98-The Base

  The next day arrived with renewed energy. Nexha woke up before everyone else, his mind still buzzing with the plans from the night before. The sea was calm, but he knew he couldn't afford to trust this tranquility. The sooner they started building the wall, the better.

  He had wanted to start construction the day before, but Krahs hadn’t let him leave until they were sure he was okay.

  Nexha swam to the area where the old moray-algae wall stood, observing its flaws more carefully. He touched the structure, feeling a mix of frustration and disbelief at how easy it was to push the algae apart, even though they were packed tightly together like bamboo. It was impressive that they had survived this long with something so ineffective. This only reinforced his decision: it was time to change everything.

  Before he could begin, Zhaelor appeared, stretching lazily.

  — Why are you already up? — he yawned, still looking half-asleep.

  — Because I have a lot of work to do. And so do you. — Nexha crossed his arms, looking at him seriously. — I need your help positioning large stones for the wall.

  Zhaelor blinked a few times, hesitant. But when he saw the determined expression on his young lord’s face, he realized Nexha was serious. He sighed and nodded.

  — Alright, alright. But I want to know exactly how you plan to do this.

  — I thought about cutting and polishing the stones so they fit together like a puzzle. If we do this right, the wall will withstand anything.

  Zhaelor scratched his head.

  — Sounds like a lot of work...

  — It is. But if we don’t do it, we’ll stay vulnerable to invasions. Would you rather work now to make things easier later or regret it when it’s too late?

  Without any more arguments, Zhaelor started swimming in search of stones while Nexha gathered his tools to polish them.

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  — As soon as I start up the forge, I’ll make a better chisel… — he murmured to himself.

  To save time, Nexha bought a large stone to begin working while asking Zhaelor to fetch more. He wanted to conserve as much as possible, since each large stone cost 100 MD.

  — If I use big blocks at the base, medium ones in the middle, and small ones at the top, the material will last longer… Plus, the top doesn’t need to be too high, and it should be easy to repair. After all, large waves will crash against it every day, so I’ll have to reorganize it every few months.

  Nexha spoke aloud as he worked, dividing the larger stone into smaller blocks. The bone chisel made the work harder, but the water helped with the dust, so at least he didn’t have to worry about that. With patience, he began striking the rocks, cracking them with precision.

  Lilay appeared shortly after, watching his brother with curiosity.

  — You’re really taking this idea seriously, huh?

  — Of course I am. If I don’t do anything, we’ll stay vulnerable to invaders we don’t even know about. Do you want to see Jasper attacked by a shark? Or worse, that mermaid coming back?… I’ll give you a bottle of milk later.

  Lilay made a face.

  — Ugh, fine. I’m convinced. What do I do?

  — Help me polish the blocks. The smoother they are, the better they’ll fit… If you’re unsure about the size, just ask me.

  The three tritons spent the morning working hard. Lilay used the chisel to smooth the blocks, Zhaelor brought more raw materials and stacked the finished stones as Nexha instructed, and Nexha tested the fits to make sure they were firm. It was an exhausting process, but little by little, the new wall began to take shape.

  Unlike other simple constructions that were finished in a day, just the base of the wall took an entire day's work. They had only managed to complete half of it using the larger blocks.

  Nalu arrived with Jasper, observing the progress. She smiled warmly.

  — You’re all doing great. Want to eat something before continuing?

  Nexha wiped his forehead, pushing away the small cleaning fish trying to nibble at the dirt stuck to him from all the work.

  — In a bit. I want to finish a few more blocks for tomorrow...

  Before he could continue, he felt a firm tug on his tail. Zhaelor, looking patient, effortlessly pulled him away from his work.

  — You need to eat, little star.

  Unable to break free from the cachalot’s grip, he just crossed his arms and sighed as he was dragged away from the construction.

  The wall was beginning to rise, solid and sturdy, a true symbol of Nexha’s determination. There was still much to be done, and he hadn’t even started on the medium blocks yet, but just seeing the first pieces in place filled him with relief.

  He looked out to the sea, beyond the algae barrier that would soon be replaced.

  From now on, they would no longer be easy prey. They would no longer be a vulnerable target.

  He would do whatever it took to protect everything he had built in this world.