Chapter 197
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Translator: Prime Works
Chapter: 197
Chapter Title: Stagnant Water Young Master (2)
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Ding-dong.
[A new praise title, [Western Noble's Stagnant Water], has been generated.]
‘Ooh.’
A plump message floated up right in front of his eyes.
Lloyd clenched his fist inwardly as he looked at it.
He had already successfully completed countless construction projects.
He had gathered various achievements and praise titles.
Naturally, he had been expecting a proper praise title this time as well.
‘No, at this point, it’d be disappointing if one didn’t pop up.’
It was a project that had taken a full four months.
He had poured a page of his life’s springtime into the sweltering, dry desert.
So, this level of reward was the least they could give.
Lloyd rolled his eyes in anticipation.
[Western Noble's Stagnant Water]
[Praise Grade: Regional Legendary Figure]
There’s no water.
I’m thirsty.
The Sultan abandoned us.
Even the officials ran away.
No one is helping us.
That’s what we thought.
We thought it would always be that way.
We thought it would be the same even if we all died.
Everyone had given up.
That’s why.
When the young master from the neighboring country woke us up one night.
When he shared water with us, taking all the credit.
We thought he was a really strange guy.
We even thought he was some shady character.
We didn’t know back then.
That this young master wouldn’t abandon us.
That he would work every day, covering his body in sand, for us whom even the Sultan and officials had forsaken.
So, how has this place changed now?
Before I answer, let me ask you a question.
Guest, what kind of tea do you like?
[Praise Effect: By resolving the chronic drought in the Kandahar region, you are revered as the benefactor and great figure of the entire local populace. Moreover, this heartwarming tale will spread throughout the entire desert region by word of mouth. All shamans of the desert tribes in this world bestow blessings of gratitude and respect upon your name. Thanks to this, you will never suffer from dehydration in any region or period where the praise effect applies, no matter the situation.]
[Praise Region: All desert regions, all regions with an average annual temperature of 40°C or higher]
[Praise Duration: 300 years]
[The praise effect applies for 24 hours within the region and period of the praise. Additionally, the region and duration of the praise may expand, extend, shrink, or shorten based on your future actions.]
[CP provided monthly by the praise: 4]
[Current CP held: 614]
‘Wow.’
Lloyd purely admired after reading the entire praise content.
He had no choice but to.
‘Immunity to dehydration symptoms, huh.’
Desert regions, or hellish environments with average annual temperatures of 40°C or higher.
Even though there were those environmental conditions attached, immunity to dehydration was still an incredible effect.
Dehydration.
Few symptoms could take a person’s life as easily as that.
‘Of course. If just about 12% of the body’s water is lost, a person dies. And dehydration isn’t some extremely rare condition.’
Suffering from a nasty illness with repeated vomiting and diarrhea.
Neglecting hydration after sweating excessively.
Or getting stranded in a desert or vast ocean.
Any of that could quickly lead to a lack of bodily fluids and dehydration symptoms.
But this blocked it.
At the very least, he wouldn’t die of thirst in the desert anymore.
‘Or, through some tremendous misfortune, falling into a fiery hell.’
Well, that obviously wouldn’t happen.
Lloyd shrugged.
He savored the joy of obtaining this new praise title.
But the things he needed to savor didn’t end there.
Beyond the praise title in the message.
Real praise that pierced his eardrums was pouring in.
“Mister, water!”
It was right after informing the villages throughout the Kandahar region about the use and maintenance of the qanats and returning.
As he entered Kandara city, someone shouted toward him.
A tiny kid, maybe only five or six years old.
The little one came toddling over.
And thrust a wooden cup toward him.
Splash!
More than half the water in the cup splashed out.
Soaking his pants thoroughly.
“Eek?”
Lloyd was startled.
But he didn’t blame the kid.
Because of the kid’s sparkling eyes looking up at him.
“Muu!”
“……You want me to drink this?”
“Uh-huh!”
