Nexha sat on the platform, swinging his tail in the water and watching the rice plants he had planted some time ago. A sigh escaped him involuntarily. He was still grounded.
No hunting, no forging… even the Kingslayer was with Krahs.
He frowned.
— What do I do now...?
For a moment, he considered using the leftover clay from building the furnace to make pots. Maybe he could mold some storage pieces... But the memory of Krahs' firm voice quickly made him discard the idea.
"No using the furnace for anything other than food."
He huffed, throwing himself backward and staring at the sky.
— This sucks...
The wind blew softly, making the rice plants sway. A stray leaf floated directly onto his face. Nexha blinked and slowly pulled it away.
Watching that small leaf carried by the wind, a new idea struck him.
— What if I built a windmill?!
He jumped to his feet.
If he built a windmill, he could grind the rice into flour! And with it, he could cook something different, something tastier! He loved fish, but eating the same thing over and over sometimes made him sick of it.
If he ground the rice, maybe he could mix it with other ingredients... make more nutritious soups...
His tail swayed excitedly at the thought.
— I’m a genius!
Without wasting time, he began swimming around the platform, mentally planning the structure. He would need bamboo for the base, some heavy stones to stabilize it, and he’d have to come up with a system that used the wind to turn the blades...
While lost in thought, he felt eyes on him.
He turned and came face to face with Krahs, who was watching him with arms crossed.
Nexha’s enthusiasm shrank a little.
— What are you up to now? — Krahs asked, his tone slightly suspicious.
Nexha hesitated for a moment but quickly puffed out his chest.
— A windmill! To grind rice!
Krahs raised an eyebrow, evaluating his son.
— Hm...
For a moment, silence stretched between them.
Then, unexpectedly, Krahs let out a small smile.
— Try not to get into trouble while doing it.
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— I’ll try… just a little.
Krahs sighed, but his expression was more relaxed.
— If you need help with the structure, ask Lilay. But don’t overdo it. You’re still grounded.
— Yes, sir...
Nexha muttered, but inside, he was excited.
As soon as Krahs left, he went back to dreaming about his windmill, its uses, and even how he could create different foods! Cakes? Bread? He didn’t know exactly what he could make, but the idea of experimenting already thrilled him.
— Okay, I need stones to grind the rice. But I also need an axle...
His excitement grew, but he soon hit a wall. Where would he find stones strong enough? The kelp forest had bamboo, but he needed something lightweight for the blades.
— Tsk... I guess I’ll check the store.
Nexha opened his interface. The store had always been there, available, but he avoided using it because he didn’t want to spend his precious money.
((Store)/) ((MD: 4,800)/)
Welcome to the store, user! Here you can buy whatever you need for your world conquest. Stop whining (?^-^?)
- Food/ Medicine - Slaves
- Skills - Magic Items
- Miners - Animals/ Pets
- Plant Materials - Accessories
- Clothes/ Armor - Technology
Scrolling through the material list, he found exactly what he needed: a set of basalt stones, which he would have to carve into the right shape.
The price wasn’t outrageous, but it still made his stingy heart ache.
— Better not think too much about it...
He confirmed the purchase. An instant later, the stones were there beside him, as if they had always been part of the environment.
Nexha grinned.
— Now we’re talking! Time to build!
He examined the newly acquired stones with a critical eye. They were heavy and durable, exactly what he needed to grind the rice, but they still didn’t have the right shape.
He began carving the top stone to make it more rounded and added some grooves, like a giant gear, to connect it to other parts.
Above the stones, he built a pyramid-shaped structure to support the spinning components.
He wanted to build a vertical windmill, like the ones he used to make in a blocky game with his friends. That way, he wouldn’t need a very tall tower. He chose this model because he knew he couldn’t build something large enough.
But now came the hard part: turning this idea into something functional.
He looked at the moray-kelp bamboo around him. They’d be great for the structure... but the blades... those seemed to be the hardest part.
— Hm... this is going to be trickier than I thought... — he murmured, scratching his head.
Taking a deep breath, he started with the base. He cut bamboo into equal sizes, creating a sturdy support for the stones. He worked patiently, tying each part together with seaweed strips to reinforce the structure.
He bent the bamboo with his hands, and with some effort, managed to assemble something that looked... relatively stable.
— This won’t fall... I think.
Now, the blades.
He tried cutting thin strips of bamboo and attaching them to a makeshift wheel. But as soon as he tried to spin it, the whole thing collapsed.
— Oh, great... I miss Nalu and the “unbreakable” things she makes.
Frustrated, he tried again, this time using larger pieces and curving them to improve durability. But the wind barely moved them.
— How do people make these things work?!
After a few more failed attempts, he realized he needed a thinner material, something that could catch the wind better. He started shaving down the bamboo until it was lighter. It was a time-consuming process, and by the end, his hands were covered in splinters.
Finally, after much effort, he managed to build something that at least spun when the wind hit it.
He smiled, satisfied, watching the blades slowly turn.
He made a stone gear with a hole in the center and connected it to the windmill’s axle. As soon as he fitted a second gear between the mill and the stone, as if by magic, the millstone started to rotate.
— Yes! It worked!
The next step was to test the stones. He grabbed a handful of lucky crab shells and watched as the mill turned.
A rough grinding sound echoed as the shells were crushed.
Nexha paused and grinned widely at the result: a fine red powder.
He couldn’t hold back a maniacal laugh from how happy he was.
— Muahahaha! No more sore hands grinding these crabs!
He stood up and dusted off his hands, admiring his creation. Now, he just needed the rice plants to mature so he could test everything at full power.
He was so excited about his new achievement that he didn’t even realize it was already night.
The old shark’s stare made Nexha freeze.
— Time to sleep. Stop laughing hysterically.
Nexha shrank back, fearing yet another punishment.