The construction of Mana Net One was progressing smoothly, thanks in part to Rebecca's undeniable talent in this field. Another reason was that the "Mana Net" was built on extremely basic rune configurations. The itinerant mage, with his remarkable calculation skills and creativity, had simplified this remarkable array to an incredible extent. Even the materials needed for the array were downgraded to an astonishing degree, with common quartz sand serving as the primary component and only small amounts of mithril and obsidian required for key nodes. This kept costs well within the range that the Cecil Territory could now afford.
After all, that itinerant mage had once been destitute. If he hadn't simplified the Mana Net to this extent, he'd never have been able to create it. However, the smooth progression of this project also meant new challenges related to its implementation would follow close behind.
In Gawain's vision, the territory first needed a steady output of steel. With steel, they could forge weapons, tools, and labor equipment, and build the basic infrastructure needed to manufacture more advanced products. Setting up the smelting facilities was only the first step; the real challenge was completing the eastern mining zone and ensuring a constant supply of ore. Building a mine required more materials, and without heavy machinery, they had to rely on manpower to dig and break rocks—meaning they needed more people.
At the same time, work on the camp itself had to speed up. Replacing tents with wooden huts was only a temporary solution; truly solid and safe quarters couldn't be made from wood alone. But did this era have any construction techniques or materials that would make the work more convenient and efficient? With all these issues piled up before him, Gawain was realizing just how challenging it was to build something from scratch. Even with the aid of magic and a reasonable reserve of funds, creating a new home on barren ground was no easy feat.
At this moment, he felt an intense anticipation for the aid that Francis II had promised: grain and cloth were important, but even more crucial were the one hundred craftsmen and apprentices. Even if many among them were unlucky souls sent south after being cast out, they were still technical personnel! For the Cecil Territory, which only had a total population of around 800, the arrival of one hundred skilled workers was monumental—enough to make Gawain smile in his sleep and startle the guards on night watch.
Unfortunately, the earliest they would arrive was in another half a month.
Speaking of workers, Gawain recalled that Amber had set out two days ago… Still no word from her yet. Could that shameless creature have really taken off with a few gold bars, absconding with the funds?
Sitting in the main tent at the center of camp, Gawain was deep in thought, trying to focus on the blueprints and tables spread before him. Meanwhile, Betty sat not far away, dozing off on her mat, her head bobbing as she struggled to stay awake. The blueprints before him depicted a new type of furnace that bore some resemblance to the blast furnaces of Earth in shape and structure, though its internal mechanisms were distinctly different. This design required space for magic arrays, with mana-conducting structures as close as possible to the buried Mana Net One, and the iron flow couldn't damage the array's patterns on the furnace walls…
This furnace was completely different from the Mana Net or water wheels. Gawain had to blend knowledge from both worlds to finalize the design. If the Mana Net was the foundation stone for the Cecil Territory, then creating this "hybrid furnace" was the foundation stone for Gawain himself. He knew that only by completing it could many of the grand ideas in his mind have a chance at realization, and no one else could help him with this.
After finishing the designs for the combustion chamber and iron flow system, he added space for a magic array, using what he remembered of the Cecil family's designs, then rubbed his temples and reached out toward the leather bag by his side. "Betty, could you pass me the leather bag with the red string?"
No answer came, just a faint sound of snoring. He looked over to find the sleepy maid curled up on her mat, deeply asleep. Having her sit around to keep him company had certainly been a boring task. Gawain chuckled, shook his head, and was about to get up to fetch it himself when Betty suddenly sat up, eyes still closed, and sleepily staggered toward the corner of the tent. She opened a chest, took out the leather bag, and wobbled back toward him, barely opening her eyes the entire time.
Amused, Gawain took the bag and packed away the blueprints, observing as Betty struggled to keep her eyes open. "If you're sleepy, go to bed. I'll probably be at this for a while."
Betty, fully awake now, quickly shook her head. "No, sir, you haven't gone to sleep, so I won't either!" She then glanced down at the drafts on his desk, as if taking them very seriously. Gawain watched with interest and asked, "Can you understand these?"
