Chapter 160
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Translator: Prime Works
Chapter: 160
Chapter Title: Flower Wind Bombardment (3)
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Ding-dong.
[A new praise title, [Red Tissue or Blue Tissue?], has been generated.]
A welcome message appeared before his eyes.
It was exactly as expected.
‘I completed the first section of the grand sewer system and handled the sludge disposal for the first time.’
This had happened occasionally up until now.
Back when he reclaimed Marez Reclaimed Land.
Back when he created terraced fields using retaining walls.
Simply completing a new construction project didn’t earn him achievements or praise rewards.
He had to use the construction to produce some kind of result to finally get the rewards.
‘Wonder what this praise title is.’
What kind of sweet option would it have?
Lloyd’s eyes rolled with anticipation.
[Red Tissue or Blue Tissue?]
[Praise Grade: Kingdom History]
Once upon a time, long long ago.
In a remote territory in the eastern corner.
There lived a stingy young lord.
This young lord was so twisted in personality.
That he even meddled in people’s toilet habits.
So the people asked.
Young lord, young lord, our young lord.
Why must we collect our poop and dump it only here?
The young lord waved his hand dismissively and urgently replied.
It stinks, so hurry up and dump it without dawdling.
The people tilted their heads in confusion.
But after a few years, they realized.
In their village, their territory, their homeland.
Plagues had vanished without a trace.
From that moment on.
People from all corners of the kingdom.
Most of the territory’s residents.
Stopped dumping waste anywhere.
[Praise Effect: For a certain period, the plague outbreak rate in the territory will be 0%. Additionally, plagues incoming from external territories will be 100% blocked and eradicated.]
[Praise Area: Frontera County]
[Praise Duration: 50 years]
[The praise effect applies 24 hours a day within the praised area and duration. Furthermore, depending on your future actions, the praised area and duration may expand/extend, or shrink/shorten.]
[CP provided monthly by this praise: 6]
[Current CP held: 218]
‘Whoa.’
After reading the praise details, Lloyd unconsciously covered his mouth.
‘Jackpot.’
He’d hoped for a good option deep down.
But this reward far exceeded those expectations.
Plague outbreak probability: zero.
In other words, the cholera outbreak next spring from the ending spoiler would be perfectly prevented.
‘No, even if it wasn’t cholera, it would block everything regardless.’
A true jackpot.
Truth be told, even while building the grand sewer, he hadn’t been completely at ease.
A lingering unease remained in one corner of his heart.
The plague from next spring in the ending spoiler.
He couldn’t guarantee 100% it was cholera.
‘I’m no public health expert. I just speculated based on various situations and pegged the most likely one as cholera.’
So, just in case.
It could be some other plague instead of cholera.
That’s why he’d planned to use the ending spoiler again once the grand sewer was somewhat complete.
To confirm.
‘Of course. It’s a life-or-death matter.’
He couldn’t relax just because the grand sewer was done.
Like tapping a stone bridge before crossing.
Like checking the saltiness of even thoroughly boiled dried pollack soup beforehand.
He needed to verify if the grand sewer had prevented next spring’s plague.
But now?
No need anymore.
‘Plague outbreak probability zero. Incoming plagues blocked at 100%. And the duration is a whopping 50 years.’
Perfect.
No more dying from plagues next spring.
No need to confirm with the ending spoiler either.
‘Plus, I save CP too.’
That pleased him as well.
Truth be told, he wanted to save CP whenever possible.
Due to how CP accumulated and the massive CP cost of the ending spoiler.
‘Unlike RP, CP is hard to gather. RP is like daily wages paid immediately for raising affinity or achieving feats, but CP is like a monthly salary that comes only once a month.’
CP accumulated just 36 per month.
But the ending spoiler’s CP cost?
‘It already takes a whopping 80 CP for one use. The next? Exactly double, ballooning to 160. Then double again to a massive 320.’
If he splurged now when the cost wasn’t that high?
Later, one ending spoiler peek would require hundreds of CP. He’d have to save for months or even a year.
‘That’d be a problem.’
He wouldn’t be able to peek at the ending when he desperately needed it.
