Taking the Mafia to the Magic World

At around 2 p.m. on Vicente's third day of action around Dresbert, his group built the 31st border post before he finished connecting the fence between post 31 and post 1.

With 8 men at each of the 31 posts around the border, 100% of the area, stretching from the edge of Dresbert to up to 30 kilometers away, was fully secured and dominated by the Sentinels of the Order.

Having finished securing the safe territory of Dresbert, where almost all the land was used for farming, Vicente said goodbye to the men he had left behind, beginning his second part of his plans for today alongside the 52 men who had come with him.

The area between the city limits and the border was too large for him to leave without intermediate observation posts. Now that he had finished ensuring that no monsters were left behind, Vicente intended to build another 21 posts, about 15 kilometers away from the city and other border posts.

At these posts he intended to leave the remaining men by his side, before returning to the city to help the Sentinels of the Order set up shifts for the strongest in the city to be stationed at the border and those of medium level to be at the intermediate posts.

As he no longer had to beat monsters, having already killed around 13,000 monsters in the last two and a half days of action, the work ahead should be quick. He would only need to create new posts every 9 kilometers, much faster than the work of the last few days.

...

In just six hours, Vicente had completed the construction of Dresbert's 21 intermediate posts when he returned to the city alone, leaving the 300 men in position to maintain the security of the territory.

When he arrived in the city late at night, some citizens looked at him apprehensively, seeing him returning alone.

Vicente realized the problem and as soon as he arrived at the headquarters of the Sentinels of the Order, he ordered the members of the group to spread the news that his group had been successful in recovering the city's plantation fields.

From tomorrow, the farmers and low-level magicians could leave the city limits and get back to exploring the grandiose terrain available around the city!

...

"Old North, have you heard the news? The hero Vicente Fuller has completed his promises! Now the city can get back to farming the land nearby!" said a middle-aged man in a local tavern when he bumped into a long-time friend.

"Hmm? Really? Isn't that just a rumor?" a thin, miserable-looking old farmer asked in a voice full of hope.

For ordinary people like him, the catastrophe started by The Purification was brutal. They, the weakest and most of the continent, were the ones who most needed ordinary things to live on, such as food, a safe shelter to rest in and a minimum of future prospects.

A powerful magician naturally had a powerful mind, capable of withstanding difficult times and persevering. Weaker magicians could more easily lose their way, stop seeing the brilliance of life and give up.

Why fight so hard when there's no sign of hope?

With only a few months of calamity for the population of this city, many of the weakest, especially those who had lost loved ones, couldn't help but find themselves depressed, with similar thoughts.

This was the situation of old man North, a farmer who could no longer work, had lost a son months ago and now lived miserably with his eldest daughter and grandson.

But since Vicente Fuller had arrived in Dresbert, good news had been emerging, making people like the two old friends chatting in that tavern feel hope rising in their hearts again.

Apart from these two, this dimly lit, cheaply produced tavern was full of customers drinking around the area's 15 tables, almost all of them talking about the same subject.

"Tomorrow I'm going to join the group of farmers who are going to explore this reclaimed area," said a man of large build, with a voluminous beard and mustache.

"Are you sure? Isn't it better to wait until we have more news that the area is really safe?" a young level 1 Acolyte asked the bearded level 4 man.

"Elias, if the area really is safe, there won't be work for everyone. Before the calamity, we had less than half the current population and jobs in the fields didn't come along very often. Do you think everyone will get jobs straight away?"

The young man clenched his fists, seeing reason in Zane's words.

'If I don't take my chances now, I'll be out of a job!'

...

Meanwhile, in a high-end restaurant in Dresbert...

The city had certainly deteriorated in every respect since the beginning of The Purification. However, there were still rich people and high-quality services in this place.

The restaurant, which used to serve up to 20 high-end customers a day, had lost a few customers over the months, but today it had 12 tables surrounded by a few wealthy locals.

"The recovery of the agricultural fields is only the beginning of the resumption of commercial activity in Dresbert! With more food, not only will farmers go back to work, people responsible for transporting that food and selling it will go back to work.

Those who go back to work will consume other types of resources, which can stimulate the city's entire economy," said a young man, a local shopkeeper.

A young woman with red hair and a black dress next to him agreed, while she couldn't help but smile at the favorable winds temporarily blowing in their direction.

"Our families have to take advantage of the current opportunity. Let's unite and make sure that we are the ones who lead the city's economic growth amid the current crisis!"

Men and women, from those of a similar age to Vicente to those older, agreed on this point, seeing the most important moment of the crisis so far for their families.

Vicente's actions were no guarantee that things would improve and remain at an interesting level over time. But at least in the short term, the chances of growth for everyone in the city were returning.

Whether it would last, frankly, didn't matter. All that almost everyone in the city wanted was a chance to grow amidst the current chaos!