Chapter 114: The Conqueror of the Fountain (3)
Splash.
Autumn must have arrived already. Lloyd withdrew his hand after he touched the lake water. It was colder than he thought. It was the same for the morning air”
It’s perfect weather to catch a cold.
After washing his face, Lloyd looked around the lake. Lake Kapua. It was a typical lake located in the mountains. But its size was obscenely vast. Because of the twisted and elongated terrain, his eyes couldn’t hold the whole area in one gaze.
I think it’s about the size of Lake Soyang.
Lake Soyang bordered Chuncheon, Yanggu, and Inje in Gangwon Province in South Korea. It was about 1,608 hectares in area, and its curve extended to about 1,200 yards. It was an expansive lake whose storage reached up to 2.9 billion tons.
Lloyd felt this place would be much the same.
Lake Soyang of South Korea and Lake Kapua in this mountain range. The two shared several similarities. First of all, they weren’t naturally formed. Lake Soyang was human-made, while Lake Kapua was constructed by King Storma. Due to the artificial construction, most of the lake water was stopped at a particular point.
If the stop gate for Lake Soyang was the Soyang dam, this place would be right there.
Lloyd gazed westward. His eyes were already glimmering from the faint wave of mana.
Ding Dong.
[Surveying skill has been activated.]
[Scanning will begin.]
Flash!
Lloyd studied the western side of the lake with a sharp eye. He closely looked at the geography and features of the area using his surveying skill.
This lake is basically a dam. If I had to compare, it kind of feels like a rockfill dam.”
A rockfill dam was different from a regular concrete gravity dam. While the latter was constructed by pouring concrete, a rockfill dam was composed of a mix of rock, pebbles, sand, and other ingredients. The dam King Storma had built was exactly like that.
King Storma used large amounts of rocks and pebbles, and on top of that, he weaved together entire trees”
Lloyd activated the “Subterranean Scanning,” which was an optional skill within the surveying skill. He then got a clear read on the composition of the ground down to a depth of sixteen feet. The inside of the dam was also made visible, albeit faintly. Though it wasn’t a complete scan, he was able to tell that the dam was so well built that it looked like an impenetrable fortress.
King Storma ripped out humongous trees by their roots.
The trees were then piled up, numbering thousands and tens of thousands, and in between the frames, King Storma used a massive amount of pebbles, rocks, and sand to fill up any empty crevices left behind. And as years passed by, sand naturally accumulated on the surface. As grass and trees started to grow on top, their roots entangled with each other and firmly set themselves in place. This became a key feature of the terrain.
I don’t even think dynamite is going to cut it.
Lloyd continued to be surprised as he laid his eyes on the lake. But he wasn’t worried because, right now, destroying the whole dam wasn’t his goal. Doing so could actually cause several million gallons worth of water to flood this whole place. Right now, the goal was to destroy only a portion of the dam.
Just small enough to still keep the entire dam structure intact.
It would be imperative to carefully calculate his plan.
Splash! Splash! Lloyd washed his face with the lake water after collecting the data around the dam with the surveying skill. And when the coldness of the water settled his thoughts, Lloyd activated the survey design skill to test out the collected data.
Ding Dong.
[Skill Option 3: Simulation mode has been activated.]
[The topographical data in the current design space will be available for simulation.]
Bzzt! A virtual design space appeared in front of Lloyd’s eyes, applying the data he acquired just now.
Flash!
All sorts of quantitative and qualitative data points of the area’s physical characteristics were displayed in front of him. The height of the topography and the chemical composition. All of those elements were reflected in the design space. Lines were drawn. The sides were overlapped. Just like that, the western area of Lake Kapua appeared in the virtual space—no different from the actual one.
Let’s begin.
Lloyd set about moving his hands, at times like a performer plucking a guitar string in arpeggio or tapping piano keys in staccato. Or like sliding the violin in glissando. Lloyd’s two hands freely moved around the virtual space, pulling a point, expanding a line, and flipping a side. Low hills were dug. Rocks were separated. Holes were dug. Lloyd destroyed, repaired, penetrated, and dug, repeating all sorts of tries and experiments. He ran all kinds of tests on almost all points of the dam that occupied the west of the lake. While that was happening, Lloyd was so engrossed in the job that he failed to notice the hard gaze coming from his side.
