The immense consumption of cement and steel was, of course, incredibly expensive. But for Jason, money was not an issue. The profits from selling logs through Fusion Trading in the modern world had already generated a fortune that could rival the coffers of a Great House. With deep pockets in both worlds, he had the freedom to recruit on a massive scale, pulling workers from across the North and the Riverlands. The more manpower he had, the faster his port and city would rise from the ground.
"My lord! I've brought back the sailors you wanted!"
A dust-covered Kent trotted towards him, his face beaming with an excitement he couldn't hide.
Jason turned and saw a group of more than a dozen men standing awkwardly nearby. Dressed in worn, dark-grey clothes, their faces were weathered from the sun and sea. They stared in awe at the massive construction projects sprawling around them.
"Good work, Kent," Jason said, clapping the young man on the shoulder. "Was your trip to White Harbor successful?" The journey to White Harbor and back was over eight hundred kilometers, and Kent looked utterly exhausted.
Kent, however, seemed to forget his fatigue at his lord's praise. "It was more than successful, my lord! Just as you asked, I spread the word at the White Harbor docks. As soon as I announced you were hiring, sailors and fishermen swarmed me to ask about the offer."
He spoke excitedly, his words tumbling out. "You should have seen their faces when I told them the pay was twelve silver stags a month! Their eyes practically turned red. Every man there wanted to sign up on the spot!"
Jason smiled, not particularly surprised. "Really? They trusted you so easily?"
"They did! The moment I said I was recruiting for the Earl of Starfire, they all gathered around. Your name is already famous in White Harbor, my lord! Everyone knows of your generosity from all the grain and vegetables you've been buying."
Kent puffed out his chest with pride, as if his lord's fame was his own.
Hearing this, Jason understood. To feed the nearly twenty-thousand people at Sailor's Lake, a constant stream of caravans traveled the four-hundred-kilometer road from White Harbor, making the once-quiet route busier than ever. Because he paid his workers high wages, they had money to spend, and the sharp-nosed merchants of the city had taken notice.
A few hundred meters from the camp, a lively market had sprung up on its own. Every day after work, workers would take their families and their salaries and wander through the stalls, buying goods and supplies. The immense spending power of tens of thousands of people had made the merchants and hawkers wealthy, which in turn attracted even more traders from White Harbor. Jason had simply assigned soldiers to patrol the market to maintain order and prevent any trouble.
He walked toward the sailors Kent had brought, with Dicken and his personal guards following closely behind. Seeing the young lord in his fine, noble attire approach, the sailors, all strong men who had spent their lives at sea, immediately bowed their heads, their faces a mixture of awe and timidity.
"Is this all of them?" Jason asked, looking over the small group. He couldn't hide his dissatisfaction with the number.
Kent quickly replied, "My lord, these are the most experienced sailors and fishermen. They're like captains. Each one owns a small boat and has a few sailors or their own sons working for them. They came first to see if the offer was real. Now that they know it is, they can go back and bring their entire crews."
So, these men were leaders, the heads of their small crews. That made more sense.
"Are you familiar with the White Knife River?" Jason asked, his tone softening as he addressed the nervous sailors. "Have you ever sailed it from White Harbor all the way to Sailor's Lake?"
The sailors shifted and murmured amongst themselves, pushing one another forward until a man with grey hair and a face full of deep wrinkles was nudged to the front.
"My respected lord," the man began, bowing deeply. He looked to be in his fifties. "My name is Seth. I know the river you speak of. I used to take my boat upriver to fish in Sailor's Lake. The problem, my lord, is that between here and White Harbor, the river has several stretches of dangerous reefs. Only small boats can pass through. A large ship would be torn apart."
Before coming, Seth had clearly heard that the Earl was building a port, and he had guessed his intentions. Connecting Sailor's Lake to White Harbor with a proper waterway would be a masterstroke. Water transport was faster and could carry far more cargo than the slow-moving caravans on land. But the river was treacherous. The reefs and rushing currents meant no one dared sail large vessels on it, for fear of losing both ship and crew.
Jason nodded. This matched the information he had gathered. The river was a perfect shipping route, if not for the reefs. But he wasn't afraid of them. As long as the reefs were removed, the waterway would be open.
Of course, dredging a river and clearing massive rocks would cost a fortune in both money and manpower, which was why it had never been done. But Jason didn't care. He had the money.
"I plan to hire all of you, and all the sailors who work for you," Jason announced, his voice ringing with authority. "Your job will be to help me clear every reef from Sailor's Lake to White Harbor. I want this river to be deep and wide enough for my largest ships to sail from the port right into the sea."
He looked directly at the stunned sailors. "So, can you do this job?"
A wave of disbelief washed over the men. They looked at each other, their eyes wide.
It was Seth who finally found his voice. "My lord," he whispered, "to dredge the river... that will take a great deal of money. And so many men... the cost will be enormous."
Jason simply waved his hand, dismissing the concern as if it were nothing. "You don't have to worry about the money. I will pay for everything myself. Go back to White Harbor and recruit every sailor you can find. The pay is twelve silver stags a month for every man, with food and lodging provided."
He stared at the rocks in the distance, his vision already set on the future. "I want you back here as soon as possible. We will smash every rock that stands in our way and dredge this river clear."
------------------------
For Advance chapters visit : patreon.com/Mythic_Muse