Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 253: Bridge Across the River
On an autumn afternoon in the north, although the bright sun hangs high in the sky, it can no longer provide enough heat to bake the fertile land.

Wearing a slightly funny wide-brimmed straw hat, Reiner led a team of officials from the Ministry of Agriculture to walk in the endless waves of wheat, carefully inspecting the wheat that was about to be harvested.

This batch of wheat, which was sown in late spring, has now matured after four or five months of careful cultivation.

The endless wheat fields looked like a golden ocean. Every sheaf of wheat ears was thick and full, hanging down heavily and swaying in the wind. Even the refugees from the southern border who were temporarily living in the huts at the foot of the eastern city wall could not help but walk to the wheat fields and look at them with envy.

This year will definitely be a year of good harvest, but it is all thanks to this batch of magical wheat seeds enchanted and cultivated by the hybrid elf Egno.

The chief official of the Ministry of Agriculture is an old farmer who fled from the southern border to the wilderness and has been farming for three generations. He knows very well how wheat should grow in the north, because the temperature difference between day and night is very different from that in the south. Here, both barley and wheat are basically in the form of single ears, and each bundle of wheat can produce about ten grains, all thanks to the fertile black soil of the wilderness.

But in this golden sea of wheat fields before my eyes, all the wheat plants have two or three ears, and the grains are fuller and bigger than before, just like shining golden beans that are so attractive.

"How is it? The application of elves' magic to folk agricultural planting will bring unimaginable harvests, right?" Reiner picked an ear of wheat with his metal palm and said with a smile to the group of agricultural officials beside him.

The agricultural director sighed softly, "Yes... It's a pity that no noble spellcaster has ever been willing to turn their gaze to the land and crops that we rely on for survival..."

He was halfway through his words when he suddenly remembered his immediate superior, Reiner, who also considered himself a spellcaster. He quickly shut up and changed the subject, "Master Steward, the weather has been sunny lately, and the wheat fields can be harvested at any time. You see..."

Reiner clapped his hands and said in a relaxed tone, "Then starting tomorrow, have the repair center complete the overhaul of all the agricultural alchemy beasts this afternoon, and begin harvesting the fields tomorrow morning."

He then pointed in the direction of the Glacier River and smiled at the vast expanse of flat wasteland across the river. "While harvesting continues, don't forget to open up this newly designated farmland... I've asked the lord to grant permission for the use of icebreakers. Arrange for personnel to reach the other side as quickly as possible to complete the surveying and demarcation of the newly reclaimed farmland."

A young subordinate official came over and asked hesitantly, "Lord Reiner, are we really going to reclaim the land on the other side of the river and give it to those civilians who have migrated from the southern border to farm? But the land is on the other side of the river. A large ship alone can't transport so many people over. Besides, there aren't even thatched huts on the other side. How will they eat and sleep?"

Reiner chuckled confidently, "Don't worry, the lord has made preparations. Soon you'll see a bridge built across this wide, turbulent glacial river, connecting the two banks directly. From now on, during your spare time, you won't have to risk paddling a sampan to the other side to pick those delicious wild fruits for making jam..."

……

Ever since meeting Harvey, Lord of the Frontier Territory, Durt had remained in the small guesthouse where he had initially been assigned, spending his days meditating and reading, quietly awaiting his next mission. His decision to remain in the Northern Wasteland for a long time stemmed primarily from his meeting with Harvey, who had personally delivered a letter from his uncle, Phil Holden, to him.

Durt was a little confused about this. Uncle Fer was far away in the demon battlefield of the Evil Moon Mountains. Even if a magic messenger was used to deliver the letter, it would take at least a month for the messenger to travel thousands of miles from west to east to reach the Divine Ridge Mountains north of Jackdaw Ridge.

But the letter in his hand, regardless of the authenticity of the content or the time, was actually written to him by Uncle Fer just a few days ago. He wondered what kind of secret magical ability this spellcaster lord used to receive the letter so quickly.

The content of the letter was very concise. Apart from some daily trivial matters that only family members knew, his uncle only made one request to him - find a way to stay in the pioneer territory and learn magic from Lord Harvey. He must not return to Saint Valen or his hometown in the wizard kingdom of Daeus in the short term.

Uncle Phil also affectionately called Lord Harvey his best friend, as if they had known each other for a long time as equals. This made Durte, who was almost the same age as the other party, feel very embarrassed. He didn't know whether he should treat the young lord with the etiquette of an elder.

However, Lord Harvey did not seem to care much about some cumbersome etiquette, and his behavior seemed very gentle. This was completely in line with Durt's idea of a high-level spellcaster who was independent of the Federation and the Wizard Kingdom and lived in seclusion.

"Sir Harvey, you mean... to let me work with this, this civilian gentleman, to build a bridge across the big river next to the territory?" The first work assignment that Durte had waited for so long left him confused.

He had never had much dealings with ordinary people in his life. Apart from the servants and grooms employed by his family, those mortals without extraordinary abilities were like weeds growing on the roadside. Although they could be seen at all times, there was no need to pay any attention to them.

Haru, the construction director who was also summoned to the lord's castle, was also a little confused. "Lord, are you going to build a floating bridge on the glacier river like the one at the valley outpost?"

Haru, on the other hand, dealt with spellcasters like Reiner, Asdalen, and Egno all day long, so he didn't feel afraid at all. Even when Harvey nodded for them to sit down, he sat down on the sofa next to Durt, causing the young spellcaster to frown slightly.

"Excuse my bluntness, sir, but the glacial river is a full seventy to eighty meters wide, and the current is incredibly turbulent. If it were a floating bridge, it might be passable for a short time, but once the spring thaw arrives, it would quickly be washed away..."

Harvey smiled and pressed down the blueprint spread out on the desk, saying softly, "When did I ever say we were going to build a floating bridge? The reason I've arranged for a spellcaster to work with you this time is because I want to build a permanent bridge made of reinforced concrete!"

He ignored Haru's shocked expression and turned to Durt, smiling, "I heard from Mr. Fell that the school of magic you're good at is a combination of force field casting and earth elemental magic, right?"

(End of this chapter)