I Somehow Got Tasked With Managing A Realm

I Somehow Got Tasked With Managing A Realm – Chapter 69

After what felt like forever, Ruglace stood at the edge of the village with a large pouch in hand.

"... Is it really time for me to go?"

"It is. The creator of the world gave you a mission, I can not keep you here forever."

Ruglace felt a heavy hand clasp his shoulder.

"Our village greeted a builder and will now wave off a fighter. I have no doubt that you can protect this world."

"Thank you..."

I am still a builder, though.

The Oracle kept those thoughts to himself as he took one last look at the chief to his side- his body reflexively shivered a bit at the sight of this man who beat him up relentlessly under the guise of training for the last two years.

If I did not have the body of an Oracle I would have died hundreds of times over...

It was terrifying for both Ruglace and the creator of the world who watched in awe and witnessed just how much damage a normal human could inflict on an Oracle.

Calling the chief normal is a major stretch, though.

His combat abilities were so overwhelming that he’d sometimes wrestle mountain chickens to the ground with his bare hands during hunts.

If the chief was the one to become an Oracle...

Ruglace's body shivered before he could even finish the thought. At the very least, he was confident that there would be no need for whatever stone structures the creator of the world wanted him to build to stop the invaders if the chief was the one leading the defense. @@novelbin@@

After spending two years fighting against such a force daily, it was clear that Ruglace had improved immensely. His occasional nightmares of spears stopping just short of his eyes were not for naught- the Oracle came out of the grueling experience with enough fighting experience to feel confident going up against nearly anyone- even when holding back his strength to that of a normal human.

The others in the village noticed this too; their eyes which were once filled with pity at the start of these one-sided beatings masked as training sessions had shifted to gazes of admiration as Ruglace grew as both a fighter and a builder.

“Get going, Oracle,” the chief teased, giving him a light shove with the hand that was still on his shoulder. “If you stay any longer, you might sew our clothes into one of your houses.”

Even this push was enough to cause him to stagger. 

The Oracle gave a wry smile in response as he kept his balance, "You said I could use all of the mountain chicken hide I needed..."

"I did... and you used up all of it plus any extra we got during the last two hunting seasons."

Ruglace kept his eyes ahead, feeling the chief's harsh stare digging into his back.

"W-wow, did I really use so much? How crazy..." A cold sweat dripped down his neck as he shifted nervously, "Oh, wow- look at how late it is getting! I have to get going now! Be well, Chief!"

An exhausted sigh came from behind him, "Be well on your travels, Oracle."

With that last exchange, Ruglace took his first steps out of the village which had become nearly unrecognizable from when he first arrived. As Ruglace walked, to his back were not the tipis that previously greeted him upon his arrival, but rather a sea of what resembled large circular tents. If Jacob saw them, he would easily make a comparison to the classic yurts on Earth.

Ruglace had designed them himself, putting the village’s abundance of mountain chicken hide to use. The design was fairly simple: a wide, round frame of thin logs, draped with hides and topped by a small, pointed roof of the same material. Of course, this was reinforced by a single central support beam for extra safety. While the yurts were clearly more complex than the tipis the hunters used previously, it was not to a degree that seemed excessive for the benefits they brought, which aside from their size that could easily house an entire family, included the ability to comfortably have a fire inside aided by a flap on the roof that could be opened to prevent any smoke from accumulating. The insulating mountain chicken hide that lined the yurts also helped contain this heat allowing the inside to feel warm and cosy even through the coldest winter days.

Despite how intricate such a design sounded, it was much simpler to construct than the fully wooden homes he had been showing off throughout the continent. 

Honestly, my design turned out better than I expected! Sure, it is very expensive with mountain chicken hide, but the village gets so much of it every year that it should not be a big deal. 

As the village chief pointed out and as Ruglace readily admitted, the expensiveness in terms of hide was the one major drawback behind the new home, but this was luckily not a scarce resource by any means up in this part of the world.

Ruglace couldn't help but smile as he thought back to when he first completed his new design and was finally met with the approval of the village chief. The chief wasn't the only one to like the design, as seen by the yurt-dominated sight when he left the village. This new style of home caught on so quickly that the vast majority of the village's tipis had already been replaced by his yurts by the time the village chief finally recognized him to be at least decently trained.

While this was satisfying, one improved village wasn't enough for Rugalce's standards- now it was time to spend the next few years touring other villages in the north of the realm to spread his design before heading south to continue the creator of the world's mission.

His footsteps continued with the yurts falling under the horizon behind him.

