Chapter 139: The Leader for the Weary (2)
Swaaaa! There was a heavy downpour, countless raindrops soaking the eastern range and gathering in its slopes and valleys. They flowed down to the lower ground, that is, toward Frontera county, until it filled up the terraced fields.
Splash! For thousands, tens of thousands of years, the water current originally flowed through the natural slopes. But not this time. A man-made terraced terrain stood in its way, causing the water to fill up the areas reserved for paddies and fields and the backfill by a large volume. Then, it gushed out of the spaces between the gabion retaining wall.
Sweet!
Lloyd shouted inwardly as he busied around the site, rain soaking him. Each time, he activated the Subterranean Scanning to observe in real-time how the water drains out from the backfill. The result was highly satisfactory.
The water is successfully draining right now. The earth inside isn’t running down, and it’s neither tilting nor sinking. Wow. Is this real? I can’t believe I made this.
Satisfaction swelled over Lloyd as he checked the result with his own eyes. He wondered what his university professor would say about it if the latter saw the finished output. He would be showered with praise, given an A+, and dragged straight into graduate school.
“…”
Lloyd immediately jolted himself out of his trance by shaking his head to focus again. It was the rainy season now, so it served as the best opportunity to test the functions of the retaining walls against harsh conditions. Throughout the season, Lloyd kept testing and observing, and nothing gave way or showed signs of collapse. In other words, the construction was perfection itself.
Okay, onto the next part.
Lloyd proceeded to the next step of his plan. Things weren’t over just because the retaining wall was constructed. Now, it was time to distribute the land to the people.
“Please sign all of these,” said Lloyd.
“These…? All of them…?”
“Yes.”
Thud! Lloyd dropped a thick stack of documents on the desk, and its leg jerked with a noise. Count Frontera flinched and moved back before looking up in a daze, wondering whether the tower of papers could touch the ceiling.
“What is all of this?” asked Count Frontera.
Lloyd grinned and said, “These are the contracts and the construction attendance confirmation papers.”
“Contracts? And attendance what…?”
“To explain it succinctly, it’s the list of the refugee workers who volunteered for the terraced rice fields and the register of their working hours,” explained Lloyd.
“…”
“I asked the workers to stamp the register every time they arrived at the site, had lunch or a snack, and at the end of the day when they left for home. That is, I asked all the refugee workers to do so.”
“Wh-why?”
“It’s my way of meticulously managing the project. And to avoid proxies,” reasoned Lloyd.
“What do you mean, Lloyd?”
“Some may pretend they worked when they actually didn’t. It can easily happen in a disorderly site that’s poorly managed. Especially right now when they have the opportunity to receive shares of fields and paddies in return for their labor.”
Lloyd shrugged because it was true. From the beginning, he wrote the contract and promised that their hard work would be paid in the form of reclaimed lands. So he encouraged them to participate in the construction site as much as their stamina allowed them.
But not everybody is as hardworking as their employers think them to be.
No matter where you went, there were always people that worked their fingers to the bone and became a freeloader. Lloyd thought that would be no different here.
“So I paid special attention to managing the work register, ensuring that proxy attendance is impossible. And the outcome is this tower of papers,” explained Lloyd.
“Then… I should-”
“You just need to sign them, my lord.”
“…”
“I, Sir Asrahan, and Sir Bayern double-checked the contents prior. And we have sorted it out in the order of most hours worked.”
“…”
“We had to stay awake for three days straight to sort them. And compared to that, I’m only asking you to sign them.”
“…”
The count feared that all this signing might break his wrist by the time it was done. But even though he let out a sigh, Count Frontera didn’t turn down Lloyd’s request because he knew more than anyone else how his son had broken his back to oversee and commandeer the construction.
He really did. It was hard to see him even during mealtimes.
Count Frontera had grown concerned that Lloyd was overworking himself and that the latter would faint as a result of it. Fearing that Lloyd might fall ill, the count wanted to help in any way he could. He put on his thinking cap, but nothing really came to mind. So, he decided that the best way to help his son was to quietly cheer on Lloyd and manage the refugee camps so that its operation wouldn’t affect the construction project. That was the best the count could do, and thus, he spent the entire winter doing so, and such determination remained the same today.
“I see. I see that you are right as I listen to you. You have worked so hard lately, and it would be shameful if I refused to help you out by refusing to sign this.”
“Haha. Right?”
“Indeed,” agreed the count.
“So, I ask that you finish it by tonight.”
“Eh…?”
“Thank you, my lord.”
