Chapter 46: How to Build Land (1)

“Starting today, we will turn this swamp into fertile farmland.”

*”Ribbit!”*

*Splash!*

A frog in the swamp croaked as if in reply to Lloyd’s proclamation.

However, none of the 120 combat engineer soldiers gathered laughed.

Perhaps it was due to the stern expressions of Javier and Lord Bayern standing beside Lloyd.

For most soldiers, though, their focus was elsewhere.

*‘What will this project involve?’*

They had come a long way.

From building ondol rooms and paved roads to working in coal mines, ice storage facilities, expanded warehouses, and even accommodations for orc miners—they were no longer ordinary soldiers of a minor barony.

Now, they were seasoned combat engineers, well-versed in a variety of construction techniques.

Thus, they recognized the importance of today’s speech.

*‘Lloyd always emphasizes this part before starting any project.’*

Lloyd’s speeches weren’t flowery or filled with empty promises.

He only discussed the critical matters that the combat engineers needed to hear.

“First, let me explain what to watch out for. This is a swamp. Don’t wander off on your own. If you’re unlucky, your foot could get stuck, and you’ll sink into the muck. If that happens, you’ll be surrounded by reeds, and no one will see you. The sun will dry you out like jerky in no time. So, to avoid that, move in pairs. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Good. Next, the weather is hot, and the swamp is humid. What’s the protocol for this?”

“Take a break every hour!”

“Correct. And one more thing?”

“Drink salted water during every break!”

“Exactly. Salted water will be provided at the site, so drink that. Don’t gulp down plain water on your own. Otherwise, you’ll feel dizzy and pass out.”

A new recruit hesitantly raised a hand.

“Sir, what if the salted water tastes too bland and unpleasant?”

Lloyd smiled at the nervous soldier, a recent addition to the team after the combat engineers had doubled in size.

“Drink it anyway.”

“What if it makes me nauseous?”

“Drink it. If you don’t and pass out, I’ll deduct a day’s pay from your bonus.”

“Yes, sir!”

When it came to money, there was no room for negotiation—especially with many soldiers having joined the engineers in hopes of earning a hefty bonus.

“And lastly, the most important rule: The swamp water is for *Hamang*. If you feel the need to relieve yourself, don’t do it in the swamp. Use the portable toilets we’ve set up. Anyone caught peeing in the swamp will be sent to the brig. Clear?”

“Understood!”

“Alright, let’s begin. Hamang?”

*”Hamang!”*

Lloyd took Hamang out of his arms, causing a stir among the soldiers.

Those who hadn’t seen Hamang before whispered amongst themselves, guessing that this was another of Lloyd’s fantastical summons.

But their surprise turned into shock at what happened next.

“Hamang, could you drink some of this water for us?”

“*Hamamang? Hamang?*”

“Yes, you can drink as much as you want.”

“*Hamang?*”

“Oh, and when you’re done, see that stream over there?”

“*Hamamang!*”

“Roll over there and spit the water out. Just don’t do it all at once, or it’ll flood downstream.”

“*Hamang!*”

Hamang nodded and hopped down into the swamp.

Wasting no time, it plunged its round head into the water.

*”Slurp! Gulp gulp gulp!”*

*Whoosh!*

The suction began, creating a whirlpool around Hamang.

It looked as though a giant vacuum cleaner was draining the swamp.

The water level dropped rapidly, and Hamang started to expand.

Ten meters. Twenty meters. Fifty meters.

“…What the hell?”

The soldiers, who had wisely kept their distance per Lloyd’s instructions, stared in slack-jawed amazement.

But the spectacle didn’t end there.

*”Groooan!”*

Now a massive, balloon-like creature, Hamang began rolling toward the stream Lloyd had indicated.

It looked like a giant water balloon on the move.

Reaching the stream, Hamang released its cargo.

*”Blargh! Gushhhhh!”*

The swamp water, along with thousands of fish, frogs, and other aquatic creatures, poured into the stream, introducing them to their new habitat.

