The crowd listened intently, captivated by Magnus Valorion's myth. John Carter, though puzzled, couldn't help but voice his long-held question, "My lord, what does the Spring Stone have to do with digging a well?"
Magnus continued his tale unhurriedly, "The Spring Stone, as the name implies, is a stone from which springs flow."
"But this stone isn't producing any spring, so how can it be a Spring Stone?" came an untimely voice from above the well.
Magnus glanced up to see a small eight- or nine-year-old boy, one of John Carter's helpers, speaking out of turn. Being just a child, Magnus let it slide.
"Listen, and I'll continue the story," Magnus said, almost slipping up by admitting he was making it up.
After the Faithful Wife turned into the Watching Wife Stone and was placed at the summit of the holy mountain, something miraculous happened. Every evening at sunset, the stone would emit a soft glow, seemingly expressing her longing for her husband and blessings to the people. One day, a pilgrim discovered that clear spring water was flowing from beneath the Watching Wife Stone. The villagers were astonished to find that the water was not only sweet and refreshing but also had healing properties.
However, over time, the divine power of the Watching Wife Stone weakened, and the flow of the spring gradually diminished. The villagers became worried and prayed fervently for the stone to regain its power. But despite their efforts, the spring eventually dried up.
"And to restore the Spring Stone's divine power, it must be struck by three specific types of people," Magnus fabricated from legends he learned in another world, leaving the villagers deeply convinced.
"May I ask, my lord, who are these three types of people?" John Carter inquired urgently.
"Since the Watching Wife Stone was formed from a wife's faithful longing for her husband, the first type must be a couple deeply in love," Magnus began.
"The second type is a sage with a heart for the world."
"And the third is the true Son of Heaven, who rules over all."
Above the well, Galen Veritas's heart raced as he heard Magnus mention the third type.
Galen thought to himself, "This will surely prove whether the young master is truly destined by the heavens!"
In the next moment, Magnus boasted, "You guessed right. I am such a sage with a heart for the world."
With that, Magnus instructed everyone to step aside. He raised his shovel high and struck the stone with great force. Perhaps he overdid it in his excitement, for the shovel's handle splintered, and the metal head flew off, sending sparks flying. The recoil from the rock left Magnus's hand numb.
The three men in the well had expected some miraculous event, but nothing extraordinary happened.
"My lord, could this just be an ordinary stone and not the Spring Stone?" John Carter questioned, doubt creeping into his voice.
Just then, one of the workers in the well noticed something astonishing. Water began to trickle from the spot where Magnus had struck the rock.
"John Carter, look! The lord was right! The stone is the Spring Stone, and it's now releasing water!" the worker exclaimed.
John Carter, who had initially thought Magnus was fabricating stories, looked down to see water seeping from the massive granite rock.
He was stunned, "Could there truly be such a thing as a Spring Stone?"
"If the lord can make the Spring Stone produce water, he must indeed be a sage with a heart for the world!"
"Yes, that's it! If Magnus, who can feed the entire town, isn't a sage, then no one is!"
John Carter was deeply moved, feeling as though he had witnessed a miracle and a moment in history.
Little did they know, Magnus was simply using the system's cheats. Magnus's act had further elevated his godlike status among the townspeople.
To John Carter and the others, the sight of water emerging from the rock was inexplicable and miraculous. With the system's aid, Magnus could perform such "miracles" to bolster his image further.
As the water began to flow, Magnus had a rope lowered and climbed out of the well, leaving John Carter and his men to finish the well.
Back above, Galen's respect for Magnus deepened. Magnus had an instruction for him.
"Galen, once the well is completed, have a plaque erected here. Engrave 'Spring Well' on the front and 'Never forget the one who dug the well, always be grateful to Magnus Valorion' on the back."
Magnus named the well Spring Well, hoping that the people would remember to repay even the smallest of kindnesses.
Sure enough, the water from the system was pure and refreshing. Green River Town, despite its name, had no green rivers and only a dry riverbed nearby. The well water was bitter and hard to swallow, but the system's water was cold, sweet, and invigorating.
The townspeople, hearing the legend of the Spring Stone, reacted with fervor. They were convinced that God had sent Magnus, a "sage," to save them from their suffering.
Days turned into months, and before Magnus knew it, he had been in Green River Town for half a year. In all that time, there hadn't been a single rain shower.
For Magnus, this was a blessing, as it allowed the town's construction work to proceed without interruption.
After half a year of relentless effort, the new gates were finally installed on the town's walls.
Magnus looked at the ten-meter-high, ten-meter-wide walls with a sense of security. He felt incredibly fortunate that no attacks from the Altai, Sami, Tuareg, or Celtic tribes had occurred during this period, allowing the construction to proceed smoothly.
With the walls completed, Magnus felt slightly safer, but he knew that even the strongest defenses could be breached eventually. While the walls might withstand an army of ten or twenty thousand, the Altai and Sami tribes boasted hundreds of thousands of warriors.
Magnus sighed, "Green River Town still has too few people."