Chapter 795 - Chapter 9: Preliminary Survey in the Eastern Plains
"I never thought it would be this cold."
Lyudmila, who was the first to go outside, stood still for a moment, then immediately turned around and came back to the tree that was Little Serena's seedling.
Because I kept saying it's cold, it's cold, she said she wanted to experience just how cold it was. She went outside without casting Warm. However, she was wearing the Boar suit. Incidentally, the grown Lyudmila has newly tailored a new Boar suit. The one she made before was small and had become old. Compared to the one I'm wearing, the fur has a much better luster.
"I thought the place where I was with the mothers was cold enough, but it's much colder here."
"The wind is strong here."
The land we received... more accurately, it will be treated as a permanent free loan if we develop it... is not that far from Lyudmila's birthplace. In fact, it should be closer than going to Nakanohara. Lyudmila's birthplace was deep in the forest, but here, there's the sea beyond the pass of the highway that runs north to south. Because the north wind blows down from the pass, it's quite cold.
"Winter is tough."
"Yes. We have to make sure we don't lose to the wind."
A log cabin won't do. It's better to make it stone. It would be even better to use the method where the fireplace chimney passes through the wall, which the Vice-Chieftain made. Since we're making it from scratch anyway, let's use that method.
"But there's less snow here."
"That's true."
"Yeah. I didn't know because it was autumn during the Ritual of Succession. I've been completely buried from my head down because the snow was so deep."
She thought it was about knee-deep and jumped into the field after climbing over the fence, but it seems it was a snowdrift and she was completely buried up to her head. The mother who was there hurriedly dug her out and she was fine, but strangely she wasn't scared. When she looked up, she apparently saw the blue sky between the snow.
"That was because I was small then. Even so, I think it was about up to my belly button now."
Indeed, if it falls that much, the snow is deep.
Compared to that, is it about knee-deep here at the deepest? On the highway, it's blown by the wind, so the snow is blown away and there's even less. Of course, it'll fall when it falls, but it should have been about that much when I came before.
"It's probably because it falls on the other side of the Central Mountain Range."
"That's right. Since this place is just off it."
To go to the Royal Capital area, we have to cross a pass, but it's not actually in such a high place. Since it's exactly further east than the end of the mountain zone continuing from the Central Mountain Range, it's mostly flat except for the pass road.
"As long as we survive the cold, we'll manage."
"What is an ultra-high-level mage saying?"
Lyudmila can even use Prominence. She'll manage somehow.
"I guess so. It'll be fine as long as our generation is alive."
Hmm. The next generation. Maybe I should use the Dragonewt-style fireplace after all. That would be quite warm even with just firewood.
Ghosts and spirits seem to be fine, but humans and Vampire Quarters are not. Lyudmila and I double-cast Warm. We'd freeze with just the Boar suits.
"Heh, people nowadays wear this kind of thing."
Germana is looking at her own tail. It was her first time in a costume. For members of the Class of 175 and the Associate Class of 175, if the person themselves wishes, we individually make spring/summer Green Marble, autumn/winter Green Marble, Black-Purple, hoods, and neck guards... the ones made by Matilda's fiancé Jones-san. They are beautiful silver-plated ones, but lately, instead of silver plating, they've been painted black, and Fiona and Violet can wear them... and Boar suits. Like Mary wearing a fox or Matilda wearing one with the sleeves cut off, each wears what they want. Fiona doesn't wear a Boar suit because it makes her movements sluggish, but Germana is wearing one.
"It's not exactly people nowadays. We're the only adults wearing them."
The Boar and Deer costumes for babies are popular items.
"I see. But it's interesting."
She's skillfully wagging her tail by moving her bottom. I'm glad she liked it.
Since this is a preliminary survey, we won't actually move trees. Lyudmila will look with her own eyes to investigate where to build the first facility that will be the development base.
"Are you going to make it the same scale as the current farm?"
I think it's a significant scale. It's all stone. Not just the main building where Shop No. 4 is, but there are also sheds and livestock stalls. There are bread ovens and stone-roasting baths. To add to that, we have beehives for honey, flower beds for those bees, and we're planting trees that bear flowers for honey, and the backyard is wide so we can have banquets including the bandits. There's a well too. I'm surprised we could develop that much even now. We're not quite great landowners, but we've barely reached middle landowner status.
"I want to expand it a bit more."
