Centred at the magnificent Twilight Wolves headquarters, a grand hall of breathtaking proportions stood as a testament to their might and prestige. Adorned with rich tapestries depicting scenes of valor, magic and the guild's updated emblem – a dark howling wolf head intertwined with a crescent moon – the hall was an opulent fusion of artistry and power.
As Kashi ventured beyond the towering doors, the air itself seemed to change, heavy with the weight of anticipation. The hall's vaulted ceiling soared to incredible heights, its intricate architecture illuminated by countless chandeliers dripping with crystal gemstones that cast a warm, golden glow upon the polished marble floor. Statues of noble Direwolves, sculpted in precious metals, flanked the hall's perimeter, their fierce gazes fixed upon the center where the most esteemed guests of the day gathered.
At the heart of this regal assemblage sat a dais, upon which rested an intricately carved ebony throne. The seat of authority, adorned with draconic accents, awaited its guildmaster. Ahead of the dias, rows of beautifully adorned chairs were placed in a semi-circular fashion.
The grand hall was alive with whispered conversations and the rustle of silk robes as the kings and top figures of the Twilight Wolves guild mingled. Egos were far distant as kings of distant realms, resplendent in the regal attire, conversed with rogues in battle armor, each garment carefully chosen to symbolize their connection to the twilight hour. The air was rich with the scent of exotic perfumes, and the occasion show of magic—a testament to the trust these leaders had in the Wolves' security and atmosphere.
As Kashi made his entrance, his figure seemingly casting long shadows through the towering windows that lined the hall's walls, a hush fell upon the gathered assembly.
The famed guildmaster.
All gathered had either witnessed his glory at the Battle of Oni Hill in person or during the broadcast. None would ever forget the insane might of the unassuming draconian dressed in a loose shirt and trousers.
Kashi alone did not steal the limelight. Soon, many gazed upon the famed Nightwind Direwolf after whom the guild was named. Although quite a few did not understand the intricacies, they knew the tide of battle swiftly shifted after her arrival. She was as integral to the victory at Oni Hill as Kashi—perhaps even more so. Most then ignored the daeben following behind, attributing his presence to some clone technique of Kashi's when ascending into his draconic form.
Finally, the guests wore settled smiles when the beautiful but formidable Leila Lightwood walked in. For most gathered, she was the true face of the Twilight Wolves. After all, she was the one they primarily dealt with on most matters.
However, the proud wisben seemed to have deliberately chosen a supporting role as she kept pace a few steps behind Kashi, as if to reinforce the memory of the true guildmaster.
At the head, Kashi walked up to and stopped before the ebony throne with mirth in his eyes. 'A little much don't you think?' Chuckling softly, he knocked on the throne and then stepped in front of it, choosing to stand instead.
Standing behind the throne, Leila's lips curled ever-so-slightly. She knew Kashi was not the type to seek authority or rule. Still, it was only a matter of time. Whether the draconian liked it or not, both he and Suzuki would soon wield the kind of power that commanded authority, willing or not.
Oblivious to Leila's thoughts, Kashi absentmindedly ruffled Kira's fur as she sat on her hindlegs next to him. A quick scan revealed Suzuki behind the opulent throne, leaning against the backrest to hide from view. Kashi chuckled, not feeling the need to expose his reticent older brother. It was already progress that Suzuki did not hide in Orez or something. He had other ways to kick his older brother out of his comfort zone.
Kashi then looked out into the seated crowd. His mind, sharpened through his breakthrough to expert pilot, only took a tenth of a second to identify everyone present. First, the kings of Serisis, Aygorzi, and Rosendun, Chu Tianjo, Anton Xafier, and Parissius Vermillion graced the very center of the first row directly opposite Kashi.
Intriguingly, the kings chose to seat next to each other, forgoing the normal formalities of seating next to their individual parties.
Looking on from the kings, Kashi noticed Twilight Wolves' top personnel. Absalon, Jade, Stryke, Syèl, Shokō, Miote and many more. He even spotted a rare figure, JWSilver, the young man who had been put in charge of developing the islands south of Rosendun. Even though Kashi did not pay much attention to the daily running, Leila had dropped some hints about the man's amazing work. Aside from the Wolves, Kashi also noticed the leaders of several guilds, both in Rosendun and outside who had chosen to ally, or at least befriend the Wolves. However, all of these people paled in comparison to the three orcs who stood at the back of the room, their towering presence and the blood feud sparking amongst them a deterrent to any who dared to come close.