Slam! Lloyd immediately ran out of the office after he was finished. The count was left alone and dumbfounded.
Creak. The desk leg jerked with noise once again, breaking the silence in the office. That night, the maids and servants went to bed as they heard the count grumble as he grabbed his right wrist and signed the papers through the night.
Lloyd’s plan was smooth sailing. In return for Count Frontera’s sacrifice of his wrist, the distribution of the reclaimed land took place in an easy manner.
“Okay, your total work hour is… Oh wow, you’re on the lead,” said Lloyd.
“Oh, I see,” said the man.
“Let’s see. You have more choices because of your total working hours. Why don’t you look here first?”
Flap! Lloyd opened a large map on the table. It was the map of the terraced fields, and Lloyd directed at several points on it.
“Here. And here. Here too. They’re not so elevated, so it will be easy to travel. The drainage is working very nicely as well, but more than that, look at the shape of the field. It’s perfectly squared, so it’ll be convenient for you to sow seeds, harvest, and manage the land.”
“Oh, then I will go with it, young master,” said the man.
“Here? Good. Here’s the contract. You remember how I told you to write your signature last time, right?”
“Of course, young master,” said the man, “thank you so much for your kindness!”
Prior to coming here, Lloyd had organized and sorted out the working hours and other details of every refugee worker that helped reclaim the mountain. The distribution of the land took place based on this data and noted contribution.
This is how it should be done. Of course.
The hard workers received good parts of the land, while those who worked perfunctorily got the corners and smaller areas. Naturally, some grumbled, but they were a small minority. Even those who received not-so-good lands accepted Lloyd’s distribution. After all, Lloyd had proof. He had kept the work register with a fine-tooth comb. On top of that, the awe-filled public image Lloyd had promoted during the construction worked nicely to his benefit.
The young master is an incomparable genius. Not simply because he’s a noble. He’s just on his own level.
Such a public image of Lloyd was formed among the refugee workers. So even if the relatively poor lands were shared with them, most accepted it without complaint. It was Young Master Lloyd’s decision, and it was beneficial to obey the results, they believed. Plus, they were acutely cognizant of their place. They had come here with nothing, so it was an act of great favor to give them a place to stay and work. Once the land distribution was finished, positive messages appeared to float in front of Lloyd’s eyes.
Ding Dong!
[You have completed distributing the terraced fields in the Frontera fiefdom.]
[In this process, you have applied the retaining wall theory in real life for the first time on the continent. Your construction will be etched in the Lorasian history of civil engineering and present a new path for countless students.]
[You are now one of the ten most prominent civil engineers in the history of the continent.]
[Students of civil engineering will sigh and blame you for expanding the scope of their school tests.]
[For that achievement, you have been awarded a large amount of bonus RP.]
[You have acquired 800 RP.]
[Current RP: 4,070]
Yes!
Lloyd clenched his fists as he read the message. But it wasn’t because his name was going to be remembered in history. That was trivial. What thrilled him was the large amount of RP he was awarded.
800? Okay, I earned back the RP I used when I summoned Ggoming from the random game.
Although he didn’t fully earn every RP he had lost, Lloyd was content with this reward. But that wasn’t the end.
Ding Dong!
There came another dinging sound. At the same time, a series of new messages appeared.
[You have not only helped the refugees but also performed a great feat of successfully finishing a project, which will promote their independence and stability.]
[For this, tens of thousands of refugees are wildly cheering you.]
[You have earned a new title.]
[A new title
[The Leader for the Weary]
[Title Level: Fiefdom history]
I lost my home. I ran out of food. I didn’t even have fire to warm me. I roamed without aim. Aha, this is how it ends for me. My tears and sighs were endless. I crawled, comforting my starving child. I wandered for a place to die. There was no paradise in sight. Not even somewhere to lie down. I gave up and despaired. Then, I met him. That was when I finally realized. Someone held out his hand to me. To me, who had given up on myself. I realized that there was one person left to save me.
[Compliment Effect: The refugees settled in Frontera county sincerely revere and look up to you. They will work the land in their utmost capacity to pay off their debts. For the next 30 years, the terraced fields will have 300% more chances of a bumper crop. The crop will be raised by 200% on default.]
[Title Region: Frontera county.]
[Active Period of Title: 30 Years.]
[A title’s powers can be activated for 24 hours in the region for which the compliment was given. Moreover, time and region can expand or shrink depending on your actions.]
[Monthly CP Earned from the Title: 3]
[Current CP: 108]
Wow.
The corners of Lloyd’s lips rose to his ears after he read the message.
