Chapter 87: Chapter 87: Do it for the Chickens

The study was quiet save for the low hiss of candles and the scratch of Jack's quill. The air smelled of wax and parchment, of ink that had sat too long under lamplight. Before him floated the golden shimmer of the Reputation Store.

Jack leaned forward, the weight of decision in his chest. 'All right,' he told the System. 'Let's make this count.' One by one, he highlighted the choices.

[High-Capacity Grain Storage fifteen thousand ReputationPoints] [Roads twenty-four thousand ReputationPoints] [Public Bathhouse twenty-six thousand ReputationPoints] [Water Pump nine thousand five hundred Reputation Points] [Total: seventy-four thousand five hundred Reputation Points deducted] [Remaining Balance: sixty-six thousand six hundred forty-four ReputationPoints] The Store pulsed once, as if stamping its approval. Then golden light spilled across the desk. Sheets of parchment manifested from the air, rolling themselves open with a crisp snap.