After Alex had acquired the sturdy stone from which he carved the columns for the foundation of the future house, he returned with Anya and his helpers. Having brought back enough columns, Alex allowed himself a short smoke break — a moment to rest and be a little lazy. During the break, he kept telling Anya stories about Middle-earth.

Her genuine enthusiasm made him smile, and he thought that once he finished his work in this world and took a vacation, he’d definitely drop by the lands of the dwarves — bringing Anya and his restless helpers along. Besides, helping the dwarves might earn him a few valuable treasures — just the thing for gifting the girls in his family.

Flicking away the cigarette butt, Alex stepped up to the board with the house plan — it was time to study the blueprint carefully to avoid any mistakes. Until now, he hadn’t really looked into the project, leaving it up to the girls. But now that construction was beginning, it was time to examine everything himself.

Stroking his chin, he carefully studied the layout. The first floor included a spacious living room, a kitchen, a dining room, a bathroom, and… an armory. Alex immediately crossed out the last part — he had a mobile workshop the size of several football fields where he could both make and test weapons. Instead, he decided that the training room, which was originally planned for the basement, should also be moved there, freeing up space for something more useful. Most importantly — he couldn’t forget the kitchen: his family was large, and there would be a lot of cooking to do.

Alex picked up a pencil and began making changes. He also had to adjust the height of doorways and ceilings — considering Alcina’s height, the house needed to be comfortable for her too. He was absolutely certain that the countess, in her Dracula-like form, would be living with the rest of the girls. And at Anya’s insistent request — along with GIR’s, MIMI’s, and Stitch’s — he had to add a playroom on the first floor. Otherwise, they wouldn’t leave him alone.

The second floor was intended for bedrooms. However, it turned out the girls flat-out refused to sleep apart from Alex. A unanimous decision was made to create one big bedroom. Alcina was planning to join them too, so Alex just shook his head with a small smile.

For Anya, Alice, and MIMI, he set aside a separate room — all three were girls, even if one of them was an android. GIR and Stitch got a shared room, and to Alex’s surprise, they didn’t mind. In their house in Orario, they had their own rooms, but times had changed. Once Alex made sure everyone was happy, he nodded and finalized the plan.

Work began from that moment. Approaching a column, he effortlessly lifted it with one hand and began pressing it into the ground — making sure it stood firmly and securely. As he went to retrieve the next one, he noticed three familiar faces heading his way — Takashi, Jonah, and Kota.

“Man, is there anything you can’t do?” Kota asked, watching as Alex calmly installed the column.

“Hey, guys. Skipping work, are we?” Alex smirked, walking off toward the next column.

“We’re done already. Searched everything within a five-kilometer radius and came back,” Jonah replied with a slight smile.

“So? Did you find anyone? Or at least anything interesting?” Alex asked, eyeing the guys thoughtfully.

“Only a cemetery. But trust me, there’s definitely nothing living there. We checked,” Kota snorted.

“You know, I wouldn’t even be surprised if the dead started crawling out of their graves. These days, nothing shocks anyone anymore,” Takashi said with a chuckle, shaking his head.

Alex wanted to know how safe the area around the intended settlement was. Takashi reported that they hadn’t found anything unusual—just traces of former inhabitants who had fled their homes in a hurry. Alex wasn’t particularly surprised by this.

In a world collapsing, people tend to follow herd instinct—rushing to where the most people are, hoping for salvation. But those same big cities were the first to fall victim to hordes of undead and demons. Without coordinated governments, without a unified line of defense, survival was impossible. And instead of protecting everyone, the governments saved only themselves and the rich—useless parasites.

As he continued laying the foundation, Alex shared his thoughts with the guys, explaining why everything had gone sideways. Neither Takashi, Jonah, nor Kota could argue back. They had seen it with their own eyes—especially in South Korea, where everything had ended in disaster.

While they talked, Alex managed to finish the entire foundation and was already starting to raise the first floor. Around that time, Lucy and Zero Two returned—dragging behind them a whole pile of chopped-down trees. Alex handed the task of sawing them into planks to GIR, MIMI, and Stitch. The girls went off to rest, while Alex decided not to slack off and jumped into work himself.