Kashi only needed one look at Durst to know that he had not forgiven Renark's sin in the slightest. However, there was a strange calmness in the experienced orc's eyes that spoke of something Kashi had yet to discover. Beside him, Renark watched Kashi closely while Ragnar leaned against a pillar, clearly the most relaxed of the trio.
Looking around the room brought memories rushing back. It was akin to a microcosm of the perilous, but exciting journey the Maggots took to mature into roaring Wolves.
Kashi found himself oddly pumped up, his blood seemingly rushing faster as he took a step forward and bowed before the crowd. Standing up straight, he looked around the room and then carelessly raised his hand in a casual greeting, "Yo."
The draconian's blasé attitude drew a round of laughter from the crowd, helping to ease the rising tension. Seeing the much more relaxed smiles, Kashi grinned. "Good Day, everyone. Thank you one and all for taking time out of your busy schedules to gather here. I know we all have a lot on our plates, so I will not waste time. The purpose of this meeting is to chart the future course of the Twilight Wolves. We will also explore some of the initiatives the guild will be kicking off in Rosendun, Serisis and Merriheim. We asked the rulers to come precisely so we can obtain your permissions in real-time. It will also afford you the opportunity to ask any questions."
Kashi took a moment to survey the room. Seeing that he had everyone's rapt attention, he continued, "First on our agenda is the expansion effort." The various kings and their advisers visibly tensed. There was no secret that, while the Twilight Wolves lacked in numbers compared to the power of the union, the guild had proven it had an uncanny ability to annex entire countries into Rosendun. Furthermore, they had done so, both with force, and with honey, showcasing the guilds' diversity.
After a short break, Kashi chuckled and said with a shrug, "In regards to our expansion effort, the Twilight Wolves will be scaling back our activities by a large margin to focus on internal growth and stability." The draconian smiled when he saw the confused, apprehensive faces around the room. He could see them wondering if the Twilight Wolves wanted to rest on their laurels now that they were ahead.
They could not be more wrong.
"We are scaling back our expansion, not out of cowardice, but for two main reasons. First, the Northern and Western fronts are about to become massive warzones. With their Transcendents at the helm, Chaos Order will begin their war for expansion in earnest, starting with the dwarven territories of Daggerfall and the Northern mountains of Markoth. Meanwhile, Ederwood, eager to prevent Chaos Order's expansion, will most likely meet them on the battlefields of Daggerfall. Finally, the Imperium will not sit idly by while it is surrounded by enemies on all fronts. I expect she too will launch an attack, if only to prevent the Chaos Order from taking over her ally, Markoth."
Kashi took a breath, and then continued, "Wading into these tumultuous battlefront will not benefit us. At this chaotic early stage, territories will be seized and subsequently lost on a daily basis. Worse yet, with so many enemies on all fronts, it will be difficult to strategize against each one. No, instead, I say we spend the time fortifying our borders and strengthening our troops."
The draconian then held up two fingers. "Secondly, the biggest obstacle to successfully conquering a nation is not its armies, but the disgruntled patriotic rebels who will risk life and limb to cause as much nuisance everywhere they can. To cut down on the chances of rebellion, we will show the citizens of other nations why being ruled by Rosendun is far more appealing."
Kashi noticed King Paris raise his hand, doubt coloring his furrowed brows.
With a nod from the draconian, the king spoke, "Do you think Destia's patrons so weak that they would abandon their flag for vague promises of a better life?"
Kashi grinned. "If it were anyone else asking, it might be a bit difficult to convince them, but you should know better than most nobles. Having fought in the army as a common foot soldier, how many do you think truly love their country? How many do you think joined the army because it was the only way to earn an honest living. How many joined out of a desire for vengeance because they lost a loved one, or a desire to protect their families at home? When you compare all of these to the 'patriots,' you suddenly begin to see the reality of the middle and lower classes."
Kashi crossed his arms, a soft smile playing across his lips. "Most people do not really care who rules over them. After all, to them, nobles are the same greedy lot, just with a different banner. With a few favorable tax policies, you can turn conquered villages into grateful ones—let alone when you deliberately go all out to improve every facet of their daily lives. Also, there will be nothing 'vague' about our promise. The reason we are choosing to focus internally is to raise the standard of living for every Rosen, Serian and Merrite. Once the world sees for themselves how these people live, they will be the ones begging us to conquer them."
