Chapter 343: How to Break Through the Mountain Range (3)

The construction site.

It’s not just a place where the ground gets dug up and things are built.

It’s also a stage for massive consumption.

Materials used in construction are a given.

The large-scale labor costs are optional.

And the supplies consumed by the workforce as well.

Construction sites are where money flows heavily and openly.

This is a universal truth.

‘It’s been this way since ancient times. Countless countries and monarchs have plunged into large-scale construction projects without considering their budgets, leading to the collapse of their treasuries and eventually their nations.’

Construction is no easy task.

Especially as the scale of the construction grows.

“This time is exactly like that. We’re talking about a project to break through the mountain range and lay a railroad. And who ordered this construction?”

“His Majesty the Queen tasked you with it as a test, Lord Lloyd.”

“Exactly. So, who should pay for the construction costs?”

“Naturally, it should be…”

“Right. His Majesty should pay. Why should I pay for it? That’s why.”

“You intend to drain the royal treasury through private procurement?”

Javier quickly caught on.

Lloyd looked aggrieved.

“Oh, draining the treasury? Such harsh and terrifying words.”

“…….”

“I’m just trying to bill the person who ordered the construction for the costs. Naturally, I need to go collect some money. How else will I get the necessary materials and supplies?”

Lloyd spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

And it was.

The trade route construction through the Pantara Mountain Range was a project commissioned by the Magentano royal family.

And as for himself?

Strictly speaking, he was just the contractor who had won the bid and was executing the construction.

‘To put it simply, I’m the construction company, and the Queen is the client. She’s the wealthiest client on the continent. Naturally, I should get all the construction costs from her. There’s no reason to do the construction on credit.’

Construction on credit means the contractor covers some of the construction costs upfront.

Not all clients have the funds ready.

‘Most clients are tight on funds. They often lack a bit of the construction cost. That’s why contractors offer to cover a certain percentage of the costs on credit to appeal to the client.’

The contractor starts and completes the construction.

The client uses the time during construction to gather the remaining funds and pays the contractor.

That’s the basic outline of credit construction.

But now?

‘There’s no need for that at all. Why should I do a credit construction? The Queen’s bank account is completely loaded.’

He didn’t need to spend a single penny.

Nor did he want to.

Moreover, there was another reason.

“Because we need to freeze time.”

This construction required the use of time freezing.

It was a project that would take at least several months.

‘The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway took 26 months to build. It’ll be quicker here, but still, nearly a year.’

Lloyd estimated the construction period.

It would likely take about a year.

“So, before we freeze time, we need to stockpile all the necessary materials, supplies, and labor here. Once time is frozen, there’s no way to bring in supplies from elsewhere.”

“Hmm, that makes sense. So, you’re planning to collect all the funds at once.”

“Of course. All at once.”

There’s no reason or room for credit construction.

“So, I’ll be off. Watch over Yongyong’s work for a few days.”

“……You sound like you’re leaving your dog with someone.”

“Well, roughly?”

“Is there anything else you’d like me to do?”

“Anything else?”

“Yes.”

Lloyd tilted his head in question.

“Surely, you’re not expecting me to say something tender like, ‘Take care, don’t skip meals, watch out for colds,’ right?”

“Of course not. But-”

Javier shook his head immediately.

He responded in his typical cold tone.

“In case something unexpected happens to you, Lord Lloyd.”

“To me? Something unexpected?”

“Yes. If you have an accident and get injured, if you incur the Queen’s wrath and get beheaded, or if you fall ill with acute pneumonia during a reckless flight and waste away in bed.”

“…….”

“If your absence is prolonged, what should I do after supervising Yongyong?”

“Are you planning to cheer if that happens?”

“Is that what you hope for?”

“No. Never. Absolutely not.”

Lloyd chuckled.

The guy was probably just joking as usual.

But somehow, it didn’t feel like a mere joke to Lloyd.

