**Chapter Seventeen: The Great Expansion!**
Modo City is bustling.
Although the Saint’s Cataclysm has begun and traces of demons frequently appear in the Material Plane attacking other races, Modo City has not halted its expansion. Taking advantage of the current non-escalation of large-scale warfare, Soren hurriedly initiated the city’s third major expansion plan. Originally, this expansion was estimated to take place in six months, but with the acquisition of a batch of Golem Puppets to strengthen the labor force, the plan was started ahead of schedule.
“One, two, three! Pull hard!…”
“One, two, three! Pull hard!…”
“You all need to put in more effort!…”
“When we finish this work, I’ll treat you to a drink!…”
Old Jack shouted slogans as he paced back and forth, surrounded by a group of bare-chested men, who were his sailors, as the expansion project in Modo City was enormous. The existing labor force was slightly understaffed, as they were also busy preparing for spring planting and town development. Therefore, the City Hall opted for a labor outsourcing model, delegating tasks to others for specific rewards.
This year’s maritime operations aren’t going well.
The activity of sea monsters has become increasingly apparent, and conflicts across regions have affected prices and normal trade. Earlier this year, a merchant caravan was blackmailed, causing many to hesitate on whether to wait for the situation to stabilize before taking action. As a result, there were many idle laborers in Modo City, who were led by the caravan leader or captain to take on tasks from the City Hall. Since they had nothing to do anyway, earning some pocket money by working wasn’t a bad option, especially knowing that during times of chaos, it’s rare to make a living through hard labor, and they could also make their presence felt among the higher-ups in Modo City.
The first phase of the project is roads.
“It is absolutely true that to get rich, one must first build roads.” Modo City has opened two new quarries. Most of the Indigenous Person slaves were transferred to work in the quarries, while the farming responsibilities were handed over to the lower-class citizens. After all, slaves are slaves; they are certainly not as motivated in farming as self-working farmers and are more suited for hard labor.
Old Jack is responsible for a road that is 500 meters long.
According to the standards of the Modo City Hall, all main roads must be stone-paved, so they do not turn into dust roads during dry weather. They should not become muddy roads during rain and must allow at least three horse-drawn carriages to pass simultaneously.
The road connects twelve towns.
Rebuilding the originally simple path with assistance from wizards.
While things are thriving here, other places are also busy.
Rumbling!
A loud explosion sound came from afar.
Old Jack looked up, saw that everyone else was looking in that direction, and waved his hand, saying, “What are you looking at? There’s nothing to see! They’re blasting a mountain over there!…”
“Let’s finish this section before dark, then we can go back and have a drink!”
“Baldy!”
“I’m talking about you!… Don’t slack off!… Do you still want your pay?…”
A middle-aged bald sailor was called out. A bit embarrassed, he touched his head and hurriedly lowered it to work.
On the other side.
The explosions continued to sound.
The island terrain near Modo City is not very good; the best locations are around Modo City and Modo Harbor, while other areas need slight adjustments.
Soren is currently focused on moving mountains and filling seas.
The sea filling part is included in Modo City’s fourth-phase expansion plan, so the current task is moving mountains.
Soren needs a large, flat piece of land.
Thus, some annoying small hills need to be removed. Moreover, by removing these small hills, Soren can also replan the farmland around Modo City, linking large areas of farmland together to form large-scale farms. Secondly, it facilitates the reorganization of the irrigation system. With the expansion of farmland, it may be necessary to build a second reservoir and also to establish a connection with a nearby island.
“Ready!”
“Is everyone prepared? If you are, then set it on fire!”
A burly man with a full beard shouted in the dense forest; his chest had a fierce tattoo that represented his past identity as a somewhat notable pirate.
However, he now looked more like a contractor.
There were many people around him. Soon, a large fire ignited in the front woods, where valuable timber had nearly all been cut down, leaving only low shrubs, weeds, and other plants. These were too troublesome to clean up, so they decided to burn it all. Then, others would come to farm the land. Most human cropland came about this way. It might take longer, but since they started planning, they intended to make it more thorough.
The roaring fire ignited.
