Chapter 110.1
Episode 110: Rags
A few nights later.
Kazura and Liese were working on translating the construction plans in their room.
They were rewriting the construction plans, which were all written in Japanese, into the characters of our world. This was an absolutely necessary task, because it would be no use if the craftsmen could not read the plans.
Liese was rubbing her eyes from time to time and looked quite sleepy.
Finally she said, “we should take it easy and get some sleep.
“No, I’m fine. I’m almost finished.”
“But you’re usually asleep by now. I haven’t even had a bath yet.
It was almost 11:00 p.m., a time when Liese would normally be in bed by now but despite this, Liese showed no signs of quitting her work.
It had been like this every day since Kazura had returned from Grisea Village.
Moreover, her bedtime was getting later and later.
“The work can’t go on without me. We have to start construction as soon as possible, so I can do my best.”
“Oh, no, ...... that’s true, although. ......”
“And I’m slowly getting used to staying up late, so don’t worry. If you can’t do it, I’ll go to bed, don’t worry.
I was not sure what to say, but I was going to try.
However, she had a good point, and due to Kazuyoshi’s lack of language skills, the writing was half left to her.
I thought about asking Eira to fill in for her, but I didn’t think Liese would feel good about such a suggestion.
Since she was motivated, it seemed better to let her do as she pleased.
I read out the Japanese words on the paper, and Liese wrote on the blank copy paper with a ballpoint pen.
After writing, she copied the paper over the relevant part of the plan and repeated the process.
I really wanted to use a computer to make the corrections, but I hadn’t even registered the font for the characters in this country yet.
And even if I did, I would have to start by having Liese learn how to use the keyboard.
‘I think I’ll have to do that after I’m done with this translation’
“You know, I saw the inspection report on Grisea Village the other day, and you were in Grisea Village before he came to Isteria, right?”, after working on it for a while, Liese asked Kazura while looking down at the document.
“Yes, I lived there for about a month.
“Why did you suddenly come to the village?
“─ Why did you suddenly come to the village? ─ To save the village from the ...... sunshine.
“Really?”
When Kazura answered, Liese looked up and looked at him.
“Are you sure about that?”
Liese asked again.
“It’s not that I’m not a good person,” he said.
‘I’m not going to do it. Forget it.’
“What’s that?
‘I’m not sure if it’s a good idea or not.’ Liese thought
“The promise you made before is still valid, right?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“...... Yeah, okay. Let’s continue, shall we?”
The next day, Ichiran and the rest of the team went back to work.
The next day, Kazura had gathered everyone together and was explaining the outline of the river construction using a projector.
In a dimly lit room with the windows closed, a ray of light extended from the projector on the desk to the wall. On the wall was an overall map of Isteria, with annotations in neat handwriting in many places. The map included the river construction plan brought from Japan, and Kazura and Liese had translated it and projected it on the computer.
In addition to the map, it contains a large number of photographs of the river taken by Kazura and reference images for the construction.
I wondered if it would be a good idea to show the pictures to Narson and the others, but I couldn’t help but explain the necessary parts and methods of construction without using the pictures.
In the room were not only Narson and Isaac, but also Eira, Marie, and Root. They might have to help us with some of the work, since we don’t have enough people to lead the work at all.
“First of all, we will only repair the areas that are most likely to flood. The districts are here and .......”
I operated the computer and switched the image to show a map with the areas to be worked on in red.
I gave a brief description of the current situation along with the past records of rising water, and showed pictures of the areas that Havel and I had looked around before. The areas that needed to be renovated were circled with red lines, and next to the photos were explanations of the construction methods and reference photos.
Next to the photos were descriptions of the construction methods and reference photos.
“Do you have any questions?”
When I stopped explaining and turned my attention to everyone, Eira and the others, who were not usually involved in paperwork, were dazzled.
Narson, Isaac, and the others seemed to have gotten used to the tools that Kazura had brought with him and didn’t show any significant reaction.
When the projector started projecting, they let out a “Oh ......” but that was about it.
“I’ll start preparing the materials now. Are there any other materials I need to prepare?”
“That’s all we need. The materials will be the same for the main renovation to be done next year, so please make arrangements with the workforce.”
“Very well, sir. I’d like to make the plans available to the craftsmen.”
“No problem. It’s fine, they need to see it to be able to work properly.”
“They will undoubtedly ask about the photographs, but may I explain to them that the craftsmen were assisted by Master Gracior?”
“Yes, you may. It’s better than hiding it and making them distrust us.”
“Kazura-san, about that ‘photograph’...”, as Kazura was answering Narson’s question, Zirconia raised a small hand.
“Is it a painting of the scene?”
“Yes, that’s how I see it. Yes, that’s exactly what it looks like.”
“I see. ...... Did you use any kind of tool to paint that?”
“Yes, it was taken with a tool called a camera. ...... Well, it was photographed.”
“It’s ...... a horrible tool.”
When Zirconia said this, everyone in the room nodded.
It’s a good idea to have a good idea of what you’re looking for. Unlike a painting, a photograph is a record of the actual subject, exactly as it is.
If the subject is a person, anyone can recognize that person’s face from a single photo. This is the most convenient way to preserve a memory.
However, it is a frightening thing to have one’s face somehow known by a third party without one’s knowledge.
Zirconia must have understood this the moment she saw the photo.
“With this, even if I forget the person’s face, I can always remember. Once they’ve made a picture of you, there’s no way to escape.”
“That’s true, depending on how you use it. In some cases, yes, but for this kind of use, it is extremely useful.”
“Yes, it’s very useful, indeed. It would be nice to keep it as a memento of something.”
In contrast to Zirconia, who was pondering something, Narson was staring at the pictures on the wall with great interest.
Isaac did the same, glancing at the profile of Liese.
After some more discussions, it was decided to start construction the next day.
Since a large number of craftsmen and citizens would be mobilized, Liese would be in charge of the work.
In addition to the river work, Kazura had to manage the development of machine tools and agricultural equipment, and supervise the construction of the sawmill and ice house.
As expected, supervising the cultivation of land, the digging of wells, and the construction of ice ponds would have been physically demanding, so Isaac and Havel were left in charge of all these tasks.
Eira, Marie, and Root were in the position of maidservants.
“Isaac, is it time for you to finish the material on medicine that we talked about earlier?”
Isaac turned to Isaac with an apologetic look on his face.
“I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to do it right now, but I’m sure I’ll be able to do it in time.”
“I see. Is it going to take a long time?