“Maybe you could help us build a house too?” Takashi asked with a smirk, watching Alex effortlessly split a log into perfect planks. “Because watching you, I know I’m never gonna pull this off.”

“Sorry, kid…” Alex grinned, “we’ve been over this.”

Kota and Jonah exchanged glances and chuckled, looking at Takashi, whose face instantly fell. Alex noticed his expression and laughed. He kept stacking the finished boards to the side, while he neatly loaded the sawdust into a cart—it might come in handy later as fertilizer for the soil.

Alex, ignoring Takashi’s gloomy face, continued his work.

“Can’t help you, unfortunately…” he said, pulling a book from the inside pocket of his coat. “But I can give you this.”

He placed the book in Takashi’s hands. The three guys—Takashi, Jonah, and Kota—looked at the cover and simultaneously raised their eyebrows. Takashi’s eye started twitching when he read the title: “How to Build a House If You’re an Idiot.”

Kota burst out laughing but quickly fell silent when Alex reminded him:

“Don’t forget, Kota, you’ll have to build your house using this too.”

Kota went quiet, acknowledging Alex’s point.

Meanwhile, Lucy, having rested a bit, decided to help out as well. Using her vector hands, she started turning the trees into boards just as quickly as Alex. Seeing that, he smiled and patted her on the head.

While the three guys read the book—despite its silly title—they began to realize that it actually contained detailed, easy-to-follow instructions that even a child could understand.

“If you don’t want to stress too much over construction, I can offer you an alternative,” Alex suddenly said, glancing at them.

“Alternative? Are you saying we’ll be living in tents?” Jonah asked doubtfully, looking up from the book.

“No,” Alex replied. “Look around. See how many hills are around here? And what does that suggest?”

Takashi, Kota, and Jonah began scanning their surroundings, trying to guess what Alex meant. He gave them time to think and returned to work—he needed to finish the house as quickly as possible. There was still a lot to be done before the settlement could function properly and receive survivors who might decide to come here.

Even before arriving in Alaska, Alex had recorded a message and started broadcasting it over radio channels so survivors could hear it. Once he arrived, he updated the message, specifying that the safe zone was located on Unimak Island, near Ikatan.

He understood perfectly well: if survivors managed to reach this place, then sooner or later, those who wanted to rob them would come too. But such fools would meet resistance—and there would be no mercy.

“I think I got it!” Kouta exclaimed. “You want to build houses like hobbits, right?”

“Correct,” Alex confirmed. “Alaska is a cold place. We might not have enough insulation for everyone. So homes dug into hills are the best solution.”

“You seriously think it’s that easy? Dig a hole and—boom! Hobbit house?” Takashi scoffed.

“You’re stupid. Papa has everything,” Anya said, pulling a grumpy face.

“Takashi, your little sister’s right,” Alex rolled his eyes. “You really are stupid.”

Takashi just sighed. He had already come to terms with the fact that he now had a little sister and had no intention of arguing with a child.

Alex wiped his hands and walked over to the trio. From his inner coat pocket, he started pulling out more books.

“Here’s the first one: ‘How to Build a House and Become a Hobbit’,” he said. “Second: ‘How to Wire Electricity into a Hole’. Third: ‘How to Be a Carpenter When Your Hands Are Made of Sh—’—well, you get the idea.”

The guys burst out laughing at the titles. But after flipping through the pages, they realized the books contained the same kind of detailed, foolproof instructions as the first one.

“What else you hiding in those magic pockets of yours?” Jonah grinned.

“Oh, plenty,” Alex replied. “But for now—go study and choose a place for your homes. And don’t forget to consider your families’ opinions. Especially you, Kouta. You’ve got more than one girlfriend, so it’s going to be toughest on you.”

He turned to Takashi.

“And a word of advice. Talk to Yuki. Ask her what kind of home she wants—normal or a hobbit hole. Otherwise, you’ll be sleeping alone, hugging your own arm for a long time.”

