50. Territory Construction (3)
“Yan! How did you know that?”
“Pardon? Know what?”
“Eleven just said he wants meat.”
“Oh! That’s because Eleven told me so.”
Wayne’s lips curled into a grin.
“You can hear Eleven’s voice too? No, you can understand what that guy’s saying?”
“Yes... It’s hard to explain. It’s not exactly hearing a voice and comprehending words—it’s more like Eleven’s speaking straight into my head. Strangely enough, I could understand him starting right after we met again this time.”
Wayne sank into deep thought.
‘Then, is Yan connected to Eleven through red Odd as well?’
Wayne was already linked to Eleven via red Odd, allowing them to scout each other’s areas, spy, or even eavesdrop. So it wasn’t impossible for Yan either.
Wayne withdrew his own red Odd and asked, “Ask him right now how many people are near him.”
“Ask him?”
“Just picture saying it in your head and sending it to Eleven.”
“Mm... I’ll give it a try.”
Yan closed his eyes and focused.
“Whoa! He says he’s detecting seventeen people.”
Wayne’s face lit up with delight.
“Looks like you’re fated to move with Eleven from now on.”
“Pardon?”
Indeed, the world of Odd was vast. Yan couldn’t extend his own red Odd to detect heat, but linked to Eleven’s, they could communicate telepathically.
Eleven’s red Odd radius was currently 700 meters—and still growing. As long as Yan stayed within that range, he could direct searches or scouting and gather intel anytime.
“From now on, don’t do anything else. Stick close to Eleven, communicate with him, and when he’s away, just track his location. He’ll handle the rest himself.”
“Yes, sir...!”
“Keep training your Odd, though.”
“Understood.”
Wayne thought he should build a Gigant for Yan—something small and fast, optimized for stealth in the Great Forest or woods.
The dwarves had completed the waterway.
Wayne and his subordinates, along with the dwarves, gathered at the downstream end of the Daev River for the opening ceremony.
“Whoa! I didn’t think you’d finish it this fast!”
“Dwarves are the shapers of the earth’s flow! This is nothing!”
Sera gave a thumbs-up at Zarac’s words, the one who split the rocks. She’d nearly died just digging a two-meter depth and four-meter width, but the dwarves had carved a waterway three times that size—without a single Gigant—in just a week. True masters of earthwork.
[Everyone, stand back!]
Weeeeng!
Thud! Thud!
The 2nd-class Gigant Predator gripped a massive flail in its hand.
[All of you, get way back!]
Predator swung the flail toward the dam blocking the Daev River and the waterway.
Whoosh!
Boom!
Crack! Cra-cra-crack!
One strike shattered layers of thick logs...
Whoosh!
Roarrrrr!
The dam burst.
“Woooah!”
“The water’s flowing!”
“Valhalla!”
In an instant, the fierce Daev River surged into the waterway like a tidal wave.
“Whoa! It’s already out of sight!”
Water was life itself. Without it, not a single blade of grass would grow. Now that water flowed through Wayne’s territory, all that remained was steady progress.
“Zarac!”
“Speak, Wayne!”
“Leave it as is for now, but in one or two weeks, widen the waterway bit by bit. Check the river’s flow and speed, and expand it up to double the size at most.”
“Double from here? That’d be a proper river.”
“That way, no one can mess with our water easily. Plus, we’ll soon be shipping lumber down this channel.”
“Got it! Leave it to us.”
Sera, listening nearby, asked curiously, “Lumber? What for?”
Wayne chuckled.
“Trees are needed everywhere. And you’ll be in charge of that.”
“Me?”
“I’ll explain on the way back.”
“Alright! Everyone, back to the territory!”
The group headed toward the canyon.
‘Start with the long-term projects, one step at a time.’
Wayne knew he needed a system that could run the territory without him. With the vital waterway done, next came housing for people.
“Houses here?”
Sera tilted her head.
“Yeah, about fifty households along both sides of the waterway.”
“Fifty?”
Wayne ordered houses built where the waterway met the canyon.
“Right. Build walls around the village too, and add two watchtowers. The dwarves will help, so it won’t be hard.”
“But why here? There’s tons of housing deeper in the dwarf kingdom.”
“Call it camouflage.”
“Camouflage?”
“For now. We’ll buy rations and supplies from Lorenne Territory going forward. Someone might wonder where it’s all going. A village here will throw off their eyes.”
Sera nodded. Exposing the ancient dwarf kingdom now would draw covetous eyes. Useless without water before, the canyon’s value was skyrocketing now that it flowed.
“Still, fifty houses is a lot just for camouflage.”
“This is the only way down into the canyon, so we’ll station you and the dwarf warriors here. Block any intruders.”
“So it’s a forward base.”
“Exactly. For now.”
Wayne planned human cities on the surface and in the canyon, centered here.
