Chapter 81

"Lord, today's work is dredging the port."

"I understand. Let's get to it quickly."

It had been about three months since the development of the uncharted territory began. During that time, I had been running around the uncharted territory from morning till night, performing civil engineering magic, except for my weekly day off.

To make it possible to build towns and villages as soon as possible, I leveled the land, reinforced the ground, and divided the plots. I constructed roads to connect them, reclaimed large-scale fields and rice paddies, dug irrigation canals, and created earth walls and ditches to keep wild animals away. I also carried out various flood control works on rivers, quarried stone from rock mountains, and cut timber from forests.

It seemed that large-scale salt production would also take place along the coast, and more than ten ports of various sizes would be built to serve as both the foundation for this and for loading and unloading.

To allow large ships to dock, dredging the seabed was also necessary, and there was also foundation work for the construction of port towns.

Moreover, there were dozens of large and small islands out at sea, where wild sugarcane grew in abundance. Ports, villages, and towns were needed to cultivate this as an agricultural product.

"By the way, about the location of the mines marked on the lord's map..."

"This uncharted territory is quite rich in mineral resources, isn't it?"

There were mines in complicated locations with subtle ore deposits and quantities, which I had been extracting resources from for practice until they became abandoned mines. For other mines that could be easily mined by human labor, I only conducted surveys and marked their locations on the map.

This was because using extraction magic and practicing to increase my magic power was more effective in such mines. In fact, the most effective method to increase magic power was to gather iron sand from the ground at random. Collect as much as possible, and finally remove the impurities from the iron lump.

This method was something my master had done when he was a child. He would carry the iron lump to a blacksmith and sell it for pocket money.

As for me, I preferred methods like infusing silver with magic power to refine mithril, or gathering specific metals from rocks that contained various metals.

"I'll arrange the personnel as soon as possible. But, magic is truly amazing."

Normally, a large-scale team of mining engineers would be sent to conduct a thorough investigation for several months.

However, with magic, it was possible to determine not only the types of metals that could be extracted but also their approximate quantities and deposits. Therefore, mining engineers who could use detailed detection magic were said to be so busy that their schedules were packed until the end of their lives.

"Anyway, development is the top priority now."

"That's right."

"Let's have a drinking party at Arnaud's offal grill tonight."

"That sounds good."

Since the morning, I had teleported the party, led by El, to the Demon Forest and then rushed to the construction of Bau尔布尔克. There, I heard the details of today's work from Roderich.

I would fly to the site, perform the work, and if necessary, complete multiple requests. In the evening, I would go to pick up El and the others. Depending on the day, I might have dinner with Roderich and other construction personnel.

Most of the time, I enjoyed the provided meals and drinks, but occasionally we would eat out. However, there were no proper restaurants in Bau尔布尔克 yet.

There were makeshift stalls set up by people who were quick to seize business opportunities, and we often ate there. My favorite was the offal grill stall.

The stall owner would buy the offal from wild animals at a low price, process it carefully, and serve it as stew or skewers.

There were three types of seasoning: salt, miso, and soy sauce, and it had become a popular spot among other construction personnel. We would enjoy the lowbrow but delicious offal dishes, drink strong alcohol, and chat in a room full of men.

I'm not gay, but I found the drinking parties with only men, including off-color jokes, to be quite fun.

It was very enjoyable, but...

"Thinking about it now, I'm an adventurer, right?"

"Yes, my lord is an adventurer."

Although I'm an adventurer, I've been doing nothing but civil engineering work in the uncharted territory for more than three months. Can this really be considered the work of an adventurer?

"This is a joint request from the Civil Engineering Guild and the Adventurer's Guild."

Currently, there is a branch of the Adventurer's Guild in Bau尔布尔克, though it's just a shack. The Civil Engineering Guild had received a request from Roderich for construction in difficult areas where dangerous wild animals appear. The Adventurer's Guild, upon receiving the request, assigned it to me. After completing the job, I would receive a reward, part of which would be paid as a handling fee to the Adventurer's Guild. The Civil Engineering Guild would also receive a share from this.

Legally, it could be considered the work of an adventurer.

"I see, it's also the work of the Adventurer's Guild... Is it?"

It was not at all the work of an adventurer. Thanks to this, El had said to me yesterday, "Vel, you're a civil engineering worker, right?"

"Elwin, that's a harsh thing to say."

"El is harsh, but Roderich is also harsh."

I became the head of the Baumeister family to avoid having to work as a lord, but the requests I received were all for development projects.

"Lord, civil engineering is not the work of a lord."

"You've been very calm lately."

