Thalor stayed by my side as the other two left to gather my "council." He reached out, his cool fingers gently brushing a stray lock of hair behind my ear. "A clothing shop? I suspect my people will have much to offer for that. Sea-silk is lighter than any wool and stronger than most hides. It would make for... interesting attire."

​"Sea-silk?" My eyes lit up. "Thalor, you’re a genius. If we combine that with the wool from the sheep tribe and the leather-working skills of the wolves, we won’t just have clothes—we’ll have a luxury brand."

​He tilted his head, looking confused by the word ’brand,’ but he smiled anyway. "Whatever you wish, my Queen. But remember... your ’rest’ also includes me. Don’t spend all your energy on the bear."

​I felt that familiar flush crawling up my neck again. "I’m pacing myself! I promise."

"Alright," he whispered.

​Within the hour, the great hall didn’t look like a throne room—it looked like a construction office. Oryn arrived, his massive frame nearly blocking the light from the doorway.

Ah, I knew it was a good idea to make the front door massive, haha.

Oryn rumbled a greeting, his deep voice vibrating in the stone walls, followed by a group of twitchy but incredibly focused rabbit craftsmen. Robin, representing the sheep tribe, sat near the edge, looking a bit too much in his element, haha.

​"Alright, everyone, listen up!" I called out, my voice still a bit raspy. "Thank you for all your work in the past months, truly. Oryn, the housing district is a success, but now we need a dedicated marketplace. I want the central square to have permanent stone stalls—built to last, not just tents that will blow away in the first storm." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

​Oryn nodded, his thick fingers tracing a rough sketch onto the table.

"The stone is easy enough to move, Queen. My kin can have the foundations set by sunset. But what of the wood for the counters? The beavers and badgers say they are busy with the palace trim."

I turned, my eyes scanning the crowd. The beaver head was not here, but the head badger craftsman was.

"Is that true?" I asked, and he nodded.

"Sadly, Queen. But it won’t be long. We shall be done by sunset tomorrow," He promised, his head bowed, and I nodded.

​"No need to feel bad about it. You guys are already doing such great work. Thank you," I said, gesturing to him, and his face brightened. "Your tribe’s work on the storage units was incredible." He nodded, feeling proud of the praise.

I don’t really like badgers, but well, what can I do when they are so useful?

"I want you and the rabbit craftsmen to apply that same precision to footwear. We need thick soles for the scouts and something softer for indoor wear. I’ll try to work up the blueprint so it can be easier to understand, alright?"

They nodded.

"And for the marketplace, we’ll use a currency system to trade for them."

"What do we use for this ’currency’?" Oryn asked, and I gave it a thought.

We didn’t have anything conclusive aside from the shells and pearls from the sea, but that’s not something we can keep working with.

Just about anyone can pick up a shell and use it to trade. It won’t make for good economic wealth, so it’s not very conducive.

I winced, thinking deeply about it, and my brows furrowed in tune.

"Oryn," I said, leaning over the table to point at the map of the housing district. "For now, let’s focus on the Marketplace Square. I want the stalls arranged in a circle so everyone can see each other. No hidden corners." And this way, we won’t have any theft.

Oryn nodded and said, "Stone stalls with cedar awnings. It will be the sturdiest market in the beastworld, Queen."

Of course. It’s being built by moi, after all.

​"As for payment," I continued, looking at the rabbit craftsmen and the sheep. We don’t have gold or even metal, but it’ll work out somehow. Who knows? We might find a metal or gold vein soon.

With all this digging, it was only a matter of time, right?

"For this month, we’ll use Trade Tokens made of polished wood, stamped with the palace seal, which we’re going to be making as well. You get tokens by bringing resources to the central warehouse, and you spend those tokens at the stalls. And you can also use those tokens to get resources from the palace. So it’s vice versa. This way, it keeps things fair until we find a permanent currency."

Gosh, I’m a genius. I didn’t know I was this smart, but I’m outdoing myself every single day. Is it because I’m exposed to this environment that my brilliance is shining out?

Well, it’s a good thing, whatever the reason.

​I was still explaining the concept of ’credit’ when a commotion broke out near the palace entrance. A group of beavers—part of Oryn’s construction crew who should be busy with the palace rim—came rushing in, their flat, wide tails covered in red clay and their eyes wide.

​"Oryn! Queen!" one of them panted, holding something wrapped in a dirty rag.

"What’s the matter?" I asked, and he stopped in front of us.

"Greetings, Queen." Get on with it. My blood is boiling.

"Is it the red scales again?" I asked, but he shook his head.

He was short, about the height of a dwarf, or let’s just say he was about the height of the rabbit beastmen. But unlike the rabbit tribe that were all skins and adorability, these guys were masculine, that’s why I equate them to dwarves sometimes.

"We were... we were digging the foundation for the south-western watchtower, near the base of the cliff." And again, I thought you were supposed to be working on the Palace rim. Well, I’ll just take it that they split forces. "While digging, the ground suddenly turned hard... harder than limestone."

​Oryn frowned, his thick brows knitting together. "Harder than limestone? Is it a root?"