The watchtower stood tall—his first build complete. It felt solid, real, even comforting. But Adam was already thinking ahead.
Resources. That was the next piece of the puzzle.
He pulled up the system interface and opened the Environmental Scanner. Dozens of nodes lit up in a radius around him—metal-rich veins beneath the surface, clusters of timber-ready trees, pockets of high-density minerals, and even small energy anomalies that pulsed faintly in the earth.
[DRONES: AVAILABLE – 3][COMMAND: HARVEST MODE – RESOURCE TYPE?]
He selected:
Node 1: Timber Cluster (for general construction)
Node 2: Surface Metal Vein (structural components)
Node 3: Crystal Lode (advanced electronics, energy transfer conduits)
The drones zipped off in perfect formation, silent but efficient. The interface gave him real-time updates as they began to harvest, collecting and categorizing raw materials into the portable storage container linked to his base.
While they worked, Adam opened a new tab: Settlement Layout Planner.
"Okay, no more just dropping things randomly," he muttered, kneeling and drawing lines in the dirt out of habit. "We're doing this right."
He split the land into zones using the holographic map, drawing from every base-building game he'd ever loved:
Core Zone – Command buildings, storage, defense network.
Zone A – Agriculture and sustainability (Greenhouse, future farms).
Zone B – Military and defense (Barracks, training grounds).
Zone C – Resource processing and energy (Generator, fabricators, future industry).
Zone D – Future civilian housing and cultural growth.
The system immediately calculated pathing efficiency, terrain advantages, and defensive lines. Certain placements gained bonuses—for example, the greenhouse near a water source gave +10% to growth speed.
[Optimal Site Selected: Confirm Building Locations?]
"Confirmed," he said with satisfaction. "Let's make it real."
The drones returned shortly after, materials fully harvested. He began the actual construction sequence.
First up: Generator (Command & Conquer) — placed in Zone C. It would power the surrounding structures and prep the area for more complex tech.
[CONSTRUCTION TIME: 2 MINUTES. MATERIALS: SUFFICIENT. CONFIRMED.]
Next: Greenhouse (Stardew Valley) — placed in Zone A, beside a sparkling blue creek.
Then: Barracks (Halo) — built in Zone B, slightly elevated for line-of-sight and defensibility.
Each building came online quickly with the help of the drones, their design faithful to their fictional source while adapting organically to the alien terrain.
And finally, the Warehouse he unlocked after completing four unique structures—placed in the Core Zone as a central hub for everything coming in and out of the settlement.
The system pinged again:
[ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: ESTABLISHED BASE – 4 Unique Buildings Constructed][REWARD GRANTED: Expansion Tokens x3 | Blueprint: Auto-Turret Node (Defense Mk I) | Passive Bonus: +10% Construction Speed for Core Structures]
"Nice."
He tapped the Expansion Token icon. The system explained that they could be spent to unlock new building categories or expand the area under his system's control.
With one token, he unlocked a Basic Defensive Network and slotted an Auto-Turret Node near the edge of Zone B—creating the first layer of automated protection.
As the sun dipped below the violet-hued horizon, Adam stood atop the watchtower again, looking out over the new settlement grid.
It wasn't much yet. But it was organized. Intentional. The beginning of something greater.
He brought up the Build Tracker and noted his next milestone:
[10 Unique Structures = Summoning System (Tier 1) + Magic Upgrade Token + Blueprint: Tactical Command Hub]
And now, with resources flowing and his city framework taking shape, he was ready to focus on the next pillar of his power: magic.