The Greatest Estate Developer - Chapter 62: The Reason for Erecting a Statue (2)

“Hah… So this is Cremo.”

Lloyd exhaled as he stood atop the hill.

A white puff of breath escaped his lips, quickly dissipating into the chilly air.

Early winter had crept up without notice.

Before him stretched a city that dominated the gray coastal landscape, filling his view entirely.

‘Cities in this world are quite a sight.’

This was Lloyd’s first impression of the trade city of Cremo.

He hadn’t expected much.

After all, how large could a city in this world really be?

Surely, it couldn’t compare to the modern cities of Korea.

At best, he had vaguely assumed it might resemble a provincial town.

But he was wrong.

‘It’s much larger than I thought.’

Of course, there weren’t any towering skyscrapers like in Seoul or Busan.

Most of the buildings were two stories tall, with the occasional three or four-story structure.

Still, the city’s scale was immense.

‘It feels like a medieval version of Busan.’

Below the hill, a vast coastline stretched out.

The city extended along the coast in a long, sprawling formation.

On the shore, fleets of sailing ships bustled in and out of the busy docks.

Workers moved cargo with urgency, resembling swarms of ants.

The sheer size and vitality of the city made it clear that this was indeed a regional hub.

‘And I’ve also picked up a useful skill on the way here.’

Lloyd’s thoughts briefly drifted to the journey from the Frontera Estate to this place.

♣

“Hey, Javier?”

“Yes, Lord Lloyd?”

“Teach me how to ride a horse.”

It was the morning of the third day since they had departed the Frontera Estate.

Lloyd, who had been lazing around in the wagon, approached Javier with his request.

Traveling such a long distance presented an opportunity to learn horseback riding.

It was also a way to stave off the boredom of dozing off in the wagon all day.

‘Besides, relying on Javier’s backseat every time I ride is a bit much.’

The truth was, Lloyd didn’t know how to ride a horse.

Neither Kim Suho of Korea nor Lloyd Frontera, the original owner of this body, had any equestrian experience.

The reason was simple.

‘Lloyd spent his time drinking and fooling around instead of learning horseback riding.’

Now, with this extended journey, the timing was perfect to learn.

“So, teach me how to ride. What do you think?”

“Understood.”

Javier nodded.

Lloyd tilted his head in surprise.

“Huh? Why’d you agree so easily?”

“Do I have a reason to refuse?”

“Well, no, not really. But still, why are you so quick to agree?”

“…”

“Are you really Javier? Be honest. Where’s the real Javier? Did someone lock him up somewhere?”

“Do you not want to learn horseback riding after all?”

“Tch. You really don’t get jokes, do you?”

“I have no interest in sharing jokes with you, Lord Lloyd.”

“How much?”

“I’d rather eat the grime from my own feet.”

“Cough.”

Lloyd was taken aback. Was it really that bad?

Despite his words, Javier wore a faint smile.

“Well then, come over here. I’ll teach you the basics of horseback riding before we depart.”

Thus, Lloyd began learning horseback riding under Javier’s guidance.

The slow but steady journey continued day after day.

With each passing day, winter drew closer.

As the wind grew colder, Lloyd’s riding posture became steadier.

The more he improved at riding, the closer they came to the trade city of Cremo.

And finally, today.

After a journey of fifteen days, the group arrived safely in Cremo, braving the chilly early winter winds.

“Let’s find a place to rest first.”

They descended the hill.

Entering the city, the group was immediately struck by its bustling nature.

The streets were wide and chaotic, as befitted a trade city.

People from all over the region moved about busily.

Wagons and pedestrians mixed on the streets.

Merchants and customers loudly haggled over prices.

Porters, their faces red, sweated profusely as they worked.

The sounds of shouting and the waves of moving people filled the air.

The central boulevard of Cremo was, in a word, a chaotic jumble—a medieval version of controlled disorder.

The scene left the group stunned.

The twenty engineers, seeing such a large and bustling city for the first time in their lives, were left speechless.

Even Javier wasn’t immune.

In fact, his reaction was even more pronounced than the others.

“…”

The silver-haired knight’s eyes darted around incessantly.

His ears strained to catch every sound around him.

Javier, a warrior on the verge of mastering the Swordmaster’s realm, had such keen senses that he suffered from severe insomnia, a hallmark of Swordmaster’s Syndrome.

