(MC POV)
I looked at all the shelters my disciples had made with a critical eye, inspecting them carefully.
To be honest, I wasn't really expecting much since this would be their first time making something like this. I just wanted to see if they could improvise or come up with anything interesting when put in this position.
Sometimes nature is the best teacher for these types of things. I wouldn't want them to only know how to follow my instructions and never going out to experiment on their own.
I have to say though, all of them did way better than I expected.
Lian Li made something that looked like a shed of some sort, the kind that you can find behind shops where they would store their wares.
It wasn't professionally made in any sense of course, since both Lian Li and Keqing were not carpenters, but it was quite well done for someone who had limited building experience.
Lian Li had used leaves to cover it to keep it hidden, although I wouldn't say it's that well camouflaged considering the size of it and how it doesn't not look like it belongs in a forest. Though if you were in the city and saw something like this, you probably wouldn't look at it twice.
Still, it will serve as a good enough shelter against the elements, keeping its occupants warm enough in rain or shine. In the event of some monster coming across it though…
Well, I suppose the occupants should be able to handle most threats easily enough anyway.
Something tells me this might not be the first shelter Lian Li had to build though.
"Well done, Lian Li, Keqing. Very impressive."
Lian Li bowed her head, "Your praise honours us, Master. I am happy you approve of it."
"Likewise, Master Lin," Keqing bowed. "Though my contributions are trivial as compared to Mistress Lian Li's."
I nodded, "Mmm… You've worked hard."
Moving forward, I saw two holes in the ground directly underneath two trees. The size of the hole was just big enough to fit a regular sized fox easily.
No prizes as to who dug these two holes.
I noted the slight overhang and the mound of earth surrounding the entrance, protecting the hole in case of rain to prevent flooding.
Just underneath the overhang was a very fine spatial inscription I recognised, the inscription would allow bigger beings to enter a smaller sized entrance should they come close to it.
I gestured to the hole, "May I?"
Manami chuckled, "Ufufufu~ Of course, Master. My hole is always open for you, Master~"
I decided to ignore the underlying meaning behind her words and stepped closer to the hole, activating the inscription that sucked me straight into the fox den.
The inside was surprisingly comfy and warm, not at all like a hole in the ground that one might expect.
"Ooohh~ Master! There you are!" A happy little red fox jumped onto me and started licking me all over.
"Akari? What are you doing here?"
"Ehehe~ Manami let me stay here for a bit because it's comfy~"
"Well, it is a fox den after all."
"Ehehe~ Sister's sleeping inside, should I wake her?"
I shook my head, "It's fine, let her rest, I'm just looking around for now. You can go back to her."
"Okayyy~"
She hopped back to where she had been, laying down beside her still sleeping sister with her tail wagging behind her.
Always the excitable one, she is.
I went towards the hole's opening and the inscription activated to drop me back at where I had been.
I took the chance to visit Kiyomi's fox den as well and found it similar in design to Manami's, though I realised Kiyomi's walls looked a bit more angular than Manami's. Such is the slight difference between the two sisters I suppose.
Returning back to the surface, I gave the two of them a head pat each, "Very well done. Good use of the inscription as well."
"Ufufufu~ Thank you, Master~"
"Huhuhu~ You honour us, Master."
Their two servants also bowed their heads at my praise, though I noticed Marie looking slightly pale. Well, good luck Marie, you can do it.
I went on to the next one and found… A literal mound of sticks and stones staring back at me.
I'm not talking about a small one, but a really, really big one that is three times my height.
I missed it initially because I thought it was part of the scenery until I noticed the opening at the front that was functioning as a door.
Eris and Lydia were standing right next to it, with Eris looking especially proud of herself while Lydia looked a little conflicted.
"What… What is that?" I asked, pointing at the giant structure in front of me.
"Whadda ya think, Master?! Impressive eh? There's plenty of room for both of us to room here tonight!" Eris grinned proudly.
"Well, I suppose it really is impressive… The fact that I overlooked it just now is also testament to that fact too… Well done I suppose. Though I really can't recommend you building such a big shelter next time since it's so impractical."
"Ehehehe~ Does that mean Master will be sleeping with us tonight?"
I raised any eyebrow at her, "I never said that?"
"Ehhhh?! But I built a big house!"
"I don't believe saying I will room with the one with the biggest shelter tonight?" I pointed out.
Eris gasped before collapsing on her knees muttering, "Im… Impossible…"
Well, guess this is a lesson for her to practice some self-restraint too.
I gave her a comforting head pat before moving on to Brendan's creation, only to find him standing next to nothing.
I was about to call him out on it when I noticed the slight shimmer in the air beside him.
"Invisibility?" I asked.
Brerndan grinned, "Yes, Master."
I got closer to the shimmer and squinted my eyes at it, "You used… Huh… You grew an actual mushroom to a giant size and carved a room in it… Then turned it invisible…"
"That is correct, Master."
I grinned at him, "Well then… Other than the fact that it will be an exceptional pain to remember and find your shelter in the event that you need to leave this place for food or water… I suppose it's quite an ingenious build."
From the look on his face, I could tell he hadn't thought of that complication.
At least I wasn't lying about it being ingenious though. He used one of those poisonous mushrooms so even if the invisibility wears off, predators would steer clear of it because they would recognise this mushroom.
All he needs is to come up with a way for him to locate this place reliably and it would have been a perfect build.
I made my way back to the front, "Well, I must say I am very impressed with all of you. Great job."
"Thank you, Master," They bowed their heads together.
"Well, now that's out of the way, let's start our little camp proper with the lighting of the campfire."
I snapped my fingers and the pile of wood I had made in the centre of the clearing lit up in flames, the marshmallows I had prepared around it beforehand engulfed within said flames.
See? I do know how to relax.
What better way to end the day than with my disciples sitting around the campfire roasting marshmallows?
