After lunch, Erik headed towards the lake's edge, where the land had more or less begun to be transformed into the water park. The area was a hive of activity, with men and women from the village bustling around, carrying buckets of water and hauling materials. The sight brought a smile to his face. They had come so far from the initial skepticism.

"Burger King!" One of the supervising villagers called out to Erik as he approached the bustling construction site. Erik made a face at the name.

"Er, just Erik is fine," he called back, trying to shake off the ridiculous title. He approached the foreman, a burly man with a hearty laugh and a sweat-soaked bandana. "How's it looking?"

"Well, we've got the land paved for now. The water channels are almost done, and we're just waiting on the concrete to set," the foreman said, wiping his brow with a calloused hand. "Should be ready for the grand opening in a few weeks, as long as we don't run into any problems."

"Couple of weeks? Agh, is there no way to speed up construction?" Erik griped to himself. The foreman, Ricteronu, or so Erik thought, grimaced.

"Aside from these strange tools you've provided us with, the only issue with speeding up the process is the fact that most of the material has to be moved around," Ricteronu explained, gesturing to the pallets of cement and wooden planks. "But we're doing our best, Erik."

"So, you're saying that the only reason this isn't getting anywhere faster is due to restrictions on manpower and material transport?" Erik mused, his eyes scanning the area. He tapped his foot against the ground, thinking hard. Then he slapped his forehead.

"Of course!" Erik berated himself for taking so long to realize it. "Why didn't I do this from the very beginning?"

He cracked open his journal, using his magic pen to sketch out what looked like a giant machine. Tapping his pen on the sketch, a silver light emitted from the journal, and before their eyes, a contraption grew from the ground. It was a monstrous beast of metal and gears, with a flatbed at the back and a giant arm at the front that looked like it could lift a house.

"By the gods!" Ricteronu bellowed out in surprise. The villagers stopped their work, staring in awe at the contraption that had materialized before them. Erik fell face-first toward the ground, the first time in a while a conjuration had sapped so much of his strength in one go.

"What is that?" Ricteronu breathed, his eyes wide with wonder.

"It's a very handy machine called a 'crane'. The first of many machines I plan to conjure to this world," Erik's voice was muffled by the dirt. He pushed himself off the ground, dusting himself off. "With this, we can speed up construction significantly."

The villagers stared in amazement as Erik clumsy climbed into the crane's cabin, and with a few unfamiliar motions, the arm began to rise. The machine's engine roared to life, and he swung the arm around with surprising ease.

Erik cackled maniacally as he manipulated the crane's arm, feeling a newfound power surge through him despite the initial exhaustion. The villagers watched in shock as he moved heavy materials with ease, the crane's metal arm obeying his every command.

"This is going to revolutionize everything!" he exclaimed to Ricteronu. "Just wait until I bring in the bulldozers and excavators. We'll have this park built in no time!"

The foreman stared at him, utterly bewildered. "What are... bulldozers and cranes?"

"They're... machines from my world," Erik already gave up trying to explain the modern construction equipment. "But for now, this will do."

Richteronu nodded, still looking at the crane with a mix of awe and skepticism. "Your world truly is a marvel," he said, his eyes following the crane as it effortlessly lifted a massive log into place.

"Yeah, well, people from my world would say the same about yours," Erik muttered under his breath. He turned to the foreman. "Alright, so with the crane handling the heavy lifting, we can speed up the construction significantly."

"Indeed," Ricteronu said, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "This will be a boon to our progress."

The workers watched the crane in action, whispering among themselves as they returned to their tasks with renewed vigor. The villagers had grown accustomed to Erik's peculiarities, but this was something else entirely. It was as if he had conjured a giant metal bird from the sky to do their bidding.

Erik hopped out, gathering a group of willing villagers to explain how to use the crane. Within minutes, they had it moving materials faster than anyone could have imagined. The sight of the crane gracefully soaring through the air, lifting heavy wooden beams and sliding them into place, brought amazement and excitement to the villagers.

"This is incredible!" exclaimed a young worker, his eyes shining with excitement as he watched the crane in action. "I never knew such power could be harnessed!"

With a twisted grin, Erik glanced over his other designs for construction machinery. The crane was just the start. "Now, let's see..." He murmured to himself, flipping through pages of scribbled drawings. "Ah, yes. A cement mixer."

While he wasn't quite sure if he could pull off another large summon like the crane so soon, Erik didn't mind waiting until his stamina was restored. In the meantime, he had more than enough to keep himself busy. He turned his attention to the next challenge: plumbing. The water park would need to be hooked up to the preexisting water system Erik and the villagers had built before, but that wasn't too difficult.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Erik summoned a couple of metal pipes and a set of fittings, explaining to Ricteronu and the villagers the concept of modern plumbing. They listened with rapt attention, nodding along as he spoke about the flow of water and the necessity of keeping everything clean and sanitary. Some of them took notes in their magical journals, giving Erik the feeling of being a teacher. He didn't feel like he was suited for teaching, but it did give him a boost of confidence.

"So, we're going to need to dig some trenches and lay these pipes," Erik said, pointing to the blueprints he had drawn in his journal. "Then we can connect them to the village's water supply. It's going to be a bit more work than you're used to, but it'll be worth it."

