Let's Build a Tunnel!

After the establishment of Arcadia, all the divisions immediately got busy with their respective tasks.

Binya from the Finance Division began thinking about the funds required for Arcadia's construction and the well-being of the surging population of new residents.

She also sought ways to make a lot of money quickly, which turned out to be quite easy because Death Valley was a treasure trove.

Nearly everything found there could be sold at a high price elsewhere. Binya couldn't understand why Cien didn't expand his business with all the natural wealth there.

"I can't leave from here, Binya."

"But, Milord, don't you have the villagers and connections to Princess Sravati and Viscount Amary? Why not use that?"

"I've used them. There's many orders from them."

"Tsk, tsk, that's still not enough. Their orders are too few."

"That's because I'm just one person. Do you think making weapons is easy? So is hunting for materials. We're short on manpower."

Binya then grinned widely, "Hehe, that's why, Milord, I've gathered the craftsmen who came with us from Marina. For material issues, the Logistic Division and Defense Divisions will collect them. I hope you're willing to teach the new craftsmen so our production can increase even more."

Hearing this, Cien's eyes twitched.

"I'm truly glad to meet you again, Binya. But, this really reminds me of the work hell you created back in Westya. Don't you think this is excessive? My workload is piling up, and I don't have the time to teach them. At least not for now."

Unfortunately, even though Cien grumbled like that, he had no choice but to do it.

There were now about twenty new craftsmen divided into ten blacksmiths, seven woodworkers, and three alchemists.

Having three alchemists right from the start was good news for Cien. They were quite rare and valuable. Who would have thought they would be willing to move to such a remote place?

"Death Valley is a paradise for alchemists. There are many rare materials here that are unknown elsewhere. If there's a safe place in this cursed land, only foolish alchemists would refuse to come here," explained one of the alchemists named Heimdal.

"Ah, I see... of course."

Cien's reaction, feeling that the alchemists in front of him might be clever but reckless, while those who refused were foolish but logical. After all, who would risk their life to come to Death Valley?

Well, in the end, he was thankful for the arrival of the alchemists. This would reduce his workload in making potions or antidotes.

Cien taught the blacksmiths, woodworkers, and alchemists about the recipes they would be working on for the next few weeks, perhaps even months.

He also asked Cedric from the Development Division to build a new iron forging place, a workshop, and, of course, a new laboratory.

All of these would be located at the back of the store or, more precisely, in the space in front of the cave wall. This area would become the craftsman district.

Cedric understood and allocated some workers to start building the new facilities. Currently, there are several major construction projects underway.

First, housing for the residents was the top priority.

These houses would be built in the area of the previous settlement and would continue to expand into the new areas that Cien had designated, extending towards the riverbank.

In addition to housing, Cedric had also begun preparing for the construction of a large wall.

Although Cien felt it was unnecessary due to the protective formation already in place, Cedric and Mia argued that the wall was needed for the residents' peace of mind.

Cien's protective formation wasn't visible, which left the residents feeling anxious and fearful that they might lose that layer of protection without knowing it.

With a wall surrounding them, they would at least feel a sense of security behind its tall barrier.

While it might not be incredibly useful, it would serve as a symbol of reassurance for the residents.

The next construction project, aside from housing and the kingdom wall, was the reservoir.

This project had been underway for a while but had progressed slowly, mainly due to a lack of manpower.

Now, the project was running smoothly, and Cedric himself considered it crucial. With over three thousand people, a few wells and Water Magic were far from sufficient for their water needs.

The estimated completion time for the reservoir was now about three months, which was far shorter than Cien's initial estimate of possibly taking a year.

"This is the power of having a thousand people!"

Despite being pleased with the large workforce, Cien couldn't escape the growing pile of tasks that came his way.

Just like right now, Cien and several others arrived at the foot of Mount Ceres.

This towering mountain was located in the southern region of Death Valley or the northern area of Westya. The valleys between Mount Ceres and Mount Lokoya were what now constituted the home of Hela, known as Death Valley.

So, what was Cien doing in this dangerous place? After all, his protective formation didn't extend here.

In simple terms, Cien wanted to create a tunnel.

A tunnel that would serve as a direct passageway from Death Valley to the northern part of Westya.

