System: Gods' Gardener

Their group took the truck to their fortress and started to extract the sap. Out of six water tanks, one is half filled with mana milk, one is filled with mana water, and on which is filled with mana grains.

Lucas took two water tanks to use as the sap container. Because of its size, manual extracting is pretty troublesome. They can only extract one carcass at a time. They only have a pair of shrink glove, so, they let Lucas and Hugo lift the carcass while Ranrem, Della and Rita will make a shifting in making a cut on its body and make the sap drip inside the tank.

After three hours, they finally extracted every single drop of sap from the first carcass. Lucas was surprised with the result. 'So once they mutated into a treetan, trees will automatically dry when the sap was extracted?'

The sap is not the only good part of the mahogany borrowed, but also its body. He made his ax shrink and use it as a sculpting knife. He chopped its back limbs and observe its sharpness. The limbs are so amazing that it takes a form of a screw, suitable for digging the land like a drill.

He decided to store the drill like limbs inside his so-called 'Underworld' for future use.

The limbs are just the smallest part of its body, on his front is a gigantic carcass half the size of its leader. 'I remember a game from my world, the game build defense towers and cannons to fend of enemies. But the best thing I build in that game is the automatic crossbow that shoots arrows continuously. An X-bow huh? Maybe I can create something like that! But I don't know how to make it automatic. 'Hwacha' needs gunpowder, and this world has given up on firearms in front of treetans. Right now, I need to think of a way to fend of human forces. The guild can provide me their adventurers, building archer tower is the best defense we can make.'

He first draws the main parts of his defensive tower, a five-meter tall tower, the ladder behind the tower, and a cover to protect the archer. One of the archer tower's weakness is the lack of defense for the archers, the cover he draws is like like a sphere cut in half the upper cover is lifted and separates from the lower part like a p*keball. The upper cover and lower cover are separated with a thick pole that serves as the core of the tower.

The whole design looks like a p*keb*ll trophy. The thickness of the cover and the balance of the tower is the most important part. The upper cover is designed to deflect nonexplosive projectiles, the body of the tower is protected with several layers of thick wood, the core of the tower must be rooted in the ground for five meters.

'I need to ask Buckler to make eight sphere glass added to the defensive tower for the coconut cannons. I also need a lot of woods. The pine thrower's carcasses are not enough, they can serve as ammunition of the archers but not defense. I need to send an exploration team in a nearby forest to search for suitable wood for the body.'

He started to draw the weapon that will be used on defense. A gigantic crossbow that is larger than a normal crossbow. The size of the crossbow is not possible if it's in Earth since the size doesn't match a manual crossbow, but in Hearth, the body of the mahogany burrowers are the best material and the adventurers are trained to fight.

It was midnight and everyone in the dome is already asleep. The Underworld might be the best, but the fortress defense is not that right, and a raid is possible from time to time.

Lucas went out with the mahogany burrower's carcass. With his shrank Ax as the sculpting blade, he makes the most important parts of a crossbow for two hours. The design is bland since it's only made out of wood which doesn't have any other color other than brown. But every part has its use, the c.o.c.king stirrup, the barrel, the trigger, the limbs, etc. He used a screw made of wood to splice every part of the crossbow and leave him the most important part, the strings.

'The strings don't need to be rubber, that's rubbish. The limbs flexibility will be the one that will produce the piercing force. I only have to make the string strong enough to handle the pressure. I don't have any materials to make a suitable string, I will be making the other parts for now.'

He started to collect the five to eight-meter tall carcasses of pine throwers and started to craft the stick he will use for the bolts (arrows). The crossbow is one meter long and the bolts needed for this weapon is at least 80% of the crossbow length, which is 80 centimeters while the thickness is ten centimeters.

But there's something strange with his bolts, he made his bolts five times the length and thickness of what he needed. And every carcass could only make ten to sixteen bolts.

The five hundred pine throwers carcasses aren't perfect, they are sometimes cut in half or a lot of cracks. But until the morning he is able to make 3,800 bolts. Every tip was craft like a drill, he did not bother making bolts head instead, he sculpted it to be larger than the shaft. The fletching that stabilizes the arrows is made of pine throwers that are not suitable for making a bolt. The fletchings are also strange, it forms a spiral design that will make the bolt spin in the mid-air.

5:00 am

Neil and the rest woke up and continue their everyday routine except for Hugo, Lucas, and Rita. They are in charge of extracting the sap, so until twelve noon, they are busy and unable to tend other chores.

In front of the dining table, after everyone has eaten their share Neil started a conversation. "Lucas, I saw the crossbow you made, and it looks great and boring... But, something's bothering me. How can you load a FOUR METER long bolts on your ONE METER long crossbow!?"

"Woah, grandpa, we just ate and you're already mad. Of course, there's a way, right, Ranrem?" Lucas said as he throws a look to Ranrem.

