The Marez Wetland was an abandoned land.
Swamps full of sticky muck dotted the area everywhere.
Unknown creatures swarmed within the thick mires.
Naturally, building structures or farming was impossible.
Useless land.
Land that couldn't be put to any use.
That was how the Marez Wetland had been treated as nonexistent land for generations.
The Frontera Barony to the north of the wetland.
The Racona Viscounty to the south.
Both sides had ignored it equally.
It had been considered utterly impossible to develop from the start.
'...But that's a thing of the past now.'
Things would be different from here on out.
With that thought, Lloyd raised his head.
He turned around.
He asked cautiously.
"Are you alright?"
"Of course."
The Baron Frontera, who had been following behind, nodded.
Lloyd quickly glanced up and down at the baron.
The baron was wearing boots that came up to his knees.
They were oiled leather boots boasting near-perfect waterproofing.
But unfortunately, today they weren't fulfilling their role.
"You don't look alright at all. It looks like water and mud have already gotten inside the boots up to your calves."
And sure enough, the swamp was much deeper than knee level.
Every step sank in up to the thighs.
Thanks to that, the inside of the baron's boots was already a complete watery mess.
His pants were so soaked there wasn't a hint of dryness left.
But the baron was an unexpectedly resilient man.
"It's fine. I expected as much."
"Hmm, is that so."
It didn't seem like it.
Suddenly, Lloyd recalled what had happened two hours earlier.
♣
Two hours ago.
Lloyd had visited the baron's office.
He informed the baron of his plan to develop the Marez Wetland to the south of the territory.
The reasons and goals for developing the wetland were clear.
It was to increase the territory's future food production.
'We have to feed the orc miners. Even without them, expanding the farmland is always a good thing.'
Food production.
Agriculture is the foundation of all industry.
Even in the most advanced societies.
Primary needs like food and shelter must be met before moving to the next stage.
He thought the territory was the same.
'The orc miners are just the beginning. The population will grow someday. If the food production can't keep up with it then, we'll be in trouble.'
Production had to rise along with the mouths to feed.
But the territory had no readily available land to reclaim for new farmland.
The only candidate was right here, the Marez Wetland to the south.
That was why.
They had to drain the water from the wetland.
They had to undertake reclamation work.
For that, the baron's permission was essential.
To get it, he laid out the plan to the baron.
He had even prepared persuasive arguments in case of opposition.
But surprisingly.
"Then, are you planning to go observe the terrain of the wetland?"
"Yes? Well, yes. That's right."
"Good. Then I'll come with you."
"...Pardon?"
"No servants. Just you and me will be fine. I need to change into comfortable clothes first. Wait a moment."
That was when it started.
The baron began changing without even waiting for a reply.
He donned practical pants and leather boots.
He even strapped a portable sword to his waist.
He even had a maid pack a lunchbox!
"Uh, this isn't a picnic."
"I know."
"But why the lunchbox..."
"We might get hungry even in the wetland."
"Uh, still..."
"Am I wrong?"
"..."
Lloyd had to shut his mouth.
He wasn't wrong.
But it really seemed like the baron was treating this like a picnic.
'A pretty enjoyable one, at that.'
It was incomprehensible.
They were heading out to survey a damp, swamp-filled wetland.
Yet he was excitedly preparing like it was a outing.
As they left the mansion together.
As they crossed the territory southward toward the wetland.
Even as they finally arrived and floundered in the sticky muck.
Lloyd couldn't understand the baron's attitude.
In fact, he still didn't now.
"Huff, huff!"
The baron was panting heavily nonstop.
Every step in the sticky swamp turned him into a full-body slapstick routine.
The reason was simple.
He was holding up both arms to protect the lunchbox.
Unable to stand it, Lloyd spoke up.
"Um, could I hold that lunchbox basket?"
"No. It's fine."
"But holding it up like that the whole time must hurt your arms, and it'll be harder to keep your balance."
"It's not hard. Focus on your work."
"Well, carrying that one thing shouldn't really interfere with surveying the area."
It was true.
In fact, Lloyd had been using his Surveying Skill since earlier.
But surveying didn't require constant focus.
'The results save as data automatically.'
He could review the survey data back at the mansion anytime.
