the Access Rules Panel. A simple screen unfolded before him, listing every food production facility.

=====

Set Distribution Protocol?

[+] Equal Share: All registered villagers receive food rations daily

[+] Priority Mode: Injured, elderly, and children receive rations first

[+] Emergency Reserve: 15% of daily output stored in underground storage

=====

He selected Equal Share with Emergency Reserve enabled. The system acknowledged the command with a soft chime in his ears.

Then, he added a note.

"Any misuse or hoarding will automatically trigger a report to the system. Distribution will be reset daily."

With that done, Finn closed the panel and let out a slow breath.

Food. Shelter. Safety.

Riverwood had all of it now.

And this time, it wouldn't come from prayers or luck.

It came from him.

Xabi stepped up beside him and folded his arms.

"I don't know what you are, Finn. But if this is what you're building…" He looked out across the field, "…then I'll stand with you."

Finn gave a small smile. "Thanks. That's reassuring."

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