Chapter 189. The greedy good deed (2)
“Are you successful?”
“uh? huh.”
“Did you sleep soundly?”
“Roughly.”
“Are you satisfied?”
“very.”
Lloyd laughed.
I quietly closed the dorm door and winked one eye at Xaviel.
The operation(?) was successful.
Serazade.
The daughter of a sultan and a female swordsman with great talent.
In the novel, she said that she was exactly at the advanced level of sword expert.
In fact, it was the same as what I saw while traveling together to Kandara.
She could hardly sleep.
I toss and turn without a break.
Even with the very gentle wind blowing, the flaps of my ears pricked.
Seeing that every day, Lloyd said he was convinced in his heart.
‘It was Sword Master Syndrome, that is.’
sure
It was very similar to the first time I saw Xaviel.
A phenomenon in which the level of swordsmanship reaches the advanced level of Sword Expert and all senses become overly sensitive.
However, since he did not become a sword master, he suffered from not being able to freely control or suppress that sense.
That was Sword Master Syndrome.
Serazade’s condition was just like that.
‘Because I’ve never seen him fall asleep for more than 10 minutes from the time he left Ahinsha until we arrived here.’
That’s why Serazade’s eyes were always slightly bloodshot.
It was as if he was seeing himself sacrificed for sleep, pushed by both work and assignments every day in Korea.
So, I used the lullaby of a deadly (?).
The result was satisfactory.
“I slept well. Probably the first time I’ve ever fallen asleep like this. I won’t wake up until tomorrow because I’ve been enjoying my sleep. Just like you back then.”
Lloyd laughed evilly.
It reminded me of the first time I put Xaviel to sleep.
Had Xaviel also remembered that time?
He responded with a colder expression.
“Is that so.”
“Oh yes.”
“So are you okay?”
“hmm?”
“no. If things went the way you intended, let’s do the next thing.”
After saying that, Xaviel suddenly turned around.
I first walked down the hallway leading out of the dorm.
However, the back view was a bit odd.
I walked a little faster than usual.
And it was very slightly rough.
A look that other people wouldn’t have recognized.
However, Lloyd, who had been hanging out with Xaviel almost all the time, could recognize the subtle difference.
‘hmm? no way.’
The tentacles are coming.
sigh your lips
Lloyd smiled mischievously and walked quickly.
I strode along behind Xaviel as he walked down the hallway.
And he asked implicitly.
“Are you crazy?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Looks like you’re crazy? am i right? Are you dissatisfied with me right now?”
“no. There are no complaints.”
“But why are you behaving like that?”
“How am I supposed to do that?”
“You’re showing off a lot of sarcasm.”
“…That’s a nasty guess.”
“Doesn’t sound like an unpleasant guess, but an accurate guess?”
“You guessed wrong.”
“Is it really so?”
Lloyd’s lips curled even more.
I completely left the corridor of the dorm and came out of the building and followed Xaviel side by side.
I looked at the boy’s side face with a meaningful look.
“Is it because of your lullaby?”
“….”
Xaviel stopped and turned around before he knew it.
Have I been stabbed to the point?
Finally, the boy’s mouth opened.
“Was the lullaby service free?”
“hmm?”
“I passed on the dark heart method to hear the lullaby.”
“aha.”
Lloyd’s smile deepened.
“So you got mad?”
“I said I wasn’t mad.”
“But isn’t the dark mind law like a co-authored work that I also co-created? After all, weren’t you also struggling without completing the essential part?”
“but….”
“Relax. it’s not free Did you see me as someone who gave away something for free?”
“Absolutely not.”
“yes?”
“yes. I can never imagine a petty, petty, mean-spirited person like Lloyd-sama giving something to others for free.”
“…Do you speak strangely and specifically only at times like this?”
“I am just telling you the truth.”
“Hmmmm, whatever. Lullaby That ain’t free. So rest assured. I’m going to rip out a lot of stuff that corresponds to a lullaby from that woman too.”
“Is that so?”
“Oh, that’s it.”
“also.”
“….”
Why is that guy laughing?
Why are you shrugging your shoulders in relief?
Lloyd let out a wry smile.
In any case, I managed to get the sultan’s daughter away safely.
So now it’s your turn to do what you have to do.
“Are you going to tour the construction site right away?”
“Well, first of all, to understand the local atmosphere.”
“How about understanding the atmosphere?”
“I think we need to see what kind of situation the people here are in.”
I walked diligently, answering Xaviel’s question.
I went to the city area a little away from the accommodation.
The landscape of a small desert town unfolded.
It was bleak.
In the morning under the hot desert sun.
Only the wind mixed with sand was blowing incessantly.
I saw residents lined up in the plaza full of wind.
It was a line lined up to receive food rations that Lloyd had brought from Ahinsha.
“It looks like everyone was very hungry.”