A crowd gathered outside to watch, with a firebreak nearby to prevent the flames from escalating out of control.
“They’re destroying nature!…”
“Should we stop them?”
In the distance, a young Half-Elf observed, and upon seeing small animals fleeing as the fire spread into the forest, a hint of anger flickered on his face as he said to an elder next to him, “This is too destructive to the natural environment!…”
“Should we protest to them?…”
The elder remained silent.
Druids have their own doctrines, and they are strongly opposed to such severe damage to the natural environment.
However, this place is slightly different because it is Modo City.
The elder thought for a moment but decided to wait and see. Modo City wasn’t in a position for them to intervene; at most, they could express a protest and share some opinions, hoping that the Druid Order’s status would make them hesitate a bit.
The outcome might also be that Modo City simply doesn’t care.
………………
“Hey!”
“Do you think the people from the City Hall have problems with their brains?”
“One moment they have us set fires to the mountains, and the next they want us to replant trees!… I really can’t figure this out!…”
To the south, near the coastal area close to Modo City, a group was busy working.
However, their tasks were somewhat different because they were responsible for planting trees. They were working with saplings transported from that mysterious plant fanatic (Saruman) in Modo City. According to the City Hall’s task distribution, they needed to plant these plants in specific places following certain patterns, not only ensuring they survived after planting but also creating beautifying landscapes. Just thinking about it made them want to beat the half-Elf official responsible for this part; wasn’t this work challenging for these rough laborers?
There was no choice.
Once the task comes, it must be completed; otherwise, the City Hall would lower their credit evaluation.
Fortunately, Modo City also had Half-Elves from Leaffall City, and they managed to find a knowledgeable Half-Elf in horticulture to guide them on how to plant.
This illustrates the limitations of the times.
As lower-class laborers, they don’t understand why Modo City is cutting down trees while also planting them.
Getting timber is not difficult; just a bit further, there’s plenty in the forests. It would be better to clear this land for farming; what use is there in planting these flowers, grasses, and trees?
But no matter what they thought inside, obeying orders is the rule of Modo City.
………………
Rumbling!
Another loud explosion echoed.
A beautiful Northern Witch tilted her head, looking ahead. She seemed to find the work in front of her quite boring and appeared somewhat disinterested.
“Go.”
“Transport those stones out.”
“Deploy three Stone Golems to the reservoir; half of the stones need to be moved over there.”
The young witch appeared very lethargic. As a high-status spellcaster, it was understandably frustrating for her to waste time supervising the project progress here.
If it were orders from the Witch Council, she would probably refuse outright.
But this is Modo City, and after arriving here, she realized that Modo City was different from the Witch Council. So, even though she felt uncomfortable, the young witch still completed her task obediently.
“After all, it would only be a few days’ delay.”
“Once this is done, the contributions will be enough!… The library in Modo City should be open to me now, right?…”
The young witch thought to herself, feeling much more energized.
The so-called library in Modo City is actually the private collection of Gloria and the Fallen Witch, with a small portion of books from the Wizard Tower that are not very important from the Arcane Empire period. These books are of immense value to these mid- to lower-tier witches, as they might grasp new spells or some unique magical techniques from them.
Of course.
To read these books, one must pay a price; Modo City has long established a unique contribution point system.
Sometimes in Modo City, contribution points are even more important than money.
………………
“Prepare for battle!”
“Prepare for battle!”
“Everyone pay attention!… These electric eels are very dangerous!… Don’t be careless!…”
Near a clear river, many small warships from Modo City had gathered, while farther away, some were spreading fishing nets. This group was nervously watching the river surface, with archers already preparing their bows.
The rivers near Modo City are very dangerous.
Not only are there many man-eating fish, but also electric eels that can release dangerous currents.
In the past, these have often been left to their own devices, but now that Modo City is preparing for further expansion, these dangers need to be somewhat cleared.
At the very least, some of the electric eels that can kill need to be dealt with.
Sporadic battles spread across this edge area; Indigenous Persons had long been expelled and subdued, and the militia members are currently working to eliminate some of the dangerous creatures.
As this area will soon become part of ordinary civilian activities.
…………… (To be continued ~^~)
