The morning at Greystone Post was unusually quiet. After the battle last night, the wooden doors of all the houses were tightly shut. Occasionally, wary gazes peered through the cracks, fixing upon the guards walking nearby.
However, when they saw the skeletons carrying tools following leisurely behind Shane, and the bouncing figure that constantly hopped after him, they all withdrew their gazes a bit further.
Shane was completely oblivious to this, or rather, he simply did not care.
Standing by the stone well in the northeast corner of the outpost, he looked at the windlass made of thick wood over the well's mouth and called out, “Ksaz!”
“Coming, sir!”
The exceptionally sturdy Ksaz stepped forward in response, placing his hand on the crank of the windlass and beginning to turn it.
Before long, the wooden bucket was hauled up to the well's mouth, filled with slightly turbid well water.
Ksaz lifted the bucket out and set it beside the well. Shane took out a clay bowl, squatted down, and scooped out half a bowl.
Looking at the well water with some fine debris still floating on its surface, he frowned. He first leaned in to sniff it, detecting no strange odor, and then took a cautious sip.
First came astringency, then saltiness, followed immediately by a wave of sourness at the back of his tongue. Even Shane, whose face rarely showed any emotion, could not help but make a pained grimace.
Forcing down the urge to vomit, he handed the bowl to the side. “Taste this.”
Beside him, Elon glanced at the well water in the clay bowl, pulling down the corners of his mouth as if mentally preparing himself. Finally, he took the bowl and took a small sip.
“Whew...”
As the well water entered his mouth, Elon's face twisted in pain. “This water could probably be used to cure meat.”
“It's not just salty,” Shane said, staring at the clay bowl. He dipped his fingertip in and held it before his eyes. “There is also a sour and bitter aftertaste, and it lingers. This does not seem like simple mineralization of the water vein. Normally, when you drink alkaline water, the astringency dissipates quickly, but this...”
Rubbing his index finger and thumb together, Shane felt the slightly gritty sensation beneath the moisture. This stuff would definitely not do for watering trees.
“Leynas!”
Alicia approached with light steps from afar, looking to be in a good mood. She walked up to Shane and looked at him. “I wanted to ask last night—why were you checking the wells all through the latter half of the night?”
Shane raised an eyebrow, an “isn't it obvious” look on his face. “To plant trees.”
“Plant trees? Here?”
Alicia looked bewildered. She swept her gaze over the surroundings and said, “But this is not an oasis.”
“But having a river and a well is enough,” Shane said, pointing in the direction of the Dry River. “There is a river over there. It should be the dry season right now, so the flow has basically stopped.
“But that river was not always like this. I examined both banks, and judging by the erosion marks left by the current, it used to have a decent volume of water.
“The reason it dried up is partly due to a reduction in water replenishment upstream, and partly because the surface water here evaporates too quickly, making it impossible to retain moisture.
“Therefore, if we can improve the soil quality here and plant sand-fixing vegetation along both sides of the riverbed, the channel won't dry up so easily even if there is little water coming from upstream.”
At this, he turned to Alicia and pointed around them. “Furthermore, the terrain here is highly suitable for a planting zone. The rocky ridges on both sides form a natural windbreak, making the planting conditions much better than the open sands over at Silver Sand Lake.
“As long as we solve the water retention issue, the afforestation efficiency here will be significantly higher than back at our place.”
Alicia listened quietly, her eyes widening slightly.
According to her original thoughts, since Rhine had sworn fealty, Greystone Post should naturally be left under his management. After all, the residents here were already accustomed to his rule, and there was no need for her to do anything redundant.
Her current energy should remain focused on the oasis at Silver Sand Lake, which was already beginning to take shape, as that was the foundation for her future prestige.
“A vassal's vassal is not my vassal.” This was a long-established, unwritten rule among the Imperial nobility.
But Shane's words gave her a different idea—unified management.