Xaviel frowned.
It’s not that it wasn’t, but the condition of the residents was not that good.
Most were rather dry.
The skin was also flawless.
Lloyd replied, clicking his tongue at the sight.
“It must have had to endure a long drought. Water is scarce and crops are not growing as much as expected. This is one of the most fertile places in the desert.
It was true.
It reminded me of the contents of the novel Iron Blooded Knight.
Kandara city here.
It was one of the places Xaviel passed through in the novel.
It was also a city that would eventually disappear after enduring several years of drought, with almost all its inhabitants dying and scattering.
‘But the Sultan didn’t take any action. Didn’t give alms to the residents. It even banned the free movement of its inhabitants. To stop the public sentiment Ivan. So in the end, everyone died while being stranded here.’
That’s what causes rebellion.
Resentment and antipathy towards the Sultan.
The hot flames pierce the sky.
Finally, the sultan is overthrown from power.
In other words, this was the trigger and symbol of the sultanate rebellion and civil war in the novel.
“Anyway, it was fortunate that the Sultan gave me the Padashar. If you know that food, the great and almighty sultan shot it?”
“After all, are you paying courtesy with other people’s money?”
“Whatever it is.”
Lloyd shrugged.
He looked at the residents receiving food from the attendants with a bitter look.
“Even if we brought food, those people don’t think we look particularly pretty.”
“It seems like something.”
It’s not that it’s not, it’s just a glance.
The eyes of the attendants and the residents who looked this way were not very good.
no correction.
It wasn’t to the extent that it wasn’t pretty.
Even while receiving food, he was wary of this side.
In the midst of apathy, there were also those who showed subtle hostility.
But Lloyd wasn’t in a bad mood at all.
It was because people knew why.
‘I have to come here by order of the Sultan.’
I signed a contract with the Sultan to order the construction.
I came here on his orders.
An escort warrior attached by the Sultan.
Even the attendants there.
I came with a spunky party.
So how did you see yourself in the eyes of the people here?
‘The sultan’s tail. Or a resentful minion. It’ll look like that.’
Lloyd’s bitter smile deepened.
This region has suffered from drought for several years.
However, in contrast to him, the affluent capital Ahinsha.
Ahinsha has always been rich.
It was a city that had nothing to do with drought.
The reason was simple.
It was because the Sultan was in Ahinsha.
‘The Sultan always spends a lot of money. I spent a lot of money, hired magicians, and mobilized thousands of carts and merchant ships to transport water to Ahinsha by various means.’
Thanks to this, there was never a shortage of water in Ahinsha.
On the other hand, what other provinces do not enjoy the favor of such a sultan?
Whenever a drought struck, they had to suffer.
The dry land.
Crops twisting on it.
I had to hug my child who died of starvation in despair while watching it with tears.
However, he could not leave such a barren and cruel place.
I couldn’t even dream of migrating to affluent Ahinsha.
because of identity.
‘Here in the Sultanate, the identities of the people are clearly divided. The status was differentiated by province. Citizens living in the capital Ahinsha are the highest class. Those who live in the metropolitan area around it are the next class. And in order of the lower classes living in the provinces.’
The closer they lived to Ahinsha, the higher their status.
Who are the low-ranking ones?
They were allowed to live only in the provinces appropriate to their caste.
In other words, once a person born into a lower class could not even set foot in the capital Ahinsha for the rest of his life.
‘Dirty beggar. it’s a shame But that doesn’t mean it’s seldom possible to raise one’s status. Should I say that the probability of winning first place in the lottery is higher?’
In other words, it meant that the low-status people of the Sultanate had to live in a drought all their lives.
‘That’s it. Antipathy towards the Sultan has accumulated throughout the Sultanate.’
If the work to eat and live in abundance, there would not have been a problem.
Indeed, it has been so for 200 years.
But what about the recent drought?
Residents’ dissatisfaction rose sharply.
The Kandahar region also had the same atmosphere in Kandara, the central city of the province.
Already, the Sultan seemed like an enemy to them.
It’s just that I can’t speak because I have no strength.
Of course, he, who came here on the orders of the sultan, would never look pretty.
Even if it means giving food.
‘of course. Those people aren’t stupid either. Giving food from time to time like this while tying you to live in pain for the rest of your life? i will never thank you Rather, you will feel like you are being taken care of like cattle. Even if it’s like me.’
Thinking that way, I could fully understand the hostile gaze of the residents here.
But it was also an unavoidable fact that I felt frustrated.
“after. I need your cooperation.”
“yes?”
A monologue that was spat out like a complaint.
did you hear that
Xaviel tilted her head.
He smiled and shrugged his shoulders.
“no. done. It’s enough to grasp the atmosphere, so let’s move.”
I led him to a place where there were few people.
He took out the twine from his bosom.
