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The Island-Banished Noblewoman - Chapter 2
🕑 Added 2024-08-01 08:07:25 +0000 UTCPlan
It’s a river. It’s water. Freshwater.
The river seemed to be flowing from the top of the cliff. It fell as a small, charming waterfall, forming a small basin and then continued as a river.
“Hehe, it's water... Well, drinking it as is might be a bit risky. Hmm…”
If she followed the stream upstream, she would likely find the source where the water springs forth. If you want to drink the water, you should take it as close to the source as possible. Drinking the stagnant water downstream might be dangerous. It would probably upset her stomach. Even Marylia had that much knowledge.
“But I don't have the energy to climb this cliff, so should I compromise here for now? Hmm… Oh, there’s a pond on the opposite side, and there’s a layer of clay as well. Since I've decided to make my base around here, it would be better to live on this water…”
With a sigh, Marylia directed a pot at the small waterfall, catching the flowing water.
The water was clear. There were no signs of algae proliferation, so it didn’t look dangerous.
But since she couldn't risk her life drinking it directly, Marylia reluctantly started looking for dry wood. In short, she had to make fire again!
“I'm getting a bit used to it by the second time... But it’s really hard!”
Gasping for breath, Marylia managed to start a fire. Making fire was tough. She even began to think, “I don't want to do this anymore...!”. But well, she would have to do it again eventually. Fire is essential to human life...
“Okay, let's put the pot on the fire... There we go.”
Then, she put the pot with water on the fire. It was for boiling and disinfecting the water. By boiling it, she would ensure safe drinking water.
As she watched the pot and the fire, bubbles began to rise from the bottom of the pot, eventually forming large bubbles. Humming, Marylia let the water boil for a while...
“That should do it.”
She transferred the boiled water into a bottle. Immediately, she fetched another pot of water and started boiling it.
… Well then.
“Let’s drink~! Ahh! Water~!”
When the hot water had cooled to lukewarm, Marylia drank it all at once.
… Nectar. It was nectar. It was just lukewarm water, but it spread throughout her body, quenching her thirst. Indeed, humans need water. She could feel it.
“Another cup... Ah, it's hot... I can’t drink it right away. Sigh...”
When she finished drinking the water in the bottle, the pot was boiling, so she immediately transferred the contents to the bottle again. Then, she fetched another pot of water and started boiling it.
… Thus, Marylia waited for the hot water in the bottle to cool down to lukewarm.
While occasionally tossing dry wood branches into the fire, she thought, “What should I do next?” For now, she listened to the crackling fire and the rustling leaves in the forest, enjoyed the sunlight filtering through the trees, the fire, and the green of the forest, and savored the refreshing breeze on her cheeks... and spent a while leisurely.
“I’m refreshed... Well then.”
Feeling somewhat refreshed in body and mind, Marylia stood up slowly, dusting off the dirt from her chemise...
“I need to order things… what takes time and things I want immediately.”
She began to think about her future plans, mainly construction plans!
“Let's see, what I want on a larger scale is a furnace. A field. A house... That should be about it.”
She wrote the words on the ground with a wooden stick as she thought.
First, a house. This is absolutely necessary.
If it's a temporary dwelling, it should be enough to keep out some rain and wind… It’s summer now, so the threat of storms is a bit concerning. Ideally, she would want a brick house before a storm hits, but it’s early summer. It seems unlikely that she can build a brick house before the stormy season arrives.
“For now, I’ll have to manage with wind and rain protection...”
First, a roof. She needs a roof. Last night, she slept on the beach, resigned to various inconveniences, but camping out in the open would be tough going forward. Especially considering the possibility of rain.
Additionally, the wooden box containing her dress, shoes, petticoats, spare chemises, and Marylia’s hair supplies. Even though the box has a lid, it’s not completely waterproof. To keep those items safe, she urgently needs a roof.
So, the immediate goal is to make a roof... It will likely be a grass-thatched roof, which is easy to gather and process materials for.
Having even one roof makes a big difference… Or rather, without even one roof, a person can easily fall ill. A drop in body temperature can be fatal when living alone on this island. It’s dangerous.
So, she needs a roof as soon as possible. But to survive the winter, she’ll need a more proper house. A house where she can have a fire indoors without issues. A house that won’t easily succumb to wind and rain. Such a house is necessary.
“To bake bricks and tiles, I’ll need a big furnace...”
… She needs a furnace to build a house.
