After spending hours pouring over the blueprints and meticulously planning every detail, I finally dispatched my minions to begin digging the tunnel that would stretch beneath the Church, which was already standing tall in the settlement. The Church had been the first structure to be built, so it made sense to start the tunnel's excavation at its centre. At the same time, my minions also set to work digging the moat that would surround the city and serve as a defence against potential invaders.

I assigned the woodcutting minions the task of gathering resources, knowing that we would need a vast amount of wood to create the spikes that would line the moat. I also made sure to have all of my woodcutting minions focus solely on this task, as the demand for wood would be high. Meanwhile, the hunting minions were responsible for collecting meat, and the farming minions were given a small patch of land within the city walls and a few plots just outside of them. Before they could begin ploughing and planting, they had to survey the land and gather seeds.

Before I could start construction on the main project, I needed to finalize the design of the towering fortress that would be the centrepiece of the city. The basic structure was complete, but I still needed to add the stairs and rooms. As I examined the design in the crafting menu, I knew that the tower needed to be both lightweight and sturdy, as it would be a prime target for enemy attacks. To achieve this balance, I decided to make the tower thin and elongated, with a wide base for stability. I also included eight storage floors inside the structure.

I planned for half of the tower to be made of stone and brick, with the upper half being constructed of wood. The wood would be lighter and less prone to collapse if attacked, while a single missing stone could bring the entire tower crashing down. I designed a spiral staircase that would wind its way from the bottom to a certain height, where it would then turn into a ladder. The ladder would eventually give way to the wall of the tower itself, allowing a single guard to stand at the top and keep watch over the surrounding area while also protecting the tower from attack.

With the design complete, I added it to the system and set my construction minions to work. I instructed them to build only half of the tower for now, as I wanted to wait until the rest of the city was finished before completing the upper half. If the tower was completed too early, it could be visible from other cities and attract unwanted attention. However, I knew that I needed to get the tower underway before tackling any other projects, as the city's design was centred around it, and the final result would look incomplete without it.As I stood by and watched the construction progress, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and excitement. But my thoughts were soon interrupted by Chloe, who had been waiting for me inside my house.

"Yesterday, five of our minions were killed in Founding Group E," she told me gravely.

"What happened? Which minions died?" I asked, my concern mounting.

"The minions were from the Combat division, and I don't know how it happened. I'm thinking about sending some combat minions to that location to gather more information,"

"Yes, you should definitely send some minions to Founding Group E to assess the situation and provide any necessary aid," I agreed, standing up from my chair. "Come, let's discuss this further outside."

She came inside when I went to the construction site of the tower. She was waiting for me inside my house because she knew I would be returning here, so she waited for me on the chairs. I wanted to sit for a bit, but she wanted to talk outside, so I followed her out of my house.

"So, will you only be sending combat division minions to Founding Group E?" Chloe asked.

"Yes, I am only sending combat division minions because they are currently short on manpower, and if any of them are in bad condition, they can return to the city and be replaced by others. I am going to send around 30 minions right now to see what has happened there."

"I think you should also send some builder minions, but it's fine if you think you only need to send combat division minions," Chloe suggested.

I thought about it for a moment and then opened my controls. I summoned 30 combat division minions and three builder minions to me and sent them to Founding Group E. I programmed the necessary details into their systems and watched as they left the site, marching towards the main entrance of the city.

"I'll send a team of combat division minions to Founding Group E immediately."

"Tell them to be cautious and gather as much information as they can. Also, make sure they have enough supplies and backup in case they run into any trouble. We don't want to lose any more minions,"

"I'll make sure they are well prepared,"

We continued to discuss the situation and came up with a plan for the combat division minions. As we walked, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. Something about the sudden deaths of the minions in Founding Group E didn't sit well with me. I made a mental note to keep an eye on the situation and make sure that my minions were safe.

It would be especially annoying if there were some outsiders killing Minions in my new settlements. I needed to end this soon before it could escalate to something larger. In terms of numbers, I still had reserves ready to send over, so it wasn't too much of an issue.

Still, I guess expanding wasn't going to be as easy as walking around claiming patches of land and building settlements.