Wayne’s group and the dwarves followed the canyon to the kingdom’s entrance, then ascended to the top of the dwarf palace.
“Behold, dwarves! The legacy of our great ancestors!”
Wayne pulled down one of the levers atop the palace.
Clank!
Thud! Rumble rumble!
Sounds echoed from all directions, but no major change appeared. The kingdom remained dim; without torches, nothing was visible yet.
“Water! The water’s flowing into the channels!”
Brock pointed at the massive aqueduct. Water seeped from the canyon into the earth, gathered, and flowed atop the channels. The ground filtered it pure. The rushing water poured over the huge waterwheel beside the palace.
Roarrrrr!
Thud!
Grind grind grind!
The waterwheel, like a generator, began to turn. Once it spun steadily, Wayne pulled another lever.
Clank!
Thud!
Screeech!
Reflector panels embedded throughout the canyon opened, letting scorching sunlight from the barren lands flood in and illuminate the city.
“Ooh! Light!”
“The city’s sparkling!”
The metal palace gleamed, sunlight bathing streets and buildings—like watching the sunrise. Fountains sprayed in the central plaza, children dashed through brightened alleys, and life buzzed.
“Ooh! Our ancestors’ legacy is magnificent!”
Then Brock shouted.
“He who carries on the ancestors’ legacy, Wayne!”
“Wayne! Wayne!”
“Valhalla!”
“Woooah!”
The dwarves cheered Wayne wildly. For now, he was the legacy-bearer. But once he forged the thunder golem Ahrihman—the king’s symbol—that title would change.
Sera shook her head.
“The dwarves are thrilled.”
“This is just the start.”
“Oh, Sera—look west of the city. There should be a huge field.”
“...?”
“Test the soil and see if we can farm it.”
“Farm?”
“Sunlight’s coming in now, and we can irrigate. Time to grow crops.”
“But what do I know about that?”
Sera looked flustered.
“Consult the Huldra priestess. She’s grown crops in the mountains, so she knows something. You handle buying what we need from outside.”
“Whoa! That’s a ton of work.”
“I’ll tell the dwarves to cooperate.”
“Sigh! Got it.”
Sera suddenly startled.
“Where are you off to, Young Master Wayne?”
“Not right now. Once I get what I need, I’ll head to the forward base. Been away too long.”
“Fair enough.”
Wayne planned to grab the magic stones, finish the Steel Golem, then head straight to Patton Outpost.
No race could match dwarves in construction. With Wayne’s leadership added, work progressed smoothly.
Sera and the dwarf warriors bought rations and supplies from Lorenne Territory. They brought good news too: Lorenne lord Fredric Taylor had gotten an antidote from Sailon Occupation Zone thanks to Wayne and regained his health. Not Gigant-ready yet, but soon. He’d jumped at Wayne’s request without questions, enabling direct deals—rations and goods at below-market prices.
Timber harvesting from the forest north of Lorenne and transport via waterway went smoothly too. The fifty-house camouflage village atop the canyon finished, and with dwarf help, water and sewer systems linked to the canyon downstream were complete.
Finally, the awaited item arrived—one month after Wayne first came through Valhalla’s Gate.
“Nine magic stones and 3,000 gold coins.”
“Aye. The humans kept their word!”
One gold per dwarf per month for rations. Pocket change for Wayne with 350,000 gold, plus three months’ earnings from the outpost. But it sealed the Dresden alliance—an insurance policy. Backup if trouble arose.
“How’s the front lines?”
“The moment we dwarves allied with humans, victory was ours! We’ve taken a third of Estel’s northwest already. In two months, our mission ends!”
“Good work! Next gate in two months. If it wraps early, wait nearby.”
“Got it, Wayne!”
With Valhalla’s Gate closed, Wayne took the magic stones straight to the dwarves.
“Ooh! So this is golem core material!”
Blacksmith Aelga’s eyes doubled in size. For the past month, smiths had melted steel into molds, hammered thousands of times daily. They’d forged golem veins from divine metal Orro. Now, just insert the core heart.
“Put this in the golem’s heart now?”
“Nay—this is where the true ancestral legacy begins!”
Wayne eyed Brock.
“Brock! Take this magic stone and enter the Warriors’ Corridor!”
Brock, already briefed, looked tense.
Warriors’ Corridor! Deepest in the dwarf kingdom—a massive rock cave big enough for golems. Only dwarves undergoing warrior trials entered.
Countless dwarf warriors had entered before. They faced trials, proved themselves, received ancestors’ souls into the magic stone—and emerged with a true golem core.
“Carry yourself with honor, pillar of the skies! If you fail, no other dwarf will succeed!”
“Understood, Wayne! On dwarf honor, I’ll succeed!”
Brock strode in with the magic stone. Aelga and three dwarves learning Odd from Wayne and Aelga watched.