The switchback system was a technique used to run trains on rocky terrains. It was simple in theory: the train moved forward, changed tracks, and moved backward until it changed tracks again. Rinse and repeat. To put it another way, the switchback system allowed a train to travel up a slope at the lowest elevation possible through a zig-zag shape.
Well, roads can also be built similarly to the old highway in Chupungnyeong. There are also many paths going up mountain slopes in a zig-zag pattern throughout Hongcheon, Pyeongchang, and Inje County in the Province of Gangwon. This arrangement made the routes easier to drive through since the incline of the roads became gentler as the distance of travel increased.
A similar switchback system was also once used in South Korea. The stations between Heungjeon and Nahanjeong, as well as the paths in the Gyeongbu Line and Chukhang Line, were representative examples, though they were now closed.
There are plenty more in other places, too, of course. In addition to the one in Darjeeling, India, there are also similar railways in Mountain Ali, Taiwan, Peru, Germany, the United States, and many more.
Of course, the one Lloyd built here was considerable in scale. It was actually over the top.
Eight? Five? Nah. Twenty-one times!
To climb over the rift's hill, the train would need to switch directions twenty-one times.
Even though twenty-one is a lot, this is still manageable. After all, if Yong Yong had not removed two peaks and expanded the rift, I don't think even 210 switchbacks would have been enough let alone twenty-one.
Lloyd had already tried to lower the number of switchbacks that would be needed as much as he could. While looking at his final design in contentment, he shouted, "Sand men, it's time for cardio!"
At Lloyd's yelling, the sand men dropped the bag of sand and dashed outside the train while remembering Lloyd's warning. They then pushed the massive lever planted in the area where they ran, and a small change occurred on the track the test train had passed through. Clack! Creeak!
The railway segment changed directions. The train was cut off from the rails behind it and connected to another track in a different direction ahead of it, opening up a new path uphill. Once the two sand men completed their mission, they went back to the train and gave Lloyd a thumbs up.
"Switch completed! Oink!"
"Good."
It was Lloyd's turn to work now. After confirming the switch in tracks, he pulled the lever, a basic geared device that created a simple back-and-forth movement, on both sides of the train's braking device.
Clank! Lloyd yelled, "Go!" as the reverse gear clicked into place.
The ores then began to pump the lever, sending force toward the cogwheels and chains and propelling the train. But the wheels had changed to a different direction, owing to the operation of the reverse gear device.
Clank... Clank... Clank...! The giant train began to travel backward, and Lloyd's mouth curved into a bright smile.
Good. It's moving well.
Suddenly, Lloyd thought back to the day he had commissioned the test mule train to Corgidus, a relatively straightforward project considering the train could be converted from a carriage. There was only one complex component in the job.
The problem was this geared device.
For the switchback system to function properly, the train needed to travel forward and backward. But Lloyd knew very little about this apparatus.
But I had faith that Corgidus could pull it off since he's a master of mechanical development. He is among the top five across the entire continent when it comes to this skill.
Lloyd was confident that Corgidus could develop a gear if he gave a precise explanation of its broader purpose. The latter exceeded his expectations threefold.
"Wahaha. Brat, all you need is to change the force direction of the drive shaft based on the lever movement. Did you think I couldn't make a simple toy like this?"
Corgidus was also responsible for the changing railway that the sand men had just maneuvered. It was thanks to him that the switchback system could function smoothly.
Clack... Clank! The train smoothly passed the switch and then moved onto the new track, slowly ascending until it arrived at the second switchback section, where it stopped.
Lloyd then shouted, "Sand men! It's time for cardio!"
The sand men then dashed up to operate the switch, which led the train to a route above it. Once the railway successfully changed directions, Lloyd shifted the leveler into forward gear.
"Chug chug!"
The train then continued at a steady speed until it reached the third switchback. This process would repeat through a total of 21 zig zags until the train slowly conquered the steep slope of the mountains, moving from one direction to another. Javier, who was watching the whole thing, clucked his tongue.
This is unbelievable...
Even though Javier had anticipated this given the design of the tracks, he was still awestruck by Lloyd's foresight now that he was actually onboard the train.
"Young Master, please tell me you did not plan this from the start," Javier said.
"What do you mean this? The switchback system?"
