LOSS System: Last Store Standing

Jack leaned closer to the screen.

A broad figure was pushing a handcart, with three others following behind. Cass flew the drone closer, and one of them soon noticed it and waved.

Once the image became clear, both of them relaxed.

“It’s Marlin.”

Cass kept watching, but his attention soon settled on the old man at the back.

“Why did Marlin bring someone that old back with him? What can he do besides live off everyone else?”

Jack had thought Cass had spotted a threat.

“I thought something was wrong. So he’s old. At worst, there’s one more person to feed. Marlin must have a reason for bringing him back. We can ask when they get here.”

“You really know how to waste supplies,” Cass muttered.

Unfortunately for him, Marg was passing by.

She stopped beside them. “I’m old too. Do you think I’m only here to live off everyone else?”

Cass immediately realized he was in trouble.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?”

“I…”

No explanation came to mind.

Jack couldn’t help laughing. “That’s what you get for talking without thinking.”

“You’re laughing?” Cass snapped. “Was I talking about Marg?”

“You didn’t name her, but you were talking about old people.”

“Exactly. I was talking about—”

Cass stopped halfway through the sentence.

Marg stood beside him with a dark expression.

“I… am… old.”

She forced out each word through clenched teeth.

Cass shrank back and wisely kept his mouth shut.

The commotion soon brought Elias over.

“What happened?”

Jack immediately seized the chance.

“Marlin is back with an old man. The moment Cass saw him, he said old people were only good for eating everyone else’s food.”

“I never said that!” Cass protested.

Jack continued as if he hadn’t heard him. “He also called me wasteful for letting the old man stay.”

Elias’s face darkened. Marg remained beside him, waiting for Cass to explain himself.

Cass found himself trapped between the two of them.

“I was wrong.”

Elias and Marg both gave a cold snort before walking away.

The moment they were out of earshot, Jack burst out laughing.

“Jack, just you wait,” Cass said through gritted teeth.

Jack raised his eyebrows smugly, and the two continued bickering until Marlin and the others finally reached the settlement.

Jack went over to meet them. Marlin immediately noticed the bandages around his chest.

“How did you get hurt?”

Jack briefly told him what had happened. Marlin listened without saying a word, then fixed him with a long stare.

Jack soon began to feel uncomfortable.

“I got carried away.”

Marlin placed a hand on his shoulder. “Next time, think about the consequences before you do something like that.”

“I will.”

Marlin gestured toward the three people behind him. “Let me introduce everyone. These two are Gordon and Harvey. They’re brothers.”

Gordon, Harvey, and Hal had been taking in the settlement while Jack and Marlin talked. Their attention soon settled on Ava, who was struggling to hold the nozzle as water poured into the large pit.

All three stared at the scene in disbelief.

“Welcome,” Jack said.

Gordon seemed a little reserved, but Harvey could only stare at him.

“Why?”

Jack didn’t understand the question. “Why what?”

Harvey pointed at Ava. “Why is she pouring water into a pit?”

Marlin burst out laughing.

“Because water isn’t worth much here.”

Marlin gave Jack a knowing wink.

Jack rolled his eyes. “It’s fine. As long as the kid is happy.”

Gordon, Harvey, and Hal didn’t seem to know what to make of that. Jack quickly moved on.

“And who’s this?”

Marlin brought Hal forward. “This is Harold Mercer. Everyone calls him Hal. He used to teach chemistry, and more importantly, he knows how to build a brick kiln.”

“Only a simple one,” Hal clarified. “I don’t know how to build a proper kiln, and we couldn’t build one with what we have now anyway.”

A former chemistry teacher who knew how to build a kiln? Jack hadn’t expected Marlin to bring back someone like that.

Marlin grinned and patted one of the bags on the handcart.

“That’s not all. I also found the fuel we need for brick firing.”

He untied the bag, revealing the chunks of black coal inside.

Jack’s eyes lit up. “Is that coal?”

“That’s right.”

Before Jack could say anything else, Elias came over. Marlin greeted him with a laugh.

“That was fast. I haven’t been gone long, and all of you have already moved here.”

Elias ignored the teasing. After Jack introduced Gordon, Harvey, and Hal, he drew Elias’s attention to the handcart.

“They also found a coal deposit.”

That immediately caught Elias’s interest.

“Where is it? How much is there? Is it difficult to mine?”

“About half a day from here,” Hal answered. “The deposit isn’t very large, but the coal is close to the surface. Mining it shouldn’t be difficult.”

Mort joined them before Elias could respond.

“I heard what you were saying. But have any of you thought about how we’re going to mine it? And even if we do, how are we going to bring it back?”

