Chapter 351: The Switchback System (1)
“It’s been nineteen years since I’ve reigned over this kingdom with thousands of elite troops under my command, so how could something like this happen… Hmph.”
In the southwestern part of the Magentano Kingdom, beyond the towering and treacherous Pantara Mountains, King Benetogna of the Beneto Kingdom let out a deep sigh at the heart of his capital.
It was understandable. This was the greatest national crisis the Beneto Kingdom had faced since its founding 300 years ago.
“So, after the peaks of the Pantara Mountains were collapsed, has there been any change in the direction of the Bone Dragon?”
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. We haven’t identified that far yet.”
“Hm… Then…”
“However, the officers predict that it’s highly likely that the Magentano forces will come pouring through the collapsed peaks.”
“Yes, that’s probably true.”
King Benetogna nodded solemnly. It was an easy and obvious prediction.
“Since the founding of our kingdom, the Pantara Mountains have served as a natural shield protecting us with their rugged terrain. But… considering the peaks of the Pantara Mountains have collapsed today, it seems that greedy woman Alicia from Magentano intends to finally reveal her ferocity.”
“However, Your Majesty, our forces are not to be underestimated. We will lay down our lives to stop their advance.”
“Do you really think that’s possible?”
“Of course, Your Majesty!”
The commander-in-chief of the kingdom’s defense forces answered with a resolute look in his eyes.
He continued, “We have guarded this land for 300 years. We have been vigilant against invasions by powerful nations with our elite troops. Though the Magentano army is formidable, they will inevitably be exhausted as they cross the Pantara Mountains.”
“So you plan to strike them then?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I’m confident that even the most powerful army cannot effectively respond to an ambush while exhausted from crossing such rugged terrain.”
“Yes, we must hope so, from our perspective.”
King Benetogna nodded. The commander’s words were correct. If Magentano truly intended a full-scale invasion, there was hardly any way to stop them objectively. The only sliver of hope lay in the moment when the Magentano forces would be tired and vulnerable after crossing the mountains.
“Then we must stake the fate of the kingdom on that single ambush.”
“Please trust me, Your Majesty.”
“Yes, I will trust you. So lead the fastest elite forces and prepare for a swift deployment.”
“I am deeply honored, Your Majesty!”
Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, the capital of the Beneto Kingdom was situated less than 50 kilometers from the Pantara Mountains. It was believed to be the safest rear area because of its proximity to the mountains.
But now, it was the opposite. As soon as Magentano’s elite crossed the mountains, the capital would immediately face the threat of invasion. However, the proximity also meant that the elite troops from the capital could respond quickly, which was some consolation in this situation.
“Please… ancestors, grant us the strength to overcome this national crisis.”
As the commander-in-chief left the royal chamber, King Benetogna clung to a thread of hope and prayed earnestly, wishing for the commander’s strategy to succeed and for peace to be maintained in his kingdom.
In reality, the Magentano Kingdom had no intention of invading. They were merely working on a mountain railway project led by a certain civil engineer. Unaware of this truth, King Benetogna was filled with desperation and urgency.
The next moment, something unprecedented happened without his knowledge. The entire palace froze.
It happened so quickly…
…Tsuzuzu, zzzeek!
The walls, floors, and ceiling of the palace froze. The sighing King Benetogna, the retreating commander-in-chief, the bustling palace staff—all were frozen. Even the banners fluttering in the wind on the palace terrace froze. The clouds in the sky beyond the banners froze, as did the people on the streets below, the flowing water, the leaves blowing in the wind, every place around the capital, and the entire world beyond.
Even the flowing time itself froze without exception.
The source of this was the “Time Freeze” option activated at the construction site 50 kilometers away on the other side of the Pantara Mountains.
♣
[Skill-specific Option ⑤: Time Freeze has been activated.]
[3,000 RP has been consumed.]
[Current RP: 7,071]
Tsutsutsutsutsu…!
[Time Freeze is complete.]
[The range of the unfrozen area cannot be changed until the option is deactivated.]
[If you leave the unfrozen area, the Time Freeze option will be deactivated immediately.]
[For the next year, all living beings in the unfrozen area, including yourself, will not experience aging.]
Messages floated in front of him. Lloyd took a deep breath at the strange sensation of a large amount of cold air generated from the Manahart and the Heart of Winter.
“…Hoo.”
The Time Freeze option had been successfully activated. Now it was time to get to work.
‘Time to work!’
The construction had been delayed for days due to blizzards. Lloyd mobilized the already-formed work teams, and the construction of the Pantara Mountain Canyon Railway began.
Luckily, the ground where the tracks would be laid had already been mostly carved, tilled, and leveled by Yonyong.
As a result, the roadbed construction could start immediately.
“Proud orc warriors, remember what I emphasized before starting the construction. What was it?”
“If water accumulates on the tracks and drainage is poor, the soil will erode, kwiiik!”
“And what did I say that’s similar to?”
“Muscle loss, kwiieek!”
“So what should we do?”
“Drainage! Construction of trackside drainage, kwiiek!”
Lloyd thought the most crucial part of this railway construction was drainage. It was only natural.
‘This place is sloped. Moreover, it’s a place where snow falls and accumulates, melts, and refreezes repeatedly.’
The melted water would seep into the ground, eroding the soil from within, causing the ground to sink. This would lead to a catastrophic collapse of the roadbed and tracks, creating potholes or sinkholes.
Or there could be another type of disaster. If the water froze while still inside, the ground would expand, bulging upward, damaging the tracks laid on top.