"You appear confident." King Chu Tianjo's eyes narrowed as he observed the draconian. "However, how do you propose to raise everyone's standard of living? If we had multiple years or decades, I would place my full trust in your vision. However, I doubt this war will last a few years, let alone decades. How then can you fulfill your proposed goal in so short a time?"
"Good question," praised Kashi as he held up three fingers. "There are three fundamental things every hume needs to achieve the most basic standard of living: food and water, shelter, and finally clothing. Any hume that has secured these three in abundance has a drastically lower chance of resorting to crime or rebelling. This is because rebels are more likely to form when they have nothing to lose. By giving the people something to own, they'll already begin to hesitate when thoughts of rebellion begin swirling."
Kashi raised his first finger. "First, food and water. Everyone here has been to Orez. I do not need to tell you how much fertility is in those lands blessed by Yggdrasil. Crops that should take a whole year can germinate in weeks or even days. We can produce enough food to easily feed all three nations for a meager fee. However, we are not looking to put you all dependent on us. Our resident Druid, Rayatha Thorn, has proposed a few methods to transplant some soil from Orez to Destia. While the transplanted soil will lack all the blessings of Yggdrasil, it should be able to help revitalize dead or corrupted soil. Even more impressively, you would not need a lot. According to his research, a handful of Yggdrasil enriched soil contains rich enough life force to revitalize acres of land."
Kashi's eyes sparkled when he spotted the Dwarven and Serian kings looking at him with shock in their eyes. "Yes, as you have guessed. These will both be suitable for Serisis' and Merriheim's soils. Once the process is perfected, the issue of food in both nations should come to an immediate end."
King Chu and King Xafier both swallowed hard, their respective constituents expelling a sharp breath at the frankly frightening revelation. The Serians, in particular, already agreed to secede to Rosendun based on the refrigerator and promise of constant supply of fresh food. This, however, was completely different. Arable soil would allow the Serians to be self-sufficient!
If the Serians had not already joined Rosendun, King Chu would not have hesitated to do so now!
Striking while the iron was hot, Kashi continued, "Furthermore, in concert with Rosendun's Royal Family, we will be proliferating Kerta's public mess halls in every territory, no matter how small. With the help of our train and skyboat network, transporting food to these locations should not be a problem. The idea is that anyone, regardless of station, should be able to go in and eat quality food at any time during the day. There are those who would prefer to make their own food at home, and that is fine, but we must ensure the poorest of the nation does not know the meaning of hunger. With the abundant resources in our possession, and appropriate transportation measures, this should be easy."
A couple of murmurs echoed through the room as the crowd pieced together the meaning behind the draconian's words. Pinning it back to the original topic, hungry minds were more easily swayed to violence and short-term venting. By ensuring everyone stayed fed, the country would no doubt be much more stable.
The scariest part of it all was that it actually appeared to be feasible. Everyone present had been to Orez at least once and seen the abundant life energy flowing from Yggdrasil. If they could harness five percent, no, even one percent of that energy in the real world, hunger would become a thing of the past!
However, Kashi was not done. "Second, shelter. This, admittedly, will be a lot trickier. But, we will be building 'apartment complexes' to service the lower rungs of society. Unlike King Xafier, most of you probably do not know what I am talking about." He proceeded to give a short explanation of the nature of apartment complexes and then continued, "The rooms in these complexes will not be large or extravagant. The idea is not to provide luxury, but a stable roof over the occupants' heads."
"I have my reservations." Anton spoke as he stroked his white beard. "I am not against providing food and shelter, especially as it reduces the discontent which criminal elements thrive on. However, what is a hume without struggle? If we offer everything they need to survive, what stops the population at large from becoming lazy, entitled and fat?"
Kashi chuckled. "Before you were a king, you were a successful minister. Why did you not settle for the position of minister?"
Anton's eyes widened in understanding. "I see."
"Yes. Ambition. Humes are competitive by nature. It is not enough for us to survive. We also seek to thrive in various ways. Our job is to ensure there are many paths for the citizens to aspire to. This will give them the motivation to seek that better lifestyle." Kashi paused and looked around. "Sure, there will be some bastards who choose to take advantage of the benefits to laze away at home. But, should we cut off our nose to spite our face? Why should we deprive the population at large these benefits because a few lazy bums might benefit from it? That's stupid thinking."