Thrown into such a chaotic place for the first time, his heightened senses were overwhelmed.

He felt the chaos more intensely than anyone else.

Lloyd couldn’t help but smirk bitterly.

“Hey.”

“Yes, Lord Lloyd.”

“Relax.”

“I am relaxed.”

“Not at all.”

“I assure you, I am.”

“Then why can’t your eyes stay still?”

“Pardon?”

“You’re scanning everything around you like you’re on a battlefield.”

“…”

Javier froze.

Am I?

Am I really that tense?

Lloyd continued.

“I get that this is your first time experiencing such chaos, but try to act natural, yeah? The way you’re acting screams you’re from the countryside.”

“…”

“What are you standing there for? Let’s go.”

Lloyd patted Javier on the shoulder.

Javier followed, his thoughts tangled.

“Lord Lloyd.”

“Yeah?”

“How are you handling this so well?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, doesn’t this chaotic place confuse or unsettle you?”

“Hmm? Not really. Why would it?”

Lloyd chuckled.

It was true.

Having lived in Korea, he had experienced far worse.

Compared to the chaos of Korea’s urban hubs, this was nothing.

‘Compared to the rush hour at Sindorim Station, this is like a quiet park.’

A place where people constantly pressed against one another, forming an endless human sandwich in real-time.

A place where you could find yourself daily engaged in a fierce battle between the pungent sweat of the person next to you and your own body odor.

Where “you, me, and all of us” came together to experience the national phenomenon of forced proximity—a place of maddening chaos and inevitability.

That was the magical(?) space-time of Sindorim Station during rush hour.

And Lloyd was a seasoned warrior who had endured the relentless chaos of Sindorim countless times.

‘Back then, I had to transfer there every time to get from home to school!’

Ah, my turbulent past.

Lloyd indulged in a moment of nostalgia, almost as if pinning a medal of honor on his younger self for surviving those days.

He snapped out of it and took charge of his companions, who were half-dazed by the overwhelming bustle of the city.

“Stop gawking and follow me this way.”

He guided them to one side of the chaotic main street.

Occasionally, he asked locals for directions.

Thanks to that, it didn’t take long to find a suitable inn.

At the inn, they quickly unpacked, washed up, and rested for a short while before heading back out.

Lloyd, accompanied by Javier, made his way to the heart of the city—to a grand mansion that stood tall above all else.

It was the residence of the Count of Cremo, the ruler of this city and the greater Cremona region.

‘And today, it’s also our generous buyer who will take the treasures off our hands.’

The purpose of this visit was clear: sell the orc treasures and secure the cash needed to pay off debts.

Fortunately, gaining entry to the mansion was not a challenge.

“I am Lloyd Frontera, eldest son of Baron Frontera. I’ve come to present the items you expressed interest in purchasing through your letter.”

Lloyd displayed a necklace engraved with the crest of the Frontera family—a symbol of his noble lineage.

This easily secured them passage through the mansion’s gates.

They crossed the vast garden, which was as large as a playground, and entered the main building.

‘This is incredible.’

The mansion’s sheer size and opulence were breathtaking.

It was leagues beyond the modest Frontera estate, which barely qualified as a proper mansion.

This was akin to the lavish estates of Hollywood celebrities or the stately homes of European aristocracy—places Lloyd had only seen on TV.

“His Lordship is waiting in the reception room. This way, please.”

An elderly man, presumably the Count’s head butler, greeted them at the mansion’s entrance and escorted them inside.

As they walked, the butler offered some advice.

“You’ve traveled a long way from the Frontera estate. Since you may not be aware of the Count’s current circumstances, let me provide some important guidance.”

“Guidance?”

Lloyd asked.

The butler continued as they walked.

“His Lordship’s mood has been quite unsettled lately. When you meet him, I advise you to speak only when necessary and to avoid unnecessary comments.”

“Speak only when necessary?”

“Yes. There’s no need to provoke his displeasure with irrelevant remarks.”

“Is his mood that bad?”

“It is.”

“If I may ask, what is the reason?”

Lloyd cautiously inquired.

The Count was the most powerful figure in the region.

If things went poorly during this meeting, it could lead to a major loss.

Avoiding any unnecessary conflicts was in their best interest.

The butler, understanding Lloyd’s concern, explained.

“It is due to the repeated delays in a major construction project.”

“A construction delay?”

