The changes could no longer be called improvements.
They were transformations.
The road leading into Solmere had once been little more than packed dirt, scarred by wagon wheels and spring rains.
Now it was paved with fitted stone.
Wide enough for three wagons to pass one another without slowing.
Drainage channels lined each side.
Flower beds had appeared between lamp posts.
Children raced along the sidewalks without fear of being splashed by passing carts.
The city wasn't merely growing.
It was becoming something people wanted to visit.
Jax stood beside the southern gate with the Vixens, watching another merchant caravan arrive through the portal from Frostveil.
Instead of spending nearly a month crossing dangerous mountain passes...
The merchants stepped through a warehouse door.
Five minutes later, they were unloading fresh produce into Solmere's market.
One of the merchants laughed as workers began carrying crates toward nearby restaurants.
"I still can't get used to it."
His companion nodded.
"My wife thinks I've found another family."
"You've been home every night for three weeks."
The Vixens smiled.
Llandra folded her arms.
"Husband..."
"I don't think you've shortened travel."
"I think you've changed what travel means."
Jax chuckled.
"I was hoping someone would notice."
Nearby, another gate pulsed to life.
Crystalshire.
Moments later, several wagons rolled through carrying polished crystal, refined mana components, and experimental devices from Eldrich's workshop.
Almost immediately, wagons from Frostveil began exchanging cargo.
Neither city needed to travel through dangerous wilderness anymore.
They simply...
Met in Solmere.
Nyxian watched the organized chaos.
"My Beloved..."
"You've turned this town into a crossroads."
Jax smiled.
"Exactly."
"Everyone passes through here."
"So eventually..."
"...everyone spends money here."
Zee blinked.
She looked around the marketplace.
The restaurants.
The warehouses.
The inns.
Then back toward the portal buildings.
"...You're not building businesses."
She looked almost stunned.
"You're building the roads between businesses."
Jax pointed toward her.
"That's why you're the smart one."
Nyxian gasped dramatically.
"I thought I was the smart one."
"You are."
Jax nodded.
"Just differently."
"I'll take it."
Bunny scratched behind one ear thoughtfully.
"So..."
"If every town connects to Solmere..."
She looked around.
"...doesn't that mean every merchant eventually comes here?"
"Eventually."
"And every adventurer?"
"Most likely."
"And every traveler?"
"If we keep expanding."
Bunny stared at him.
"Jaxy..."
"I don't think you're making a city."
Jax smiled.
"I know."
She tilted her head.
"What are you making?"
"A network."
Later that afternoon...
Kaelor joined them for lunch at one of Jax's restaurants.
He looked around at the bustling streets.
"You've connected five cities."
"So far."
Jax corrected.
Kaelor laughed.
"I remember when this guild barely had enough requests to keep C-Rank parties busy."
He gestured outside.
"Now caravans line up waiting for warehouse space."
Miriella placed another stack of paperwork onto the table.
"And we approved three more merchant guild applications this morning."
She looked exhausted.
"And somehow..."
She smiled.
"...I've never been happier to have too much paperwork."
After lunch...
Jax and the Vixens stepped through another portal.
This town was different.
Smaller.
Still struggling.
Boarded storefronts.
Cracked roads.
An abandoned grain warehouse near the center of town.
Jax looked around once.
Then smiled.
"There."
Workers immediately began unloading materials from dimensional storage.
Massive rune-etched foundation stones.
Crystal conduits.
Support arches.
Within minutes, the outline of another Transit Nexus began taking shape.
Curious townsfolk gathered nearby.
One elderly woman approached cautiously.
"What are you building?"
Jax looked up from the foundation.
"A shortcut."
She frowned.
"To where?"
He smiled.
"Opportunity."
The woman didn't understand.
Not yet.
She would.
By sunset...
The portal frame stood complete.
Only the mana calibration remained.
"A few more hours," Eldrich's foreman said confidently.
"Tomorrow morning, this town will be connected."
Jax nodded.
"Good."
He was already thinking about the next one.
A faint vibration interrupted his thoughts.
His Tele-Stone.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Not a scheduled call.
An emergency.
He activated it immediately.
Static answered first.
Then hurried breathing.
Finally...
A familiar voice.
"Jax..."
There was shouting in the background.
Wood splintered.
Metal crashed.
Then the voice came again.
Urgent.
Desperate.
"We've got a serious situation here."