Since arguing like this wouldn't lead to a solution, I asked a question that had been on my mind.

"Still, the river flood control work we did before. It hasn't even started yet, has it?"

The work I was responsible for was the most labor-intensive foundation work, prioritizing efficiency. Just a week ago, I spent three days working on a river quite far from here, but the finishing work hadn't even started.

"I changed the course of the river, dredged the riverbed, created a floodplain, and built a levee with the dredged soil. I went through all that trouble, and the finishing work hasn't even started."

At the very least, I would like to see the levee reinforced with stone and concrete.

"Given the quality of the work, it should be safe unless a major flood occurs. There is a priority order for construction."

Currently, a large number of people and supplies were being transported to the completed port on the outskirts of Bau尔布尔克 by magic flying ships. In other areas, small magic flying ships were transporting supplies to the sites of planned towns, and the construction of houses and large-scale farms was progressing.

Additionally, the construction of a road network to cover the uncharted territory and the building of multiple port towns along the coast beyond the Demon Forest had also begun. The plan to open the Demon Forest, which was divided into three parts, was postponed due to the current danger.

The eastern and western parts, which were rich in valuable monsters and products, were left as they were, and the central part of the forest was being considered for opening. However, the monsters and vegetation in the central part and the other two areas were completely different.

If the ruling lord was defeated and the control was destroyed, there was a risk that the monsters would flood into the coastal areas and the central part of the uncharted territory.

It was found that moving at an altitude of several hundred meters by magic flying ship was not a problem, and small magic flying ships were now being tested for regular travel between the coast and the inland areas.

Moreover, the construction of multiple ports was underway. I knew this because I had done the foundation work.

The Demon Forest was rich in valuable products and monsters. Therefore, it was opened to adventurers for hunting, and the materials were sold to the Adventurer's Guild, from which taxes were collected. This was the policy, and multiple towns under construction in the Demon Forest already had branches of the Adventurer's Guild, with adventurers immediately venturing into the forest.

However, there were already multiple casualties due to unfamiliar monsters.

"The reason for the progress of the foundation work is to avoid delays in the development plan even if the lord does not receive civil engineering requests for several months."

While I am away, the finishing work and other tasks can be concentrated. This is why the foundation work was advanced in advance.

"(Roderich might be more suited to nobility than me...)"

"I am more than satisfied as a vassal of the lord."

In fact, the Minister of Finance, Luchner, had mentioned, "If Roderich is willing, the revival of the Luchner Baron family..." but it seemed that he had no interest in it at all.

"Realistically, I don't want to inherit a family that has committed such a blunder. In terms of income, being a vassal of the lord is more advantageous."

To manage the steward, I paid Roderich a high salary as long as he held the position. The amount was so high that the Duke of Law Robes in the capital had said, "I would like to take your place."

Since I was completely entrusting the work to him, it was necessary to pay a corresponding reward during that period. If I retired as an adventurer and started working as a lord, a reduction would be necessary.

"I plan to entrust this to you for about twenty years."

"I will work hard as it is a fulfilling job."

"That's good. Thank you."

As I said this, I took out a large number of book-like items from a magic bag and handed them to Roderich. There were probably more than five hundred of them.

Roderich seemed surprised by the weight.

"Lord, what are these?"

"They are match photos."

In this world, cameras exist. They are magical artifacts from ancient times, so only the royal family, major nobles, and wealthy merchants have them. Nobles often use them for match photos.

Fortunately, the technology for manufacturing film has been successfully revived, so nobles buy film and go to the houses of matchmakers or those introduced by matchmakers to take photos.

The high price of film, about 1,000 cents, is a drawback, but nobles who cannot afford to lose to their rivals put in extra effort to have their daughters and sisters photographed.

Match photos are valuable because they allow you to see the face of the potential match. Even if someone says, "Our daughter is beautiful," you can't know their face unless you are an acquaintance. If the photo shows that they are actually beautiful, it is more likely to be chosen.

"There are a lot of them."

"Well, the number increased."

Roderich, who serves as the steward and chief vassal of the Baumeister family, had received a flood of match proposals. At the same time, I received several times as many match proposals, but those who were fine with Roderich changed all the proposals to him.

It seems that the hurdle of "My wife must be able to hunt in the Demon Forest" is a very effective strategy.

"Since Roderich will be even busier from now on, he needs to get married soon."

"But I understand that..."

When Roderich casually opened the first book, a young girl was in the photo.

"Lord..."

"She is the granddaughter of the Minister of Finance, Luchner."

I decided to pass on the eight-year-old granddaughter, whom they tried to push onto me, to Roderich. It might seem harsh, but there was a