“Yes, the installation of a grand statue in the sea in front of the city has been stalled.”

“A statue installation…”

Ah, that.

Lloyd immediately understood.

The Count was purchasing their treasures to acquire inexpensive, secondhand gemstones to decorate this statue.

“But why has the project been delayed? Is there a specific reason?”

“There is. No builder is willing to take on the project.”

The butler elaborated.

“The Count had planned to erect a massive statue of a mermaid in the offshore waters—a project intended to address a longstanding problem of our city.”

“A longstanding problem?”

“The Gigatitan.”

“Ah.”

Lloyd nodded knowingly.

Gigatitan.

The name brought back memories from the novel ‘Iron-Blooded Knight.’

It was a colossal monster resembling a mantis shrimp, with a body length of nearly 90 meters.

Its tough, thick shell was resistant to even battleship cannons.

‘It was originally said to dwell in the deep sea, but yeah, this city was the exception.’

The sole exception.

Roughly ten years ago, a Gigatitan appeared in the once-peaceful waters off Cremo’s port, sinking two merchant ships in an instant.

Because of that incident…

“The Count requested assistance from the navy. His Majesty recognized the severity of the situation and promptly responded by dispatching a fleet to subdue the creature.”

The butler continued.

“However, all three attempts to eliminate the Gigatitan ended in failure. The navy had no effective means of attacking the creature underwater. Instead, they suffered heavy losses, with three warships severely damaged before retreating.”

The butler’s account matched the events Lloyd recalled from the novel.

‘After that, the Gigatitan made the waters off Cremo its territory. The kingdom’s navy took a hands-off approach, and the Count had no choice but to accept an uneasy coexistence with the creature.’

Thankfully, the Gigatitan appeared only three or four times a year and never attacked the city itself.

This limited activity made it possible, albeit uncomfortable, for the city and the monster to coexist.

Cremo built watchtowers along the coast to monitor the creature’s movements.

When the Gigatitan was spotted, the watchtowers would alert the harbor via signal fires and mirrors.

The harbor would then issue evacuation orders to all ships in the area, prompting them to head out to deeper waters.

This alert system was the only line of defense they had.

It had been ten years since the Gigatitan first appeared.

During that time, the number of ships sunk by the monster was surprisingly low.

‘And that’s why the kingdom abandoned plans to eradicate the Gigatitan. The reason was simple: the cost of eliminating it far outweighed the occasional damage caused by coexisting with it.’

The calculation was accurate.

From the kingdom’s perspective, it made more sense to occasionally lose a merchant ship or two than to expend massive naval resources and risk further losses trying to hunt down the uncontrollable beast.

But for the Count of Cremo, the situation was entirely different.

“Our trade volume has decreased by 40% over the past decade due to this uneasy coexistence with the Gigatitan,” the butler lamented.

Lloyd nodded internally.

‘That’s right. If this continues for another ten years, this city will fall into decline, losing its prominence to other ports.’

All because of the Gigatitan.

While the immediate damage might seem minor, the creature was an ever-present disaster waiting to happen.

For merchants, the mere risk of losing their ships was enough to drive them to alternative ports.

‘That’s why trade slowly shifted away from this city.’

The planned statue of the mermaid appeared to be the Count’s way of addressing the issue.

But Lloyd furrowed his brows.

“So, will building this mermaid statue actually drive the Gigatitan away?”

“It very well might,” the butler replied with a confident nod.

“This isn’t mere superstition. The mermaids are the most powerful race in the sea.”

“I’m aware of that.”

It was an undeniable fact.

In the world of ‘Iron-Blooded Knight,’ the mermaids were an overwhelmingly strong species.

Forget the delicate creatures singing “Under the Sea” in animation.

These mermaids were built like Olympic gold-medalist swimmers—on steroids.

Massive shoulders as wide as the Pacific Ocean.

Chest muscles capable of deflecting a meteor.

Abs like a washboard that could vibrate a full load in a spin cycle.

Bulging veins like wriggling worms coursed across their bodies.

They were the ultimate hardcore swimmers, honed by a lifetime of aquatic combat.

If orcs were the bodybuilders of the land, mermaids were their oceanic counterparts.

“But will building a mermaid statue bring their help?”

“Not their help, but it could intimidate the Gigatitan.”

“The Gigatitan?”

