Chapter 21

The snow covering Visas and Komoy Fort had completely melted.

The city was slowly regaining its former bustle. Many craftsmen now wandered about each day conducting surveys, carrying blueprints and tools in their hands and stopping from time to time to take notes.

A little white still lingered on Par Mountain, dotting the vast green landscape, but it gradually vanished as the weather warmed.

While the craftsmen threw themselves into preparing for the Artisans' Guild president competition, Walker and Ferdinand each began leading soldiers into a small valley on the northwestern side of Par Mountain to mine.

The vein was unexpectedly long.

There was an enormous quantity of Black Ore spread throughout the entire small valley, extending deep into the mountain... It was estimated that they would not need to worry about Black Ore supplies or consumption for decades to come.

For the time being, Ferdinand and Walker had their men dig out a passage suitable for entry, nearly over ten meters wide and more than sixty meters long.

The Black Ore excavated alone was already extraordinarily abundant, too numerous to count.

They then stored the mined ore in the warehouses they had built and assigned guards to watch over it closely. Once everything was ready, it could be put to use in rebuilding Visas and Komoy Fort.

Recently, Cyrus had mainly been reading books on "Urban Planning and Management."

The library produced by the Zen System was indeed incredibly comprehensive, covering an extensive range of subjects.

Some urban-planning books even included detailed drawings of a city's spatial layout, streets connecting in every direction, and the kinds of public or basic infrastructure a city ought to contain.

Cyrus already had a rough idea in mind for how to rebuild Visas and Komoy Fort.

After all, some of the facilities and individual buildings he wanted to construct were things the current craftsmen might never have considered.

The reason Cyrus had organized a competition for the position of Artisans' Guild president was not only to choose a quick-witted, capable, and talented person to lead the construction work over the next five years.

He also wanted to see just what level their blueprints would reach.

Only through comparison could he make a better choice.

It would also make it easier for him to add in the public and basic infrastructure he needed.

Cyrus: *After all, as the client, can't I do whatever I want? :)*

There would be plenty more occasions to rely on the Artisans' Guild in the future.

Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, spring had arrived.

Today was bright and sunny, a rare spell of clear weather.

Cyrus brought Judas, Gibran, and the others to the northwestern side of Par Mountain once again, intending to find a suitable location beside Par Lake for the castle they were going to build.

He wanted a castle facing the lake.

When he opened the windows, he would be able to see the beautiful mountains, forests, and lake. In the mornings, he could wake beneath warm sunlight to pleasant birdsong, with little boats drifting across the lake and beautiful waterfowl nearby...

There also had to be a pasture beside the castle, enclosed by fences and stocked with horses, cattle, sheep...

Ideally, it would include areas for planting and harvesting, breeding and grazing—self-sufficient and fully equipped.

The mountain forest was peaceful, with fresh air and lovely scenery.

Snowball and Coalball would be able to roam freely through the woods.

The two little tiger cubs had grown considerably. From being no larger than two adult palms at first, they were now more than half an arm long.

Other than sleeping and eating every day, their favorite thing was toddling after Cyrus wherever he went, running around behind him and letting out babyish little roars.

Cyrus adored them to bits.

He had not only moved the two cubs' nest into his own bedroom, but also planned to carry them onto his bed to sleep with him.

Judas tried to dissuade him several times without much success. Since the young count would not listen, he could only helplessly indulge his willful behavior.

This visit to Par Lake could also count as a spring outing.

Toby and Kelly came along as well, while the two knight commanders led a group of soldiers to protect them.

They spread a long cloth over the grass by the lake and sat down on the ground.

"Roar, roar."

The two round, chubby tiger cubs clung to Cyrus's arm, stretching out their thick little paws with all their might to reach for the strips of meat in his hand.

Cyrus leaned back strategically, dodging them.

Judas sat behind Cyrus protectively, afraid that the two sturdy little tigers, which were no longer light, would pounce on him and knock him over.

"Nothing more for you. Look at those little bellies of yours—they're already bloated. That isn't how baby fat works."

Cyrus coldly had Judas take away the strips of meat. Stroking Snowball and Coalball's fluffy little bellies, he sighed inwardly, 098, they eat so much.

098: [Host, this is perfectly normal. Snowball and Coalball are different from ordinary tigers. They will grow very large in the future, so naturally their appetites will be astonishing.]

[098 suggests that once the castle is built and you move here, Host, you can let them hunt freely in the mountain forest.]

Cyrus gave a hum.

This was something he had considered as well. The mountain forest was the most suitable place for Snowball and Coalball.

When the two tiger cubs saw that they truly would not get any more meat, they roared and stumbled off across the grass.

