Chapter 215
Chapter 215
The mountains lining the northern region of the Calia territory.
Though not quite towering enough to be called a mountain range, their scattered peaks still hindered smooth passage for travelers.
To make matters worse, these modest mountains happened to block the middle reaches of the Tenon River, which flowed from northern Grandia through the central plains.
Because of this, territories like Talen, sandwiched between the middle reaches of the Tenon River and the Luther River to the south, had long suffered agricultural difficulties despite being flanked by massive waterways.
At least, until last year.
Groooan—
Crashhh—
Swoooosh—
The torrential waterfall gradually diminished, shrinking to little more than a heavy downpour.
And even that soon began to fade away.
"Truly remarkable."
Logan let out an impressed sigh as he watched the floodgates close from atop the dam.
This was the dam built beneath the three famous peaks of northern Talen, carved straight through the mountain.
Named the Tenon Dam after the river it diverted, it allowed precise control over water flow with nothing more than a simple lever mechanism—a clear advancement over the MacLaine Plains dam.
"We dwarves and my kin suffered endlessly tunneling through these three peaks to divert the Tenon River! This much is only natural."
"Hmm. Well, good. Now, empty all the sacks you've brought."
At his words, Hamar and the hundred or so dwarves flinched in unison.
Though bound by magical contracts and oaths, they knew full well just how precious the powder inside the barrel-sized sacks they carried truly was.
"You're really pouring this into the water? It'll all dissolve and disappear!"
"Unless you're planning to brew mana potions in bulk... No, even mana potions require some processing. Are you absolutely certain about this...?"
Even Clayton, who had supported Logan's idea and followed him here, seemed hesitant when it came time to act.
The magic stone powder they had brought alone was easily worth over ten million gold.
"You've already ground it into powder and hauled it here. If left as is, assimilation will begin within days anyway—better to just scatter it now. Come on, what are you waiting for? Pour it!"
At Logan's command, the dwarves shut their eyes tight and untied the sacks on their backs.
—Mana exists faintly scattered throughout nature, and magic stones formed under special conditions gradually dissolve back into the environment when left exposed.
—The natural assimilation process accelerates the smaller the fragments and the more humid the environment.
A basic fact about magic stones, known to anyone with even a passing interest.
Since they had already been ground into powder and transported to the dam, the value of what they carried was depreciating in real time.
Soon, the luminous blue powder tumbled from the sacks into the pooled water behind the floodgates.
Magic stone powder—crystalline mana solidified under nature's power.
The glowing particles vanished like melting snow the moment they touched the water.
"Ah..."
"What a waste..."
"Such a pity..."
Most who understood its worth couldn't help but sigh.
But for one man—
Logan's eyes traced the mana dissolving into the water, watching as the faint blue radiance continued to spread.
"Now, open the floodgates again. Let this water spread across all the farmland."
A satisfied smile naturally rose to his lips.
Water infused with dissolved magic stones.
The so-called "Mana Water" farming method had been born from an unexpected accident in his past life—or more accurately, from an act of sabotage.
Precisely, it was the result of a terrorist attack—more specifically, an ambush on a magic stone transport caravan by the Grandia Liberation Front.
Back then, Louis and the independence fighters had dumped the entire shipment into the Tenon River, reasoning that if they couldn't use it, neither would the Empire.
The magic stones, being semi-mineral, semi-energy in nature, dissolved almost instantly into the river, seemingly dealing the Empire a massive loss...
Until the following year, when the plains along the Tenon River yielded an unprecedented harvest, prompting an investigation.
'When magic stones dissolve in water and saturate the soil beyond a certain ratio, they remain dispersed for at least ten years, maximizing the growth of all plants in that land... That was the discovery.'
Of course, he didn't know the exact amount dumped into the Tenon River in his past life—only that it was equivalent to a year's worth of mining output.
Afterward, the Empire classified the details of Mana Water farming as top secret, leaving Logan of that time with no way to determine the optimal ratio.
But now—
'I can see the mana with my own eyes.'
Groooan—
Swoooosh—
Logan's crimson eyes clearly tracked the mana dispersing through the water and seeping into the soil at a precise ratio.
'We only need to pour until the mana concentration stops increasing.'
As he watched, the land saturated with Mana Water began emitting a soft, radiant blue glow.
A breathtaking sight visible only to him.
The process alone, watching the luminous energy of nature spread across the earth, was beautiful beyond words—regardless of its meaning.
It almost felt regrettable that he was the only one who could witness it.
"Come on, pour it in batches! Then we head to the Luther Dam!"
The two dams that would transform Talen's wasteland into fertile fields.
Logan planned to shuttle between them, pouring magic stones until the newly developed Talen Plains shone brightly enough.
An endeavor that would seem like nothing but wasteful extravagance to others.
