AWDC Chapter 20

Having finished surveying the water source, we returned to Toriholi Village, where John had brought back a young man.

“Toma, this is Krim, a doctor. He used to be Lord Midland’s personal physician in the capital. We’re planning for him to work not only as a doctor in the village but also to help with papermaking.”

The lord gave a simple introduction. He was barely twenty and didn’t seem like he had ever been a personal physician.

“No, I was just taken around the territory by my father. I can’t really call myself a doctor,” Krim said, a humble young man.

I immediately took a liking to Krim.

“I’m Toma. There’s no one in this village who can be called a doctor, so I’ve been reluctantly playing the role of one. Please take care of the villagers,” I said, honestly expressing my joy at his arrival.

“We’ve decided to build an office soon. For the time being, you’ll be based there for your medical activities, but we plan to build a clinic eventually.”

The lord seemed to have given Krim’s arrival a lot of thought.

I agreed with the lord’s idea. With Krim’s arrival, the time spent on medical care and papermaking would likely decrease considerably.

Even so, the plan to bring water to the desert was facing difficulties, and I was as busy as ever.

“The magnet that Toma-san showed us in the desert is quite interesting,” Ladapole said.

Ladapole knew about magnets, but he never thought they could be used for a compass that shows the direction of north.

“However, you can’t make a compass unless you support the magnet near its center of gravity and allow it to rotate,” I explained about compasses and levels, and pointed out the difficult parts of their production.

“I see. The way to make this glass is a bit troublesome, isn’t it?”

Ladapole also tilted his head while looking at the comic-like diagrams of surveying equipment that I had drawn.

The thin glass tubes needed to make a level didn’t exist in this world. Moreover, they had to be straight glass tubes without any distortion.

“I’ll give it a try,” Ladapole said, starting to display the craftsman’s spirit that made him enthusiastic about difficult processes.

The two of us spent day after day in the workshop, racking our brains and devising ways to make it work.

In any case, unless we completed the surveying equipment, there was no way we could even begin to plan to bring water to the desert.

While we were engrossed in the production of surveying equipment, the village was changing significantly.

First, houses were built for the two young married couples in the papermaking group.

Furthermore, the construction of houses for Ladapole and Krim also began.

This was a huge change for the village, which had only been able to build one house every few years.

This was because the papermaking industry had emerged, and the village’s income had increased dramatically.

The young couples, knowing that they would receive a fixed amount of wages from the lord, decided to build houses with the support of their parents.

In addition, the lord decided to provide houses for Ladapole and Krim. He showed considerable consideration for the valuable technicians he had brought from the capital.

Roy was having his house expanded in preparation for John to welcome his bride.

Tom, who had taken on all of this work, was in a great flurry, borrowing people from neighboring villages.

Well, I thought Tom would definitely pull it off, but I felt sorry for how hard it must be.

Naturally, Tom’s wallet was getting fatter, and Cathy was serving more alcohol.

I could only say, “Do your best and work hard.”

The paper business was bringing about big changes in the small village.

There was someone who didn’t miss these changes.

“You’re planning to set up a shop in the village?”

“Yes, I’d like to make it so that everyone in the village can buy daily necessities at any time,” said Labos, a merchant who had been coming to the village to sell his wares every two weeks, as he applied to the lord for permission to open a store.

“You’ve been coming to the village for a while, but why are you opening a store now?”

Roy was wary of outsiders coming in.

“Well, now that new houses are being built one after another, it’s clear that this place is making money. Everyone wants to get a piece of the pie.”

“I understand that you’re sharp. But let me tell you an interesting story. Once upon a time, there was a man who had a bird that laid golden eggs. He wanted more money, so he cut open the bird to get the golden eggs directly from its body. However, the bird died, and the man was never able to get golden eggs again. You decide whether you want to try to figure out the secret of the golden eggs or keep the bird that lays them alive for a long time. If you’re going to keep the bird alive, report anyone who’s snooping around the village.”

With that, Roy granted permission to open the store.

I didn’t pay much attention to the changes in the village and spent every day in the workshop.