Now, this is what I’m talking about!
The chances of a good harvest would be increased by thrice, and the crop would double by default. Lloyd quickly did the math.
So, my crop will automatically double for the next 30 years. Considering the vast land mass of the terraced fields…
This was a jackpot, to say the least. The terraced fields were as vast as the Maritz land, but its yield was now double the latter’s. And if there was a good harvest…
The yield crop would increase by six times.
This was a prime example of hitting the jackpot. To put it into perspective, it was the same as having a monthly income of 3,000 dollars to be doubled over the next 30 years.
Wow…
Lloyd now had one less problem to think about. With this amount of yield, he didn’t need to worry much about the refugees going forward in the future.
Actually, the supplies from the palace barely met my needs. But now, I don’t have to worry about food starting next year. No more reclamation from now on. Goodbye to reclamation construction!
Lloyd actually had been planning on expanding the range of the reclaimed land after observing the situation in the terraced fields. He figured that was how he could depend less on the palatial supplies and remain independent, which was especially crucial during emergencies. So, he prepared himself for the reclamation that would take place in the future. But now, thanks to the title he had just earned, he could scrap that plan. There was less work now, and Lloyd was closer to living high off the hog.
Argh…! I love it!
Lloyd threw himself on the bed, flailing his arms and legs wide in overwhelming joy that was so intense it made his face red. He didn’t give a hoot about his behavior as no one was around. And after a long while of basking in elation, he looked at the ceiling as he collected his breath. Soon, rationality was restored. And the first thing that came to his mind was…
Time for an interim inspection.
Out of the blue, Lloyd wanted to know if he was doing things right. He wanted to know whether pushing ahead with the status quo would be all right. He questioned whether it would be a good idea to look over his broader plan at this juncture.
Actually, something doesn’t feel right these days.
It was true. He couldn’t put his finger on this feeling. But it just came randomly. This weird feeling. Was it his cautious personality at work? Or stress? Maybe, he said but shook his head later.
No. The situation isn’t all bright and positive right now. Right now, if I approach this situation objectively, I know that danger is present all around me.
Everything seemed to be flowing well on the outside. After all, the apartment complex was constructed without any issues, and the terraced fields were completed successfully. On top of that, he now had a new title that ensured massive crop yields. As such, everything looked perfect. But… what if something went wrong? What if he faced an unexpected problem?
It could affect the refugees settling here. Or the reclaimed land might not operate very well.
That could seriously hamper the development of the fiefdom. In the worst case, the entire fiefdom could crumble and fall apart.
The population here grew way too fast.
Frontera county developed so much that everything had to be perfect. Otherwise, one wrong thing could be a challenge to clean up.
Any failures will just hurt me. I might have to spend the rest of my life working my ass off to clean up the mess. Seriously, I shouldn’t ignore this weird feeling that grips me at times these days.
It was rare that such a hunch was wrong.
It’s something that we all develop after years and years of living and trying to survive. It’s sort of like a big data file of life. I think this gut feeling is quite credible.
Lloyd deliberated for a while. And he reached a decision.
Let’s use it. I’m going to use the Ending Spoiler.
Lloyd had quite a lot of CP anyway. He opened his skill window and selected the Ending Spoiler skill.
Ding Dong.
[Skill Name: Ending Spoiler]
[Skill Class: ???]
[Required CP: 40 (Second)]
[You can take a peek at the portion of the ending scene that will unfold in this story by spending some of the CP. It may have a happy or sad ending.]
The CP cost twice more than the first one, but Lloyd didn’t care much about it. He selected the “Activate” button at the bottom of the skill window.
[Skill Name: Would you like to use the Ending Spoiler?]
[Current CP: 108]
[YES / NO]
Duh. YES.
[Skill Name: Ending Spoiler has been activated.]
[You have used 40 CP.]
[Current CP: 68]
Right after he tapped the yes button…
Crackle…!
Time gradually stopped around him. The tilting afternoon sunlight remained fixed and frozen, and the thick dust that came about after Lloyd’s violent expression of joy halted midair. And a round and blue pathway appeared five steps ahead of him. Lloyd saw a milky area within it. He had experienced this before. Thus, maintaining composure, Lloyd started to move, and he stretched his hands into the milky area inside the portal.
Splash… Flash!
Everything turned blindingly white. Lloyd felt nauseated for a split second. He then slowly opened his eyes and saw the ending scene of this story. The end of the secret came into his view. Just then…
What is this…
Lloyd’s eyes enlarged in surprise when he saw it.