It feels so weird to be traveling alone after being in the village for so long.

The villagers' liveliness was overbearing at first with constant fights and tests of strength, but after spending years living with them and fighting together side by side against the seasonal mountain chicken hordes, the northern environment really grew on him.

Well... it should not be long before I reach the next one.

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..

...

"Wow..."

"It's pretty cool, isn't it?"

Ruglace nodded his head at the creator of the world's words, "I have never seen anything like it before."

Three years had passed since he’d left the northern village where he trained. He spent that time roaming the north near Talonscar, spreading his yurt design to the nearby villages. Unlike his fight when he arrived at his first village- he now had plenty of fighting experience and polished skills that quickly quelled any challengers, making it easy to convince them to try his design.

As he drifted south, both the people he met and the winters they faced were much more passive. These central villages were relatively calm and had little interaction with mountain chickens. Because of this, they had less of a supply, if any, of mountain chicken hide, so yurts were not a feasible option for these villages. Even so, this was not an issue- with the climate being moderate in this section of the realm and there being few external challenges necessitating special home designs in these scattered villages, Ruglace simply introduced his father's method of house building to the villagers to give them an alternative to the tipis they were living in.

He continued that routine until he reached his current position- standing on the edge of a canyon several hundred feet above a long lake. Dirt transitioned into layers of heavy black stone which could be seen lining the sides of this giant crevice. Various small rivers and streams poured over the edge down into the gap, spraying water across the stone and masking the scope of what he could view behind clouds of water vapor and simmering rainbows. Although he couldn't see the true extent of the number of waterfalls as he gazed further south, the sound of crashing water made it clear their numbers were enormous. 

Ruglace continued to look at the sight before him in awe.

"Did you really make something like this?"

"Uhhh... kind of? There were a mix of things that caused it, but I guess it all stems from me," the voice in his head paused, "You know the massive river to the west? That actually used to flow here- the water at the bottom is just what's left of it."

Ruglace's eyes widened in shock, "Really!? The river from the stories used to be here?"

"Mhm. Something shifted way up north near the start of the river and caused the water to divert," the voice sighed, "The ground of this world wasn't very stable when I first made it, so I wasn't too surprised that the water went a bit crazy. That happened a long time ago, though."

Although Jacob decided not to go into detail out of caution for the Academy, his reply wasn't wrong. There are two ways to make a canyon: a small amount of water flowing over a long time or a massive amount of water rushing all at once. What Ruglace was currently looking down upon was the result of both.

After making a small channel to guide the water, Jacob completely filled the giant lake he made high up in the northern mountains whose water then cascaded down his realm. This torrent plowed through the newborn continent, dragging millions of tons of dirt and stone along with it. 

Fed by atmospheric rivers refilling the lake in the mountains and countless streams joining along its path, the massive river carved deep for tens of thousands of years until a landslide redirected it. By then, it had gouged nearly a thousand feet into the unstable rock and soil in the area, half of it still being flooded to this day.

Luckily, the continent's soil had since settled from Jacob's injection of a massive amount of platinum and other heavy metals into his realm during his attempt to increase its gravity, preventing a new canyon from forming in its current position. 

While Jacob was reflecting on all of this, Ruglace had already made his way to the village overlooking this wonder of nature and was approached by a man whose eyes were filled with recognition.

"You are Ruglace, are you not!?"

The Oracle tilted his head slightly, "Yes, I am... do you know me?"

"Of course I know you!" the man beamed, "I was in Rygard when you got chosen to be an Oracle!"

Ruglaces eyes widened, "You were in Rygard for it? Does that mean you were-"

The man nodded shyly, "Yes, I was one of the Oracle candidates, too."

"Oh..."

Ah- this is awkward. 

Ruglace let out a forced cough and awkwardly faced the man, "I am sure you must have been a great person if you managed to get picked as a candidate. Hopefully you are not too upset that I got chosen."

“I would be lying if I said I was not a little disappointed, but the creator chose you—who would I be to doubt his decision?” he smiled faintly, “It was a fun experience; just being there was incredible. My scout and I actually were talking about that storm that hit when you were picked a few nights back.”

"Your scout? Are you both from this village?"

The man shook his head, "No, I think he is from somewhere in Rynntara, but he apparently fell in love with this place when he came looking for a candidate, so he followed me back here after the celebration was done."

"Wow..."

Well, this is a beautiful place, so I guess I can understand why his scout loved it here so much. Speaking of scouts, I wonder how Tyra is doing...

