More and more people came to the inn as the days passed by. This included a dozen halfkins and beastkin, including Katnia.
Speaking of this, Katnia wanted to run to Finn as soon as she saw him. He was, at the time, chatting with a few people in the plaza.
"FINN!" she yelled, squealing, and her arms stretched out to give him a hug. No, jump on him and hug him like a koala.
However, before she could reach him, a wall of ice appeared. She was running so fast that she was unable to stop in time, almost ramming into it. She really would've, if her brother didn't pull her back on time!
"EH?" Katnia gasped, confused. Her brother Katton, on the other hand, looked around and glared. "Who attacked my sister?!"
At this, the ice wall cracked and broke apart into non-sharp beads, falling gracefully to the ground. A gorgeous silver-haired elf was now beside Finn, looking guardedly at Katnia.
"She was about to attack my fiancé."
"Katnia was going to hug him! Hug!"
"Same thing," she said, and then turned to Finn.
Finn smiled, gently patting her head. Jealous Syl was adorable.
Of course, he wouldn't purposely make her feel insecure. No true man would want their woman to feel uncomfortable.
He held her hand and gently nudged her towards the beastkin party. These people were strong and their injection of force was a layer of safety for everyone. He immediately began to introduce them to each other.
"This is my one and only lover, Syl," he said, looking at Syl. "And these are our beastkin and halfkin friends."
"Let's all work together to get through this tribulation," he said. "In this upcoming war…we might depend on each other to watch our backs."
…
More and more people trickled in, settling down, and more and more sheds and temporary structures appeared near the barriers. There were even a few elders of the guilds, both adventurer and mercenary, as well as people directly under the Lord.
Naturally, not all of them could come because they also had a town to defend. Of course, they still believed that a good portion of the monsters in their direction would be handled by those in the Inn, so they were not stingy in sending resources.
In terms of numbers, the people sent out by Lotus Town and a few other territory South were more than the others combined.
With the next batch of arrivals, there were also various potions, weapons, raw materials, equipment, and so on. The Mercenary Guild sponsored a lot as well, and even some C-Class and B-Class equipment was given to their representatives!
Finn had long prepared for the large number of people with Tumble creating shed-type temporary structures, and Ranran made a lot of tents and sleeping beds. The temporary structures also had comfortable cushions made by Ranran.
So far, it was as smooth as it could be. It was just that with this many people, a few conflicts here and there were inevitable.
Finn had promised to sponsor their stay this time, and people naturally wanted to get the rooms rather than stay in tents. Since it was free already, how could they give all the advantages to others, right? They were all risking their lives here!
Fortunately, most people here were rational, and the few who were causing trouble (possibly on purpose) were neutralized. Often it was by Pang, Gideon, and even an invisible force called the Thrower Srpite, throwing voltages here and there.
If they confirmed that they were causing trouble on purpose, they were just kicked out of the barrier and asked to return on their own.
For the rooms, the Inn prohibited the hoarding of rooms for more than a day, and Finn created a lottery system for the next round of people.
They divided them into people in the main inn and those in the extension, balancing them well. Sheds and camping areas were also built on the extension, and the 'moon' arrangement of the extension modules was also applied there.
This way, whether the main inn or the extension, they would surround, herd, and encase the monsters into a specific area, making them easier to hit.
The arrangement would force the beasts to squeeze into each other so the monsters' movements would not only be limited, but they might also end up hurting each other, which was the ideal.
Many monsters would also be exposed on several sides, yet unable to reach their targets at all, thanks to the barrier.
This method of killing would be quite productive; it was just that he'd have to make sure he had enough hearth points to replenish the barrier's life as needed.
This was another reason why he made sure the people renting rooms changed every day. This way, he had a steady income of hearth points.
The potions and runes designed to weaken or confuse monsters were also prepared, but they were distributed to the staff only. It wasn't that they didn't trust the people here; it was just that using this method was best maximized if someone was coordinating, acting like a general.
For example, using it in alternation at different points would give more damage than throwing them at the same time because the force, push, and pull from the first would damage the other sides anyway. It would be a waste to activate at the same time, losing some of this effect. It was better to have a few-second gap so the damage would compound instead.
Speaking of this, a few platforms with the help of carpenters and earth users were also created along the barrier line.
This was a vantage point for people like Finn to see the situation of the war, and also for the long-ranged people to be able to shoot to their heart's content.
With their numbers, it was inevitable that some people could get pushed or distracted while fighting. With these platforms, they could minimize cases like these.
…
Preparation went on, and everyone helped out. They also added traps outside. The area had been cleared by the apex-level explosion, making it easier for them to see the enemies and set up traps.
While they did so, the adventurers and mercenaries also killed the monsters they encountered to lower the numbers they would inevitably deal with later.
At some point, while people were doing this, they felt the rumbling of the ground. Those outside looked at each other in understanding, dashing straight to the barrier and yelling:
"THE APHELION PHASE IS HERE!!"