Chapter 29
As I watched my mentors depart, I felt Mia-san looking at me from beside me.
"I was like that when I was a child, too. Are you disappointed?"
"No, not at all."
"Then I'm glad."
However, having my teachers here was reassuring. They would not only help me; their presence would also keep me from going overboard.
Although I was technically their superior, neither of my mentors ever tempered their words based on my reaction.
A situation where all my opinions were accepted was not healthy. I would make mistakes eventually, and I needed people who would oppose me.
"Then, Mia-san. I'm going back to my tent. I'd like to speak with the mining engineers. Could you bring them here?"
Mia-san agreed to it, so I returned to the tent alone.
A large table had been set up in the tent, with a map of the valley spread across it.
I removed my heavy armor, propped my sword against the wall, took off my helmet, and placed my breastplate and chain mail on the armor stand.
With just a breastplate, chain mail, and helmet, I could still put it on by myself, but honestly, putting on the armor alone was difficult. It certainly would be helpful to have a maid at times like this.
Once I had removed my armor and was feeling lighter, Mia-san brought the prospector over.
When I granted permission to enter, Mia-san came in with four men.
After only a brief greeting, I got straight to the point.
"The monster sweep has progressed this far. So this area should be relatively safe."
I pointed to the map, indicating in broad strokes the areas considered safe.
Although the survey had been conducted years ago, there were several sites where gold was expected to be found.
"I'm sorry to ask this so soon after your arrival, but I'd like you to begin your survey as early as tomorrow. Of course, I'll provide an escort."
It was an abrupt request, but I wanted to move the schedule forward as much as possible.
"In a few more weeks, clearing the monsters from the valley will be complete. I would like to begin developing the gold mine around the same time."
It was a rushed schedule, but I wanted to get the gold mine operating and gather workers as soon as possible.
We discussed the matter, considered which places needed to be surveyed, and made our decision.
It was crude, to say the least, but this would do for now.
"Then I leave it in your hands."
I quickly wrapped up the meeting and had the four prospectors begin preparing for the next day.
"I hope gold turns up."
Mia-san said earnestly as she watched the mining engineers leave, but I ended up smiling a little.
"Yes."
I answered her with a smile.
"Next, please call in the construction contractors. I'd like to speak with them as well."
If anything, this was the real priority.
After asking Mia-san to arrange it again, I waited for a while before a short, stocky older man arrived.
"Seryure-san told me to come. Name's Ganze."
The man's face was deeply furrowed like weathered stone, and he had the stern, difficult air of a craftsman. Seryure-san had promised to send me the finest master craftsman, so Ganze must have been highly skilled.
Master Ganze looked me up and down as soon as he entered, then snorted.
"So you really are a woman."
Apparently, he was unhappy about working with a woman. Still, there was no helping it. Women working alongside men was unheard of. This was an issue I would have to deal with for the rest of my life. I couldn't afford to take offense every time someone reacted that way.
"Well, fine. Seryure-san's done me a good turn. I'll do the job he asked of me. I hear you want a port built."
"Yes. First, please look at this map. There's an inlet here where we should be able to build a port. I've already completed a preliminary survey of the route to it. There are about three places that are difficult to traverse, so they will need some work, but the road is wide enough everywhere else. Bringing in supplies shouldn't be a problem."
The sections considered difficult had already been surveyed, so the construction should not require any especially large-scale work.
"I see. And what kind of terrain is the site where you want to build the port?"
"Here. It's an area where rocky hills cluster together, but there is a single open point with an inlet connected to the sea."
Most likely, a river flowed through Gilie Valley long ago. A great deal of water had carved through the rock, forming the valley before flowing into the inlet.
"At the inlet's mouth, rocky hills jut out in alternating positions, as if blocking it off."
I took a quill and drew a simple diagram on a sheet of paper.
They were arranged like two upright palms placed one behind the other.
"So the rocky hills keep the inlet hidden from the outside. How deep is the inlet? And how far apart are these rocky hills?"
Master Ganze asked the essential questions first.
"The inlet is shallow, and the gaps between the rocky hills aren't particularly wide."
It was beautiful and scenic, but insufficient as a port.
"Then large ships won't be able to enter. We'll have to anchor them offshore and transfer their cargo to smaller boats."
We would have no choice but to do that at first. But that wouldn't do.
"Yes. That's why I'd like you to reclaim the inlet and build a large port."
When I explained my plans for the port, every wrinkle on the master's face seemed to smooth out in astonishment.
"What? Reclaim it? There's no way we can do that. If you want a port, just build a pier."
Master Ganze was shocked, but that was my line.
"What are you talking about? If that were all it took, I wouldn't have gone to the trouble of calling you here."
If all it took were driving in pilings and building a pier, even the soldiers could do it.
"But if you're going to reclaim it, who knows how many years that could take?"
He was right. Transporting massive amounts of earth and stone would take that much time.
"We can't spend that long. I need it to be at least taking shape within a year."
I set a deadline. In peaceful times, we could take things slowly, but these were turbulent times.
A strong army was necessary. And building an army required money—an enormous amount of money.
But that kind of money was nowhere to be found. If it didn't exist, I had to create it.
Build a port, develop Kashu, and fund the army with the profits. This was the only way to save the kingdom.