The princess looked around once more, gazing at the low earthen houses. Many curious eyes were peering at her through the cracks in the doors, their gazes mixed with something indefinable—perhaps hope.
But in any case, if this place were merely left to Rhine's management, the outcome would be no different from before. It would still be low earthen houses and barren land.
Scattered groups of people could only struggle bitterly in this sea of sand.
“Your Highness?”
Seeing that she had been lost in thought for too long, Shane called out to her with some confusion.
The princess snapped out of her thoughts, the corners of her mouth gradually curving up into a smile brighter than the morning light. “You are right. As long as we can improve the soil quality, perhaps this place will develop even better.”
Then she looked at the well. “So, what is our first step? Do we improve the water quality of the well first?”
“Yes, but there is a problem right now,” Shane said, reaching into his pocket to pull something out.
It was about half the size of a palm, with irregular edges. The surface was generally grayish-white, with a very thin layer of light brown sediment coating one side.
Viewed from the side, the interior was much whiter than the exterior, riddled with dense, honeycomb-like pores. The larger ones were the size of pinholes, while the smaller ones were almost imperceptible to the naked eye.
Weighing it in his hand, it felt much lighter than stone, resembling a piece of hardened sponge.
“This was pried off the inner wall of the well,” Shane said, handing the fragment to the princess and pointing at the well's mouth before them, then in the direction beyond. “The inner walls of the wells here are all coated with this stuff. It varies in thickness, reaching nearly a finger's width in some places. I suspect the salty, sour, and bitter taste of the water is highly likely related to this.”
Alicia took the fragment and turned it over to examine it. As her fingertips rubbed against its rough surface, she could tell it probably wasn't a simple mineral deposit. “What is this?”
“I am not sure,” Shane shook his head, looking at the fragment. “But whatever it is, I believe it has blocked the original water-seepage channels in the well walls, causing the water quality to change.
“If we can thoroughly clean this stuff off the well walls, and then redesign and reinforce the well's structure, the water quality of this well should improve significantly.”
“How long will it take?”
“If we leave it to the undead, it will only take one to two days.”
“But what about your oasis?”
Speaking of which, Alicia thought of the oasis at Silver Sand Lake. One or two days was probably considered quite a long time.
“I left some undead there. The basic watering work won't stop.”
Shane's reply was as thoughtful as always, and his planning regarding tree-planting matters was highly comprehensive. “Once the well water here is treated, we can directly plant the Red Willow and Suosuo that Isha brought here. It will not only improve the soil quality but also help improve the water quality.”
“Afterward, we only need to leave a few undead behind...”
“Wait!”
The princess interrupted Shane, her eyes shining as she looked at him. “Since so many people live here, you can completely hand the subsequent watering tasks over to them. Let them participate and understand what we are doing.”
This was something Shane had never considered. After all, even at Silver Sand Lake, he had been solely responsible for the planting, with Elon only providing technical support.
Getting more people involved in desert reclamation might indeed be a good choice.
A subtle shift appeared in Shane's expression. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and a look of agreement flashed in his eyes. “That is a good idea.
“When it comes to greening the desert, the more people involved, the better. If everyone here feels that this oasis is connected to them, the reversal of desertification will accelerate.”
Having spent so much time together, Alicia could basically read Shane's expressions now. She could see the happiness he was showing, which made her smile involuntarily as well. “Then it is settled.”
Alicia turned and walked toward Rhine's house, leaving behind a final word: “I will go speak with Rhine and have him cooperate.”
Shane watched her walk away. Just then, Elon paced over, holding a similar fragment pried from the well wall.
“Shane.”
The old druid's expression was somewhat grave, hard to read as good or bad, but his voice was low. “Something is a bit off about this thing.”
Hearing this, Shane turned to look at him. “What do you mean?”
Elon held the fragment up against the rising sun, squinting through the pores at the sky. “Perhaps the change in the well water's taste wasn't caused by this thing after all.”
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