The Greatest Estate Developer - Chapter 389: The Calm Before the Storm (1)

**’If things go this way, it’s better for me.’**

Lloyd scanned the crowd of residents with a gleam in his eye.

They were all shouting in unison, surrounding the lord’s manor, insisting that it wasn’t right for Lloyd to bear all the burdens alone.

This was an unexpected turn of events.

Completely unforeseen.

But thanks to this, Lloyd was able to quickly formulate a new plan in his mind.

**’Alright. Let’s do this.’**

**Swoosh!**

He landed Ggoming on a wide rock and stood atop his back, ensuring that everyone could see him clearly. Then he addressed the crowd.

“Ahem! Everyone, calm down for a moment. I’ve heard what you’re asking for. But do you all understand what it means to face the Hell Legion?”

“Of course!”

“Absolutely!”

The residents shouted in unison.

After their voices died down, Lloyd asked again.

“Then, do you know what kind of creatures the Hell Legion is?”

“Of course we do!”

“Absolutely!”

The residents shouted even louder this time.

Lloyd exhaled sharply.

“Hoo. I understand your resolve. I gratefully accept it.”

Without a single rejection or feigned humility, Lloyd accepted their determined responses immediately. He needed every bit of help he could get at this point, especially since starting the construction work to utilize the 2 billion liters of holy water would require as many hands as possible.

“Alright. I understand. So, let’s all calm down. I’ve heard why you were upset with me. From now on, I won’t make these big decisions alone. Is that good enough?”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Lloyd continued.

“Thank you. Now that things have come to this, let me explain the situation clearly. I had planned to inform you after a bit more preparation, but yes, the Hell Legion is planning to invade our territory. The invasion is set to occur in about 90 days. The force will consist of 500 Hell Knights, thousands of Satans, and a Hell King possessing a Lich’s body.”

“…”

Silence fell over the crowd.

There was some unease, and a bit of murmuring, but there was no sign of widespread fear.

Lloyd was quietly impressed by this and continued speaking.

“So, I’ve prepared an evacuation plan for everyone. In 85 days, you will all be evacuated to the dragon’s lair.”

“…!”

The murmuring grew louder.

Lloyd went on.

“This means we have 85 days left. And what does that time allow us to do? It allows us to prepare to defend our homes and land.”

He spoke clearly, meeting each person’s gaze as he emphasized his words.

“So, we’re going to start construction. We’ll dig, build dikes, create channels, and set up various traps. We’ll need a lot of help for this. Yes, your help. So, I ask you, are you ready?”

“Yes!”

The response was immediate.

Lloyd asked again.

“This won’t be easy. It’s going to be tough for everyone. But this work isn’t for the sake of the territory, the Count, or even me. It’s the sweat you’ll shed to protect your homes and fields. So, I ask you, are you prepared to defend your land?”

“Yes!”

The response was even louder.

Lloyd’s questions—or perhaps his rallying cries—gained momentum.

“Good. Be ready. From now on, we’ll be working in three shifts every day. There won’t be any holidays. You’ll be doing overtime, night shifts, and even all-nighters as if it’s part of your daily routine. If we start running out of time, we’ll switch to two shifts, making the work even tougher. So, I’ll make this promise to you all.”

He looked around at everyone.

Their eyes were gleaming with determination, ready to endure overtime, night shifts, and all-nighters.

With sincerity, he made a vow to them.

“I won’t treat this as mere volunteer work or dedication. When you enter and leave the worksite, make sure to record your attendance. Don’t forget to do the same when you’re doing overtime, night shifts, or all-nighters. That’s how you’ll get paid and receive your bonuses. Understand? Nothing in this world is free. That includes the sweat you’ll shed. It’s definitely not free.”

Lloyd meant every word.

Nothing in this world is free.

And that included the labor he would receive from them.

**’Obviously. Right now, everyone’s filled with enthusiasm, thinking they can do anything. But after a few days, when they’re struggling to stay awake on the job, dragging their exhausted bodies through overtime and night shifts, will they still have that same drive? No way. Absolutely not.’**

Lloyd coldly assessed the situation and anticipated what was to come.

His thoughts stemmed from the wisdom he had gained through experience in the field.

**’That’s how people are. When the mood is right, they act like they could chew through steel. But once the work gets really tough, their motivation fades away.’**

He saw this situation as similar.

Although the residents were showing great passion, enthusiasm, and a sense of duty right now, if they were to face the harsh realities of the job, forced to endure endless overtime and night shifts, they might start to have second thoughts.

