Day 90 of Banishment: Fall, and Preparing for Winter (2)
"Everyone, let's proceed with the work carefully to avoid getting accidentally buried! Stay safe!"
With a cheerful smile, Marylia gave orders to the Terracotta Golems and set them to work.
… At last, the geography of the uninhabited island was about to change!
This project was divided into three major phases.
Phase 1: Dam the river to create a reservoir.
To release water in a large volume at once, it was necessary to ensure an adequate water supply by building a dam.
Phase 2: Store water in the reservoir and pour sediment into it.
By breaking down the nearby cliffs and mixing the debris with water, the goal could be achieved. Ideally, the rocks would be crushed by the water's flow, but since the distance wasn't too great, any stubborn rocks would have to be manually broken with hammers.
Phase 3: Release the mixture.
Once the sediment and water were well-mixed and thoroughly muddied, the slurry would be sent downstream. The lighter sand would flow quickly, while the heavier iron sand would settle more gradually. As the flow stabilized, the iron sand should accumulate in the plunge pool of the waterfall—at least, that was the plan.
Afterward, by alternately stopping and releasing the water flow to flush out any remaining iron sand, the yield could be maximized. With this strategy in mind, Marylia turned her attention back to the task at hand.
"Alright, I want you to pile up soil along the line of stones I just placed."
She instructed ten Terracotta Golems, directing them to start excavating the mountain. Meanwhile, Marylia and the remaining three golems moved to a different task.
"Okay, we're going to cut down trees and turn them into planks!"
… Planks. Yes, they were going to make planks!
Constructing the dam wasn’t particularly complicated—provided it was done on an appropriate scale. The basic idea was simple: build the reservoir walls using soil or some other material, drive two stakes into the outlet area, and then construct a barrier using wooden planks.
Ideally, the gaps between the planks should be minimal, necessitating precise woodwork. In short, this method required iron tools to be feasible.
Luckily, Marylia had the means to achieve this. With her tools, she could craft planks and use them to build the dam!
Thus, she began cutting logs with a saw. The two Terracotta Golems on either side of the saw handled the physical labor. Since sawing required considerable strength, Marylia decided to delegate the task to the golems.
"… It’s pretty tough to cut the planks perfectly straight, isn’t it?"
Even so, by using bricks as guides during the cutting process, the planks turned out reasonably straight. Thanks to the golems’ diligent efforts, the results were satisfactory.
"Alright, now I need to trim the edges to make them straight."
After converting the logs into planks, she began refining the edges so the planks could fit snugly together.
"At this point, I think I can fine-tune them with a knife. Hehe…"
With the bulk of the work done, the remaining adjustments could be handled easily. Cutting the logs into planks was the most challenging part, and Marylia couldn't help but smile, realizing how much she appreciated the utility of iron tools.
As the day drew to a close, Marylia decided to return to her base with the three golems assisting in log cutting.
The rest of the golems remained behind to continue working through the night. Golems didn’t tire, so round-the-clock labor was not an issue. Moreover, since they didn’t rely on eyesight, they could work effectively even in the dark, as long as they stayed within the scope of Marylia's instructions.
"Well, it’s a long-term project, so let’s take it slow and steady."
Marylia decided to pace herself. Constructing even a single reservoir was a substantial task, though far less daunting than preparing an entire iron-sand extraction system.
"As long as it’s done by the end of Fall, it’ll be fine."
Smiling, she murmured, "Slow and steady…" as she retrieved the wyvern she had hung up earlier.
The bloodletting was complete, so she planned to skin it and harvest the bones.
Despite being a relatively small dragon, the wyvern’s hide, bones, fangs, claws, and even its internal organs were all valuable resources.
Back at the base, Marylia butchered the wyvern. As darkness fell, she hurried to hang the meat, rub it with salt for preservation, and prepare some wyvern liver and meat for dinner. It was always a delight to enjoy fresh meat on the day of a successful hunt.
"Oh, that reminds me—I’ve been meaning to try roasting meat using the impurities from the blast furnace!"
As she cooked, a thought crossed her mind.
The impurities that flowed out from the side of the furnace during smelting—red-hot and molten—might make for an exciting way to grill meat.
"… Even if I don’t roast meat with it… maybe I can find another use for this stuff."
Looking at the solidified impurities stored in a clay vessel, Marylia pondered.
These were slag—melted and re-solidified remnants of ores. Their glassy, shiny surface was quite beautiful. Surely, they could serve some purpose.
As she ate her wyvern barbecue, Marylia came to a conclusion.
"… I’ll use it as glaze for pottery."
The next day, on the 91st day of her banishment, Marylia headed back upstream with her three golems to check on the reservoir’s progress.
"Looks like things are coming along."
The reservoir, having benefited from a full night of labor, now presented a noticeably transformed landscape.
As soil and debris were piled to form the embankments, the structure steadily expanded.
"With tireless golems working around the clock, it might be done sooner than expected."
Had humans been doing the work, it would have been impossible to maintain such progress without breaks for rest, sleep, and meals.
In contrast, golems could work 24 hours a day, constrained only by Marylia's magical stamina. Thankfully, managing about ten golems on this island posed no issue for her. Even if they worked continuously for a week, her magic would hold.
Though wear and tear on the golems’ bodies might eventually cause delays, there seemed to be no immediate problems.
"Alright, once the dam section is complete, I’ll leave the rest to the golems."
With a satisfied smile, Marylia finished the dam section she had started the previous day and set it in place at the planned outlet. Then she left the remaining work to the golems and returned to her base.
Now…
"Time to experiment with glaze! Hehehe, it’s been a while since I’ve done this."
Excitedly, Marylia began preparing for her glaze experiment.
Previously, she had crafted pottery using a glaze made from the ash of grass. The results had been quite pleasing.
"The grass-ash glaze had such a rustic charm."
It produced a white finish with natural patterns, resulting in sturdy, practical pottery perfect for everyday use.
"This one, though, will probably turn out black…"
The glaze for today’s experiment came from the slag generated during iron smelting. Rich in non-ferrous metals and other materials, it was a glossy black. Fired pottery coated with this glaze would likely turn out similarly dark.
"Alright, let’s crush it finely, mix it with diluted clay, and see what happens. Hehe…"
Humming with anticipation, Marylia set to work crafting the glaze.
Watertight pottery was essential for her daily life, so even if the experiment didn’t yield perfect results, it wouldn’t be wasted effort.
"Once this is ready, I’ll have better storage for food supplies."
Fall and winter were approaching, and food preservation was becoming a pressing concern.
After glazing several pots, Marylia set them aside to dry thoroughly.
Both clay and glaze required complete drying before firing to prevent explosions in the kiln—a dangerous mishap she aimed to avoid.
"Alright, these will dry for now… Next, I’ll need to build a proper food storage facility. Perhaps brick again… or maybe wood, now that I can process it. Hmm…"
Contemplating her options, Marylia faced her next challenge.
"… I’d love to build a raised storage house."
Indeed, a high-floored storage facility to keep food safe from pests and animals was the ideal solution!
What do you think about this chapter?
