Chapter 796 - Chapter 9: Preliminary Survey in the Eastern Plains ②
It was decided to make the open space near the position the first base. According to Lyudmila, securing a development base is a higher priority than agricultural land. Otherwise, camping will begin as soon as we move. Since we do hunting daily, I think we can survive, but then it'll be nothing but hunting. Since the goal is to secure agricultural land that will be a production base and become independent, it's better to enter farm work as soon as we move.
"Are you going to build a hut first?"
"Yeah. Let's surround it with a wooden fence so magic beasts don't enter. If possible, I want to run a waterway around it to make it a moat."
"It's a field position."
"Come to think of it, you're right. Ufufu. We could have Paul-san design it."
"What about the hut we holed up in when the Engrio army set monsters on us?"
"Ah! That's right. Let's build it like that."
The open space has more than enough room for that. That hut had a dry moat, but it would be fine to make it a wet moat.
We'll make a reservoir and dig a waterway. Since the waterway just needs to connect with the eastern river for now, we can dig it along the highway. The agricultural land will be the wasteland along the highway toward the Royal Capital area, so it's a bit far, but we decided to start with Shop No. 9, which will do business with the bandits. Since the customers are limited, the shop's opening hours will also be limited. Morning, noon, and evening will be fine. We'll close the shop for about two hours in the morning and afternoon to do farm work. Four hours a day won't be enough, but since we have to till the wasteland and make soil, full-scale farm work will be several years away. Until then, we have to build agricultural waterways and bases. Lyudmila says it'll take four or five years to gather people and tackle it in earnest.
"If that happens, by the time it becomes a village, we'll be thirty years old."
In less than half a year, I'll be twenty-six.
When I had just become an adult, I couldn't even imagine when I would be thirty.
Already twenty-six. Various things happened, but I'm glad I could learn a full set of magic. From now on, unless something extraordinary happens, I probably won't be able to learn new magic.
"I wonder about Jeanne. You might learn some."
"Why would I be the one to learn?"
"Hmm. Just a feeling, I guess."
I'm a Vampire Quarter, and I admit my intuition was sharp when I was small, but it shouldn't be that simple.
"Lyudmila will learn more than me. You're still in a growth period, right?"
"I am, but Jeanne might be too. Right? Don't you think so too, Germana?"
If one of the Five Great Spirits says it's okay, I'll start to have expectations.
"Yes. I think there is room."
"Really!"
"See, just as I thought."
"But..."
But? Is it the age limit after all?
"Which magic are you going to learn? Haven't you learned all the magic a priest should learn?"
When told that, it's true.
"Maybe just a barrier."
The rest is Ascension. Once I learn that, I can say I've finally seen the Headmistress's back.
"Barriers don't require that much magic control, so you'll learn it eventually."
"Really?"
"Yes, that's how it is. The reason Jeanne doesn't learn barriers is because you don't use them normally. You should use them more and more, ignoring utility, purpose, or even effectiveness."
I see. Now that she mentions it, I don't use them at all. Or rather, excluding practice for learning, I've only used barriers a countable number of times.
"I understand. I'll practice."
"Yes. If you do that, the current Jeanne will learn more."
Then, the rest is Ascension.
"Ascension might be impossible for Jeanne."
"Eh? Is that so?"
"Because you're not suited for it. Prayers. Prayers are enough."
Even among priests, are there suitabilities and unsuitabilities? Indeed, I don't go around doing evil spirit extermination as often as Harrison-san. Mostly, when fighting evil spirits, I was the lighting person.
"Jeanne has high affinity with ghosts and undead."
Affinity? I don't really understand.
"Ah, I understand that!"
It's Fiona. If a ghost affirms it, there's no way to deny it. I don't know what kind of thing affinity is, though.
"Jeanne, you're not afraid of ghosts, right?"
"Because I'm a priest."
"There are priests who are afraid too."
Is that so? Is their training insufficient?
"Hmm. How should I put it? Jeanne is very approachable even for ghosts."
"Is that so?"
I've been with Fiona for a long time, but I've never been told such a thing until now.
"Because it was so natural. Besides, Dune and Violet were always saying things like that. It's the same for ghosts."
Hmm. It's all glossed over with "because it's Jeanne," so I didn't understand, but in short, does it mean that affinity is high?
"Yes. The ghost Fiona and I, a spirit, feel the same way. I think there is no mistake."