“Yes. At times, mermaids organize massive armies to hunt Gigatitans.”

“Ah, so the idea is that a large statue of a mermaid could make the Gigatitan feel as though it’s facing a natural predator.”

“Exactly. It might even decide to relocate its territory out of fear.”

“Hm, that’s a plausible idea.”

While not a guaranteed solution, the mere possibility made the mermaid statue worth pursuing in the Count’s eyes.

“But to hear that no builders are willing to take on the project… that’s strange.”

It was.

The project was backed by the Count, the most influential figure in the region, and aimed to revive the city’s prosperity.

Surely, the rewards would be enormous.

And yet, no one had stepped forward.

The butler sighed lightly before responding.

“That’s because the project is exceptionally difficult—practically impossible.”

“Why is that?”

“To erect the statue on the sea, what’s the first thing you need?”

“A solid foundation, of course.”

“Exactly. But His Lordship has set a unique condition for constructing that foundation.”

“What kind of condition?”

“He wants the foundation to be built entirely vertically from the seabed to the surface.”

“…Tsk.”

Lloyd clicked his tongue.

He immediately understood why no builder had accepted the project.

‘A typical land reclamation approach would never meet that condition.’

Normally, creating land in the sea involved dumping massive amounts of sediment, which would naturally form a sloping, pyramid-like shape beneath the water.

But the Count had forbidden that.

No pyramids.

The foundation had to rise vertically.

It was an absurd demand.

Still, Lloyd could guess the reason behind the Count’s insistence.

“Is it to avoid disrupting the harbor’s navigation routes?”

“You guessed correctly.”

The butler’s eyes widened at Lloyd’s insight.

Lloyd simply smiled.

‘The harbor here doesn’t have a particularly wide entry channel.’

He recalled the geography of the city’s coast as he had seen it earlier.

A crescent-shaped bay with a relatively narrow passage for ships to enter and exit.

That was likely why the Count had imposed such a challenging condition, despite the difficulties it created for builders.

‘If the already narrow channel were further constricted by sediment, it would cause major issues. The shallow waters around the reclaimed land could make navigation even more dangerous.’

A narrow channel becoming narrower.

Ships could face serious delays or, in the worst case, run aground.

It would be ironic if the statue meant to drive away the Gigatitan ended up deterring merchant ships from using the port instead.

‘Building the statue further out at sea would be impossible due to the depth of the water.’

The Count’s intention to simultaneously drive away the Gigatitan and preserve the harbor’s navigability was understandable, albeit troublesome.

“Couldn’t the statue simply be built on land? There seemed to be plenty of space next to the harbor,” Lloyd suggested.

“That won’t work,” the butler replied with a bitter smile.

“The statue must stand on water. Do you think the Gigatitan would fear a mermaid resting on land? No. Mermaids need to be in the water, or at least partially submerged, to appear as a real threat to the Gigatitan.”

“Ah.”

So that’s why they were insisting on building the statue in the water instead of conveniently on land.

It made sense now why the Count was so irritated—the project wasn’t proceeding as planned.

“I see. That’s why no builders have volunteered for the project. It’s already been several months without any progress. That’s the situation.”

They soon arrived in front of the reception room.

The butler stopped in the hallway and turned to Lloyd.

With a serious expression, he emphasized his point.

“You’re about to meet His Lordship. Please, refrain from unnecessary comments. Above all, do not mention words such as ‘Gigatitan,’ ‘statue,’ or ‘construction.’ I cannot stress this enough. The reason I’ve explained everything so far is so you would understand the gravity of this and heed my advice. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

Lloyd nodded sincerely.

The butler seemed satisfied and smiled as he knocked on the door.

“Thank you for your understanding. Then, let us proceed.”

‘Ding!’

A clear chime from inside signaled for them to enter.

The butler opened the door with a refined gesture and motioned for Lloyd to step inside.

Lloyd followed him into the reception room.

Seated inside was a middle-aged man with a sturdy build.

He wore luxurious attire, and his bear-like presence exuded authority.

This was the Count of Cremo.

As soon as Lloyd saw him, he bowed respectfully.

Recalling the butler’s repeated warnings, he carefully chose his words and greeted the Count with the utmost decorum.

“The eldest son of the Frontera family, Lloyd Frontera, greets the wise Count of Cremo to propose a new method of maritime foundation construction for the statue project to drive away the Gigatitan.”