Man.
It was like Amun came prepared for everything he set his sights on.
Coming from someone like the Necro King, it was expected. The Great King of the Dead had lived for centuries and was powerful enough to end civilizations.
Much less create them.
No matter how many times I witnessed it, seeing someone as young as Amun do the same would perplex me beyond belief. I believed that would remain true long after we became old.
The source of his knowledge was always one thing. But we were forbidden to inquire about it. So instead, I focused on the immense wealth of knowledge he deposited on me.
As his Chief Engineer, the books Amun gave me revolved around schematics and blueprints of creations that I believed, had no way of existing in this world. And then he went on to explain the theories, principles, and practices I'd need to understand to bring them into reality.
At first, it was things that even I could make sense of. Infrastructure. Ways to design buildings, roads, bridges, and the like. After that… it quickly fell down the hole of the unknown and the fantastical. Beasts made of metal that moved on the ground, in the water, and through the sky on their own. Machines that lived in the body, giving the owner abilities that were in ways like magic. It was so much, that I didn't even know where to start.
But, Amun had planned for that as well.
"Honestly." Giorno's gasp ripped me from my thoughts, and I followed his splayed hand to the model of the new Hill Base. "It's incredible."
"That it is." Mayor Silas gasped in much the same way.
"Keep in mind that this is not to scale, and it's a model simulating decades into the future, but it goes beyond," Amun simplistically stated. "I anticipate a population growth during our absence. I wouldn't be surprised if our numbers double, or even triple while we're gone. Even if it doesn't by then, it'll happen eventually. Once I return with the ability to make enchantments, however, the risk of overpopulation will be mitigated.
"That said." He sighed. "I don't want to take the whole mountain. Only a part of it. Thus." He gestured again to the model.
"Only a part of it." Mayor Silas buried his face in his hand. "You make it sound so simple."
"With Gravity Magic, it is." Amun snorted.
"Gravity…" Mayor Silas tapped at his chin. "That's how we were able to do this?"
"Yes." Amun nodded. "Between that and my other magic, we'll have all the space we need."
"Well." The Mayor peered over his feet with a dry laugh. "We already do."
With only a soft snort, Amun stepped over the ledge. Compelling the rest of us to follow him into a hexagonal hole that shifted into a cave upon the release of his spell.
After catching my bearings, I and the others gazed around a space eight meters wide and twelve long. Save a two and a half meters wide channel running from the door to the open wall, the space was empty. A blank slate for the seven of us to play with.
"If I may." The Mayor interjected. "I'd like to introduce Arbold and Leo, Hill Base's most exceptional farmer and our most talented artist; likewise, may I present, Lord Amun, along with Lord Edward, Lord Jaimess, Lord Giorno, our new tailor, And Lady Letta, our new watchmaker."
"My pleasure." I meekly bowed after the others.
"Now that the introductions are underway, we'll agree upon the teams," Amun said. "Mayor Silas and I will go through each cell and the interior to install the enchantments. Ed, you, Arbor, and Jaimess will work on the main infrastructure. Leaving Letta and Giorno with Leo. We want this place to look luxurious and spacious enough to remove the want to go outside. That means a lot of light and even more plants."
"Understood, my Lord." Giorno regally bowed.
"Good." Amun nodded. "Now, assuming no one has any objections, I'll move on to explain the infrastructure so that we're all on the same page. First, these cells can be used as either communal spaces, or as lots for a single-family. By themselves, they're eight by ten meters, with stone walls four meters thick. It seems obsessive, but my intention is that the occupants on either side can dig a meter into the walls and extend as far as they need into the cells to build their rooms. Or, if the family is large enough, they can combine to cells via a door and make a single unit. Regardless, there'll be two meters of leeway for the necessary pipes or conduits I plan on running through the place.
"Those pipes will begin high above." Amun pointed overhead. "In the rainwater reservoirs. From there, the water will pass through a filter and pour into one of three reservoirs. One for daily water, one for agriculture, and one for the industry. The water in the former category will pass into each residence to fill their toilet and bathwater. Reducing the need for enchantments and allowing us to create fertilizer in the process."
"Fertilizer!?" Arbor huffed.
