Chapter 152 – What Infrastructure Is

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Translated by Sylph

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Water, electricity, gas, the internet and telephones, and roads. The infrastructure that forms the lifeline of every city.

For example, let us say that the waterworks stop functioning and water cannot be used for an entire year. People would still be able to obtain drinking water by filtering or boiling water from rivers and ponds.

However, it would unquestionably have a major effect on daily life and work.

The same is true even if it’s roads. Even if you have things called automobiles that make high-speed logistics possible, if the roads can’t be used, they become useless lumps. If the transport of goods and the movement of people are restricted or obstructed, the economy stops. In some cases, human resources themselves would be lost.

The same is true even in this world without automobiles.

And so I have gone on and on giving high-sounding reasons, but there is only one thing that truly matters. My butt hurts.

“Let’s keep going.”

“Yes!”

Like one bowl after another of endless soba, I kept turning the lined-up trees into wood blocks one after another. Only, this time, rather than square brick-like pieces, they were flat, board-like shapes.

And I was laying them down densely like pouring concrete in order to match the shape of the ground. It might be more accurate to say I was filling the bumps and hollows with liquid-like wood blocks.

Since the wood blocks were laid down fused together with rocks and roots, they likely wouldn’t shift unless they actually cracked.

On top of that, for me, who had reached the point where I could make wood blocks even while lying down, if I only had materials I could make road at a pace of about one meter per second.

“Uoooooh!”

“Don’t lose to Lord Van!”

“Cut, cut, cut!”

Before me spread a scene of trees toppling one after another with thud after thud, while the surrounding knights shouted encouragement. In contrast, I immediately turned the felled trees into a wood-block road.

Little by little, it was starting to feel like some kind of competition. I wasn’t about to lose. Thinking that, the speed at which I laid the road increased even further.

Perhaps because we had been going at it like that, before I knew it I’d spent three whole hours absorbed in improving the mountain road.

“O-Okay, break for dinner at least!”

The moment I gave up, the knights who had been cutting down trees farther ahead collapsed to the spot where they stood. Everyone was thoroughly exhausted.

At that moment, a great tree was felled with a heavy ground-shaking thud.

“Hm? Is it already that hour? The sun still seems fairly high to me.”

There is no question that everyone is exhausted, but apparently Dee alone was different. Dee looked up at the position of the sun with a puzzled face.

Just how energetic an old man is he?

“Lord Van! Please look over there!”

While I sat on the wagon bed staring blankly at Dee in disbelief, Till came near and raised her voice loudly. Looking where she pointed, I saw several Van-kun brand container-house-style bases lined up and installed.

“Ooh! There’s a perfect place to rest!”

“Yes!”

Without thinking, Till and I high-fived in delight. As if all the accumulated fatigue had gone somewhere, I ran toward the completed containers.

“Ooh! These are really well made!”

Saying that, I knocked on the walls and the door. My short height is part of it, but for something temporary it was plenty large and impressive. I built it sturdy, and there would be no problem even if His Majesty rested in it.

“It’s very splendid.”

When Till smiled and said that, Kamushin, who had come up behind us, laughed and opened his mouth.

“Perhaps the march stopped because they were fighting over these bases.”

“I see. If that’s the case, then I can’t be too angry.”

We had that sort of casual exchange and laughed together. Then Arte appeared with Arb and Row in tow.

“Shall we camp here?”

“Yes, I think so. Let’s add two more bases so everyone can rest. If they rotate, everyone should be able to get some sleep, right?”

When I answered Arte’s question, Arb and Row placed their hands on their chests and replied.

“Yes, sir! In that case, we shall begin building the bases at once!”

After giving that energetic reply, for some reason the two of them had a little whispered conference with cheerful looks and then turned toward the other knights.

“Arb First Squad! We can’t lose to Row Second Squad! Build the bases quickly!”

“Row Second Squad! Let’s show the results of our daily training! Do your best!”

The moment the two gave their commands, their respective subordinates shouted back and dashed off. Apparently they had done contests like this before. Without anyone even questioning it, the competition had already begun.

Perhaps because of the large number of people, or perhaps thanks to that competition format, the bases were completed in the blink of an eye.

“Please, Lord Van! To the Arb base!”

“No, no, this one is more comfortable, isn’t it?”

The two of them stood before the freshly completed bases and immediately began competing again. With a wry smile, I pointed at the containers piled on top of the wagons.

“We’ll decide that later, so let’s build a few more bases first. If we don’t increase the number of people who can rest, there’ll be a limit to rotating rest.”

When I told them that, the two of them began yet another base-assembly contest.