Chapter 337: The Shortcut to Becoming a Hegemon (3)
The Pantara Mountains in the southwestern part of the kingdom.
They were an insurmountable natural barrier.
Sheer cliffs layered upon each other.
The terrain was incredibly steep.
The climate was harsh.
Frequent sudden changes in alpine weather.
Relentless blizzards often swept through.
But it was too precious a place to leave alone.
If a trade route through those mountains could be developed?
If they could trade directly with the other side without detouring around the mountains?
There would be immense benefits.
The kingdom’s standing would soar.
All the kings of the Magentano royal family had thought the same.
So the royal family had made countless efforts to open a path through the mountains.
A total of nine kings attempted the project.
And all nine failed.
The reason was simple and clear.
‘There were too many technical difficulties. The civil engineering skills of the royal technicians could only attempt to create a precarious path.’
Queen Alicia Termina Magentano bit her lip.
A precarious path.
It was a technique to create a path on a steep cliff.
First, holes were drilled into the cliffside to insert stakes.
Stakes were driven in.
Planks were laid on top of the stakes.
This process was repeated.
Eventually, a plank path supported by stakes along the cliffside was created.
That was a precarious path.
‘But that precarious path had too many flaws.’
The Queen recalled the nine former kings who had attempted the Pantara Mountain project.
And why they failed.
‘They managed to create the precarious path by force. But they couldn’t maintain it. Wooden planks and stakes? They rotted away in less than two years from the repeated cycles of getting soaked, freezing, and thawing in harsh weather.’
The durability plummeted rapidly.
No matter how much maintenance was done.
After just two years, the path became unusable.
Furthermore, the inherent structural limitations of the precarious path hindered the former kings’ attempts.
‘It was too narrow. Since it was a path made of planks on a cliff, only one person could pass at a time. So, even if the path was created, a large number of people and goods couldn’t be moved at once. There were frequent instances where the path itself collapsed when trying to move too many goods.’
And that wasn’t all.
Once on the path, neither people nor goods could turn back.
It was impossible to go back easily.
The path was too narrow, with a cliff on one side and a sheer drop on the other.
‘It was not suitable for a trade route. It was a failure.’
So one of the former kings made a bolder attempt.
‘He tried to make the path large and sturdy, using steel to widen it. But he failed. The materials were large and heavy. There was no way to transport them to the site through the harsh weather. Hundreds of workers died within two months of the attempt. The project was halted.’
That was during the reign of the king before last.
Since the suspension of that project.
The Magentano royal family had temporarily abandoned the idea of opening a trade route through the Pantara Mountains.
They concluded that it was impossible with current technology.
‘But what? Narrow gauge railways? Loop tracks and switchback systems?’
Queen Alicia snapped out of her thoughts.
Narrow gauge railways.
Loop tracks and switchback systems.
All terms she had never heard before.
Naturally, her gaze towards Lloyd became stern.
Her grip on his neck tightened.
“Explain in more detail.”
Crunch!
“…Ack!”
A pig-like squeal escaped from Lloyd’s mouth.
He looked at the Queen with eyes filled with grievance.
He struggled mightily, pointing at his own neck.
He was suffocating.
How could he explain?
It was a gesture of protest.
Realizing her mistake, the Queen hesitated.
She loosened her grip slightly.
Immediately, Lloyd acted instead of answering.
He pried off the Queen’s hand with one hand.
With the shovel in his other hand, he pushed away her wooden sword.
Clang! Clang! Clang-!
Aura clashed, scattering sparks and noise.
Lloyd’s counter-question mixed in between.
“Do you wish for a detailed explanation of the methods I mentioned?”
“Of course.”
“Excuse me, but that would be difficult.”
“Difficult? Do you mean you don’t want to explain what loop tracks and switchback systems are?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s a trade secret.”
“…”
Clang! Bang! Crack!
The Queen’s sword strikes became fiercer.
Lloyd barely managed to hold his ground and continued speaking.
“…It’s… really… hard to explain… I’m sorry, but if I reveal the details, Your Majesty might reject my proposal.”
“Do you think I would start the project independently after hearing the secret?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“…”
Bang! Thud! Crash!
The Queen’s strikes grew even more savage.
But Lloyd held his ground better than before.
He even wore a bitter smile.
‘It’s true. I can’t reveal the details. I don’t think the Queen would steal my technology, but you never know.’
He and the Queen were neither blood-related nor friends.
They weren’t in a relationship where unconditional goodwill was expected.
They were partners in cooperation, bound by mutual interests.
‘No matter how close we’ve become, boundaries must be maintained. If we become too familiar and cross lines, it’ll lead to unpleasant consequences.’
What should be kept must be kept thoroughly.
Their benefits and rights should be clearly distinguished and maintained.
That was why Lloyd wouldn’t reveal the secrets of the new methods to the Queen.
It was also why he hadn’t proposed the Pantara Mountain trade route project until now.
‘Actually, I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, but there was no reason to do it until now.’
Opening a trade route through the Pantara Mountains.
It was an old dream of the Magentano royal family.
It had been mentioned a few times in the novel “Iron Blooded Knight.”
So, he was aware of the necessity of the project from a long time ago.
But he had never mentioned or proposed it.
Because he didn’t feel the need to do it.
‘Of course. It’s a huge card. The longer it’s kept, the better. I thought it could be used to negotiate significant benefits with the Queen in the future.’
So he had kept it carefully.
And now, he used it as a negotiation card to obtain the royal sacred artifact, the Eyes of Summer.