"Yes." Amun grinned. "Toilet water will produce black water and dirty bath, sink, and laundry water is known as gray water. The gray water needs to be filtered before it can be fed to plants while the black water will fall into a series of tanks feeding into one another. Each tank will be filled with plants and insects that feed on the waste, cleaning the water enough to be released back into nature without tainting the environment."
"Absolutely incredible." Arbor gasped in disbelief.
"Yes." Amun nodded. "But that's not all! The water reserved for agriculture will feed into the balconies lining each cell. There, the residents will have their own aquaponics system."
"Aqua… ponics?" Mayor Silas slowly repeated.
"Each cell will have its own fish tank," Amun explained. "Initially, those fish will need to be fed with the food we have on hand. But as they eat, they'll drop waste into the water. If the fish were simply being kept as pets, the water would simply be filtered. But the filthy water can be pumped into plant beds filled with porous rock. The plants would feed off the waste, in turn cleaning the water for the fish."
"And, given enough time, the fish can be sustained from the produce grown from their waste." Arbor surmised. "Giving us fresh fish and produce! It's genius!"
"But that also brings about the risk of wasted food," Amun added with a pointed finger. "As such, I'm installing a chute in every room meant for organic waste, uneaten or rotten food, along with some other things, where it'll all be gathered into a chamber filled with worms."
"Worms?" Mayor Silas writhed.
"Yes." Amun snickered. "The worms will break down food, paper, and anything else that came from the grown and turn it into fertilizer. That fertilizer, and another material, will be used to revitalize the soil in our indoor farms and around Hill Base. Any questions?"
"A cart full." Arbor snorted. "But none that'll keep me from working. I'm ready to begin when you are, my Lord."
"Alright then." Amun clapped, then disappeared with the Mayor, leaving me, Jaimess, and Arbor standing over Leo as he guided Giorno in carving bits of stone into his desired shapes while Letta hauled chunks of stone outside and brought plants and saplings inside.
After, Amun used his void magic to carve the aforementioned canals into the walls while Mayor Silas shaped the stone to create the enchantments needed to light up the place and provide the obligatory amenities.
The crafters and a few construction workers then came in with lists and requirements for the tenants and got to work carving out the stone, raising walls, installing doors, and building the furniture needed to transform the place from a mere cave to a luxurious home.
And only then, could we finally begin our work.
We started with the plant beds. After deciding to have the tanks be placed above the kitchen, we installed a standard pump enchantment, then asked Amun to create a pipe that ran through the roof to the upper-most bin on the left side of the balcony. After filling that with a few centimeters of porous rock, we installed a mesh screen before an overflow bucket valve and repeated the process three more times until we reached the far side, where another pump was installed to bring the water back up through the roof and into the tank.
With that, the only thing left to do now was to plant the crops, fill the central basin and populate it with fish. Jobs that were reserved for either the residents or other individuals, so we quickly moved on to the next cell.
In a way, it was perfect. The fish chosen to reside in the tanks bred like rabbits, managed their own population, and favored warm water. And with the angle of the caves, the transparent tank would capture the sun's heat during the day much like the structure itself did. All the occupants had to do was feed them and make sure no disease befell them and they had food for life.
It took us the entire day to go through the fifty-one cells, three double cells, and two triples. Making for just over four rows of staggered hexagonal residential spaces. With our job done, the lot of us made our way deeper inside the mountain, where Amun and the Mayor were finishing up with the main farm complex.
"We're done." I beamed after settling beside them.
"Excellent work." Amun beamed over his shoulder. Then took a moment to recall his tendrils of void magic before turning to face us. "That was a lot faster than I expected." He chuckled. "Be proud of yourselves."
"Thank you." I bowed at the neck.
"Arbor, I'll remind you that these systems can grow produce a lot faster and with higher yields than even the most fertile soils. But." Amun raised a finger. "They're unable to support trees or sustain anything that grows in the ground. For that, we'll have to farm outside."
"Hence the… compost, was it?" Arbor presumed.
"Exactly." Amun nodded.
"You know, we do have seasons in these parts."
'Seasons?' My brows furrowed.
But Amun recoiled in shock. "Seriously?"
