Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 188

Two months had passed since Logan last saw Taren.

The Taren he was returning to had changed a lot during that time.

Long lines were dug across the wide wasteland.

The people working there were busy. They barely looked up as Logan rode past on his horse.

Dwarven overseers were working everywhere. They saluted as Logan rode by. It was a strange sight. It looked like humans were working for dwarves.

But Logan also felt satisfied.

The workers were working hard for the dwarves. This meant they were getting good food and pay.

Logan thought, ‘The dam might not be finished yet, but it’s getting there.’

The area was much bigger than the McLaine Wastelands. Logan didn’t have time to find the mountains for the dam, especially since he couldn’t see them.

‘I don’t have the time for that.’

He told his horse to go faster. As he left the wasteland, he saw the mountains in the distance. Then, he saw the fortress wall above them.

“Wow…!”

Low mountains stretched from east to west.

A huge wall circled the mountains, plains, and peaks. It was built around the mountain range with the magic stone mine.

The wall was huge. It looked like a giant’s castle from far away. It was made of dark stone and circled the mountains. Logan had been away while it was being built.

The walls fit together perfectly, even though the ground was uneven.

Instead of stone, sharp iron bars stuck out from the wall like teeth. They looked cold and dangerous, warning anyone to stay away.

Only a mining city could build a wall like this. They had the materials and people to keep the iron bars in good shape.

Soldiers walked along the top of the wall. Knights in armor stood guard regularly.

A real fortress had been built.

‘In less than half a year, no less.’

It was a mix of dwarven skill and magic.

Logan was amazed by this partnership.

“It’s the Young Lord!”

“The Young Lord has returned!”

People knew that Logan liked to travel alone. This was different from other nobles in the kingdom.

No one worried about Logan’s safety after he defeated a superhuman.

The soldiers quickly recognized Logan as he rode up alone.

Boom.

The gate was made of ironwood and steel. It lowered over the moat, which was deeper and wider than any fortress. Behind it, another gate made of steel bars rose up.

‘The gate is completed just as I ordered.’

This fortress city of Taren was much bigger than McLaine Town. It had only one gate: the west gate Logan was entering.

Logan wanted the gate to be very strong and impossible to break through. The dwarves and mages had done a great job.

‘Excellent.’

As he rode onto the gate that was like a bridge over the moat, Logan saw another iron bar gate. It was not raised yet and was about 30 meters away. He was pleased.

A strong knight with a familiar face greeted him.

“Have you arrived, Young Lord?”

“Henderson. You came yourself?”

“Yes. Commander Digrom must stay in town.”

“I see. The security… is as I asked. Good.”

One group of knights (6 men) and 30 soldiers were talking to visitors inside the gate.

Outside the double iron bar gate, two more groups of knights and 100 soldiers were waiting. Grick, the best student from the Golem Magic Tower, was also there.

The security was even better than at the royal palace’s main gate.

“This place might become more important than the town in the future. You understand, don’t you?”

“Yes, Young Lord.”

“Good. Keep up the good work.”

Creak.

Henderson gave a signal. The second iron bar gate rose. The knights and soldiers saluted Logan. Grick walked up to him.

“It’s been a while, Young Lord.”

“Indeed. Have all the students from the Golem Magic Tower moved here?”

“Not yet. Enan and I came ahead. The Magic Tower is not finished yet, so my master is working hard. We also need to build the Great Workshop you mentioned.”

Grick pointed to the center of the fortress city. A large building with its sixth floor being built could be seen.

Next to it was a wide, three-story building also under construction. It looked like they were connected.

The new Magic Tower and Great Workshop.

Logan smiled as he saw the buildings he had imagined almost finished.

He couldn’t fully enjoy it yet, so he asked where the person in charge was.

“Hamarr?”

“He’s probably in the workshop. He’s been there all the time.”

“I see, understood. Good work.”

The inside of the fortress was better than he expected.

There were many houses and streets. They were laid out evenly, as if measured with a ruler, even though the ground was uneven.

Workers were moving busily along the streets. The streets were divided into a cross shape.

Most of them were going to the mine. It seemed that mining magic stones would start soon.

‘That’s a relief.’

He had been frustrated by things in the capital, but this made him feel better.

He felt he could trust them completely. He just needed to check a few more things.

Of course, there were some small problems. This was expected when doing so much in a short time.

“Workshop Manager! The Young Lord is here….”

– The Young Lord? Blast it! What now! Does he have something else to order?! Tell him I’m not here!! Damn it…

He knocked on the door of the office inside the Great Workshop. A lot of cursing came from inside.

The red-bearded dwarf trembled and looked at Logan. Logan smiled gently.

“It’s alright. If you’ve worked hard, you can be like that.”

He had seen enough good things to laugh off Hamarr’s complaining.

Bang!

“Hamarr, it’s been a while.”

He broke the door down because Hamarr wouldn’t open it.

He didn’t mean to pressure Hamarr, who had done such a good job.

Hamarr got angry when he saw him.

Hic.

“Ah, haha. Master, hic! You’re not in the capital, hic! Why are you here! Hic!”

The dark circles under his eyes were very large. His skin was rough, and his hair and beard were messy. He clearly had been overworked.

“I’m not here to scold you. Just give me a report. I know you’ve been working hard.”

Hamar hiccuped loudly. His tired eyes opened wide as he stopped. “Really?”

