Godslayer Lysette: Chapter 266

Chapter 266: Reshaping the Landscape

Another three weeks passed and still no signs of incoming Tereans with their army to try to take Ciricu back for their own.  Most of the townsfolk were still going about their days either without knowledge of or having suppressed their concerns about the impending fighting.  Perhaps, Lysette thought, this was a tactic wielded by the Terean forces.

Lysette and the people of Ciricu had the advantage of fighting on favorable terrain, growing more defensive by the day as the lake project steadily progressed.  They also had the steady accumulation of power through the efforts of now five demigods, even if Aurie’s nature and Domain made her somewhat less inclined to participate in passive Cultivation.  But they had the disadvantage of needing to be under constant vigilance, never knowing when or even if the enemy would attack.  And there was one still more insidious possibility.

After the first week without any signs of attack, Lysette realized that she was unwise to discount completely the possibility of an attack from the south.  The journey over the Spire Mountains was arduous for an army, but for a strike force of elite Cultivators, it was doable.  Worse still, Saffron was still alive, still loyal to Domar, and still somewhat stronger than she was.  Stronger than Alan as well, and probably as strong as Mirette, but with hundreds of additional years of experience Cultivating her mind and techniques to the limits of Aimarion.  

Their departure might have been on amicable though tenuous terms, but Lysette knew that that would change the moment Saffron’s patron declared otherwise.  And even if Saffron herself decided against fighting, she could still allow Terean soldiers to slip around through Domaria.  It would be an act tantamount to war, but one Ciricu had neither the interest nor capability to wage.

Lysette took a deep breath as she took to the air, looking down upon the incomplete first phase of Lyon’s project.  Thanks to everyone’s tireless efforts, there was now a substantial crater just north of the fields immediately surrounding the village.  Six hundred yards in diameter, and perhaps ten deep at its widest point, the empty lakebed was ready for the diversion project to begin in earnest.

She raised a single hand, as much for show as anything else, and the roots which previously blocked the diversion path twisted and turned, breaking the flow of the Fliori river into two.  Although it would take twice as long to fill the lake naturally that way, everyone had agreed that provoking further problems with the Tereans downriver was unwise.

The Fliori river was not a large one by any standard.  Particularly so close to the mountains, where it was barely worthy of being called a ‘river’, in contrast to a ‘stream’ or ‘creek’.  In the absence of further diversions of the river’s source among the peaks, it would take over a week to fill the entire lakebed.  Even more once losses to soil and evaporation were taken into consideration.  But Lysette had a plan for that as well.

Mirae and Lilia had been working the past few days to conjure large quantities of water and ice into the lakebed, and Lysette helped them when she could.  With their combined efforts, the lakebed was already close to fifteen percent filled before the diversion began.

Sun filled the cloudless morning sky sending a warming wind from down the mountaintops, and as Lysette released her techniques and drifted toward the surface, she closed her eyes and sighed with approval.

“Well, if it isn’t the lady of the hour,” Lyon said.

In contrast to his unkempt appearance over the past month, today he was dressed immaculately.  Not quite formal finery, but a well-ironed shirt underneath a smooth tan dress coat and matching pants and shoes.  His facial hair was gone, not even lingering stubble, and there were no bags under his eyes or slouching shoulders to suggest he was succumbing to a lack of sleep.  And his smile was whole-faced and genuine.

“Not just me,” Lysette said.  “Your plans.  Everyone talking among each other to build support for the project within the community.  Mirae, Lilia, Serrena and Solanna, Amalia and Gerald deserve special thanks as our resident Earth Cultivators.  And of course, Jules and Katie, Rolf and Beatrice, and so many more people who pitched in, even if it was just to shovel a bit of dirt for half an hour on one afternoon.  I’m glad to be a figurehead if you want, but honestly, I’d rather give you the credit.”  And the responsibility for managing it.

“But we couldn’t have done it without you.”

“No, I have full confidence that you all could have done it by working together.  I just made it a little faster and easier on everyone.”

Lyon chuckled.  “Alright, alright, I’ll accept the compliment and allow us to move on.  So, as I mentioned before, the gristmill is the highest priority project, but we still have plenty of time to build it, as we won’t need it until the next harvest season.”

“Still, better to get that done sooner rather than later.  Some parts of your design are fairly intricate and the last thing I’d want is to have it ready just in time for the harvest, only to have to spend several more weeks repairing it.”

“I agree.  Now then, I have a few other projects that I’d like you to consider–”

Lyon pulled out a piece of paper and started rattling off ideas at a frenetic pace.  Some of the ideas were rather banal improvements to existing tools.  One relatively straightforward one was using small bits of diamond that Serrena had managed to generate before to enhance the durability of their plows and other farming equipment.  Simple to create, and with a known benefit over tools of iron or bone.  Wouldn’t even need to work for buy-in on that.

Some seemed completely outlandish, trying to harness the power of lightning.  He started rattling off hypotheses about how it could be used to generate magnetic fields used to spin…  Something or another.  The explanation was beyond Lysette.  Despite the sincerity in Lyon’s words, she didn’t think it was the most pressing concern or best place to spend his immediate efforts.