He undertook this task due to the devastation of the Farnodt Kingdom, which had made the region difficult to traverse.

Moreover, there was currently a conflict over the former Farnodt territory between Huntara and Westya.

Even though Niles was no longer alive, Cien still had to fulfill Halima's orders and send it to Ashur. After all, he was a merchant. Violating a business agreement with Halima, even if it was only a verbal agreement, would tarnish Cien's reputation.

Furthermore, the people of Mandora still needed the antidote for Lusting. If not addressed promptly, Mandora could follow Farnodt's path to destruction.

After considering various options for delivering Halima's order from Death Valley, this route was chosen: creating a tunnel that would lead directly to northern Westya.

Not only would this make the delivery easier, but the new route could also become a trade route between Arcadia and Westya, especially since one of Cien and Luis's friends ruled the northern region of Westya.

Now, the problem was how to construct this long tunnel.

It wasn't just dangerous because it was beyond the protective formation, but tunnel construction itself could take a long time—perhaps a minimum estimate of one year.

Cien couldn't afford to wait that long, as Mandora might fall before then.

Therefore, since conventional construction methods were not feasible, Cien opted for a new approach, using magical objects.

Cien created two types of magic wand, each with a different Earth Magic spell.

The first was the "[Dig]" spell, and the second was the "[Harden]" spell.

Cien made ten of each type of magic staff initially, with plans to make more if the required materials became available.

Obtaining specific skills from Monster Cores was a challenging and unpredictable process, and Cien didn't want to wait indefinitely.

The people accompanying Cien included a group from the Development Division led by Lotte, a group from the Logistics Division led by a man from Marina, and finally, the First Squad or Moon Squad from the Order and Defense Division led by Kirana.

Lotte, after feeling out the terrain in front of her, nodded to her subordinates.

One of them then used the Earth Wand provided by Cien to try and excavate the tunnel's entrance. Lotte had already marked the location where the magic had to be released.

"[Dig]!"

The person chanted, and the ground at Lotte's marked spot instantly dug itself five meters deep.

"Wow~"

Those who witnessed it, including Cien, were impressed by the sudden transformation.

"It seems to work, Your Majesty. With this, the construction might proceed faster. However, it's a pity that the spell can only dig five meters at a time. How many meters could be dug if all the mana in one staff is used?"

Lotte asked, amazed at Cien's ability to create magical tools that eased construction work.

"Don't call me Your Majesty. Sigh... five meters because he used only a small amount of mana. If he uses more, it might go deeper, but it would be dangerous if the ceiling isn't reinforced first."

"Oh, that's right."

"As for how deep the tunnel can go with one magic staff, I don't know myself. We'll have to see for ourselves."

Lotte smiled, "Okay. Let's try to expend as much mana from all the wands as possible by evening. After returning to Arcadia, we'll evaluate our future plans."

Cien agreed with a nod. He then looked around at the seemingly deserted area but sensed many lurking presences in the distance. Many monsters appeared to watch Cien and his group as prey.

"Hmm, looks like you're going to be busy, Kirana."

"That's good then. It'll be good training for the new recruits."

Kirana, who had been teaching them the basics of military skills for the past few weeks, now saw it as time for them to undergo practical combat training.

That's why Kirana was pleased to take on the mission as Cien and the others' bodyguard.

Kirana activated a spell that created a layer of water within a twenty-meter radius around them, allowing her to sense the direction of incoming threats. After that, she instructed her squad members to get into the positions they had been taught.

Cien observed the new military recruits. Despite being new, they followed every order with great discipline. What's more, there was no panic on their faces.

Well, of course, even though they were new, they were former military or adventurers from Marina.

So for Cien, seeing the new squad members was like providing a sense of security for those being protected.

In the end, when it was time to go home in the evening, Cien hadn't done any work at all. He simply observed while reading or studying recipes on his phone.

All the monster threats were handled by Kirana and her squad. Materials from the monsters were managed by the Logistics Division. As for the tunnel project, Lotte was overseeing it.

Cien hadn't expected to have a day off when he had to leave Arcadia.

'Maybe I should join them again tomorrow.'

He thought, but unfortunately, that hope faded when the evening evaluation concluded.

Lotte and the others didn't need Cien at the tunnel site. Instead, they needed him to make more Earth Wands.