Chapter 38: Water Buffalo

We returned to our estate and held a meeting.

Participants were myself, Hans, Ryu, Ron, and Stein. Stein didn't seem particularly useful, but I invited him anyway to avoid him sulking. "So, this is the situation. Does anyone have any good ideas?" "Hmm..." Everyone fell into deep thought.

"There are two problems," Hans said. "One is the power source animal. We also need to consider something like a wagon for transportation." As expected of Hans, he narrowed down the key issues.

"Let's start by considering animals. Any opinions?" "No matter what you say, we're basically limited to horses or cattle, and since those can't be used, what can we do?" Stein made a reasonable point. Maybe this guy is somewhat useful. "That's right. Are there any other good animals?" "Hmm, maybe sheep, goats, or donkeys?" "None of those will work." "I heard that in the Land Kingdom's sea, there's a large sea mammal called a sea lion. Why not use that?" Stein, surprisingly, made a good suggestion. I'm reconsidering my opinion of him.

"Interesting idea," Ryu offered a practical perspective, "but how long would it take to negotiate with the Land Kingdom, secure these animals, and train them? It's worth trying, but will it work for an urgent situation?" "Hmm..." Are we already stuck? Is this hopeless?

At that moment, Yung arrived with tea. "Gentlemen, thank you for your hard work. I've brought tea." While distributing tea, she smiled seeing everyone's difficult expressions. "When you're stuck, it's time for tea. Why not take a moment to catch your breath?" "You're right. Let's have some tea."

"Oh, let's ask Yung. Are there any animals that can move things through mud?" Hearing this, Yung smiled brightly. "That's easy. There's a perfect animal in the southern region. Didn't you know, Hans?" "Huh, really?" "That's why you can't just study. You need to look outside sometimes." "Ugh..." "What's this animal? Please tell us!" "Ahem, in the south, there are water buffalo. They love mud and are incredibly useful in muddy fields. I think they'd be perfect." "What? Such a conveniently ideal animal exists?" "Great, Yung, can you ask your father to gather some water buffalo? This solves half our problem." "I'll write a letter right away. I'm happy to be of help." "Now, for transportation, we definitely can't use wheels." "How about river boats?" "We could also try sleds."

Various opinions were shared. They decided to actually create a muddy area and test different methods.

I ordered Daisy to create a muddy field in a corner of the experimental farm.

I hope something works.