Chapter 50: The Main Force

After running more tests, Gawain was convinced there was no need to continue.

Rebecca still couldn’t establish any connection with the crystal.

He then had Amber try, but the result was the same.

It seemed that no one except himself could use the crystal to contact the mysterious monitoring station high above. So what was the purpose of the crystal left behind by Gawain Cecil seven hundred years ago?

Gawain believed there were only two possibilities: either the Gawain Cecil from seven centuries ago was special, possessing a unique way to utilize these crystals; or… these crystals weren’t meant for him at all, but were left for his future self seven hundred years later.

The second possibility was especially chilling.

“Ancestor…” Rebecca looked at the old patriarch before her with some unease. After the confusing tests just now, though she didn’t know their purpose, she clearly felt she had failed again, and worried she had disappointed him once more. “Is it because my talent is too weak…”

“No, it’s not your fault. Amber tried just now too,” Gawain suppressed the swirl of thoughts in his mind and comforted her gently. “These crystals simply aren’t meant for ordinary people. I just thought to try you on a whim. By the way, tell me about your survey outside.”

At the mention of this, Rebecca’s mood brightened immediately. “Right, right! I was just about to say that! Ancestor, did you know from the start that this land had already been purified? I followed the boundaries you gave me and found only uncontaminated land—open, flat terrain with easy access to water. The farmers with me said this is the best place to start reclaiming the land…”

Gawain wasn’t surprised by her answer. Of course, he knew the situation here.

At least ten years ago, the pollution in this area had already receded—though no one in the kingdom was aware of it.

When exactly the magical tide’s influence faded around the Dark Mountains was unknown, but a century ago this was still a contaminated zone. Records from the then-thriving Cecil family’s outposts confirmed this. It was precisely because the magical tide’s pollution persisted that the mountain treasury remained hidden; otherwise, the Morn family might have retrieved those ancient supplies long ago. After the Cecil family’s upheaval and the Morn lineage’s end, the mountain treasury’s secret was lost, and the kingdom abandoned the southern border—a yearly disaster zone plagued by pollution. Naturally, no one knew when the magical tide finally subsided.

After all, the “Unclean Wind” still blew across the Dark Mountains every year. Even if the land’s pollution had faded, the toxic dust storms made this no place for settlement.

Gawain could only be certain of one thing: the clear overhead map stored in his mind showed no pollution here ten years ago.

The nearest noble domain was the Leslie family’s town of Tansan. According to Ansu law, nobles along the southern border were also responsible for monitoring the Gondor contamination zones. So Gawain guessed that Viscount Andrew probably knew, at least to some extent, that the magical tide’s influence was waning. But for a traditional noble relying on mines and a comfortable life, this temporarily stabilized land was likely not worth investing in. Plus, with the pioneer wave having cooled, the viscount probably never even sent anyone to check.

Gawain nodded and looked at Rebecca. “For now, the safe land is limited to the area I marked. The outer polluted zones may also be receding, but we’ll need to carefully survey them once the main force arrives. Don’t go there yet.”

The map in his mind was from ten years ago. The contaminated zone should have shrunk further since then, but exactly how much… well, the current satellite images had turned into some kind of “magical imaging” that couldn’t be adjusted, so Gawain had no way to confirm. This was the best plan for now.

Time kept moving forward. Thanks to Hetty’s efforts in spreading the word and the people’s gradual adaptation, the new work system finally began to show results. Workers started to realize that labor meant better rations, while those trying to game the system soon learned that watching others eat meat while you drank vegetable soup on an empty stomach was far worse. To Gawain, their clumsy attempts at loopholes were hardly clever, and his punishments were always merciless.

This was a matter of survival for everyone—there was no room for leniency.

Because the new system was working, the outpost camp was completed at an astonishing speed, ready to receive the main force. Under Gawain’s plan, the camp’s fences were extended several hundred meters south and east, leaving large open spaces for the seven hundred newcomers to pitch tents. Workshops for carpenters, stonemasons, and blacksmiths were planned, along with new storage areas for materials. He also ordered a temporary wooden dock built on the riverside, with a sawmill nearby to process timber floated down from the western forest.