“Now that’s some wise dad talk!” Kouta laughed. “Listen to him, Takashi. Your dad doesn’t talk nonsense.”

“Shut up, fatty. I don’t need your advice,” Takashi snapped and kicked Kouta in the leg.

After sending the three guys off to handle their tasks, Alex returned to constructing the house. Most of the materials were already prepared; all that remained was to begin the actual building. Unnoticed by the others, Alex was pulling everything he needed from his inventory, including insulation for the walls. Sure, he could’ve made the process easier with magic—and then resumed his usual nonsense—but the manual labor helped distract him from bouts of laziness and idleness.

“Why did Takashi come by?” Namiyo asked as she approached Alex.

“Mama!” Anya shouted happily, climbing into her arms.

Namiyo smiled warmly and hugged Anya close. All the girls adored the sweet, kind little one. Especially Namiyo, Kiriko, and Yuriko—being around Anya awakened their maternal instincts and a strong desire to care for her. However, when Alex was nearby, Anya was almost always by his side, which often confused the girls. They had even started wondering if, once they had children of their own with Alex, those kids would also constantly cling to their father, demanding his attention.

Seeing the warm smile on Namiyo’s face, Alex smiled as well. He didn’t like comparing the girls, but he did so subconsciously. He couldn’t help but note how lucky Takashi was with his family. In his past life, his mother had been Gloria—a kind, caring woman who did everything she could to give her son a decent life. In this life, his mother was Namiyo—just as kind and empathetic.

“Nothing special. He and the guys returned from scouting and dropped by to chat while I worked,” Alex replied, continuing construction.

“I see you’re moving fast. Are you using your powers?” Namiyo asked carefully.

“Nope. Well, maybe a little. Or would you rather I finish everything in five minutes and go back to annoying all of you while you’re busy?” he teased, glancing at her.

“Don’t you start,” Namiyo laughed, came closer, and kissed him on the lips.

Alex responded to the kiss with a warm smile. Anya, watching this, puffed out her cheeks in displeasure and resolutely pushed her parents’ faces apart with her hands. Feeling their daughter’s insistence, Alex and Namiyo couldn’t hold back and laughed. Then Alex told Namiyo about his conversation with Takashi and which book he had given him. She nodded approvingly, agreeing with his actions.

Namiyo had already met Yuki, Takashi’s girlfriend, and she really liked her. She was genuinely happy for her son, who had found such a good match. Now, Takashi had to prove to Yuki that he could take care of her and their future home.

“Girls, aren’t you hungry?” Namiyo asked, turning to Lucy and Zero Two.

“I’m not,” Lucy shook her head.

“Me neither.” Zero Two popped a candy into her mouth.

“And you, Anya? Want a snack? You’re helping your daddy too,” Namiyo said, gently stroking her daughter’s hair.

Anya shook her head, signaling that she wasn’t hungry. However, Namiyo still insisted that Anya eat on time—for her health. Alex noticed how Namiyo switched into “mom mode” and smiled. He himself wasn’t hungry, and if anything, he always had food ready in his inventory. If Anya got hungry, he would definitely feed her.

After hearing Alex out, Namiyo nodded, and before leaving, she reminded them that if anyone got hungry, they could take a break. When she left, Alex returned to work. With the help of GIR, MIMI, Stitch, Lucy, and Zero Two, the work was progressing quickly. By his calculations, they were nearing the completion of the first floor’s construction.

Alex also knew that soon they would need to lay the wiring for the electrical supply. Fortunately, in his inventory, there was a miniature arc generator that could serve as a temporary power source. For now, everyone would have to make do with gas generators, but Alex planned to build a full-fledged generator capable of powering the entire settlement.

Realizing he had forgotten some important details for the house’s construction, Alex, along with Stitch, started digging the ground for the pipeline. He knew well how much the girls loved hot baths, so bringing in water supply was a necessity.

