Chapter 345: The Spirit King's Resentment Against the Age (2)

“……Boom, boom. Snow is falling. Snow is falling from the sky. Those fairy bastards in the sky…… are dumping it…… by the bucketful…… without any sense of conscience…… damn.”

Whooooosh!

The wind blew like crazy.

Snowflakes whirled in the wind.

But each snowflake was the size of a baseball.

A freezing blizzard that seemed to tear at your skin.

Lloyd could only laugh as he watched.

“Hahaha. Damn it.”

He had planned to start construction today.

They had stockpiled all the supplies.

The workers were all assembled.

He had planned to give a grand speech today and freeze time.

To ambitiously build the historic railroad crossing the Pantara Mountain Range.

‘What impeccable timing. Of all days, why does a blizzard have to hit today?’

It felt like a bad omen.

Like a perfectly orchestrated misfortune.

Lloyd grumbled as he looked up at the sky.

But he couldn’t see the sky.

All he could see was a blur of white fog and the blizzard.

And the snowflakes, large as they were, whipped around like the devil’s dust, obscuring his vision.

‘We can’t do any construction today.’

Even if they froze time and did everything else.

Even with Yongyong the dragon, Grandmaster Javier, the Golbeom Squad, and veteran workers.

No construction could proceed in this weather.

Humans cannot conquer nature.

‘If we push through and waste our strength, we’ll just end up losing more.’

As he watched the howling blizzard, Lloyd clicked his tongue.

He was suddenly reminded of his time in South Korea.

He used to hate the monsoon season the most.

The reason was simple.

‘Because I couldn’t earn money.’

During the monsoon season, many construction sites would close.

This meant fewer job opportunities on the site.

The chance to earn daily wages decreased.

‘That’s how it was with site work. It might seem like you earn a lot when you look at the daily wages alone. But in the long run? The days you had to take off by force would bring down your overall average income.’

That’s why he hated the monsoon season.

He hated it when it rained or snowed heavily.

Of course, not all site workers were like him.

‘Some older guys who didn’t care much about money or those who lived day by day were different. They didn’t mind taking breaks now and then.’

With these thoughts, Lloyd’s gaze moved.

From the sky to the ground.

To the workers’ camp where their lodgings were.

Where the workers were gathered in the front yard.

Soon, he heard their joyful cheers.

“Snow, squeak!”

“This is fun, squeak!”

“Delicious, squeak!”

The orc warriors were thrilled, looking like puppies or wild boars from the Ural Mountains in the snow.

Despite the harsh wind, they were joyfully playing snowball fights, stripping down to their muscles.

“Blizzard! Good! No construction! Squeak!”

“Snowstorm! Cold! Rub it on muscles! Training! Squeak!”

“Heavy snow! It feels good inside! Eating it makes my stomach tingle! My guts are bulking up, squeak!”

……Enough, you crazy guys.

Lloyd sighed deeply.

Watching the orcs’ ecstatic behavior, he finally understood the anxiety that builders must feel when bad weather halts construction.

‘The construction period extends. Time is wasted. Money is lost. Phew.’

But there was nothing he could do.

Their positions were different.

With this in mind, Lloyd accepted the blizzard with composure.

Meanwhile, most other workers were overjoyed.

Even the usually valiant and dignified White Spear Cavalry members were the same.

“Thanks to this heavy snow, we don’t have to work. Lounging around in the lodging all day feels like a vacation.”

“Indeed. The snow was like this during the Battle of Panos Plain.”

“Ah, that was thrilling. Frostbite patients were everywhere.”

“Right. Compared to that, this blizzard is just a breeze, a breeze.”

“Exactly. I went out to feel the wind, and it was warm.”

“Yeah. I wish this gentle breeze would continue for a while so we can lounge around and rest.”

“That’s exactly it.”

……It was like that.

The elite White Spear Cavalry, battle-hardened in all kinds of harsh environments, didn’t bat an eye at the blizzard.

Meanwhile, the elf archers embraced the blizzard in their own way.

“Ah, how refreshing is this natural breeze!”

“A blessing of nature!”

“A refreshing gift!”

Elves preferred to harmonize with nature.

Whether it was a hot and humid breeze or a cold snowstorm.

They would accept and adapt.

Their ability to adapt was their specialty and strength.

Here, their strengths shone brightly.

On the other hand, the dwarves had their unique way of adapting to the blizzard.

“Hey, Kogidus sir? Aren’t you cold?”

“Are you cold?”

“No, not at all. I can’t feel my skin.”

“Indeed. You’ve been hammering beside me for 80 years now?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then it’s time for your skin to lose sensation.”

“Indeed. Spending so much time in front of the furnace has killed all my skin sensations.”

“Hahaha. Congratulations. You’ve become a true blacksmith.”

“It’s all thanks to your teaching, sir.”

……So, the dwarf blacksmiths had already lost their skin temperature sensation.

They didn’t shiver in the harsh blizzard.

Instead, they welcomed the unexpected holiday.

Similarly, the ordinary engineer corps from the Frontera estate were unaffected by the cold.

“Ah, Captain? These new winter undergarments we received are amazing, aren’t they?”

“Aren’t they?”

“Yes. They’re so warm. Look at the meticulous quilting filled with cotton. It’s fantastic.”

“Indeed. We should be grateful to Lord Lloyd.”

