Chapter 662: The Defense Line in Desperation
After ending the two-day dream journey, the gray slate roof of the castle reappeared before Roland's eyes.
He reached out and repeatedly clenched and opened his fist. Apart from the absence of that peculiar heat, every move was so consistent with the feeling in the dream world that he simply couldn't distinguish between illusion and reality unless he could use the falling method to escape.
Can the brain really simulate to this extent?
Doubts arose in Roland's mind.
Especially that "star cluster" that resembled a magic vortex—he had never truly seen what magic looked like. If the power of nature was modeled after magic, it should have been vaguely processed in the dream.
Coupled with the bizarre scorched-faced man and the heat resonating with the star cluster… he suddenly became unsure about his previous deductions.
He felt that his mind simply couldn't accommodate such a complex and vast dream world.
If the dream wasn't in the subconscious, then where would it be?
After pondering for a long time, Roland couldn't come up with a satisfactory answer.
He shook his head and decided to put these things aside for the time being.
Since he couldn't figure it out, he simply wouldn't think about it and focus on more important matters first.
After taking Jie Luo to the library, he borrowed a lot of useful design materials—even if he had only flipped through some of them, he could reproduce them all.
One of the books also included the ratio and performance of some commonly used alloys, which would undoubtedly save Anna and Lucia a lot of testing time.
In this way, the third-generation machine tool for creating higher-precision parts was secured.
Of course, the first batch of operators would probably still need to be personally guided by him.
When he thought of the citizens from all over Graycastle continuously converging on the Western Region, and those who had already settled down gradually passing the general education assessment and entering the workforce batch by batch, Roland felt particularly excited.
This was an accelerating process, and he had now opened up the situation. When Graycastle was unified next year, Neverwinter City might have the opportunity to touch the threshold of the industrial age.
And once it entered the industrial age, this territory would undergo earth-shattering changes.
In the afternoon, the Minister of Construction, Karl Vanbert, brought the news of the completion of Highway 67—compared to the Kingdom Avenue, the construction time of this highway was much faster. In addition to the shorter distance, the workers' proficiency was also a key point.
According to the previous commitment, all the workers trained by the Construction Department had been transferred to the Border Region.
"Your Majesty, if you don't have any new road construction plans, I plan to send them all to residential construction projects," Karl said. "Although it will increase some salary expenses, the residential areas in Neverwinter City are really in short supply."
Roland was also aware of this situation. A total of nearly five thousand construction workers, half of whom were busy building new residential areas, was because of the large population attracted by the City Hall from various places. In just one year, the original town had expanded at least three times, not including the newly reclaimed farmland south of the Redwater River.
"Roads are never finished," he spread out the map of the Border Region and pointed to the North Slope Mountain Road. "I plan to build a railway from the mine directly to the pier to load the coal transported from the west."
"Isn't there already a road here…" Karl paused suddenly, "Did you just say… a railway?"
"That's right, a railway, or rather, rails," Roland nodded. "It's similar to the track transportation system in the mine, but all made of steel."
"I understand," he pondered for a moment. "But this doesn't require many people."
If it was just laying out a narrow hardened road surface, it wouldn't require many people. Roland smiled and didn't make it clear. In fact, he knew that the Minister of Construction didn't understand at all. What he had in mind was not the crude transportation method relying on hemp ropes, steam engines, or horses in the mine, nor was it just for transporting coal.
He wanted a train.
A means of transportation that had brought earth-shattering changes to land transportation since its invention.
And this short railway was an attempt.
The principle of a steam train was not complicated, but the railway system was a behemoth. Roland didn't know how many years of experimentation and improvement the train and its supporting equipment had undergone from invention to practical application, but it must have been a long process.
Fortunately, these things could be found in the dream world.
As a symbol of industry, he had been deeply fascinated by these behemoths.
No matter how heavy the burden they carried, they always spewed white mist and steadily traveled between forests and mountains. The black connecting rods drove multiple wheels to rotate, making rhythmic clanging sounds, shortening the vast land to an acceptable range. Regardless of how the power mode changed afterward, its essence remained the same.
Of course, hardware facilities alone were not enough. The train needed a large number of railway workers with different responsibilities to drive it—this was undoubtedly much more complicated than simply operating a steam engine or a machine tool.
According to Roland's plan, the railway connecting North Slope Mountain and the pier was both a technical experiment and a training base for cultivating the first generation of railway workers.
"First, use two hundred people to lay out the roadbed," Roland decided. "The route will go in the direction of the Hidden Forest and be built to the outside of the second city wall."
Karl looked worried. "But Your Majesty… in this way, your rails will be exposed to the attacks of demon beasts."
"They are not interested in steel, and I don't plan to complete it before the Month of Demons comes," he said indifferently. "As for next year, we will no longer hide behind this mud wall. Don't you think the Border Region is becoming more and more crowded?"
"You mean…"
"Expand to the wildlands. The resources there are no less than those in Graycastle," Roland pointed to the vast area northwest of the Endless Mountains. "To fight against the demons, a thin earthen wall is not enough."
If the Battle of Divine Will breaks out and the demons place the third obelisk in Taqila, outposts may approach the foot of the Endless Mountains. Defending only the gap in the Western Region is almost a certain defeat. The Union of Holy Clans was able to enter the wildlands along the mountain paths in the past, and they can also infiltrate the hinterland of Graycastle in the same way.
Even if they don't take the mountain road, it would be difficult enough if a group of flying raptors bypassed the mountains and kept attacking from the rear.
Only by turning the Endless Mountains into a city wall can the safety of the kingdom be protected.
Setting up the fortress cannons on the various mountain peaks, the area covered by the range is Roland's new town.
This area has no rivers connecting to the inland. If you want to quickly transport resources to the wildlands, you can only rely on railways.
"The future defense line plan is a big project, but I believe you can do it."
Incorporating the Endless Mountains into the territory of the kingdom would be enough to make any stonemason yearn for it. If such a city could be built, it would surely leave a name in history.
"Yes, Your Majesty," the Minister of Construction said excitedly.