Ksaz walked up to Shane and handed him a fragment he had taken from a well wall. This fragment was significantly thicker than the ones from the well in front of them. Ksaz said, “Sir, I've checked them all. The walls of the two wells to the east have the thinnest buildup, about the same as this one. The further west you go, the thicker it gets.”
Shane took the fragment, weighed it in his hand, and held it up to his eyes. He found that it was nearly two fingers thick, with a faint blue-gray deposit near the center.
“Also, the people living in the west said that those wells have to be scraped every two or three months, or else the water won't flow.”
“They said it didn't use to be so frequent, especially during these past two years.”
These past two years?
Shane keenly caught the key point in Ksaz's words. If it were normal hydrological deposition or mineral precipitation, the thickness should theoretically be uniform from east to west. At the very least, there shouldn't be such a stark regional difference.
But it was thin in the east and thick in the west, and the buildup was forming faster and faster. This indicated it wasn't simple accumulation on the well walls, but rather some kind of rock stratum continuously seeping into the wells through the groundwater.
“What does he mean by that?”
Elon walked over with a puzzled expression, though he seemed to have a vague inkling of why Shane had sent Ksaz out in the first place.
“A Moon Sand vein.”
Shane explained simply, then handed the thick fragment to Elon to see for himself. “Those residents just said that it grows back after being scraped. Normal mineral deposits don't form this quickly.”
“I suspect there might be a Moon Sand vein nearby, which is why I had Ksaz check the crystals on the other well walls. It seems my guess was correct.”
Shane let out a slightly smug smile and looked at Elon. “We still need to verify the final results. Contact Sara and ask her to help inspect the underground area to the west.”
“She spends all her time underground, so her ability to judge subterranean rock strata is much more sensitive than ours.”
Elon nodded. He summoned an owl phantom, murmured a few words into it, and sent it flying off.
“Leynas!”
Hearing someone call his name, Shane turned around and saw Alicia walking toward him with Rhine, followed by two other men.
By now, Rhine had changed into a clean, dark gray shirt without his leather armor. His one-handed longsword hung at his waist. Though he still stood tall and straight, he had become much more humble in front of the princess.
“Rhine says that if we can plant trees at Greystone Post, he is willing to cooperate fully,” Alicia said. “He has heard about the situation at Silver Sand Lake, but... he still wants to see it with his own eyes.”
The princess stepped aside, revealing Rhine, who stood half a step behind her. Rhine stood straight, his chin slightly raised, looking at Shane with a serious expression.
“Sure.”
Shane had no intention of refusing, especially since he currently needed Rhine's help with something. “It just so happens I need your help coordinating something here as well.”
He briefly explained the situation with the well water, then pointed toward the well and the directions of the other wells. “I want to renovate all the wells in Greystone Post. Aside from cleaning the well walls, I'll pack the gaps with Moon Sand and repave the bottoms of the wells to ensure the water circulates cleanly.”
“Because of this, I need you to tell them that some wells will be temporarily closed during the renovation.”
Rhine's eyebrows twitched, but he remained silent. Seeing his lack of response, Shane couldn't help but ask, “Is there a problem?”
“If this were yesterday, I might have been able to arrange this directly, but now...”
Rhine turned his head slightly, his gaze drifting to his guard and another man behind him. The other man dressed rather casually, closely resembling the adventurers Shane remembered.
While the guard stood silently and respectfully, the adventurer was excessively casual, seemingly holding Rhine in complete contempt.
Rhine looked back at Shane. “The people here now might not necessarily listen to me.”
He spoke frankly, but a trace of awkwardness flashed deep in his eyes.
Shane understood. For someone whose authority was built entirely on personal martial strength, once they became a loser, they were highly likely to fall to the very bottom, even if they had already pledged allegiance to the princess.
“Even if the well water tastes terrible, it's their only source of water during this season,” Rhine explained, simply stating his situation without making excuses. “When it comes to something vital to survival, asking them to stop using it will likely trigger resistance. Some might even feel we are cutting off their lifeline.”
Shane wasn't surprised by this. In the desert, water was life—this was common knowledge. However, he wouldn't need much time. “What if we tell them that after a quick renovation, I can make the well water taste good?”
“Purifying the water won't take long. Fifteen minutes at most.”
Rhine didn't answer, but the outcome was already obvious.
Just then, Elon walked over holding a clay bowl. “We've already purified some well water just now. Old Karl and a few others have already tasted it.”
He stepped aside, and Old Karl led the residents who had just tasted the water over, holding clay bowls in their hands as well.
“It's true!”
Old Karl squeezed forward a step and held up his bowl. “It's the taste from before! It's been so long that I almost forgot it.”
“But after just one sip, I remembered it instantly.”
“Yes, yes, yes! No problem at all, it's drinkable once it's purified!”
“We agree to the renovation!”
“This is what real water should taste like!”
The residents chimed in one after another, their faces filled with eagerness. This intense emotion made them forget their fear, even though they were standing right next to Shane.
Rhine stood there, surprise flickering in his eyes. In his memory, these people were hardly model citizens, yet they were actually siding with Shane, whom they had only just met. It truly surprised him.
This gave him a bit more confidence. He nodded and said, “If that's the case, we might be able to convince them.”
With that, Rhine was about to turn around when the princess called out to him. She looked at Shane and asked, “You said earlier that purifying the well water only takes fifteen minutes, right?”
Shane nodded. The princess looked at the rows of clay jars by the well and continued, “Is there enough time to process a jar right now?”
Shane turned to look at the pile of Moon Sand by the well's mouth and nodded. “No problem. Just pick out the clean pieces, crush them, and put them in the jar.”
“Then I'll trouble you with that.”
The princess looked at Rhine, a gentle smile appearing on her face. “Rhine, when you have your men send the notice, bring along a jar of clean well water. Letting them taste it themselves will be more effective than a hundred words.”
“Additionally, we can share the fresh water we brought with them, which should also ease your pressure.”
Rhine looked at the princess, a warm feeling rising in his chest. It was clear she understood his difficult position and had thought of a safe, practical solution for him.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Rhine's words carried heartfelt gratitude. He now deeply understood that the legendary charm of the imperial family was indeed real.
Meanwhile, Shane had walked back to the well while the two were talking. He picked up a tool, crushed the selected Moon Sand, and dropped it into a jar. Then he turned to Ksaz. “Once the notice is sent out, lead the skeletons to clean the well walls. Start with the ones that are easiest to clean. Don't throw away the crystals; just pile them up by the well. Draw out the water from the wells and purify it in clay jars, then pour it back in once the walls are cleaned.”
Ksaz nodded. “Understood, sir.”
Next, Shane looked at Sern, who was leaning against the corner of the wall, and called out, “Oi! Knight, snap out of it. It's time to go.”
Sern snapped out of her daze, staring blankly at Shane.
Seeing Shane preparing to leave, the princess asked in confusion, “Where are you going?”
“To plant trees. While they're cleaning and repairing, I'll go plant the trees so we don't waste any time.”
Shane walked forward a few steps, then stopped. As if remembering something, he turned back to Old Karl and asked, “I'm going to plant trees. Do you want to help?”
Seeing Shane walking straight toward him, Old Karl's first instinct was to step aside, but hearing Shane's words, his eyes widened in surprise. “Plant trees?”
“Where?”
“Right here!”
Rate on N.U.
