Chapter 187. Coveted Talent (2)
“Because it is a trade secret.”
“Huh?”
Lloyd’s clear answer.
never spoiled
His voice was clear, but his expression was extremely earnest.
Even the eyes toward the sultan were mournful.
Lloyd’s moist eyes.
Seeing that, Sultan suddenly felt as if he had read his mind.
[I really want to tell you something like a chimney, but if I recklessly expose this here, I’ll have to live with a tin can for the rest of my life because all of my trade secrets will be stolen, so please look at me with a generous heart. A customer like heaven.
] …Can I express it with eyes that seem to appeal to me?
“Heh heh heh heh heh!”
The Sultan just laughed.
Because it’s so out of the ordinary.
Even so, a guy who thinks he’s not crazy is even sending that kind of look.
However, unlike the servile gaze, the content of that answer was truly bold.
It was so absurd that I even felt strange.
‘Where did such a shameless guy come from?’
Sultan stuck out his tongue.
There is authorship.
I know myself that I am capable.
They know how to use their abilities when appropriate.
However, I do not fool around by trusting in my abilities.
No, only in moderation, it protects the line creepily well.
He knows how to present himself boldly without offending those in power.
through today’s meeting.
through the answer you just gave.
It was the impression Sultan had received from Lloyd.
Greed dwelled in the desert ruler’s eyes toward Lloyd.
‘That’s why I’m more greedy.’
I was envious of Alicia, King of Magentano, who had such a person under her command.
I wanted to take it away if possible.
I wanted to use it as my own subordinate.
Realizing that such talent had been robbed, I wanted to appreciate the expression and eyes that King Alicia would make.
“Yes, it is a trade secret. Heh heh heh heh!”
A smile formed on the Sultan’s lips as he looked down at Lloyd.
He asked as if he were watching his clever grandson’s tricks.
“You mean you won’t tell me how to solve the drought until Jim accepts your terms?”
“I am sorry and I am sorry, but it is so, great and mighty sultan.”
“Hmm. Indeed, he is arrogant and bold. Aren’t you afraid that if you do, you’ll invite my wrath and have your head cut off?”
“Why are you not afraid? I am afraid enough.”
“But how dare you say such a thing?”
“It is because I fully believed in the generous generosity of the great and all-powerful Sultan.”
“haha. Now even flattering the monarch of the enemy country.”
“This is sincerity, not flattery.”
“why?”
“How can words risking their lives be mere flattery?”
Really.
This is a gamble of its own.
In fact, it was a gamble that he tried after weighing the angle that it would work well enough, but it was also a bold match against the Sultan anyway.
‘It’s not me who’s sorry about the drought, it’s the Sultan.’
They say that it can be solved by war.
It is treated as a problem that will naturally be buried if you turn your gaze to the outside.
But what about the Sultan’s heart?
‘Unlike words, I’ll never be able to relax.’
You will be thinking about it every night.
how to deal with drought
No stopgap measures like war.
Is there any fundamental solution?
I’ve been thinking about it all day, but I’m sure I haven’t found an answer yet.
‘That’s why he’s saying he’s going to turn the issue into a war.’
So it was.
Saying that it can solve the drought.
I was sure that the Sultan would respond to those words.
Besides, he really had a way to solve the drought.
“…good night. Thank you for looking after Jim like that. If you do, I will accept your terms.”
“Is that what you said?”
“Lloyd Frontera, it means that if you solve the drought, Jim will personally grant your request.”
“Are you promising that you will negotiate with Magentano?”
“Yes. Of course, we cannot guarantee the outcome of the negotiations.”
“Even the small man doesn’t dare to wish for it that far.”
Negotiations are the work of envoys and sultans.
He can only make room for the negotiations to take place.
Lloyd had no intention of taking on a role beyond that.
“If you do, you can say it now. Is that a trade secret or what?”
“Of course it comes.”
Lloyd bowed his head.
He said he would take care of the drought.
So from now on, the sultan is his client, a customer more valuable than the king.
Lloyd said armed with such a spirit of service.
“I have dared to hear that the small man dared to hear that the Sultanate’s Kandahar region has few usable oases, so it is common for the groundwater to dry up when there is only a little rainfall nearby. Are you okay?”
“It is indeed so. If so, how do you think of solving the drought?”