At some point, they ran over to Ferdinand and Walker, stopping before them with their silly little heads raised and their black eyes looking curiously at the two men.

Walker could not help smiling. When he tried to reach out toward them, Snowball and Coalball bared their tiny sharp teeth and let out cries that still carried a hint of babyish sweetness.

"Roar! Roar, roar!"

Walker's smile deepened in amusement. Persistently, he extended his hand toward Snowball's mouth, only to quickly pull it back just as Snowball was about to bite down.

He repeated this several times, practically asking to be beaten.

Coalball bit after his hand a few times too, but perhaps finding it boring when it could not catch anything, it wagged its little tail and lay down nearby.

After lying there for a while, it rolled over and lazily exposed its belly. Its fluffy little stomach rose and fell rhythmically with each breath, all four paws curled up as though it were about to fall asleep.

Just then, a small wildflower that seemed to have only recently sprouted, its bud about to bloom, was slowly held over its nose.

The flower swayed gently in the breeze.

Coalball's attention was immediately drawn to it. It rolled over and climbed to its feet, staring fixedly at it. Its plump little tail stopped wagging, its rear gradually lifted, and its front paws dug into the grass as it assumed a poised, ready-to-pounce stance.

The next moment, it suddenly lunged at the wildflower.

"Roar."

Coalball spun around in confusion on the spot. It had missed.

Ferdinand held the wildflower in one hand, and the corner of his mouth could not help curving upward. His gaze was especially gentle.

This weather, these mountains, this water... Everything made one feel utterly relaxed.

Cyrus braced himself on his hands behind him and leisurely swung his little legs.

After glancing around, he pointed in one direction and said, "Judas, what do you think about building the castle there?"

"It isn't too far from the lake, but it isn't too close either, so we can avoid the dampness. The surrounding land is not only open but flat, and a huge pasture could be built behind it to the right..."

They could then mark out planting areas, breeding areas, vegetables, fruit, herbs...

"Of course it would be excellent, my lord," Judas said. "But could you leave an area around the castle for me?"

Cyrus nodded. "Sure, but what do you want to do, Judas?"

"I want to grow a vast field of bright, beautiful roses for you, my lord, so that the roses representing Desinia may grow alongside you."

Gibran could not help saying, "Roses truly suit you, my lord."

"That's a wonderful idea, Butler Judas. May I help?"

Judas smiled and nodded. Naturally, there was no problem with that.

Kelly and Toby also eagerly said they wanted to join.

"..."

Cyrus was so embarrassed that he did not even want to swing his little legs anymore.

The brief leisure passed, and once they returned to the castle, they were busy again.

Two months later.

Under the knights' guidance, the craftsmen gathered once more in the open space outside the castle to submit their blueprints.

Someone stood at the front recording something.

When it was Conrad's turn, the recorder asked, "Have you written your name on your blueprints?"

Conrad hurriedly nodded. "I have, my lord."

Judas said, "Then tell me your name, whether you formed a team with anyone else, and how many blueprints you have drawn in total."

Conrad gave his name, then hesitated over the second question. "My lord, does having my two sons help me count as teamwork?"

Judas glanced at Darren and Dief, who were peeking around behind him, and replied, "Did they participate in the detailed design of the city plan? If they did, then it counts as teamwork."

Conrad hurriedly said, "Yes, my lord. It was a team effort. There are twenty-two blueprints in total."

Darren had participated in a small part of the design, sometimes handling calculations for peripheral figures and such.

As for Dief, he had followed them around the streets and city districts, offered suggestions on certain issues, and often helped with the drawing.

Both sons were very talented, serious, and sensible.

Conrad trusted them greatly.

Judas recorded everything one by one, then said, "Come back with the knights in six days. The results will be announced then. Go home and wait patiently for now."

"Yes, my lord."

Conrad returned home with his two sons, feeling both excited and nervous.

Over those six days.

Cyrus summoned Ferdinand, Walker, and the others to review and sort through the submissions together.

They first eliminated the blueprints that were obviously unqualified at a glance—drafts that were messy, illegible, or poorly designed.

Then they slowly examined the detailed and carefully designed blueprints, selecting them based on whether they fit a reasonable urban layout and plan, whether their functions were complete, whether they showed originality, and other criteria.

Cyrus pulled out one set of blueprints and asked, "What do you think of this planning design?"

Not only did these blueprints clearly divide the various districts within the two cities, they also specifically highlighted the necessity of drainage facilities in Visas, provided a solution, and took safety principles into consideration.

They also designed a short and convenient road between Visas and Komoy Fort.

Compared to the other blueprints, this design was truly excellent.

Otherwise, it would not have stood out in Cyrus's hands.

After looking it over, Judas and the others nodded in agreement.

Cyrus said, "Then he's the one."