In one swift motion, Hecte dispelled the barrier. As if a curtain had been pulled off from the slopes, everything beca visible and clear to the world.
Under the sunlight, the five sets of steps made for terrace farming looked even more beautiful. It was a strange sight for soone from Moonrise Kingdom, yet it blended perfectly with the Moon River flowing far below.
Everything was already set, including four more pairs of turning wheels and other chanisms needed for irrigation at the other terraces.
’Seems like Hecte had Miguel make them knowing I would need them.’ Aegon felt genuinely grateful to his companions.
He turned to look at the others’ reactions and saw surprise flash across their faces. While Bailish and Arnold didn’t show much visible change in expression, the other three were completely different.
"Is this what I think it is?" Sansa asked with a bright smile, amazent clearly shining in her eyes. "If I’m guessing correctly, you’ve really thought of a good thod."
Before Xiu could start gushing over him like she always did whenever he made sothing new, Aegon stepped forward and decided to explain.
"Ahem! I know you can already guess its functions, but I’ll still explain. This is terrace farming." He gave a brief but clear explanation of terrace farming and then added, "The soil here is very good, and the water source is close by."
He walked toward the first wheel and said, "As I promised, the problem of water can be solved in three ways. The first is fairly simple and only needs soone to be a Knight to do it."
He demonstrated the first thod, which involved spinning the turning wheel manually, and could tell from their mild expressions that the audience was impressed but not astonished. He understood why.
After filling a small portion of the stone basin, he stepped aside with a confident smile. "It’s simple, and I’m sure many farrs can afford this. But even if they can’t, we have other thods."
He then moved toward the middle wheel, and this ti the audience’s surprise was much more obvious, they were beginning to grasp its purpose.
"Yup, it’s exactly what you’ve guessed," Aegon smiled. "It’s an old thod, but I modified it slightly so that it works perfectly for irrigation. Miguel! Show them!"
A shadow rose near the sweep arm and raised his hand, but one sharp glare from Aegon was enough to remind him of sothing. This ti, he lightly slapped the arm.
As the wheel spun along with the arm, water once again poured into the stone basin. The rope ran faster than ever, and if Aegon hadn’t chosen a sturdy material, it might have snapped in half under the strain.
"So, what do you think? Can the farrs afford these thods?" he asked, his smile clearly seeking their approval and praise.
"Easily," Arnold was the first to answer, his gaze fixed on Aegon rather than the wheels. His eyes held quiet pride and admiration.
Xiu clasped her hands over her chest and smiled warmly. "That’s my Little Sun. Even if they can’t afford it, I’ll make sure they can. Your invention won’t go to waste."
"Umm, it’s fine. You don’t need to go that far," Aegon sighed helplessly. ’They care more about the fact that I created all this instead of the invention itself. What a weird family I have.’
"Why didn’t I think of this?" Bailish muttered to himself, his voice filled with awe. "It’s a brilliant idea, Aegon. With this, we can solve our biggest problem, and I can finally focus my efforts on the main issue of the river. Our economy also wouldn’t suffer too much."
His breathing grew heavier with excitent as the King of Moonrise Kingdom smiled brightly. "Everyone can afford this. And even if they can’t, I’ll handle the costs myself. This will give us more farmlands than ever, aning higher yields once everything stabilizes."
His eyes practically sparkled at the thought, already envisioning the potential of these terrace farms, especially since the Moon River was like the pulsating vein of the Moonrise Kingdom, spread across every region.
Xavier slipped past his father and, grinning from ear to ear, slapped Aegon’s back with his usual cheeky energy. "I knew you’d find a way out, but this is just too amazing! It won’t just solve our current problem, it’ll help us for generations."
All of them were genuinely amazed by his ingenuity. He had learned about the issue just a day ago and already produced such a perfect solution while they had been struggling with it for over a year.
"I told you I’d show you what kind of support you’ll get from when you beco King," Aegon said with a subtle smile reserved for his closest friends. "Just don’t expect to call you His Majesty or sothing. I can’t even imagine doing that."
Xavier blinked in surprise as the mory of Aegon’s words from yesterday surfaced in his mind. A wide smile spread across his face as tears ford in the corners of his eyes.
He wanted to hug him... he really did..
but ended up smacking his back again and laughing instead. "I feel like I’ll die if you ever do that. It’s just too unbelievable. Also, stop making emotional!"
"Stop being a crybaby," Aegon rolled his eyes. "You’re not Luna, she looks beautiful even when crying. You, on the other hand, look like an ugly toad. Actually, be careful, if you keep that face, birds might think it’s a shitland and drop their crap on you."
All the warmth and emotion Xavier had been feeling instantly vanished, replaced by the overwhelming urge to punch him. But with his father standing there, he could only grit his teeth and look away in frustration.
"That’s enough. It’s not like he said anything wrong," Bailish said dryly, waving his hand at his son before turning toward Aegon. "You ntioned three thods, and I have a feeling you’ve saved the best one for last. So tell . What is it?"
He was familiar with Aegon since he had seen many of his inventions, so he was quite excited for what he made for the third thod.
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