Be a lord in the world of Indian mythology

Chapter 86: Courtesy first, then attack

This temple has a real connection with Vijay; I've lost count of how many times I've seen it on various occasions.

According to Bim, the temple already looked like this in his father's time!

It's just unclear why this small temple, which has some history, was abandoned.

In the courtyard, the branches and leaves of the Sal tree were swayed by the autumn wind, and the fine fallen leaves slowly landed on the bluestone ground.

Kara was summoned here, and stood bowing before Vijay, carefully listening to the various investigation requirements.

Although I was somewhat wary of this servant with a loyalty rating of 50, he hadn't shown any weakness even after being back in Mittal Village for so long, which made him a rare talent.

Moreover, he is quite competent at running errands!

While pondering, Vijay sat upright on the wooden stool, his fingertips lightly tapping the table: "May Shiva bless you, Kara. Select a few servants, disguise them as small merchants buying mountain goods, and quietly sneak into the vicinity of Titi Village. Be natural, and don't rashly arouse their suspicion."

"There are three things I need you to understand before we go to Titi Village!"

Vijay held up three fingers: "First, the origin of Titi Village: was it formed by the spontaneous gathering of early refugees, or was it a settlement established by a Kshatriya lord? What changes has the village undergone to survive to this day? Second, delve into the backing behind the village: what caste and status do the people in power in the village have, and do they have Brahmins or powerful Kshatriyas in Harappa City as their backers? Third, conduct on-site investigations to find out who actually manages the dam, the total registered population of the village, the total area of ​​cultivated land, and the village's main sources of income."

"Record all intelligence in detail and report back word for word! If you succeed, I will reward you handsomely!"

Kara carefully kept every instruction in mind, and was slightly pleased to hear this.

Vijay could see his desire for gold coins.

Kara gladly accepted the order, bowing respectfully: "Brahma above! Master, please rest assured, I will be cautious in my words and actions and thoroughly investigate the truth!"

After receiving the mission, Kara did not hesitate at all. She immediately changed into the clothes of a rough merchant and, with two servants carrying burlap sacks, set off towards the western wilderness where Titi Village was located.

After sending the exploration team away, Vijay no longer waited for news. The issue of the Titi Village dam eventually needed to be addressed and negotiated. However, the hidden water source in the deep mountains marked by the system was equally important. Vijay prepared to personally lead a team into the mountains to conduct on-site exploration and find out the true size of the water source and the difficulty of its development.

Vijay carefully selected four Shudras from the villagers who claimed to have some knowledge of mountains and forests and finding water, as well as a talent who was proficient in rock and soil identification, mineral vein exploration, and had many years of practical experience in the direction of underground water veins. He also specially summoned the Vaishya craftsman Surya.

Surya's profession was construction, and even if he had no experience in digging and laying canals, the basic principles remained the same, so he should be able to apply them to other situations.

The group prepared plenty of dry wheat cakes, water in leather bags, simple stone pickaxes, and hemp ropes, and set off towards the deep mountains in the northeast before the morning mist had dissipated.

As soon as you step out of the cultivated farmland on the outskirts of the village, the surrounding environment begins to change.

Outside the village, the fields are dry and windy, the soil is parched, and most of the vegetation is withered and yellow. But the deeper you go into the heart of the mountains, the more humid and moist the air becomes.

Towering ancient trees intertwine, their dense canopies blocking out most of the sunlight. Thick layers of humus and fallen leaves cover the ground, soft and substantial underfoot. Various low-lying ferns and wild vines grow freely along the tree roots. The air is filled with the moisture of mountain springs, the fragrance of grass and trees, and the unique warm scent of decaying leaves. Touching a tree trunk with your fingertips will leave a thin layer of moisture on your skin. This contrasts sharply with the dry environment surrounding the village. The air quality alone confirms the system's prediction: the entire forest must contain a substantial underground water system.

The group trudged slowly along the abandoned forest path, the same path Vijay had taken to rescue Rajan. They crossed shallow mountain streams several times along the way. About half an hour later, the ancient stone Naga temple, mostly collapsed, suddenly appeared in the valley.

The last time he came, it was nighttime, and he was busy killing people, so Vijay didn't pay attention to properly observe the temple from the outside!

With the help of the rising sun, Vijay saw a magnificent sight.

The entire temple is built of large blocks of bluestone. Large areas of the outer walls have weathered and peeled away, half of the roof has completely collapsed, and the broken serpentine stone statues are lying askew in the overgrown weeds. The altar is broken and scattered sacrificial pottery shards are buried in the soil. The once prosperous sacrificial site has long been swallowed up by the wilderness and is now in ruins.

