Plowing and sowing are for next spring, so they can be put aside for now.
Currently, there is a more important matter that Owen needs to handle, one that concerns Border Garrison Town's survival this winter.
Leaving the experimental field, Owen took Mapel to the Northern part of Border Garrison Town—the narrowest point between the Transverse Mountain Range and the Sky Vault Mountain Range. There, a stone city wall connects the two mountain ranges, and beyond the wall lies the dangerous Mak Desert.
Upon arriving at the destination, Wenster saw the Northern City Wall that silently guarded Border Garrison Town.
This section of the city wall is over five hundred meters long, more than five meters high, with a two-and-a-half-meter wide walkway on top, and some areas are even wider. The ancient city wall bears many marks of damage, having withstood numerous enemy attacks.
These enemies are the Undead Creatures that wander the Mak Desert.
These creatures prefer cold and fear heat. During the day, they hide, and at night, they roam aimlessly across the desert. Occasionally, a few will approach the city wall, and if discovered, they are dealt with.
In winter, they receive instructions from Kazetu, gather in a certain place, and then charge southward in wave after wave.
Of course, their main attack direction is Red Sand Fortress; Border Garrison Town only encounters a small portion of them.
Unfortunately, there is currently a large fifty-meter gap to the right of the main bastion in the middle of the city wall, and a smaller twenty-meter gap about a hundred meters further to the east.
Many people are currently repairing the middle gap, and half of it has already been mended. Large, processed stone blocks are piled up below the city wall.
Other people are continuously transporting bowl-thick logs to the eastern gap.
As for the origin of these two gaps, Wenster had already heard about it from Owen on the way.
It happened late last winter when Owen's father, Marquis Berwick Aisen, led Knights and ordinary Soldiers, along with the Holy Knights of the church, to resist the attacks of the Undead Creatures on the city wall.
Perhaps due to insufficient maintenance, a large gap was unexpectedly created in the middle of the city wall, and a large number of Undead Creatures poured in through the gap.
Worried about his son and the safety of the town, Berwick told Mapel to quickly run back to the town, inform everyone who could run to do so, those who couldn't to hide, and then go to the castle to protect Owen.
Mapel completed her mission and hid in the basement with Owen and everyone in the castle until dawn.
Ultimately, the Holy Knights lived up to expectations and repelled the Undead Creatures, but Berwick sacrificed himself on the battlefield.
Seeing Owen's figure from afar, Vilu, the stonemason responsible for repairing the city wall, quickly put down his work and went to greet him.
"Marquis, why have you come?"
Vilu is a well-known stonemason in Border Garrison Town; the Northern City Wall was built by his ancestors. He has a bald head, a strong physique, and dark skin from long exposure to wind and sun. Though he appears rough, he is very meticulous in his work and tolerates no carelessness.
"I came to see how your progress is going."
As Owen spoke, his gaze swept over the craftsmen working hard on the city wall and the porters transporting large stone blocks below the wall.
"Please rest assured, Marquis," Vilu reported. "At this rate, we can mend the central gap before winter arrives and also build a temporary wooden wall at the eastern gap to defend against the Undead Creatures."
"That's good." Owen nodded. "You go back to your work; I'll just watch from the side."
"Yes, Marquis."
Bowing and excusing himself, Vilu returned to the construction site to continue working, loudly reminding everyone not to be lazy, as the Marquis was inspecting the work nearby.
Looking at the two large gaps in the city wall, Mapel couldn't help but recall what happened last winter, feeling deeply moved.
"I hope Border Garrison Town can safely get through winter this year."
"It definitely can," Owen responded.
In truth, he wasn't sure either. But as the lord of Border Garrison Town, he had to appear brave and fearless, otherwise, those below him would waver.
"Is the eastern gap really okay? Even a sturdy stone wall was breached with such a large gap; a wooden wall definitely won't hold." Wenster worried.
"There's no other way. winter is just over two months away, and there isn't enough time. Having a wooden wall to block it is better than nothing at all. East Rise Fortress refuses to help us, and Border Garrison Town's financial and human resources are truly limited."
After inheriting his father's title, Owen immediately sought help from Duke Eddie of East Rise Fortress.
Even if the other party was unwilling to provide money, sending some people to help, with Border Garrison Town paying their salaries, should have allowed them to mend both gaps in the city wall before winter arrived.
But unexpectedly, Duke Eddie was extremely stingy. Asking him to spend money and manpower in someone else's territory was as difficult as pulling hair from an iron rooster.
"In that case, Border Garrison Town's situation will be very dangerous this winter."
If the town is in danger, the safety of everyone in the town cannot be guaranteed. Owen is an important channel for connecting to this world, and Wenster certainly does not want anything to happen to him.
"Then what method do you have?" Owen asked.
"I wonder if you have technology here to maintain high temperatures. I want you to directly fire cement. With it, the eastern gap can be repaired before winter arrives."
Wenster wanted to use cement combined with rubble to build a rubble wall to block the eastern gap in the city wall. Compared to a wooden wall, the safety factor would rise by several Ranks.
The technology provided naturally had to match the local technological level. If he casually sent over starship designs, could Border Garrison Town even build them?
As for why not transfer weapons to help Border Garrison Town overcome the difficulties?
As mentioned earlier, the transfer function has many limitations.
Large weapons are too massive, which could cause the connection to be interrupted; for small weapons, it's unclear how many would be needed to change the tide of battle, and they would also take up transfer slots for wheat seeds.
After all, there is a cooldown time after a transfer, so if weapons are chosen, only a small amount or even no wheat seeds would be available.
There is also a subjective reason: Wenster does not want to provide Border Garrison Town with too much material support. If they become overly reliant, it will not be beneficial for their development; they must be independent and self-reliant.
Speaking of which, the Earth Alliance once had a country that rose successfully and surpassed the only superpower at the time by relying on independent and self-reliant development. This is the best example.
Therefore, Wenster decided to provide Owen with advanced technical knowledge and ideas as much as possible, only offering material support in unavoidable circumstances.
For instance, Border Garrison Town's urgent need for wheat seeds that can grow in saline-alkali soil falls under the category of essential material support.
"cement? What is that?"
Another unfamiliar term, Owen had no choice but to ask Wenster for an explanation.
The other party patiently explained the properties and uses of cement.
After listening, Owen was greatly shocked. Even though he wasn't in the construction industry, he clearly understood the power of cement. It was not only an excellent adhesive but also a stone material that could be molded into any shape.
"Can the blacksmith's furnace fire it?"
To improve Border Garrison Town's defensive capabilities, Owen was already eager to start producing cement.
"No, the temperature isn't high enough, and it can't maintain a stable temperature for a long time."
"Hmm… In that case, why don't I try using fire magic? Increasing magical output can raise the flame temperature, and maintaining a constant magical output can ensure temperature stability."
"Fire magic? Huh? You, you're a Mage?! Why didn't you tell me before?!" Wenster's voice changed in surprise.
"You never asked me before."
...
Back at the castle, Owen hurried to his study and recorded the cement formula and wet production process dictated by Wenster.
Wenster chose the wet production method because it is simple to operate, the raw material composition is easy to control, the clinker quality is higher, and there is less dust. The disadvantage is high heat consumption, and he didn't know if Owen's magical power could sustain it.
The main raw materials for cement are limestone and clay. There is plenty of limestone in the quarry's waste rock piles, and clay is also easily obtainable; other raw materials can also be acquired.
After verifying the cement formula, Owen asked Wenster in detail how cement is fired in the wet process, in order to determine how he should use fire magic for firing.
With a plan in mind, Owen immediately called in his personal guard at the door and told him to summon Financial Officer Clive.