Building a house usually requires laying a foundation, using reinforced concrete, and a lot of labor. That’s how ordinary people do it.
But with the rock tortoise as a domesticated beast, Luciel eliminated 90% of that work. The tortoise’s shell acted as a natural foundation, and its ability to control the connection between stone and armor eliminated the need for cement or steel. All that remained was stacking the stone bricks to build the walls.
"Amazing!" Mino said, holding a stone brick and placing it carefully along the black line Luciel had drawn.
She marveled as the bricks fused together seamlessly, leaving no gaps.
"Don’t stack the wall too high over there. Leave space for a window," Luciel instructed.
By the time he finished drawing all the lines, Mino had already built one of the walls herself. He went over, tore down a few bricks with his power, and formed a square window.
"Thieves will come in here this way," Mino said hesitantly. Living in the camp without windows, she was used to securing everything from theft.
"The average thief can’t climb up here," Luciel replied, flicking her forehead playfully.
Mino rubbed her forehead blankly, realizing how safe they were atop the mighty Little Black Tortoise.
After finishing the window, Luciel set about creating the door. He didn’t consult Mino on the internal layout—he only had the outline in mind.
The two rooms flanked the door, each about ten square meters. The central hall measured thirty square meters. The toilet was placed in the corner of the yard with a drainage channel leading away, preventing any smell from entering the house. A symbolic half-meter wall surrounded the yard, with a gate on the side of the tortoise’s back.
Luciel also created a special signal for the rock tortoise—certain gestures would summon the stairs on command.
Time passed slowly as they worked. The sun dipped toward the horizon, painting the clouds orange and red.
"It’s already so late," Luciel remarked, surveying the roofless house with a quiet sense of accomplishment.
"Wow~~ It’s finally half done!" Mino cheered, her blue eyes sparkling. She clenched her small fists and encouraged, "Let’s work harder—we can finish it today!"
Luciel shook his head. "The roof needs wooden support to stack the stone bricks properly."
"Huh? Then let’s find wood!" Mino said, rushing toward the ground.
"No need. There’s ready-made wood," Luciel said, grabbing the back of her collar.
"Ready-made wood?" Mino tilted her head in curiosity.
"Are all the people in the camp gone now?" Luciel asked. His mind had already contacted the three-color lizard, which was patrolling the camp to check.
"It’s getting dark, so they should all be gone," Mino said, immediately understanding.
Her blue eyes lit up. "We can take the wood from the camp!"
"Let’s go. Back to the camp," Luciel ordered the rock tortoise. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ NoveI[F]ire.net
The tortoise moved slowly but steadily toward the camp.
"What?" Mino watched, amazed. "Little Black Tortoise is walking, but it doesn’t feel like it’s moving?"
"It’s controlling the vibrations," Luciel explained softly. Even a single vibration from such a massive creature could trigger far-reaching consequences.
"Oh, I see now," Mino said, realizing how clever it was. Though not fast, one step from the tortoise covered much more distance than a human step, and it still moved faster than they could.
Ten minutes later, they arrived at the edge of the empty camp. The three-color lizard had confirmed no one remained.
"Everyone’s gone," Mino murmured, a tinge of sadness in her voice. She looked at the deserted camp from atop the tortoise.
"How far is the Moon Lake Tribe from here?" Luciel asked calmly.
"I heard from the hunting team it’s about five or six days’ journey," Mino replied softly.
Luciel thought of Bloodbeard and asked, "Are there many people in the Moon Lake Tribe?"
"Maybe ten thousand... I don’t know for sure," Mino said in astonishment.
Ten thousand people—that was an overwhelming number for a girl. How much food and water would they need to survive?
"It seems like a big tribe... but is it real?"
Luciel patted her shoulder. "Then we’ll go and see for ourselves."
"Huh?" Mino’s eyes widened. "We’re really going to the Moon Lake Tribe?"
"Do you want to go?" Luciel asked, meeting her blue eyes with his encouraging gaze.
She bit her lip, nodded firmly, and shouted, "I want to go! I want to see where Big Sis is!"
"Then the Moon Lake Tribe is our next target," Luciel said with a grin and a thumbs-up.
Mino’s cheeks flushed as her heart raced at his smile. She covered her chest, flustered.
"Don’t dawdle—hurry down and gather the wood," Luciel said, tugging lightly at her rabbit ears.
"Hey! Don’t pull my ears!" Mino protested, stomping in annoyance, distracted by the twitching sensation.
They scrambled to the ground, ready to work.
"Which houses should we demolish?" Luciel asked at the edge of the camp.
"The ones whose kids snatched my little lizards before," Mino said, pointing at several homes.
"Alright. We only need the big wood," Luciel said. "Just move it to Little Black Tortoise, and it will carry it up."
"Okay!" Mino began tearing down the houses eagerly.
With Luciel’s strength, demolition was effortless, and large logs were easy to carry. Five or six logs could be moved at once. They didn’t need much wood for the roof, but they were stocking extra for firewood.
Soon, one corner of the yard was filled with neatly stacked wood, ready for the next stage of construction.