Chapter 155. New Farm
Shingen and his group worked on building defensive lines in the grasslands, and the defenders, led by Okubo, continued constructing walls as a week passed.
Sakimori responded to the captured prisoners with stern expressions. They were taken to investigate the origin of magical tools. Since he told me to release the prisoners kindly, we released them gently near the Arakawa River. Since it was an area with many Sahuagin, Shingen and his group were satisfied that they could enjoy fishing on their way back. The headquarters expected the defenders to handle matters decisively.
Today, they gathered under a large tent in the center of the fields. Shingen, Katsuyori, Masamune, Baba, Jun, Hana, and Ohki were present. The leadership composition had mostly stayed the same, partly due to the lack of personnel. Recently, Sou and his friends expressed interest in the textile industry rather than joining the leadership, and Hina left because she didn't agree with the executives. Only two remained.
Instead of meeting at headquarters, they gathered here for a reason, thought Ohki as he sipped the coffee handed out by him. Then, Sakimori entered the tent. He's accompanied by Okubo Ryuko, a dwarf girl, Karin, a cat girl, and Yukihana. They stubbornly maintained their black attire.
Looking at us with sharp eyes like knives, they sats on pipe chairs.
"You're late. Sorry."
"Bringing such a flashy group with you?"
"Don't tease me. But yeah, I guess it looks that way."
"No, you just look like a pimp."
I laughed loudly, teasing them, and Sakimori chuckled uncomfortably, breaking the tension. After lightening the mood with laughter, Sakimori became serious.
"We've gathered here for a reason. There are matters we don't want others to hear about."
"Related to forcibly expanding the fields? There have been quite a few casualties, President."
Katsuyori raised his eyebrows in doubt, thinking it was unlike Sakimori. He nodded at those words.
"You all know about Karin causing a commotion at headquarters, right? About the skyrocketing prices of vegetables and gasoline?"
"Yeah, we've heard."
"It's become a rumor."
"Indeed."
"Well... I didn't know about it."
Ignoring the last speaker, they all nodded. Ohki wondered if he should be more concerned about the information.
"Hanari's commotion at headquarters was a message from Selica."
The defenders spoke seriously, surprising everyone. What did they mean?
"The factories get destroyed, and the oil tanker sank, so there's no replenishment until the next oil tanker arrives. That means there's no room for error."
Listening intently, without gasoline or kerosene, they'd be in trouble. However, the defenders shook their heads.
"It's probably a lie. Even if the factories are down, I doubt the oil tanker will bring much. It should only be enough to cover the inner city's needs."
"Hmm... Why do you think that? Don't the oil tankers have naval escorts? Is the sea that dangerous?"
The unexpected words caused a stir among them. Was something happening at sea?
"No, sea monsters aren't that strong. Trade shouldn't be affected. But I don't think they were importing oil in such large quantities. I suspect the inner town had its oil source, and it got destroyed! Along with the factory!"
While Shingen doubted Sakimori's words, Masamune seemed to have an idea. Such a magical item wasn't something they had considered. Did it really exist?
"Serika must have thought it was dangerous to pass this information herself. Probably top-secret. So, she made Karin create a scene to pass me false information circulating in the inner town. To make me suspicious."
"Eh?! Is that true? Serika only asked me to make a scene and go to you, Boss!"
Karin jumped in surprise at Sakimori's words. Hmph, I can't understand the thoughts of clever people. I'm confident I wouldn't notice. How can they figure it out without any information? Does making noise intentionally make them realize it's not the truth?
"If we can't get oil, the power plants might shut down, and the factories might not operate. In that case, we might not be able to provide enough food for our people."
Watching as Sakimori raised his eyebrows and crossed their arms, Shingen and the others understood why he suddenly decided to create fields. It was to feed everyone. And if the story was true, securing a lot of food could change their standing with the inner city.
It's getting interesting, Shingen smirked, and the others agreed.
"We hastily built up the fields, raising the soil and covering it with concrete walls, ten meters high and five meters thick. It should protect the fields for now. With moats, the walls are even higher from the outside."
"Um... yes, we worked in coordination with the president. It might not mean much against powerful monsters, but it should be okay."
Although Okubo expressed some doubt, it seemed they had indeed constructed impressive walls in a short time.
"So, we've decided to continue creating Niita. Ryuko, pour concrete into the drains and complete the irrigation channels. That's all for now. Let's head to Niita."
Frantically conveying only what needed to be conveyed, Sakimori stood up, and Shingen and his group followed suit.
"Well, well, a reliable president."
Shingen chuckled as he followed.
Leaving the large tent, we advanced to the plains where a large crowd stood. An improvised irrigation canal, hastily connected from the Arakawa River, continued to gush water, causing unease among those gathered around it.
