Chapter 803 (2/2)
Hearing they would at least have food and water, all the clans relieved a little bit. The group thus dispersed and pitched their tents based on the instructions of the supervisor from Osha clan.
How to quickly set up and take down a tent was a must-have life skill for every sand nation. A tent made of sheepskin could shelter three to six people, and usually, one person was responsible to carry all the required tools and equipment. There were only four women from Fishbone clan who had applied for the job, so they erected three tents which arrayed in a triangle shape, each of which was fastened by a rope. The door of each tent was flung open facing outward, as a way to alert each other in case of danger. This was the simplest tent arrangement among all.
In the afternoon, Thuram whistled again and summoned everybody. He then took them to a place close to the beach.
Simbady was surprised to find out that northerners had conducted a thorough search here.
On the flat sandy ground stood numerous short wooden poles, each pole tied to a white rope. Like dividing domains, these ropes and poles segmented the land into many huge rectangles. Each rectangle was 60 meters in length at least.
The most incredible thing was that all the rectangles were of the same size, every edge and corner of which was precisely marked and measured. Simbady wondered how they did that within a distance of 60 meters.
There were 50 or 60 rectangles marked out by white ropes by a rough count. Simbady also saw some Graycastle men keep marking the land with wooden poles, with strange tools in their hands. It seemed they planned to continue to do so until all the land in their sights was covered.
“You’re finally here.” A tall man came up to Thuram. “My name is Kencury. I’m a former member of the Mason Guild in the old king’s city… Well, you’ve probably never heard of this organization. Even in Graycastle, few people remember the Mason Guild these days. Thanks to the benevolent king who’s willing to hire us, we’re able to settle down. Otherwise, we probably don’t know where we’ll end up … Um, that’s not quite right. Let’s leave this matter at a later date.” The man coughed and patted Thuram on his shoulder. “Anyway, I’ll be responsible for the construction of Endless Cape. I assume you’re the supervisor appointed by Miss Echo, right?”
Echo? Isn’t it Lady Drow Silvermoon’s nickname? Simbady was shocked by the fact that the Graycastle men named Kencury sat as equal with the chief at the same table!
Not custom to the small talks and Kencury’s overelaborate formalities, Thuram made a stiff smile. He stepped back and bowed. “Please call me Thuram. As to those lads, just let me know what they should do. If anyone slacks off, I’ll punish them severely.”
Apparently, Thuram had received instructions from the chief of Osha clan, for he paid great respects to Kencury. But Simbady knew it was those Graycastle soldiers guarding this area that Thuram was truly afraid of.
Kencury stretched out his arms. “Very well. Guys, there’s no tavern or woman here. Ahem, I mean that kind of woman. So, concentrate on the construction! The first task for you is very simple, which is digging holes. See those white rectangles? Dig a hole in each rectangle until the sand has reached your knees!”
For a moment, nobody responded. There was an embarrassing silence.
Thuram’s brows went up. He bellowed, “Are you guys all deaf? Get your ass moving!” He sounded quite ill-tempered, but a hint of triumph in his eyes betrayed his complacency.
But Kencury raised his hand and stopped Thuram. “Hang on… No need to rush. I haven’t explained to them why we have to dig those holes.”
“Sir, you don’t have to explain to them…”
“No, no, no. His Majesty once said something that I can’t agree more. He calls it pro… proactivity. Right, that’s the word!” Kencury clapped his hand. “It roughly means that once a person knows the reason behind his labor, he’ll become more productive. So, listen carefully… These holes will determine whether we can live here in the future! These holes…” He paused for a second and then continued, “are the key to converting seawater to drinking water!”
The group immediately stirred up at these words.
“The mechanism behind this is very simple, but only King Roland thought of it. It’s just like boiling water—we are going to first feed these holes with seawater. Once the water is heated up by the sun and turns into water vapor, we collect them to get pure drinking water.” Kencury even used his hands to further explain the matter, “It’s OK you don’t understand. You just view the ocean as a giant pool of bitter water saturated with salt. If we can separate the salt from the water, the whole Swirl Sea will become our drinking water source!”
Simbady was rooted to the ground. He doubted if this project was realistic. Put aside the validity of the theory in the latter half of his speech. He wondered how they were going to collect such intangible things as water vapor.
Kencury clenched his fist. “The production will naturally be very limited. One rectangle can only provide water for a dozen people. Therefore, we have to build a large number of conversion sheds to supply water for hundreds of workers here! You should all feel lucky, for His Majesty pays special attention to the construction plan of Endless Cape. This is also the second town named by the king other than Neverwinter. To celebrate the unification of the Southernmost Region, His Majesty endowed the town with the name ‘Festivity’, and you guys are not only the builders of Festive Harbor but also the first residents who settled down here!”