Chapter 342: How to Break Through a Mountain Range (2)
“We’re going to demolish the mountain range.”
A brazenly confident response.
A more mischievous grin.
Javier remained silent at Lloyd’s answer.
He stared at Lloyd for a moment.
“You didn’t eat anything strange this morning.”
“Nope, I’m perfectly normal.”
“It doesn’t seem like you’ve injured your head.”
“I told you, I’m normal.”
“Have you been under a lot of stress lately?”
“I’m normal, I said.”
“Could it be you’re experiencing menopause depression?”
“I’m far from that age, you know?”
“Or maybe you’ve started secretly losing clumps of hair?”
“Hey.”
“Yes?”
“I’m serious.”
“……”
“Believe me.”
“Yes, I will.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Javier nodded.
He replied in his characteristic cold and indifferent manner.
“Since you’re insisting, I have to believe you. You didn’t eat anything strange, you didn’t injure your head, you’re not overly stressed, suffering from menopause depression, or experiencing hair loss.”
“……Can’t you believe the first thing I said?”
“The part about demolishing the mountain range?”
“Yeah.”
“I believe you.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
He nodded again.
This time, it was genuine.
“You’ve always been like this. Proposing seemingly impossible plans, but they always come to fruition. So, I’ll believe you this time too.”
“Because I look crazy?”
“Yes, you look like a madman.”
“……That’s a subtle insult, you know?”
“It’s a compliment.”
“A compliment? That?”
“Yes, it’s my way of showing trust in your judgement.”
“……Tsk.”
Lloyd smacked his lips.
Now that he thought about it, he might have taught Javier the wrong things.
“Why does it seem like the crazier I act, the more you believe in me?”
“You told me yourself before. To trust you the most when you look the craziest. So, when you said you’d demolish the mountain range earlier, you looked the craziest you’ve ever been.”
“Aha. So, the biggest and most beautiful trust blossomed within you?”
“Naturally.”
“…….”
I really taught him wrong.
What kind of person does he see me as?
It’s hard to change an established image.
The problem is, I don’t see a way to renew this image.
“Well, it’s not like I’m saying we’ll demolish or remove the entire mountain range.”
Lloyd spoke, swallowing the bitter smile that surfaced thanks to his ruined image.
“As you were worried, the terrain is too steep. It’s almost a cliff. So, we’ll just shave off a small part of the mountain range.”
“Enough to lay the railroad?”
“Exactly. If we shave off too much, the ground might become unstable, so we’ll be cautious and do it moderately.”
It was true.
They couldn’t just demolish the mountain range or flatten the peaks.
That would consume too much manpower, money, and time.
Moreover, if they demolish the entire mountain range?
It might end up benefiting others more than them.
‘The trade route needs to be under the control of the Magentano royal family. If we make the road too wide and comfortable, anyone could use it freely, reducing the benefits to the royal family.’
The Queen wouldn’t welcome such a situation.
‘Of course, I’ve considered other methods. Like digging a deep tunnel under the mountain range, or installing a cable car or funicular railway along the steep slope of the mountain range.’
But all those methods had issues.
First, the deep tunnel?
Too difficult to construct.
‘We’d need to survey the entire ground beneath the mountain range. That alone would take ages. And the construction? Even with Bangul, it would take years to safely build a tunnel that’s several kilometers long.’
The time, cost, and effort were enormous.
It would be an inefficient project.
In short, it wasn’t cost-effective.
‘Moreover, the cable car had its own problems. Its stability was too low.’
The cable car, or funicular railway, is a system where trains are pulled up and down by cables, like drawing water from a well.
‘It’s simple. It can be built without greatly disturbing the terrain. That’s a clear advantage. But it’s too dangerous. Hard to maintain. If the cable pulling the train has any issues or breaks, it would be a disaster.’
The steep cliffs visible below.
Pulling up trains weighing tens of tons.
The thought of the cable possibly breaking was terrifying.
‘And building a funicular railway is impossible.’
A funicular railway, often seen in amusement parks for roller coasters.
‘When a roller coaster starts, it climbs a steep slope slowly. If you look closely, there’s a gear under the roller coaster. That gear meshes with the track’s teeth, pulling the train up the steep slope.’
It was a suitable method for the trade route through the Pantara Mountain Range.
It could overcome steep slopes.
The unpleasant vibrations and loud noise were drawbacks, but it wouldn’t matter for a freight train.
But there was a reason they couldn’t build such a railway.
‘I don’t know how.’
Lloyd sighed deeply.
He was a civil engineer.
He didn’t know mechanical engineering.
He didn’t know what kind of gears were used, their specifications, or how they supported heavy trains and pulled them up steep slopes.
‘For that sad reason, the funicular railway is also a no-go.’
Ultimately, the most reasonable option was to shave off part of the mountain range.
Fortunately, they had the means to do so.
‘Thanks to Yongyong.’
An enormous figure.
Strength surpassing that of a normal dragon and infinite stamina.
Plus, absolute loyalty.
A perfect large-scale excavator.
‘So, let’s get to work, woohoo!’
Lloyd clenched his fist.
There was no time to rest.
Living this kind of life felt a bit melancholic.
A tough time was approaching.
Shaking off his brief thoughts, he immediately got to work.
The first step was obviously surveying.
‘Seeing is believing. I need to check it with my own eyes rather than relying on old documents and records. Survey!’
[Beginning scan.]
Zzzzzz!
Riding on Yongyong’s back.
Surveying the vast terrain below.
Of course, there was no need to survey the entire mountain range.
‘The general survey area is a 50-kilometer radius from here.’
Lloyd’s sharp eyes scanned the Pantara Mountain Range as he activated his surveying skill.
The area he was surveying was slightly southeast of the center of the mountain range.
