Chapter 92: Item (3)

Chapter 92: Item (3)

Arteil has a concept called ‘territory characteristics’.

These territory characteristics refer to the features surrounding a territory, unrelated to the territory’s development, and are determined by the characteristics present around the territory.

For example, if there is a mine within a certain distance, though not within the territory itself, the territory gains a mining characteristic. If there is a gold mine, it gains a gold mine characteristic, and likewise, there are various characteristics in Arteil, including agricultural characteristics for fertile lands suitable for farming.

However, despite the numerous types of territory characteristics, Lartania did not have any.

The reason was simply because there was really nothing around Lartania.

Around the Lartania territory, there were no significant mines or gold mines, nor were there fertile lands. It wasn’t a region with advantageous terrain for defense or attack, nor did the surrounding grasslands offer better prospects for livestock farming than other territories.

In plain terms, the location of the Lartania territory was not like those backed with mountains of gold mines found in other fantasies; it was really a place with nothing.

...Of course, Kim Hyunwoo knew this fact but still chose to establish a territory here.

After all, the creation of territories in Arteil was entirely random to begin with.

No one knew where a territory might end up being created, whether it was in the north, south, east, or west.

Of course, if players didn’t like the location, they could continuously delete their account and recreate it, rerolling until they got their desired location, but he didn’t go through that process.

Half by choice, and half by circumstance.

‘...I might have tried it if the players weren’t already clustered together.’

The reason Kim Hyunwoo didn’t specifically reroll was because of the other players.

If he had been playing Arteil from the start, it might have been different, but he started playing some time after the game was released.

By the time he considered rerolling for a territory, the places rumored to be good were already swarming with players.

In other words, at that point, even if he could obtain a territory with great characteristics, the almost certain conflict with other players to secure such a territory was why Kim Hyunwoo didn’t bother rerolling.

After all, to outpace players who had started earlier, microtransactions were necessary, and at that time, he was just a student.

Anyway, to sum it up, since Kim Hyunwoo had never owned a territory with such characteristics before, he couldn’t help but smile at the sudden emergence of hot springs.

Of course, the newly emerged characteristic wasn’t as good as having a gold mine, mine, or even agricultural traits, but it seemed more than enough to contribute to the development of his territory.

Therefore,

“First, deploy all the manpower available to bypass the destroyed section and temporarily create a major path. For the hot spring water... send someone to the timber mill first to fence off the area, and tell the person in charge of the mill to come here.”

With that, Kim Hyunwoo finished speaking to the guard who had come in to report.

‘...Attracting tourists isn’t a bad idea either.’

He smiled at the thought.

At that moment,

in the Landaron territory.

“It’s been three days.”

“...But it’s already been a month?”

“I know that.”

“Isn’t this different from our agreement?”

Kelva, looking at Duke Landaron who was openly frowning, sighed and said,

“Yes, I admit it. But there’s a reason for everything.”

“What’s the reason?”

“All the external summoning circles have been destroyed.”

“It seems that it will take some time to complete the construction of the entire hot spring.”

“Is it a lack of manpower? If manpower is insufficient, it seems like we could just allocate more. Or is it the materials?”

When Kim Hyunwoo asked this, Karok appeared to ponder for a moment before starting to explain in detail.

“Indeed, manpower is one factor, but the crucial issue is the materials.”

“...Materials?”

“Yes. The materials used for constructing the hot spring are not ordinary timber but magically treated wood from the Mage Tower, or alternatively, magical trees from Rolang Forest.”

“Will there be problems otherwise?”

“Yes, if it were just ordinary hot spring water, a bit of additional processing on the wood and constructing the building would suffice. However, the hot spring water is a bit special because...”

“Special?”

“Yes, one of the workers from the mill went to a place famous for its hot springs and found out that the water contains a slight mix of magical power, making it very good hot spring water. So, it’s not just any hot spring water; it’s exceptionally good, but...”

“...Is the problem that the hot spring water is mixed with magical power?”

“Yes, if the hot spring water is mixed with magical power, any material that isn’t specially treated with magic will quickly deteriorate. Especially since most of the magical power mixed in the hot spring water is earth-based...”

“Hmm...”

To be honest, Kim Hyunwoo didn’t know much about earth-based magic, nor did he feel the need to understand it in detail.

After all, the important thing here was how long it would take to build the hot spring.

“...So, does it take longer than expected to build the hot spring?”

Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo asked.

“If we start construction right away, it could be completed quickly, within five days to a week. However, considering the time it takes for the materials to arrive... it might take more than two months, I suppose.”

Kim Hyunwoo grimaced slightly at Karok’s answer, clicking his tongue in slight frustration.

In conclusion, if it were to take as long as two months, it wouldn’t be of any immediate help for the current quest.

Of course, it was clear that despite this, it would undoubtedly have a positive impact on the development of the territory.

“...Well, nothing can be done about the long duration. For now, let’s request the materials as quickly as possible. I will cover all the costs for the materials.”

“Understood. In that case, may I mention that we need additional materials beyond those already discussed?”

“Go ahead.”

Kim Hyunwoo started to listen to Karok’s words, nodding as if he understood.

At that moment-

Thanks to completely demolishing the road to Lartania, three heroes, who were worried Kim Hyunwoo might notice, anxiously looked towards the Lord’s castle.

“...That’s it, that’s the one!”

“The trees from Rolang Forest...!”

“We- we have to go right now-!”

It was as if they found absolution in the conversation happening at the Lord’s castle, all of them with determination shining in their eyes.

‘......’

In her thoughts, Adria, looking at the three heroes who had climbed a hill and were focusing all their efforts on the Lord’s castle in the distance, thought,

“...Really, this is a bit annoying...”

With a cold gaze, she looked at the heroes anxiously staring at the Lord’s castle, harboring a mix of distant feelings.