‘That would be a disaster. Drainage is the top priority. Even if the maintenance crew diligently clears the snow off the tracks whenever it snows, it’s impossible to remove 100 percent of the snow.’
Any remaining snow and ice must be allowed to flow away immediately when it melts.
Therefore, drainage is important. The water should be directed to flow smoothly and efficiently, without damaging the roadbed that supports the tracks, through carefully calculated routes and directions.
Lloyd meticulously supervised the construction of the trackside drainage while constructing the roadbed. He also ensured the drainage holes were built where the sloped surface met the tracks below.
Thus, the orc work crew’s commands echoed energetically all day along the mountainside.
“Dig, kwiik!”
“Carve, kwiik!”
“Level, kwiik!”
“Comp… kwiieek!”
“…There’s a traitor here, kwiik!”
Meanwhile, the elf archers were in charge of stabilizing the slope.
“So we need to spray the water in the bucket on the slope before it freezes, right?”
“Yes. That’s enough.”
Lloyd smiled at the representative of the elf archers, Chief Muira.
“The slope is quite steep, but at least it’s a solid rock.”
What he said was true. The slope here was a result of Yonyong’s enthusiastic destruction. Thanks to this, a solid rock face was fully exposed. The investigation showed little risk of collapse.
However, it was necessary to prevent weathering of the rock.
“Over time, small debris, stones, or larger rock fragments will fall off. They’ll roll downwards, potentially damaging the tracks below, or if we’re unlucky, causing harm to passing trains or derailment accidents. That’s why…”
Lloyd continued.
“If we evenly spray water on the slope and let it freeze, it will coat the rock face. This will create a natural barrier.”
Water is better than cement here. Using cement haphazardly could cause it to freeze and crack, leading to a mess. It’s much simpler and cleaner to just spray water and let it freeze.
‘Of course, the water won’t stay frozen forever, but given the local climate, more snow will fall and freeze over it than melt.’
The main concern would be preventing the ice from getting too thick, requiring periodic trimming.
But that’s for later, after the construction. Keeping this maintenance method in mind, Lloyd said,
“So please handle it well. Since the slope is steep and slippery, make sure to wear safety ropes.”
“Don’t worry about that. This is like flat ground for us.”
Muira smiled slightly.
To prove her point, she and the elves moved with circus-like agility.
Swish! Swish!
They navigated the steep, slippery slopes with ease, as if solving simple math problems for a top student, like Michael Jordan doing basic dribbling, or Mike Tyson popping bubble wrap with his fists.
They sprinted, jumped, and sprayed water, then fetched more and repeated the process.
In addition, Ggoming spread webs in double layers.
Thus, the slope protection construction was completed.
Next was the track laying.
“Bangul! Pabangul!”
Thwak!
Bangul worked tirelessly every day, producing iron tracks.
Then, Master Kogidus and the dwarf blacksmiths hammered and forged the iron tracks.
The tracks were produced to the
exact specifications ordered by Lloyd.
The finished tracks were transported to the site, laid down by the engineers and soldiers from the White Spear Cavalry, progressing steadily every day.
Drainage was constructed, gravel was laid, sleepers were placed, tracks were installed, and the elves reinforced the slopes. The process ran smoothly like clockwork.
There was no waste in any step.
It was a moment where Lloyd’s experience and expertise in numerous large-scale projects shone.
‘Of course. Waste is a sin!’
Time, materials, and funds—none should be wasted. Prioritizing safety while eliminating inefficiencies. Creating a workplace where everyone on-site, including the workers, is happy.
That was the ideal scene Lloyd pursued.
Thus, days, weeks, a month, three months passed.
As time moved like clockwork, the outline of the ascending track of the Pantara Mountain Railway began to take shape.
“So this is the loop track and switchback system you mentioned before?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Lloyd smiled at Javier.
“Why? Never seen anything like it?”
“…”
Obviously not.
Javier looked down. Below the peak where he stood, the results of everyone’s efforts over the past three months were spread out along the canyon slope.
The most noticeable was the loop track.
‘It looks like a snake coiled up.’
The loop track didn’t extend in a straight line like a typical train track.
Instead, it circled repeatedly in large loops, allowing the train to move up the tracks in a relatively gentle structure rather than a steep incline.
The principle was easy to understand.
Even someone like Javier, who had no engineering aptitude, could grasp it.
‘But the switchback… Can a train really move on something like that?’
Javier frowned as he looked at the steepest part of the canyon where the ascending track was laid.
The track zigzagged along the slope. Unlike the loop track, it wasn’t continuous. The track advanced to the left before ending, requiring the train to reverse and climb to the right through an odd-looking intersection.
So…
‘The train will move back and forth, zigzagging up the slope.’
Javier grasped the basic principle of the switchback.
His silver eyebrows furrowed deeply.
He understood the principle, but was it safe?
Could the train move accurately without error on such a narrow slope?
If there was even a slight mistake, wouldn’t the train fall off the slope?
‘But Lloyd must have a plan.’
Surely, there must be a solution. Lloyd would have thought it through.
Javier reassured himself, but at that moment,
“If it’s your first time seeing it, that’s good. Watch me ride it.”
“…What?”
Ride it? Lloyd himself? On that untested track? Now?
Javier turned to Lloyd, uneasy.
“Surely not, Lloyd?”
“Yes. It’s a test run.”
“But why must you do it?”
“Because it’s dangerous.”
Lloyd’s innocent, unruffled smile said it all—as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