Refocusing his thoughts, Ruglace looked back at the man, "Do you know where your scout is? I might as well say hi while I am here."

"Ah- he should be down at the lake getting some fish for tonight."

"Fish!?" Ruglace's eyes lit up.

Due to his traveling and the lack of major bodies of water on the path he took here. it had been years since Ruglace had last tasted fish. His mouth began to water so much at the thought of his favorite meal that he pictured flooding the rest of the canyon with his drool.

"Uhhh... yes," the man took a step back at the Oracle's sudden burst of energy, "Most of us climb down there daily to spear fish to eat. Some people hunt the chickens in the area, but we mainly just eat the fish and corn that we grow in our... field?"

The man turned to point toward the cornfield only for the Oracle to be nowhere to be seen when he turned back around.

"Huh... I wonder where he went?"

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..

...

Splash!

Ruglace plunged into the lake, vanishing beneath its blue surface before shooting up a moment later, clutching a medium-sized fish triumphantly in his hands.

"This is so easy~ this water must be filled with fish!"

With a proud smirk, the Oracle tossed the flopping fish into a small basket woven from corn husks that he borrowed from a woman fishing further downstream. 

I should get her a fish too, as thanks.

Just as before, Ruglace waded back into the lake until the water reached his waist, standing as still as the stone towering around him. Carefully, he reached into the small pouch tied to his side and sprinkled some juicy yellow kernels into the water in front of him. It only took a few minutes before a hungry fish took the bait, at which point Ruglace dove into the water with a splash, snatching the fish before it could swim away.

Who needs a spear when you have Oracle speed?

Ruglace smugly made his way back to the shore with the fish in hand. Back in the gulf, he used the same trick, though he stabbed the fish from above with a spear instead of diving.

I guess that method is popular here, too.

The Oracle plopped the fish into the basket once on shore, eyeing the dozens of spear-wielding villagers dotting the water as he started his journey along the canyon’s mossy bank. His eyes shifted to the fish in his borrowed basket as he walked.

The fish here are a bit duller than the ones in the gulf. They are smaller too... hopefully they still taste good.

As his eyes drifted back toward the water, Ruglace spotted the woman he was looking for and quickly jogged up to her. After a brief exchange, he casually stuffed his haul into his mountain chicken hide shirt, cradling the fish against his chest with one arm before handing back her basket with one large fish left inside. 

"Are you sure you want to give this back now? I can wait a bit longer if you need to carry those back up the pit," she offered after thanking him for the fish.

"I will be fine like this, but thank you," Ruglace smiled, "I am curious though- why do have your homes all the way up on the normal ground? It looks like there is enough room on the edge of the water to build them down here."

"You are not the first to think of that," the woman smiled back and pointed toward one of the small waterfalls pouring over the side of the canyon, "When we get heavy rain, the pit floods with water- I have seen it get deep enough to where some of the men in the village could not touch the bottom. Sometimes it can take days before we can see any land down here."

"Wow..." Ruglace glanced up at one of the miniature waterfalls pouring down the side of the canyon, "Where does the water go after it floods?"

The woman shrugged, "Some people think it soaks into the ground or dries up like a puddle after rain, but only the creator of the world truly knows."

"Ah- I will ask him then," Ruglace smiled and gave the woman a wave with his free hand, "Thank you again for lending me the basket, I will be on my way."

The woman chuckled, "Pfft- yeah, I would love to ask him, too. Have a good day- and thank you for the fish!"

As Ruglace took his distance from the water and made his way toward the uneven path up to the surface, he spoke aloud.

"Creator of the world? Are you listening?".

A familiar voice promptly replied, "Hm? Yeah, I'm here. You wanted to ask me about the water thing, right?"

The Oracle nodded, "I am a bit curious."

"Well, both of that girl's theories are part of it- a lot of it dries up in the hot sun and some of it sinks into the ground," the voice explained, "But there is actually something else that really prevents the water from building up too much. Do you remember when I told you how the giant river used to flow here? There's actually a slightly deeper section of the canyon if you follow this water to the south that's separated by a gap of stone. When the water level in this part gets too high, the lake floods over this stone and overflows into the next section."

"..."

"That was a bit too vague, wasn't it?" the voice sighed, only to be met with Ruglace's small nod.

"Alright, I'll try to explain it another way. You can think of this lake as like a weird giant bowl. The small sliver of land you're standing on at the side of the water is like its rim. If too much water gets poured into it, the water flows over the sides of the bowl and overflows onto the ground. The ground in this case is the next section of the canyon which is a bit deeper than this one. The lake practically turns back into a river until the water goes back down below the stone wall separating the sections."

