Chapter 365 - Town Establishment Issue

Having acquired Weizemay Manor only recently, most of the original buildings had yet to be utilized, let alone expanded.The issue was initially set aside for future consideration, but it resolved itself after Gaven acquired Undead Divinity.

With this issue as a pretext, terms like "total carrying capacity" and "currently used carrying capacity" became easier to understand.

They were based on the manor’s ability to transit in and out of the Shadow Plane—anything exceeding the total carrying capacity likely couldn’t enter the Shadow Plane with the manor.

The daily increase in carrying points was equivalent to the amount of Undead Divinity, a fact clearly not coincidental.

The latter was determined by the quantity of the former.

From this, one could see the precious nature of the Undead Divinity.

It was aiding Weizemay Manor to condense negative energy, the kind that congregates without dissipating.

Previously, he had recklessly infused a bit of Undead Divinity into the revolving hand cannon.

After all, for him at present, Undead Divinity was a blessing that could not be sought at will; there’s no telling when the next opportunity to acquire it would arise.

It would be either at the time of slaying the Goddess of Undead Vengeance or when inflicting a more fatal wound on her.

Fortunately, it was a worthwhile investment. Even understanding the unique effect of Undead Divinity on Weizemay Manor, he would invest without hesitation.

Because the revolving hand cannon was meant to enhance personal strength.

This was the optimal choice. With sufficient personal strength, more and greater benefits could be sought.

If his own strength was insufficient, even if opportunities were presented before him, he would still be powerless, wouldn’t he?

But the remaining four points of Undead Divinity, unless absolutely necessary, must be cautiously and carefully employed.

The two Special Abilities were also founded on this basis.

Especially the Construction Shadowfication ability, which had a lot of room for exploration in its description.

It did not specify that it was based on the shadowfication of buildings within the manor, but rather on buildings shadowfied and then pulled into the manor.

Does this mean that buildings could be pulled into the manor from any distance?

If that was the case, then there was great potential for strategic planning with this capability.

For instance, Gaven could directly purchase pre-existing buildings and drag them into the manor.

Or, he could have the gnolls construct buildings in the Dragon Oak Territory, and after infusing them with negative energy, pull them into the manor.

The cost of constructing the same building varied significantly depending on the location.

For Gaven, this situation was extremely polarized.

In the Three Rivers Region, mobilizing a thousand gnolls was both time-consuming and laborious, while in the Dragon Oak Territory, he could easily command nearly ten thousand gnolls.

The primary concern was raw materials. The Rocklands were abundant with high-quality building stones which the gnolls could shape with the Stone Shaping Spell, fusing them seamlessly.

In the Three Rivers Region, while there was no shortage of sand or timber, stone was a scarce resource.

Next, he needed to verify this hypothesis.

As for the Shadowfication ability, he had it even before all of this.

It was the Dwarves Soulsnare Daphne who took the initiative, opening the manor’s Mystlock Locks and converting those thieves who coveted the manor’s treasures into shadow workers.

They assisted the Dwarves Bound Wraiths and the Soul Prisons in engraving labels and packaging the Ghost Grape Wine.

Gaven and Regina had initially agreed that the Weizemay Manor’s batch of wine would be high-end, not only with prominent branding but also with elegant packaging, preferably of the collectible sort.

For branding, Regina was in charge.

As for the physical packaging, naturally, Gaven took responsibility.

Since they were highlighting the ghostly theme, and after acquiring a batch of free shadow servants, they decided to see it through.

Saving on labor costs was one aspect, but more importantly, their energy attributes matched those of the Ghost Grape Wine.

After packaging, rather than causing the dissipation of negative energy, affecting the health of the staff, it would further enhance the quality of the Ghost Grape Wine.

The success of this venture spurred Gaven to think further about this area.

It involved considering the next batch of Ghost Grape Wine brewing techniques as well as pondering the establishment of a weaving factory—in addition to a regular one, whether a Shadow Weaving Factory could be established within the manor.

With this, the demand for shadows would be significant.

It would be essential to balance between architecture and population at that time.

"Sir, there is someone outside seeking an audience," Estelle reminded.

An Erde landed at the entrance to Weizemay Manor, appearing to want to enter but with an undeniable timidity on their face, which even with his modest Perception, Gaven could clearly sense the rich Chill Aura inside.

This Erde was none other than Chester, the chief gnoll engineer from Dragon Oak Territory. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novᴇl(ꜰ)ire.ɴet

In terms of construction, Gaven had not yet identified other skilled individuals and could only rely on Chester to fill the gap.

Seeing Gaven look at him, Chester excitedly waved at him, shouting loudly, "Lord, Lord, there are a few issues in town construction that require your decision."

"You two catch up first, I’ll call you if there’s anything needed," Gaven said, nodding understandingly to Estelle, then walking towards Chester, smiling from afar, "How was it? Was your journey here smooth? I’m sorry, I got tangled up with other matters. Otherwise, I planned to meet your ship personally to welcome you."

And it was no mere formality, as he had indeed planned it that way.

"Lord Gaven’s arrangements are so thorough that naturally there wouldn’t be any problems," Chester sincerely complimented, "but there’s just one tiny flaw."

"What flaw? Point it out, and I’ll make sure to pay attention next time," Gaven asked curiously.

