The Pantara Range, located southwest of the kingdom, was an impassable natural barrier with several layers of steep cliffs. In addition to its rocky terrain, the land's climate was harsh. Its weather was erratic, and there were frequent blizzards that came without warning.
But the land was far too valuable to be neglected. A trade route that cut through the range would bring massive benefits by saving the time it took to go around it instead. All of the former monarchs of the House of Magentano believed that this trade route would elevate the kingdom's status. As a result, they expended enormous effort to build a road through the range. A total of nine monarchs attempted the construction. But they all failed for one simple reason..
There were too many technical difficulties. With the royal developers' civil engineering expertise, all they could even attempt to do was lay down a plank road.
Queen Magentano bit her lips tightly. Plank roads were used as a way to build a path on top of steep cliffs. The first step to build one was to dig holes in the ground for the stakes that would be placed down next. Once the stakes were inserted, planks would be laid on top of them. This process was repeated until a plank road appeared along a cliff.
But there were too many issues with the road.
She recalled the nine kings before her who attempted the construction and their reasons for failure.
A plank road could be built one way or another. However, it was impossible to maintain one. The wooden planks and stakes would begin to rot and crumble after two years of repeatedly getting soaked, freezing, and then thawing out in the range's harsh climate.
The durability of the road quickly deteriorated in the harsh climate. Even with meticulous maintenance, it became unusable after two years. The structural limitations of the plank road itself also stymied the previous monarchs' plans.
The road was too narrow for more than one person to pass through. So, it didn't have the capacity for a large number of people or shipments to travel at the same time even if it was built. There were also disastrous occasions when the road collapsed from being forced to carry multiple loads.
That wasn't the end of it. Once someone was on the road, it was impossible for them to change routes or turn back to where they came from. The road was too narrow, with a stone wall on one side and a cliff on the other.
Thus, the road was impossible to use as a trade route. It was a failure.
Thus, one of the previous monarchs had dared to make even bolder attempts.
The monarch attempted to widen and strengthen the road with metals. However, it failed because there was no way to transport the large and heavy construction materials while withstanding the range's harsh climate. The plan led hundreds of laborers to die in just two months. Ultimately, the construction was eventually halted. This was a summary of the former monarch's past efforts. The House of Magentano had given up on building a trade route through the range after the last failure. They simply couldn't carry out the construction with their current capabilities.
But what? Narrow gauge railroad? Loops? Switchbacks?
Queen Magentano jolted herself awake from her trance. A narrow gauge railroads. Loops. Switchbacks. All of these terms were new to her. Her expression toward Lloyd darkened, and her grip on his neck tightened. "Give me a more detailed explanation."
Crunch!
"Weck....!" Lloyd squealed like a pig and helplessly stared at the queen. He then fumbled to point his finger at his neck, indicating that he was nearly suffocating and couldn't speak. His resistance caused her to realize her mistake and flinch, loosening her grip slightly. Instead of responding, however, Lloyd wrenched himself from the queen's grip with one hand and shoved aside her wooden sword with his shovel.
Clang! Clang! Their auras pushed against one another, creating fire sparks and screeching noise.
"Are you asking me to describe the construction techniques I mentioned just now?" asked Lloyd amidst their fight.
"Yes, I am."
"I am sorry, Your Majesty, but that will be difficult."
"Difficult?" She frowned. "Do you not want to explain what loops or switchbacks are?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Queen Magentano grimaced further. "Why is that?"
"For it is my trade secret."
Slash! Kaboom! Whack! Her sword strike became instantly fiercer. Lloyd answered, barely able to hold out against the queen's attack. "Urgh! Ack! Eek! R-really... Please forgive me, but... But you could turn down my offer if I fully explain these techniques to you."
"Do you possibly think I will start the construction by myself after hearing about your techniques?" asked Queen Magentano in disbelief.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Her eyes flashed with a glint of anger.
Crash! Clang! Thwack! Even though her sword strikes became more powerful, Lloyd was able to block them more effectively. Despite that, he put on a bitter smile at the same time.
I can't tell her too many details about the construction methods I planned to use. Though I doubt she'd do something as low as stealing my ideas, you never know what could happen.
He knew what their relationship was. They weren't family or friends. They weren't comrades who looked out for each other. They were merely cooperating together as strategic partners with aligning interests.
So, even if I'm close to her, I should keep my distance. We're bound to end up in a muddy, messy fight the moment one of us gets too comfortable with the other.
They needed to establish a firm boundary and clearly outline their mutual interests and rights. This was the reason Lloyd refused to reveal his construction methods to her. It was also why he had never suggested this project to her until today.
I actually had this construction in mind before, but I had no particular reason to do it for her.
Lloyd had always known about the importance of this construction since the novel mentioned it three or four times as a long-held ambition of the House of Magentano. But Lloyd didn't bring it up or suggest it to her before because he didn't see the point of it.
Lloyd thought his course of action was obvious. After all, this was a major bargaining chip for him. He had been trying his best to avoid using it prematurely. Lloyd believed that this project would give him the upper hand in a future negotiation with the queen. That was why he finally revealed his trump card today to obtain the Tears of Summer.
Plus, this construction is feasible. I can get it done. A similar construction happened back in my world.
Lloyd suddenly recalled the narrow-gauge railroad back on Earth. It was the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway in India.
