Meeting with Master Ganze About Port Construction (2)

"A year?! That's impossible in such a short time!"

When I set a one-year deadline, Master Ganze banged his fist on the table in protest. Mia-san, who was beside him, looked startled by the intensity of his reaction, but I couldn't back down either. Besides, it wasn't impossible.

"No, it is possible. Certainly, transporting a large amount of earth and stone would take time and manpower. But in this case, there is no need to transport them. They're right there, after all."

I pointed to the drawing I had made.

"The rocky mountain covering this inlet—we can cut it down, drop it into the inlet, and reclaim the land."

If we drilled holes in the mountain, buried explosive magic stones in them, and detonated them inside, we should be able to bring it down.

"That way, we can use the entire inlet as a port. Fortunately, the water is deeper on the far side of the mountain, so even large ships can anchor there. If we cut it down to just the right height, unloading cargo should be easy as well."

"But..."

Master Ganze swallowed the words he had been about to say.

"Can't it be done?"...