He wanted to avoid that as much as possible.
Thanks to this new praise option, he dodged both immediate CP waste and the rising CP demands of the ending spoiler.
Killing two birds with one stone.
A satisfying feeling bubbled up naturally.
He smiled at Solitas, who had finished firing his breath and returned to human form.
“Thank you. You’ve really eased one of my worries.”
“Well, no need to thank me.”
“No, seriously. You’ve been a huge help.”
“Is that so.”
Tsk.
Solitas smacked his bittering lips.
Lately, he’d been busy learning crafting skills.
Just yesterday, his master Cogidus had praised him for the first time, saying his wood carving was finally passable.
Those were fulfilling days.
So when Lloyd called him earlier.
Even when he obnoxiously flaunted the outsourced labor contract.
Even when coming to the sludge disposal site per the contract’s promises.
The red dragon hadn’t thought much of it.
Just doing his job.
Earning his keep while learning crafting.
With that mindset, he manifested his true form, breathed fire.
Turned several tons of human excrement to ash.
Only then did his mouth turn bitter.
A deep, espresso-like sense of self-loathing struck his dragon heart.
Me, born as this land’s proud dragon, reduced to burning human shit piles.
Heard there’d be even more poop later.
Even orc and elf poop added.
Especially elf poop, mainly meat-eaters, smells insane, they say.
‘What the hell is dragon life.’
His soul rooted in melancholy.
The more he thought, the more he felt like a worthless speck in this vast universe.
No, at this point, he had exactly one value.
Ultra-high-performance, state-of-the-art excrement burner.
“…….”
Screw romance and marriage.
Just quit it all.
Return to his lair right now.
Escape all dragon life’s worries and lingering attachments, live as a healthy, beautiful, harmonious cradle solo dragon in splendid isolation.
Such sage-like enlightenment suddenly gripped Solitas strongly.
But then.
“By the way, ah, on days like this, I kinda wanna vacation in the Cordona region.”
Lloyd’s voice intruded into his regret-filled(?) thoughts.
The red dragon snapped out of it, furrowing his brow.
“Cordona? Where’s that?”
“Huh? You don’t know?”
“Of course not…….”
“It’s totally booming as a honeymoon spot these days.”
“What?”
Honeymoon.
Solitas flinched at the word.
The dream of romance and marriage he’d never achieved.
The faint hope and lingering attachment still pricking his dragon heart.
That tiny ember flickered at the word “honeymoon.”
Lloyd continued.
“I hear it’s famous for mild four-season weather and beautiful scenery. Especially a place called ‘Hot Spring Beach’ is wildly popular among couples and newlyweds.”
“Hot spring? Beach?”
“Yes. Unique sandy beach. Hot springs bubbling up.”
“Hot springs from the sand?”
“Yes, that’s what I heard. Anywhere on that beach’s sand. Just dig with a shovel into a bathtub shape, and sulfur hot spring water wells up from below. Then you and your lover plunge into your private sand hot tub.”
Gulp.
The image made his throat bob involuntarily.
Lloyd’s honeyed description continued.
“And that’s not all. Especially this season in the Cordona region, seasonal winds bring exactly one hour of downpour every midnight.”
“Downpour? Isn’t that bad?”
“No. It’s amazing.”
“Why?”
“Picture it. Soaking with your lover in the hot spring on the beach sand, gazing at the starry night sky, then a downpour hits. Your body warm in the hot spring. Exposed shoulders and face cooled by the rain. Sweet wave sounds endlessly in your ears.”
“Ah, aah…….”
“See it, right?”
Nod.
Before he knew it, Solitas clenched his fist tightly.
The regret and bitterness that had battered his dragon heart moments ago were gone.
Instead, his motivation burned even hotter.
‘I’ll get married too and do that sand beach, rain-soaked hot spring bath!’
A more detailed dream formed.
For that dream, human shit piles?
Orc and elf crap?
He’d burn as much as needed, he resolved.
Lloyd watched the red dragon with a pleased smile.
“Sigh. I wanna go somewhere like that too. Right?”
“……Agreed.”
Thus, the perfectly timed oiling succeeded.