Ranrem was silent at first, but she raised her eyebrow as she remembers something, "Shrink Gloves?"

"That's right! Shrink gloves aren't suitable for archery, it gets in the way. But because we have this stock of mahogany burrower's sap, we can make our own shrink equipment!" He stood up to the table and started to speak like an inventor trying to convince his investors. "Think of it, we make fingerless gloves or archery gloves that could shrink every non-living thing. We can craft a string that could hold this crazy bolts like a normal bolt, and make the bolt have more power to penetrate the defense of our enemies! We can craft a quiver that could store this crazy bolts! And we can build a catapult that could throw a gigantic stone to the enemy!"

Neil and rest were shocked on what he said, their eyes pop out to the thought of making such crazy ideas. But Lucas isn't done yet, put a stronger force on his voice like a leader of the country, "Think of it guys! What kind of planteros this bolts can't penetrate? MCdame Rhinos? The hardest planteros in the world? Don't joke around, they have their own weaknesses! F.u.c.k the nobles, f.u.c.k the treetans, f.u.c.k the world organizations who will go against our will! They want a war, a war it is! Our fortress will stand until the end. If we are able to use this sap to its fullest, who will be able to stand in front of us?"

Bang! Neil slam the table and laugh so hard, "Hahaha! Great! Great! You are able to think this crazy thing, unlike the leaders who only think of this sap as storage! I can finally take my revenge!"

The rest gripped their first and started to smile maniacally, it shocks him to think the people around him was seeking a revenge, especially Ranrem. 'To think that she could make a scary face, what kind of thing these nobles did to make them angry? I want to know.'

Neil was able to tell what he was thinking, he calmed himself and started to explain, "All of us, we can only watch our family as this noble kill them. Not only us but those who are trying to fight against them. Redford and Rita lost a wife and a mother, Ranrem lost everything, Hugo lost his childhood friend, and Della who lost her parents!"

Della cries as she hears Neil story, she gritted her teeth as she tries her best to speak, "The death- of my father-hik and mother. They can't pay it with just mana grains! Mom, Dad!"

'What the f.u.c.k, the atmosphere becomes awkward for me!' Lucas thought as he regrets what he did he shook his head and look at Viola and Violet, "Eh, how about the two of you? What with that scary face?"

When the twins heard him say 'Scary' they felt embarrassed, "A-actually, we are family of slaves before, grandpa and grandma died fighting for our rights to live as a normal family."

"Oh... These nobles sound crazy. Looks like I have a greater reason to fight them." Lucas said as he steps down the table, "Okay, brother Hugo, please tell Redford to come here and bring his most trusted men. I will leave later and talk to Grandpa Buckler about my requests."

The rest where suddenly motivated and started to work. Viola and Violet who could do nothing but cook started to train how to use Bow and Arrow under Ranrem. Hugo drives his trucks without grumbling. Della and Rita started to train with their sword while Neil was left to tend the planteros Lucas is raising.

Lucas left the dome afterward and ask Buckler for a new project. He also asked for a good string for a now, and he was pointed on a store near the workshop.

"Hello?" He said as he enters the store. Outside the store, he could not tell that it was a store, but when he entered the door, he saw a row of materials he is unfamiliar with.

"Hello, is there something you need?" An old lady who sitting stealthily in the corner of the room spoke.

Lucas was shocked when he heard her speaking, he never thought that there's a person on that corner, "H-hello Grandma. I was recommended here by Grandpa Buckler, I am looking for strings."

"Oh, you are recommended by that greedy old hag?" She asks in surprise and approaches Lucas. When she stepped out of the shadow, it revealed her appearance. Even though she was old her hair is still black, and her face has fewer wrinkles.

"Yes, Gr- Madam. Actually, I want a string, the best string this store have!" He said as he bows to pay respect.

"Oh! A great spender?" She exclaimed, "I'm Suma, I'm an adventurer too so you don't have to bow in front of me unless I'm your master. Come over here, this is the best I can offer for a newcomer."

Lucas nodded as he follows her to the table, "Here's the best string I can offer. It's made up of Corn Dog's hair, but don't look down on them, this hair came from a second pace General Corn Dog!"

Lucas reaches out his hand to check the quality of the string. It is indeed good quality, it can even stretch a little but he felt unsatisfied with its durability, "Grandma Suma, I know it's late, but I'm Lucas Rankin. I was here with Grandpa Neil's order, this string... It is not good enough for my Crossbow. Money is not a problem, please offer me the best you can give me."

Suma looks at him a surprise, 'To think that Neil also knows him. Haist, what a greedy youngster.' She nodded her head as she smiled bitterly. She went inside her storage and was gone for a while.

Lucas was left behind waiting for her. 'Sorry Grandpa, I don't to use your name, but I really need a better string!'