This process repeated several times.

Hamang drank from the swamp, expanded to an enormous size, and rolled to the stream to release the water.

“What am I even watching…?”

The soldiers’ murmurs filled the air as the water in the nearby section of the swamp completely disappeared.

Of course, this wasn’t the entire swamp—Marez Swamp was vast. Only a small section had been cleared.

But for the day’s work, it was more than enough.

Lloyd issued his next order.

“Everyone, grab your shovels!”

“Shovels ready!”

“Now, remove all the roots and decayed plant debris from the marked areas. Let’s start with a cheer!”

“Wooooo!”

The combat engineers got to work, sweating and digging diligently.

They cleared out the decomposing stems and roots of aquatic plants from the areas where the levees would be built.

Lloyd joined in, shoveling alongside the soldiers to lead by example.

*‘This foundational step is critical. Without proper groundwork, the levees will develop leaks and become unstable. Here we go!’*

Building levees wasn’t as simple as piling up dirt.

Even the most unassuming levees required careful planning and engineering.

Especially in a place like this, with wet, unstable ground, proper preparation was essential.

“Javier?”

“Yes.”

Lloyd signaled Javier, who unsheathed his sword.

Following Lloyd’s instructions, Javier stabbed his sword into the marked ground repeatedly.

*Thud! Thunk! Thwack!*

Mana coursed through the blade, creating a powerful shockwave that penetrated deep into the earth.

This resulted in vertical holes, 50 centimeters in diameter and 10 meters deep, spaced every four meters across the swamp.

“Lord Bayern!”

“Understood!”

At Lloyd’s command, Lord Bayern led a team of engineers carrying bamboo poles cut to an exact length of 11 meters.

They inserted the poles into the vertical holes Javier had created. These hollowed-out poles acted as makeshift bamboo straws.

“Ppodong, it’s your turn!”

*”Ppodong!”*

Ppodong waddled forward, shaking its round bottom, and emptied its cheek pouches onto the ground.

*”Ppopoppooo!”*

*Whoosh!*

Out spilled a large pile of sand collected from the riverbank.

“Engineers, fill the vertical holes with sand!”

“Yes, sir!”

The soldiers grabbed shovels and began transferring sand into the holes.

Gradually, sand piles formed around the bamboo poles, creating *sand piles* that would stabilize the ground as part of the vertical drainage system.

*”Good. Everything is progressing well.”*

Lloyd surveyed the site with clenched fists. The seamless coordination of the workers and creatures reassured him.

*‘The Sand Drain (SD) method, a type of vertical drainage, is proceeding just as planned.’*

The *Vertical Drain Method* was first introduced in 1936 and saw significant advancements in the 1940s. It was a technique designed to improve soft clay soils by creating vertical channels to accelerate drainage and compression.

*‘Of course, I couldn’t implement the modern technique exactly as it is.’*

He lacked the necessary equipment. Instead, Lloyd improvised with ingenuity.

– *Javier’s skill:* The silver-haired knight’s explosive strikes substituted for state-of-the-art drilling machines.
– *Bamboo straws and sand piles:* These replaced modern sand and paper drain materials.

Even Ppodong played a vital role, rolling across the ground under Lloyd’s command.

“Ppodong, roll!”

*”Ppodong!”*

*Rumble! Roll!*

The massive Ppodong, weighing several tons, rolled around, applying pressure to the soil.

The waterlogged layers, packed with moisture like soggy tissue paper, were compressed. Water was forced out and channeled into the sand piles.

*Rumble…*

The ground began to settle.

This land had been a swamp for millennia, accumulating undecomposed plant matter into thick layers of organic material known as *peat*. Saturated with water, these fibrous layers formed a soft, spongy base.

Now, under intense pressure, the water was being squeezed out. The sandy piles planted into the ground encouraged even more drainage, hastening the process.

*Crunch…*

The peat layers compressed under their own weight, becoming denser and firmer.

This was *consolidation* in action.

Lloyd pushed the process further with his next command.

