Episode 182 Not long after Logan presented the proposal, Clayton announced the relocation of the Magic Tower.
“Why again! The design is all finished, so why come and build the Magic Tower again!! Argh!”
A dwarf who was leading the construction work was holding his head, and Logan was busy patting his shoulder and comforting him.
“Magic Workshop. Just hearing the name sounds cool. Think about it. The scene where the Magic Tower and the Great Workshop work together to produce an artifact. You become the owner of that Great Workshop.”
Startle.
Hamar, who knows a little bit about Clayton’s experiment, says something that may be tempting.
“Don’t you need a lot of magic to fortify it? It would be better for security if a large number of magicians were stationed inside.”
“Uhm, definitely…”
He also pointed out realistic points.
And finally.
“This is all for you. Anti-aircraft commander Hamar, ruler of the strategic city where the magic tower is located. How do you think?”
There is even a coaxing theory that stimulates the dwarf’s dark desire for wealth and fame.
“Okay, I’ll give it a try, master. Just trust me! The design will be revised in no time. Now, let’s build a strong fortress city that takes into account the magic of the magic tower!”
The ambitious dwarf’s eyes began to shine again.
However, there were some who found it difficult because of it.
“Why on earth are you putting ballistas on the ridge wall?! Who’s bringing siege engines up the mountain?”
The dwarves in charge of installing the fortress walls.
“Who wants to create a work of art instead of building a house?! Just create an efficient house according to the blueprint!”
Dwarves in charge of urban planning.
“This is enough support. All the earthen walls will be raised with magic, so now I will leave it to the wizards and the artisans will produce the detailed items. It will become the best mining city in the kingdom, so the residents should at least use iron tools!”
Dwarves were also placed in a temporary workshop.
The shadows under the eyes became darker as the days passed due to the strangely motivated leader dwarf.
Even the dwarves who tried to work hard because they were told that they could gain freedom by working for 20 years had a level of enthusiasm that they couldn’t understand.
Eventually, dissatisfied voices began to emerge among the new dwarves.
“Are we craftsmen or tools?”
“If I keep going like this, I will die from overwork before I get freedom.”
“Why on earth is the workshop leader working so hard?”
Time for a short break.
Three young dwarves keep complaining.
A creepy voice came from behind.
“Wonder why I’m so eager?”
“Hey!”
“bout!”
“I didn’t say anything…”
The three dwarves turned around in shock, but Hamar, who was actually the main character behind the words, just smiled and patted their shoulders.
“This city will become a shelter for us dwarves. Although it may not be a big city like Stormrage, which was the pride of our ancestors, it will be a big city where dwarves can live stably. My goal is to create that.”
“Isn’t your goal to gain freedom? After being liberated, go to the mountains…”
Geommaru, one of the young dwarves, began carefully.
“You mean following in the footsteps of our ancestors who disappeared beyond the southern mountains?”
Geommaru nodded as if it was obvious.
“yes.”
That is the dream of most of the different races who remained on the human-dominated continent and were reduced to slavery.
It was another name for hope that even Geommaru, who was born into human society with parents who were already slaves, not from a tribe that lived hidden in the mountains, had never forgotten.
however.
“How do you plan to cross the southern mountains? What about the monsters inside? Even if you are lucky enough to survive, if you get caught by the legendary monsters deep in the southern mountains, you will be better off dead, right?”
“Wasn’t that just talk?”
“If that were really just a rumor, humans would have already pioneered the southern mountains.”
At those words, the young dwarves who knew even a little bit of human history and had lived in human society since birth were speechless.
“I was like that too when I was young, but I thought that if I entered the southern mountains, some kind of ancestral spirit would appear and help me, but that’s absolutely not the case.”
“Hamar, how can you say such a thing…”
Geommaru gets angry with an angry face.
Hamar ignored it and continued calmly.
“What if we could handle the earth spirits like our ancestors and create spirit weapons? Even if we go in now, we will be annihilated. Otherwise, the only thing we can do is hide in another mountain and live in trembling hope that the slave hunters will not come looking for us.”
The faces of the young dwarves all darkened at that solemn assertion.
The truth that I had been trying so hard to ignore was brought to my eyes by an adult of the clan.
however.
“So I decided to look for other possibilities.”
The adult who had sent despair grinned and said something else.
“yes?”
“As I mentioned in the welcome address, the lord of this place is incredibly friendly towards us.”
For some reason, Hamar trembled slightly as he said those words, and when he looked at me with puzzled eyes, he hurriedly cleared his throat and turned his head.
“Ah, I’ve been a little busy lately. Anyway, that’s not important. Hmm. With the help of the lord, I want to make this city into a big city where we dwarves can live comfortably.”
“…yes?”
“I couldn’t be honest about it during the welcome greeting because I thought there would be opposition like you, but it’s a settlement, not a stepping stone. That’s the future of this city in my opinion.”
“Lord Hamar…”
“But is that really possible? Humans only think of us as slaves…”
“Even if the current lord is friendly, if the future lord overturns that promise, it will all be over. “Isn’t it flying?”
“So we have to sign a contract.”
“Yes? Contract…?”
“If we show results and prove our worth, we will be able to write a magic contract worth 10,000 gold. Then, for a certain period of time… well, according to Macline standards, it would be 20 years. After that period, we will be able to retain our freedom and rights. “It’s about writing a contract that specifies what will be guaranteed to the lord and his successor from generation to generation.”
“Ah…”
At Hamar’s words, the expressions of the young dwarves changed completely.
For dwarves with an average lifespan of 300 years, 20 years was not a long period of time.
If that is the period to achieve true freedom.
When they arrived, the meaning of Hamar’s words and the past 20 years was engrained in the hearts of the young dwarves.