“So this is a gift of water from Selim to me?”
“Uh-huh! Mister must be thirsty too!”
“…….”
He took the half-empty cup of water.
Slowly, he drank it.
During that time, he felt gazes gathering on him.
Numerous citizens of Kandara had gathered. They were watching him. Some with warm eyes. Others clapping. Each expressing their gratitude and goodwill.
“…….”
I was just doing what I set out to do.
To make the special envoy’s negotiations succeed.
To prevent war with the Sultanate.
Just things I did to live comfortably.
But was it okay for me to receive this kind of treatment?
‘This feeling is weird.’
It was embarrassing.
On one hand, he felt ashamed and sorry.
Especially toward Ms. Thermes and the rebels.
“……That praise and support from earlier should have gone to you all, not me.”
That evening, Lloyd honestly shared his feelings with Thermes.
“You’ve been active against the Sultan who abandoned this region. You gathered funds to buy water and help those in dire need, and you worked hard to repair wells abandoned by fleeing local officials.”
What Lloyd said was true.
The rebels led by Thermes had done more than that.
The things just mentioned.
While doing those, they had tried to persuade local lords.
They argued that the prosperity and wealth concentrated in the capital Ahinsha needed to be distributed to the provinces, and that to do so, the scattered provincial military forces needed to unite to pressure the Sultan. They persistently urged the lords to form an alliance.
“But we never actually succeeded in supplying water to the entire region like this.”
Thermes turned to him with a wry smile.
He was already dressed in travel attire.
Not just him.
The rebel leaders too.
Even their families.
All were clad in sturdy travel clothes.
Camels were loaded with goods needed for a long journey.
Because tonight, they would begin their journey into exile in Frontera Territory.
Thermes said.
“It’s true we put in the effort. But we didn’t achieve results on this scale. So, no need to feel sorry for us. If anything, we’re the ones who should be grateful.”
His smile deepened.
“Thanks to you, the people of this region have found a way to survive. And we get to make a fresh start in Frontera Territory. It means all those words you said back when we kidnapped you have come true.”
“Ms. Thermes.”
“Thank you. You’re no different from our benefactor. That’s why.”
Thud.
Suddenly, Thermes dropped to one knee.
The rebel men behind him did the same.
All bowed their heads respectfully.
Thermes declared.
“I, Murat Thermes’s son, Damieta Thermes, and my comrades hereby pledge our unwavering loyalty to you, Lloyd Frontera, until the moment of our death, right here.”
‘Whoa.’
There wasn’t even time to stop him.
Thermes had dropped to his knee out of nowhere and blurted out the oath of loyalty.
At the same time, another message appeared before Lloyd’s eyes.
Ding-dong.
[Affection unlocked]
[Sultanate rebel leader Damieta Thermes has pledged loyalty to you.]
[Damieta Thermes will cherish your grace for life and follow you gladly until the moment of death.]
[Accordingly, you can now raise affection with Damieta Thermes and acquire RP.]
[50 RP granted as a special bonus for unlocking affection.]
[Current RP held: 2,755]
[Damieta Thermes’s affection toward you has increased by +11.]
[Current relationship with Damieta Thermes: +61]
[77 RP acquired for improving relationship with a character.]
[Current RP held: 2,832]
[Additionally, note that the affection levels of Damieta Thermes’s rebel comrades who pledged loyalty together will be aggregated into the average affection of all Frontera Territory residents.]
‘Whoa.’
Praise titles, affection, RP.
What day was it today?
Lloyd quickly controlled his lips, which were about to curl up to his ears.
And, ignoring Turtle Neck who was gesturing ‘True loyalty starts after death!’, he looked at Thermes and the rebels.
“……Thank you, everyone.”
When someone sincerely expresses something, you must respond with equal sincerity.
No, at the very least, pretend to.
That’s manners.
Lloyd accepted Thermes’s oath of loyalty with a serious expression, eyes, and voice.
“I’ll work even harder not to disappoint you all.”
