Chapter 186 (1/2)

Chapter 186: Only Stones Were Left

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

A loud rumble startled a flock of seagulls casually relaxing on a cliff. On the coast, the crashing waves created a tall water pillar that sprayed water in all directions. Under the shining rays of the sun, a faint rainbow could be momentarily seen.

A few figures with stark differences in height stood on the cliff.

The tall people consisted of Link and the captain of the Flamingo Band of Mercenaries, Jacker. The shorter people were the Yabba race. The leader of the three-man team was called Aberdeen, the supervisor of the waterway development project. The two people standing by his side were his assistants.

This place was located on the East Coast of the Ferde Wilderness called the Tigers Cliff. It was an extremely tall cliff with a concave area 900 feet wide and 90 feet deep in the middle. The slope after the concave area was gentle, making it easy to walk onto the coast from this area.

If this cliff did not exist on this coast, it would have made an extremely good spot to build a port.

In order to develop his territory, Link would require a lot of resources. The most economical and efficient way to do this was through the sea. Therefore, once Link had a basic understanding of the situation, the first thing he did was request the Yabba engineering team to open the seaway.

Staring at the crashing waves, Link asked, “How long will it take to build a usable waterway?”

Previously, all these matters were left in the hands of the Flamingo Band of Mercenaries. Link merely gave some general instructions through letters and did not have a clear picture in his mind. Now that he was personally involved, he would have to inquire the experts and make sure that the project was done to his standards.

Aberdeen knew that the young man in front of him was a gold mine and a powerful Magician. He would not be able to deceive him. Aberdeen then adopted a serious tone and said, “We have already sent divers to explore the area. The whole area within 50 nautical miles from here is filled with reefs. However, only the ones within a 2.5-mile radius from the Tiger Cliff have to be removed. In order to clear up this area, the estimated time will be two months. We have already started, and it will be done in a months’ time.”

A month sounded good.

Link then pressed on, “Do we need to mark a safe sailing route for the area outside of the 2.5-mile radius then?”

Aberdeen patiently explained, “There is no need to. Nowadays, every ship is enchanted with some basic water elemental magic runes. An experienced captain would be able to judge the depth of the water in front of them from the change in the brightness of the runes. As long as the reefs are not too densely populated, they’ll be able to avoid them with ease.”

Upon hearing these words, Link immediately knew that he had complicated the situation in his mind. In the real world, people would often look for the most economical and reliable ways to solve problems. Furthermore, he was a complete novice at sea trade. If he probed too much into the methods of the experts, he might unknowingly make a joke out of himself.

“So what would be the estimated cost?” Link asked. This was something he had to keep track of.

“4827 gold coins. This is an extremely accurate cost. The Yabba race has always been fair in our pricing, especially to our good friends.” Aberdeen patted his chest and quoted an extremely specific number.

Link, on the other hand, had his own ideas. “I would like the harbor to have enough room for expansion as well. If we manage to do well in the future, we would then be able to develop it without much hassle.”

Aberdeen then had an embarrassed expression on his face. “Sir, if that is the case, we will have to level all the stones under our feet. The workload would immediately double …”

“My budget is 10000 gold coins,” Link said as he stuck out one finger with confidence.

“Consider it done.” Aberdeen’s eyes immediately glowed as he spoke.

He then turned around and started discussing with his two assistants. His assistants held a blueprint each in their hands, and after a moment of whispering and flailing of arms, Aberdeen said, “Sir, that would increase the time required by another half a month.”

The addition of work naturally meant that more time was needed. Link nodded without question. The group then walked back along the Tiger Cliff before they went their separate ways. Link then followed Jacker all the way back to the camp on a horse.

Jacker looked like he wanted to say something on the way.

Link noticed it immediately and understood his concerns. He laughed, “Jacker, are you afraid that we will not have enough gold coins?”

This was exactly what Jacker wanted to say. He turned around and looked at the port which was under construction. “Sir, including the money you spent on the port, the total cost for the development of the Ferde Wilderness has already amounted to 30000 gold coins, and this is only the beginning.”

Not long ago, they had just cleared all the bandits out of the area and built a small camp for themselves. In the blink of an eye, 30000 gold coins were spent. The speed at which they were depleting their resources was simply insane!

Jacker had never seen such extravagant spending before. Apart from him, Lucy and Gildern were also horrified, and even Magician Carrido also started having doubts. While Link could indeed earn money with his enchanting skills, it was not enough to keep up with their spending.

They were afraid that Link would deplete all their resources before the Ferde Wilderness could even take flight.

Link laughed, “This is a necessary investment. If we save now, we will only spend more next time.”