"Here comes the snow... Snow... It's falling from the sky... It's coming down... In buckets... Dammit."
Swooosh! A strong wind started to blow all over, and snowflakes came scattering everywhere. Each snowflake was the size of a baseball, and the wind from this blizzard appeared to be sharp enough to cut his skin. Lloyd blankly chuckled at the sight.
"Ahaha. Dammit."
Now that all the supplies and laborers were in place, he planned to deliver a grand speech and stop the flow of time. He planned to start constructing the historic railway that would cross through the Pantara Range.
What rotten timing. Out of all days, there had to be a blizzard today.
Lloyd sighed, looking up at the sky, wondering if the blizzard couldn't have come at a worse time. But he couldn't see the sky because everything was foggy and gray from the swirling snowflakes.
Looks like construction won't happen today.
Even with the Bone Dragon, a grandmaster, and a team of experienced workers, no construction could take place in this kind of climate. Humans couldn't win against nature.
It'll only harm me in the end if I waste energy by acting stubbornly.
Lloyd licked his lips in bemusement as he watched the storm. He suddenly remembered how much he despised monsoon season in South Korea.
I couldn't earn money during those seasons.
Working paused on many construction fields when the monsoon season arrived and the weather turned bad. That meant he had fewer opportunities for pay.
The thing about this line of work is that you seem to make a lot when you just look at your daily wage. In the long run, however, with all of your forced breaks and whatnot, the total sum is surprisingly low.
As a result, he detested monsoon season. He despised rain and snow. However, his sentiment was not shared by everyone at the site.
The old men who didn't have much greed for money, or the people who waited a few days for their last paycheck to run out before working again. Those men didn't like working too hard, and actually enjoyed having occasional downtime.
Lloyd's gaze crawled from the sky to the ground toward the campsite. Workers were cheering and shouting in joy in the front yard.
"Snow! Oink!"
"How fun! Oink!"
"So tasty! Oink!"
The Orc warriors were having as much fun as wild boars in the mountains. They even stripped half-naked and joyously had a snow fight while flexing their muscles.
"Heavy snow! Awesome! That's why! We have no work! Oink!"
"Blizzard! Cold! Rubbing it against my muscles! Helps with training! Oink!"
"Large snowflakes! Chilled to the core! Eating them makes my stomach tremble! Bulking up my intestines! Oink!"
Stop it, you nutjobs...
Lloyd sighed deeply, gradually beginning to understand the project owners' anxiety every time inclement weather halted construction in South Korea.
The construction period grows longer, proportionately wasting more time and money. Haah.
Lloyd, on the other hand, had no choice. The others had a different attitude from him. And so, he decided to accept the blizzard. Meanwhile, most of the workers were ecstatic, including the White Cavalry's members, who were known for their bravery and honor.
"It feels like we came here for vacation since we have no work to do with heavy snow and can just laze around in bed all day," a lancer said.
"Yeah," agreed the other. "It snowed just like this during the war in the Panos Plains."
"Oh, that had been very exciting. The number of frostbite patients there were."
"Yeah. Compared to that, this storm is nothing but a gentle breeze. Really, a breeze."
"You are right. I went out for some fresh air, and it was warm then."
"I know, right? I wish it'd stay like this. That way we can laze around meanwhile."
"That is exactly what I mean."
Given that the White Cavalry lancers had already endured all sorts of weather conditions in their battles, this blizzard did not weaken their resolve or military spirit. The elves reacted differently to the blizzard.
"Wow! What a fresh breeze of nature!"
"The grace of nature!"
"A pleasant gift!"
The elves had always preferred to go along with nature. They accepted whatever climate that nature provided. If the wind was hot and humid, that was what it was. If it was cold, well. It was cold then. Here in this mountain range, their ability to adapt to any climate shone through.
The dwarves also adapted to the blizzard in their own unique way.
"Excuse me, Master Corgidus, are you not cold?"
"Are you?" retorted Corgidus.
"Eh? No, not at all. I can't feel any sensation on my skin."
"Right. Tell me, how long has it been since you have worked with me? 80 years?"
"Yes, Master."
"That should be enough time to numb your skin," observed Corgidus as he rubbed his cheek.
"Yes. It seems the prolonged exposure to the furnace killed my sense of touch."
"Ahaha. Congratulations. You are now a true blacksmith."
"It's all thanks to your guidance."
Just like that, the dwarves had been literally desensitized to the point that the severe blizzard had no effect on them. Instead, they welcomed the unexpected break. The human soldiers of the Engineering Corps were just like the rest of them.
"Yowza! This winter coat that just came in is super warm."
"Isn't it?"
"Yeah! It's really something. Here, look. Look how densely stuffed the linings are. It's been nicely padded."
"I know, right? We should be thankful to Master Lloyd."
"I couldn't agree with you more. He bulk-ordered these warm clothes for us... I can't help but be moved every time he takes care of us like this."
