Starting Today I'll Work As A City Lord

By the time Lucas arrived at the hall, half an hour had passed. He had a bun in his mouth, and behind him followed Annie, her face slightly flushed.

"I say, Annie, what are you thinking about? You've zoned out twice already," Lucas asked in confusion, stopping in his tracks and turning to look at the fox-eared girl who had her head lowered. As soon as he slowed down, she bumped into him again.

"N-nothing!" Annie hurriedly shook her head, her tone a bit unnatural. "I probably just didn't sleep well last night."

"Is that so?" Lucas raised an eyebrow but didn't press further.

"Yes!" Annie's brown eyes seemed a bit distracted. She couldn't possibly admit that she was still thinking about the "experience" she had forced Mina to share with her, right? That would be way too embarrassing.

Lucas shook his head and stepped into the hall. There, he saw Max nervously sitting, his eyes fixed intently on the snacks in the ceramic plate on the table, not even blinking.

"Ahem..." Lucas cleared his throat lightly and took his seat at the head of the table.

"Huh? City Lord!" Max jolted in surprise, immediately standing up and bowing.

"Sit," Lucas smiled lightly, motioning for Max to sit down, and asked calmly, "Is there something urgent?"

"City Lord, because of the snowfall, some of the laborers have time off, and they..." Max scratched his cheek, a bit embarrassed to continue.

"They have too much energy and started causing trouble?" Lucas immediately guessed what was happening.

"Yes, there have already been seven or eight fights, all over small, trivial matters," Max said, a little frustrated. Those rough men even started fighting over who passed gas in the dormitory—it almost drove him mad with anger.

"Where are they now?" Lucas asked curiously.

"Uh..." Max hesitated before finally confessing, "I punished them by making them run laps around Sedona City. Since they have so much energy for fighting, let them burn it off running."

"Hahaha!" Lucas laughed heartily, nodding in approval. "Exactly, that should clear their heads a bit."

During snowy weather, many outdoor labor tasks can't be carried out. When constructing buildings, you need cement, but in this cold, it would freeze solid in less than an hour. Without cement, much of the work comes to a halt. Digging channels is one option, but not many workers are needed for that, and sending people out to work in the snow would be dangerous—they could freeze to death.

Those working in workshops, like weaving cloth, don't have this problem. But for those with nothing to do, they tend to get restless and irritable. So, small disputes easily turn into fistfights, which is understandable but unfortunate.

Ultimately, it's due to the lack of widespread education. If there were more ways to pass the time, Lucas could introduce them—like giving them a thick book to read, such as 'Journey to the West.'

"Hu..." Max let out a sigh of relief, glad that the City Master hadn't scolded him for taking it upon himself to punish the men.

"Alright, I'll come up with a solution. You go back to your work." Lucas said with a light smile.

"Yes, city lord." Max quickly stood up, saluting before leaving. But before he did, he couldn't help sneaking another glance at the pastries on the table.

"If you want them, just take some with you." Lucas said softly, then turned to instruct the maid to prepare a paper box, adding a few more buns for good measure.

"Thank you for your generosity, City Lord." Max replied, beaming as he carefully held the box. He could already imagine the excitement on his grandson's face when he saw the treats.

"Off you go." Lucas nodded.

Max happily left, stepping into the snowfall with an oil-paper umbrella, disappearing into the flurry of white. He was truly someone who cared about improving Sedona City, always rushing to the forefront whenever a problem arose.

"Young Master, what do you plan to do? A few days would be fine, but this will go on for several months." Annie asked with some concern.

"Let me think!" Lucas rested his chin on his hand, frowning in deep thought. He needed a way to keep this group of people in check, with the main goal being to help them pass the time.

As Lucas sifted through ideas for winter activities in his mind, a few possibilities finally stood out.

"Let's go, come with me to make something." Lucas said as he got up and headed outside, with Annie quickly following behind.

The two of them boarded a carriage, escorted by the War Wolf Squad, and went straight to the Research Department. After getting inside with ease, they gathered a carpenter, a weaver, and others.

"Today, I need to make something—a pair of gloves, soft ones, so that when you hit someone, at most it will cause minor injuries..." Lucas explained the requirements for boxing gloves, like the ones used on Earth. He also emphasized the importance of making mouthguards, which a carpenter was able to solve using a material from this world.

It turned out there was a type of tree called softwood, which was very flexible and soft. The wood could be bent at a 90-degree angle once dried, as long as it wasn't cut with swords or tools.

"Great, make me 300 of these, shaped to fit a full set of teeth." Lucas instructed immediately.

"Yes, sir!"

"Wait, also make me 100 sticks shaped like this." Lucas said, drawing a sketch of a hockey stick on a piece of paper.

"Got it, we can complete this quickly," The carpenter replied confidently. Both items were fairly simple to make than the other items the city lord had ordered before.

"I'll also need 100 round discs made from softwood." Lucas added, drawing a puck for ice hockey.

"Understood!" The carpenter left to begin the work.

Lucas turned to the blacksmith and the shoemaker, calling them over. Holding a piece of paper, he began sketching and explaining the method for making ice skates.

"Make sure the connection between the shoe and the blade is solid. I don't want it falling off after just a few glides." Lucas emphasized.

"Understood." The two replied quickly.

"Good, go and get started on a prototype." Lucas waved them off.

Next, he gave instructions for making shin guards, thick protective clothing, helmets, and gloves. He ensured that every piece of gear was being worked on.

Lucas's plan involved organizing two sports: a boxing tournament and an ice hockey match. The first would serve as an outlet for people with grudges, allowing them to settle their differences. The second would help everyone burn off energy in a more recreational way. He intended to throw in some special rewards to entice participation—there was no way people wouldn't join in the fun.

If it weren't for the limitations of available space, Lucas would have considered hosting a full Winter Olympics, with skiing, skating, and more. But for now, these activities should keep the restless laborers occupied.

And if anyone wasn't interested in these lively events, Lucas had other plans in store to keep them entertained.

It was now time to improve the layout of the city and improve its wall. Lucas had planned a map for the city layout. The most important part about the layout of the city was the drainage system. He had taken help from various civilizations for planning the draining system like Harappan civilization. Harappan civilization drainage system works to this day, so Lucas chose Harappan design for the drainage system and it won't require any cement. Lucas had already ordered Mark to continue to make bricks as they would play an important role.

Lucas had ordered Henry to focus on increasing the city area. As the more developed Sedona City becomes, it would attract more attention from people from the surrounding area so it is necessary to increase the city's living area. The dock's work was half done by now as the winter is here and if you are drenched by falling into the river, you might die from the cold. Lucas simply smiled as he sighed and turned around.

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