Suriya hurried forward, carefully examining the remaining shallow carvings on the stone walls as he circled the ruins. He reached out and stroked the remaining Naga reliefs. After a moment, he turned to Vijay and reported, "Master, this is a small temple dedicated to the Naga. The Naga are minor water deities under Brahma, in charge of mountain springs, hidden streams, and river sources. In the past, several surrounding villages would regularly come to offer sacrifices, praying for favorable weather and abundant water!"

Vijay naturally knew these things as well.

But upon closer reflection, why would the temples of the gods under Brahma's name be destroyed? This is a matter worth considering!

Surya, oblivious to Vijay's suspicion, continued, "The temple is severely damaged, with signs of external force on the walls, suggesting vandalism..."

At this point, Surya sighed, "Brahma above! According to Brahmanical law, damaging a temple of a legitimate deity is a grave offense. I suggest you record this situation and report it when you go to Harappa to offer gifts to the Brahmins."

Vijay nodded in understanding, but deep down he had no desire to get involved in the matter!

This temple has been abandoned here for so long, how can we find the culprit?

Vijay watched silently as Surya used charcoal to record the location of the temple, its damaged appearance, and the names of the deities worshipped there.

Vijay did not stop him, which showed that Surya's worship of the gods was heartfelt.

After a short rest, the group abandoned the side paths and, led by Vijay, continued to search for hidden water sources deep into the valley, strictly following the directions marked by the system.

You have to use the Kanda sword from time to time to clear away the weeds and cut the vines, and you also have to be careful of any unpredictable dangers hidden in the thick layer of fallen leaves under your feet.

The group was not moving very fast.

After crossing two more low, rocky ridges, a majestic cliff made entirely of hard basalt suddenly appeared before us. The cliff face was straight and steep, the rocks were dark in color and dense in texture, and the bottom of the cliff was naturally concave, forming a closed natural pool.

The surface of the pool was calm and the water was clear and bright. Various pebbles and small aquatic plants on the bottom were clearly visible. Several wild freshwater fish, each about the size of a palm, swam freely among the aquatic plants, occasionally wagging their tails and stirring up ripples.

Surya squatted by the pool, scooped up a handful of water to feel its flow, and examined the subtle traces of water entering and leaving the pool's edge. He spoke with certainty, "Shiva, protect me! Master, wild fish live in this pool, and the water is constantly circulating and renewing itself; it's definitely not stagnant water!"

"There must be a water source nearby!"

Vijay certainly knew there was a water source here, but apart from this deep pool, he couldn't seem to see any other trace of water.

Vijay looked around and immediately ordered, "Everyone, spread out and search carefully along both sides of the cliff to find the exact location of the water outlet."

The servants immediately scattered and explored the left and right sides along the foot of the cliff. Vijay walked slowly to the bottom of the main cliff alone, his gaze slowly wandering along the entire basalt wall.

"Master, come and see!" Not long after, the Shudra servant who claimed to be an expert in finding water, but whose skills were completely empty, was the first to make a gain, and he shouted excitedly.

Vijay immediately noticed something amiss. In the middle of the massive rock face, he discovered patches of fine, damp water. Countless tiny water droplets were slowly seeping outwards from the cracks in the rock, and the trickling streams gathered and rolled down the cliff face, continuously flowing into the pool below.

It seems the water source the system indicated is right behind this big rock!

The group gathered, but a thorny problem was also presented to them.

The first major challenge lies in the excavation and construction. Basalt is dense, hard, and extremely resistant to weathering. With the existing stone tools, it is not only difficult to excavate, but also impossible to calculate the thickness of the rock wall and estimate the manpower and time required to excavate and divert water.

The second challenge was long-distance water transport. To bring water from the underground river deep in the mountains to the contiguous farmland of Mital Village, it was necessary to excavate dozens of miles of artificial main irrigation canals along the way. The mountain roads were rugged and crisscrossed with ravines. It was necessary to build roads through mountains and construct canals across valleys. The entire process required a massive amount of labor, building materials, and food supplies, and it was by no means something that could be completed in a short period of time.

The group sat around the pool, repeatedly discussing the mountain's contours and the planned waterway route, marking all the difficulties on animal hide drawings. Only when the setting sun dipped below the forest and the sky was tinged with orange-red sunset clouds did the group pack up and set off on their return journey.

As soon as the group stepped into the village gate, they saw the fat slave trader being welcomed into the main hall of the courtyard by the chief steward, Bim, and the two were chatting in the corridor.

The merchant, as promised, had come specifically to deliver the message. Upon seeing Vijaya's return, he quickly stepped forward, bowed deeply, and his face was filled with the benevolent smile characteristic of a businessman: "Shiva bless you! Venerable Mithril Vijaya! I have brought you good news!"