"Depending on the mana." Mayor Silas nonchalantly nodded. "A winter came nearly a year ago. We almost starved. It'll be good to know we can grow food year-round. But we may need to have the ability to enclose the cells or install wood stoves or enchantments to continue growing food."
"That can be easily done." Amun dismissively shrugged. "More importantly, the cells are done, the new stairs are complete, and the wall has been smoothed out. I'll be spending the night carving out a few more things and making a few designs for the artisans. Tomorrow, most of us will be doing the same things we did today while the others work on the rampart, the gate, and the catwalk. While that's going on, the citizens will be moving into their new residences. Allowing us to demolish the town and begin construction on the plateau the day after. And from there, it's nothing but classes and training.
"Any questions?" Amun clasped his hands together, then paused to pan his gaze across the still faces gathered around him. "Alright then, have a good night. And, try not to drink too much."
"I cannot begin to thank you enough." Mayor Silas lowered himself into a bow before any of us could depart. "This has been a dream come true, seeing Hill Base change before my eyes. I've said this to Amun." He turned to us. "But I and the citizen consider each of you Lord and Ladies of Hill Base. Nobles, if not Royalty, I daresay. If there's anything you want or need, all you need is ask."
"I appreciate the gesture." Amun raised his palm. "But, I'm fine."
As the Mayor's gaze fell upon mine, I politely shook my head. As did the others. Causing his smile to widen more than I thought possible before he excused himself with another thanks.
And with that, the rest of us turned to retreat up the winding stone stairs leading to the residences.
From it being incomplete, the main complex was nothing more than a labyrinth of gently sloped halls, winding stairs that hugged towering walls, and what appeared to be hundreds of chambers and rooms of immense size, supported by a web of iron and wooden beams.
As a result of our work, however, the residences were like stepping into a dreamland.
Giorno and Letta's quarters sat on the top row. A locale that made for an arduous climb, but one that sent a relaxing wave of unignorable proportions over our bodies.
Like many of the large families, Letta and Giorno shared a double cell; and like the others, opened up to a central channel that stretched to their plant beds at the far end, already filled with an arrangement of sprouts. The living room sat just before the door, nothing more than a rug-lined area furnished with a small table that sat between a sofa that'd been dug into the raised floor. Beyond that, before the gardens, was the kitchen. Consisting of a sink and prep area recessed into the floor like the couches, opposite the cooktop, oven, and fish tank floating above, filled with dozens of young fish. Lastly, a pair of doors sitting to either side of the stove opened to a fridge and freezer that stretched beneath the floor, providing a substantial storage space that could be accessed via simple pull-out drawers.
From there, their rooms started to differ.
Excepting his bed and bathroom, Giorno's cell, on the left, was kept entirely open. Instead of dedicated rooms, he had… areas. All of his machinery for making clothes sat just to the left, surrounded by huge bags stuffed with leather and textiles. His room was extended out to the lowered walkway and down to the kitchen, more than halfway to the end of the cell. Leaving a lounge area around the corner and an open space he claimed would be used for training.
Letta, on the other hand, had a much more segregated space. Within her cell, three rooms sat in each of the corners, leaving her with a thin balcony for her to tend to her plants on the left side and a balcony similar to Giorno's on the far left side. Placing her room to the right of the door with a 'storage unit' and her office rooms sitting across from it.
After Letta went off to her room, Jaimess offered to cook us a meal. So I joined Giorno in his lounge and took a bottle of ale from my Doppelganger.
"Man." I gasped in satisfaction.
"What?" Giorno asked through a dense cloud of smoke.
"I don't know." I leaned back in my seat with a shrug. "It just… feels good. Working hard all day. Finishing it with a cold bottle of ale. I mean, just look."
Giorno raised an inquisitive brow as he took a long drag from his cigarette, then turn to see the town below.
"It's much different from what we saw yesterday, right?" I asked. "The people went from being fearful and resentful to being happy and hopeful. And, this place is beginning to look impenetrable.
"I don't know if this is why our Lord does it." I sighed after another swing. "But, passing along knowledge and creating a better life for people- uplifting them, has proven to be quite an exhilarating endeavor."
"I doubt that's the reason." Jaimess chuckled behind me. "But I agree all the same. When I look at this place, I can't help but dream of the future."