Chapter 160: Digging a River

Dalaran Domain had no major rivers. The largest river in the northern lands was the Ash Cloud River, formed by the convergence of various streams originating from the melting snow in the mountainous areas northeast of Red Maple Town. This river flowed only through the former territory of the Merlin family—now Lord Gri’s domain—heading east along the forested mountains before joining the eastern territories of the kingdom and then flowing south into the sea.

However, deep in the Green Cloak Forest north of the Moonlight Woods, near the western part of the Ash Cloud Mountains, there were still many streams and gullies formed by melting snow. But these all flowed southeastward to join the Ash Cloud River, without forming any other large-scale rivers.

Therefore, Donald planned to use this as a starting point, diverting a portion of the water to artificially dig a river in Dalaran, making it easier for the residents to obtain drinking water and allowing them to fish for additional meat. Otherwise, relying solely on livestock production would result in a shortage of meat.

In his past life, he had loved living in lakeside residences in cities, but he couldn’t afford those luxury apartments. This time, as a lord with considerable power, he could do as he wished with his own territory. He even planned to dig artificial lakes and create water parks in the future.

As he was eating, Katherine suddenly pointed at the stream beside them and exclaimed, “Donald, look over there! It seems there are fish!”

Donald, with his keen senses, had already noticed movement in the stream. But with such a variety of food prepared, they hadn’t paid much attention. Hearing Katherine mention it, he casually glanced at the water and was immediately surprised!

“It’s ice fish! Katherine, we’re in for a treat today!”

The northern half of this continent resembled Donald’s former Asian continent, with higher terrain in the west and lower in the east. Thus, the two major rivers in his past life both originated in the west and flowed eastward into the sea.

But this applied to the entire northern continent, including the Northwest Wasteland, the Great Snow Mountains, and the Frozen Highlands. In the northern lands where Celt lived, the terrain had changed due to events that had taken place centuries ago. Here, the terrain was higher in the north and lower in the south. A major river originated from the Ash Cloud Mountains in the north and even the Great Snow Mountains of the Frozen Highlands, flowing south through the central plains before turning southeastward to join the sea at Leighton Port, the capital of the Eastern Province.

This situation meant that the northern provinces lacked large waterways and had few lakes, with only a few small streams that eventually flowed into the Ash Cloud River and headed eastward toward the kingdom.

Thus, North County produces very little fish-based food. The only notable one is an ice fish that lives in a small river near Lord Gryphon’s lands. That area was originally the territory of the Merlin family, so Donald knew this ice fish well. Originating from cold waters, the ice fish has tender flesh that is ice-colored and nearly transparent—hence its name. Apart from a single bone, it has almost no other bones. After countless years of evolution, it has adapted to the cold waters of North County’s mountains. It is high in protein and low in fat; in Donald’s words, it offers high protein and low fat content along with various nutrients. Its natural flavor makes it a delicacy that requires little seasoning.

However, the most delicious part isn’t the ice fish itself but the roe it produces. Every spring, the ice fish swim to upstream streams in the Mount Izumo mountains, where snowmelt creates cold waters with floating ice—essential conditions for their eggs to survive. Only the roe caught a few days before the ice fish lay their eggs is the most delicious. After simply salting it, taking a spoonful reveals plump, smooth, sweet roe without any fishy taste, bursting with flavor in the mouth—a delicacy even gods might enjoy.

Due to the limited number of ice fish, the roe produced is even rarer. It must also be caught in the cold and dangerous Mount Izumo mountains at the beginning of spring, so caviar made from ice fish roe has always been the finest ingredient on the tables of the kingdom’s nobles. A small amount of such caviar costs as much as ten times as much gold, and it is often in short supply. Moreover, although preserved through salting, it can only last for about a week before going bad. Thus, even King Celt can only taste it once a year in spring.

Donald was greatly surprised to find ice fish in the mountain streams he planned to develop. “Great! This is a huge discovery. Catherine, you’re truly my lucky star!” Finding signs of ice fish here was not just about a simple meal for Donald—it was a rare industry that could bring in huge profits. If he could develop the ice fish industry, it would become the third major industry in his territory, after moonlight wine and black tea. Within a decade, Silver Moon Domain could become richer than the kingdom itself.

“I never thought icefish could be found here too. I thought they all reproduced in the mountainous waters to the east!” Catherine exclaimed in delight one after another. “Is this an icefish? I never imagined it would be so beautiful, like crystal. I was also fortunate enough to taste icefish roe in the capital—it was truly intoxicating. I’ve never tried fresh icefish yet! These are worth thousands of gold sols. Donald, it would be great if you caught a couple; the rest, if caught, will surely make Dalaran famous.” Donald smiled and said, “I already have a plan… If it succeeds, you can have as much as you want.”