More than that? Well, since the final goal is a town, a farm scale is not nearly enough.
"There's the village where Beatrix is the landowner, right?"
"Yeah."
Because Lyudmila is teaching agriculture to the villagers, she has been called the Chief and has gained absolute trust from before. Lately, partly because the curse that stopped Lyudmila's growth... it's not that, but on the surface it's become so... was lifted and she became a super-beautiful girl, she's regarded almost like a god-like messenger or something, and is an object of near worship.
"At the very least, about that much."
At the very least? That village has the border checkpoint, the magic school, the soldiers' quarters, and on top of that, the dried meat processing plant and the scout unit's secret base, and the population has increased quite a bit.
"First is water. If only we had water coming from the western mountains."
Unfortunately, a river flows on the other side of the western mountains. The forest where Little Serena is should be the water source.
"Are you going to dig a waterway?"
Digging a hole in the western mountain range to draw water is permitted. Of course, within the range that doesn't change the river's flow.
"If possible, I want to make a pond. It would be good if we could connect a pond and the river on the other side of the western mountain range."
Hmm. Not bad. If we store the snowmelt from the mountains, we'll be able to use clean water.
The planned site for the pond is a valley in the western mountain range. It's a small, shallow wetland that looks like it was formed when a marsh was buried. Because there's no river for the collected water to flow out of, the water gathered from the mountains might have temporarily pooled and then turned into groundwater just like that. Lyudmila says that there are many such wetland-like places around here, and that's why there are marshes popping up in the wasteland.
"I don't know the reason, but the terrain in northern Nakanohara? South of the Central Mountain Range is strange, isn't it?"
It's just as Lyudmila says. It has the shape of a semi-circular valley like a cylinder with the top half cut off, with both the east and west sides blocked.
"Right. There are lots of ponds and lakes in the middle of that cylinder, aren't there?"
"That's right. The back entrance of the Demon Lord's cave? From there to the east."
"Yeah. The elevation is a bit high until the back entrance."
That's certainly true. From there, it gradually descends toward the east. Since it's a lake and marsh zone, there's naturally a river, and it flows toward the east. And then it hits the mountain range where wild Orcs are fighting north of the Flatlands. Because the northern side has a connection from the Central Mountain Range, the river has its path blocked by the mountain range, meanders through the valley as if overflowing, and finally flows south along the eastern edge of the Flatlands. Ultimately, it joins the Nakanohara River. Surely, it must join the river that passes through Little Serena's forest somewhere.
"If we flow water drawn from that river into the wetland, I think it'll be a sufficient amount of water."
She seems to think that if we build embankments around the wetland, it'll sufficiently become a pond. It might be good.
"Serena says that this wetland might have originally been a pond."
"Heh, is that so?"
If the forest spirit says so, it must be true.
"Look, it's a wetland shaped like it was made by damming up parts of the valley here and there, isn't it?"
"Come to think of it, you're right. It looks like humans made it."
It's collapsed in places. It was made, but it hasn't been maintained at all.
"She says there might have been a time when the groove-like terrain north of the Flatlands was blocked by a large amount of earth and sand for some reason, like an embankment, and this mountain range was formed. She says that might be the reason the current terrain was formed."
The pond water was trapped by the collapsed earth and sand, and finally ended up being buried. That's happening in multiple places.
However, that is too grand in itself!
"If it was a pond, judging from the state of the wetland, she says it might be nearly five thousand years ago."
"Five thousand years ago..."
Speaking of five thousand years ago, the mana leakage accident occurred. The large amount of mana that gushed out reportedly stopped at the mountain range surrounding the Northeastern Forest and finally disappeared into the sea along with the river's flow.
Gnome said he performed emergency treatment and stopped it, but he couldn't save the area of the so-called Northeastern Forest. There's a mountain range to the west of where we are now, and a river with a fair width flows to the east. The trees across the river became monsters. The trees on this side are partly the color of monsters along the river, but they are generally dark green and not pitch black. They might have barely been saved. Perhaps this mountain range was made by Gnome. I'll ask him next time.
Regardless, there are many small wetlands because of the strange terrain. In other words, there is moisture. Lyudmila says that since there were originally ponds, it shouldn't be a problem even if we turn the wetlands into ponds. She apparently got the same answer when she confirmed with Serena. I'd like to ask Gnome, but for safety reasons, I, who haven't been given a stone, cannot call Gnome. Inevitably, we formulated the development plan on the premise of digging up the wetlands to make ponds.