The villagers nodded eagerly, ready to take on the challenge. They had seen what the crane could do, and they were ready to embrace this new magic from Erik's world.

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After a couple of hours, Erik managed to conjure an excavator and a bulldozer, resting facedown on the ground as the clamor of the machines faded into the background. Summoning three giant heavy construction machinery was the most taxing instance of his niche magic yet, so he was faintly surprised to find himself so drained.

The villagers were busy mastering the machinery, which made Erik both proud and a bit nervous. He hoped they wouldn't accidentally dig a hole to the center of the earth or flatten someone's house in the process. He watched as they dug out the perfect trenches for the plumbing, their movements coordinated despite their inexperience. The sight of the metal beasts at work was a stark contrast to the serene forest that surrounded them.

Recovering just enough energy, Erik pushed himself up in a sitting position, his eyes glued to the blueprints in his journal. The layout of the water park was becoming more and more complex. His mind was racing with the endless possibilities, but he knew he had to keep it simple for the villagers to understand and manage.

He began to sketch out a map for the park, labeling areas like 'Lazy River', 'Wave Pool', and 'Dragon's Den', which would be a water slide. The excitement grew in his chest as he saw his vision coming to life, and he could almost hear the sound of money falling into his pockets.

Erik frowned when he saw a strange red light from underneath the page he was sketching on. Turning it over, he saw that it was another message from Osiris: "Hey, Erik! I hope you're enjoying your little stint as a park designer. I've noticed your progress and thought I'd check up on how you were doing!"

A feeling of apprehension welled up within Erik as he read further.

"Your experiment is going well," the message continued. "But don't forget, your main task is to defeat the Demon King."

Erik scowled. Of course, he hadn't forgotten, it was just that he didn't want to.

"The Demon King... I'll deal with that when I have to," he murmured to himself. For now, he had a water park to focus on.

Shutting his journal, Erik took a deep breath, focusing his thoughts. The villagers had made significant progress on the water park under Ricteronu's leadership, but there was still much to do. He met with Ricteronu, briefing him on what to do next before heading back to the burger shack.

The shack was bustling with activity. The employees were practicing their new roles, and Alyssa had them dressed in the slightly less revealing outfits that Talia had grudgingly approved. The sight of the women's bare midriffs was a stark contrast to the modest attire of the village, but Erik figured it was a small victory.

"So, what's the plan for these beauties?" Erik asked, eyeing the burgers.

"Oh, I wasn't aware that you thought of them like that, Erik," Talia tilted her head curiously. "Well, I guess they just do what they've been doing, serving customers and making food–"

"No, Talia, I meant the burgers," Erik interrupted, rolling his eyes. "What's the marketing strategy for the spicy dragon burger?"

"Well... I guess they just do what they've been doing–"

"We have a few ideas for marketing, but nothing concrete yet," Alyssa took her turn interrupting the clueless Talia, "but we could definitely use your creativity here, Erik."

Erik nodded. "Alright, let's think outside the box. What's something that's never been done before in Windoria?"

"Besides burgers and an upcoming water park? " Alyssa quipped, raising an eyebrow. "I'm sure you of all people might have an idea."

Erik grunted to himself. Marketing was something he had never thought about in his previous life, but here he was, in a fantasy world with a dragon slumbering next to his bed, trying to sell fast food.

"Fuck," Erik muttered under his breath as he pondered over the marketing strategy. He took another bite of the spicy dragon burger, savoring the flavor. It was surprisingly good, and he could see it being a hit if they played their cards right.

"Alright, so what's the rundown on outside promotion?" Erik began, brainstorming out loud. "I mean, I've noticed we had some outsiders come visit, but not a lot. I'm wondering if there's a way to do promotion outside of Restia Village."

Alyssa nodded. "We've got some traveling minstrels coming through next week. They're known to spread news fast, and they're always looking for a good story to tell. If we can give them something worth singing about, word of our burger shack and the upcoming water park will spread like wildfire."

"How about we–"

"How about we plan a big event?" Erik rushed out before Talia could say anything.

"An event?" Alyssa looked up from her burger flipping. "What kind of event?"

Erik leaned against the counter, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "A festival. A celebration of the water, the harvest, and the opening of our water park. We'll call it the 'Water's Embrace Festival'. It'll be a full week of fun, food, and... festivities."

Alyssa's eyes lit up. "That's brilliant! We can serve spicy dragon burgers and have games, shows, and even a burger-eating contest!"

Erik had a devious smile on his face. With the grand event, the traveling minstrels would have more than enough to sing and dance about. The festival would be the talk of the kingdom, and it would surely attract people from far and wide. The burger shack would be at the center of it all, serving as the gateway to the water park.

"But why stop at just a burger-eating contest?" Erik suggested, his mind racing with ideas. "We could have a fashion show, showcasing the new swimwear line from Geritara's shop. It's a perfect opportunity to show off his designs and get people excited about the water park."

Alyssa clapped her hands together. "I love it! And we can have stalls for local artisans to sell their wares. Maybe even a small market area."

"Exactly," Erik nodded. "We'll make it a full-blown festival. It'll boost the local economy and create buzz for our park. We'll need to start planning right away."