"Yeah. Even from my perspective as a Vampire Quarter, it's true. That's why Violet is attached to you. See, even that female demon."
Well, certainly. As Lyudmila says, and fortunately, I'm basically liked by those on the other side. But that's because I'm a priest. That's how a priest should be. If a priest who saves souls is disliked, they can't save them.
"That's probably true. But the Headmistress and the orphanage teachers treated us with the same feelings, but Jeanne is somehow different."
"Right, right. I understand. Catherine-sama is a bit scary."
"I think there's no mistake since I, a former human priest, am saying it, but Jeanne is indeed different from other priests."
How is she different? Is it because I've been a stray ever since I became a priest?
"Hmm. I don't know. But I can well understand why Dune and the others say it's because it's Jeanne."
At Germana's words, the three of them nodded together.
I don't get the point at all.
Well, it's not the first time I've been treated like that by ghosts, spirits, and monsters. Or rather, it's always the case. If there's something different from before, it's that Lyudmila has joined.
Setting aside my affinity with various races, as a result of the four of us consulting, the plan regarding the first base construction Lyudmila mentioned was finalized. Moving trees is only for the amount of the waterway flowing out of the pond, so it's not that many. Unlike the highway, there's no need to make it a straight line. Since the elevation difference is there from the start, we just need to dig a groove between the trees and connect it to the waterway. With that, we'll move only the trees that are absolutely in the way. We four thought that would probably be fine.
Regarding water, it's Dune. I actually called her and asked.
I show the map and explain.
She said she wanted to see the wetlands, so I had her see all the wetlands that were pond candidates aboard Lyudmila's bowl. We landed beside one that seemed to have the most water. Since it's a wetland and the ground is soggy, we landed on a rock a little away.
"I'll ask the water for a bit."
She raised her index finger and flicked it in the air. Water the size of a crystal ball flew from the wetland toward us. I thought it would splash on my legs, but it's bouncing vigorously on the rock like it's squishy. I don't know how water becomes like that. Perhaps it's the same as the Fluffy popular with children.
Dune is looking at the squishy water. Then, she has Lyudmila hand her the map and is showing it to the squishy thing. When Lyudmila explains in human language, it's staring at the squishy thing the whole time. It's probably having a conversation. Occasionally, the squishy thing jumps a little, and Dune is nodding.
"I understand. Thank you."
When she flicked her index finger again, the squishy thing flew back to the wetland. This time it made a splash and scattered like normal water.
It seems the local inquiry is over, so I'll ask for her view.
"First, my thought is that just the work you explained won't do."
She flatly rejects it. But since she said "just," it must mean we should do additional work.
"If the roots of the trees growing by the waterway are soaked in water, the trees will rot. That's why the plan you explained won't do."
Does that mean we have to move a lot?
"Since there's this much elevation difference, you should just dig a hole underground. The water pipe drawn from Nakanohara Lake also passes underground, right?"
The additional work seems like it'll become quite large-scale. Since Beatrix is here, it's not like it can't be done.
"You should make Gnome do it."
"Make Gnome? Will he do it?"
No matter how I think about it, he doesn't seem like the type to do it...
"The terrain around here is strange, isn't it? The water told me. Something forcibly moved the soil. Gnome is definitely involved. He's supposed to put it back to how it was. Since he's slacking on that, you should make him help. I don't mind telling him for you."
"Please do!"
As always, she's reliable.
The information Dune heard from the local water was not just about the terrain. She told us in detail where the wetland water comes from and where it goes.
"The water of this wetland comes from beyond this mountain range. Originally, it was flowing into the eastern river. As a result of that flow being dammed up by earth and sand, many underground waterways were formed, and it's gushing out on this side. That's why similar wetlands were formed in each valley."
I see. In other words, it's all Gnome's fault... probably the result of emergency work to stop the mana leakage, so the one at fault would be the Elf who caused the leakage out of greed... but it's Gnome's fault.
The wetland water, on rainy days when the water volume was high, used to form a flow and head east. However, because the water volume was originally small, it would dry up if sunny days continued. That's why there are no rivers coming out of the wetlands. There are groove-like flows, but they are too small and it's hard to tell in the forest. They must have become marshes in the wasteland or puddles in the forest.
The request for cooperation to Gnome... Dune says it's an order... was after the first recovery of the Northeastern Forest this year was over.
"It was an emergency then. It couldn't be helped."