Finally, Kashi raised his third finger. "Clothing is perhaps the easiest of the lot. Since we can grow crops at frightening speed, we can also harvest enough cotton and more to dress the continent over multiple times. We are currently working on finding ways to carry over methods from the Summoned's world to speed up the harvesting and processing of these crops. In time, good quality clothing should be dirt cheap. However, we will still have the high-class variants for those who aspire to own something better. For these, we will promote even better, dungeon hunts. Thanks to Razznik, there are numerous dungeons which eager warriors can enter to hunt for materials to build better, stronger and higher-quality clothing, armor, weapons and more. As long as dungeons exist, there will be a need for warriors, so the supply will not dry up any time soon."
Kashi smiled, enjoying the reactions of everyone around the hall. The faces of guildmasters and kings bore equal parts shock and excitement while they processed the draconian's information. Unbeknownst to them, he was far from done with his presentation.
Kashi raised his hand, quieting down the little hubbub that had risen. "All that I have said is but to increase the base standard of living—just the base. As a people, we should not seek to only improve the base, but also raise the ceiling, or better yet destroy it so we can grow without limits."
Several dignitaries sat up straight, sensing the draconian was about to drop another bombshell.
"To achieve our dream of feeding, dressing and housing the entire nation, there are several infrastructures that need to be in place." Counting off his fingers, Kashi spoke, "The machines and technologies used in farming, mining, processing and distribution of materials; the latter especially requires top-tier transportation networks if the industries have any hope of functioning. Furthermore, we need intelligent mages, blacksmiths, engineers and more to man all of these infrastructures. Only then can we achieve the dreams we aspire to."
Pausing for a bit, Kashi looked at the kings. "However, how do we get the massive personnel we need for these endeavors? As it stands, only a select few among tens of thousands are lucky enough to become mages, and even among those, aside from the insanely talented, only the rich can afford the lessons required to master their fields." Glancing at King Anton, he added, "It's even worse for blacksmithing and to an extent, engineering. The best techniques are so closely guarded by a few dwarven families, resulting in colossal losses whenever a family perishes. Even something as simple as farming techniques is closely guarded like it's a competition, limiting the growth and prosperity of the nation as a whole."
Smiling, Kashi stated, "That is no longer an option. Sorry, but on this, we will not be asking permission. We will be opening Academies in every territory dedicated to disseminating as much knowledge as possible to whoever chooses to enroll. Furthermore, the Royal Family has chosen to set registration free for the first five years for everyone regardless of station. For our part, the Twilight Wolves will be donating a copy of the Divine Blacksmith Records to all academies with the aim that students can obtain manuals by meeting certain requirements. The documentation surrounding the specifics will be shared at a later date." Kashi caught the greed shining in several nobles' eyes and ruthlessly added, "Of course, in return, all families will be required to donate their knowledge to the academies. We will not force you, but any family that is caught hiding vital knowledge will be barred from the academy and subsequently utilizing the services of any graduate of the academies."
The mood swiftly turned heavy as several nobles glared at the draconian. To these nobles, their family secrets were the foundations of their power. Could they prosper if everyone could utilize their family techniques?
Sensing the discontent, Kashi sneered, "What? Do you think your techniques are that precious? Or you believe that we need your techniques to prosper?" Tapping his head, he snorted in disdain. "You are all familiar with the Skyboats, and some of you have seen the trains. But do you think those are the extent of our technological accomplishments? Sorry, but they barely scratch the surface of what we can do!"
Kashi grinned as he caught a round, white spherical ball which Jade threw across the room. Opening his palm, he revealed the silvery-white, tennis-ball sized item. Looking at the ponderous faces, Kashi smiled as he explained, "This is modified mana crystal, resized to a standard we plan to popularize. As for what we want to use these for, in the Summoned's world, electricity is a major power source used to power thousands of artifacts that make their lives millions of times easier and more convenient compared to this world's. Unfortunately, the process of creating electricity in their world comes with a terrible price which we have no intent of inflicting on this world.
