Thump, thump, thump…
Lucas walked at the very front, standing in the center of the pontoon bridge. He turned his head to look at the surface of the Whispering River. The turbulent water was pushing the bridge into an arc.
"Aiden, send men to establish guard posts on the banks. Forbid any boats from approaching the bridge," Lucas said in a deep voice. This pontoon bridge couldn't withstand the impact of a boat.
"Yes," Aiden replied respectfully.
"In two days, I will have someone deliver the ballistas," Lucas said flatly. Testing of the ballistas had already been completed, and they were now being mass-produced.
"Understood," Aiden said, straightening his back. He knew about the great weapon that was the ballista, and because he knew, he understood the importance of the matter.
Thump, thump…
Lucas started walking towards the other side of the Whispering River. He wanted to see the land reclamation site for his Great Granary project. The future food supply of Sedona City depended entirely on this project.
Soon, Lucas's group was on the opposite bank. He looked up at the barren land before him. As far as the eye could see, it was all wasteland. Apart from a few small hills, it was all flat, desolate land.
Lucas walked into the wasteland. After about ten minutes, he squatted down and grabbed a handful of dirt. The soil was very fertile. It was a natural place for planting.
"Annie, immediately arrange for people to begin land reclamation. Proceed according to the plan. I want 70,000,000 square meters of arable land," Lucas ordered.
Seventy million square meters of land was the first step in his Great Granary project. With that much land, he could feed at least two hundred thousand people. Moreover, planting for one season could feed two hundred thousand people for an entire year.
Of course, this would be impossible with the farming methods and seeds of this era. It was also unrealistic to get seventy million square meters of land all at once, as they didn't have the manpower. Plus, even with the seeds Lucas brought from Earth, the winter greenhouse breeding program hadn't produced that much.
"Yes," Annie replied. This Great Granary project had been planned by her and the Master together. It was the most important part of Sedona City's future development plan.
"Aiden, send men to patrol here. I don't want anything to affect the progress of the land reclamation," Lucas said with a serious face. The spring planting was the most important thing, more important than anything else. Therefore, everything had to make way for it.
"Yes," Aiden replied coldly. He also knew the importance of the spring planting. It concerned whether the more than ten thousand people of Sedona City could fill their stomachs.
During his inspection, Lucas made a few more requests. Grain was one of the fundamentals of stability. His first step was to store enough grain to feed the entire city for a full year. They had already begun to build a large number of warehouses.
"Let's go. We'll go to the shipyard and see the ship," Lucas said, standing on a small hill. He glanced at the large lake in the distance, thought for a moment, and then turned to walk back.
That lake had a tributary connecting it to the Whispering River. He hadn't yet figured out how to make use of the large lake. It could be used for pearl cultivation, but that would be a bit of a waste.
Mina and Annie exchanged a look and let out a light breath. The Master was now full of authority and was extremely serious when dealing with matters, which made both of them keep a straight face the whole time.
Thump, thump, thump…
When Lucas arrived back at the entrance of the pontoon bridge, he saw many people lingering on it. He turned to Aiden and ordered, "Tell people not to loiter on the bridge."
To reduce the load on the bridge, he had already limited the number of people who could be on it at one time. If it couldn't bear the weight and broke, it would become a joke.
"Understood," Aiden nodded and immediately ordered the soldiers to carry out the order, shooing away those who were lingering on the bridge.
Lucas stepped onto the bridge again. He looked at the rushing current in the Whispering River, his dark eyes glinting, and then walked towards the bank. The ship in the shipyard was already built and was now being decorated. He had to go take a look.
The shipyard wasn't very far from the bridge; it was a ten-minute carriage ride. The shipyard was completely different now. A huge wooden shed had been erected, and the ship was being built inside.
The head of the shipyard, Weiss, had already been informed that the Lord was coming and was waiting at the entrance. He was all smiles now because the fifty-meter ship was complete. His dream had been fulfilled.
Clip-clop, clip-clop…
The sound of hooves made Weiss quickly straighten his clothes. He stood on his tiptoes, looking at the carriage galloping over from the distance, his eyes filled with excitement.
Lucas got off the carriage, and Weiss immediately went up to greet him. "My Lord," He called out respectfully.
"Mhm, how is the ship?" Lucas asked, his eyes scanning the shipyard. He also saw a new shipyard under construction, which was primarily using cement.
"It's already complete," Weiss reported, suppressing his excitement. "Everything is finished, all that's left is the launching and the sea trial."
"Take me to see it," Lucas nodded. He had never seen a fifty-meter wooden ship before. He had seen steel ones on Earth, though.
"Yes," Weiss said, leading the way.
Thump, thump, thump…
Lucas and his group entered the large shed. The first thing they saw was a seven- or eight-meter-high wooden ship. Its total length was over fifty meters, like a section of a city wall.
"Whoa, what a big ship," Annie exclaimed, her fox ears twitching. It was the first time she had ever seen a ship this big. There were no ships this large in the Valtoria Kingdom.
"It's really huge," Mina said, swishing her cat tail. It was also the first time she had seen such a large ship.
"Bring the ladder," Lucas said calmly. He didn't know if the ship was any good because, just like the beast-ear girls, this was the first time he had seen the real thing.
"Yes," Weiss replied quickly. Seeing the Lord's calm expression, his own excitement cooled slightly. He only just realized that he had only been able to build a fifty-meter ship because of the blueprints the Lord had provided.
The wooden ladder was already prepared. After Chris and the others inspected it, Lucas and his group boarded the great ship. It was obvious at a glance that the deck had been coated with waterproof oil, making it shiny and glossy.
Lucas stepped into the ship's hold and found it was very dark. Weiss quickly lit a candle and led the way to the level below the deck, where the cargo was stored and the crew rested.
"There needs to be a rule for the use of candles," Lucas mentioned during his inspection. Fire was the greatest danger to a ship, so this point had to be strictly managed.
"Yes," Weiss replied quickly.
"Aiden, for the sailors' training, add this point about candles," Lucas said flatly.
"Understood," Aiden said seriously. The recruitment of sailors was already being planned and would be implemented in the next few days.
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