“Really?”

“Just wait and see!”

The moment he saw the icefish, he thought of Kord constantly reminding him back then about the abundant icefish roe available at this time of year. A hundred years ago, the Merlin family thrived thanks to icefish roe, and records of their habitat and fishing techniques were still preserved.

So, an idea immediately arose in his mind: to create an artificial river so that his territory could also produce icefish and reclaim the family’s industry.

He acted on it right away. With the help of magic and summoned creatures, digging a river wasn’t something that required mobilizing large crowds. For him, creating a river just a few dozen miles long was merely a matter of time.

After enjoying some delicious icefish and icefish roe, Donald set off immediately.

He flew into the air, sent three owls southward to scout his territory, getting a general understanding of the terrain. Then he chose a suitable route and took Catherine back to the airship, flying toward his territory.

Every few miles along the way, he left a guard post as a marker. When they arrived at a grassy depression between the Moonlight Wood and the Twilight Forest, he summoned a towering giant thirty feet tall, with skin like rock.

This permanent summon was Donald’s first time invoking a high-level unit of level six—the Mountain Giants, the strongest land combat units of the elves—costing him 2,500 units of soul power.

Donald took a thick tree trunk that had been stored in his space and placed it on the ground. Then he said, “Giant, dig a pit here and keep digging along the marks until you reach the mountain stream!” At Donald’s command, the mountain giant immediately picked up the tree trunk. The trunk, over ten feet long, seemed like a short stick in his hands. Since Donald didn’t have any weapon suitable for the mountain giant, he had no choice but to make do.

Although the mountain giant appeared clumsy and its limbs weren’t sharp, with its immense strength, it easily drove the trunk deep into the soil, creating a sloping pit several feet deep and over a dozen steps long right where it stood.

Seeing such a giant monster appear, Catherine was greatly surprised. Donald beside her quickly explained, “Don’t be afraid. This is a mountain giant, a kind member of the natural races. They like to be close to races like elves and nature, and they won’t easily harm other living beings! Despite their large size, they’re actually very honest and simple-hearted!” After Donald’s explanation, Catherine felt relieved and even smiled at the giant.

“What are you doing, Donald?”

“Hehe! I’ve been thinking that our territory lacks a water source. Now that we’ve found such a pleasant surprise as ice fish, it’s imperative that we create a water source!” Catherine asked in astonishment, “Do you plan to dig out a river?”

Donald smiled confidently and said, “It’s more than just a river. Wait and see! In a few days, I’ll surely give you a big surprise!”

Then the mountain giant kept digging, and soon a large pond appeared before them. Donald suddenly remembered that the war puppets he had summoned last time were still in his space, so he brought them out as well to help the mountain giant dig. Following Donald’s instructions, in just half a day, the two giants dug out a small artificial lake. But Donald still thought it wasn’t big enough, so he cast several spells to create several large holes. After working all afternoon, a large artificial lake covering several hectares was finally completed.

The shape of this artificial lake resembled a crescent moon. In the center, Donald piled up some of the excavated soil to create a sizable artificial island in the middle of the lake. He used several spells to turn the soil into stone to stabilize the foundation, and the mountain giant compacted the soil with its heavy body.

Pointing at the still bare island in the middle of the lake, Donald said to Catherine, “This is the site prepared for building an aquatic park and a lakeside resort in the future.”

At the thought of a beautiful manor nestled among those waters in the future, Catherine’s imagination ran wild as she excitedly described architectural styles she had seen elsewhere. Before marrying the queen and moving to Celt, she had traveled to many places across the continent with her family and seen numerous splendid noble manors.

Donald reviewed the options and temporarily selected a few design plans, deciding that more refinement would be needed once designers were brought in. He ordered the mountain giants and war puppets to continue digging northward along the marked path; within a few days, they should be able to reach the mountain peak, allowing them to divert water and create a river channel.

After completing these tasks, the two of them returned excitedly to the lord’s mansion. Donald immediately gave orders to William to take charge of planning the construction of the manor on the island in the lake. First, before any other construction work began, he ordered that pebbles and fine sand be laid along the circular shore of the island to stabilize its foundation and create an artificial beach that would not suffer from silt accumulation. This lakeside beach would undoubtedly be an excellent place for swimming and playing.