“Yes. He orders these warm clothes for us, taking care of even the smallest details. It’s always so touching.”

“I agree. I still remember what Lord Lloyd said when he gave us these.”

“What did he say?”

“He said, ‘Winter is all about layers!’”

“Then, is this undergarment called layers?”

“Seems like it.”

“Ah, winter is all about layers…”

“Layers for the win…”

The engineer corps soldiers happily snuggled into their fluffy, warm layers.

Thus, the orc warriors, White Spear Cavalry, elf archers, dwarf artisans, and the engineer corps soldiers.

No one at the site suffered from the blizzard.

They were unaffected by the harsh cold.

Instead, they welcomed the unexpected holiday with joy.

But for the Spirit King of the Pantara Mountain Range, Pantala, it was a frustrating blow.

‘……What is with these guys?’

The Spirit King couldn’t understand.

He had summoned the blizzard with a fierce resolve.

To freeze them all to death.

Since he couldn’t directly attack the intruders physically.

He had mustered all his strength to create the blizzard storm.

But the result?

It was disappointingly unsatisfactory.

Instead, he had made them happy!

‘Why isn’t anyone cold? Why aren’t they writhing in pain from the cold? Why? Why are they making snowmen and laughing?’

Hahaha, kyaa, squeak.

Making snowmen.

Having snowball fights.

Enjoying sledding.

Indulging in unexpected winter sports, everyone was having a great time, and Pantala shivered with rage.

Suddenly, a surge of self-loathing washed over him.

Of course, the Spirit King knew the cause of this situation.

‘My power has weakened.’

The many humans and humanoids entering the Pantara Mountain Range.

Their development had stripped away its natural state.

As much as the natural appearance was lost.

His power and authority had weakened.

‘But…… I won’t retreat like this.’

The Spirit King wouldn’t give up easily.

The more the camp enjoyed themselves.

The more he unleashed the wrath of nature.

Ignoring the joy of the humans, orcs, elves, and dwarves, he intensified the blizzard.

As a result, everyone became even happier with the extended holiday.

Only Lloyd’s happiness plummeted into negative territory.

“……Damn. This weather is definitely strange. Something’s up.”

The blizzard raged for six consecutive days.

The chilling wind made Lloyd shiver.

It didn’t make sense.

It was a relentless blizzard.

As if it intended to freeze everyone to death.

To thwart the construction completely.

‘I thought it would last a couple of days at most. But no, it shows no sign of stopping.’

The blizzard wasn’t stopping but intensifying.

Waiting it out would be problematic.

‘It will be a problem.’

Over a thousand people were here.

Just lazing around each day consumed a vast amount of food and supplies.

Moreover, as the blizzard persisted, snow would accumulate and freeze, causing issues.

‘The more snow piles up, the tougher the site cleanup. Preparing the railroad bed will be harder. The risk of avalanches will increase. Safety issues will grow.’

Not to mention, despite all the preparations, they couldn’t start construction.

Nothing was more frustrating!

“This is definitely a problem. We need to solve it.”

“But how do you plan to stop the blizzard?”

Javier asked.

Lloyd frowned.

“I don’t know. But doesn’t this blizzard seem strange to you?”

“Strange how?”

“Don’t you feel the mana?”

“The faint mana mixed in the blizzard, you mean.”

“Yes.”

Lloyd nodded.

It was clear.

Throughout the raging blizzard, he could feel faint mana in the harsh wind.

Of course, the amount was minimal.

It was like sensing a couple of grains of ramen seasoning in a strong gust of wind.

Only someone skilled in astral techniques could barely detect it.

“But you can feel it. The slight mana in the wind. What does that mean?”

“It means a spirit is embedded in the wind.”

“Exactly.”

“Is that a problem?”

Javier asked back.

“Spirits inhabiting the wind or stream aren’t that unusual.”

“Usually, it isn’t unusual.”

“Then it’s different now?”

“Yes.”

Lloyd nodded.

“Because a spirit-tinged blizzard storm is raging for six days straight, deliberately obstructing my construction.”

“…….”

“Can we just leave it alone? No way. How can we? I’m suffering real-time losses.”

“But Lord Lloyd. It’s a spirit.”

“So what?”

“No matter how you try to restrain it, it won’t be easy.”

“True.”

Lloyd understood what Javier meant.

It was natural.

The opponent was a spirit.

Not a living, flesh-and-blood entity.

Almost like a ghost, a pure spirit.

Naturally, it couldn’t be touched, hit, or captured.

“That’s why I’m curious. As far as I know, humans and spirits can’t physically touch each other. Except for the plant spirit king that looks like a ginseng root.”

“I know. That’s common knowledge. The only exceptions are the spells of a Grand Mage or the aura of a Sword Master.”

“But even the Grand Mage’s full-force spell or a Sword Master’s aura only mildly stimulates the spirit.”

“Yes, I know. That’s common knowledge. That’s why it’s believed in the magic academia that capturing a spirit with physical force is impossible.”

“Indeed. But how will you…….”

“Capture the spirit causing the blizzard?”

“Yes.”

Javier was genuinely curious.

He also thought.

This time, even for Lloyd, it might be impossible.

Given the opponent, it might be wise to wait for the blizzard to stop naturally.

But then.

As if mocking his concerns.

Lloyd smiled wickedly and said.

“I have a plan. So, let me ask you. Do you like shaved ice?”