“The answer to the small person is qanat.”
“Canat?”
“It is.”
“That’s the first name I’ve heard. I guess I need an explanation.”
“Daejeo Qanat is a water supply facility used by many ancient desert kingdoms.”
“Ancient desert kingdoms?”
“It is.”
Lloyd’s explanation, like liquidation flow, continued.
“The ancient kingdom of Persia called this facility ‘Qanat’, in the neighboring provinces of Pakistan and Afghanistan it was called ‘Karez’, in Morocco ‘Lettara’ and in North Africa ‘Fogara’. (Foggara)’ and so on. Haonai was the same facility with only a different name.”
It was true.
It’s not this world, but it was also true that Persia was an ancient kingdom anyway.
It is also correct that qanats are called by various names in different regions.
Even Earth’s qanats were facilities that are still in use in modern times.
Lloyd’s explanation continued like a fountain that never dries.
“Of course, the principles of the facility are all the same. Since the Daejeo desert is a hot and dry place, the water flowing on the surface usually evaporates easily before reaching a village or city. So, to get water from a place like this effectively, it would have to go through the cool underground.”
“I guess so. However, there must be a limit to how to use groundwater.”
“Of course it comes.”
Really sure.
In fact, groundwater in the desert is not very reliable.
Even if it is an oasis that many people consider to be the hope of the desert.
Apart from the small quantity, there are many cases where basically all sorts of germs and deadly germs are infested. This is because the oasis is not the water of life only for people. This is because it is the water of life for all other living things, including bacteria.
In addition, desert groundwater and oases were often too salty, unlike ordinary fresh water.
In other words, it was water that could not be properly drunk until it was boiled and distilled because of germs or salt.
“So it is. Qanat’s subterranean aqueduct must never come into contact with an existing subterranean water vein. This is to ensure that polluted or salty groundwater does not mix with the clear water of Qanat.”
“It is the clear water of Qanat. Then, if not groundwater, where does that clear water come from?”
“The foot of a distant mountain is coming.”
“bottom of a mountain?”
“It is.”
Lloyd nodded.
“I have heard that there is a high mountain range on the outskirts of the Kandahar region. Also, I have heard that at the foot of the mountain range, there is an abundance of melted water from the top of the ice cap.”
“You mean to bring that water underground to Kandahar?”
“Exactly so.”
“It would be an incredibly long distance, would it be possible?”
“Isn’t it the job of a small person to make that possible?”
Lloyd replied confidently.
A wrinkle formed between the Sultan’s forehead as he looked at him.
“I don’t know if that’s really possible. Tens of kilometers would be enough. Besides, where did you get that knowledge from? Persia, the ancient kingdom of the desert. Jim has never heard of a country with that name.”
“I just happened to come across the small person in an old, unnamed book in the library.”
“Old books?”
“It is.”
“…Hmm. is it. To be honest, your knowledge and the source of that knowledge are not trustworthy. But let us believe in your achievements and reputation in Magentano. After all, the results of the construction will prove the authenticity of that knowledge.”
“Are you saying that the great and almighty Sultan will entrust the construction to a small man?”
“Yes.”
Sultan nodded.
“As I said earlier, I hope that the drought in Kandahar will be resolved through the qanat you mentioned. So, if you do a good job, Jim will sit down at the negotiating table with Magentano, as promised.”
The Sultan’s solemn proclamation fell.
Lloyd bowed as if he was embarrassed.
“Seriously, Seong-eun is embarrassed. If so, can the small person use paper and pen for a while here?”
“Paper and pen?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Where are you going to use it?”
“I am trying to write a construction order contract.”
“A contract of purchase?”
“It is.”
Lloyd replied.
The wrinkles between the Sultan’s eyebrows deepened.
“Do you dare to write a contract? Against Jim now?”
“I’m sorry, but it is.”
“There is no need for that.”
As if cutting it off, the Sultan declared.
“It’s not that Jim doesn’t know the weight of the contract. However, no matter how great the contract is, it is just a meaningless piece of paper in front of Jim. Have you forgotten where this place is? Have you no awareness of whose land you are stepping on now?”
The solemn words of the Sultan followed.
“This is my palace, and all the land in this desert where my eyes and feet reach is my property. Here, it means that one word of baggage will be a much more weighty and absolute law and norm than a hundred and a thousand contracts, which are mere pieces of paper.”
