LOSS System: Last Store Standing

Elias considered it for a moment, then shook his head.

“Not yet.”

Jack looked at him. “Why not?”

“Mort is still our captive. We can’t fully trust him,” Elias said. “For now, let him work. We can involve him in other matters later.”

Jack thought it over and nodded. Elias had a point.

They turned their attention back to the layout, starting with the open ground behind the convenience store.

If they enclosed that area first, they could dig for clay and leave the finished bricks there to dry without working outside the wall. There would also be enough room for a shaded section where the workers could rest and the dried bricks could be stored.

Closing off the rear had another advantage. It would prevent mutant beasts or strangers from approaching the store unseen. Wastelanders could often smell something coming, and Jack had the system’s warnings, but neither could always tell them where the danger would appear.

Using the rough boundary drawn in the dirt, Jack and Elias divided the space behind the convenience store into several sections.

They marked out one area for digging and preparing the clay, then set aside a larger, flatter section beside it where the molded bricks could be arranged in rows and left to dry under the sun.

They also reserved space for a shaded work area. The workers could rest there during the hottest part of the day, while the finished bricks could be stacked there until they were needed.

As for the existing pit, they decided to keep filling it with water. If the ground managed to hold the water, they could clear a patch of land nearby and try planting potatoes.

Jack added each section to the plan, adjusting the lines in the dirt as they discussed the details.

Once the layout had taken shape, however, he stared at the size of it and frowned.

“What’s wrong?” Elias asked.

“We don’t have enough workers.” Jack gestured toward the boundary. “This is a lot more work than we planned. With the people we have now, it could take forever.”

Elias looked over the plan again.

“You’re right. We’ll need more people.”

Jack called Marlin over from the pit, where he had been watching Mort work on the first brick molds.

“Are there any other settlements nearby besides Elias’s?”

“Quite a few,” Marlin said. “But they’re all farther away.”

Jack gestured toward the boundary marked in the dirt. “We’ve expanded the plan, but we don’t have enough people to do all the work.”

Marlin understood at once. “You want to recruit workers from the other settlements.”

“Exactly. Anyone who comes gets one can of beef, one bottle of drinking water, and three potatoes for each day they work. They’ll have to handle their own meals.”

Marlin considered the offer. It was not as generous as the arrangement Jack had made with Reed and Thomas, but by wasteland standards, it was still good pay. There would be no shortage of people willing to accept it.

Jack continued, “Can you visit the nearby settlements and spread the word? If anyone wants the work, bring them back with you.”

“Sure,” Marlin said without hesitation. “I’ll pack my things and leave as soon as I’m ready.”

Marlin’s quick agreement caught Jack by surprise. He went back into the convenience store and soon returned with ten cans of beef and ten bottles of drinking water.

He set them in front of Marlin. “These are for making the trip.”

Marlin looked down at the supplies. “You’re paying me for this?”

“You’ll be visiting more than one settlement,” Jack said. “I’m not going to make you do it for nothing.”

Marlin accepted the supplies without further argument. “All right, then. I won’t turn them down.”

He returned to his tent and began packing for the journey.

Elias watched him put the supplies away before asking Jack in a lower voice, “If a lot of people come, will you have enough to pay them all?”

“More than enough,” Jack replied.

Elias still looked uncertain, but he let the matter drop.

They returned to the boundary marked in the dirt. After discussing the layout a little longer, Jack looked toward Elias.

“Have you ever considered moving the entire settlement here?”

Elias paused. “Why?”

“You were the first people I met after coming here, and you’re also the people I trust most,” Jack said. “If workers start arriving from other settlements, I won’t be able to manage everything alone. Someone will have to assign the work, distribute supplies, and keep order. Your people are the best ones for that.”

He gestured in the direction of their settlement.

“Besides, traveling back and forth every day isn’t practical. Even if everyone can handle the distance, there are still raiders and mutant beasts on the road.”

“The other settlements are even farther away, so anyone who comes here to work will probably have to stay nearby. I can’t leave them completely unsupervised. If someone uses the confusion to enter the convenience store, we’ll have a serious problem.”

Jack looked back at Elias. “If your settlement moves here, you can help me watch the area. If anything happens, we can deal with it together.”

Elias looked toward the others working nearby but did not answer.

By then, Marlin had finished packing and was securing his supplies to the handcart. Having overheard the proposal, he spoke up.

“I think Jack is right. Your settlement is temporary anyway, and it barely has any defenses. What difference does it make where you live?”

He nodded toward the ground they planned to enclose.

“Once the wall is built, this place will be much safer.”

Elias remained silent, considering their words.

After considering it for a while, Elias called Vane, Reed, Cass, Susan, and Ray over and explained Jack’s proposal.

Cass agreed immediately.

“Of course I’m in. This place is better than our settlement in every way.”

Elias gave him a warning look, but Cass only ducked his head and refused to take it back.

Reed agreed as well. After giving the matter some thought, Vane said, “I have no objection.”

Susan and Ray exchanged a glance before agreeing too.

With everyone in favor, Elias turned to Jack.

“All right. I’ll go back and explain it to Marg and the others. If they agree, we’ll start packing today and move here as soon as we can.”

“That’s great!” Jack said.

Once the settlement moved here, he would finally have people he trusted nearby to help manage everything.

Before he could think any further, the system’s voice sounded in his mind.

“Human, hidden task detected.”

“Hidden Task: The First Foundation Stone.”