‘It might indeed be a moment for everyone to cheer. If I die or disappear, the restoration of fate won’t happen.’

No one knew.

No one knew that Javier had regained his rightful place as the protagonist.

But it was likely to happen.

The thought made a bitter smile creep across Lloyd’s face.

“Stop saying scary things like that. And don’t jinx it.”

“Jinx it?”

“There’s such a thing. I’m off then.”

He patted Javier’s shoulder.

Leaving him in charge, he took off on Ggoming.

Heading straight to the royal palace in the capital, Magenta.

Fortunately, there was no need to meet Queen Alicia in person.

The Queen had already allocated a special budget in advance.

‘As expected of the Queen!’

The Queen always anticipated his needs with precision.

This time was no different.

‘Even the amount is perfect.’

Seeing the amount on the royal check, Lloyd almost shed tears of gratitude.

There was enough to lavishly spend on the construction and still have plenty left over.

This greatly accelerated the preparation.

After a stop in the capital, Lloyd visited the trade cities Namaran and Kremo.

Everything proceeded smoothly there as well.

Lloyd had saved both cities from ruin before.

The rumor of him buying large quantities of food, materials, and supplies spread quickly.

Merchants moved at once.

They all rushed to him.

Offering the best goods at the lowest prices.

Forming lines to supply him abundantly.

Lloyd had his pick of the best deals.

It was a remarkable achievement worthy of the title “Merchant’s Favorite.”

Thanks to this, he completed all purchases in just ten days.

Then he returned to the Pantara Mountain Range site.

The site had transformed significantly in the ten days he was gone.

No, it had completely changed.

“……Phew.”

Lloyd sighed in amazement as he surveyed the site.

First, the canyon where he planned to build the railroad.

The cone-shaped and beer bottle-shaped peaks surrounding the canyon were gone.

To be precise, their bases had been neatly chopped off and cleared.

The canyon between the two peaks had also undergone a massive transformation.

The canyon had widened.

The altitude at the top of the canyon hadn’t decreased.

Instead, the sides of the canyon had widened significantly.

It looked exactly as he had designed and planned.

‘I designed it and had it executed, but they did an amazing job. Fantastic.’

The satisfaction bubbled up within him.

The numerous simulations and experiments he had run were realized perfectly.

‘Just right.’

This was enough.

They now had the minimum conditions to attempt the construction.

But there were still some gaps.

‘We need to have everything ready before we freeze time.’

Preparations were still lacking, and there was much to do.

He sought out Javier.

“Hey, are you asleep?”

Javier was warming himself by a campfire in the temporary shelter cave.

Javier held out a wooden plate to Lloyd.

On it were freshly grilled mushrooms.

“Warm yourself up first. I sensed your arrival and grilled these just now.”

“Were you planning to eat alone?”

“You caught me.”

“Of course. But these aren’t poisonous mushrooms, right?”

“They are.”

“Really?”

“No.”

“Tsk.”

He took the plate.

Inspecting the mushrooms, he ate one.

The unique fragrant flavor and warmth melted in his mouth.

Enjoying the warmth, he asked Javier.

“Hey. Are there any other stashes you’ve hidden to eat alone?”

“No.”

“Good. Then go check the other side of the mountain range.”

“…….”

“Why are you looking at me like that with squinty eyes?”

“I thought you were punishing me for hiding food.”

“It’s not a punishment.”

Lloyd chuckled, chewing on the mushroom.

“I’m going to be moving around with Yongyong.”

“Moving around?”

“To Namaran and Kremo. I need to transport the supplies.”

“Ah.”

“So, while I’m busy moving with Yongyong, things will get chaotic on the other side of the mountain range.”

“Indeed. It’s already been quite noisy on the other side for the past few days.”

“Has it?”

“Yes. Since Yongyong started demolishing the two peaks.”

“Of course.”

Lloyd’s smile turned mischievous.