‘If we open a trade route, this is the best spot. It’s the closest to the existing passage on the eastern side of the mountain range.’
There was no way through the mountain range.
Instead, there was an existing road along the eastern side of the mountain range.
The area he was surveying was the closest to that existing road.
‘That way, when we create a direct trade route through the mountain range, it will be accessible from the existing road.’
When building something, it should always be close to existing facilities.
That’s an unchanging truth.
Like in South Korea.
‘Proximity to subway stations, forests, elementary schools, and markets within a 3-minute walk. Everyone wants a house close to existing infrastructure.’
Because property prices skyrocket.
It’s convenient to live there.
The same applies here.
‘Of course. If we open a direct trade route through the mountain range but it’s far from the existing road, it’ll be inconvenient and inefficient.’
Moreover, opening a trade route here would have two advantages.
‘First. The trade route will be right in the middle between the capital, Magenta, and the southeastern trade city, Namaran. Both the capital and Namaran will fully benefit from the trade route. The northeastern port of Kremo will also gain indirect benefits.’
And the second advantage?
‘This area seems the easiest to demolish the mountain range.’
This reason was the biggest.
Lloyd’s gaze swept over three or four mountain peaks.
‘At first glance, it looks very steep, but it’s not. Only the peaks are steep. The rest of the terrain is relatively gentle. The mountain range here is relatively wider.’
The Pantara Mountain Range was high and long but narrow.
It was infuriatingly high and exasperatingly long.
But it was extremely narrow.
It looked like a line of screens.
But the area he was surveying was wider than other places.
‘If the height is similar but the width is wider, it means the slope is gentler.’
Of course, it wasn’t immediately suitable for laying railroad tracks.
But it didn’t matter.
‘This is the optimal spot.’
After meticulously surveying for two days.
Lloyd settled in a cave at the foot of the mountain.
Breathing warmth into his hands.
Grilling wild boar jowls over a campfire.
Chewing and chatting with Javier.
He analyzed the survey data collected over the two days in detail.
And started designing.
‘Let’s see. How should we demolish and make a path?’
Lloyd pondered and recalled similar construction cases on Earth.
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, his role model for this project.
‘It’s similar to our current situation. The route from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling was about 88 kilometers. The maximum elevation difference was approximately 2,260 meters.’
During its 88-kilometer journey.
The elevation difference was a staggering 2,260 meters.
Even by modern standards, it was a crazy route.
But knowing it was completed in 1881, a spark of hope ignited in Lloyd’s heart.
‘If the British did it back then, why can’t I? They finished it in just two years and two months. So, I can do it too. Of course, it’s a tougher environment here, but we have Yongyong and fantasy creatures. We have the labor force and Javier.’
So, no problem.
Trust everyone and proceed boldly.
With that thought, Lloyd planned the mountain range demolition.
The plan went smoothly.
Executing it wasn’t too difficult either.
Thanks to the option ‘Construction Guidelines’ of his design skill.
Ding-dong.
[Design Skill Exclusive Option ④: Construction Guidelines Activated.]
[The design drawings will be displayed as simple guidelines on the actual terrain. These guidelines will be visible to both the designer and the workers on site, indicating whether the construction is faithfully following the design. (Construction Guidelines are linked with Option ② <Floor Plan Display (3D)>.)]
Lloyd opened the design data.
The meticulously designed mountain range demolition.
The model he ran several simulations on just in case.
He applied that data to reality.
Zzzzzz…!
Feeling a slight drain of mana.
Blue fluorescent lines began to appear on the mountain range.
These were markers created using the Construction Guidelines option.
‘There, the canyon between the cone-shaped peak and the beer bottle-shaped peak.’
Zzzz!
Between the two tall peaks.
A line was drawn along the canyon.
Various markers were placed in the originally relatively gentle canyon.
Shaving off and sometimes filling in.
Preventing avalanches from covering the canyon.
Considering the direction of forces on the terrain, the composition of the layers, and the overall balance.
He meticulously marked the guidelines as designed.
Next was Yongyong’s turn.
“Yongyong, you know what to do, right?”
Creak!
“Huh? You really know?”
Squeak!
Yongyong nodded his huge head.
He enthusiastically gestured.
Squeak! Squawk! Creaaak!
“……Hmm, dig, shave, and fill the canyon along those glowing blue lines. Yes, that’s right. And?”
Squeak! Squawk! Squawk!
“Don’t dump the rocks and soil anywhere. Pile them in designated places. Good. Anything else to remember?”
Squawk! Creak! Squeak!
“Fold your wings neatly against your body when moving around the site. Don’t swing your tail recklessly. Don’t spin around wildly and whip your tail. Yes, that’s it. You remembered well.”
Creak! Squawk!
Yongyong did a joyful hula dance at the rare praise.
Lloyd was satisfied.
Then he turned to Javier.
Speaking as if it was the most natural thing.
“So, you’re in charge here from now on.”
“What?”
“You’re in charge here.”
“……What do you mean?”
Javier tilted his head.
Lloyd smirked brazenly.
“I have somewhere to go for a while. You need to stay here and supervise Yongyong’s mountain range demolition.”
“I’m supposed to supervise here?”
“Yeah. It’s not difficult. Just follow the construction guidelines. Dig, shave, and fill as marked.”
“…….”
“You just need to make sure Yongyong doesn’t mess up. If something is undercut or underfilled, point it out or reinforce it yourself with a shovel. Got it?”
“Understood… but where are you going, Lloyd?”
“Me? To the capital, Namaran, and Kremo.”
“For what purpose?”
“What else?”
Lloyd’s brazen smile widened.
Like someone retrieving their belongings.
Like someone withdrawing money from their own account.
He said with satisfaction, as if his face were armored with triple titanium embossing plates.
“To squander the royal treasury.”