“Haona….”
“You mean you dare not believe my covenant?”
“No.”
“If you do, how can you be so stubborn?”
“It is because the small man does not trust the small man.”
“…what?”
The brow of the Sultan, who had been frowning in displeasure, loosened slightly.
Lloyd’s answer followed.
“I dare to tell you, how dare you not trust the great and almighty Sultan? If it is the Sultan’s word, the small man will believe it unconditionally even if he says that sand can be made into gold and water can be boiled to make sand. Haona, will the Sultan trust the little man that much?”
“…What do you want to say?”
“I would like to inform you that the contract is reciprocal.”
“Be reciprocal.”
“Yes, it is. That’s why it’s so important to write a contract. What if the little man secretly broke his pact with the great and mighty sultan? What would you do if you cheated your eyes by making a qanat that only works right after construction?”
“Are you saying you’re going to work on the fly?”
“It is. Also, a small person has the ability to do so.”
“haha. How dare you say it out loud.”
“I am just giving you a chance.”
Lloyd lowered his head even further.
“If a small person has a bad heart, that kind of thing can happen. It may be possible to deceive the great and almighty sultan by tricking it with a skimpy project to achieve only the purpose of concluding the envoy’s negotiations. In fact, on the one hand, it is also true that such temptations occur. That’s why.”
“It means that you need to write a contract to prevent that from happening.”
“It is.”
So the contract is important.
It was Lloyd who visited numerous sites in Korea.
That’s why I saved it to the bone.
‘Without a contract, nothing happens. No, even after signing the contract and starting the construction, problems abound.’
It really was.
Transfer of responsibility for design changes.
Suspension of construction due to lien dispute.
Construction sites are a place where such things happen infrequently.
Even when the contract was written, that happened.
But what if there is no contract?
It is certain that it will be more open.
“Ha-ni, I would like to tell you that it is essential to write a construction order contract. This is not because the small man does not believe in the great and almighty Sultan, but it is so that the Sultan can trust the small man and entrust the work.”
“Hmm.”
Lloyd was still flat on his stomach.
Seeing his back, Sultan made a strange expression.
‘He’s truly a strange man.’
How can you keep saying the right thing like that?
But how does it sound like that without being annoying?
The Sultan could sense the reason at first glance.
‘I’m caring. Dare to bear the burden.’
On the subject of a mere foreign county’s successor.
He was taking care of himself as the ruler of the vast desert.
I could feel it through the words and attitude that he carefully brought out.
It is like carefully guiding a first-time customer to an unfamiliar store.
At the same time, so that guests do not feel burdened.
On the one hand, to help guests make smart choices.
He was guiding me like that and carefully pointing out the facts.
That was something I was proud of and proud of.
‘How dare you do this against Jim…. Should I be angry or thankful for this? Won true.’
In the end, the Sultan laughed.
I accepted Lloyd’s request.
Together, they drew up a construction order contract and personally signed it.
After Lloyd, who had finished all the business, resigned.
I was in deep thought for a while.
And when the night was deep
He summoned one of his daughters to the main palace.
Among dozens of daughters from numerous wives, she was always considered special because she had a particularly bold temperament and showed great talent in swordsmanship.
“Did you call me, Obama?”
“okay. Serajad, daughter of Jim. Jim wants to entrust you with a task. From now on, act as an escort for a man named Lloyd Frontera, who will be dispatched to the Kandahar region, and naturally accompany him.”
“Is it just an escort? What else can I do?”
“Make him yours.”
“…yes?”
“You don’t have to choose the means and methods. You can also subdue it with a sword. It’s okay to catch weaknesses. Make him your man somehow and return to Ahinsha.”
“If you do, Obama….”
“That’s right. I’m thinking of making him my sire.”
It’s a much more coveted talent than I thought.
Before, I thought I just wanted to have it.
It was just a vague desire.
Because I changed my mind when I met you in person today.
Lloyd Frontera.
I had a hunch that the future of the Sultanate would change from the moment I took him as a subordinate, or rather, as a blood relative named son-in-law.
“You should definitely keep it close by.”
Sultan Samarkan reminds me of Lloyd.
Greed and longing for talent bloomed in his eyes.