While they were digging, Alex was planning how to connect everything to the central system. Fortunately, even in such rundown villages, there was still a pipeline. Once the preparations were done, Alex and Stitch went to get the pipes. While Alex was laying them in the trench, Stitch was securing the connections, carefully checking to make sure there were no leaks.

“Are you a plumber now?” Ryu asked with a smirk as he approached Alex.

“I didn’t carry the title of ‘best husband’ for nothing,” Alex replied with a grin, not looking up from his work. “And what about you? Why are you just standing around? Or is waving your fists the limit of your abilities?”

“Hey, don’t rub it in. Next to you, we do look like kids,” Ken grumbled, pointing a finger at Alex.

“Alright, enough of that. If you’re bored, go find Saya. She should have finished marking the greenhouse spots by now. Maybe she’ll find you something to do.”

“Hmm, sounds like a plan. Let’s go find your girl,” Ryu nodded.

“If she doesn’t have anything for you, get started on logging. The logs will be useful not only for houses. Of course, we’ve gathered a lot of materials, but no one knows if it’ll be enough. And you should think about where to live—either with the other guys or solo.”

“We’re only on our first day here, and you’re already thinking about the future,” Ken muttered as he walked off.

Alex watched them go and returned to his work. After finishing with the pipeline, he checked everything carefully to ensure there were no problems. Even something as simple as laying pipes and digging took over an hour. And he still had many other things to do.

After covering the trench to make sure no one would accidentally damage the pipes, Alex and Stitch returned to the house. Alex was starting to realize how tedious construction could be. He hoped to at least finish the first floor by evening—he really didn’t want to sleep in a tent or back on the aircraft carrier again.

While GIR, MIMI, Lucy, and Zero Two continued assembling the house’s frame, Alex, Stitch, and Wolf focused on laying the cables. After setting up the mini-generator under the house, he pulled out a long cable from his inventory—enough for the first floor and future electrical wiring.

The girls weren’t slacking off either. Yuriko, Brunhilda, and Koko were coordinating the actions of the survivors, overseeing the completion of tasks. Although they had already returned from one reconnaissance mission, they decided to head out again soon, taking more people and gear. Valmet, Chikita, Revy, Rebecca, Ada, and Rika ventured deeper into the peninsula to search for possible demon nests or other threats.

Meanwhile, Saya, Miou, Renka, Saeko, Rei, and Beatrix were marking out spots for the greenhouses near the future settlement. Those who hadn’t found tasks of their own, inspired by Ryu and Ken’s words, decided to check if Saya needed any help.

“Saya, Alex said you might need help with the greenhouses,” Ryu said to her.

“Actually, yes. We need to move the prepared materials over there,” she pointed to the marked areas.

“Easy. We’ll get it done quickly,” Zangief promised, flexing his muscles playfully.

“Just don’t forget to cover the materials so they don’t get ruined if the weather turns,” Saya reminded them before they left.

“And where do we get these materials?” Jin asked, logically.

“Ask my mom. She’s in charge of resource distribution. She should be at the aircraft carrier now, overseeing the unloading of supplies,” Saya explained, pointing in the direction.

Showing that they could handle it, the group of helpers headed to Yuriko to begin their work. Upon seeing the people sent by Saiya, Yuriko immediately pointed to the place where the prepared materials were stored.

Brunhilda was overseeing the progress in the settlement. On the first day after arrival, there was no time to waste — everything had to be prepared for the next stages of construction. People needed to have at least a roof over their heads for the time being, while more comfortable homes were being built.

Upon hearing the discussion about hobbit houses, Brunhilda became intrigued — this was definitely Alex’s idea. Reconnecting spiritually with him, she understood the essence of it: houses built directly into the hills would provide natural insulation and protection from long-lasting cold, making them especially cozy.

Meanwhile, Alex, Stitch, and Wolf were laying the wiring on the partially completed first floor. Thanks to working together, construction was moving much faster. Alex was happy that Lucy and Zero Two were learning quickly: even though they were naturally lazy, they were taking the construction of their own home seriously. Anya was helping too — handing over light materials, and if something was missing, Alex either took it out of his inventory or created it from scratch.