"I guess that makes sense... but what happens to the water once it gets to that next part?"

"Oh, the extra water follows the river's original path and flows all the way down to the ocean in the south... or at least it tries to. Unless there's several days' worth of rain, it usually dries up long before it makes it down there."

How far away is that ocean to the south, anyway? I do not think I have met anyone from a village down there...

The Oracle stopped and glanced up at the rocky wall of the canyon, "So, how high do you think the water can get to in this place?"

"Uhhh... given how wide and long this canyon is, I doubt it could ever fill more than ten feet above where you are standing now. It would take some crazy rain to even get close to that."

"In other words... building above that height would be fine!" Ruglace muttered with his eyes gleaming. 

The creator of the world paused at his mutter- spotting the Oracle's glimmering eyes which were notorious whenever he got an idea for a building design.

"I mean, yeah, but I don't know how you'll really do it. The ground is pretty flat down there, it's not like there's any raised spot that's good to build on."

"There is one!"

"Hm?"

Ruglace pointed to a small ledge on the side of the cliff which was roughly fifteen feet above where he currently stood. This thin platform of hard stone lined the edge of the canyon wall for quite a distance, just barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side.

"Uhh... Unless you're making a house for a worm, I don't think that's enough room for you to build on, Ruglace."

"I am making a house for a human and it is definitely enough room!" the Oracle declared confidently, "I can dig into the wall and make homes along the edge. You wanted me to work with stone eventually, right? This is the perfect time for me to practice!"

The voice in his head paused for a moment before replying, "I mean, you can try, but the rocks here withstood the giant flood that washed away everything else- they're way tougher than even the stone you'll be dealing with in the mountains."

"Well, I will give it a shot, anyway. These people have to climb all the way up and down this pit every day for fish- having homes down here would at least save some of them the trip."

The Oracle leaped onto the ledge as he said this, and examined the rock wall up close.

There are a few big cracks... using a wedge should at least give me a starting point to work with.

With an idea in mind and fish in his clothing, Ruglace hopped back down and began making his way to the surface to eat and make some tools.

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...

Ruglace stood at the entryway to the home he spent the past few weeks digging into the side of the canyon.

"That... was tough."

Tough was putting it lightly; he had long lost track of how many stone chisels he had shaped and broken during the process of hollowing this relatively small 15ftx15ftx15ft space.

Even with his Oracle strength, it was not easy to break apart the rock with the tools he had on hand- if he hadn’t honed his stone-breaking skills gathering rocks for his foundations back at the gulf, he wouldn’t have even attempted such a challenge.

Although many of the villagers had come to see what he was working on- none were crazy enough to try imitating the process, nor was Ruglace oblivious enough to try to convince them that it was a good idea.

Well, it was more of a proof of concept anyway.

Despite the fact that he failed to make a home that could be reasonably adopted by the people of the village, Ruglace did not feel as though his efforts were wasted. At the very least, he proved to himself that he could work with even the toughest stone.

Building a home out of stone might be hard, but it is not impossible. The creator of the world said the stone in the mountains would be easier to carve, so I am sure I can make things work.

His eyes shifted up to the ceiling of his carved-out home which extended a few feet above what he intended.

This was the scar left by one of the lessons he learned in the process of his efforts. During his digging, a section of the ceiling suddenly started to collapse on top of him. Ruglace was luckily able to react quickly enough to dash out of the way of the falling stone thanks to his increased speed, but it was not a scene he took lightly- especially considering his own past with collapsing roofs. 

Even holes dug into stone need to be supported... I am glad I figured that out before I went to the mountains.

As the Oracle reflected on everything, the creator of the world spoke in his head.

"You did a great job with that home- especially considering what you were working with."

"Thank you, but I think it is a bit too tough for them to replicate, so I will need to stay here a bit longer to teach them the style of homes that I have been teaching the other villages nearby."

"It's such a shame that you'll have to stay in this village full of yummy fish for longer, isn't it?" he teased.

"... That is a benefit."

"Well, please try not to stay too long- it's almost time for you to make your way across the giant river and into the western half of the continent. I think you'll like what you'll find over there~"

With a nod, Ruglace took one last look at his canyon carve-out before making his way back up to the surface.

An Oracle's work never stops.

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Map Of Jacob's Realm: (If you can not see this, you are likely not reading it from it's official posted site of ScribbleHub)