“Kkoming?”
“Kkoming!”
“I think we need to pick up and move us today. It’s hot. Will you be okay?”
“Komiming!”
“Ok, thanks.”
Kkomingi nodded as if there was no problem.
I stroked the boy’s round head.
I asked the other children in the inner pocket.
“Isn’t everyone hot?”
“Ppodong!”
“Bell!”
“Hamang!”
“Aren’t you bored or hungry?”
“kiss! room! under!”
Children who always say it’s okay and answer with courage.
I was grateful and proud of it.
“Yes, I’m glad. Then shall we depart?”
Kkomingyi was fed red sunflower seeds.
I rode on its back with Xaviel.
Soared with spread wings.
“To the west!”
“Kkoming!”
In an instant, I raised the altitude and escaped Kandara City.
It headed west and flew all the way.
Countless sand dunes passed below.
In the meantime, Lloyd activated his surveying skill.
To be precise, I activated ‘underground scanning’, an option for the surveying skill.
‘Let’s see.’
His eyes scanned the basement.
up to 5 meters below ground level.
I carefully moved my gaze so that there was no place to miss.
But Lloyd couldn’t find what he was looking for.
“No. Could it be that it is deeper than 5 meters?”
“…yes?”
“No, nothing.”
“….”
it’s nothing
But why does Lloyd-sama look embarrassed?
Xaviel, riding on Kkomingi’s back, felt suspicious.
‘I’m going to look at the area where the construction will proceed. Did you say measurement? But Lord Lloyd’s appearance is a bit different than usual.’
It seemed a little different from the usual surveying attitude.
It wasn’t just looking at the terrain.
It was obviously looking for something.
However, it seemed that it was rarely found.
‘What am I looking for?’
Xaviel had doubts.
But before I could figure out the answer to that question, the scenery below changed.
Kkomingi diligently flew to the west.
The shape of the desert disappeared beneath its wings.
I thought I could see sparse grass, but then the foot of the mountain spread out.
Streams of water flowing down from the mountain could be seen everywhere.
“More up.”
“Kkoming!”
Kkomingyi’s wings flew up the mountainside.
The wind grew colder. It got cold.
Finally, white ice caps unfolded under the wings.
Lloyd landed Kkoming on the snow.
And I looked at the snow field.
“Hmm. good. No contaminants. No bacteria. Of course, the salinity is also low. just right.”
A look of satisfaction flashed in Lloyd’s eyes.
This is the place where water is made for qanat.
When the ice cap melts here, it becomes a stream flowing through the foot of the mountain.
You can build a water intake along the stream.
The collected water is transported underground.
“So, what about you?”
“Hamang!”
“Let’s do some work today.”
“Hamaman!”
Lloyd pulled out the hamangi from his bosom.
Pointing to the snowfield, he kindly asked.
“Do you like ice snacks?”
“Hamang!”
“Is everything with water good?”
“Then is that okay too?”
“Hamaman!”
Hamang nodded as if of course.
A satisfied smile bloomed on Lloyd’s lips.
“Okay then. Let’s soak it up as much as possible and make it into water. Are you in Kandara? People there are very thirsty.”
“Hamang!”
It was from then.
As if Hamang had met his new world, the dodo also ran into the snow.
He took a bite full of pure white ice caps.
swallowed
The ice cap melted and filled my stomach.
Hamangi’s happiness index increased by that much.
“Hamaman! hamang! I hope!”
I continued to eat my eyes. rumble. filled the stomach Hamangi’s body grew rapidly. It finally inflated like a water balloon 70 meters in diameter.
“Does it make you feel better?”
“Hmmm! Hehe!”
Ha Mang-i happily replies as if he is completely satisfied.
A smile appeared on Lloyd’s face.
“good. Then let’s go back.”
“Hey!”
flew up again
Riding the Kkomingi, head farther east.
Hamang rolled around and headed east.
They descended the foot of the mountain and crossed the desert.
It was late at night when I finally returned to Kandara City.
“What are you doing, Lloyd? It seems that Sir Ha Mang came to bring water to the residents of this place.”
“Oh right. I brought it to give.”
“Then will you wait until morning?”
“huh? why?”
“Well, since all the residents are sleeping….”
“Then you have to wake them all up.”
“yes?”
Xaviel doubted his ears.
Lloyd grinned.
“Did you see it on the way to the foot of the mountain where the water intake was made today? How dusty.”
“yes.”
“I thought it would be almost 40 kilometers.”
“Yes it was.”
“So it is.”
Lloyd said as if it were natural.
“The construction distance is too far. We can never do this together. People here desperately need help. So, wake them up now and give them some water.”
“But giving and doing good….”
“It’s a law that has to make it clear. Ah, not like that.”
Lloyd grinned wickedly but rewardingly.
“Isn’t that how you get a lot of points?”