Gnome, cornered by the three—Dune, Mel, and Germana—honestly confessed. As expected, the cause was the mana leakage accident in the Northeastern Forest.
"I am terribly sorry for the trouble. As a descendant, I offer my apologies."
The Elf Prince is prostrating himself.
Renata sighed, and Serena threw a stone aimed at the Elf Prince's bottom. It made a painful-sounding thud, and the Prince's back arched for a moment as he raised his head, but he said nothing and lowered his head again.
"This guy isn't the one at fault. I understand the feeling of being angry, but from now on, let's think about the future."
When Salamander protected him, Serena turned away with a "Hmph."
"Then, it's okay to say you'll maintain the path for the water that was dammed up and went underground?"
"That's right. I must settle the aftermath."
Gnome agreed to Dune's follow-up, and the construction of an underground waterway by Gnome's hand was decided.
"So, are you making a pond?"
Alex moved the conversation forward as if to ease the tense atmosphere.
"Y-Yeah. If possible, that's what I want to do..."
At the unexpectedly tense atmosphere, Lyudmila's voice became small, perhaps because she recoiled.
"What are you going to do with the grass and such growing in the wetland?"
It's Flora. The terrain has already changed and thousands of years have passed. Currently, the Cycle of Life is occurring as it is.
"I'm thinking of moving some of them..."
"You should move them. It's collapsing here and there. If water pools, it'll collapse. And then, another dammed-up place will be formed and water will pool there. And then, it'll collapse again. It's because it's not a naturally formed terrain. It's better to make it as natural a shape as possible."
If it were truly right, they should move all the earth and sand and flow it into the westernmost river of the Northeastern Forest, but many living things are already breathing there. There's also Little Serena's forest.
"My forest is solid. It's not collapsing anywhere, so it's fine!"
Perhaps because everyone said it was strange and she got into a bad mood, Little Serena pouted.
"That's right. That area is fine as it is."
Serena also agreed.
"I could make that area properly. The southern half, because it was a rush job, became a bit rough."
According to Gnome, he couldn't make it all in time.
"After all, I made it in order from the north."
"Why from the north?"
"Because I brought the materials from the eastern end of the Central Mountain Range."
Gnome's answer to Mel's question was also a surprise.
The east of the Central Mountain Range gradually becomes lower from around the middle, but there's a sheer rock face midway, and it suddenly connects to the somewhat lower mountain land to the east. In short, there were actually higher peaks continuing to the east, but he collapsed them and made embankments in order from the north. He could make it properly up to around the mountain land adjacent to Little Serena's forest. And from there to around the field position, he barely made it in time. That part made in time is exactly the western neighbor of our new land.
The wetlands in each valley, the cliff at the field position... for that matter, what kind of terrain is it where the middle of a ridge is cut off by a cliff?... I thought there were many strange terrains, and it turns out... The scale of what you do is too grand!
"Gnome. Well, it can't be helped if you're told to do something about that."
Salamander, who had been a neutral bystander until now, came over to our side and it was game over.
As a result of the spirits consulting on what to do, Dune's plan was basically adopted. The water sources of the many wetlands will be gathered and passed through an underground water vein. And then a wetland will be made at the foot. Water overflowing from the wetland will be flowed east by a waterway and finally connected to the river in the Northeastern Forest. The many small wetlands currently there will be moved to the foot to make a wide wetland. The original place will be made into just a mountainside. The waterway will move trees and be dug to create a path, and finally become a river.
It's a construction that humans absolutely cannot do. However, they are the Four Great Spirits. They summarized the plan easily.
Gnome will do most of the work. Moving wetlands and moving trees at the planned waterway site, a major construction awaits, but it should be easy since he could collapse part of the Central Mountain Range to make an embankment of a scale that can only be called mountain land.
"That won't do. I can't do it alone. I'll need the cooperation of at least Water, Dryad, and Alraune."
"Is Alex okay?"
"Ah, I forgot. I have to move trees. I'm counting on you."
"Hey now... you're really a hard taskmaster."
While he's grumbling, Serena is staring at the Elf Prince.
"You help too."
"Yes! I shall be happy to help, Serena-sama."
I don't know how, but it's settled.
"Hey, Jeanne."
While looking at the map, Lyudmila pulls my sleeve while the spirits have started consulting about this and that.
"How should we report this to the King?"
"Let's call the Henry Party and report it as it is."
"That's true."