Sakimori, dressed as usual in black, proceeded into the grasslands, exchanging glances with each other as they began whispering. These were the new residents of Amatsugahara Corporation, brought in after conquering the northern region.
"Who are they?"
"They give off a rather ominous vibe."
"Is that guy their leader?"
"Isn't it Takeda-san who's the leader?"
Most of them were seeing these people for the first time, and there were no favorable comments about Sakimori's suspicious appearance. Part fear, part curiosity filled the air, but given his all-black attire, it was expected. Despite being told to stop wearing all black, he never listened.
With Yukihana and Karin by his side, along with Okubo a few steps away, appearing more like a loyal subordinate. Or, dare one say, a mistress, they looked even more suspicious. Given that Sakimori was leading such a large group, it would be better if he didn't give off a negative image by wearing all black. But perhaps he planned to change that impression with a performance.
Standing near a puddle formed by water unnecessarily flowing from the incomplete irrigation canal, Bōjin squatted down and placed his hands on the ground.
"We'll divide the land into rice paddies and fields. Stand back a bit."
Curious eyes watched as Sakimori, with sharp eyes and a sharp exhale, seemed to perform magic like a knife.
"This is where Amano Sakimori's magic shines. Today, I'll do it for free."
[Bottomless Marsh]
On the grassy plain, where weeds spread knee-deep, mana spread from Sakimori's hands like ripples, visible even to people who couldn't see mana. Glittering golden particles slightly stirred the ground, turning the soil as soft as sand, causing the weeds to sink.
The grassy plain turned into fine sandy ground, swallowing the weeds and transforming into barren land in no time.
As the grasslands got swallowed up into the ground, the onlookers were astonished and murmured. Even those who had heard about it beforehand were speechless, witnessing the tremendous power imbued in this magic.
"It's a magic that sinks enemies deep into the ground, about 60 centimeters deep. It's a new spell, but it seems to work well."
"What a weak effect. Kids wouldn't even sink in!"
Disappointed by the surprisingly weak effect, they sighed in disbelief. But Sakimori maintained his magic with a fearless smile.
"[Bottomless Marsh] is originally a magic that sinks enemies deep underground. The range is about 10 meters. But using it like that would be a waste, right?"
As the earth swelled like waves, resembling water ripples, rectangular plots of land were created, and weeds and small stones were spit out onto pathways like being transported on a conveyor belt, emerging from the ground into these pathways.
"Sacrificing depth for shallowness and redirecting the energy to cover a wider area. Then, by manipulating the soil to spit out weeds from the marsh. That's how we complete Niita. Spread fertilizer from Core Store, transform it into fertile land, plant crops, and it's done."
Using magic continuously, the area around Bōjin turned into perfect farmland.
Amidst the incredible spectacle, Bōjin raised a finger casually, as if performing a simple trick.
[Become a Ditch]
With those words, ditches connecting to the irrigation canal were carved out in the dusty ground.
[Block]
Okubo hurriedly shaded the ditches, and blocks of light appeared thinly covering the grooves, followed by concrete filling in the blocks.
"Hehe. Um, the [Block] has reached level 4. I received many Skill Level Up Potions from the president. So, I can now move concrete from a concrete mixer truck to the blocks in a distant location. It takes time to move a lot, but thinly covering like this doesn't take much time, and adding a water solution, it's ready the next day."
Ōkubo Ryūko, the embarrassed dwarf girl, explained, wriggling her petite body. Apparently, she had received Skill Level Up Potions somewhere along the line.
"If we keep repeating this, about 5,000 people can have farmland before the rainy season. However, considering the children, 5,000 people might be impossible. I think there will be surplus farmland, though."
Looking at the soil wall blocking the irrigation canal temporarily, it will surely be completed by tomorrow.
Indeed, with this duo, they could build walls in no time.
"What's that?"
"That's magic!"
"Is that person our leader?"
Unlike before, while there was awe, everyone was impressed by the spectacle shown to them, holding their breaths. The wasteland city was a survival of the fittest. The strong were respected just for being strong.
This spectacle would last for about two weeks. Surely, rumors about Bōjin would spread, and everyone would respect him as a dependable leader.
"Does this solve the food problem?"
"Fundamentally, yes... but it feels a bit excessive. Is it okay?"
As Shingen expressed his admiration, Masamune responded with some concern, rubbing his chin.
Just two more weeks. Vast farmlands would be ready before the rainy season. Masamune's concern was understandable, but it was a bit late to have such worries now.
"We've already faced interference. Besides, it's Sakimori we're talking about; he surely intends to prevent the inner town folks from meddling using cunning methods, right?"
"True. Well then, we'll focus on weapon maintenance and training."
"Yeah, we need to improve our skills further."
Shrugging their shoulders, Shingen and Masamune smiled wryly as they planned the defense strategy for the future.
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