“Hamang, do you like bamboo straws?”

*”Hamang!”*

“Then drink up!”

*”Hamamang!”*

Hamang eagerly approached the bamboo straws planted into the ground. Using them as conduits, it slurped up the water that had gathered in the sand piles.

*”Slurp! Gulp gulp!”*

Water from the soil flowed directly into Hamang, which began to swell like a giant balloon.

Its massive weight pressed down on the ground, further accelerating the consolidation process.

—

With the groundwork prepared, Lloyd and the combat engineers moved to the next phase: *building levees* to encircle the drained area.

“Ppodong, spit!”

*”Ppodong! Blegh!”*

Ppodong acted as a living dump truck, filling its cheek pouches with soil and spitting it out for the engineers to use.

Following Lloyd’s meticulous design, the engineers worked tirelessly, shoveling and compacting the soil to form sturdy foundations.

*‘Levees aren’t just mounds of dirt. Poorly constructed ones will erode, leak, or collapse under pressure, causing disastrous flooding.’*

Lloyd ensured the levees were built with precision:

– *Gentle slopes:* To minimize erosion and water pressure on the inner slopes.
– *Height adjustments:* Factoring in the settling of the compressed ground, the levees were built higher to account for future subsidence.
– *Reinforcements:* Side slopes were fortified to withstand the pressure from behind.
– *Drainage channels:* To manage rainwater and prevent waterlogging.

Ppodong tirelessly rolled across the levee slopes, its body acting like a bulldozer or vibrating roller to compact the soil.

*”Ppodong! Ppododong!”*

The combat engineers followed, planting grass on the slopes using sod strips to hold the soil in place. Grass roots secured the levee, preventing soil from washing away.

Finally, drainage ditches were dug along the levee to handle rainwater runoff.

—

After ten days of hard work, the first section of the project was complete.

*”Phew, it’s done.”*

Lloyd wiped the sweat from his brow and surveyed the site.

The once soggy, weed-infested swamp was now dry land, bordered by a sturdy levee.

The transformation of this small section of Marez Swamp marked the beginning of a monumental change.

But Lloyd didn’t rest. The remaining swamp area was vast.

“Keep going! When we’re done, there’ll be a bonus party!”

Motivated by Lloyd’s encouragement, the engineers moved on to the next section.

Marez Swamp wasn’t a single, contiguous body of water. It consisted of dozens of small swamps scattered across the area. This allowed the work to be divided into manageable *sectors* for modular construction.

Fortunately, the region experienced a dry summer. The lack of rain and abundance of sunshine created perfect conditions for swamp reclamation.

The work gained momentum.

“Stay hydrated! Take breaks on schedule! Now, move into Sector 3!”

*”Woooooo!”*

Lloyd, Javier, the fantastical creatures, and the engineers worked as one.

Digging, drinking, draining, compacting, and building.

The repetitive process became second nature.

Where it had taken ten days to complete the first section, the engineers grew faster with practice.

Ten days turned to nine, nine to eight, and eventually to six.

—

Months passed.

After three months of relentless work, the engineers’ arms grew stronger, and the levees stretched further.

Each drop of sweat brought the swamp closer to becoming dry, usable land.

Marez Swamp, once deemed worthless, was transforming into fertile fields and arable land.

For thousands of years, it had been considered an untouchable wasteland, filled with muck and mysterious creatures.

No one had imagined this place could ever change.

But now, it was becoming farmland—*in just three months.*

The barony’s residents, including the Baron and Baroness, frequently visited to witness the incredible progress.

A useless swamp was becoming productive land before their eyes, and the man leading the transformation was one of their own.

‘We’re witnessing a kind of miracle we never thought possible.’

The residents’ gazes toward Lloyd began to shift once again.

No longer merely admiring him, they began to look upon him with *respect*.

—

*Ding!*

[All residents of the Frontera Barony are deeply moved by your miraculous achievements.]

[As a reward for this monumental social accomplishment, a large amount of RP has been granted.]