Author and His Land Reclamation Project

Chapter 13: Author and His Land Reclamation Project

My plan was to concoct a necessary amount of Wutang Repellant to repel the beasts ..., it hasn't been discovered yet, but whatever, the name stuck like that anyway. The Wutang Repellant could be used as repellant but also poison. If an arrow or crossbow bolt is applied with the agent, and it hit the beast, it could weaken them for short period of time. And the effect was crazily effective, even Rank 5 Magical Beast would become as slow moving as dugong in the shore if hit by poisoned arrow. Even the Greentongue Ghostlizard was fearful of it.

But Wutang Repellant is only the tool, I don't have the necessary men to use them. I have ..., some men, but they're inexperienced in the warfare. I even doubt they have martial art background.

And thus, I'm planning for them to underwent the compulsory drill. Though, before that, we need to settled and made a camp. 

The Blackforest Region is surrounded by a mountain range in the south and there's a lone Mt. Silverpeak in the north. It resembled the character [Ů] but not quite, because the curve is a bit wider. The Mt. Silverpeak was like the borderline that shouldn't be crossed when building settlement, because south from that is untouchable ominous ground, the Blackforest. 

Located in the center of Blackforest was Blackwater Lake, it was the habitat of the Blackscale Floodragon. The water from the lake flowed through the valley and streamed further northwest supplying the Blackrock River. Alright, I know my naming sense is suck, it's all black. 

But that's how it is, the Blackforest was like that because the wood and plant is colored black. The Blackwater Lake is like that because the water color is as black as sea of ink, and the Blackrock River is named as such because there's no other colored rock there aside from black. And why is that? It's all because of that very Blackscale Floodragon. It influenced the surrounding for somehow or another. Ah, did I ever mention that even the soil is black?

Blackbirch Village was located on the northwest of the forest, and west to the Mt. Silverpeak. We traveled along the Blackrock river until the road couldn't be passed by a carriage. 

"Boy, you truly seeking death. Are you really serious when you said you'll gonna open up the forest?"

I turned around and nodded at Granny Jian.

"I am, and have you concoct the recipe that I asked, granny Jian?"

I asked granny Jian and Mu Ying to concoct the Wutang Repellant, I bought a bulk of Bluestalk Grass and Northern Peach Fruit using the system and asked them to concoct it based on Lin Wutang's latest ratio.

"Yeah, I concoct about four jars. But what are you doing that for? It's very pungent and smells like rotten fish paste. I can't stand it. I almost don't believe it was made by combining fruit with a grass."

"Ah, it's for repelling the beasts."

"Will it work?" she asked doubtfully.

"I'm certain, but there must be room for improvement with that recipe. Anyway, I need a lot of them ..., so please, can you concoct it for me, granny?"

"Hmph, we've decided to come with you and we already treated like your servant. Boy, you got quite the gut, aren't you?"

"Ehh, please granny. Or, you want some helper. You can ask some of the slaves if you want. I don't mind it. But please, if you don't hurriedly concoct the repellant then tonight will be our doom." I stated it with serious face.

"I understand ..., Mu Ying has asked that elf girl and that black-haired beauty to help. Don't worry, their help is enough. Too much inexperienced hand will lead to failed concoction. You just do what you need to do here."

"Much thanks, granny."

"And I want that tea bag ..., and I mean one box of it!"

"Eh, you can just take it ..., it's not we're a stranger anyway. We're going to be a family right, granny can just take it if you want."

"Xixixi ..., good boy, you're becoming more pleasing in my eyes." she chuckled and patted my head before returning to her carriage.

After finished talking with granny Jian, I called over the slave. 

"Go Pang and Bingyu come over here ..., "

The two of them come to me. Go Pang is the representative of the canine beastfolk. And Bingyu, she's the representative of female human second group. I also appointed her as the head chef as she boasted that she could cook some uncommon cuisine.

"Go Pang you gather all the male slaves and tell them to see me right away, Bingyu you and the chef group will be responsible for today's lunch. And make the non-cook to help you raise up the tent, after they finish with raising the tent tell them to head over and help me. Any question?"

"No, we understand master."

"Good now move it."

I placed the Shrine to Yama in the ground and opened up my system, I bought ten chainsaw, and two small bulldozer. I also bought five drum of gasoline. 

Ah, almost forget, the safety gear. I bought all 41 set of coarse working glove, a type B construction helmet, googles, and also rubber boots. As most of them were wearing tunic, I also bought white v-neck shirt and jeans trousers ... I don't know their size. Well, that won't be a problem I guess. 

