Figuring out how to tackle the main city's renovations was much more difficult than the various side projects Ash was in charge of. The city didn't even have dirt roads to base the stone brick roads' path on, but it wasn't like homes could be removed to make things more organized either. Instead, Ash had to devote a lot more time and planning to creating a system that worked for Red Wood City itself instead of copying what Iris had done in their own city.
As it was easier to fix dirt roads, the area had to be dug up and a path laid out first and foremost. This showed that having roads that curved and took less intuitive paths ended up being the most suitable. Many of the homes also had to be left disconnected from the roads with only small dirt paths being created for them, if anything at all. That choice was left up to the individuals living in the homes. Instead, the roads were concentrated around business areas, the palace, and led up to the entrance of the city where it connected to the trade route road Iris had built the previous year.
This took several weeks to sort out, but Ash only had to oversee the initial dirt road building and the first day of the stone brick laying. The stone bricks had to be reshaped to fit the curves of the road instead of maintaining their initial rectangular shape, which was far too straight. This was a slow-going process that Ash had to oversee, but, once he was confident the adventurers knew what they were doing, he quickly moved on to other tasks.
One of the things Viola wanted when they made the contract with Iris was for the males to be taught how to cook and work in the workshops. Anything that their city could recreate, she wanted to have. Ash wasn't so sure this was a great thing for Iris in the long-term and, now that he was her mate, it bothered him more than it had before. However, nothing could really be done about it now.
Instead, Ash had to figure out how to best create a space for cooking without it becoming a fire hazard. Since the buildings in Red Wood City were all created from wood, that made it quite dangerous to even have fire in the city. Renovating the homes in order to put hearths or kangs in them was really not ideal. Even if it could help prevent some of the people from freezing to death in the cold season, the danger that fire presented far outweighed the benefits. Even his mother and sister couldn't convince his father to renovate the palace in such a way.
Instead, the solution that Ash had decided upon was to make new buildings meant for cooking. Water and ice elementals would have to be on duty throughout the day to ensure the fire could be put out at a moment's notice and only those with cooking and fire safety knowledge would be allowed to use the building. This would create a unique position for those who had spent time in Blue Springs City, which was good for them, but it would also create some animosity amongst the others living in the city.
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A large building was created in the business area with several hearths and a dining area. It resembled the restaurants in Blue Springs City, but was slightly less luxurious due to the limited time and resources used when building. Ash didn't care if the seating was the most comfortable or about things like potted plants for added scenery. He didn't even want to be here, so he stuck to the basics, only doing what was necessary to make the space usable. If it wasn't good enough, then someone else could go back through and make further renovations after he left. He certainly didn't care what anyone did with the space after he left.
A smaller-scale kitchen space was built from stone bricks outside of the palace. This one was meant for the royal family. They could either accept new mates or hire males to cook for them on a daily basis. They could even afford to buy specialty products like vinegar or honey from Blue Springs City so that they could cook top-notch meals. Ash smiled in amusement, imagining just how happy his sister would be about no longer having to miss out on the delicious food she had only had during the festivals in Blue Springs City up until now. He was sure his sister would want to steal away the best cooks amongst the group he had returned with for herself just for this reason.
As Viola was quite popular among the males in Red Wood City, this was bound to create quite a bit of envy amongst the other single males in the city. She was always trying to collect especially talented and strong males. Anyone who wasn't exceptional had no hope of garnering her attention. Her popularity wasn't just because of her being a princess and a complete female either. She was considered especially beautiful and to have a rather good personality, even amongst the other females in their city. Eventually, her impressive males also added to her value, making other males want to live amongst such an impressive group.
Of course, there was a complicated level of politics related to being the only princess in a city as well. Neither she nor her mates were likely to ever end up as the rulers of the city. However, Viola would always be cherished and treated well since she was a symbol of hope for the city. She would end up living much as a crown prince would for her entire life. As a result, her mates would earn the respect of others thanks to their association with the princess. They could get priority for the better-paying jobs, live in the palace, and even get priority from the Golden Tradesmen whenever new goods came in. Essentially, they could enjoy all of the perks of being part of the ruling family without most of the problems that came with it.
There were a few other smaller projects that Ash had to work on as well, which meant that he was kept busy the entire time he was there. Even when he wasn't monitoring the work being done or waiting for his plans to be approved, he had to write up instructions for after he left or draw up plans for future projects that his brother could consider pursuing after he left. It was annoying and led to Ash falling back into his old habits as everyone was forced to deal with his bad attitude.