"Yes." Javier gave a nod. "I mean from the start, exactly as I said."
"You mean going to the heavens to bait the Minister of Angels?" asked Lloyd.
"Yes, Young Master."
"If that's the case, yes. You're right."
“...”
"It's the truth," replied Lloyd. "I planned to start this construction from then. I figured this mountain would be the easiest way to set off the Magentano House and the queen. That's why I thought there was a good possibility."
"Possibly for what?"
"Well, nothing really special. Just stuff like how my construction offer would be accepted and I would end the project in success by using the switchback system. Of course, plans do not always go as expected, so I had a plan B and C in case something went wrong."
Nothing? This was nothing? Javier was overcome with the desire to tell Lloyd outright that he was a man with a monstrous ability to make predictions and plans. The knight wondered what kind of mindset was needed to execute such large-scale plans as if it were nothing. Simply put, it only seemed possible for someone who lived a completely different life from him.
And so, Javier couldn't help but ask, "So, once you are done with the test, you will construct the railway over the range that will descend downward. Do you also have a plan for what comes after the construction?"
"Of course. It won't be enough to just complete the construction."
Clank! After forcefully pushing the forward gear, Lloyd grinned widely and brazenly stated, "I'm planning to extort a few things from the Benetto Kingdom that stands just beyond the range."
♣
In the meantime, the Benetto Kingdom's palace was motionless from top to bottom from the effect of the Time Freeze skill. The walls, floors, and ceilings, the flags waving in the breeze, the officials, the supreme commander, and the king were all frozen in place. Now, after eleven months, a change started to take place.
Crack... Crack!
The frigidity energy that had stilled time and space started to lessen until it completely vanished. The world's temperature returned to normal, and everything started to move back to life like a video that was unpaused. The people inside the palace began to move, the supreme commander took a few steps back, the flag on the terrace fluttered, and the king let out the rest of his sigh.
"Grant us the strength to overcome this disaster," King Benettogna fervently pleaded, clinging to the sliver of hope he was left with.
I pray the supreme commander's plan will work.
If not, the kingdom was doomed. The Bone Dragon, which belonged to the Magentano Kingdom, had already destroyed two peaks as part of its demonstration of power. It was a clear sign that the neighboring kingdom was going to launch a devastating attack.
If we choose direct combat, my men will be massacred by Magentano forces before we even get an opportunity to fight. Siege warfare would also be a bad decision since the Bone Dragon could simply smash through the gates and walls of the palace.
Therefore, the only viable strategy was to launch a large-scale ambush when their opponents were in a state of exhaustion from hiking through the harsh mountain range. That was the only way they could succeed.
That is how we will weaken the enemy's spirit, and in the meantime, I will hasten to gather support from neighboring countries to boost my chances of protecting my land.
His goal was to lower their morale. However, there was still the Bone Dragon, a fearsome foe, for him to deal with.
We will be able to deal with the dragon if we work together. No, we must deal with it and win no matter what.
However, the first task ahead of him was to kill the spirit of the Magentano army.
Please. King Benettogna repeatedly prayed to his kingdom's past predecessors and even toward the Pantata Range, pleading for strength. I implore Pantalasa, the elemental king who assisted in the establishment of my kingdom, to punish the intruders with the harsh mountain terrain and blizzards. Please, let those vicious and inhumane monsters never set foot in this beautiful land.
Despite the loss of two peaks, the monarch opted to place his trust in the Pantara Range and its ability to act as a natural shield.
Since the range lacks any proper pathways, the Magentano bastards will pay a hefty price for looking down on nature.
This king, on the other hand, was unaware of the reality he was in. He was unaware of the events that occurred while he was in a frozen state, such as how a madman had become the elemental king of the range and expanded the rifts of the mountains before installing a sleek railway that could be easily traveled with a train. He was unaware that the railway had been completed just moments ago. The king knew nothing.
And his ignorance was understandable: all of these events had occurred while the world had come to a halt. From this king's perspective, the loss of the peaks was a recent event, similar to how a patient never feels anything during surgery and finds it over only after they open their eyes.
There was another terrifying fact that the king was completely unaware of as he prayed to his kingdom's past monarchs and Pantalasa. At this exact moment, Lloyd, the man behind this predicament, was making his way to the Benetto Kingdom on the back of the Bone Dragon.