"Yes, I agree. I can still remember what he said when he gave the coat to me."
"What did the young master say?" The man's eyes shone with expectation.
"Nothing better than a puffer in the winter!' That's what he said."
"Oh, so the name of this jacket is 'puffer'?"
"It appears to be."
"Nothing better than puffers in the winter..."
"Hurray to the puffers..."
The soldiers were overjoyed as they wrapped themselves in the lavish liner jackets. Nobody noticed the blizzard, not even the orcs, elves, dwarves, or humans. It had no effect on them. Instead, they were simply ecstatic about the unexpected break.
This unexpected situation, on the other hand, bruised the ego of Elemental King Pantalasa to the core.
What are they...?
He couldn't get his mind around it. This blizzard had been his venomous retaliation, a serious, no-joke revenge to freeze them to death and eliminate the intruders because he couldn't physically touch them. He had used all of his strength to create this storm. But the end result was heartbreaking. It only made them happy.
Why doesn't this make anyone cold? Why aren't they writhing in agony? Why?! And why are they making snowmen all over?
Everyone laughed, oinked, and shrieked with delight as they built snowmen, fought, and played on the slides. Pantalasa shuddered in annoyance and felt terrible self-hatred at the sight. He understood why this occurred.
I have become weak.
Too many footprints of external creatures had been marked into the range. The natural appearance had been lost too much. And that was how much he lost his power.
But... I can't back down like this.
Pantalasa was not about to give up so easily. He summoned nature's wrath with more venomous resolve as everyone had the time of their lives in their camps. Everyone, on the other hand, was unconcerned about the worsening blizzard. They simply jumped for joy at the extended break. Lloyd was the only one whose happiness had plummeted to the lowest depths.
"Dammit... Something's off about the weather. Something's behind it for sure," observed Lloyd with serious distaste.
The blizzard had been pounding the entire range for six days. Lloyd shuddered at the biting wind, suspicious of its strength. It appeared to be determined to freeze everyone and halt construction.
I thought it'd go away after two or three days. But I don't see this ending any time soon.
The blizzard was worsening in degree. Waiting out like this would...
It'd be troublesome.
There were over a thousand workers present. Every day, tons of food and goods were consumed, and it was only a matter of time before snow piled up and froze the mountain.
The clean-up and the foundation job will take a hit. And there'll be more chances of an avalanche. Safety issues are a big thing, too.
This whole turn of events couldn't be any more frustrating. Everything was all set for the construction. But it hadn't been able to begin at all.
"There's certainly a problem here. I'll have to solve it," resolved Lloyd.
"But how will you stop a blizzard?" asked Javier innocently.
Lloyd crinkled his nose. "I don't know. But you see, don't you think this blizzard is a bit strange?"
"Strange?"
"The mana. Can't you feel it?"
"Do you mean the subtle hint of mana in the air?"
"Yeah." Lloyd gave a nod. The biting wind did contain a trace amount of mana. It was very small, like a few spices. It was certainly undetectable to those who couldn't use the Asrahan Core Technique. "But I can sense it. Just a little bit. What do you make of that?"
"There must be an elemental in the wind."
"Yes, indeed."
"And that is a problem, how?" said Javier. "It is common for elementals to be seeped into nature, be it the wind or creek water."
"Of course, it's nothing special. Under normal circumstances."
"But are you saying that is not the case now?"
"Of course." Lloyd nodded. "This blizzard. I can feel the presence of the elemental that has been interfering with my construction for the past six days."
“...”
"Who cares if it's an elemental or whatever? They're disrupting my work, and I can't leave them be. I'm suffering a great loss here."
"But, Master Lloyd, you are talking about an elemental," reminded Javier.
"Okay, so?"
"It will not be as easy as you think to resist against them."
"Well, you are right." Lloyd immediately understood what Javier was saying. Since the elemental was a spiritual entity like a ghost, it couldn't be touched, hit, or grasped
"As such, I am curious. As far as my common sense goes, humans and elementals cannot touch each other, except for the Elemental King who looks like a wild ginseng."
"Yeah, that's common sense. The exceptions would be, if there are any, magic spells of great magicians and auras of swordmasters."
"However," Javier immediately countered, "Even the magics and auras barely do any damage, even if they exert all of their strength."
"Yeah, I know that. That's common sense. It's a known fact that it's impossible to physically beat up the elemental king."
"Yes, I am also aware of that. So, how are you going to-"
"How am I going to beat up this blizzard-causing elemental?"
"Yes." Javier was genuinely intrigued. At the same time, he suspected Lloyd was wrong this time. He reasoned that it was better to wait for the blizzard to pass because that was the way of nature.
Lloyd gave a sly, mocking grin a split second later. "I have plans. So, let me ask you a question. Do you, by any chance, like shaved ice?"
