Chapter 39
“Aigoo, this soil won’t do. Too many rocks.”
Carrying a bucket, Delma roamed around the garden, trying to collect fine, dark-colored, and high-quality soil.
“This one has too many fallen leaves mixed in… Oh, that spot looks good.”
Circling the garden with her bucket, Delma finally found soil that satisfied her. She crouched down in front of it and began scooping it up with a small trowel.
To pack as much as she could into the bucket, Delma tapped down the mound of soil rising over the rim—but suddenly, her hands stopped moving.
She remembered that just a little while ago, she was full of thoughts about stopping her lord’s strange behavior.
“Why am I holding a trowel?”
Far from stopping her, she was now diligently digging up soil. It felt like she was possessed.
When Delma returned with the soil, Donghui’s face lit up as she adjusted the amounts and began adding the soil to the solution in small portions.
The solution, which had hardened too quickly before, now thickened into a clay-like consistency, easy to mold into shapes.
“That’s it! It worked!”
The strongest mix, once it dried, was a 5:1 ratio of soil to Tiesek powder.
After adjusting the amount of Komo tree sap several times, Donghui discovered that using just half of the original amount was just as effective.
She couldn’t hide her pride as she looked at the thickening mixture.
Staring at the solution beginning to harden in the bowl, Donghui declared confidently:
“This is… Cloment!”
“Cloment?”
“I invented it, so I’m naming it after myself. Cloment. Isn’t it cool?”
Cement, Cloment! The rhyme is fire! Should I become a rapper?
Donghui seriously wondered if she had a hidden talent for naming things.
It was a name she had slapped together casually, but the more she said it, the more she liked it.
By now, the letter from Aileen was completely forgotten.
And then—
Ding!
With a cheerful chime, a bright blue system window popped up.
You’ve created a previously non-existent material and upgraded it for practical use!
Applause to you for completing the mission much faster than expected! Clap clap, clap clap clap!
No, not applause. Just give me the reward.
Donghui glared at the system window clapping along to a rhythm that sounded like a Red Devil manically waving a Korean flag.
Mission complete. The time restriction in the unstable active region has been lifted.
Would you like to stabilize the region “Boramdang”?
Donghui was about to agree when her eyes narrowed.
It’s not Boramdang. It’s Borimdang. Who do they think they’re fooling?
Oopsie-daisy! What a silly mistake.
Would you like to stabilize the region “Borimdang”?
Donghui realized even non-humans could be sarcastic. After confirming the word “Borimdang” several times, she nodded.
Time restriction lifted from one of the active regions: Borimdang. Your eyes sure work well.
Although the tiny fine print at the end was irritating, Donghui smiled.
I’m in such a good mood right now, I won’t even curse you out.
It had been a very rewarding night.
The next morning
Donghui woke up with a refreshed face.
Yesterday’s estate inspection and her first-ever experiment had worn her out so much that she didn’t even make it through the front door.
As soon as she woke up, she planned to take a slow tour of the activated regions and stop by Borimdang to collect more gold, now with no time restrictions.
But she had slept in, likely from exhaustion, and her plan to head out early had gone off track.
As she stood in front of the firmly closed front door, wondering what to do, there was a knock.
Knock knock.
“Come in.”
At her command, Delma entered and studied her face carefully.
“Are you alright? You were sleeping so soundly, I didn’t want to wake you.”
Delma looked closely at Chloe’s face, checking for any sign of distress or injury. Touched by Delma’s care, Donghui smiled brightly at her like a child.
Delma found Chloe’s smile incredibly endearing. She wanted to stroke her hair but held back, gently peeling away a strand stuck to her cheek instead.
“Aigoo, you really are still a baby.”
Donghui found Delma’s muttered grumbles oddly comforting.
After a simple breakfast and quick grooming, Donghui summoned Handsome and asked about what happened yesterday in Enol Village.
Handsome looked a bit worn out, his delicate features slightly roughened from fatigue.
But his eyes still sparkled with determination.
“Construction is scheduled to begin next week.”
“Why not start immediately?”
“I gave the list of tasks to the village chief. He said he needs time to assign tasks based on each villager’s abilities and prepare accordingly.”
The more she learned about the chief, the more favorable her impression became.
“Then the chief will be in charge of construction?”
“Yes, unless Your Lordship has someone else in mind?”
“Hmm… I know he’s trustworthy, but this is a big project with a lot of money involved. I’d prefer you take charge.”
“…Yes, understood. I’ll do my best.”
Handsome’s voice cracked slightly at the end of his reply.
“Too much work? Is it hard?”
“No. I’m just… grateful that someone like me is being entrusted with such a responsibility.”
Handsome trailed off, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. They quickly turned red.
Donghui, feeling awkward, handed him a piece of paper.
“What’s this?”
He read the contents aloud under his breath and looked at her questioningly.
“When building houses or roads, use this mix ratio.”
“Cloment? I’ve never heard of it. Is it a famous construction method?”
“Nope. But it’s about to be. I invented it. That’s why it’s called Cloment. What do you think?”
“It’s… a very good name.”
Lacking the talent for flattery, his answer was clearly hesitant. Donghui liked that. She liked both Handsome and Cloment.
“Give it to the Builder. Tell him to try it out in Morita Village first, then expand to others.”
“Yes!”
Since this was her first invention, she wanted to entrust it first to the first technician she met—Builder.
Unable to hide her pride, Donghui smiled broadly. But then Handsome asked with concern:
“But, My Lord, mass-producing Cloment will require a lot of Komo trees. The trees in the garden won’t be enough.”
“Of course not. We’ll have to cut them from the Black Forest.”
“But we don’t have enough knights to spare, with so many deployed in the village.”
“Really? Then hire mercenaries.”
“That will cost quite a bit.”
“That’s fine. I’m loaded.”
Donghui grinned.
So this is what it feels like to have a black card with no spending limit.
“The price will vary greatly depending on the mercenary level. What kind should I get?”
Handsome asked cautiously. Hiring mediocre mercenaries could endanger the villagers instead of helping them.
But the more skilled they were, the higher the cost. His concern was clear.
“The best. Only hire those who can guarantee not a scratch will come to the villagers. I don’t care how much it costs.”
“Yes, My Lord!”
His passionate gaze was a bit much, so Donghui awkwardly cleared her throat.
That afternoon
Donghui, along with Red Bear and ten knights, thoroughly inspected the area around Morita Village.
She had the carriage move slowly so they could examine the surroundings in detail. The goal was to find additional arable land for farming.
Even with plenty of wild Dural, they couldn’t rely on it forever. And the harvested Dural stock was depleting quickly.
Soil not ideal for farming, but can be converted to arable land after specific treatment.
This was the Level 1 terrain information for Morita Village. She didn’t know what the “specific treatment” was, but first she needed to find suitable land.
Donghui didn’t know much about farming, but she squinted, determined to find even slightly better-looking soil.
However—
“This is all terrible.”
Even with her limited knowledge, she could tell: the land in front of her was completely barren.
The pale brown soil was hardened like desert sand. Even the sparse weeds looked like they could barely cling to life, drooping sadly.
The ground looked so dry and tough that even a pickaxe probably wouldn’t leave a dent.
The few areas with more vegetation were overgrown with thorn bushes, which would take a month just to clear.
A breeze blew, lifting fine dust into the air.
There wasn’t a hint of moisture—this land wouldn’t be easy to cultivate.
“What should I do…”
Donghui kept her gaze fixed on the carriage window. After a long silence, she suddenly shouted:
“Stop the carriage!”
