And he still remembered the nymph's request in his heart; Dagon, suppressed at the bottom of the lake, did not allow him enough time.
He asked Hans, who was accompanying him, to invite the leader of the dwarf craftsmen to the site.
Soon, a dwarf in a stone-dusted scarf, with a thick beard and a strong build, nervously jogged over to him.
He rubbed his rough, stained, calloused hands and subconsciously wanted to bow to Karl.
"No need for formalities." Karl indifferently raised his hand to stop him, calmly looking down at the dwarf's head.
The dwarf breathed a sigh of relief, but still replied respectfully: "Yes, my lord. My name is Kedfer, and I am the leader of this team of craftsmen."
Karl nodded slightly, his gaze swept over the busy construction site, then fell back on Kedfer.
"Kedfer, with the current progress, how long will it take to fully complete this temple? It means a great deal to me."
Kedfer's heart tightened. He carefully watched Karl's expression, quickly calculated in his mind, and gave a relatively conservative answer with a buffer.
"Returning to my lord, looking at the ordinary process and rhythm, to ensure the best quality of workmanship... approximately... approximately half a year."
"Half a year?" Karl immediately frowned.
This time far exceeded his psychological expectations and even exceeded half of the time the nymph had suggested for dealing with Dagon.
He turned to Hans beside him and asked: "Hans, what is the total reward for the dwarf masters?"
Hans immediately stopped the notebook in his hand and answered without hesitation: "Returning to my lord, the total reward is six hundred Orens."
"This price is already very fair for the construction of a temple of this scale and quality, and it could even be said to be quite a bargain."
Karl nodded slightly; the reward was quite reasonable. He wasn't stingy with money, but he couldn't accept this long construction period.
He looked again at Kedfer's face, which was growing increasingly anxious due to the silence, even fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead.
Karl suddenly gave a meaningful smile, his voice still calm, but with an undeniable tone: "Master Kedfer, half a year is truly too long for me."
"I understand the hard work and rigor the masters put into ensuring the quality of the construction."
Kedfer's heart jumped to his throat, his palms trembling slightly involuntarily.
He thought Karl was going to cut his pay or make demands that would be difficult for them to meet.
However, Karl's next words instantly widened his eyes, and he could hardly believe his ears.
"Well, I have a condition..." Karl said slowly, each word clearly reaching Kedfer's ears.
"As long as the masters fully guarantee the quality of the construction and do not cut corners, and complete it one month earlier than the original six-month timeline..."
He paused, looked into Kedfer's suddenly lit-up eyes, and smiled: "I will reward you with an additional 100 Orens on top of the original 600! What do you say?"
Kedfer was dizzy from this sudden, immense surprise and was a bit stunned for a while.
One month earlier, an extra 100 Orens?!
Originally planned to take six months, but if they worked hard to finish it three months early... wouldn't that mean getting an extra 300 Orens?!
If you add the original 600 Orens, the total reward would reach a staggering 900 Orens.
This was a huge sum that would allow the entire team of masters to live prosperously for a long time.
He was stunned for two or three seconds before suddenly reacting, and ecstasy instantly washed away all his tension and anxiety.
A smile as bright as a chrysanthemum bloomed on his face, and he heavily patted his strong chest, making a dull thud.
His voice trembled slightly with excitement: "Of course! As you wish, Your Excellency!"
"Please rest assured! We Mahakam dwarves have always been trustworthy and reliable!"
"We will do our utmost to complete the construction as quickly as possible, while ensuring the temple's quality is perfect! You will not be disappointed!"
A month of intensive construction and Karl's own efforts passed.
When Karl again stood before the well-laid-out temple, he couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.
The overall structure of the temple was completely finished, much faster than he had expected, five months ahead of schedule.
The dwarf masters had clearly shown efficiency and enthusiasm worthy of the generous bonus.
Of course, he had also secretly moved a lot of marble; otherwise, this group of dwarves couldn't have finished even if they worked themselves to the bone.
Under Kedfer's guidance, Karl entered this temple of his own.
Kedfer now had two thick dark circles under his eyes, and his face was full of fatigue.
But his spirit was extremely excited, and he introduced Karl with great gusto.
Through the magnificent arches is an open hall, with white marble pillars needing several people to embrace supporting the high dome, the pillars decorated with simple and powerful patterns.
The walls were intended for future frescoes or reliefs, and the floor was laid with mirror-smooth stone slabs.
Along the way, bright greenery and flowers were placed as decorations, adding a bit of life to the solemn temple.
Karl nodded from time to time along the way, quite satisfied with the overall quality of the building and the solemn atmosphere.
However, when he followed Kedfer into the main hall, his gaze turned to the high platform above the steps.
The approving smile that had always hung on his face instantly froze.
He saw that on the high platform stood a life-size statue, carefully carved from a single piece of white jade marble.
The face of the statue was undoubtedly him, with determined lines and sharp eyes, as if capable of piercing people's hearts; a single glance was enough to frighten an enemy.
But the problem lay in the details: the statue's head wore not an ordinary crown, but a ring-shaped crown of carved olive leaves.
The statue held one hand high, grasping a stone greatsword symbolizing power and authority, pointing straight to the sky.
And behind its head hung a huge halo, radiating a murky glow reminiscent of the sun.
That wasn't all; at the statue's feet and sides were several exquisitely carved, plump, white-winged... little angels.
They flew merrily around the statue, and behind the statue was not a simple background wall.
Instead, it was a huge, heavy, extremely exaggerated shape, the whole body seeming to be made of pure gold, radiating a dazzling splendor... a throne.
This combination... this imagery... the corners of Karl's mouth twitched uncontrollably several times, his expression becoming extremely complex, full of indescribable speechlessness.
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