Novel Full Chapter 778 778 Commute Times
While the Continental Representatives worked on their plan to set up a way to contact each other every time someone noticed a portal opening, Wolfe started to make plans to expand the transport network within the Frozen Wastes.
There were still plenty of remote villages that got their deliveries by airplane every week, and then there were the ones that were too far to make for a comfortable drive across the Wastes, so the best plan would be to expand the underground tunnels to reach the majority of them within the next month.
The history books detailed a Subway System, which used to link spots in the major cities, before the war, and that was Wolfe’s plan for the Frozen Wastes. Two lines, north and South, which would connect the towns along the Sylvan Coven border in the Southwest, and near the ocean shore further east across the Wastes, and the North Line, which would link a large number of villages in the foothills, and extend nearly all the way to the Grand Dutchies.
From there, they could build spurs out to the other villages, or bring goods over land, and once it was complete, Wolfe intended to set up a large distribution point where the human nations on the Eastern coast of the continent could come to get supplies.
They already had proper road systems, so they didn’t have as many issues moving the supplies as the Frozen Wastes did, just their ongoing rivalries and politics that would prevent them from smoothly working together, even if the Guardians in charge of the region insisted.
The big question was: What would they pick as the primary transport method? The original subways had been a train system that ran under the cities. That could work for the new roadways as well, and they could set a scheduled run back and forth, but with all the stops it would take a day or more to go across the wastes.
That wasn’t bad, but it lacked a bit of flexibility for shorter trips between villages. They could set up multiple trains running east and west if they had the personnel to run them, and then they could have one show up every few hours, which would be better, but the majority of trade didn’t go more than a village or two away.
So, the best option was likely still to make it a roadway primarily for the cargo trucks, and to allow general traffic along it. The merchants already took passengers, either in the cab or sitting on the trailer if there was space for more, but for events like the Festival they had converted a number of long trailers into a bus configuration with proper seats.
Really, between the ingenuity of the locals and the planning of the Forest Grove witches, they had a pretty good start to the routes already, he just needed to put the plan into action. At Wolfe’s power level, he could build the roads faster than he could drive them, so it wouldn’t take long for him to link all the towns.
Wolfe intended to start with the southern line, as that was far more populated, and he was fairly sure that Priya had given him permission to link all the towns near the border already. If she hadn’t, he would just tell her afterwards, but it wasn’t a big deal anymore. Not now that everything was getting organized.
Then he would extend eastward and link the largest of villages, the ones that weren’t nomadic. That would give the most distant towns about thirty total stops to trade with before they got to Forest Grove, and an alternative to the usual plane loads of goods that were delivered to make sure they had what they needed.
Wolfe stood and addressed the group. “If you don’t need me for a little while, I would like to get started on an infrastructure project that we have been delaying for some time. It was planned out some time ago, but we never got around to actually finishing the whole project. We set up the towns along the route to receive goods and defend themselves, and now I intend to link them together with a proper roadway.”
That caught the attention of the Continental Representatives.
“You intend to make a national roadway system? Here, in the Frozen Wastes?” The Elven Prince asked.
“Under them, to be precise. I intend to make a roadway system under the surface so that it isn’t affected by the harsh conditions on the surface. That way it can be smooth and straight, easily navigated by the merchants, and impossible to get lost.” Wolfe agreed.
“See, he really is going for the position of Representative, but by getting everyone on his side.” Josephine muttered, while Cassanova chuckled at her annoyance.
“You’re too fond of the hierarchy. Every Lust Demon knows that it’s not all about the Rank, but the usefulness of their talents. Many of our most valued personnel are not the strongest, but ones that provide feedback effects that help the others. This is the same sort of thing, except instead of power growth, it is a supply of medicine and trade goods that the Magi can offer in place of pure strength.” He explained.
“You’re just sucking up because the amount of magic that goes into your aircraft order makes them prohibitively expensive.” Josephine corrected the Incubus.
“Is it working?” He asked hopefully.
Wolfe shook his head in dismay. “You know, all my life, I was told that the Fae and the Demons didn’t get along, but you’re like childhood friends, constantly bickering and taking jabs at each other while you work together.”
Both sides looked baffled by Wolfe’s explanation. That was not at all how friendship worked in either of their Realms. If you had friends, you didn’t spend all day irritating them for personal amusement, and you certainly didn’t let them irritate you that same way.
Magi were a strange species, they decided. Or perhaps it was a result of living with witches and humans. Both of those species were notoriously unorthodox in their thought process, or lack thereof.