“Alex, Namiyo asked me to bring you some snacks. Take a break from work and eat a bit,” Rory’s voice called out from outside.

Alex looked at the partially finished living room and decided it was time for a short break. There wasn’t much left to do — just the bathroom and the kitchen. Setting aside his tools, he went outside with the others. Rory was standing in front of them with containers full of food. She stomped her foot on the ground, creating a stone table and several chairs, and immediately spread the food out.

Alex sat Anya at the table and placed a plate in front of her first. Zero Two and Stitch pounced on the food as if they hadn’t eaten in days. Lucy, as usual, opened her container carefully and began eating small bites, mostly sticking to salad.

“How’s the construction going?” Rory asked, settling on Alex’s lap.

“The first floor is almost done. We just need to finish the bathroom and kitchen, then we can focus on furnishing,” Alex replied while chewing.

“You’re making good progress,” Rory remarked, surprised.

“I have an excellent team: GIR, MIMI, Stitch, Zero Two, Lucy, Wolf, and of course, Anya. If I were working alone, my patience would have run out by now, and I’d just create the house using creation magic,” Alex answered cheerfully.

“Umu! I helped!” Anya proudly declared, raising her fork.

Alex and Rory smiled as they watched the little girl boast about her accomplishments. While Alex continued eating, Rory suddenly got bored and decided to feed him herself. She took the fork from his hand and started feeding him with a smile.

Alex looked into her sly eyes and merely grunted, allowing her to continue. At that moment, Zero Two and Lucy joined in the fun, and soon even Anya wanted to feed her father. As a result, Alex’s mouth was stuffed to the brim with food, making it difficult to chew. But after some effort, he managed to finish eating and was able to return to work.

When dinner came to an end, Rory began collecting the containers, preparing to leave.

“Don’t want to come in and see how the construction’s going?” Alex asked, looking at her.

“Nope. I’d rather see it all when it’s finished,” Rory replied, kissing him on the lips.

Alex watched her leave and shook his head slightly, still amazed by how different she could be. One moment — kind and caring; the next — a true beast or even a bloodthirsty apostle. But no matter what, he still thought she was incredibly cute, even if Rory tended to go a bit… overboard during battles.

Deciding to take a short break, Alex pulled out a cigarette and lit it, watching his helpers sprawled out across the area, full and unwilling to get up. Only when he finished smoking did the “team” begin to stir, slowly but surely getting back on their feet.

After lunch, they resumed work — the kitchen plumbing had to be completed. Once that was done, the group moved on to the bathroom. Taking in the rather cramped space, Alex decided not to hold back and used magic to expand the room to the size of a decent bathhouse. Then — why not — he went a step further and used the same magic to create a full-blown sauna from scratch. Looking at the result, he nodded in satisfaction.

“Wow, the bathroom’s so big! That’s awesome, darling!” Zero Two hugged Alex from behind, nuzzling into his neck.

“There’s definitely enough room for all of us here. Not like those tiny stalls on that boring ship,” Lucy added with a smile, looking around the space.

“Ah, I can already tell you’re all going to get spoiled being around me,” Alex sighed, gently patting Lucy on the head.

“And what’s wrong with that, darling? You said it yourself — we’re family,” Zero Two pressed her cheek against his.

“I’m not complaining,” Alex smirked, feeling Zero Two affectionately rub her cheek against his face.

With the work on the first floor completed, all that was left was to decorate the space, and finally, they could rest. Alex knew exactly what the girls wanted, so he got right to it: pulling various decorative items from his inventory, arranging furniture, and creating a cozy atmosphere.

He didn’t know how much longer he would stay in this world, but he wanted his companions to feel comfortable for as long as they remained here.

While Alex and his team worked on decorating, his thoughts wandered — it was time to speed up his plans. From Wesker, he had learned that Davoth hadn’t yet arrived in this world… or rather, he had arrived, but had sent his pawns ahead of him. Alex didn’t yet know where Davoth himself was, but he was certain the man had loyal followers here. Three priests. And if he could track them down, he might be able to lure out the main target.

