The elder also nodded, smiling, but as he smiled, the smile turned somewhat sorrowful as his gaze shifted toward the center of the city.
"Ah, Uncle, what's wrong?"
Upon hearing this, the burly man immediately opened his mouth, looking simple and honest as ever, at a loss for words, he could only part his lips slightly but was unable to speak.
All he did was look up with the old man toward the city center, where a massive monument dozens of meters high stood erected.
Monument of Heroes, that was the name of this memorial.
The monument was erected personally by two Sister Nuns. On that day, they lifted the heavy monument together and placed it right there.
Thus, the location of Pandora City was established here.
This Heroic Monument is the soul of the city, and its absolute center.
Now, gazing at the monument, the burly man's eyes also reddened. He was lucky enough to survive the battlefield, but there were many who weren't as fortunate; those comrades would forever slumber there.
You see, they too were the pillars of their households, and for those families, their loss was akin to the sky collapsing.
"Alright, I'm not as sorrowful as you. My son was a hero, a fact personally confirmed by the Sister Nuns. His ashes are contained within this monument, and as long as it stands, he will forever be with us, continually worshipped by the entire city. This is the highest honor; there's nothing to be sad about."
The elder then comforted the burly man in return. Although his eyes betrayed his unwillingness and sorrow, his smile revealed a trace of pride.
After all, his son was a hero.
"How's everything with your family, Uncle? If you need any help, just say the word. I might not be able to assist with big things, but I can certainly help with manual labor."
The burly man scratched his head and, after thinking for a while, could only manage to say this.
"No, no need, everything's fine."
The elder quickly made a hand gesture to dismiss the offer.
"The Church of Machinery calls us the families of heroes and gives us a subsidy every month. Plus, the children have free tuition at the academy, including meals. I almost feel guilty for being treated so well. Sitting at home is the same as being idle, and since my old bones can still move, I thought I'd come help out at the construction site for some peace of mind."
The two chatted casually , and after a good rest, they each went back to work.
Looking out over the entire construction site, there were many people like the burly man with mechanical limbs. Similarly, there were quite a few like the elder who had come to work voluntarily. Some were cheerful with smiles on their faces, some were sad but even more resolute, yet what they all shared was a strong sense of belonging to this city.
This was their own city, the beginning of their good days, their new roots and home.
In the city's center, Dorothy and The Witches were overseeing the coordination and direction of the entire city's construction work. This was truly a domain of expertise for the homebody witch, and she was thoroughly enjoying herself.
"Tch, tch, tch, after all the hardship, I've finally returned to my roots. There's just something comforting about the air at a construction site," Dorothy mused inwardly.
Of course, while she was happy, the task at hand was not so simple. After all, this was Holy City Pandora, the future capital of the Witch World, which carried immense significance and could not be carelessly thrown together.
Okay, history might show that the original Pandora City started off poorly, and its subsequent splendor and prosperity were the result of the Witches painstakingly renovating and rebuilding bit by bit. However, as a professional, Dorothy, proud as a civil engineering witch, would not allow the Holy City she was building to be as perfunctory as the one in history.
It might not be perfect from the get-go—that's unrealistic—but at the very least, it had to have a solid foundation, leaving enough room for future renovations and upgrades.
Alright, first, set a small goal: create a marvelous city.
Speaking of marvels, the homebody witch looked up at the immense obelisk not far from her in the city center plaza.
"I never thought that the first true marvel I'd build in my life would end up being this," Dorothy regarded the mighty obelisk with its blinding Spiritual Light, invisible to mere mortals, soaring almost to the heavens, and felt such a sentiment.
Indeed, she could now see the Power of Faith, thanks to the angelic materials left behind by the Church. By dissecting those materials and combining a bit of Cleric foundational knowledge learned from her father Adam, the former Archbishop, the homebody witch quickly figured out the evolutionary spectrum of Low-ranking Angels.
Her and Denisha had already used some templates from this evolutionary spectrum with the help of the Hero's Blood Magic Potion to achieve specific evolutions. They were now able to observe and utilize some of the Power of Faith, with their strength greatly increased once again.
With this newly mastered path of faith, Dorothy had finally formulated a viable plan for the simple Underworld System she wanted to build for the comrades who had fallen in the previous great battle, her Inspiration bursting forth once more.
The Monument of Heroes before her was the final product of her inspiration.
This obelisk could use the people's faith in heroes to strengthen the souls of the heroes, slowly transforming these ordinary souls into Heroic Spirits.
Heroic Spirits are, essentially, a type of Undead, similar to ghosts and monsters, belonging to the category of Spectral Forms. The biggest difference between Heroic Spirits and ordinary Undead is that they retain their life memories more clearly and are not influenced by pre-death resentment or obsessive thoughts like the ghosts and monsters, becoming violent and brutal. Moreover, they don't have the usual weakness of Undead who fear sunlight or Holy Light.