AWDC Chapter 19
by VolareAround noon on the twelfth day of being in the desert, as we crested the usual sand dune, we felt a change in the scenery.
Visible beyond the desert was a ridge of barren mountains.
There wasn’t anything resembling vegetation on those mountains either. But it was clearly different from the sand dunes.
Without anyone realizing it, we quickened our pace.
As the sun began to slant and shadows grew long, we spotted a large shadow within the ridge.
It was a place like a ravine carved into the ridge.
Bushes grew thickly there, grass grew, and there was a small stream.
“Found it! There’s water!”
Kido, who had entered the ravine first and ventured deeper, shouted.
It was only natural that the other three rushed over all at once.
We had finally escaped the desert.
We set up camp here, our faces filled with satisfaction.
“Tomorrow, we’ll climb this ridge,”
We said to each other without being prompted, our morale was high.
The next morning, our steps were light as we aimed for the top of the ridge.
And from the summit, which we ascended urging the donkeys onward, the view was completely different from what we had seen before.
In the valley below, a rapid stream cascaded down with a roar.
Lush green trees grew on either side of it, forming a green belt that stretched deep into the southern mountains, merging with the river.
Perhaps due to the spray rising from the river, the parched air even had a damp smell.
In places along the Lean Ridge, grass grew in clusters.
The people and donkeys, who had been struggling under heavy loads until now, quickened their pace and hurried down.
However, simply descending wasn’t enough; both banks of the valley river were cliffs, and we struggled to find a place to get down to the river.
Finally, we found a gentle slope, and before noon, we were able to reach the wide riverbed.
“Cold, it’s reviving!” We all went into the river, splashing each other and playing around.
The donkeys also grazed on the grass and drank water as they pleased.
After the meal, we decided to set up camp on the riverbed, and we began to explore the surrounding area.
The sky over the valley was narrow, and dusk came early. We started dinner early.
“There’s more water than I thought. This is enough to irrigate the desert.
I’ve also found a good place to draw water from,”
Ladapole, who had gone upstream, gave us a joyful report.
I also went to the opposite bank and found several flat areas. I thought this place could eventually be used as a base for construction.
And what pleased us most of all was the wild rabbit that Kido had caught.
“This is irresistible, delicious!”
For us, who had been gnawing on dried meat and bread, it was the best treat.
“This is a reward we’ve finally gotten after all the hard work,”
Jim Keene, who had walked through the desert without complaining, said with his mouth full of meat.
That was what everyone truly felt. No one had imagined that crossing the desert would be so hard.
That’s why we had never felt so satisfied with a meal as we did that night.
And with the help of the three, I began to create a map of the water source area.
This time, the goal was to investigate the state of the water source and whether it was possible to draw water to the desert.
With a small number of people and a short period, accurate surveying was impossible. I just wanted to find a way to get water to flow into the desert.
“Well, the Lean Ridge is more protruding than I thought,”
Ladapole bluntly pointed out the difficulty of the plan.
To get water to flow into the desert, we had to do something about the Lean Ridge in front of us.
The easy way is to dig a waterway to bypass the ridge.
But the ridge is 30 kilometers east to west, separating the river and the desert, and bypassing it would require digging a long distance.
“There’s a great place to build a dam downstream, but it’s not going to be easy,”
And Ladapole pointed out the difficulty of another method as well.
To shorten the bypassing waterway, we could build a dam at the point where the ridge ends, considerably downstream from the campsite, and draw water from there.
If the ridge was low, it wouldn’t be difficult to dig a tunnel or cutting, and water could be drawn to the desert.
But the place Ladapole said was ideal for a dam was too deep in the riverbed.
Both banks were surrounded by rocks, and the height of the cliffs in the perfect place for dam construction was over 50 meters.
In the world I used to live in, building such a dam wouldn’t be that difficult.
But in the world I’m in now, there’s no high-quality rebar or concrete. Without these, even if a dam was built, it would soon break.
More than anything, there’s no heavy machinery, and it’s impossible to transport heavy objects.
Building a dam would be very difficult.
And Ladapole didn’t say it, but digging a tunnel in the ridge would be even more difficult.
The ridge wasn’t even 300 meters high, but if we dug a tunnel around the campsite, it would be over 1 kilometer long.
To dig a tunnel of this length, we would have to conduct a rigorous topographical and geological survey.
I didn’t even have the knowledge for that kind of surveying.
I had no idea what height or direction to dig the tunnel from, or how much to dig.
We completed a month-long survey and were able to return home safely.
We confirmed that there was enough water in the water source to sufficiently irrigate the desert.
But I couldn’t think of a good way to overcome the ridge and draw water to the desert.