Vijay understood his thoughts perfectly, but it was indeed good news for him!

We're really short-staffed!

"The previously agreed-upon five thousand Dalits have been gathered separately from various city-states. To avoid risks, I have specifically split the team and will transport them in stages through three different towns over ten days!"

"I guarantee that all teams will arrive safely within 10 days! At least 5000 Dalits will be delivered to you!"

He sighed and said, "The world is not peaceful these days. It has been difficult to gather a large number of slaves from multiple places. It has taken a lot of my connections to manage various forces. It has really taken a lot of effort to get this group of people together on time!"

Vijay wasn't surprised by the slave trader's boasting, but he was surprised by the man's tone, which suggested that there were at least 5000 Dalits.

I initially thought there might have been personnel losses during the long-distance transport, but this guy's steady and thorough work is truly surprising.

As expected, snakes have their own ways; these professional traffickers are not to be underestimated!

This is someone you can build long-term relationships with!

After silently calculating, Vijay decided to solidify the long-term cooperative relationship and facilitate the continuous acquisition of various skilled slaves.

Vijay took out a heavy bag of gold coins from the side and tossed it into the merchant's hands as a partial reward, saying, "This is an extra bonus!"

"Shiva bless us! The master is truly generous!" The slave owner was overjoyed to receive such an unexpected reward, repeatedly bowing and saying, "With the master so magnanimous, I should not fall behind!"

A mysterious smile appeared on his lips as he said, "Next time I visit Mittal Village, I will return the favor!"

"No need to be so polite!" Vijay waved his hand to decline the merchant's offer, and then took the opportunity to launch a new round of procurement plans: "You don't need to accept the gift. I still need a large number of people. Please continue to search around. I am willing to pay a lot of money to buy any Vaishya or Shudra slaves who have practical skills such as carpentry, iron smelting, farming, bookkeeping, and construction, regardless of the price."

Upon hearing that there were still large orders, the merchant's face lit up with even greater joy. He repeatedly patted his chest and promised to do his utmost to recruit talent before happily taking his leave.

The ten-day period arrived as scheduled, and a large number of new Dalit slaves indeed arrived on time at the open space outside the village.

The situation of this batch of new recruits is far worse than that of the batch that Roshman had previously handled and sent.

The long journey, the harsh escort, and the torment of lacking food and clothing brought everyone to the brink of despair. The vast majority of them had no clothes to cover their bodies, walked barefoot for hundreds of miles, their soles covered with cracks and scabs, and many were barely breathing and on the verge of death. The scene was desolate and miserable.

Vijay immediately summoned Dalit's chief steward, Shuhu, and entrusted him with the full task of reorganizing, grouping, and selecting infrastructure workers.

Shu Hu had long ago selected a group of reliable old Dalit foremen from past work, as well as new backbone members who stood out and worked diligently during recent land reclamation and repair work.

Vijay personally instructed on the details: "Adopt a mixed grouping model of experienced and new recruits, with experienced foremen paired with capable newcomers. Each foreman will be responsible for no fewer than five hundred new Dalits, who will be assigned to different Dalit settlements and provided with meals, lodging, and daily work. In addition, one thousand strong and capable young men will be rigorously selected from the entire batch of new slaves to form a separate group, reserved for later deployment to the deep mountains of the northeast to participate in the construction of the main irrigation canal."

Shu Hu naturally nodded in agreement, and then diligently began to work.

After explaining the personnel organization, Vijay returned to his study and spread out a full hand-drawn map of the territory. Based on his observations from the field exploration in the mountains, he made the decisive decision on the route of the entire canal.

Starting from the water source point on Naga Mountain Cliff, the pen tip meanders along the fertile farmland marked by the system, passing through all the planned and reclaimed tens of thousands of acres of cultivated land, bypassing barren wastelands and rocky gullies, and finally the line merges into the original natural main river channel of the village.

This irrigation canal is a long-term solution to the problem of irrigation across the entire region. The project of opening up mountains and digging canals is massive and usually takes several years. Wei Jie is well aware that distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. Before the large irrigation canal is completed, the short-term water diversion of the Titi Village dam must be resolved first to ensure emergency water supply for the newly cultivated land this year.

Recalling my previous experiences traveling back and forth to Harappa, visiting various markets and noble residences, I had never heard of the village of Titti.

It shouldn't be a difficult place to deal with!

But I'm still a kind person, and for the sake of harmony with my neighbors, I have to be a little more mindful of my image...

Let's try diplomacy first, then resort to force!