Chapter 559 - 531: The Status of the Railroad Construction
Chapter 559: Chapter 531: The Status of the Railroad Construction
Swamp Town, once the territory of Baron Reisen Sain, began its transformation after falling into Ronin’s hands.
A dense population, newly constructed main streets, bustling markets—after several years of development, Swamp Town no longer resembled the small town that had once survived solely on Black Water Buffalos.
The development of the swamplands, the construction of new waterworks, the mining of coal, and the railway project that began at the start of the year brought a massive influx of people to Wubei Territory. It also attracted workers from neighboring cities like Pasture City and the Green Territory.
The gathering of people naturally spurred commercial development, and even the food and beverage industry began to take a promising shape.
During this period, the people of Swamp Town benefited greatly. They earned amounts of money they had never dared to imagine before. Most no longer worried about having enough food or staying warm, and they were even bold enough to purchase private property like hoes, pigs, and sheep.
In fact, it wasn’t just Swamp Town. Mountain Forest Town, Sanfang Town, and Black Earth Town each had their own industries, which also brought good employment and wealth to the local populace.
And because of this, Ronin, despite not having made a public appearance in a long time, enjoyed an immense reputation among his people.
After all, the people owed their current lives entirely to the blessings of their Lord.
At this moment, in a stretch of Forest Land thirty li from the coal base, a newly laid track cut straight through the woods and stretched into the distance. It was complete with rails, sleepers, a crushed-stone roadbed, and everything else needed.
And further in the distance, Carlos’s colossal figure crushed a large swath of the forest. It was manipulating super-heated Flame to weld the rails together.
With its current Spiritual Power and Magic Power, it could weld many rails simultaneously, and its efficiency was quite decent.
In truth, when steam trains first appeared, there was no welding technology. The rails at that time used riveting, which was slightly inferior to Carlos’s style of welding.
"Duke, we officially began laying the tracks in April. Now, over four months later, the total length of the railway is about thirty li."
Chief Mechanical Engineer Simon was holding a blueprint and briefing Ronin on the situation. "We are currently located about here, still a few li from Black Earth Town."
Ronin took the route map. This was the route that Simon and his recruited assistants had spent two months surveying. It ran from the coal base in Swamp Town straight to the vicinity of Wubei Port, passing through Black Earth Town along the way.
At Ronin’s suggestion, the route had been shifted slightly to the west, giving it a curve.
This was done to allow for the future construction of a station near Black Earth Town and Sanfang Town, facilitating the transport of grain, ceramics, and textiles from those two locations.
"This is a bit slow," Ronin said.
Simon looked as if he were facing a formidable enemy. "Duke, this speed isn’t slow! We started everything from scratch, with nothing to reference. To have laid thirty li of track in over four months is already outstanding!"
Ronin acted as if he hadn’t heard. "The entire route is over a hundred li. Can the pace of construction be increased for the rest of it?"
He put down the blueprint and looked at Simon. "Blanche will be giving birth soon. Many nobles will come to congratulate me, and I’ll use the opportunity to show them your work. I’m confident some of them will be interested in this big fellow, and the railway will expand beyond Wubei Territory."
Ronin couldn’t guarantee that other nobles would build railways, but at the very least, there would be a line to the large iron mine near Wushan City.
’If it takes a year to lay over a hundred li of track in Wubei Territory, then how long would it take to cover the several hundred li from here to Wushan City?’
That was why Ronin had said the pace was a bit slow.
"Over these four months, the workers have gradually become familiar with the operating procedures. They’ve mastered many details through my constant instruction, and I’ve trained several foremen. The pace of construction should pick up."
Simon, who had clearly never dealt with a boss before, was being completely honest.
"Good. Then speed it up even more. Try to finish the rest of the line before the spring planting next year!" Ronin said.
Simon felt the pressure. "It’s difficult to work when heavy snow covers everything in winter. I don’t mind, but the workers..."
"Then increase their pay and provide them with the necessary working conditions."
Ronin said, "The snow isn’t a problem either. Just have Carlos melt it. The pace of infrastructure construction has to increase."
"But Duke, I have to bring something up. We only have one Carlos. It can help weld this railway in Wubei Territory, but when we have future railway lines that are hundreds of li long, it won’t be able to keep up."
This statement made Ronin frown.
After a long moment of contemplation, he said, "We also have designs for riveting. Let’s use that method for the time being. Also, slow down the steam train’s speed and control its load weight to reduce the vibrations and impact from its movement."
"I’ll go find Bellora and Sophia later and see if they can design a portable Magic Energy welding gun that ordinary people can use."
’One step at a time.’ Without welding technology, connecting the rails was a genuine problem.
Although Ronin knew that a thermite reaction could produce the extremely high temperatures needed for welding, he didn’t yet have the ability to produce aluminum powder.
As for things like gas welding or arc welding, it was for much the same reason.
Therefore, he could only turn his thoughts to Magic Energy.
Before a solution could be found, they would have to make do with riveting.
As the two were talking, the ground began to shake, and a K-CLANG, K-CLANG, K-CLANG sound pierced through the Forest Land from a distance.
Ronin couldn’t help but look over. He saw a steam locomotive pulling two carriages, with another locomotive at the rear, approaching at a steady pace.
TOOT TOOT~
The sound of the steam whistle made Ronin feel as if he had returned to Earth. The scene had a huge impact on him, filling him with a sense of accomplishment.
HISS!
Steam shot out as the train’s speed slowly decreased, coming to a stop just a short distance from Ronin and Simon. A young man jumped down from it, rubbing his hands together, his face alight with excitement.
Driving this big fellow clearly made him feel proud and thrilled.
The young man’s name was Sedon. He was clever, quick-witted, and learned new things very quickly, so he had been chosen by Simon.
As one of the Free People from Wushan City, Sedon had come here hoping to make a name for himself, and now he was off to an excellent start.
’A train! This is something even nobles have never touched, and I’m its driver. So many people would be envious and jealous if they knew.’
Because of this, Sedon cherished his current job, even personally wiping down the wheels several times after his shift ended.
"Your Grace, Chief Engineer Simon!"
Sedon jogged over, bowed first, and then reported, "This is my third test run. I encountered no problems coming from the coal base to here!"
"Well done, Sedon!"
Simon praised him while saying to Ronin, "We’ll run it a few more times with increased loads and more carriages. I can absolutely guarantee there won’t be any issues!"
Ronin smiled. "I’ll be counting on you, then!"
He wanted to show off Wubei Territory’s new marvel to the nobles coming from all over, so naturally, he had to ensure it was flawless.
If the train derailed or something went wrong during the demonstration, it would be quite embarrassing.
「Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was September 20th.」
Blanche had gone into labor, a few days later than her due date. Because of this, many nobles and their retainers had already arrived in Swamp Town, waiting for the birth of the new life.