He could concentrate then.
So right now?
Carrying one lunchbox basket was no trouble at all.
But the baron stubbornly refused.
"Didn't I say I'd come along first? How could I burden you with it."
"Uh, you don't have to go that far."
"I'm really fine, so keep an eye on the path ahead."
"Yes. Then how about we rest over there for a bit."
Far ahead.
Right in the middle of the wetland was a slightly elevated area.
A small mound of relatively dry dirt bulging up.
'Though it's only a few meters at best.'
It looked perfect for a short break.
"Then follow me carefully. Don't trip."
"No worries. Huff, huff!"
Lloyd led the baron to the mound.
Upon reaching it, he saw it was fairly flat with a wide rock.
Lloyd sat on the rock and caught his breath.
Meanwhile, the baron beside him opened the lunchbox basket.
Inside was a wooden lunchbox covered with a pristine white cloth.
"I've been curious since earlier, but what exactly did you pack that you're treating it so preciously?"
"What else? The most delicious thing in the world."
The baron grinned and opened the lunchbox.
What was inside...
"Boiled eggs and tomatoes."
"Huh?"
"I drizzled plenty of honey on the tomatoes. Here, take a fork."
"..."
It was a bit unexpected.
He was a noble, after all.
Lloyd had expected something fancier.
The satisfied smile on the baron's lips grew even warmer.
"Feeling a bit dazed since it's been so long? But this was your favorite food as a kid, wasn't it?"
"..."
"I still remember it clearly. You'd refuse all the oily delicacies and insist that boiled eggs and honey-drizzled tomatoes were the best. I was so perplexed every time."
"..."
"Sometimes I still regret it. I should have given you all you wanted of those boiled eggs and tomatoes back then..."
"..."
What was he supposed to say?
Lloyd just pursed his lips, fork in hand.
He even stopped using the Surveying Skill midway.
He simply stared silently at the empty fork.
The baron grinned and peeled an egg, handing over the white.
"Here, there's salt—dip and eat. And drink water so you don't choke."
"..."
"You've been quiet since a bit ago. Does your old man feel awkward?"
"N-No, it's not that."
"No, I get it."
"..."
The look in the baron's eyes as he gazed at him.
A glimpse of inexplicable regret.
But that emotion was fleeting.
The baron burst into a hearty laugh.
"Hahaha, whoops. We'll get indigestion like this. Come on, let's eat."
"...Yes."
After that, neither the baron nor Lloyd spoke.
They sat on an nameless rock amid the gray swamp, eating dry boiled eggs and tomatoes.
During that time, the baron regretted his past.
The times he had been disappointed in his son for going astray from his expectations.
The way he had treated his son like a sore finger throughout.
He wanted to apologize for his actions.
But putting those feelings into words wasn't easy.
Instead, the baron silently handed Lloyd the water bottle.
Lloyd silently accepted it and quenched his thirst.
In return, he passed the salt for dipping the eggs to the baron.
Still, the two said nothing.
On the way back to the mansion, Lloyd carried the lunchbox basket.
This time, the baron didn't refuse.
The now-lighter basket.
Their steps felt a bit lighter too.
And so Lloyd's first day surveying the wetland came to an end.
♣
After that, Lloyd devoted himself to surveying for a while longer.
The Marez Wetland was wider than expected.
Covering its area with the Surveying Skill would take more than a day or two.
'Good thing the Surveying Skill is intermediate level.'
Now he could survey about 40 meters by 40 meters—1,600 square meters—at once.
Pushing it to the limit multiple times allowed him to cover a considerable area.
About 20 more days passed like that.
In that time, Lloyd had surveyed most of the area for the initial reclamation work.
He had obtained all the terrain data within that range.
Of course, that didn't make everything easy.
'Design is a whole other issue.'
Lloyd furrowed his brow as he examined the terrain data from the Marez Wetland surveys.
'As expected, there are too many variables.'
The wetland was in a lowland surrounded by two river branches.
Every time the rivers periodically flooded, water entered the wetland and stagnated over long years, forming the swamps.
'Stagnant water is always the problem, wherever you go.'
In games and land alike.
You have to manage stagnant water properly for games to thrive and land to live.