Since there are many wetlands, we can make many ponds. We draw the planned pond sites and the waterway to connect with the river to the east on the map, and then we thought about where the base would be.
"Is near the Paratroop Jaegers' field position good?"
As the first base, it would be better to be near the field position. If something happens, we can flee there. Lyudmila also participated in the battle at the field position. According to Eleanor-sama, it's now one of the bases for reconnaissance.
If we move to the land we received, it'll be the settlement closest to the Demon Lord's army. Even though a highway runs to the position, it's in the forest. If we have to flee in the middle of the night, it'll be quite dangerous. The Paratroop Jaegers will also have personnel taken for evacuation guidance. If anything, it's better to build the first settlement in front of the position. That way, we might be able to do business with the Paratroop Jaeger unit members staying behind.
"That's true. Let's do that. Then, um, is around here okay?"
She points to the map. Looking, it's right by the position. The fortress has the trees near the entrance moved to make it wide. It's to make it difficult for the enemy to approach. I think it's better to leave that as an open space, but I wonder.
"Don't you think it's better to move it a little away?"
"Hmm. Then, what about here?"
If we move a little away from the open space in front of the fortress, there's another open space. It's an open space made at the request of the royal palace when the highway was built.
"Don't we have to ask what this is for?"
"But it was given to us as a permanent free loan. I don't think it's militarily important."
"That's true too. We're submitting a plan anyway, so there's no problem making it a candidate site."
"Yeah, yeah."
However, what was that open space for? It was a failure not to have heard the reason.
"The waterway is fine along the highway too, right?"
The highway has wide shoulders. It should be fine to build a waterway there. That way, transport by boat will also become possible. Since we have a secret non-aggression treaty with the Demon Lord's army in the Northeastern Forest, if we connect the Eastern Plains Corps' fortress and the riverboat, various things will be convenient. However, since the opposite shore is the territory of monsters, we must make sure not to accidentally dock there. If we even try to land, it'll be a breach of contract. It'll be an immediate outbreak of war.
"That's right. Then, let's also build a boat landing and a watermill hut."
"Right. It might be okay to have Shop No. 9."
"Shop No. 9 already? Who's going to be the shop manager?"
"What are you saying? Lyudmila, it's obviously going to be you."
"Eh? Me? Impossible. I'm busy with the farm."
"Listen, in the beginning, nothing will sell. It's just selling the sweets Miana makes, sent by Teleport or something, to the Paratroop Jaegers."
It's the Princess's handmade. It'll sell like hotcakes.
"Ehh, even so, I have to sell bread and sweets, right? I'm not good at customer service."
"It's a title. A title. Since it's obvious we'll have to hire someone, it's just until we find someone to take over."
"Isn't Jeanne going to be the shop manager?"
"I can't. I'm a priest. I can't be a shop manager. At most, I'm a shop minder."
"Ehh, I'm jealous."
I think it's wrong to be jealous there.
"What about Fiona?"
"Hmm, I'm in the middle of training."
"What about Germana?"
"I am a guest, so..."
"What about Keira?"
"Keira can't do money calculations, so she's no good."
Lyudmila seems to be fine with anyone as long as it's not herself. All three are Associate Class of 175 members, but it's too early for Germana, and I think Keira is best in her current position.
"You were the manager of Shop No. 4, even if it was for a short time."
"But Bonnie was there too, and I didn't have to do anything."
"So, Shop No. 9 can be like that too. Since there's no one else to take it, it's just until someone else is found."
"Hmm. Ah, I know. Let's make it Flora. Flora would be perfect."
It's not bad. Flora can do everything. However, I don't know if she'll come to this cold place.
"She'll come. She said so. Jeanne is coming here too, right?"
"That's the plan."
"Then Flora will come too. Alright! The manager of Shop No. 9 is Flora. I'll recommend her at the next meeting."
You have to get the person's consent properly.
Dreams expanded to unexpectedly detailed parts, but at this point, it's just refining the plan for the pond and waterway and building a work hut.
We investigated the terrain of the planned pond site and the terrain that would be the path if we built a waterway to our heart's content, and that day ended.
If the open space can be made into a base, we can also make it a base for riverboats by building a waterway connecting to the river along the highway. Eventually, we have to advance along the highway toward the Royal Capital area, but first is solidifying the foundation.