It was a natural situation.

He had caused quite a stir by demolishing a few peaks to build a mountain railway.

He had transformed the steep terrain, demolishing peaks and widening the canyon.

This was not just terrain adjustment.

It was more like terrain modification or surgery.

“And we’re not only working on this side of the mountain range.”

Crossing the mountain range meant traveling from this side to that side and back.

The train would do the same.

So, Yongyong was demolishing and reshaping the terrain on the other side as well.

“The kingdom on the other side must be in chaos. They probably thought no one could cross the mountain range. They believed the Pantara Mountain Range was a natural barrier protecting them from the powerful Magentano Kingdom.”

But suddenly, a dragon appeared.

Demolishing the once reliable Pantara Mountain peaks.

Hammering, shaving, and filling the rugged terrain like a sculptor.

To the people of the kingdom on the other side, it must have felt like a terrifying disaster or an invasion.

“Their army will rush over. The once-safe rear is now a disaster area with a dragon demolishing the terrain. But it doesn’t matter to us.”

“It doesn’t?”

“According to international law, the Pantara Mountain Range is unclaimed land. It’s free to be developed without the permission of neighboring countries. As long as we have the capability and capital.”

“In other words, since our actions fall under development activities, it’s okay.”

“Yes. We’re not harming anyone over there.”

“But they’ll be very frightened and anxious.”

“That’s why you need to check the other side.”

Lloyd said, finishing the last mushroom.

“Scouts will come to check the situation. Or the army might climb the demolished peaks. That would be troublesome. This is our site. If they find out what we’re up to, it’ll be annoying.”

“Why would it be annoying?”

“It’s simple. According to international law, unclaimed land belongs to the first developer. If they find out we’re creating a trade route, they’ll try to stop us. Once the trade route is developed, this area will become the territory of the Magentano royal family. They won’t like the idea of a direct trade route to the powerful Magentano Kingdom. So, you need to block them.”

“Prevent them from reaching the site.”

“Yes. Keep them from discovering what we’re doing. But don’t hurt them too much or kill them. Just until I get back with Yongyong. Can you do it?”

“Yes, I can.”

“Then it’s settled.”

That was all.

Javier could handle it.

No matter how the kingdom on the other side reacted.

Javier could easily fend off a few dozen scouts like chewing gum.

Even if hundreds or thousands of troops came, it would be the same.

‘What an incredible guy.’

Having someone like him following orders, joking, and sharing a campfire was truly astonishing.

‘The Knight of Blood and Iron. When I read the novel, he was just a cool, unreachable fictional character.’

Lloyd looked at Javier across the campfire.

Javier sensed his gaze and looked at him quizzically.

“Lord Lloyd? Why are you staring at me like that?”

“Oh. I just noticed your eyebrows are slightly uneven.”

“……My eyebrows?”

“Yeah.”

“And what of it?”

“I just thought you had a human side too.”

“Having uneven eyebrows is a human trait?”

“Yeah. It means you’re not perfect.”

“Then you must be very human.”

“Hey.”

“I see it’s hard to find a part of you that isn’t uneven. Your eyebrows, eyes, double eyelids, your nose is slightly crooked. Even your nostrils are slightly different in width. Not to mention your personality.”

“……I hope a million troops show up while I’m gone.”

“Are you hoping I die in the process?”

“Yes.”

“…….”

“You know I’m joking, right?”

“Yes. Actually, I was joking too.”

“About me being uneven all over?”

“No. About you being a very human person.”

“…….”

If he wasn’t a Grandmaster, I’d punch him.

Lloyd chuckled despite himself.

And he thought.

I don’t want you to die.

I hope our ending doesn’t involve any of us dying or disappearing.

I’ll make sure of it.

He thought and vowed.

As the night deepened.

The campfire continued to burn warmly.

And from a distance, the Spirit King of the Pantara Mountain Range, losing its domain, stared coldly at the two men.