Of course, the dock and sawmill were still just on paper. With only a hundred laborers, even with Hetty’s magic, construction was tight. At times like this, Gawain truly wished Rebecca could cast a spell other than fireball…

Standing on the high ground by the riverbank, Gawain watched a large wooden building nearing completion—a rare “house” in the camp, and a big one at that. It and the surrounding open space would serve as a temporary blacksmith shop. Though the mountain treasury held many refined metal ingots, they were mostly mithril, orichalcum, and purple copper and steel—Gawain wasn’t about to melt those down just to make nails.

The iron mine to the east had been roughly surveyed. Though it wasn’t time to dig tunnels yet, they had extracted some ore to test its quality. Once the blacksmiths set up their furnaces, the Cecil domain would officially enter the Iron Age…

What a headache.

Thinking about the impending magical tide and the mysterious monitoring station in the sky, then looking at the slow progress of the pioneer camp, Gawain couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh.

Amber, who was resting under a shade nearby, noticed his movement and frowned. “Why the sigh? Can’t I take a break here?”

“Don’t always think the worst of me,” Gawain said helplessly. “When have I ever really exploited you?”

“Arguing with you is fun!” Amber said with a self-righteous grin. “You’re the first high noble I’ve met who can argue and not get angry. It’s refreshing!”

Gawain turned his head away, ignoring her.

But Amber wasn’t giving up. “Hey, hey, you still haven’t said why you sighed.”

“Too slow,” Gawain shook his head. “Just too slow.”

Amber’s eyes widened. “You mean their work speed? Slow? Are you kidding?!”

She flailed her arms dramatically. “Have you no conscience? These are the fastest-working serfs and laborers I’ve ever seen! They finished the new fences in less than a day yesterday, and today they’re already building the blacksmith shop—you know how insanely fast that is?”

Then she muttered, “I saw you feeding them meat and banning whipping punishments—I thought you were a good person…”

Gawain glanced at her. “I am a good person. And I’m not blaming them for working slowly—I can see they’re not slacking. But overall… the camp’s construction can’t keep up with my plans. That’s a fact.”

“Your plans were unrealistic from the start,” Amber pouted, then eyed him suspiciously. “By the way, I’ve been thinking… you’ve seemed weird these past couple of days, like you’re carrying some heavy burden. You’ve been drawing all sorts of strange things on paper. Especially this morning—you started planning a fortress even though the camp’s barely framed. What are you so worried about?”

Gawain didn’t even look back. “Worried about the end of the world, the sky falling, and visitors from beyond.”

“You just won’t admit it. Hmph. But I’ve been watching you. I think it started when that red spot appeared on the sun! Since then, you’ve been restless…”

This caught Gawain off guard. He looked Amber up and down. “You’ve been watching me all this time?”

“I don’t have that kind of free time,” Amber said, hands on hips. “But your changes are obvious. Even your two great-great-granddaughters noticed, though they didn’t dare ask you.”

Gawain was stunned. “Really? It’s that obvious?”

After a brief pause, he began reflecting on his recent mood swings and how to adjust. Amber, meanwhile, rubbed her chin thoughtfully before suddenly asking, “What exactly are these ‘visitors from beyond’ you mentioned?”

Gawain: “…”

Her reaction was so unpredictable, like Brownian motion. He’d thought she hadn’t even paid attention to that phrase.

Just then, a small figure appeared at the edge of his vision. Betty, the little maid in a coarse dress, came running over, panting.

She stopped in front of Gawain, catching her breath, then blinked wide-eyed and said absentmindedly, “Lady Hetty wants you to come over.”

“Does she have something urgent?”

Betty thought for a moment. “I forgot!”

Gawain: “…”

Amber suddenly noticed Betty’s empty hands and asked curiously, “Where’s your precious frying pan?”

Betty looked up seriously. “Miss Rebecca said this is our new home now, so I put the pan in the kitchen.”

When they went out, she was responsible for carrying the cooking utensils, but once home, she put them back in the kitchen—that was what Mrs. Hansen had taught her.

By now, Gawain already knew why Hetty wanted him.

He had spotted figures appearing in the distance to the west.

The second wave of troops… had finally arrived.

(End of chapter)