Chapter 49
A week later, Hamar stood up from his sickbed.
Ill do my best to make up for the lost time, he said.
His complexion, markedly improved from before his injury, Hamar set about the construction schedule at a pace that surprised even Logan.
Everything naturally progressed smoothly, according to planmuch faster than Logan had anticipated.
What? Already?
Yes. Weve already opened the tunnel you mentioned and connected the waterway to the Luther River. The sluice is nearly full.
Uh In just three months
The construction expected to take six months was completed in only three.
Overjoyed by the news, Logan rushed to see the sluice brimming with water himself and could not hide his admiration.
Of course, the water level will not rise above that of the Luther River. It will only fill up to the depth weve dug the tunnel
Wow. It actually worked.
What?
A sincere exclamation of surprise escaped Logans lips, shocking the dwarf who had heard him.
Lo-, Lord. What did you, just say?!
Hmm?
The larger one. Didnt you say youve seen a bigger dam built by humans?!
Thats right.
And now? It actually worked?!
Logan had indeed seen it in the future, but was unable to prove it.
So whats the problem if it worked?
He simply responded with a bright smile.
Hamars reaction to that smile was fiery.
Huh? You, you were bluffing! I almost died because of that Ahh! Hey!! Today you die, then I die! Let go! Let me go, wizard! This ends to Gah!
Haha. Even so, this was a valuable experience, wasnt it, Master Hamar? Using human strength to tunnel through a mountain and guide water through it. I thought it would have been more realistic to just shave off the mountain
Clayton, with a haggard look as pale as Hamar, held the struggling dwarf and smiled at Logan.
Logan responded with a hearty laugh.
Hahaha! Youve really outdone yourself, Mr. Clayton.
Ugh! Ugh!
Alright, Hamar. Of course, I know youve worked hard. Well done.
Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!
Yes, yes. I know. Youre the number one contributor.
Logan once again realized that the combination of a dwarf and an earth magician was the best team for large-scale construction work.
Honestly, I thought it could fail.
But it had ended up cutting the expected duration by more than half.
This construction project was the only one since his regression that Logan had not been entirely sure would succeed.
Now that it had been resolved so successfully, everything seemed to be on a positive track, lifting his spirits.
Then, Hamar, having narrowly escaped from the magicians firm grasp, asked with a grumpy face.
So, that when do you plan to do it? If its as expected, any time before winter should be fine.
My disciples are helping, so the waterway work will be done in a few days.
Then why wait? Call all the hardworking workers together. They all need to see it. To see what they achieved.
The number of workers involved in the construction was nearly 8,000.
All of them were robust adult men, in other words, the resources that would support him in future wars.
To instill confidence and patriotism in them.
That was another goal Logan intended through this construction project.
* * *
Three days later.
As the irrigation work was completed, the workers climbed up the ridge at Logans command.
Whats this noise? Water? Youre saying theres water over there?
I saw it. Theres definitely water inside.
Then did we really dig the waterway?
Still, it cant be enough water for all that vast land.
Murmurs rose among the crowd.
Thousands of people, standing on a hillside overlooking a wasteland woven with a dense network of irrigation channels, harbored skepticism.
And even less pleased were the administrative officials of the territory, called out unexpectedly.
They were present to see the lands transformation and reflect it in their administration, as Logan had willed.
But the officials didnt respond positively.
This is quite something. Literally, a monumental waste of effort.
The bald head in charge of food supply, Rugel Heiss, clicked his tongue as he looked at the drawn water channels across the wasteland.
With these men, we could have repaired the southern wall instead, especially with the monster wave that might come this winter.
The portly wall supervisor, Lupin, was already worried about the disaster that occurred irregularly every 5 to 10 years.
Why go to such lengths
I dont know either.
Administrators who were unaware of the details of the construction were equally pessimistic.
However, unexpectedly, Dwein, who had been the most opposed to the construction, looked down the mountain with hopeful eyes.
This isnt just a one-time watering. Its directly connected to the Luther River.
The irrigation channels meant continuous water supply, which could turn the vast wasteland into rich fields if the land was well managedthat was the potential promise he saw.
An uncontrollable mix of rational skepticism and hopeful excitement made his heart race.
As everyone watched the scene below with their own thoughts, Logan turned to his side with eyes full of anticipation.
Mr. Clayton. Lets begin.
Weve worked hard to make it possible for the workers to adjust the sluice gates. Do we really have to do this? Ugh
Hamar, turned grumbler by the construction process, complained, but Clayton nodded in silence.
Rumble, rumble.
Simultaneously, a giant golem rose from below the fields.
Whoa!
What is that?!
Yikes! Scared me Ahem. Well, its magic weve seen plenty of before.
The frightened administrators nearly stumbled on their feet from surprise but soon realized that, aside from themselves, no one else was startled, and they sheepishly closed their mouths.
Open the gate!
With Claytons booming command, the golem stomped toward the sluice.
