Chapter 60 — Rebecca's Grand Project

Hedy had no idea what her ancestor from seven hundred years ago was thinking at this moment, nor was she destined to understand, just yet, those plans too distant and too grand for her. But following Gao Yang's gaze toward the camp in the distance, brimming with life and vigor, she seemed to catch his infection and grew exhilarated as well.

A land begun from zero, an entirely new order, a promised beautiful future—Hedy considered herself long past the girlish years of being easily stirred by external things, yet at this moment she could not help but look forward, to better changes taking place on this land.

This was the greatest difference between her and the traditional nobles—traditional nobles would never look forward to change.

"What I've told you today, just keep it in mind for now," Gao Yang suddenly turned back and reminded Hedy, "These matters are too far ahead. Tell them to the settlers, and they won't understand. And tell them to the nobles... if they don't understand, they'll take you for a madman; if they do understand, they'll take you for a mortal enemy."

Hedy was slightly taken aback; with her intelligence, she quickly grasped Gao Yang's meaning.

Those brand-new orders, though only a hint of them could be glimpsed now, were already enough to touch the sensitive nerves of the nobles. It might truly bring prosperity to this land, but that prosperity was not necessarily what the traditional nobles would be glad to see.

After all, they were not like the Cecils—their present days were still comfortable in the extreme.

"I understand. But may I tell Rebecca about it?" Hedy nodded, but no sooner had she spoken than she pursed her lips and shook her head slightly. "That child probably won't understand these complicated..."

"No, you underestimate her," Gao Yang said with a smile. "Actually, Rebecca is likely smarter than you imagine—it's just that her talents have never found a suitable stage. I've noticed lately that she..."

Before Gao Yang could finish, a small figure suddenly appeared in his line of sight: Betty was racing along the field ridge toward them. The little maid, with a few cute freckles on her face, came before him, gulped down several breaths, then made a clumsy bow. "Master! Miss Rebecca is looking for you!"

"What does she want with me..." Gao Yang stopped halfway. "Oh, you've certainly forgotten."

"I didn't forget this time!" Betty straightened up and said crisply, "She says work is starting, and she wants you to come see what she's accomplished!"

Hedy came up from behind. "What's starting?"

Betty thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Forgot!"

Gao Yang and Hedy: "..."

"Fine, I know what it is," Gao Yang said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, as he rubbed the little girl's head. "Looks like after days of studying that magic array, she's finally cracked that 'magic net.' Though I thought she'd be at it longer. Well, Hedy, want to go take a look? There's nothing urgent here for now—why not go see how Rebecca's first 'engineering project' is coming along?"

"Honestly, I'm a little worried about what kind of mess she'll make of it. After all, a clumsy mage who can only use fireball, trying to build a magic array on such a large scale... even if they're all elementary runes," Hedy said with a smile and a shake of her head, then looked toward the wooden shed. "Well then, Sir Philip, the Ancestor and I will go check on the smithy. I'll leave things here to you."

The young knight straightened at once and struck his breastplate with his hand. "I shall not fail my mission!"

A little affair like supervising land reclamation, and he managed to shout a slogan with an epic ring to it... Gao Yang could not help but marvel—how had such a staid, old-fashioned fellow emerged from among the young knights, one who kept the precepts and disciplines as strictly as a classical knight... Could this truly be the power of faith?

Gao Yang and Hedy departed. Betty looked left and right, saw nothing for herself to do, and wandered into the wooden shed. It was still early for cooking, and the laundry was done as well; with nothing to occupy her for the moment, the little maid grew interested in the papers left on the wooden table, covered in writing and drawings.

Philip saw the girl's movement and fixed his eyes earnestly on her actions, lest this muddle-headed little girl mess up those important things—he was ready to stop her at any moment.

Betty, meanwhile, looked curiously at the drawing of the waterwheel, but her interest soon shifted to the work log with its numbers and names. She leaned close to the table and pointed at the paper and pen. "Can I write?"

Philip moved the paper and pen a little farther away and looked gravely at the girl. "Can you write?"

"No," Betty shook her head, then added, "and I can't read either!"

"Then you mustn't touch them," Philip said, somewhat sternly. "Paper, pen, and ink are all bought with the lord's money—they're not for you to play with."

Betty was taken aback, then nodded dejectedly. "Oh..."

Philip looked at the little maid's dejected face and frowned. He felt he might have been a bit too harsh, but protecting the lord's property was his duty—especially when everything in the domain was in short supply, and even a sheet of paper and a pen had to be hauled in from Tansan Town. All the more reason not to let a little girl waste those precious writing tools.

In the end, he offered Betty a few words of comfort, but the girl still left with dejection and regret.

Watching Betty's retreating figure on the field ridge, Philip could not help but recall the conversation between Duke Gao Yang and Lady Hedy he had overheard earlier.

Teach them to read.

Teach every one of them to read.

Could it really be done? Could it really be attempted? Would it really be done?

But if it truly were done, then surely that little maid would be able to write as well.

When he arrived at the "smithy," Gao Yang found it had become a construction site. In the spacious courtyard many busy "workers" were about, several soldiers stood guard over the various supplies piled in one corner, and Rebecca stood in the center of the courtyard, holding a thick stack of papers and gesturing as she explained something to old blacksmith Hammer, while Hammer's apprentices stood obediently beside them, ears pricked in attentive listening.

It actually looked quite presentable, and clearly Rebecca had called Gao Yang over only after the project had already gotten smoothly under way.

"Ah! Ancestor!" Rebecca spotted the nearly two-meter-tall Gao Yang from afar, and then caught sight of Hedy beside him. "And Aunt Hedy..."

The girl's awe of Hedy was quite severe.

"I've come to see your progress," Hedy said with a faint smile. Though she still did not know how well Rebecca could do, seeing this orderly, proper-looking site, she felt she ought to smile and encourage her. "It seems you're full of confidence."

"Yes! I studied for days!" Rebecca said, hands on her hips. Though lack of sleep lent her a somewhat ethereal air, she was still full of energy. "This magic array is just wonderful! And those formulas too... Ancestor, let me tell you, those formulas are so useful—a thousand times better than those rigid rune arrangements and spell models, and you can apply them any way you like, and then there's this array..."

"Stop, stop, stop. We didn't come to hear you show off," Hedy quickly cut off Rebecca's smugness. She knew her niece was indeed excellent in calculation and theoretical knowledge, but she dreaded that if the girl chattered on endlessly, she would annoy the Xuan Yuan Sect to death. "Just tell us how you plan to complete the magic array."

At that, Rebecca nodded vigorously. "Oh, oh, I plan to bury it underground..."

"Bury it underground?!" Hedy was stunned. "I saw you dig all those trenches, and you really mean to bury it underground?!"