**’That’s why I need to set boundaries now.’**

Even though they were a lord and his people, and they cared for each other more than in most territories, this was still a business relationship. It was a relationship built on mutual needs. Relying too much on good intentions and goodwill would only lead to problems later on.

With that in mind, he spoke to everyone.

“So, I’ll be sending the work schedules, shift assignments, daily wages, and bonus rates to each village later. Make sure to check the notices when they arrive. And remember, labor isn’t free. You need to claim what’s yours. I’ll make sure you get it. So let’s all work hard, and when we get through this crisis, we’ll all be rich!”

“…Whoa!”

The residents all cheered, caught up in the excitement.

At first, Lloyd’s talk of wages and the notion that labor isn’t free seemed to dampen their enthusiasm.

But then, when he promised to pay them well, they snapped back to attention.

They began to think.

**’I wanted to send my child, who’s studying in Cremo, to a better school in the capital. That’s going to cost more money…’**

**’My mother’s medicine has been a real issue lately…’**

**’I want to buy my own house too.’**

**’When I get married, I’d love to go on a long honeymoon.’**

**’But if I get paid well with wages and bonuses…’**

**’Lloyd is strict about money matters.’**

**’I heard he’s never delayed payments to the Engineers Corps…’**

**’So, if we work hard?’**

**’We could save up a nice sum?’**

**’Money…? Money. Money!’**

The residents’ eyes began to sparkle.

The cheers around the lord’s manor grew even louder.

Earlier, their voices had been pure expressions of enthusiasm.

But now?

“…Whoooa!”

They had turned into a roar of pure capitalism.

Lloyd added fuel to that fire of desire.

“Let’s get rich!”

“Whoooaa!”

In this way, Lloyd eased his worries about how to break the news of the Hell Legion’s invasion. Additionally, he succeeded in rallying the residents to participate fully.

But he didn’t let up.

**’You have to strike while the iron’s hot.’**

That’s how work gets done.

When the mood is right, and the momentum is there, things move much faster than usual.

Lloyd judged that now was exactly that time.

He pushed forward.

He drove himself.

Recalling the days when he juggled lectures and part-time jobs from dawn to midnight, pulling all-nighters every day of the week.

By day, he focused on surveying and design.

By night, he worked on organizing the work teams and planning the schedule.

And after one, two, five days passed, he finally completed all the preparations.

**’…Phew, phew. I’m going to collapse.’**

Lloyd wiped the sweat from his soaked forehead, feeling like he might faint from the dizziness.

He hadn’t slept in five days.

He had pushed his body to its limits with the Asrahan Cultivation Technique.

**’Of course. There’s no time to rest. If we’re going to include the evacuation of the residents, we have to finish the construction within 80 days. Time Freeze? It’d be nice to use it, but I think we can finish within 80 days without burning through any RP. But the thing is, there can’t be a single mistake in the design.’**

If there was a mistake?

The 2 billion liters of holy water could end up flooding the villages and critical facilities in the territory.

Or worse, it might flow in the wrong direction, failing to hit the Hell Legion and causing a disaster.

That was something he had to avoid at all costs.

So he put even more effort into the project.

He had kept the simulation feature running almost non-stop, pushing his physical limits to the point where he felt like the bottom of a frying pan, scraped clean after cooking.

**’But… there’s still a mountain of work to do!’**

Lloyd worried that he might die from overwork before the Hell Legion even arrived.

He tried to push down the growing dread and started the construction.

The work went smoothly.

They dug the foundation for the massive channel that would carry the 2 billion liters of water from Lake Kapua on the eastern mountainside to the area near the territory.

In this construction, Bibeong and Yongyong played the biggest roles.

**”Bibeong! Bibeong!”**

**Crash! Crack!**

Both of them were over 100 meters long—fantastical creatures and full-fledged dragons.

They weren’t delicate, but they were specialized in large-scale excavation.

Whenever Bibeong dug with his front paws, giant trees were uprooted, and rocks were pulled out of the ground.

Whenever Yongyong exerted his strength, the ground was dug out by several meters at a time.

Once those two massive creatures dug up the ground?

**”Deploy Work Team 1!”**

**”Deploy!”**

The work teams, composed of residents, were deployed to the site.

They refined the roughly dug channel according to the design, clearing and tidying the soil around it.

Meanwhile, the Engineers Corps built dikes with the removed soil.

**’Just digging the ground isn’t enough to control the water flow perfectly.’**

From the lake to the territory.

