Chapter 5: The Northern Wall

Sowing crops was a task for next spring and could be set aside for now.

At present, Owen had a more pressing matter to attend to—one that concerned whether Bianshu Town could survive the coming winter.

Leaving the test field behind, Owen headed with Mapel toward the northern side of the town—the narrowest point between the Transcontinental Mountains and the Sky Mountains. There stood a stretch of stone wall connecting the two mountain ranges. Just beyond that wall lay the perilous Mark Desert.

Upon arrival, Winston saw the northern wall that had silently protected Border Sentinel Town for years.

The wall stretched over 500 meters in length, stood nearly five meters tall, and was two meters wide at the top. Its weathered surface bore signs of damage—testament to many past assaults from enemy forces.

Those enemies were the undead monsters that roamed the Mark Desert.

These monsters feared heat and preferred the cold. During the day, they hid away, but at night, they wandered aimlessly through the desert. Occasionally, a few would approach the wall, and when discovered, they were dealt with swiftly.

However, in winter, they would gather under the command of Kazitu, launching wave after wave of attacks southward.

Of course, their main target was the Red Sand Fortress. Border Sentinel Town only faced a fraction of that force.

Unfortunately, the wall now had two major breaches:

• A 50-meter-wide gap to the right of the main central bastion.
• A 20-meter-wide gap another 100 meters to the east.

At the site, many workers were actively repairing the central breach. Half of it was already filled in, and a large number of prepared stone blocks were stacked at the base of the wall.

Meanwhile, other workers were transporting thick logs, each the width of a bowl, to the smaller eastern gap for a temporary wooden barrier.

Winston already knew the origin of these breaches, having heard about them from Owen on the way over.

It had happened at the end of last winter, when Owen’s father, Marquis Belic Eisen, led knights and regular soldiers alongside the Church’s Holy Knights in defending the wall against the undead assault.

Due to what may have been poor maintenance, a large section of the wall’s center collapsed under pressure, allowing a flood of undead creatures to pour through the breach.

Fearing for his son’s and the town’s safety, Belic had ordered Mapel to run back and warn the townspeople—those who could should flee, and those who couldn’t should hide—then go to the castle and protect Owen.

Mapel carried out the order, hiding with Owen and everyone else from the castle in the basement until morning.

In the end, the Holy Knights successfully repelled the undead. However, Belic lost his life on the battlefield.

From a distance, Viru, the master stonemason overseeing the repairs, spotted Owen and quickly set down his tools to greet him.

“Marquis! What brings you here today?”

Viru was a well-known stonemason in Bianshu Town. The northern wall itself had been constructed by his ancestors. He had a shiny bald head, a strong build, and sun-darkened skin from years of labor. Though rough in appearance, he worked with meticulous care and allowed no mistakes.

“I came to see how the repairs are coming along.”

As Owen spoke, his gaze passed over the workers on the wall and the laborers hauling stone blocks below.

“No need to worry, my lord.” 

Viru reported.

“At our current pace, we’ll have the central breach repaired before winter sets in. We’re also constructing a temporary wooden wall at the eastern gap to hold off the undead.”

“Good,” Owen nodded. 

“Carry on with your work—I’ll just observe for a while.”

“Yes, Marquis.”

Bowing respectfully, Viru returned to his duties and loudly warned the others not to slack off, reminding them the marquis was personally inspecting the work.

Looking at the two large breaches in the wall, Mapel couldn’t help but recall last winter’s horrors. Her thoughts were heavy.

“Let’s hope Bianshu Town gets through this winter safely.”

“We will.” 

Owen replied with quiet determination.

Actually, Owen himself wasn’t entirely confident. But as the lord of Bianshu Town, he had to appear brave and unshakable—otherwise, the people under him might lose heart.

[Is the eastern breach going to be okay? Even a solid stone wall got broken through—there’s no way a wooden one can hold.]

Winston expressed his concern.

[There’s no helping it. Winter’s only two months away—there’s just not enough time. A wooden wall is better than nothing. Fort Dongsheng refuses to assist us, and Bianshu Town doesn’t have enough funds or manpower.]

After inheriting his father’s title, Owen had immediately asked Duke Eddie of Fort Dongsheng for help.

Even if the duke didn’t want to fund the repairs, Owen had hoped he could at least send some men—Owen would cover their wages, and with that support, they might’ve been able to seal the two breaches before winter.

But Duke Eddie was stingy to the extreme. Asking him to spend money or manpower on another lord’s territory was like trying to pluck feathers from an iron rooster—practically impossible.

[That means Bianshu Town will be in serious danger this winter.]

If the town was in danger, then everyone’s safety was at risk. Winston, who relied on Owen as his main contact with this world, definitely didn’t want anything bad to happen to him.

[Then what do you propose?] 

Owen asked.

[Do you have any way to sustain high heat here? I want to try making cement. If we can do that, we could use it to seal the eastern breach before winter hits.]

Winston was thinking of using cement and rubble to construct a rubble masonry wall, which would be much sturdier than a wooden barricade.

[Cement? What’s that?]

Yet another unfamiliar term—Owen had to ask Winston for an explanation.

Winston patiently described what cement was, its properties, and how it was used.

After hearing the explanation, Owen was astonished. Even though he wasn’t in the construction field, he clearly understood how incredible cement was—not only as an adhesive but as a material that could form into any shape like stone.

[Could the forge in the blacksmith’s shop be used to make it?]

Owen was eager to start cement production right away to boost the town’s defenses.

[Nope. The temperature’s too low, and it can’t maintain a stable high heat for long.]

[Hmm… Then how about I use fire magic? Increasing the mana output should raise the flame’s temperature, and steady mana flow should keep the temperature stable.]

[Fire magic? Huh? Y-you’re a magician?! Why didn’t you tell me before?!]

Winston’s voice cracked with surprise.

[You never asked.]

…

Back at the castle, Owen hurried to his study, where he jotted down the cement formula and wet-process method that Winston dictated.

Winston had recommended the wet process because it was simpler to operate, easier to control the raw mix composition, and produced higher-quality clinker with less dust—a big plus. Its downside was higher energy consumption, and he wasn’t sure if Owen’s mana reserves could handle the process.

The main ingredients for cement were limestone and clay. There was plenty of limestone among the quarry’s discarded rubble, and clay was also easy to obtain. Other necessary materials were manageable too.

After confirming the recipe, Owen asked Winston for more details about the burning process in the wet production method, so he could adjust his fire magic accordingly.

Once he had the plan ready, Owen immediately called his personal guard standing outside and ordered him to summon Treasurer Clive.

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