Witch and the First Army have been on the move for four days now. As planned, they should arrive at the outskirts of Silverlight City by tomorrow afternoon.
With the honey-equipped flying messengers, Roland received daily letters from the team—those from Iron Axe, Anna, and Nightingale. Though slower than mobile phones, they were nearly as reliable as telegrams. If there were several times more flying messengers on this route, with birds constantly shuttling between the two places, it might even mimic the effect of instant messaging.
When the Nightingale was absent, Chief Knight assumed the responsibility of guarding the castle. What puzzled Roland was that Carter had been unusually cheerful lately, as if he had encountered something particularly delightful. Could it be that returning to his original duty—being his personal bodyguard—was truly something to rejoice over?
He shook his head and turned his attention to the report of the Minister of Construction, Carl Van Beurt.
With the help of the Sleeping Island Witch, Border Town's construction project has been progressing at lightning speed over the past month.
The first milestone was the successful completion of the steel bridge over the Chishui River. Unlike traditional stone or wooden bridges, the steel structure could be prefabricated and then assembled as a whole. With two floating islands raised from the riverbed, the construction process became significantly easier, reducing the main bridge's construction period to an astonishing one month.
From a later perspective, this structure may appear short, narrow, and structurally crude, with minimal load-bearing capacity—a mere wasteful project. Yet in its time, it was a magnificent super bridge: spanning over a hundred meters with a straight deck wide enough for two horse-drawn carriages to pass side by side, and its lower section even accommodating river sailboats. None of these features could be achieved by a cumbersome stone bridge.
Secondly, the construction of Lian's new city wall has been completed. This earthen wall has more than doubled the town's area, and if the city is built in the future, the original settlement will become a true 'inner city.' However, Roland prefers the concept of a 'one-ring-two-ring' layout. Perhaps one day, this place could expand into a colossal seven-ring city, officially crowning itself as the Imperial Capital.
Finally, the construction of Wangguo Avenue was completed. The mountain foot that extended along the Juejing Mountain Range was leveled by Lian, allowing the road to pass straight through, which significantly reduced the total construction period.
"Your Highness, what are your plans for the next phase of construction at Lian?" Karl asked after briefing on the progress.
It was clear he envied her ability to reshape the terrain, and he almost demanded that she be included in the Ministry of Construction and appointed as deputy minister.
"Um..." Roland was pondering the issue, with three major renovation projects still pending implementation.
The first project was the Seaport Initiative: a team of Lotus specialists identified a low-lying pass in the southern mountain range, then engineered it into a navigable channel. This transformation enabled the western frontier to gain direct access to the ocean.
The second challenge is residential expansion: Despite the municipal government's substantial investment in manpower and resources to accelerate the construction of housing complexes, nearly 3,000 people may still be unable to move into warm brick houses when winter arrives. The makeshift wooden shelters and basic accommodations currently available are far from adequate for winter survival. To address this, he requires a batch of cave dwellings with sturdy walls and heated brick beds to resolve the issue.
The final step was constructing the dock: To build a shallow-water heavy gunboat, he needed to first establish a spacious dock without disrupting the Chishui River's flow. Roland planned to lower a river embankment at the town's western end to create a dry dock, with a lift gate installed near the Chishui River to regulate water intake and discharge. The massive earthwork required was ultimately accomplished through Lian's extraordinary abilities.
After careful consideration, he ultimately prioritized expanding the residence. Since the refugees from the eastern border had been brought to Border Town, he was responsible for their basic needs. If they froze or starved to death, it would not only cause losses to the western border but also diminish the settlers' sense of belonging to the area.
"Where is this temporary shelter located?" Karl asked.
"Let's settle in the current serf shantytowns," Roland said, scanning the map. "Far from the city walls, with the desperate mountains shielding us from the wind." Just as the Minister of Construction had retired and he was about to lean back in his chair for a nap, Kemoschuir came knocking again.
"Your Highness, the large-scale acid production method you requested has been successfully developed by me." This statement instantly dispelled Roland's fatigue. He stood up from his desk in delight and exclaimed, "Really? Take me to see it right away." The group arrived at the laboratory by the Chishui River, where several grayish-white jars and a furnace were set up beside Laboratory No.5. Each jar was about two people's height, with pipes connected at the top. The smooth, regular shapes were clearly cut by Anna.
"Your Highness, I salute you." A young man bowed to Roland.
"You're Chamis?" Though he'd long known Kaimo had recruited a group of alchemy apprentices from Chishui City and even brought in a renowned alchemist, this was the first time he'd actually seen the man's face.
"You actually remember my name," Chames said in surprise.
"Mr.Kemo has mentioned you many times," Roland patted his shoulder to encourage him. "Keep it up." He then turned to the chief alchemist. "How is this acid produced?" Kemo stroked his beard with a smile. "The successful development was entirely derived from the chemical equations in Elementary Chemistry. Look at that furnace—the purified sulfur burns inside, and the resulting gas is further heated before being channeled into lead containers." "Are these devices made of lead?" "Exactly. Only lead can resist acid corrosion," Kemo nodded. "The lead pipe at the top continuously releases nitric acid. Under the scorching sulfur dioxide gas, the acid decomposes into nitrogen oxides, which then react with water and sulfur dioxide to form sulfuric acid solution flowing through the bottom outlet. The cleverness lies in nitrogen oxides merely serving as oxygen carriers without consumption, allowing minimal nitric acid usage. Once the reaction begins, it continues indefinitely!" "What about production capacity?" Roland asked excitedly, tapping the lead container. Large-scale acid production is the prerequisite for manufacturing smokeless gunpowder. Solving this challenge could pave the way for new generations of ammunition for rapid-fire firearms and artillery.
"This is my fourth prototype device. Its daily output could match a week's supply from the lab's pyrolysis method," the chief alchemist said with pride. "The experimental design keeps it compact. We could scale up production by building larger lead tanks." "Great news," Roland chuckled. "Start constructing a full-scale acid production facility as soon as Miss Anna returns. Iron can substitute for lead if needed—Miss Soroya's special coating protects ironware from acid corrosion." Kemo nodded, but his next remark froze Prince's smile.
Now that the large-scale acid production method has yielded results, all five laboratories are staffed with apprentices. Your Highness, may the 'Intermediate Chemistry' you promised finally be bestowed upon me?