“……My liege.”
“The nights will be cold. Please arrive safely in Frontera Territory.”
“Yes, my liege. Then we’ll go ahead.”
“Do that. Turtle Neck?”
Clack!
Turtle Neck stepped forward briskly at Lloyd’s call.
“From now on, you and the bone squad will guide them. You can handle it, right?”
Clack-clack!
Turtle Neck nodded its skull energetically.
It was Turtle Neck and the bone squad who had already crossed the desert once.
Thanks to that, they had learned with their very bones which paths were dangerous for living humans and which routes were comfortable.
Moreover, Thermes and the rebels were people born and raised in the desert.
With the sturdy bone squad as guides.
Combined with desert-born travelers.
There was no need to worry much about the group’s journey to Frontera Territory.
And so, the bone squad, Thermes, and the rebel faction left Kandara and set off on their long road to exile.
Only then could Lloyd finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Thanks to finally setting down the burden.
“Phew.”
Praise titles received via messages were familiar.
But real praise straight to his face from actual people was a bit different.
It felt burdensome and embarrassing somehow.
On one hand, awkward too.
When he was shamelessly promoting good deeds to get the rebels’ cooperation, his mind had been at ease.
‘But now that the stage is set and I’m getting real praise, it’s just pure embarrassment. What is this, reverse psychology?’
A wry smile escaped him.
He returned to his lodging.
Prepared for the journey to the Sultanate capital Ahinsha scheduled for the next day.
But even there, the burdensome real-world praise toward him continued.
The next one(?) was, unexpectedly, the escort provided by the Sultan himself.
“I sincerely respect you, Lord Lloyd.”
“…….”
Why was this guy doing this?
In the lodging corridor.
Lloyd stared blankly at the escort captain.
The escort captain, who appeared to be in his early forties, said seriously with a stern face.
“Actually, I knew from the beginning. I couldn’t help but notice. That you were getting cooperation from the rebels active in this area to carry out the project.”
“……Ah, so you did know?”
“Yes.”
The escort captain nodded.
“Because we have eyes and ears. So, I thought long and hard. Should I stop it? Should I report that you were colluding with those who dare rebel against the Sultan? But I didn’t. No, I thought I shouldn’t.”
“Why was that?”
“Because I believed that you completing the qanat would stabilize the lives of the local people, and that would ultimately benefit the Sultan.”
“From a big-picture view, you saw it as loyalty to the Sultan?”
“Officially, yes. Personally, no.”
“Not personally?”
“Because I personally felt respect.”
“……Ahem.”
“I respect you, Lord Lloyd.”
“Ah, got it. Let go of my hand…….”
“Could you let me hold it for 10 more seconds? When I return to Ahinsha, I want to proudly tell my son about grasping the hand of such a respectable man.”
“……Guh-huh.”
It cringed.
Not just hands and feet, but even the hypothalamic neurons and duodenal villi were cringing together, like a holiday discount package over the wall.
But Lloyd endured that moment with all his mental fortitude.
He even endured the early-forties man’s sparkling, burdensome gaze.
He even signed the paper the man held out.
‘Ah, damn it. Why do all these burly middle-aged guys keep liking me like this?’
The prospective fathers-in-law who always wanted him as a son-in-law.
The men who fired off lines about loyalty and respect without hesitation.
The more he thought, the more a sense of pathos welled up.
Chewing on those feelings, the next day he departed Kandara with the group.
He received a send-off full of citizens’ cheers.
He savored the desert night chill and the swaying camelback.
After several days of journey, he returned to the Sultanate capital Ahinsha.
But even here, his popularity hadn’t cooled.
To be precise, the king of middle-aged men who insisted on becoming his father-in-law was waiting in Ahinsha’s palace.
“……Why have you not yet become my son-in-law?”
At the audience to report the qanat completion.
The moment he saw Lloyd, Sultan Samarkand revealed his blazing eyes, grinding teeth, and fanboy passion(?) outright.