Episode 36 — A Symphony of Magic and Hammers.
The plains designated for the construction of the New Felsen city were transformed overnight into a massive, peculiar workshop.
It wasn't just the sound of hammers slicing through the morning mist. There were heavy, rhythmic thuds shaking the earth, and the resonance of mana vibrating through the sky.
“Hey! Secure the foundations for that sector! Make sure there’s enough room for the golems to move! The materials are arriving!”
Foreman Garam’s voice roared, competing with the tremors caused by the golems.
“The blueprints say we need a solid, non-sinking base here! The golems are going to stomp it down, so if I catch anyone slacking, I’ll personally bury you in the dirt myself!”
Garam sprinted across the site, covered in mud and clutching the blueprints. His expression, however, was one of pure fulfillment. For these craftsmen, who had spent their lives on mere “repairs” and “additions,” the project of building a perfect city from scratch on an empty plain was more than just a job—it was a festival.
“Listen up, you lot! Don’t let the mages show you up! If the finishing is sloppy, it’ll be a crying shame for this city! Show some professional pride!”
At the center of the site, radiating a distinct presence, was the mage corps led by Elishua.
“Unit Three, to the northern sector! Begin transporting the residential stone!”
Elishua’s dignified voice rang out, and the mages released their mana in unison.
Before them stood more than ten mana-stone golems, each laden with massive rocks and timber. Embedded in their chests were the “high-purity mana stones” provided by Zect, glowing with a dull, steady light.
They weren't just moving by brute force. Elishua’s delicate mana manipulation granted the giant golems a precision that allowed them to adjust stone placement down to the millimeter. An old craftsman muttered in disbelief as he watched a massive boulder slide into its designated spot as if it were being sucked in.
“…I can’t believe it. Transporting that much stone would take us weeks, yet that single golem did it in an instant… and without being off by a hair…”
As soon as a golem placed the stone, human craftsmen rushed in, securing the joints with magical adhesive and refining the details with their hammers.
The overwhelming “power” and “logistics” of magic combined with the delicate “finishing” of human hands. The coordination was so seamless it looked as if a single, giant machine was in motion.
At the “Information Center” set up at the edge of the site, residents crowded around with expressions mixed with anxiety and curiosity, only to be left speechless by the supernatural display of work.
“Is that… the work of the mages?”
“The houses… it’s like they’re growing right out of the ground…”
What silenced the residents even further was a single “model home” built by Gustav under Zect’s instructions.
Assembled in a single day by golems, it featured sturdy stone walls, large windows, and above all—a mysterious metal mouth installed inside the house.
“…So this is the thing called a ‘faucet’?”
As Marta, the citizen representative, watched, a resident timidly turned the lever.
With a gurgling sound, crystal-clear water gushed out with vigor. A woman dipped her hands into the overflowing water, and seeing its coolness and purity—not a speck of mud in sight—she found herself in tears. Her entire life had been a cycle of hauling heavy buckets back and forth from the well, settling for murky water. That hardship was becoming a thing of the past, all thanks to this single metal mouth.
“No more… chores for hauling water…?”
“Inside the house… water, whenever we want…”
Shock and joy spread through the residents like a wave. Their anxiety over being relocated was completely overwritten by a craving for this new life, fueled by this “faucet” and the sight of the “New City” being built before their eyes.
Two figures watched the scene from a hill a short distance away.
Bartos, peering through binoculars, scribbled frantically with his pen in excitement.
“Lord Gustav! Look at their faces! Look at the surprise! This is going to make the greatest documentary film!”
Beside him, Gustav gave a deep nod. However, his gaze was fixed further past the New City being organized into neat sectors—toward the Old Town lying in the distance.
(…Mr. Zect’s design, Elishua’s magic, Garam’s skill. If we combine these, we truly can make this place the greatest city in the frontier—no, in the entire kingdom. …We’ve managed to light the flame of hope for the future in their hearts.)
The sound of hammers and the resonance of mana continued to echo through the skies of Felsen without pause.
The ancient, worn-out town on the frontier was shedding its old skin through the power of magic and technology, being reborn into a “Utopia” that radiated an unknown brilliance.```
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