“Rather than hiding in the mountains, a life in a big city where we can use the things we make at a fair price and enjoy our rights. Isn’t that wonderful?”
“That’s right.”
“Yes that’s right.”
“We will also actively cooperate!”
“Okay. Thanks for letting me know.”
Hamar smiled kindly and hugged each of the young dwarves.
and.
“Please try a little harder to create a city where our people can live freely. Even if the work is a little difficult.”
“Yes! Sorry for complaining, Hamar.”
“I’m really sorry!”
“No, no. You can complain about work as much as you want. You might be stressed. I can understand that. If you can relieve your stress by cursing at me, you can do it as much as you want.”
“Oh no! From now on, I will do my best without complaining!”
“Yes. As long as I achieve results and can write that contract.”
“Yes. Until the contract is signed!”
The young dwarves swore with firm eyes.
“Yes. Please continue to do your best.”
Hamar pats their shoulders again and turns away.
He now seemed almost like an adult in the eyes of the young dwarves.
They could not have guessed that Hamar’s grandiose dream was made hastily only two months ago.
and.
“Now there are 52 children who volunteered to write a slave contract. Let’s cheer up a little more. Anti-aircraft leader Hamar, ruler of the mining city of Taren!”
The dwarf’s eyes, burning with ambition, were looking around for another victim.
* * *
“Master. The construction of the outskirts of the fortress has been roughly completed, and the houses for the workers to live in have been completed. Preparations for the development of the mine are also nearing completion.”
“Okay, thank you for your hard work. So I guess we can kind of get out of the mining business now?”
A light question accompanied by a compliment.
However, Hamar, who has known Logan for a long time, felt the malice(?) mixed in that light question and answered reflexively.
“No, master. But I still have to supervise each step and check the intermediate process…”
“That means you only have to supervise.”
“…Hmm. Hmm. That means that since the city planning is quite large-scale and the road to drill the ore vein is deep, there is a lot of work to do just for supervision.”
Hamar persistently tried to avoid that malicious intent.
“Leave the supervision to someone else. You have other things to do.”
Wow.
“Huh? Did you grind your teeth just now?”
“Hahaha. That can’t be possible, master. It’s just because my outer teeth are itchy.”
“That’s right. The person who will become the head of our Tsushima workshop can’t do that.”
“Ahaha. But what are you trying to order me to do again…?”
Hamar asked carefully, pressing the corners of his trembling eyes, but the answer he received was unusual.
“There’s some wasteland in front of you, right?”
“A little wasteland? Oh… you mean that wasteland where you could walk for three days and still not see the end?”
A strange sense of déjà vu began to become evident.
Hamar hesitated and took a step back due to an ominous feeling.
“Yes. It’s a little longer from north to south. To the south, the lower Luther River flows behind shallow hills, and to the north, the Tenon River flows behind mountain ranges, right?”
“No way….”
“Find a location to build a dam through the mountain and report it. I will tell Dwayne about the waterway crew, so they can be mobilized.”
“I knew that!! Why?! Why me again?!”
Nightmarish memories of being dragged around for two weeks, losing sleep all night, just to find a location to build a dam, and being transported back and forth between the two places without a single day of rest on the horse of that cursed squire of Kaisolon, in order to supervise and direct the gold mine and dam construction at the same time. .
That memory was waiting for him in an expanded form.
“Please, please tell me it’s a lie, master. Huh?!”
Hamar looked at me with earnest eyes.
“What can I do when you are the only dwarf who has ever made a dam? I told you about it to Clayton, so he will be of sufficient help at the Magic Tower. Is that okay?”
“It’s not okay! It’s not okay!!”
“Yes. As expected, it’s Hamar. I like your confident answer.”
“Listen when the dwarf speaks!!”
“I’ll leave it entirely up to you to handle the work. I’ll make sure to report from time to time.”
“Who am I talking to now…”
“You weren’t talking to me, were you?”
“Why do you only listen to things that benefit you?!”
“Yes, I’m glad you’re full of energy. Cheer up.”
“Aaaahhh! Really!!”
thud.
Logan left Hamar’s screams behind and closed the door to the temporarily constructed office.
‘Once the fortress city of Taren is completed and mining of magic stones begins, it is as if a well of money has been created that never runs dry. Now all that’s left is….’
Crowne’s research journal.
Possibly the possibility of mass production of Zercle Artifacts within it.
It would depend on Clayton’s performance.
‘You have to keep in mind that the worst case scenario may never be reproduced. Then, clearing this wasteland is the end of preparation.’
Developing magicite mines and clearing the wastelands of Taren to create plains.
Once that was completed, all of Logan’s territory development plans to deal with the Empire would finally be realized.
A lot of food and a lot of money.
Assuming that all is accomplished, all that remains is….
‘Collecting information about the empire and improving the constitution of the entire kingdom. Especially military power.’
Four years ago, I had no idea if this would really happen.
I crossed the 9th ridge of the plan I had made at that time.
‘Be careful, be careful. In times like these, be a little more cautious. We must not repeat the mistakes of the Tomodo period and the civil war.’
Logan clenched his fists as he tried to control his nervousness as the future seemed so close to his grasp.
Let’s proceed a little more calmly and cautiously.
Logan, who had made up his mind, sent a magical communication to McLane’s territory.
“Send Damian Nadal to Taren. Oh no, I’d rather go to town. Just figure out how much budget you have available now.”
[Yes, I understand. But what are you going to do?]
“I’ll go back and tell you. Just get ready for now.”
At that time, I was putting together the puzzle for the greater cause one by one.
[Logan. Come up to the capital as quickly as possible. An urgent matter has come up.]
I received a call from my teacher.
