Volume 2 Chapter 49 Let's Improve the Town Road System
The final night at Margrave Shield's territory had a lavish dinner party. The Maintenance Bureau members were also invited, like a small celebration. Among the dishes, I was surprised by what was served. When Margrave Shield visited the Sanroze territory, they served a certain dish. The dish was an arranged version of what they made then. Back then, it was "Hamburger," "Macaroni Salad," and "Tamagoyaki." But now, it was "braised hamburg steak" and "Tamagoyaki with Ham."
"Grandfather, this hamburger is delicious. What did you do?"
Alice took a bite of the braised hamburg steak. Her eyes grew wide as she asked Margrave Shield.
"Isn't it good? I discussed with the head chef using the recipe I received and made it myself. If Alice is happy, all our trouble was worth it. Aisha, I'm glad."
"Yes, but if it's this hamburger, it's so soft and easy to eat. I learned a really good recipe. Lydia, Cain, thank you."
Aisha narrowed her eyes to thank them.
"Grandmother, Cain liked the Tamagoyaki with Ham. It has a sweet taste and salty ham, very delicious."
"Oh, Cain is a gourmet. But balancing the flavors is tricky. Adding many ingredients makes it an omelet, which was the chef's hardest part. But I prefer the original sweet Tamagoyaki."
"Me too, Mother. That sweetness reminded me of the sweet porridge bread Mother made."
Lydia happily talked about old times.
The dinner party was lively with talks about food, Cain's "Cobblestone" work, and Alice's shopping. It was a very enjoyable evening gathering. Staff from the Maintenance Bureau were commended by Margrave Shield for their work. They looked a little nervous but also shared stories of their hardships. Margrave Shield listened seriously, which was impressive. When the leader listens carefully to the field, it boosts morale.
* * *
"By the way, Cain, when do you plan to leave tomorrow? I want you to carry out the "Cobblestone" conversion of the town we discussed."
"In that case, I'll leave early in the morning. I want to finish before Mother Lydia and others catch up."
"Sorry for changing the plan suddenly. Cain alone will be tough, so Doughton and the Maintenance Bureau members will come along. Please take care of it."
"If Mr. Doughton and the others are coming, I feel reassured. Mr. Doughton, please start from tomorrow."
"Understood, I will handle it. Thank you."
The next day, around sunrise, everyone gathered in front of the mansion. Cain and the others left ShieldCount territory. After several days of discussion, they decided to leave the town/street with 5 meters of cobblestone and 2 meters of dirt road. The reason was, during messenger runs, horses run at full speed and have horseshoes. Running over cobblestone with shoes might cause slips, so they left 2 meters of dirt road. Narrow parts would also be narrowed with dirt instead of cobblestone.
"Sir Cain, after leaving the castle gate, the road continues straight for a while. Shall we convert to cobblestone in 100-meter sections? We will set up flags ahead so please target them."
"If it's a straight, about 200 meters should be visible, but since it's the first time, let's do 100 meters. Everyone, please proceed."
Doughton and others mounted their horses and led the way. They set up 2 flags at 100 meters to mark the width.
"Alright, here we go! (loudly) [Stone]"
Cain recited [Stone], as usual, and the path began to glow. He touched the ground and turned it into cobblestones toward the flag. When they reached 100 meters, Doughton and others waved the flag.
"It might be pretty tough. We need a more efficient method. Now, let's move."
Cain could not ride a horse alone, so he rode with his guard knight. Barvish followed, moving in a wagon borrowed from Margrave Shieldress.
They continued moving and turning ground into cobblestones repeatedly. After about 2 kilometers of cobblestones, 2 hours had passed. At this rate, they couldn't reach today's camping site at all.
"Hmm, this is pretty inefficient. If we keep this up, Lydia mother will catch us. Barvish, Mr. Doughton, do you have any ideas?"
"Well, just increasing the distance is difficult," Barvish replied.
"How about Sir Cain moving first and checking the cobblestone path? Can Sir Cain also lightly pass mana through the ground?"
"Yeah, that might work. If I ride behind the wagon, checking the path, I might extend the distance I turn into cobblestones. Alright, let's do our best."
After the strategy meeting, Cain got on behind the wagon and moved, checking the path with [Mana]. Doughton and others stayed put and waited with the flag raised.
Cain started [Circulation], spreading a thin layer of [Mana] while moving. He traveled 200 meters first. Since he poured [Mana] into the ground, he could see the path not just visually but with [Mana] also. He used [magic] to turn the ground into cobblestones without problems.
"Alright, let's gradually extend the distance," Cain said. Everyone, please."
"""Yes."""
They gradually increased the distance, reaching about 500 meters in a straight line. They adjusted for uphill, downhill, and curves, changing the cobblestone distance each time. They arrived at today's camping site before sunset.
"Sir Cain, good job. It is wonderful. If we turn all the town roads into cobblestones, moving will be much easier. Traders and travelers will increase, and the town will develop," said the speaker.
Mr. Doughton imagined the town's future after the roads were improved and grew excited.
"Yes. If we can do this town road improvement, people who haven't come because the roads were bad will visit. The town's activity will increase."
Cain agreed with Doughton's opinion.
"Sir Cain, I want to ask one thing. How much magic strength do you put into turning the roads into cobblestones?"
"What is magic strength?"
"Yes. Magic strength here is used for materialization magic like this. Things made with magic can be undone with magic. For example, with water magic, you need water magic; with earth magic, you need earth magic. You can cancel it with 5 times the magic mana put in."
Cain and Doughton listened to Barvish's explanation while nodding.
"So, Sir Cain, I checked how much magic strength you used when turning the roads into cobblestones this time. Since you have a lot of earth magic mana like you, I think it's okay. But if you want, you can cancel the cobblestone magic."
"I see. In my case, I just increase the number of stones, so I didn't increase the magic strength. I think I only used normal magic strength."
"Is that so? Then, physical destruction is possible too."
"I see, since it is physically possible to break, it will chip or come off over time. That means regular repairs will be needed. Is this quite a hassle?"
"Sir Cain, wouldn't it be better for someone other than Sir Cain to handle the repairs? It might be difficult for someone like Sir Cain to do a large area at once, but for partial repairs, even a beginner user of [Earth magic] might be able to do it. If we turn this into a business, we can hire users of [Earth magic] who have been buried in the fields until now."
Mr. Doughton, who had been listening to Cain and Barvish's conversation, excitedly explained the idea he had come up with.
"That sounds great, let's make it a business. Mr. Doughton, once we arrive in the Sanroze territory, please finalize the details and propose it to Margrave Shield."
Cain was very happy to see what he was doing spreading further.
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