[Chainsaw] [x10] 4 G 24 S x 10 = 42 G 40 S

[Mini Bulldozer] [x2] 104 G x 2 = 208 G 

...

...

[Belt] [x41] 90 B x 41 = 36 S 90 B

[Commander Tent (5 m x 5 m)] [x1] 30 S 70 B x 1 = 30 S 70 B

Total = 352 Gold 50 Silver 

Available Fund = 4.362 Gold 74 Silver 38 Bronze

Return = 4.010 Gold 24 Silver 38 Bronze

I also don't forget to buy one more tent because both Mu Ying and granny Jian will be camping with us. I don't think they could bear sleep with the slaves, right? So I bought another tent but smaller compared to barrack-like camp for the slave. I really spent big money this time around. Three hundred and fifty gold turned into that tool. But all of this is necessary.

All of the thing I bought suddenly appeared in front of me, or rather in front of Yama's Statue. The chainsaw and the safety gear was inside a cardbox, but the bulldozer was stand imposingly tall on it's shiny yellow paint and caterpillar trail. I stored the small statue and turned around, the slaves was looking at the huge construction vehicle curiously.

"Alright guys, before we start ..., I want you to put this on."

I asked the male representative to distribute the gears and all other stuff. I headed to one of the carriage and changed my robe into the jeans and the shirt. Putting on the glove and the boot, I headed out with the red-helmet in hand.

The female slaves were also looking at us curiously, mainly to that yellow vehicle. But they hastily returned to their work as soon as they saw me walking. Then before long, all the male slaves now turned into army of red helmet.

 "Alright, now this is a chainsaw. Is there some of you have the experience in lumbering?" I asked casually, but there're couple of them who raised their hand. I pointed at one of them and said. "Okay you there, step forward. Tell me what's your name!"

"Master, this one name is Kai Dong." 

"Alright, Kai Dong. I'll show you how to operate this chainsaw ...,"

I turned the chainsaw engine on. It then rotated with loud noise.

"By the gods, what manner of sorcery is that?!"

"That thing ..., just what is it inside that making it roaring like that?"

"Just what kind of magic tool is that ..., I never seen such thing before."

Their reaction really amusing, it's like a curious kids who first time seeing the world. I smiled lukewarmly at them. Even the female slaves temporarily put down what they were doing and observed me with the chainsaw from the distance.

"Alright so, that is how you start the engine. pay attention everyone, ..., to make the chainsaw started rotating you must pull this trigger." 

I showed them and when the chain started moving fast, they retreated and make some distance from me. I then make a cut on a considerably big tree in diagonal manner. Though, I just scrapped it's bark and some of it's flesh. I turned off the chainsaw.

"That's how you done it, I think you guys know how to do the rest. If there's any question, ask me."

"Master ...," that Kai Dong raised his hand immediately.

"If I may ask, where's the rope?"

"Hai? Oh I see, so that's how it is. Wait a minute ..."

I almost forget that. To chop a tree it's not just making the tree fall by cutting the stem, there's also the matter of making the tree to fall to certain direction. I bought Strong Rope(10 m) x20, and give it to them.

They divided into group of four and started lumbering. I told them numerous time to not play around with the chainsaw as it was dangerous.

 Not long after that ...,

"TIMBER!!!"

I never thought they'd be able to use the chainsaw skillfully. It was already the thirty seventh tree that they cut. And it's been only three hours since I taught them how to use the tool. They seems really eager to use the chainsaw. After the tree felled, they cleared the tree of it's branch.

I overlooked one thing, and that was the tree root. I then bought one excavator to root out the tree root from the soil. I taught the dwarf how to use the heavy-duty equipment and they excitedly use it to level the ground and push the tree that was free of branch to one side. As I thought, they are more skillful than I am. I rooted out one tree root for nearly twenty minutes, while Tie Zhong the beardy dwarf just need about ten minutes. It's half of my time.

I asked Tie Zhong to dig a considerably deep moat for wooden foundation. I just planted a stick and string with dimension about 50 m x 60 m. 

I sent the non-cook slave girl to help granny Jian. Even if she don't want more people to disturb her work, I just need them to crush and mix the weed and peach. I introduced juice mixer to them, and granny Jian seems pretty interested with it. The production speed of Wutang Repellent sped up tremendously.

The electricity was from the gasoline-powered generator. But the energy consumption was not for mere mixer, I bought a refrigerator and two big rice cooker. I also bought an electric table saw and asked the male lumberjack who was lazing around to help me cut the blackwood into roughly the same size.

It really consuming all of my gold, I was left with only 2.300 or something Gold right now.