"This flaw is something Lord Gaven might be powerless to address," Chester couldn’t help laughing first, "because most Gnolls have never seen such a wide river, let alone a ship. Ever since boarding, they’ve all been dizzy and languishing. It took more than two days after reaching shore for most of them to recover. Therefore, the construction project was delayed by two days, and it was only yesterday that we started the actual surveying."

It was then that Gaven realized that the old Erde was joking with him and he couldn’t help but laugh, "So you’re talking about seasickness. There’s surely a way to deal with that, let me check if there is a spell to alleviate seasickness, or maybe I could simply hire someone to research it."

"There’s a spell for this too?" the Mayor Chester asked in surprise.

"Haha... Of course not..." Gaven laughed heartily, "Seasickness is mostly psychological. As long as one gets accustomed to it, it can be overcome. Only a minor part is due to physiological effects, but it’s not life-threatening. I don’t have the luxury to devote resources to researching that."

"I really thought Lord Gaven was so capable that he could solve anything," Chester said with an expression that conveyed his belief that if Lord Gaven set his mind to it, he could certainly do it, "But to think, Lord Gaven, that you’ve been able to carve out such a unique piece of territory here in such a short time."

As he spoke, his eyes involuntarily drifted towards Gaven’s manor in the background.

Gaven laughed again, "Let’s put the jokes aside. Tell me, what problems did you encounter during the survey?"

"The biggest problem is the soil. The soil layer here is very shallow. In most places, if you dig down forty to fifty centimeters, you hit loose sandy soil, and in some areas, only a thin layer of twenty to thirty centimeters of topsoil is present.

"If it were just about building residential houses, going deeper with the foundations wouldn’t be too much trouble. But for larger structures, especially large stone constructions like temples and great halls, I’m concerned about the stability of the buildings.

"The greatest difficulty will be the town’s sewer system Lord Gaven needs. Burying it one meter underneath will strike ground water due to the two-meter diameter required here.

"It’s not that it can’t be built; it’s just that it will require a large amount of stone."

"This leads to the second issue. Over the past two days, I’ve roamed around in the vicinity and there is no suitable place within a twenty-kilometer radius for a stone quarry."

Chester may have been constructing human residences for the first time, but some things are common knowledge, especially the excavation of foundations, in which Gnolls are professionals.

Where can stones be found, and where can they not?

Where can large-scale excavations be made without causing a collapse?

Where are the slightest movements dangerous?

No magic needed to be involved; many experienced Gnoll miners could simply lay on the ground and listen to know these things.

This was their innate special ability, just like the Fae Race could sense the flora and listen to the voice of nature.

"Is there a solution?" Naturally, a professional was the first to be consulted on such matters.

"There is." Chester took out a simple map and unfolded it in front of Gaven. It was clearly hand-drawn.

After looking at the map, Gaven couldn’t help but express his surprise, "Did you draw this?"

Chester was startled, not expecting Gaven to be interested in this detail. After realizing it, he replied somewhat sheepishly, "I drew it myself. It’s indeed a bit simplistic, but it’s suitable for identifying directions for personal use."

Gaven shook his head, "You’ve misunderstood; I’m not saying it’s bad. On the contrary, your map has substantial value. A map is not a craft that needs to be pretty. What’s most important is two things.

"One is recognizability, identifying landmarks to ascertain one’s location.

"The other is proportionally scaling down distances to determine how far away you are from your objectives.

"As long as these two points are achieved, it’s a good map.

"And your map has accomplished both."

The map Chester held simply and clearly brought a large part of the Three Rivers Region to paper.

The Yewen Pond, Weizemay Manor, Weizemay Vineyard, new town location, Yewen Channel, Yewen Forest, Comanso Great Forest, and the course of the Ashaba River were all clearly marked with proper scale.

At the very least, the relative sizes of Yewen Pond, Weizemay Manor, and the Vineyard coincided with Gaven’s own general understanding of them.

"I hadn’t realized there was so much knowledge in a single map," Chester said with an enlightened expression.

His map-making had been purely instinctive.

All Erde, no, all flying creatures possess the ability to gauge distances from the sky—a skill that prevents high-speed collisions or misjudging the strength needed to land.

Some are stronger, some are weaker in this regard.

Chester was slightly stronger in this aspect compared to other Erde.

"What I know is also the most superficial knowledge on the topic," Gaven mused, "If you’re interested in this area, I’ll keep an eye out for books on the subject for you in the future. If I get the chance, I will help you find a teacher. After all, owing to your inherent flying advantage, it will be more convenient for you to survey terrains."

He was also very eager to discover how far an Erde could advance in this realm given innate talent bolstered by acquired experience and knowledge.

"I would love that, love that, love that," Chester said repeatedly.

Although he was over fifty, Chester’s thirst for knowledge was no less intense than that of a younger person.

He had not had the opportunity to be exposed to so much knowledge before, but now that the opportunity presented itself, he naturally wanted to desperately enrich himself.

Only in this way could he keep pace with the advance of his young Lord.

The candid and heartfelt talks with Gaven still remained vivid in his memory—the outside world was even more vast, waiting for them.

How many months had it been?

He had led them out here, building a home on entirely new ground.

Though constructing a human town, this signified that they had already ventured out. How far could rooting themselves here be?

Gaven had no idea that a simple map issue could provoke Chester to such distant reflections, but he steered the conversation back to the point at hand, "Let’s continue with the earlier topic. What’s your solution?"