I think it was around 1870 when the United Kingdom colonized India. The British and their love for black tea. Those fanatics of black tea had the tendency to take out their wallets the moment they saw a good area to grow tea leaves wherever they went.
Coincidentally, a region known as Darjeeling piqued the interest of the British. The altitude was about 6,800 feet, and it was in the tropical plateau area, covered in thick fog all year because the warm air from the Bay of Bengal met the Himalayan mountains. The temperature difference in the day and night also created ideal conditions for growing high-quality black tea leaves.
That was why the British began to concentrate on Darjeeling, which was scarce at the time. They reasoned that establishing a black tea field and hiring thousands of laborers would yield enormous profits for them. However, they needed to build a road that would let them transport large amounts of goods and black tea leaves out of the field. But they realized the range had a rough terrain.
As a result, those tea-loving people built a railway in the mountains instead of using the existing carriage road, which took five to six days to travel one way. The goal of their construction was to create a way to safely transport bulks of goods and laborers between regular intervals of time.
The railroad was about fifty-four miles long, spiraling into the mountain. What was shocking was its extremely narrow gauge.
The "gauge" referred to the distance between two rails. South Korea adhered to the global standard interval of 4.7 feet. Countless trains, including the KTX, were built to operate on a narrow-gauge railroad of the same size. The one built by the British in Darjeeling, on the other hand, was only twenty-four inches!
Because it had to pass through the rugged and difficult mountain terrain, the scale of the construction and size of the train would increase if they tried to lay down wide tracks like a standard gauge railway. The project would also become more dangerous and difficult with it. As a result, they reduced the size of the gauge and train as much as they could without affecting the railway's ability to transport goods.
The British civil engineers then incorporated two more railway features on top of what they already had.
Thanks to these additions, they were able to install the railways across the steep terrains of the mountains without having to create almost any tunnels. The construction also took significantly less time than it would have otherwise. They were able to build an efficient and cost-effective supply transport route.
The outcome of the construction was the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. Lloyd thought of creating a similar railway through the Pantara Range.
It's more than possible. I can get it done.
Lloyd was confident. It was all thanks to completing his research on the matter early on.
I looked through the Magentano construction records a long time ago and learned several things, such as how the main path along the mountains to set down the railway would be thirty-seven miles long and what the roughest and harshest areas of the range are.
Lloyd's research became the basis for his confidence and conviction. Not willing to reveal what he learned through his preparation process for free, Lloyd answered, "At any rate, please forgive me, but this is a trade secret that I keep to myself. As such, please make a decision, Your Majesty."
"Take it or leave it?"
"Yes, Queen Alicia," acknowledged Lloyd humbly. "For the House of Peers will call for me."
"I'm sure they will," she agreed. "Due to the prophecy from the angel."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Lloyd was relieved that the queen was quick-witted. He didn't have to explain every little thing to her. She was able to see through his intentions, which made the conversation flow much easier. "I expect the House of Peers' request for my appearance to arrive in three or four days," Lloyd said brightly. "As Your Majesty stated, it will be due to the prophecy."
"Yes. They will barrage you with various questions at the hearing. The proponents will try to prove the prophecy's legitimacy through your testimony, while those in the opposing faction will search for any flaws in your words and attitude to prove its invalidity."
"Yes, that will be the case, Your Majesty."
"Then," Queen Magentano summarized. "You are saying that I should make a decision and act on it on the day of your hearing if I am to take up your offer. Is that what you mean?"
"That is exactly the case, Your Majesty." Lloyd nodded.
"I see you are giving me some time to think."
"I am overwhelmed that you take it that way."
"Overwhelmed, my foot," she huffed. "I can clearly see how you are struggling to avoid getting knocked out by one of my blows."
Boom! Clang! Clang! Clang! It was true. Despite the fact that Lloyd was talking and explaining a lot, his body was flailing and dancing around to dodge her attacks in any way possible. She laughed at the sight.
"I see... I suppose this is enough training for today."
Wham!
"Argh!" The blow, which felt like the icing on the cake, a finale, swept the space with incredible force. Despite his defense, Lloyd's feet slid back about ten yards. But he had a smile on his face. "Whew... Ha... Whew... Word cannot express how grateful I am to you, Your Majesty..."
"Gratitude, my foot."
“...”
"I understand your intentions. I shall see you again on the day the House of Peers calls for you."
"Then, as for my offer-"
"I will think about it until then," she interrupted.
"I am overwhelmed with gratitude, Your Majesty," replied Lloyd.
"Keep looking for that gratitude, and we shall be training again," warned Queen Magentano.
"The time is late, so I will take my leave now, Your Majesty."
"Suit yourself."
Lloyd bolted after paying his respects and dashed out of the training hall before she changed her mind.
Now that she was alone in the hall, Queen Magentano weighed Lloyd's suggestion. It sounded appealing. And, without a doubt, profitable. At the same time, it was so ridiculous that it made her laugh.
What an amazing and outrageous man Lloyd is.
The more she thought about him, the more she laughed aloud. Lloyd was incredibly unpredictable. And he was even more remarkable than she had imagined.
"I did not know that he was already approaching my level..." Queen Magetano's gaze shifted to the exit of the training hall. Her wrists were trembling faintly from how sore they were, in contrast to the casual and carefree demeanor she displayed throughout her training with Lloyd.