‘Moreover, this project is quite feasible. It can be done. There were similar cases on Earth.’
Lloyd recalled the mountain railway construction project he had proposed.
There had been a similar case on Earth.
The “Darjeeling Himalayan Railway” in India.
‘Was it in the 1870s? At that time, Britain was colonizing India. And what’s synonymous with Britain? Tea. The tea-loving British had a penchant for finding regions suitable for tea cultivation.’
Coincidentally, the northern region of Darjeeling in India caught their attention.
At an altitude of about 2,100 meters.
A tropical highland region.
Where warm air from the Bay of Bengal met the Himalayan mountains.
As a result, it was shrouded in mist all year round.
It also had the characteristic of highlands with significant temperature differences between day and night.
It was an ideal condition for cultivating high-quality tea.
‘So, they set their sights on the then barren Darjeeling. They figured, if they created tea plantations there and worked thousands of laborers, they could make a lot of money. But they needed a way to transport large quantities of materials and tea. The terrain was rugged. So they decided to build a mountain railway.’
The British replaced the existing mule paths, which took 5-6 days one way, with a mountain railway.
A safe.
Massive.
Regular transportation route for materials and labor.
‘The railway line was about 88 kilometers long. Winding through the mountains. Not just a regular railway but an extremely narrow-gauge railway.’
Gauge refers to the distance between the rails of a railway.
In South Korea?
They use the world standard gauge of 1.435 meters.
The KTX, Saemaeul trains, and subways all run on this 1.435-meter standard gauge.
But the gauge of the narrow-gauge railway built by the British in Darjeeling?
It was only 61 centimeters!
‘It had to pass through rugged and steep mountainous terrain. But if they used the standard gauge as wide as it was? The scale of the construction would grow, and the size of the trains would also increase. Overcoming rugged terrain would become more dangerous and difficult. So they reduced the gauge and the size of the trains as much as possible, within the limits of transporting materials efficiently.’
Moreover, the British civil engineers added two more ideas.
Loop tracks and the switchback system.
‘Thanks to this, they could lay the railway on steep terrain without digging many tunnels. Without tunnels? The construction period was greatly shortened. They could complete a useful transportation route with reasonable and cost-effective investment.’
The result was the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
Lloyd intended to lay a similar railway in the Pantara Mountains.
‘It’s definitely possible. It can succeed.’
He was confident.
He had thoroughly researched it in advance.
‘I even referred to the Magentano royal family’s construction records. So I knew the crucial sections where the railway had to be laid in the Pantara Mountains were about 60 kilometers, and which sections had the steepest and most rugged slopes.’
Lloyd had a foundation of confidence and certainty.
He was determined not to give away his prepared secrets for free.
He didn’t want to reveal it without getting anything in return.
He answered the Queen’s question.
“Anyway, I’m truly sorry, but this is my trade secret and technical secret. So, please choose, Your Majesty.”
“Choose whether to accept your proposal?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Because the Noble Assembly will summon me.”
“Indeed, because of the decree that descended.”
“Exactly.”
The Queen was quick-witted.
She grasped his intentions without needing detailed explanations.
That’s why talking with her was convenient.
Lloyd smiled and said.
“I expect the Noble Assembly will send me a summons within a few days. As you mentioned, because of the decree.”
“That’s right. They will summon you and hold a hearing to bombard you with questions. The supporters of the decree will try to prove its legitimacy through your testimony, while the opponents will look for flaws in your testimony and demeanor to prove the decree’s injustice.”
“Yes, exactly.”
“So, if I intend to accept your proposal, I should make a decision and act at that moment. Is that what you mean?”
“Indeed, Your Majesty.”
“You’re giving me time to think?”
“I’m grateful you see it that way.”
“Giving you time? It seems more like you’re desperately trying not to get hit.”
“…”
Bang! Clang! Clang!
Though he was diligently explaining and conversing, Lloyd was frantically avoiding getting hit by the Queen.
The Queen chuckled at the sight of Lloyd.
“…I understand. Then let’s end this sparring here.”
Bang!
“…Ugh!”
Was it a final blow to wrap things up?
The Queen’s wooden sword shattered the space with mountain-like force.
Lloyd barely blocked it and was pushed back about 10 meters.
But he wore a satisfied smile.
“Huff, huff! Thank you for your grace.”
“Grace, huh?”
“…”
“I understand your intentions. Let’s see each other again on the day you’re summoned by the Noble Assembly.”
“Then, my proposal…”
“I’ll think about it until then.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“Keep searching for that grace, and you might hear me ask for another sparring session?”
“It’s late, so I’ll take my leave swiftly, Your Majesty.”
“Do as you wish.”
Thanks to the warning, Lloyd quickly bowed and retreated.
Fearing he might be called back, he swiftly exited the training ground.
Then the Queen was left alone.
Standing in the center of the training ground.
She pondered Lloyd’s proposal.
It was an attractive proposal.
It was definitely a beneficial proposal.
Yet it was also so outrageous that it made her laugh.
‘What an interesting and amusing man.’
Lloyd Frontera.
The more she thought about him, the more he made her laugh.
He was so bizarre and unpredictable.
Yet he seemed far more extraordinary than she initially thought.
“…I didn’t expect him to reach my level so soon.”
Queen Alicia looked back at the exit of the training ground with a meaningful smile.
Despite the seemingly relaxed sparring with Lloyd.
Contrary to her composed appearance.
The hand gripping the wooden sword trembled slightly from the long-absent muscle fatigue.