To make bricks and unglazed tiles as building materials, she must knead the clay, put it in molds, let it dry, and then bake it.
“To bake pottery or create unglazed golems, I’ll need a furnace anyway... If I can make golems, I'll have a labor force, so the furnace should be a priority.”
Eventually, she wanted to operate golems on a large scale to mine iron. However... she couldn’t devote all her efforts to building a furnace right away. The reason being...
“... But to make bricks consistently, I need a place to dry them... Preferably, with a roof...”
To make bricks, she needed to knead the clay, dry it, and then bake it. If you try to bake clay that hasn't dried properly, steam forms inside and causes explosions. Bricks explode!
Thus, for brick making, you need sunny weather, high temperatures... and most importantly, a place where bricks can dry for days without being affected by rain.
“That means, after all, I'll have to make a large roof first, even apart from my dwelling... A thatched roof, perhaps. But today, I need to gather food. So, I'll make the roof and then start on the field...”
However...
Even if she made a roof, she also needed food. Unlike a roof, which lasts for a while once made, food is a constant necessity.
Given that, she had to secure food no matter what... and if she was going to gather food, it would be better to create a field and start growing plants easily.
If she found edible leafy plants, she could uproot them and plant them in the field. In a few days, they would produce more leaves. Fast-growing plants could yield a reasonable harvest.
Alternatively, she could plant fruit seeds with a long-term plan. Marylia thought dreamily, “It would be lovely to have an orchard.” Well, she didn't have the luxury to plan that far ahead yet.
“Next, the small tools I need... first, an axe.”
Next, she considered the tools.
The first one was an axe.
… She had brought a hefty knife “for self-defense,” but it was still just a knife. Steel tools were incredibly precious on this island. She wanted to conserve them as much as possible.
Yet, she would need to cut wood repeatedly in the future.
To bake bricks and tiles, she needed firewood. For now, she managed with fallen branches, but eventually, she would need to dry and use felled trees.
In addition, wood was a building material. Even if she built a brick house, the roof beams would likely be made of wood.
… So, she wanted an axe first. That meant making a stone axe. But...
“... If I’m going to grind stones, I’d rather have a golem do it...”
If she had to make ground stone tools, she preferred a golem to do it. In other words, Marylia wanted to create a golem as soon as possible.
Golems are servants that faithfully carry out the commands inscribed on their bodies.
For those like Marylia, who could use a certain amount of magic, using a single golem was not uncommon. Even in her home, the Odeil territory, farmers sometimes used golems for plowing fields.
… However, there were very few who could control dozens or hundreds of golems simultaneously like Marylia. Therefore, she had always hidden her talent for golem mastery, even from her own parents.
By inscribing commands and channeling magic, she could have the golems move as she wished.
For example, if she created a doll out of kneaded mud and inscribed the command “walk,” and infused it with magic, it would become a golem that kept walking.
… Of course, making a golem that only walked was pointless, so usually, broader commands like “follow me, obey commands” were inscribed. However, if the commands were too vague and generic, the golem might self-destruct, depending on the material.
A mud golem could be given commands like “turn this handle continuously; stop when signaled, and start again when signaled.” It could perform such tasks without moving from its spot.
Alternatively, a mud golem could be commanded to “grind this stone with this stone continuously,” and it would perform that task better than a human. In short, for repetitive tasks like making ground stone tools, golems were more suited than humans.
Furthermore, a terracotta golem made from unglazed clay could be given more complex commands. Commands like “follow me, carry the load” could be given to these golems.
… Thus, Marylia wanted to create a golem as soon as possible.
On this uninhabited island, there would be many repetitive tasks. If she could use golems to handle them, it would be more efficient.
“So, I want to make a golem... First, a mud golem, right? But if I’m going to make a lot of mud, I’d need a shovel... Then, a shovel it is. A shovel would be useful for making fields and roofs too...”
The first thing Marylia would make was a simple shovel. That’s what it seemed like.
… So, now.
“This will be the site for the house, and over here is the site for the field... I’ll make the brick drying area here. The furnace will be here. If I need to expand, I’ll expand to the west.”
Marylia drew lines on the ground with a stick, placing stones to mark the layout. Among these, the field and the temporary dwelling site were her tasks for today.
She wanted to till a small patch of land and plant the collected plants. Then...
“I’ll set up a simple shelter here.”
On the construction site for the house, she planned to make a simple shelter... something like a triangular roof set directly on the ground.
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