Plans To Bend The River
1425 Words
The citizens knew of the coming of the dignitaries and knew that they had come with a reason that was all talk around town. As soon as they commence dinner in the courtyard, they slowly ate the food and dragged the time so that they would still be in the courtyard, consuming dinner even if the dignitaries had left.
It was such a comical scene where everyone nearly spooned their foods in their mouths and chew them at 0.5x speed. Hahaha... Once the dignitaries had left the town premises, the residents immediately finished up their foods, some added seconds and chomped down as usual.
After they had taken their dinner, they cleared the tables aside and arrange the benches to prepare for then nightly conference. They knew that the nightly conference was the highlight of the evening as there would be more news update to tell the citizens.
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"Our residents seemed rather lively don't you think? Luckily this is Gracehaven, just imagine if they had to cough out 3 coppers monthly based on their own means of finding an income? Sheesh... These people sure would thank their lucky stars if they knew about the taxes that had been paid up for the fiscal year of May 1441 till the next."
I chatted casually with Heather as she nodded her head in agreement. Besides the two-seater bamboo throne now was the baby stroller where our two twins were happily watching their parents at the sides and wondering what their daddy was doing at that time.
We started the nightly conference when the pioneers had gathered and taken their placings among us. "I am sure you all are excited to know what's happening earlier when the dignitaries arrived here, right?"
Some of the citizens voiced their agreements when they heard this. They dare not make much noise as the twins were there and noises such as wild cheering a might give the babies a scare. So they all decide to clap wildly instead with no cheering made orally.
"We had successfully acquired the expansion land around Gracehaven at a combined land area of 16 square miles all around. It is equivalent to all sides of 4 miles each...!"
"Priest Earl and Priest Walter would be assisting us to create a perimeter to mark the Town Square limits, the first cluster and second cluster limits. These perimeter limits around Town Square is 4 square miles and it would be bordered by an extension of River Ure."
"Instead of River Ure running across Gracehaven in a singular manner as of the present, the river would then be made to run through, encircling the Town Square like a moat. This would create a constant water supply around the Town Square that the Western part of Gracehaven would be filled with crops and would be constantly be watered by these rivers."
Priest Earl and Priest Walter noted of their task and would soon be making a new route for the river to flow and this time it would be around the Town Square. It is a good idea since there's no wall to separate the first cluster and the Town Square.
A Town Square surrounded by water and it was going to be a scene that would be picturesque...!
"Your Majesty, how about the duck pond? Would you be excavating it and covering it with dirt to make it as a piece of land for crops or for housing?"
Someone highlighted the duck pond that was now a big favourite for the visiting birds of flights. "Fortunately, the duck pond is right within the borders of Town Square so it would not be covered with dirt to make agriculture lands or whatnot. The river would flow through the duck pond and flows out around it."
Hearing that the duck pond wild not be demolished in the western part, the citizens clapped their hands to show their acknowledgement and agreement to the current plan.
"How is the model plan for the new double-storey house? Did the engineer complete the project already, Your Majesty? We all are excited to see how it would look like and we would all want to see how big and comfortable it would be."
I looked around for the engineer and the said engineer shook his head but showed me 3 fingers instead. I instantly knew that the model would be ready in 3 days time. I wonder how big the model could be since it takes another 3 more days to complete. It wouldn't be like a matchbox design, would it?
"3 more days, my anxiously waiting citizens of Gracehaven, if you are excited, then I am 100 times more excited than you are. Hahaha." I announced for the completion of the two-storey half bricks and half wooden house model that would be presented by the engineers. I wonder what could have taken them so long to make the model but frankly, I am excited to see how it turns out to be then.
After some questions and answers with the citizens, I finally spoke to them and reassured them, "Worry not my dear honourable citizens of Gracehaven, as for the taxes paid earlier, none of you needs to replace them back."
"I know that most of you were quite worried since you do not pay a single coin but nevertheless, Gracehaven had been built by your very own blood, sweat and tears. Continue your dedication towards this land and you would be handsomely rewarded."
I concluded the nightly conference on a lively note as everyone clapped their hands enthusiastically as they welcome the new era of Gracehaven's figure in time to come.
After the nightly conference, as we retire back to the domain conference hall, some of the citizens seek their attendance as they were curious about the upgrades of buildings that they had heard today.
I went to the writing slate and roughly drew what would be built in the future and what would be relocated. It seems the basic relocation would be done to the livestock first as they would be moved across the riverbanks, just after the cemetery.
Everyone chipped in their ideas and even the upgrades to the Gracehaven's Greasy Spoon and Gracehaven's Finest Bakery would be implemented. In other words, new buildings would be built before the old ones need to be torn down in order to make way for the new.
The list of buildings that were affected was as follows —
1. Shampoo / Soap factory — it would be a two-storey production area where the production would be made in the second level and logistics would cover the whole ground level.
2. The same goes to the Alchemy factory, Porcelainware factory and the spare factory building which would be 3 two-storey production buildings with separate production areas and storage spaces.
3. The bamboo production, woven materials production and the clay products area would also be relocated next to the 3 new factories but were only be a single storey one. The clay production area would be an open area as the kilns and the clay mixing area need to be on the ground level and be airy as well. All aspects of fire hazard would be monitored as well.
4. A new education building would be built alongside the current classroom where it would be either a 3 or 2 storey building. 2 classrooms on each level with a teachers room would be built. The first level would be for kinder or primary students, the second level would be for secondary ones while the upper level would be for tertiary ones. In the future, there would be more teachers to teach in.
5. Once the new school had been built, the current classroom would be annexed and it would be turned into a medium-sized medical facility with inpatient services, beddings, triage rooms and so on. It would be at least 3 storeys high and the current infirmary would serve as an outpatient to tend to common illnesses and small injuries.
"Your Majesty, this means that your vegetable garden and the herbal Garden would also be relocated?" someone asked and I nodded as I answered, "Yes, they would be relocated accordingly to supply fresh vegetables for at least 2000 residents. The herbal Garden could stay, as the garden for the use of Alchemy and Shampoo / Soap factory remain or relocated just across the lane."
"At least it helps to beautify the place and covers the barren land where the clay, bamboo and weave production areas once stood."
- Writer