Instead, we will be using mana stored in these mana crystals to power arrays which can convert mana to electrical power. Our skyboats and trains use much larger versions of these, combined with the relevant arrays to generate the energy they need. I want you to picture for a moment, the amount of energy needed for those massive machines to move. Now, imagine if we could transform all of that energy into pure destructive potential."
Seeing that the nobles still didn't get the terror of what he was trying to say, Kashi shook his head, and called out, "Matt, if you would please."
The crowd watched as Matt Just, leader of the guild, Metalbrand walked out of the group with his trademark rifle slung over his shoulder. Once he reached a few meters from the throne, the reticent guildmaster adjusted his glasses, brandished his weapon and aimed at one of the statues in one swift motion.
Before anyone could react, a torrent of mana erupted from the guildmaster and fed into crystals embedded in the gun's frame. The rifle blossomed with an otherworldly glow as the crystals rapidly filled up with mana. Then, just when it seemed like the crystal could not get any brighter, Matt confidently squeezed the trigger.
BOOM!
A terrible dark ray burst out of the barrel, crashing into, and wiping the head off one of the statues. Considering the high-grade materials used to construct the statues, this was no small feat.
However, it was not clear what Kashi was trying to say with this display.
The draconian did not say anything, but instead, tossed the mana crystal in his hand to Matt.
The Metalbrand guildmaster caught the crystal and slotted it into an opened slot in the rifle's side. He flicked a small lever near the slot all the way to the top, and then once again aimed at the statue.
Without wasting any time charging up, an even larger beam blasted out of the gun once Matt squeezed the trigger. This time, the statue's entire torso disappeared, crumbled to dust. If it weren't for protective mana barrier arrays on the walls, the hall would have gained an unwanted window.
Several nobles trembled, looking at the gun with terror in their eyes. It was not the power of the weapon they feared, but the implications of that shot.
Matt Just did not use an iota of mana in the second shot! Meaning, a non-magic user could be capable of delivering an attack of that magnitude! Although magic was common in Destia, there were still far too many non-mana users compared to mana users, at a ratio of more than 70:1 in fact.
"Thanks, Matt." Kashi grinned as the accepted the mana stone from Matt who nodded and returned to his seat. "I hope this is enough to explain to you all what we're trying to accomplish here. We will utilize mana engineering to usher in a new age of prosperity for all citizens of Rosendun. While this thing can be terrifyingly destructive, it can also create wonders if utilized properly. Fortunately, the Summoned's world is much more advanced in engineering. Like the skyboats and trains, they have saved us the headaches of discovering what to build to enhance our people's lives. All we need to do is repurpose their inventions to match mana engineering. Combining the brilliant minds of all three nations should shorten this task to minimal levels. The specifics of each proposed invention will be revealed at a later date. We could be here all day should I go over them all."
The nobles' eyes lowered instantly. They understood then and there that the Twilight Wolves' vision was far above theirs. There was no room for greed in the reality that Kashi wanted to build. Just like guns equalized a lot of lives in the Summoned's world, mana engineering had the potential to make a regular human as deadly as top mages. It was as disconcerting as it was remarkable.
Fortunately, Kashi did not feel the need to pressure the onlookers with threats. After all, they were his partners, not enemies. The draconian extended his arm outward. "Finally, there's one crucial aspect we must discuss. For all our advancements in agriculture, academics, military might and more, it makes no difference if transportation still takes several weeks or months between provinces. To fix this, the three provinces' most immediate project is the major overhaul of our transportation infrastructure. Transport between all countries should be a matter of hours, not days. Fortunately, we have a solid plan how to achieve this.
"Right now, the very first rail line running from Aygorzi to Rosen's capital is a roughly seven hour trip including stops. First, we will extend that line over the ocean into Serisis, then all the way to the Serian capital. At the same time, we will build intercountry lines connecting all cities large and small. For specifics, you can meet with Leila. She is calling in experts of several fields from the Summoned's world to help with the planning."
Sheepishly grinning, Kashi confessed, "I'm not obsessed with the details, but she will get it done in no time. At the same time, to get the materials needed for these massive tasks, we will need to overhaul the entire raw material production and refinery pipeline. That will involve building massive multiple steel, wood and more processing plants, as well as facilities specialized in refining both monster cores and liquid mana into useable mana crystal."