It wasn't until over a month later that Logan finally stopped, his expression one of satisfaction.
"Don't the wheat fields feel like they're growing unnaturally fast lately?"
"Huh, you too?"
"Hey, you lot. It's all in your heads!"
"Doesn't feel like it's just in our heads..."
"Must be the excitement about Talen Town—getting houses and land and all. I'm so pumped my steps feel lighter too. But saying you can feel the wheat growing? That's pushing it, pal!"
"...Is that so?"
Pfft.
In the early morning—so early it could hardly be called dawn—Logan smirked as he overheard the farmworkers' chatter in the distance.
'My direct involvement in Talen is almost done now.'
Which meant it was time to return to MacLaine Town.
The question of relocating the territory's center could wait until Talen Town was fully completed—for now, those remaining could handle the rest.
Just then, a voice tinged with bewilderment snapped him out of his thoughts—a stark contrast to his own contentment.
"To think mana could become fixed in farmland... How did you know this, Your Grace? Even the Earth Magic Tower was unaware..."
Clayton had just objectively confirmed that the workers' murmurs were far from mere imagination.
"The Empire taught me."
"Wha—? The Empire already knew...?"
Logan chuckled at Clayton's renewed confusion, then turned and led his knights and soldiers back to MacLaine Town.
Two weeks after completing the Mana Water treatment at the MacLaine Dam—
His father, whom he hadn't heard from since returning from the Empire, arrived at the town with one person in tow.
"Hahaha! So this brat became a Transcendent, eh?!"
His father, looking unusually haggard—perhaps from more hardship than expected—laughed heartily as he greeted Logan.
"I was fortunate, Father."
"Fortunate? A Transcendent—and the youngest on the continent at that!"
Logan smiled bitterly at the title.
In truth, he had stolen an honor that should have belonged to his younger brother, so hearing himself called "the youngest on the continent" always left him slightly unsettled.
He quickly changed the subject.
"And who's this behind you...?"
"Burdell. One of the men you mentioned. He was hunting demon beasts in the wilds."
Logan's eyes lit up as Patrick gestured to the man behind him.
'I expected two out of three, but only one showed up. Still, that one being Burdell is a relief.'
Expressionless even in midsummer, clad in an unidentifiable beast-hide outfit, the man gave Logan a slight bow.
"Burdell. An honor to meet a Transcendent. Though... you sought me out, Your Grace?"
Brown hair, blue eyes—his gaze was calm and unmoving.
'An archer at the peak of Force mastery. No doubt.'
From his aura alone, Logan could sense the talent of the "Phantom Archer"—a man he had only glimpsed from afar in his past life.
The only archer in history to ever wield Aura.
"Indeed. Rumors reached even here of a hunter near the Empire's northern Demon Beast Forest who wielded a bow like a ghost. Welcome to MacLaine, Burdell. Make yourself at home. I promise you the finest treatment."
The Phantom Archer Burdell's unparalleled skill was matched only by his battlefield achievements—so dazzling they bordered on myth.
To those who hadn't witnessed his prowess firsthand, most of his feats were dismissed as exaggeration.
After all, archers were generally seen more as soldiers than true warriors.
But Logan had personally experienced Burdell's absurd capabilities in his past life.
The sight of crimson arrows suddenly streaking across an empty plain, decapitating his comrades one after another—
'I survived alone and went mad trying to find the enemy.'
When he later learned those arrows had been fired from a mountain peak three kilometers away, the sheer absurdity—and terror—had been indescribable.
The memory unconsciously stirred his killing intent.
"Ghk! Logan?!"
"Huh—!"
Patrick merely shouted his son's name in surprise, but Burdell reacted instantly.
Slipping back in a flash, he already held a sleek black longbow, its twisted string drawn taut with a trembling black arrow aimed straight at Logan.
A refined crimson energy pulsed within it.
The previously expressionless Burdell now wore clear shock—having faced a Transcendent's killing intent head-on.
The fault was his own, so Logan sighed and chuckled.
"My mistake. An unpleasant memory involving bows surfaced... My apologies. Lower your bow. Unless you'd like to test your skills here?"
"Ah—!"
Burdell's stiffened face finally relaxed slightly.
Only now did he remember he was standing in the heart of MacLaine territory—and that he had come here seeking their patronage.
"My apologies. A life of hardship has made me react instinctively to killing intent..."
"No need. I was impressed by your reflexes. It wasn't a test, but I'd have been disappointed if you hadn't reacted."
"Thank you for understanding."
"No, the fault was mine first."
The atmosphere quickly warmed again.
It was the day the Phantom Archer—one of the Empire's Transcendent mercenaries during the war, who had proven his worth and risen to nobility—joined MacLaine.
And among them all, none held greater tactical value than the Phantom Archer.