Then, the golem tried to lift the wall-like sluice.
Grind, grind, grind.
The vibration reached the ridge, tension visible in everyones eyes.
But then
Why isnt it moving?
Whats going on?
Despite several vibrations, there were no significant changes to the sluice.
Doubtful eyes turned to the sweating magician.
Whatre you doing? Are you playing around?
Clayton, lips tightly sealed as if using ventriloquism, muttered quietly, causing the dwarf to wave his hands in confusion.
No, no, I definitely told them to open it, buthow could this
In truth, the golems show of strength was just that, a show. In reality, about a hundred workers had gathered to manually open the sluice with a winch due to its heavy weight.
This unexpected hindrance was not part of Logans plan.
Whats going on here?
Logan, maintaining a calm expression despite the surrounding attention, used ventriloquism with menacing eyes.
Im, Im sorry. Something seems to have gone wrong.
Hamar bowed his head, drenched in sweat.
Without descending to check, there was no immediate solution.
At that moment, Logan, abandoning his dignity, grimaced and shouted.
Mr. Clayton. Destroy it.
Excuse me?
If the sluice breaks, we can rebuild it. Just break it down!
Logan could not let his carefully prepared plan fail at this point.
At this moment, Logans face was more than just a matter of pride.
It would become the foundation of trust from his subjects and bureaucrats in the future.
It was better to demolish the sluice than to ruin that.
Of course, the key figure who would suffer the consequences, Hamar, turned pale.
Yes. Understood.
Claytons response was immediate. Though lifting the gigantic sluice was impossible, destroying it was not difficult.
Bang!
Boom!
Crash!
With consecutive strikes from the giant golem, the sluice began to crack.
Crash!
Soon enough, with a loud noise, the sluice crumbled.
The sluice shattered, sending huge clumps of stone into the air, overwhelmed by the vast gush of water spilling toward the wasteland.
Everyone gasped at the enormous stream that swept even the golem down the fields.
The water, drenching the entrance to the wasteland and flowing along the irrigation canals, showed no signs of slowing down for some time.
When, at last, the water began to subside slightly, a mighty cheer erupted from the people.
Wow!
Water! Its water! Truly water! Hahaha!
Thank God, thank you so much!
We really did it this vast land
Yes! We did it, we did it! Hahaha!
The exhilarated voices filled the expanse that would soon be called the New Mackline Plains.
* * *
Logan, too, joined in cheering as he watched the water flow across the wasteland.
Or rather, knowing the crises to come in the future, he was even happier.
This will solve the food issue during the civil war.
Food prices would skyrocket the moment a civil war broke out.
Therefore, stockpiling food in advance was critical.
To such an extent that hoarding food might attract unwanted attention.
The Macklines have hoarded a lot of food, havent they?
Then well hit them first
In the worst case, they could become a prime target before the civil war even began.
Thus, the development of a productive plain was the best outcome, resolving those worries in one strike.
Of course, itll be a problem if word gets out.
One year was too short for rumors of this barren territory to spread throughout the kingdom.
Besides, theres no hurry to cultivate the land; we can start farming next spring. Before that
Logan, content with a proud smile, was organizing his future plans when a tearful, broad-shouldered man suddenly embraced him.
Ugh? D-, Dwein?!
Master! I, I was really wrong. I apologize.
Ah, its okay. Dwein helped out later, right?
Sniff. But if I had cooperated sooner
Its okay, really. How can such a big man cry so much.
Although Dwein made quite a scene, among those who hugged and cheered, a few shed tears as well.
Then, as the wave of emotion slightly subsided.
Nows the time.
Logan, rallying his strength, roared loudly.
I will permit anyone who wishes to cultivate the new Mackline Plains!
The eyes of everyone present, especially the workers, poured upon him.
And for that cultivated land, I will give tenancy, and the tax will be only 30%! This I, Logan Mackline, publicly declare!
His voice echoed across the vast wilderness, and the response was an overwhelming cheer.
Wow! Master!
Thank you!
Having shouted this, now even the nobles cant oppose.
Amidst the throngs gratitude and cheers, Logan smiled satisfactorily as he watched his pleased retainers.
But there was one person, or rather one dwarf, who was in despair amidst the jubilation.
The sluice how many days will it take to rebuild?
Worry not, dwarf friend. I will help again. Itll be faster since weve done it before.
No consolation from his human friend, who had become close over the past few months, could alleviate the dwarfs deep disappointment.
However.
Theres no rush for the sluice. Rest for a week. Then well wrap up the mining work and take a long vacation, alright?
Logan, slightly buoyed, mentioned a vacation which instantly changed the morose Hamars expression.
Really?
Of course.
Hahaha! Thank you, thank you, Master!
Only then did Hamar join the joyous celebration, his face flushed with elation.
After that, theres a mountain of work to do. Better smile while you can.
The cruel master, who had coerced his workers into half a year of relentless labor and still received thanks, concealed his insidious intentions with a crooked smile.
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