After finishing breakfast, Laura Smith said she was ready to head back. She needed to regroup with her companions first, and then figure out a way to contact the rescue team.

“Take this.” Hearing that Laura Smith was about to leave, David Clark handed her his spare hunting bow, a quiver of arrows, and a short knife: “You were attacked by a weirdo before, and that island doesn’t seem very safe. Carrying weapons will help you protect yourself.”

She tucked the sheathed short knife into her belt, slung the quiver over her back, and took the hunting bow. Laura Smith gave David Clark a warm hug: “Thank you so much. I’m really glad I came here and met you.”

“Ahem~ No need to be so polite.” At first, David Clark rather enjoyed it, but then he felt a bit awkward. He bent forward slightly, but had no intention of pushing Laura Smith away. In his heart, he wished the hug could last a bit longer.

With a faint blush on her neck, Laura Smith didn’t say anything more. She let go of David Clark, picked up the hunting bow, and turned to leave the village.

David Clark stood there without moving for a while. After a moment, he straightened up and saw Franklin Baker looking at him with a big smile.

“What is it?”

“Oh, nothing… Earlier, you said I was welcome to stay here long-term. Was that just being polite, or did you mean it?”

“Of course I meant it!” David Clark was very happy to hear this. He really hoped Franklin Baker would stay. The more time they spent together, the more chances he’d have to learn about the Light from this paladin.

Even aside from the knowledge of the Light, if David Clark wanted to develop the outpost into an official village of the Tiran Kingdom, he’d need enough people.

The land was originally barren, the climate harsh, and the location extremely remote—none of which would attract farmers to settle here. But if he looked at it differently, David Clark could attract people from other worlds to live here, like Franklin Baker, who wanted to live in seclusion.

“I’ll be counting on you as the village chief from now on.”

David Clark reached out and shook Franklin Baker’s large hand. The moment they shook hands, David Clark felt as if something had changed within him, but after focusing, he couldn’t find anything different.

“An illusion?”

He set the thought aside and began introducing Franklin Baker to the general situation of the village, though there wasn’t much to say: four temporary wooden cabins, three of which were for living, all with the same interior layout; one served as a warehouse, kitchen, and blacksmith shop.

To the west of the village was a large river, rich in fish; to the north was a forest, full of wild vegetables, fruits, and animals. So far, David Clark had never ventured deep into the forest, only circling the outskirts, so he didn’t know how dangerous the depths might be.

“To the east and south are plains, but if you follow the riverbank south, you’ll reach the Ironwood Forest.” The Ironwood Forest was northwest of Ironwood Fort, a vast expanse named after the top-quality ironwood trees found there.

It was the Ironwood Forest and the Tiran Mountains that had long prevented the Tiran Kingdom from occupying this vast plain.

David Clark’s outpost was quite far from Ironwood Fort, probably the northernmost area of the Tiran Kingdom—if he could establish the village.

“Right now, it’s just you and me in the village. Although we lack crops to plant, we can still get enough food by hunting and fishing.” After explaining the basics, David Clark went on to share his plan: “If we want to stay here long-term, we’ll need to build new cabins.”

Franklin Baker agreed with David Clark. He had been about to suggest building a few better houses: “The forest isn’t far, so there’s no shortage of wood here.”

Stone houses would be better, but Franklin Baker wasn’t a stonemason. He could manage a wooden cabin, but he honestly had no idea how to build a stone house.

“There are some tools at the blacksmith shop.” Although the blacksmith had taken many tools when he left, quite a few were left behind, more than enough for David Clark and Franklin Baker.

The two of them chatted as they gathered their tools and prepared to head into the forest.

When David Clark picked up his bow and arrows, he noticed that the feeling in his hand was different from before. He took out an arrow, nocked it, and drew the bowstring, aiming as if to shoot.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing!” In just a short moment, David Clark realized something: at some point, he had received another reward from Laura Smith.

Why was he sure it was from Laura Smith? Because Franklin Baker, as a paladin, didn’t seem to have any connection to bows and arrows, while in the story, Laura Smith’s main weapon was the bow.

“Thinking about it… that strange feeling when I shook hands with Franklin Baker earlier might not have been an illusion after all. I wonder what reward Franklin Baker gave me?”

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Chapter 5: Super Archery Talent

He couldn’t figure it out for now. David Clark grumbled inwardly about his golden finger—it was so vague and unclear, always making him rack his brains to figure things out. Wouldn’t it be better to just give him a system? It didn’t have to be complicated—even just a simple prompt interface would do, something clear and straightforward.

“This golden finger is so unreliable!”

Together with Franklin Baker, he reached the edge of the forest. Looking at the towering trees before him, David Clark pushed aside his messy thoughts: he could ponder the golden finger and rewards later, but for now, he needed to focus on how to build a house!

“These are all excellent timber.” Franklin Baker observed carefully for a moment and confirmed that this wood was perfect for building houses.