Lloyd had rallied the wavering red dragon’s mentality.
He returned to the mansion with light steps.
‘Maybe I can rest for a bit now.’
Summer was already waning.
Still hot, but the days felt slightly shorter.
In a few months, the territory would turn autumnal, then the first snow would fall.
‘Plenty of time.’
The grand sewer expansion was progressing smoothly.
The honeycomb apartment complex was rising steadily too.
Both projects seemed finishable before winter without issues.
With the scheduled plague reliably prevented, no major worries left.
‘Just earn some extra cash as backup. Like pension insurance. Relying only on water fees and royal subsidies feels a tad uneasy. Solve that, and I can live sucking honey.’
He felt he’d worked so hard lately.
Especially today, truly exhausting.
Maybe from confirming clear achievements and results. Or from relaxing after relief.
The fatigue piled from months of self-whipping to work sites hit all at once.
‘Today, eat hearty, wash up, sleep deep. Tomorrow and the day after too, if possible.’
What if he rolled around lazily for a few days on purpose.
A dream back in his Korean goshiwon days.
Time to fully indulge now.
But right after arriving at the mansion.
Lloyd encountered an unexpected sight in the mansion’s first-floor main room.
“Huh?”
A woman he’d never seen was chatting with the Frontera Count.
Early twenties?
Her clothes and accessories screamed no maid or commoner.
A guard knight stood by her too.
‘Noble?’
Luxurious attire and guard knight.
Definitely noble.
‘But why’s a noble lady here?’
As Lloyd thought that.
Her gaze turned his way.
A polite smile formed.
“You must be Lloyd Frontera, right?”
She greeted him.
Lloyd nodded awkwardly.
“Ah, yes. And you are?”
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Carlota Cordona of the Cordona Count family.”
And?
What brings you here?
Lloyd felt an ominous premonition.
It became reality with the Frontera Count’s words.
“Hmm, don’t be surprised. Remember the marriage proposal letter we got recently? After receiving my reply, Count Cordona sent his lady here.”
“What? Why?”
An involuntary retort slipped out.
Lady Cordona answered.
“My father seems to have some lingering attachment to this proposal. So he pushed me here.”
“…….”
Ah, so.
We rejected, but he sent his daughter to try again?
‘Is this an appeal tactic too? Wow. Pretty bold guy.’
Cold sweat suddenly beaded.
Never imagined someone would send their daughter after rejection.
Lloyd composed his flustered mind and turned to the Frontera Count.
“Father, didn’t you send a clear rejection letter?”
“Erm, yes, I did.”
“…….”
“I’m a bit surprised too. Haha.”
The Frontera Count laughed awkwardly.
Truth be told, he was truly troubled.
He hadn’t expected this either.
‘Did I write the rejection too vaguely? I did reject, but maybe it seemed like lingering feelings? Probably that.’
His heart stung.
Should he tell his son the truth.
That he wrote the rejection ambiguously, causing this.
Then.
While the count pondered awkwardly, Lady Cordona smiled lightly and stepped forward.
“Please don’t feel too troubled.”
“Yes?”
Lloyd tilted his head.
“What do you mean, don’t feel troubled?”
“To be honest, I have no interest in political marriages either. As I said, I’m here reluctantly, pushed by my father.”
“Ah…….”
“So don’t worry. I’ll stay at this mansion for a few days, enough for my father to be satisfied. I’ll stay quietly until then and leave. Please take care of me.”
“You mean that sincerely?”
“Yes.”
She nodded firmly.
Lloyd inwardly pumped his fist in cheer.
‘Whew, saved.’
He’d feared getting stuck in an unwanted marriage issue.
Feared an unforeseen storm.
But her cool attitude eased those worries.
“Understood. Treat it like your home for a few days and relax.”
“Thank you.”
They exchanged businesslike greetings.
Back in his bedroom, he stretched out comfortably.
‘Lady this, lady that. No interest. I’m resting. Gonna laze and suck honey.’
So now, sleep deep.
Oversleep tomorrow too.
Thus, Lloyd fell peacefully asleep in relief.
And the next day, four more ladies from four other families arrived one after another at the peaceful Frontera Count mansion.