102 - Sea Chickens

  The next day, still excited to see his MD reserves growing, Nexha decided to celebrate a little on his own by secretly drinking some milk. He chose the platform on the surface to settle down, moving a few baskets of rice aside to make space. However, as he got comfortable, he noticed something concerning: the platform was no longer enough. The accumulated rice took up almost all the available space, and with the construction of more rice fields, soon there would be nowhere to store the next harvests.

  To make things worse, something unexpected began to happen. A seagull landed on the stockpile, and upon seeing it, Nexha froze for a moment.

  — This isn’t good.

  At first, it seemed like a new challenge, but strangely, something inside him told him that this might actually be an opportunity. His mind worked as he emptied the bottle of milk.

  If the seagulls were coming here, it meant they could adapt to this environment. What if, instead of chasing them away, he captured them and created a proper space for them?

  — Heh... looks like luck came to me with wings and feathers. Maybe these rice thieves are exactly what I needed—I was craving some fried chicken, anyway.

  With that thought, Nexha began to plan a dual-purpose solution: a new platform on the ocean’s surface that would serve as both a larger storage space for rice and an area for raising seagulls. The structure needed to be strong enough to support a roof, the harvests, and the birds without being destroyed by storms or strong currents.

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  — Sounds like a challenge, but luckily, I already got a construction skill.

  He spent a few days planning the new platforms—one for the birds and another for storage. The moray algae bamboo would serve as the base of the structure, but unlike the first platform he had built, these new ones would be made entirely of bamboo.

  These two platforms wouldn’t need stone floors since they weren’t meant to support an oven or anything heavy, which meant they could bear much more weight—a necessity for adding a roof. The roof itself would be constructed underwater before being lifted onto the new platforms.

  The first step was to build a set of interwoven beams to support the platforms. With Lilay’s help—who already had experience from the last platform—and a few other refuge inhabitants, they began gathering what they needed.

  Meanwhile, he asked Krahs and the others who trained in the afternoon to monitor the locations where the seagulls landed most frequently. He needed to understand their habits before starting the nesting area.

  When Krahs heard about Nexha’s plan, he gave a small smile and crossed his arms.

  — You’re thinking big, kid. Setting up storage and securing a new food source... But are you sure the seagulls will adapt?

  — They’re already coming here on their own — Nexha replied confidently. — If we feed them gradually, they’ll get used to us, and later, we can make sure they never leave.

  Krahs nodded thoughtfully.

  — Makes sense. But it’ll have to be done properly. The structure needs to withstand the weather, and raising them can’t interfere with our food reserves.

  — Dad, I’ll plan everything carefully. And if it works, we’ll have more food security for everyone.

  Excited, Nexha took the lead while also helping with construction. These two new platforms were exactly what they needed now.