“…”
Javier quietly stared at Lloyd. He’s doing it again, said Javier to himself. Lloyd was in a trance, yes, but it didn’t look like he was meditating or was deep in thought. Instead, his eyes were glimmering brightly. He was busy scanning the landscape and staring into the distance. And his hands—they kept moving without a second of rest while his arms were busily outstretched in front of him.
Could it be that Master Lloyd can see something others can’t see?
No matter how much Javier thought about it, that was the only explanation he could come up with. And that made Javier more perplexed.
Master Lloyd can see things even I cannot see?
Javier’s neat eyebrows furrowed slightly. Of course, he had seen his young master do this several times before. But he had simply brushed it off, thinking that Master Lloyd sees and feels something he failed to see. After all, he wasn’t a sword master. But right now, he learned that it wasn’t the case.
When I became a sword master, my senses were perfected. And yet, I still can’t feel or see anything, just like before.
Javier’s senses transcended human capacity. He could pick up even the tiniest sound around him if he wanted. So much as a speck of dust and its energy could be sensed. And yet, he failed to pick up or see whatever it was that Lloyd saw at the moment. It was so even when he was right beside Lloyd.
What could it be?
Something visible to Lloyd but wasn’t to Javier. He racked his brain, but nothing came to his mind. It didn’t look like magic because he didn’t feel the mana.
A special power yet to be uncovered? Or is it just a habit he has when he focuses on something?
Pinch.
To test it out, Javier slightly pinched both sides of Lloyd’s cheeks. He then stood in front of Lloyd and waved his arms. But nothing. Lloyd didn’t react. With a focused expression and gaze, Lloyd kept on touching and waving in the air.
The more I learn about him, the harder it gets to make sense of him.
Lloyd Frontera. His young master. Javier wondered what this man was. He had thought he knew Lloyd well before. A hooligan young master who came to his senses.
But now, I can’t make sense of him anymore.
Despite the internal confusion Javier was going through, Lloyd remained focused on the design work. As Javier was staring at Lloyd, questions kept invading his thoughts. However, he willfully pushed them to the back of his mind, his blue eyes glimmering. Leaves, which were insensitive to his thoughts, kept falling to tap on his shoulders.
Three days passed, and the design was complete. At last, the demolition plan was finished.
“I am sure you know it already. Today, we will be demolishing a part of the dam that supports Lake Kapua.” Lloyd was standing in front of the 500 White Calvary, giving a speech”
“As such, everyone must be well aware of the goal of our job. Today, we are not destroying the whole dam. We will instead dig and break down just the designated area. Now, each of you has worked together with my civil engineers, and today’s job is the very reason that you familiarized yourselves with the shovel.”
Lloyd continued talking.
“Some of you might ask, ‘If the job involves shoveling only, why aren’t the civil engineers of the fiefdom joining us?’ That is an incorrect way of thinking. Their safety can never be guaranteed in this job. They will not be able to fend for themselves against King Storma that will be awakened by our demolition. They are not like you, the brave lances of the White Cavalry.”
Lloyd traveled the length of the formation and pointed at each of them one by one.
“I have no inkling of doubt that you are all very different from the engineers. Even if King Storma wakes up and fights back during our job today, you can get right into combat with the shovel in hand as you are strong and brave warriors. Am I correct?”
“Yes, you are!”
Lloyd’s obvious sweet talk was intentional, and it was meant to boost the ego of the lancers of the White Cavalry. They gradually started to feel happier hearing Lloyd’s words.
“Yes, indeed. This job is made possible because you are with me. Clumsy knights and boastful warriors don’t stand a chance against you. Who in the world would dare come down to this dangerous place to dig and wake such an epic evil monster and think to wield the shovel in the face of impending threats? Who else but the White Cavalry?! Am I right, or what?!”
“Wooo!!!”
“What are you?!” yelled Lloyd.
“The best of the best, the White Cavalry!”
“What’s the White Cavalry?!” yelled Lloyd once again.
“Valor! Honor! Bravery!”
“And we’ll do what today?!”
“Shoveling! With valor, honor, and bravery!”