Creating a massive tunnel a few hundred yards into Aimarion’s surface, on the other hand, seemed like a promising venture.  According to some books he cited, deep under the surface were tremendous sources of heat, hotter and denser even than the flames Serrena and Solanna conjured when they fought.  And he had thought that a column of water would help bring that heat to the surface.

His more esoteric claims about using steam as fuel for some sort of machine seemed more than a little far fetched.  But having a source of hot water year-round already had plenty of uses.  More importantly, he floated the idea of having an artificial hot spring and bath house just outside the village.

As soon as he did, the idea of having a quiet evening bath, just her and Mirae, started to invade from the peripheries of her mind.  The small tub in their cottage was simply too small for the both of them to share and being able to share a special evening with just them was a bit of comfort she didn’t realize she sorely needed.  Her face softened and her eyes relaxed just thinking of it.

“So, in summary.  Based on your reactions, I’m guessing you’re a yes on the bath house project and I’ll put you as a ‘maybe’ on Operation Lightning Rod.”

Lyon’s pointed address snapped Lysette out of her daydream.  “Absolutely.  This hot spring is going to happen if I have anything to say about it.”

She wasn’t going to go against the elders if they refused support, but she would certainly persuade them as much as possible.  Again, more attractions for potential travelers in the future.  And, for Lysette’s sake, more opportunities to demonstrate that the community she wanted to build wasn’t just some diabolical fortress and torture chamber all operating at the behest of a vicious and tyrannical demon queen.

“Sorry.”  Lysette lowered her head.  “If the people all agree that it shouldn’t happen, then I won’t force the issue.  But I, for personal and selfish reasons, would like it to happen.  Maybe add some private baths to the side for couples and families to enjoy as well?”

“Oh, yes, I hadn’t thought..  Of–  Of course!  I’ll start revising the plans.  But first I need to speak with the elders and start–”  Lyon jittered in a manner ill-suited for his poised clothing.  “Please, Lyse, if I may take my leave to get started on the revisions.”  He didn’t wait for a response before departing at a sprinting walk.

Lysette sighed as Lyon rushed off.  “Mirae, when you have a moment, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”

“Go ahead,” they said.  “I’m about ready to rest for the next few hours.  My Divine Essence is getting a bit low after creating this much ice in so short a time.”

Sure enough, there was a colossal mound of silvery-white sparkling in the middle of the lakebed.  Mirae communicated a silent mixture of pride and contentment through the mental link.

“What do you think my role here should be?”

“Are you not content with how much you have already done?  Do you wish to do more?”

“If I needed to, I certainly would.  Everyone here seems happy with how things are going, but I just got done talking with Lyon and something is bothering me.”

“I’m here for you whenever you need, love.  Just let me know how I can help.”

“It’s just–  I am concerned about Lyon’s project.”

“Did he come up with something dangerous?  Is this about the balloon idea?”

“The balloon idea?  He was rattling off his various projects and schemes so quickly that I got lost halfway through.”

“Oh, just some idea about using fabric and an open flame to create a vessel that remains aloft under its own power.”

“Is that safe?”

“He seems to believe that it can be.  I’m less certain on the idea.  But if it’s not about that–  Oh, goodness.  Please don’t tell me you want to work on his…  What did he call it?  Operation Lightning Rod?”

“Not a chance!  I told him that I absolutely would not support that project.  And I don’t think that one will have any benefits for at least several years even if it does work.  No, this is about the bath house.”

“Oh!  I hope that one happens.  I’m definitely going to take you and…  enjoy you.”

“Ah.  We should probably have some sort of sanitation in place.  No, my concern is related to that project.  I want it and you want it and I think others want it too.  But I’m not sure if it’s the best use of our time and resources.  And more importantly for this conversation, I’m not convinced that anyone would tell me if it’s a bad idea.”

“Do you think it’s a bad idea?”

“I think it’s a good idea.  But if there are alternative viewpoints, I want to make sure that those views are heard and considered as well.  Especially when they go against my ideas and notions.”

“You worry that they would lie to your face to make you happy?”

“No matter how much I say otherwise, at the end of the day, I’m still a being of colossal power who can enforce her decisions by physical force.  It doesn’t matter that I wouldn’t do so or that I say I wouldn’t.  The fact that I could, will cause people to want to defer to me out of fear that they will suffer my wrath otherwise.  A wrath that several people here have already been on the receiving end of, though in different circumstances.”

“It is the same for me as well, Lyse.  I may not quite be as strong as you or Serrena or Solanna, but other than you three, no one else is capable of challenging me in martial combat.  Ultimately, I have found that there is no way to completely avoid what you have mentioned.  But if you trust and respect your advisors and allow them to speak their minds without reprisal, I think it will go a long way to assuage their worries over time.”

“I see.”

“Just like you’re doing right now, Lyse.”

“I–  I would never lay a finger on you–”

“You most certainly would.  Behind closed doors, with my enthusiastic consent.”

“I don’t mean that, Mirae!  You know–”

“I do, love.  I do.  And I think that if you continue down the right path, they will see the kind soul I fell in love with as well.”

“I–  I hope so.”

Chapter 265: https://www.patreon.com/posts/115678374

Table of Contents: https://www.patreon.com/posts/101896170

Chapter 267: https://www.patreon.com/posts/115776381