Chapter 19: The Bottleneck of Logistics
Gray Walker was at his wits’ end as he faced the new task assigned by his lord.
“Road reconstruction and expansion…”
Spread out on his desk was a large map of the Arkwright territory. Yet, no matter how long he stared at it, he couldn’t come up with a concrete plan.
He was a knight — adept with a sword and skilled at commanding troops. But civil engineering? That was far beyond his expertise.
How does one harden a road? How do you widen it? How many people and what materials would it take? He had no idea.
After several days of struggling in vain, Gray finally raised the white flag.
Determined to confess his incompetence, he knocked on the door of Zenon’s office.
“Zenon-sama. Regarding the road construction… I am ashamed to admit, I don’t even know where to begin…”
Zenon looked up from the papers he was reading, his expression calm — not scolding, but almost amused.
“I thought as much. I knew from the start that you had no experience in civil works.”
“Then… why assign this to me?”
“To test your problem-solving ability. I wanted to see how you’d gather information, seek help, and chart a course toward a solution in an unfamiliar field. But… well, coming here to honestly ask for help earns you a passing mark.”
Those words felt like salvation to Gray. At the same time, he was ashamed — Zenon hadn’t just given him a task, but a chance to grow.
“Listen well, Gray. The foundation of any project lies in analysis. Understanding the current situation and in detailed planning based on that.”
Zenon picked up a blank sheet of parchment and began writing at an astonishing speed.
Before Gray’s eyes, a full-fledged engineering document took shape — so structured and precise that it resembled something from another age.
Arkwright Territory: Central Highway Renovation Plan
- Basic Policy: Construct an all-weather paved road to maximize transport efficiency.
- Structural Design: Employ a layered foundation method. Excavate the ground, lay large stones as a base, then compact layers of crushed stone of varying sizes. Finally, cover with a mix of sand and gravel to achieve an even surface.
- Drainage Design: Shape the road slightly higher at the center to let rainwater drain to both sides (a “domed” structure). Install 50 cm deep ditches along both sides for full drainage.
- Construction Schedule and Budget: …
Zenon’s plan was on another level entirely — far beyond the rule-of-thumb work typical of this world’s craftsmen. It was as though he were transcribing a manual from the future.
Gray was awestruck.
Military strategy, finance, agriculture, engineering — how far did his lord’s knowledge reach?
“But, Zenon-sama…”
The scale of the plan was so vast that Gray had to voice his concern.
“A project of this size would need a tremendous workforce. But our people are already busy with farming and the new specialty-product initiative. And even if we could gather manpower — where would we get enough stone for paving?”
The treasurer, Rio, who had been quietly listening, stepped forward with a pale face.
“Zenon-sama, such construction would require enormous funding. Our finances have only just turned positive. A major investment now would be far too risky!”
A shortage of labor, materials, and money — even a perfect plan was worthless without means to execute it.
But Zenon didn’t flinch.
“Good. The problems are clear. We’ll solve them — one by one.”
He turned first to Rio.
“Rio. This isn’t an expense. It’s an investment.”
“An investment…?”
“Yes. If we halve transport costs, our specialty goods will have overwhelming price competitiveness over other territories. Commerce will thrive, and tax revenue will triple — perhaps even quintuple. I estimate a three-year return on investment. That’s over thirty percent annual profit — an exceptional opportunity. Do you still call that risky?”
His explanation flowed as smoothly as if he were presenting at a corporate board meeting.
Rio was speechless. A 30 % annual return — even seasoned merchants rarely saw such figures.
“…Understood. I’ll secure the necessary funds at once.”
Zenon nodded, satisfied, then turned to Gray.
“The manpower and materials issue — we’ll solve them together.”
He pointed to a mountainous area in the northwest part of the map, a place long ignored.
“We’ll make this mountain a new quarry. The rock extraction and leveling will be handled by the mages who trained during the irrigation project.”
“The mages, my lord?”
“Yes. With earth magic, they can work a hundred times faster than manual labor. The quarried stones can be crushed on-site and used directly for paving. Efficient and cost-effective. As for labor — don’t conscript the farmers. It’ll only hurt productivity. Hire workers and pay them daily wages. People work better when rewarded properly.”
Magic-powered efficiency.
Incentivized labor.
The solution was flawless — practical, sustainable, and logical.
Both Rio and Gray were completely convinced. Their lord saw a future they couldn’t even imagine — and calculated every profit down to the decimal.
“Good. Gray, Rio, and Marc — the three of you will oversee this project. Report progress daily. Understood?”
“Yes, my lord!”
Their voices rang through the office with renewed vigor as they departed.
Thus began the largest public works project in the history of the Arkwright domain.
Zenon remained by the window, looking out over his land.
With specialty production and infrastructure now set in motion, the “hard” reforms were underway.
But he knew — the hardest part wasn’t the roads or the machines.
It was people. Their greed, pride, and entrenched interests.
“Phase One complete. But the real bottleneck isn’t infrastructure… it’s human nature.”
His gaze fell on one name printed at the center of the map —
“Arkwright Merchant Guild.”
A cold smile played on Zenon’s lips.
The next battle was already chosen.