The fierce winds stirred up by Nefarian had yet to settle when Veylin set foot on the solid ground of Mist Spring Valley.
Before him, Old Walker, Barrett, and the fief's other key administrators were already waiting at attention, each holding a hardwood clipboard, their expressions respectful.
Veylin swept his gaze over them, dispensing with pleasantries.
"Talk as we walk."
He strode straight toward the bustling construction site in the center of the valley, with everyone following close behind.
Behind them, the supply convoy Veylin had ordered half a month earlier slowly entered the valley. Laden with equipment and raw materials purchased from the Royal Capital, it seemed an extension of his will, pumping fresh blood into this land.
Mist Spring Valley had undergone a staggering transformation.
It looked like a meticulously arranged model set amid a swamp.
The once rugged valley had now been reshaped into an enormous funnel-like basin.
Concentric rings of terraced fields spread out like growth rings in the earth. Irrigation channels built between the ridges used the natural slope to provide perfect gravity-fed irrigation.
Yet the most striking sight amid this magnificent undertaking was the enormous black beasts laboring silently-the worker mantises.
Digging, hauling, leveling the ground-a single worker mantis could easily handle work that would otherwise require dozens of strong laborers.
They had replaced oxen and horses as the land's primary source of animal power.
"Look." Veylin pointed to a worker mantis pushing a boulder with its enormous forelimbs as he spoke to Old Walker beside him.
"Its strength shouldn't be used just for hauling."
"We can put them to work in more areas. For instance, we could borrow the principles of a waterwheel to design a giant gear assembly powered by a worker mantis."
"Use its strength to drive forging hammers, millstones, even