The question left everyone silent. They had been so excited about finding coal that none of them had considered how to mine it or bring it back.

Jack gave a helpless smile. “Looks like we’ll have to leave it alone for now.”

“Why are you all so disappointed?” Cass asked. “We already know where it is. It’s not like someone’s going to get there first and carry all the coal away.”

He gestured toward the bag.

“Even if someone did take it, what would they use it for? Isn’t it hot enough already? Are they planning to start a fire and make it even hotter?”

The others considered his words.

Marlin gave him a thumbs-up. “You have a point.”

“Of course I do.”

A smile slowly appeared on Jack’s face as an idea came to him.

Cass immediately grew wary. “What now?”

“What if we spread the word that people can bring coal here and trade it for water?” Jack asked. “Do you think anyone would be willing to mine it?”

“Definitely,” Gordon answered without hesitation.

The others quickly understood what Jack had in mind.

“Then we’ll need to build that trading post first,” Elias said.

“We shouldn’t limit it to coal,” Mort added. “We can trade for other ores too. If we get the right metal ores, I can forge some simple tools.”

“I should be able to help with some of that,” Hal said.

Mort continued, “There’s no need to rush into firing bricks yet. We can stockpile the coal people bring us and decide how to use it later.”

Jack and Elias both agreed with the plan.

After listening for a while, Gordon finally spoke up.

“If you need metal, I know a place where there’s plenty of it.”

That immediately caught Mort’s attention. “What kind of metal?”

“I don’t know,” Gordon admitted. “But it’s already been made into different shapes and sizes.”

“Where is it?” Jack asked. “Is it far?”

“About a full day on foot. We found plenty of metal there, but we had no way to bring it back.”

“That’s fine. Like Cass said, we can figure out transportation later. Just knowing the place exists is already good news.”

With that settled, Elias asked, “What should we have the three of them do?”

“Gordon and Harvey can help Mort make bricks for now.”

As for Hal, Jack remembered his earlier plan to grow potatoes. He still wasn’t sure what else the old man could do, so this seemed worth trying.

“You can work on growing potatoes.”

Hal didn’t answer immediately.

“Is there a problem?” Jack asked.

“I don’t know how to grow crops,” Hal admitted. “I’ll need someone with planting experience. But if someone handles that part, I can create the conditions the potatoes need to grow.”

Elias clearly had his doubts.

“How can you guarantee that if you’ve never grown them before?”

“I can control the soil, temperature, and moisture. Those are the parts I understand.”

Before Elias could question him further, Jack cut in.

“Explain.”

“The heat and clay soil here aren’t suitable for potatoes,” Hal said. “But unsuitable conditions can be changed.”

“How?”

“What matters isn’t just the temperature above ground. The soil around the roots and tubers needs to stay within a range where they can grow.”

Hal indicated the canopy overhead.

“We can use the canopy to block direct sunlight and place the growing area on the shaded side. If the sun doesn’t heat the ground directly, evaporation can carry away some of the heat and lower the temperature beneath the surface.”

Jack and Elias listened without interrupting.

“We can also dry the clay, break it apart, and mix it with coarse sand and decomposed plant matter. That will loosen the soil, allowing it to hold some moisture without trapping the roots in wet mud.”

“The growing area should be raised so excess water can drain away. We’ll also need to add water slowly and regularly. The soil has to remain moist without drying out or becoming waterlogged.”

Elias remained skeptical.

“And that’s enough to grow potatoes?”

“I can’t promise a large harvest,” Hal said. “But I can give them the right conditions to sprout, take root, and stay alive.”

He knew how to manage the soil, moisture, and temperature, but actual planting was another matter. He couldn’t judge when the plants needed hilling or what changes in their leaves might mean.

“That’s why I need someone with planting experience,” he continued. “I can create a suitable growing environment. I can’t promise everything will work on the first try.”

“Marg can help,” Elias said. “She used to grow flowers and other plants.”

“Then the two of you can work together and see if you can grow them,” Jack decided.

“There’s still one problem,” Hal said. “We need something to replace the decomposed plant matter.”

Jack chuckled. “What if I have organic potting soil?”

Hal immediately became excited.

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Then we have everything we need.”

“Good. I’ll leave this to you.”

“You can count on me.”

Hal took out his worn notebook and began listing the materials they would need.

Meanwhile, Gordon and Harvey followed Mort to the brickmaking area. Mort showed them a brick that had already been removed from its mold and told them to use it as a guide.

Just as everyone was about to return to work, Reed called out excitedly from the distance.

“It worked!”