Recalling that truth, Lloyd pondered how to reclaim the wetland.
'I've already got a method in mind. Adapt the vertical drainage technique with Fantasy Species assistance. Promote consolidation. But I have to get the embankment and canal positions right in one go during the process.'
The area was so vast.
So many variables.
He couldn't be sure the water would drain cleanly as designed.
'If I just charge in and start construction blindly, it'll be a disaster.'
If he built embankments and dug canals only for the water not to drain properly, it'd be a problem.
It would be wasting countless manpower and money on pointless digging.
Lloyd wanted to avoid that at all costs.
'Hmm. If only I could run a simulation.'
The terrain data from the Marez Wetland via the Surveying Skill.
How great it would be to plug it into a supercomputer and simulate.
But that was impossible here—a pipe dream.
That was when.
"Mm..."
In one corner of the bedroom.
Haviel stirred in the armchair there.
Was he having a nightmare?
His elegant brows were furrowed.
If left alone, he might wake up.
Lloyd chanted a magical(?) incantation at the silver-haired knight tossing in his sleep.
"The drain method consists of the drain section for collecting river and stream water that has infiltrated the embankment during floods, the side culvert canal for channeling the collected drainage at a steady rate, and the filter section to prevent clogging in the drain. The thickness of the drain layer... blah blah blah... at least 0.5m deeper than the embankment foundation... details details... the average hydraulic gradient (H/D) at the drain face not exceeding 0.3... blah blah... ensuring a safety factor against sliding failure... go to sleep, poof."
"...Snooore."
Haviel fell asleep.
Lloyd grinned.
While reciting textbook content to lull the silver-haired knight.
A way to substitute for simulation had suddenly come to mind.
'Good thing I recited the embankment construction part. The answer was in the textbook after all. Let's give it a try.'
He left the bedroom.
He went to the mansion's backyard.
There, under the moonlight, he picked up a shovel.
He dug up soil from the training ground, piled it aside, and shaped it meticulously.
He fetched water, mashed grass and loess, and mixed them appropriately with water.
He even gathered small pebbles.
Lloyd's sweat sparkled under the moonlight.
He kept busily moving after that too.
Finally, as dawn broke.
Lloyd's creation emerged.
It was a miniature model of the Marez Wetland, scaled down to about 4 meters by 4 meters.
"Phew. This should do it."
Amid crashing fatigue, Lloyd smiled contentedly.
Even to his own eyes, the model looked quite realistic.
'It had to be. I reflected the survey data perfectly.'
Overall terrain heights and slopes.
Water pooling levels and flows.
And many other elements.
This would allow a fairly precise analog simulation.
'Alright, let's get started.'
Lloyd rolled up his sleeves and pant legs entirely.
Transforming into rice-planting fashion, he began tinkering with the model.
Using the Design Skill in tandem, he built miniature embankments.
He poked holes in the ground and dug canals on one side.
Then he observed the drainage.
It wasn't easy.
Past morning into noon, midsummer sun beat down unfiltered, scorching his back.
Sweat poured like rain from his whole body.
The mansion residents' gazes gathered too.
"Hey, what is Young Master Lloyd up to this time?"
"Has he discovered the joys of playing in the mud?"
"No, there must be something to it."
At least they weren't mocking him like before—that was something.
Lloyd continued the analog simulation under countless stares.
Each time, it failed.
The drainage wasn't satisfactory.
But he didn't give up.
He had no intention of backing down until he found a way.
'If I was going to quit easily, I wouldn't have started!'
Every failure fueled his grit.
"Again!" he shouted, restoring the terrain with his hands, adding thick water, and trying various embankment and canal shapes.
How many attempts and failures followed?
Past noon into afternoon.
Into evening, as sunset lit his back.
Finally, he found a model where the embankments and canals drained properly.
'Got it!'
Amid deep fatigue and streaming sweat, he clenched his fist.
The water was draining properly at last.
Not just draining, but maintaining the state without issues.
The all-day manual labor felt worth it.
That was the moment.
An unexpected message appeared before his eyes.
Ding-dong.
[You overcame limited conditions through wisdom and grit in adversity.]
[That special experience greatly influences [Skill: Design].]
[A new skill option has been unlocked.]
(End of Chapter 44)
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