Chapter III, Day 9, in the early morn, Ming prepared a meal with insects, placing it near the pond, and then carefully transplanted several saplings of fruit trees into the rich soil.
Although the glowing flowers, spinach, coconut palms, and ironwood made the space somewhat cramped, Ming believed in maximizing the utilization of resources, thus a little crowding was acceptable.
In the southwestern corner of the mountaintop, he constructed a small cabin with wooden planks, placing the beehive, cut into three sections, within, hoping the bees would persevere, reconstructing their new abode and making their due contribution to the honey-infused dishes.
With such an abundance of glowing flowers and the like, there should be sufficient nectar for them; if not, there were also the peonies and sunflowers, and even the lotus flowers in the pond could be used.
Having finished organizing, he descended the stairs and glanced at the three snake eggs, which remained motionless. It seemed the incubation period for these mutated eggs might be somewhat extended.
With everything prepared, Ming descended the mountain towards the district center. To his surprise, the enormous well in the distance was already completed.
Sniffing, he recognized Hawkins.
"Good morning, Gutmann!"
"Hello, you're up so early," Ming looked around, "Where's soil man?"
"soil man spends all his time with the Fire Woman, hand in hand, heading to the regional map."
After Hawkins spoke, he pointed ahead and said, "We've completed the massive well, measuring 60 meters in length and width. This was calculated based on the landing points of the two monsters of the last descent. Due to limited resources, we've tried to build it as high as possible, reaching 20 meters. The good walls and passageways are 5 meters thick, with the main structure consisting of square bricks in the center, wrapped in a layer of 20-centimeter-thick steel plates. The inner walls of the well have been fused with 5-centimeter-thick plates of fine gold."
"How costly!" Ming exclaimed, and then added, "But life is even more precious."
"Yes, these are two spike trap scrolls made of fine gold, distributed to everyone in the district. This is your share." Hawkins handed Ming two spiked cards as he spoke.
"No need to give them to me; save them for someone else," Ming declined.
The primary reason was that his spiked cards were in sets, and two simply wouldn't be as satisfying.
"There's also an underground structure, built based on your suggestions. I'll introduce it to you when we get there."
"Alright." Ming took out a few wild pears and handed him. "These are a bit sour; they're best eaten after being frozen."
"Sour?" Hawkins took one, rubbed it against his chest, and bit into it, appearing to enjoy it immensely.
"..."
Ming frowned, wondering why Hawkins didn't find it sour at all.
"Aren't you curious about how I can tolerate this level of acidity?" Hawkins quickly consumed a second pear and said, "It's because I'm a Wood Elementalist who has undergone a second awakening, gaining plant affinity. Since then, I've been able to eat even poisonous mushrooms without harm. I've tried it. I only experience brief unconsciousness and diarrhea."
"..."
Unconsciousness and diarrhea didn't sound harmless, but it seemed Hawkins had a strong tolerance.
"Don't believe me? Look." Hawkins pulled open his chest, and instead of chest hair, there was a patch of delicate green vines with tiny leaves hanging from them.
"How unique!" Ming exclaimed. Then, looking up at Hawkins' hat, he asked, "May I take a look?"
"There's nothing to hide." Hawkins removed his hat to reveal a nest of wild grass inside.
"..."
Wow, he came with his lawn. Heh.
Ming felt relieved that he hadn't chosen to become a mage back then, or the consequences would've been unimaginable.
"To be honest, I had trouble accepting it at first, but now I'm used to it." Hawkins continued eating the wild pears, laughing, "Compared to most people, the air I breathe is fresher, so I'm actually quite proud."
"Yes, you should be proud," Ming nodded, He glanced at Hawkins' head again, astonished, "Hey, there's even a little yellow flower!"
"Heh, that one's already wilted. A few days ago, my head was full of flowers."
Hawkins put his hat back on, grinned, and extended his hand, "Do you have any more pears? I haven't had my fill."
"Uh, yes..."
Ming took out two more pears, "Eat them sparingly; I don't have many left."
"Thank you!" Hawkins accepted the fruit. "You're truly a good person."
"Well, I enjoy helping others. Many people in our region know that. It's not unusual," Ming said with a modest smile before asking, "Since you're a Wood Elementalist and have such an affinity for plants, do you have a spiritual ability that can quickly stimulate plant growth?"
Ming asked this question because he had already scanned Hawkins with his "Eagle Eye" and knew that he indeed had such an ability.
"Yes, it's a new skill that appeared after the second rank, called 'Vibrant Life.' It reduces the maturation cycle of plants by 10%."
Hawkins didn't hide anything; he didn't see any reason to hide anything from Ming and had no ill intentions.
"Heh, that's an incredibly useful spiritual ability," Ming said enviously.
"If you need it, feel free to ask me for help," Hawkins said, having finished the fruit in his hand.
"You're a good person too," Ming handed over three more fruits.
The two laughed and talked as they arrived at the base of the colossal well.
"Due to limited resources, its current height is only 20 meters. However, if today proves its effectiveness, we'll gather more resources to increase its height and thickness!" Hawkins introduced the structure, pointing to the arrow towers above. "People from all over the district have brought their arrow towers here—around 40 towers in total—scattered along the walls' corridors." Afterward, he led Ming up the well's wall passage via an exterior stairway.
ƥαṇdα-ηθνε|·ƈθm At this point, the passage was filled with people; Ming greeted and conversed with them.
Pointing at the inner wall, Hawkins explained, "Both the inner and outer walls have slopes, presenting a trapezoidal cross-section. We've calculated the angles to be the most slippery, making it difficult for any non-flying creature to climb the 20-meter height." He then pointed to the well's central square:
"Due to limited resources, we haven't fully deployed the spike traps. After this, if possible, we want to dig an inverted trapezoidal pit."
"We've used everything we can, right?"
"Pretty much."
"What will we do when we run out?"
"No worries. soil man says as long as we successfully kill the shared monster this time, he has a way to make some money."
"Uh..." Ming pondered and asked, "Is he planning to sell the idea of the colossal well's design to other districts? But wouldn't others come up with the same idea?"
"It seems most districts don't dare to gamble like ours."
"I see."
Ming nodded.
"That's because not every district has you."
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