"No…" Betty shook her head. "I can't read…"
"Oh, then looking at these must be pretty boring," Gawain chuckled. "No wonder you dozed off."
"I didn't doze off!" Betty quickly replied, but her eyes drifted back to the papers filled with writing. "Sir, you know so many words…"
Despite being so tired just a moment ago, she suddenly seemed wide awake staring at the papers. Gawain found this amusing and asked, "Do you want to learn to read?"
Betty nodded instinctively, but then quickly shook her head, clutching a button on her maid's dress. "Madam Hanson says a maid doesn't need to read; she just has to do her work well."
"Now, that's nonsense—anyone can learn to read!" Gawain corrected her instantly, feeling a sudden inspiration. "If you want to learn, I can teach you a few things."
Betty's eyes wandered back to the papers again, clearly tempted, but she hesitated. "But Sir Philip said that the territory's paper and ink are precious, so I can't waste them…"
Gawain paused, intending to say that there was plenty of paper, but then he realized that Philip's caution wasn't entirely wrong. With the territory's supplies not yet self-sustaining and travel to Tanzan Town dependent on horse messengers, such materials were indeed limited. Letting Betty practice writing might indeed be a luxury, especially as they couldn't be sure she was serious about learning rather than just passing the time. Still, looking at the clueless maid before him, he couldn't help but laugh. "Wait here."
He retrieved a tree branch and, with a swipe of his hand, removed the rough bark and small twigs. After trimming one end with his knife, he handed it to Betty. "Use this to practice on the ground for now. If you do well, we'll see about next steps."
Betty took the branch, confused, and then watched as Gawain scribbled quickly on a piece of paper, producing a rough "writing guide": a yellowed piece of coarse paper bearing the alphabet in large print, followed by a large word—Betty's name. Gawain handed the sheet to her. "This is the alphabet, and below it is your name. Practice these, and if you have any questions, ask me."
Betty received the paper as if it were a precious treasure, so happy she nearly let out a giggle. The tent had packed dirt for flooring, so Gawain set aside an area near his desk where she could practice writing. He softened the ground a bit for her, then returned to his work, while the maid squatted nearby, clumsily tracing the letters with her branch. She looked surprisingly earnest.
A short while later, Gawain felt his mind ease, his thoughts reinvigorated by this small break. He picked up another draft, ready to tackle the next challenge, but the calm atmosphere didn't last long. Soon, a commotion arose outside the tent.
He reassured Betty and instructed her to keep practicing, then stepped outside to see Byron running toward him. From the slight urgency on his face, Gawain sensed something was amiss. As Byron drew closer, Gawain immediately asked, "What happened?"
"My lord, the soldiers stationed at the mountain vault reported strange noises from inside—like rocks scraping or something colliding. The vault door is still sealed, and they couldn't get inside to check, so they came to inform us."
The vault in the ruins was malfunctioning?
For a moment, Gawain felt a cold sweat run down his back. Anything could happen, but the vault had to remain intact! That was their literal "coffin savings!"
But he calmed himself quickly. Had he received this report a few days ago, he would have panicked more, but thankfully, in recent days, he'd already arranged for the gradual transfer of the vault's critical resources to the camp. Even if it wasn't completely emptied, about a third of its contents had been moved. So, even if the vault were to suffer a disaster or collapse, the loss wouldn't be unbearable…
After this moment of self-reassurance, Gawain regained his composure. Given the late hour, Byron probably hadn't noticed the cold sweat on his forehead. Ancestor's dignity preserved.jpg.
Weighing his options between going immediately or waiting until dawn, Gawain reached a swift conclusion: sleep? Forget it! With this matter hanging in his mind, who could sleep peacefully? Even Rebecca might lose her nerve.
"Have Sir Philip take charge of camp defenses," he ordered. "Select a few sharp soldiers to accompany me to the
mountains. Also, fetch Heidi; her support spells might prove useful."