Those three loved flaunting their superiority and were most likely hiding in areas teeming with demons. Finding such zones wouldn’t be difficult. And after that, it would be simple.

After finishing the setup of the first floor, Alex didn’t forget to hide his portable workshop in the storage room. After waiting a few seconds, he opened the door to make sure everything had worked.

“Wow! What is this place, Daddy?” Anya asked, peeking inside with curiosity.

“This is my workshop. This is what it really looks like. It has everything I need,” Alex replied with a smile, lifting his daughter into his arms.

“It’s so big… and the sky… and clouds…” Anya’s eyes sparkled with amazement.

Lucy and Zero Two, who were sitting on the couch, became interested in her words and came closer. Squeezing past Alex, they peeked inside too, stunned by the scale.

“Hey, what are you all crowding around for?” came Rika’s voice from behind.

Alex, Anya, Zero Two, and Lucy turned their heads at the sound of footsteps — the rest of the girls had finally arrived to check out the completed first floor. Alex let them look around in peace before they started pitching their ideas for decoration.

Alcina, as usual, was preparing to duck through the doorway, but to her surprise, she found that Alex had accounted for her height. As she entered the house, she stood to her full height and breathed a sigh of relief — no more straining her neck by constantly bending down.

Alex patiently watched as the girls inspected every corner, waiting for the moment they would start decorating the house to their own tastes. Namie and Kiriko headed straight for the kitchen — they were mainly the ones in charge of cooking. The others went to the bathroom and, upon seeing its size, exchanged surprised glances. Alex quickly explained that he had expanded the space with magic, but the girls were only delighted.

“You did such an amazing job, Alex! It’s like a dream come true… I can finally relax in a hot bath. Mwah!” Shizuka said with a smile, giving him a firm kiss on the cheek.

“Unfortunately, we’ve only finished the first floor today. But the plumbing and electricity are already in place, so the hardest part is behind us,” Alex replied with a slight smile.

“Even so, we can already rest comfortably while the others sleep in tents, on the carrier, or in half-ruined houses,” Koko noted in a satisfied tone.

“I don’t want to ruin your dream, Hekmatyar, but there isn’t even space to put a couch in here,” Ada remarked, pointing out an important detail.

“She’s right… Where are we going to sleep?” Beatrix frowned, trying to imagine where they could even fit a single large bed.

“Don’t worry — for now, we’ll live in my workshop,” Alex said calmly.

The girls exchanged glances, not quite understanding what he meant, but Rebecca caught on immediately. Without saying anything more, Alex gestured for them to follow him, opened the storage room, and stepped inside.

The girls followed him… and froze, stunned: before them stretched a massive space filled with weapon racks and equipped with a full-fledged testing range.

“You call this a workshop?” Saya said in amazement.

“Not exactly. This is the portable version. The main one is still back in Orario. This place has everything I might need — or have already needed. There are three main zones: the first is for Rebecca and her crazy inventions, the second is the testing range, and the third is mine. Just a warning: don’t touch anything without asking. Especially if it looks suspicious… or too harmless,” he added with a smirk.

“I’m almost afraid to imagine what you’ve got hidden in here…” Valmet shook her head.

“Trust me, plenty of interesting stuff. Now then… I say we have a late-night snack and watch a movie. Who’s in?” Alex suggested, smiling.

“Why not? I’m dead tired today. A bit of rest wouldn’t hurt. But first — hot bath!” Rika declared and immediately ran off.

“Wait for me!” Shizuka shouted, dashing after her.

The other girls, not wanting to be left behind, rushed after them as well. Brynhild took Anya from Alex’s arms and followed the others to wash away the lingering fatigue of the day.

Alex watched the girls disappear down the hall and simply shook his head with a soft smile. While they enjoyed the hot bath, he decided to prepare for a cozy family evening. There was still plenty of work to do tomorrow, but for today — it was well-earned rest.

To be continued…

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep