Gale was being precise with his plans. Before learning more about his family, he first needed to gain strength.
The only way to win the game was to have power, and the only reason he fought to obtain it was because he disliked being a mere spectator.
At the very least, in this world he had the chance to win everything. The game was in his hands, and by God, he would win. That was why he had come to this world, and he would not be an ignorant man who stayed away from trouble.
Gale did not bow his head to anyone. He would not hide while being fully aware that people were starving to death.
Without a doubt, he would win…
Gale, hiding the sharp gleam in his eyes behind a face smeared with dirt, smiled as he saw that everything was finally taking shape.
…
Before heading to the frontier for the promotion, Hennes tidied himself up a bit, took a cold shower, and shaved at Elion's house, which he shared with the golden trio.
After putting on his uniform, he finally looked like a soldier.
The four of them followed Hennes, visiting every house and asking everyone to gather by the riverbank the next morning to announce something important.
The laborers who had worked together on the water wheel saw Hennes and knew that the wheel was about to be inaugurated. They were overjoyed and shook his hand.
Meanwhile, the true mastermind stood silently behind them, watching as hope began to grow among the people of this camp.
…
The next morning, most of the residents arrived at the riverbank and saw the wooden wheel turning.
"This new agricultural tool is called a water wheel!" Hennes exclaimed, recalling the script Elion had prepared for him. Standing on a wooden bench, he looked at everyone and shouted, "With this, we can irrigate the fields day and night!"
"Although it's difficult to cultivate land in new areas, I hope everyone regains their confidence! This year's harvest will be abundant!"
A commotion broke out below as the residents began discussing the matter.
"It's the first time I've seen an agricultural tool like this… Does it seem to rotate using the flow of water?"
"Amazing! This way the seeds in the fields will sprout quickly!"
"It looks like from now on we'll be able to have water here. This is really impressive…"
Hennes cleared his throat and clapped loudly. "Alright! Alright! Everyone, quiet!"
Several workers brought over tables and chairs. Gale and a few other literate people sat down, holding paper and pens in their hands.
Hennes explained to the residents, "This water wheel is for public use. Although it doesn't look very large, it can irrigate a considerable area of farmland. If anyone wants to cultivate land around here, come and register."
"After counting everyone, we'll distribute land usage rights fairly. The water wheel can irrigate everyone's fields!"
Upon hearing Hennes's words, everyone rushed forward.
"I want a piece of land!"
"I want one too! I want one too!"
"Line up, line up!" Hennes shouted at the workers and soldiers, asking them to help maintain order.
Following Gale's advice, he asked some of his soldier friends for help, and they managed to get the residents to form a long line.
The registration process lasted the entire morning, and the list contained many names.
Thanks to preferential policies for refugees, the government did not levy taxes on the grain produced during the first year.
Farmers received the full amount of grain produced in their fields, so everyone who was able to cultivate land was extremely enthusiastic.
In the afternoon, under the organization of Gale and others, they divided the land along the river equally among the residents, with each person receiving approximately one and a half acres of land.
The next day, they returned again, gathered the registered residents, led them to the riverbank, and designated the location of each plot.
Any opinions or conflicts were resolved on the spot to avoid greater problems in the future. In two days, they successfully completed the land division.
Oxen were brought in to cultivate the new farmland, and water from the river flowed into the square fields along the irrigation ditches.
Everywhere, figures could be seen working diligently. With the water wheel, the refugees' enthusiasm was also ignited.
They dug up seeds from areas farther away from the riverbank and transplanted them into the new fields.
The new fields gradually took shape, but Gale wanted to do more than simply turn this frontier land into an abundant harvest.
Only five hundred people lived in this place.
Last month, at least several thousand, or even tens of thousands, of refugees arrived at Wall Rose from Wall Maria.
Gale wanted to ensure that these people would have enough to eat by autumn, and to do that, he had to promote the water wheel in all the settlements.
This was not very difficult, as the government and the nobles had little energy to manage the massive influx of residents. Their management of the settlements basically consisted of letting them fend for themselves.
If the refugees rioted over food, they would be mysteriously thrown to the Titans; that was what the government did in the original history.
Aside from sending a few soldiers to keep watch, the frontier areas were almost completely autonomous, and the promotion of water wheels encountered no pressure from administrators.
Gale took advantage of this opportunity to have Hennes help promote the water wheel.
Thus, he gathered the people who had previously worked together on the water wheel and formed a water wheel construction team for other camps.
May was already approaching, and time was pressing.
After Gale explained the implications to Hennes, Hennes sought the help of some of his soldier friends, most of whom were garrison soldiers who had escaped from Shiganshina.
These soldiers had their own network of connections.
Soldiers within the walls received semiannual training. Soldiers from each training period generally knew one another.
The top ten could go to the capital to join the Central Military Police Corps, while the rest voluntarily joined the Survey Corps or the Garrison Corps.
After graduating from the military academy, soldiers were assigned to different villages and fortresses, but they never forgot the time they spent training together. Therefore, at least one or two soldiers from each settlement knew one another.
Things became very simple, and with Hennes's introduction, Gale led a construction team to various frontier sites to promote water wheels.
He personally taught local carpenters how to draw the blueprints and build a water wheel. While teaching them, he specifically mentioned Hennes's name, saying that it was an agricultural tool he had designed so that everyone would have enough to eat.
Then it went from one to two, from two to four, from four to eight…
The blueprints of the water wheel spread like dandelion seeds carried by the wind across all the frontier lands.
In just half a month, this product spread to all frontier areas, and the name Hennes earned a place among the refugees.
When refugees talked about the water wheel, they thanked Lord Hennes.
Even the soldiers in the frontier areas began to see him differently, and his reputation soared rapidly—exactly what Gale wanted to see.
On this sunny day in mid-May, the sun shone brightly.
Gale stood beside the water wheel, listening to the gurgling sound of flowing water. The water flowed through the excavated channels toward the farmland, and all the crops sprouted, creating a flourishing landscape.
In addition to the water wheel, he also used Hennes's name to promote the use of human fertilizer. Refugees rebuilding their villages no longer worried about the traditional belief that human fertilizer was impure.
In order to have a good harvest this year, the refugees did everything they could to increase production.
"Eren, Mikasa, look!" Armin pointed at the rice paddies in front of them. "I can't believe we created all of this! We did it!"
"We'll live on this land of hope!"
"No… this isn't something we accomplished…" Eren shook his head, watching the figure of Gale as he walked away.
The three stared intently at that figure, watching his long hair sway in the wind, his deep green eyes calm and unshakable.
Armin immediately realized that Gale had controlled everything from the very beginning. Suddenly, he felt that one day Gale would do something extraordinary—perhaps… change the world…