At first, Kazuichi expected his place to look the same as he didn’t want to assume that the Kazuichi Stronghold was big enough to be a sustainable stronghold. After all, based on what Arisu and Jurou had told him the stronghold was still in its early stages of development. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Compared to the other strongholds that had been built from scratch since the dawn of the outbreak, the Kazuichi Stronghold didn’t stand a chance at the comparison. Because of that, Kazuichi didn’t expect too much.

While he was a bit proud that his expansive land had been used to help some people survive the apocalypse, he didn’t think too much about the state of the stronghold. In essence, he was just relieved that he managed to help a number of people albeit indirectly.

Even with just a small accomplishment, Kazuichi already felt like he had been helpful. Unbeknownst to him, however, his land had actually helped more people than he had initially imagined.

The moment that the Kazuichi Stronghold was in sight, Albrecht instantly recognized the mountain which was right behind his place. While this territory was technically owned by him, he didn’t bother claiming it or putting a fence around it. After all, the huge land around his house was enough, and he didn’t particularly like going outside back then.

"Wait... what?" Kazuichi’s voice trailed off as he squinted his eyes to see if he was dreaming. The image in his mind was quite different compared to the actual appearance of the Kazuichi Stronghold.

There was still the semblance of its previous image, but Kazuichi couldn’t help but acknowledge the vast improvements that had occurred during his absence. It even made him think twice about it since he felt like he was in some sort of a fever dream.

Surrounding the huge territory was the steeled fence with the huge metallic entrance gate that served as the main entrance to the Kazuichi Stronghold. Kazuichi instantly recognized this feature since it had existed way before the outbreak began.

However, around this metallic fence existed a couple more layers of thinly lined fences that crackled when air touched it. There was no way Kazuichi wouldn’t recognize the additional fences since he had seen them in other strongholds before.

That’s right. As it turned out, an additional three layers of electric fence had been added around the stronghold, increasing its defensive capabilities and overall security.

"This is... the Kazuichi Stronghold?" Kazuichi asked.

A smile briefly appeared on Jurou’s face as he led the way. This was just the beginning of surprises, and he knew that Kazuichi would be mind-blown by the contents of the stronghold the moment he stepped foot inside. "Wait til we head in. We have more things to show you."

Nodding his head, Kazuichi and his party followed Jurou as the main entrance automatically opened for them. The moment they walked inside, Kazuichi felt an intense relief washing over him. The air around the place was still familiar, and his body sensed it on a spiritual level.

He was back home. Although the scenery had completely changed for the better, he knew that this place was his home.

"Welcome home, stronghold leader." Jurou casually greeted.

From afar, Kazuichi could see his abode, still as impeccable as ever. One look was all it took for Kazuichi to know that the place was maintained properly. It’s as if everyone eagerly waited for his arrival.

Well, he too eagerly looked forward to his return. In fact, right now, the only thing in Kazuichi’s mind was to head inside to sink on his bed and remain there for an indefinite amount of time.

One thing that caught Kazuichi’s eye was the space around his home. When he first heard about his territory transforming into a stronghold, he instantly assumed that it would be cramped— that the residents of the stronghold would prefer staying closer to his place and it would ruin the scenery and entire atmosphere around it.

On their way here, Kazuichi actually felt a little disappointed at the back of his mind. But now, all of those disappointments were gone since the place more or less remained the same.

While it was obvious that a couple more people had been added to the territory, their place was set up at the far edges of the territory. It barely disturbed the space around Kazuichi’s place, and he was all for it.

"We tried our best. We didn’t want to ruin the view and also... I specifically told them to stay as far back as possible." Arisu commented. She could smell that Kazuichi was relieved after seeing the subtle changes to his place.

"That’s a lot of electric fences, how are we sustaining all of them?" Kazuichi asked. While he knew that electricity was still available everywhere, he knew that they couldn’t rely on its uncertainty. That’s why he just had to ask.

"Ah, we’re getting there. Follow me." Jurou beckoned. "We just finished constructing it a day or so ago, so it’s still pretty new."

Without further ado, Jurou led the group right behind Kazuichi’s ’mansion’ so he could show them the waterwheel. Going there actually reminded Kazuichi of the time when they were attacked by a Hybrid. While it had only been a couple of months since that happened, Kazuichi felt like it had been a long time ago.

After touring around the waterwheel and admiring it for a couple of minutes, Kazuichi noticed a certain portion of his territory, right by the slope up the mountain. Curious, Kazuichi walked towards it, only to see that there was actually a makeshift farm over there.

The common crop was potatoes, but there were also fruit-bearing trees planted therein. It was an amazing sight which Kazuichi didn’t expect to see in his backyard. To think that it only took them a couple of months to put up a formidable stronghold, Kazuichi was in disbelief.

"Once again, welcome back, stronghold leader," Jurou commented as he and Arisu slightly bowed their heads at Kazuichi.