At last, pride swelled among the lancers of the White Cavalry. It practically soared through the sky. Lloyd lifted his shovel high with a meaningful smile on his face and pointed at the demolition spot.
“Let’s go! Group one! Off you go!”
“Off we go!”
The shout kickstarted the demolition. The White Cavalry was overwhelmed with a soaring pride that all fears were driven out of them. Based on their overflowing stamina and valor, they shoveled continuously. And after the pep talk was over, Lloyd proceeded to grab the shovel by himself and move along with the group to actualize the demolition plan he had simulated countless times. Not a single thing deviated from the plan. The number of laborers was exact, and only the designated land mass was dug out. They stacked up with precision. The demolition was very detailed, so they went through the job with a fine-tooth comb to ensure that the lake water would not flood and that the structure would remain intact. Finally, Lloyd called Javier.
“Okay, just as I had explained to you,” said Lloyd, “Do you see the red marks drawn on four sides of the dam?”
“Should I break that area?” asked Javier.
“Yeah, using your mana blast. Make sure that it’s quick and clean at a perfect angle. Oh, and the spot will collapse right after it breaks, so run back here as soon as you hit it.”
“Does that mean I will be swept away by the rubbles if I escape late?” asked Javier.
“Yeah. Of course.”
“Will you then come to save me, Master Lloyd?”
“Why would I?”
“…”
“But I’ll make sure that you get compensated for the accident,” assured Lloyd.
“What are you saying…”
“And mourn your death anniversary. Not a year missed.”
“I… am still alive, Master Lloyd,” Javier griped.
“Well, just saying. Anyway, really, what are you waiting for? Go now. On the double.”
“Whew… I’ll go.”
Javier walked over to the demolition spot as he shook his head. The White Cavalry had courageously shoveled all throughout the morning. But now, the site was empty of people. Javier breathed heavily before drawing his sword.
“Hmm..”
Flash!
A ray of light flashed in his sword, and it penetrated the red mark. The ground trembled lightly. And by that time, Javier’s sword was already back to its sheath.
Kaboom!
A total of six mana blasts burst in a consecutive series. They uniformly penetrated and ruined the upper part of the dam after precisely following their intended path. And they finally exploded.
Crash! Rumble!
Explosion and demolition. Intentional and measured destruction. Just like that, a portion of King Storma’s dam crumbled for the first time in 300 years of its construction.
Rumble!
Hundreds of tons of piles of dirt and rocks slid down into the water, and its massive vibration shook the entire dam. But the dam remained solid, undestroyed. The same went for the lake trapped inside the dam.
It’s working. I succeeded”
Lloyd clenched his hands as he threw his gaze to the center of the lake. A small island was sitting there, but it actually wasn’t an island. Just like how beavers created their lodge by stacking up branches at the center of a lake, King Storma had built a massive nest at the center of his lake.
What about him?
Lloyd held a glint of nervousness in his eyes as he gazed at the nest. Today’s project wasn’t about the demolition. The objective was to demolish a part of the dam and wake the giant monster up and put him to work. That was the ultimate goal of mobilizing the White Cavalry in shoveling.
So stop sleeping and wake up, you sleepyhead. 300 years of hibernation is enough. It’s time for you to get to work. Repair the broken dam. Mark your territory day and night. Stop the eastern monsters that will flood here like a domino.
Wishing such, Lloyd clenched his hands. He gulped and stared at King Storma’s nest. Just then…
Wham!
The elevated nest that floated on the lake like an island… The huge trees that grew on its peak tumbled a little. A second later, it did once more.
Crash!
This time, the shake was a bit louder. Trees swayed back and forth in great motion.
Crash! Wham!
It now tumbled so hard that a willow tree fell. The same went for the upper part of the nest that supported the tree.
Thwack! Crash!
The entire nest rocked violently as though something giant woke up from its slumber and staggered half-asleep. And all of a sudden, something roared in horrifying terror as if it was letting out a griping grumble.
“Bibeong!”
Its vigor was so ferocious that it could upturn the whole world. But for some reason, the voice sounded similar to the cry of a fantastical creature in Lloyd’s ears. King Storma’s roar thundered through the lake.