Logan asked, his voice a bit rough. “Yes, well done. Now, tell me the details. Quickly, we don’t have much time.”

“Really? The Master? Is it really him?” Hamar looked very doubtful. “You’re not joking, are you?”

Logan’s jaw tightened. “…Do I need to make you tell me?” he asked, his voice low.

“Ah! No, no! Of course not!” Hamar quickly said. “Just a moment, Master. I have the information here somewhere.”

Seeing Logan’s serious stare, Hamar quickly looked around for the papers.

Hamar gave Logan the papers he found and quickly explained, “The fortress wall is almost finished, 99% done. We have more soldiers than people living here now, so it’s very safe. And the magic stone mine has started digging, Master.”

“Digging? What are the stones like?” Logan asked.

“Very good quality,” Hamar said. “We think there are enough stones for at least 30 years, even if we mine them the way you want.”

Logan’s fist tightened without him meaning to. *Excellent!* he thought.

“When can we start mining for real?”

“Even with the wizard’s help, it will take at least three more months. It’s very deep down.”

Logan nodded. He expected that.

“What about making the empty land useful again?”

“That’s a big area. Making the water channels will be twice as hard as before. I’ve carefully planned the dam, so it might be a little late…”

“How late?”

“We can start making the land useful by early summer next year, I think.”

Logan sighed softly. *Haaa.* Luckily, everything was going well, even faster than he thought. His heavy feeling about the trip to the Empire felt a little lighter.

Feeling happier, Logan patted Hamar’s shoulder. “Really, really good work, Hamar.”

“Why are you being so nice again?” Hamar asked, looking uncomfortable. “It feels strange.”

Logan smiled. Even Hamar’s grumpy face made him happy. “I have to go far away for a while,” Logan said. “I might be gone for a long time. Even if there are problems with the plan, keep working as we planned.”

“Yes, of course,” Hamar said. “But Master, where are you going?”

“The Empire.”

“The Empire?!” Hamar’s eyes went wide again. Logan smiled sadly.

“There’s a reason. Anyway, keep to the plan, okay?”

“Okay, Master.”

“Good. If you do that, I will keep all my promises to you, even if I’m not here. So, be patient a little longer.”

“Why are you saying things like that again?” Hamar mumbled, turning his head away, looking a bit embarrassed. “Just come back quickly and do it yourself.”

Logan chuckled. “Alright,” he said. “I will.”

Logan patted Hamar’s shoulder again and walked quickly towards the magic tower being built.

“Ah, Young Lord!” Clayton’s eyes widened when he saw Logan. “I heard you’re back from the capital. Are you alright? …That’s why you’re here, haha!” Clayton answered his own question quickly.

Logan smiled. He was used to Clayton working on the magic tower, moving the stone golems and almost finishing it.

“The trouble in the capital is over,” Logan said, “but now I have a new problem. How is your research going?”

“Yes? Ah, well,” Clayton said. “If we can use magic stones instead, it looks like we only need a few more experiments.”

“…I think I’ve heard that before,” Logan said, looking at Clayton with narrowed eyes.

Clayton looked away, his face turning red. “Ha! Hahaha! This time it’s true! Please believe me!”

Logan chuckled at the magician’s innocent face and nodded. “Yes, I always believe you. I didn’t think the city would be finished so quickly. You’ve worked very hard.”

“…Haha. Thank you for saying so.”

“Like I said, when we start mining magic stones, the first stones will go to the magic tower. Then we won’t give you money for your research.”

*Magic stones are money. A lot of money.* Clayton was thrilled.

“O-of course! Hahaha!”

“By the way,” Logan asked, “if you finish the research, how much cheaper can we make magic items?”

“I think we can make good magic items, what we call ‘1st class,’ for about 1,000 gold,” Clayton said. “And ‘2nd class’ items for about 3,000 gold.”

Logan gasped. The price would be much, much lower! The price itself was already amazing, but before, the materials to make magic items were so rare, you often couldn’t buy them even with money. So, this new way would be much more useful.

*Even if we just use 2nd class magic to make our knights stronger, their fighting power will increase a lot, maybe by 20%!* This research had to work, no matter how much it cost.

“When do you think you’ll finish?” Logan asked.

“Maybe in two months…” Clayton said quickly.

“Not ‘maybe,’ but if things take the longest, when?” Logan asked.

“…Hmm,” Clayton thought. “Still, I think we can have results in six months to a year.”

Clayton, who had failed many times before, clenched his teeth as he answered. It was much longer than he first said, but Logan nodded.

“Good,” Logan said. “That’s fine. It’s okay if it takes a little longer. Just make sure it works perfectly.”

“…I will definitely finish it in time,” Clayton promised.

“Even better if you can do it sooner,” Logan said. “If you need anything else, tell me anytime. Even if I’m not here, you can ask Dwayne for help.”

“Where are you going?” Clayton asked.

“I have to leave my city suddenly,” Logan said, with a sad smile.

“Yes?” Clayton was confused. Logan left the confused magician and quickly turned and left the magic tower.

*We still need more people,* Logan thought. *It would be good to move all the workshops from the town here. And get more workers.* Luckily, Taren only needed one more thing – more people.

Logan looked carefully at the city of Taren, his fortress, which would be the base for everything in the future. He turned his horse around quickly. He couldn’t waste any time to do the last things to prepare before going to the Empire.