The route wasn’t a straight line.

To minimize the construction area and make the most of the mountain’s natural terrain for channeling the water, they had to create numerous winding sections.

To prevent water from overflowing into these sections, they needed tall, sturdy, and precisely constructed dikes.

And so, everyone came together.

Javier, his handsome face smudged with dirt, worked up a sweat.

Ppodong, Bangul, Hamang, and Ggoming moved busily.

The orc warriors flexed their muscles.

The elves offered their respects to the disturbed plants.

Hell Knight Geo-Rexius and the skeleton crew worked tirelessly.

Even the Fallen Angel Raphael, in between squeezing out tears, picked up a shovel and a pickaxe.

And so the days of fulfilling environmental destruction continued.

After ten days, the moon waned.

After a month, the leaves grew green.

After two months, the seasons changed.

Finally, as the first cicadas began to cry, the project was completed on the 79th day after construction began.

**’Phew…’**

Lloyd wiped the sweat from his brow.

He took a deep breath and looked up.

And there it was.

The final section of the deep and massive channel lay beneath him.

**’This isn’t just a channel; it’s practically a wide valley.’**

Lloyd couldn’t help but let out a bitter smile.

This thing was far too large to be called just a “channel.”

Anyone who didn’t know better would think it was a natural part of the landscape.

The width from one end of the channel to the other was wider than a typical sports field!

**’But this is actually the narrowest we could make the channel. If it were any narrower, it wouldn’t be able to contain all that water. A large amount would overflow and spill into unintended areas, creating a chaotic situation.’**

Not to mention that the overflowing water could destroy the channel’s structure.

This would cause even more water to overflow, making it impossible to control the flow.

That was exactly what the countless simulations had shown.

**’Anyway, we built it right. Not only was it dug out on a large scale, but the finishing touches were perfect.’**

Now, most of the preparations were complete.

Only two things remained.

“Um, Lord Lloyd. I have a question.”

It was after they had dismissed the workers and were beginning to prepare for the full-scale execution of the evacuation plan.

Javier, his brow furrowed, approached and asked.

“Is there no word on reinforcements?”

“Reinforcements?”

“Yes.”

Suspicion clouded his eyes.

“When you started this project, you sent letters requesting reinforcements, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. I did.”

It was true.

He had sent requests to his royal sister, Queen Alicia Magentano, as well as to Cremo, Namaran, the Sultanate, the orc and elf tribes, the merfolk kingdom, and even the centaur tribes of the Great Plains.

He had sent them to anyone who could be of help.

“But that’s why it’s strange. It’s been almost three months since you sent those letters. Why hasn’t anyone come yet, and why haven’t we received any responses?”

“Well, there’s a reason for that.”

“A reason?”

“Of course. You didn’t think I was being ignored and didn’t receive any replies, did you?”

“…”

“Hey, no way.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. Anyway, there’s a reason. It would’ve been a problem if the reinforcements arrived too early.”

“A problem?”

“Feeding them.”

“Excuse me?”

Javier widened his eyes in surprise.

Lloyd spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Think about it. Let’s say Her Majesty sends a few thousand troops. They’re not exactly the elderly or infirm. These soldiers are in their prime, with strong appetites and great digestion. If they arrive too early, they’ll just end up eating all our food, won’t they?”

“…”

“Plus, there’s the orcs, the merfolk, the centaurs… ugh, it’s horrifying just thinking about it. Even if they’re reinforcements, feeding them all would drain our funds in real-time. Don’t you think?”

“…”

“That’s why I wrote in the letters that it’d be best if they arrived about two months after receiving them.”

“Is that so.”

“Yeah. And it looks like now is just about the right time.”

“…Is that what I think it is?”

“Yeah. Probably?”

Lloyd shrugged.

Then he looked up at the morning sky.

Javier’s gaze followed his upward.

At that moment, the silver-haired knight saw it.

**Whoooosh!**

A silhouette appeared as a speck in the sky.

Growing larger as it cut through the air.

Finally, a group landed—or rather, crashed—into the front yard of the lord’s manor.

**Thud! Crash! Thump!**

Massive, muscular figures with bulging fins landed with a thunderous impact.

They raised a huge cloud of dust.

And as that dust began to settle…

“Phew, whew. Lloyd Frontera, is it true? Is it true that if we come here, we’ll meet others as strong as us?”

The merfolk queen flashed her trademark fierce yet welcoming smile through the dust.

It was the arrival of the first reinforcements, just as Lloyd had planned and expected.