Kashi rubbed his chin. "From hunters needed to clear dungeons to acquire material, to laborers needed to build, to workers in the mines and factories, and all the countless interconnected fields needed to make this future a reality, there will be more than enough jobs for everyone in all regions. As long as funds exist to pay these workers, your economies should all receive a massive boost in the near future as the workforce triples in number and therefore increase the amount of taxes paid to the government. At the same time, we do not want this world completely dependent on the expertise of the Summoned's, so some experts will be passing on the relevant knowledge and skills in the academies. I guarantee you, these nations are about to become the envy of all of Destia."
A still, awed silence hung over the hall as Kashi walked forward, a teasing grin slowly spreading across his lips. "However, before all these, there is one thing that we must attend to first." Fixing his gaze on King Parissius, he boldly announced, "The official unification of all three nations into one under Rosendun's flag, under the auspicious wedding of King Parissius to Serisis' Princess Chu Ming, and Princess Chu Ling."
Kashi ignored Paris, who glared at him through bright-red cheeks. The draconian's evil grin widened as he amused himself with the young king's discomfort. "We will set the wedding for a month from now. In that time, King Chu," Kashi looked at the grizzled Serian king, and then at the dwarven king, "King Xafier. You will both be able to ride a train from your respective capital cities to Rosen, no matter the cost."
Having completed most of the agenda given to him by Leila, Kashi's toothy grin soften to a tighter, sincere smile. The draconian looked through the room, meeting every member's eyes, recalling how each one had helped the guild reach its current position.
Slowly bowing at the waist, Kashi expressed his truest feelings. "I want to thank you all for your support and assist. Twilight Wolves would never have reached this point without you guys. I am not the smartest, most strategic, or even most charismatic, and truthfully, the ideal guildmaster I absolutely am not! Still, you stuck by this crazy bastard up until this point."
"It's a bit selfish of me to ask this at this point, but..." Straightening his back, the devilish grin returned to the draconian's lips. "Accompany me on this crazy ride just a little longer."
***
While the draconian bowed, several forces stirred across the continent.
In the plains north of Monoch, a force thousands strong marched towards the south, the Chaos Order's flags fluttering in the winds, promising brutal justice upon all in their path.
Seated on a giant spider creature, Queen Alia softly smiled as she fiddled with a crystal in her palm. A holographic image of a certain stone-faced daeben appeared, his face bloody, but expression blank like it was not himself in dire pain. "Wait for me, Suzu... We will fight when I am worthy."
If anyone heard her, they would have wondered if she was crazy. It took the cooperation of the Maggots' heavy hitters to barely fight her to a standstill. What did she mean worthy?
Unfortunately, no one would get a glimpse into the Spider Queen's mind. At least not anytime soon.
Covering the crystal's light with her palm, Alia looked across the plains. "First, I seize the West..."
***
Within a temple in the Imperium capital, the goddess Niye cast a forlorn gaze at a portrait in her hands. Softly caressing the frame, she whispered, "What is the future you see that you would go so far?" Finding resolve in the unanswered question, she laid down the picture and laid her gaze upon the silver-furred kafu softly smiling through a thistle nestled between his lips.
Niye could never tell what was going on in the man's head. But, for better or worse, he was fiercely loyal to her cause. Gripping the picture frame, her gaze narrowed as she commanded, "No more half-measures. Seize the North!"
Sonic took out the thistle, bowed and then made his way out the hall with just three words, "It will be done."
***
Stood upon the garrison walls of the northernmost defensive castle in Daggerfall, Brilith Loneheart's cold eyes scanned the brown earth that extended into distant hills. The taste of stone and dirt lingered on her lips, but like the rocks around her, the young woman remained steadfast.
"We will crush them all."
"ROAR!" A gargantuan cacophony of roars erupted from the garrison behind her. If one looked closely, they would have been stunned to see several orcs exhibiting obvious berserker physiologies.
***
Within a battered snowy field cratered and smoking like a scene after an apocalyptic meteor strike, a wryly smiling Cathek raised his hands in surrender as he stared at his brother who held him by his throat. "Well, it was nice meeting mother, was it not?"
***
Deep within the oceans south of Serisis, a familiar gigantic creature leisurely swam through the depths. Several hundreds of meters deeper, a pair of eyes tracked its movements, pain, anger and hatred reflected in the reddened furious gaze.
The sleeping continent had begun to stir awake as its inhabitants, spurred on by their preparations over the past five weeks, began the grand marathon to the end!