NOVEL WEB Chapter 19: Westwood Site
"I'm willing to pay for the white rocks, my queen... but you need to promise me that you won't sue me to the Empire Court anymore," Elon said, smiling as he tried to keep the conversation on good terms.
"Not until you pay up," Arya scoffed.
"Ahh, all right. How about I pay you five gold coins for a quarter of the whole portion of the white rock?" Elon rolled his eyes and asked.
"You must be crazy!" Arya suddenly stood up, her face reddening at that instant.
"Do you think you are buying fish from a village fisherman?! Do you think you can persuade me with such petty figures?!" Arya barked.
"Uhm, no... My queen, I'm sorry... So how about ten gold coins?" Elon asked.
"See you in the Empire Court, King Elon..."
Unfortunately for him, he still wasn't able to persuade Queen Arya with that amount, as she hastily made her way to her horse.
Elon clearly remembered what the author of Fallen Mages said about the currencies. A single gold coin was equivalent to a hundred dollars, which meant ten gold coins amounted to a thousand dollars.
It was certain that this limestone — which they saw as a mere white rock — would continue to be of no use here for the foreseeable future. The author had already stated that Edon was shrouded in the culture of magic, and the idea of technology couldn't be grasped or discovered. And even if it were discovered, it would take thousands of years.
Elon wouldn't live for a thousand years, so he had to make it happen in his generation, even if he could only develop Salvador.
"Hey, my queen. How about fifteen gold coins?" he asked again as he followed her.
He clearly had no intention of giving up, which made it overwhelming. Arya had noticed this, and truly, she was starting to reconsider her stance on his persistence in collecting some of the white rocks.
"Thirty."
Finally, she revealed her desired amount, stunning Elon at once.
"That's a lot, my queen," Elon still smiled, but his tone shifted slightly.
"Fine then... we shall discuss it further in the Empire Court," Arya said, climbing onto her horse.
"All right. Okay. Thirty gold coins it is," Elon shook his head and conceded.
That was quite a lot of money, and the hundred gold coins the kingdom had were supposed to be used for food purchases during winter. Lord Xan had already stated that it wouldn't be enough, and they would need another hundred gold coins. Now that Elon would be paying Arya thirty gold coins for the limestone, they would need a total of a hundred and thirty gold coins for winter provisions.
Elon heaved a deep sigh after contemplating the situation, but he knew what he did was necessary.
Of course, he didn't think he had made a mistake, because if he judged correctly, he would be the one benefiting from this.
A quarter of the limestone rock was more than enough to build a wall around all of Salvador and even construct modern houses for the people if he wanted to. But for now, he had to prioritize the most critical tasks.
His main plan wasn't actually to collect a quarter of the limestone rock, but he had to follow through after paying for it.
After settling the payment, Elon informed his men that they would have to return for seven more days of work. It was a lot of labor, but he had promised to pay them handsomely — a promise he fulfilled.
Three Theran men were ordered to supervise the work to ensure Elon and his men didn't exceed the portion he paid for. After measuring the entire rock basement, the work progressed smoothly, and just like that, the project was beginning to take shape.
Elon ordered his men to clear a large space in Westwood, which had plenty of available land. They built wooden shelters under the king's command and stored the broken limestone nearby.
Seven days later, the limestone-collecting job was completed with the great help of the Fire and Earth Specialists and Elon's guidance. He was always present to assist, even though he had no magic power to break the rocks. Fortunately, limestone wasn't particularly hard to break if equipped with a strong enough weapon.
Elon gave the workers a day to rest, and they immediately began the next phase of the project.
Before Elon could think about finding iron ore — the only big quest he had at this point — he realized that there wasn't enough water available for large-scale construction.
"Ah, damn!" he cursed.
"Is everything all right, my king?" Ser Vorden asked.
"Phew... water. We need a lot of water to make this happen," Elon spoke.
Vorden Acot was struck by the realization, causing his jaw to drop.
"What do we do, my king? If we ask the Westwood residents to donate water, it might affect them greatly since their wells have started drying up due to the lack of rainfall," Ser Norman, who had joined them at the Westwood site, said.
"So what do we do?" Vorden asked again.
Elon remained silent for a while, deep in thought. He was searching for a solution that wouldn't hinder the pace of the project.
Winter is coming.
This phrase echoed in his mind, weighing on him.
He wasn't just afraid to die... he was afraid of his people dying because of his stubbornness in keeping them in Salvador during winter.
He couldn't let that happen.
Just as he continued contemplating, a sudden idea flashed through his mind, causing a wide smile to spread across his face.
Well, thanks to Brienne.
[—Just use pipes, host—]
Elon glanced at Aiden, then turned to Ser Vorden and Ser Norman.
"Pipes! Pipes! We'll build wooden pipes and connect them to wooden tanks," Elon declared.
Ser Vorden: "..."
Ser Norman: "???"
Aiden: "?!?"
The three were bewildered, prompting Elon to explain further.
"We're going to create wooden pipes and connect them from the nearest river to the wooden tanks we'll build."
There was a river about two and a half kilometers away from the site, which meant crafting long pipes would be a huge undertaking, but they had no choice.
Elon ordered another hundred and fifty men to join the project, and they quickly began working under his guidance.
Wood wasn't easy to find in the mostly barren land of Salvador, but Elon had no choice but to order people to cut down trees.
"Your life is more important," he stated, and the people seemed to understand, showing no complaints.
On the first day, they managed to build a kilometer-long pipe, which wasn't bad progress at all. They settled in the shelters, and Matilda persuaded Elon to go home and rest.
...
Later, in his chambers, after taking a shower, Elon heard a knock on the door.
It was Aiden, now his personal knight living close to his chamber. Although it wasn't official, since Elon hadn't declared it, Aiden seemed like the right person for the role — though Elon believed Aiden deserved more.
Opening the door, Elon spotted Aiden standing there, and behind him was a young lady.
She had blonde hair and dark eyes, wearing a tight black dress that accentuated her curvy figure.
When Elon's eyes accidentally met hers, she winked, sending a wave of heat through his spine.
"My king. Ser Vorden told me to bring this lady to you for the night. He said..."
"Ah! Ser Vorden? Why?" Elon interrupted.
He already knew why, but he still had the right to ask, didn't he?
"She will spend the night with you, my king," Aiden nodded slightly, puzzled by Elon's confusion.
"But, unfortunately... I'm too busy tonight. You should go back now," Elon declined, smiling.
"Ser Vorden already paid me, my king. He might punish me if I don't..."
The lady started to object, but Elon quickly cut her off.
"And I'm giving you the order to go, right? Ser Vorden won't punish you for that, okay?" Elon reassured her.
The lady nodded and left, having no choice.
Aiden bowed slightly and left as well, and Elon shut the door.
'Nice boobs, though,' he commented inwardly and smirked.
Then, he turned his focus to the next mission.
"Hey, Brienne. Where in this damned world can I find iron ore?"