Though the slave was amazed and full of wonder with the things that I brought, they didn't even asked what that is and just did as I told them to. They might be conscious about their own status. But that's just perfect for me, I don't have the time to think of how to explain them anyway.

When the sun was up, I decided to finish the day and clean up our sweat on the stream nearby. The water ..., they really look strange with all the blackness. Right, I haven't thought about the bath and lavatories. Oh well, let's bought the portable one ..., as for the bath, let's just build that first thing first tomorrow morning.

Before the day truly end up dark, I spread the pungent-smelly Wutang Repellant to the periphery of our camp. The distance was as such that the camp won't be affected. We ate the dinner that was prepared by the cook group. I shut down the generator and used Accu to light up the camp. 

After the dinner, I called the representatives of the slaves to my tent for briefing about tomorrow work. The tornado neon lamp on top of the table illuminating the low table. We sat on top of a rug and I was in the center, both Mu Ying and granny Jian occupied my side. Shuangxue with Bingyu served a warm tea and I opened a can of butter cookie.

I faked a cough to gather everyone attention and then said.

"Alright everyone, good work for today. Though, you guys was not trained to use the tools that I brought, it seems that you're quite the fast learner that I couldn't even put on a fault on whatever you did. For that, I thank you."

"Iyahaha, that exi-kafa-toulo and bu-dou-xier thing is no doubt a powerful magical carriage, I said ..., Master Aram is really something to have those things." the dwarf representative Tie Zhong laughed as he praised the heavy-duty equipment. He took a cookies and throw it to his mouth. "Ohalahala, this is too tasty! This is soo sweet!?"

I smiled at him, what a happy-go-lucky uncle. As his master, I could feel that he's genuinely happy beyond his word could describe.

"Tie Zhong, that's rude. Remember we're in front of Master's presence!" the cold head-chef Bingyu rebuked the dwarf.

"Don't mind it, Bingyu. I don't mind if you all drop the formalities. I don't really care if you use non-polite tone to speak with me. After all we'll be working together from now on."

"But Master, that's just too disrespectful to you."

"As I said, I don't really care about it. Whether you treat me with respect or not, it's up to you for that. Let's get on to the main problem, shall we?"

I placed an A3 sketching paper on top of the table and draw a rough sketch of the current campground and it's surrounding. While I was busy drawing, I spoke. 

"You probably know that we're in middle of nowhere. But this place will be our temporary base before we head further into the forest. In another word, our home. Tonight, Go Pang and Lei Ting's group will be shifting on night duty in anticipation if there's a beasts snuck out at night. But if a barricade and the moat finally constructed, we may could lessen our vigil and sleep with a bit peace in mind."

The drawing was completed ..., about six hundred meters to the west is the Blackrock River, and five kilometers to the north is Blackbirch Village. The currently cleared field is 40 m wide and 20 m long, the planned clear field was 5 x 60 msq. We're basically in the middle of nowhere. But I have no fear of lacking supply because as long as I have the gold, I could just buy them.

"Tie Zhong, tomorrow you and your group will continue dig the moat surrounding the camp. Go Pang, and Liu Bai, take half of your men and start raising the wooden fences. After all, we've cleared most of the woods. And then ...,"

I listed a series of command to them. Lei Ting the snake-scaled skin the leader of the second beastfolk group is tasked with hauling the branches to one clear space. Even without the bulldozer, they could do it somehow with the wheelbarrow. Tu Kuo group will still handle with cutting and shaving the log. Bingyu group will still responsible for cooking the meal. And lastly, Yan Na with non-cook female group will help granny Jian and Mu Ying concocting more Wutang Repellant.

"..., that's your task for tomorrow. Any question?"

"Master, this a bit out of topic, but can I ask question?"

"Of course, speak what's on your mind Tie Zhong!"

"This, are you ..., we really going to enter the Blackforest and subjugate the big beast lurking there?"

"Ahh, that's my plan. But you don't have to worry, I won't go there before I could say a hundred percent sure that I could kill it without any single casualties."

"That ..., it's impossible don't you think?" Tie Zhong once again asked.

"I believe with the saying there's no such thing as impossible. Don't you know what was Mu Ying and granny Jiang concocting? To us, it might be just smelly liquid. But for them, for those beast ..., it's a lethal poison."

"But Master, even I am a bit skeptical about it. I never even heard something like this before."

"Let's go out and hunt some of the beast using this concoction next time, I let you see how effective it'll be with your own eyes."

The short brief ended with that. As my body is quite tired, I lied down in the bed and entered deep slumber right away.