Off to the Sand Sea!

I logged in. After picking up the still-sleeping Rin and placing her on my head, I went to water the Sage Tree. Its branches swayed happily as they absorbed the blood I had scooped from the fountain, and they seemed a little longer than before. Keep growing by leaps and bounds at this rate.

I left the palace for the city. When I reached the plaza at the city's center, I did not descend into it as usual. Instead, I floated gently into the air and took a look at the city as a whole.

"Hmm. Looking at it this way, it seems like we've made considerable progress inside the city walls."

Looking down at the city from above gave me a good understanding of its current state. Most of the buildings that had stood inside the walls, which had once been little more than facades, had become beautiful stone structures. Work inside the city was still ongoing, however. Even now, people wearing yellow helmets emblazoned with Safety First were working below me.

The Metallica demolished buildings using heavy-machinery-type Tactical Shells, the Centaurs carried away the debris and building materials, the Dark Elves processed the wood used for pillars and the like, and the Scars carved beautiful patterns into the surfaces of completed buildings, both as decoration and to reinforce their strength. They were dividing up the work according to their respective abilities.

A few human residents whom Konrad had brought with him were involved as well. Carpenters, stonemasons, architects, and others were actively directing the work from a professional perspective. Alan-kun was particularly enthusiastic. He had frozen up when he first saw Iris and Shiitake, but he had become a fine city resident by now.

"As expected, having professionals makes a huge difference in efficiency. But the eastern side, where we plan to build the waterways, is still untouched. That project depends on the canal, and the construction plans probably aren't even complete yet. There's no need to hurry."

When Konrad came to the Exhibition Event, he suggested building a waterway from the Great Artery River That Circles the Land, where we had first landed Shiratsuki. He wanted to build a port town for trade and make it possible to enter this city from there by waterway. The eastern side of the city was where that waterway was planned to go.

Alan-kun had also said that a solid plan was necessary for a major construction project like a canal, so there was still no prospect of beginning the work. This area would probably remain untouched for a while. That meant we could focus on the city without worry.

"In any case, now that the event is over, I should contact Konrad at least once, including about Moss-san and the others. All right... That should do it."...