Chapter 317: Construction Captain

The air inside the tent was slightly heavy.

General Hamilton did not answer immediately. Instead, he stared fixedly into Luo Yan's eyes. After pondering for a moment, as if having made up his mind, he spoke slowly.

"Since Your Highness is so candid, I have nothing to hide... In truth, our Saint Yier Castle—and indeed the entire eastern coast of the New Continent—is facing a severe shortage of supplies."

The moment he heard this, Titch, who was drinking, nearly spat it out, coughing several times before he could stop.

It was true that General Hamilton had previously proposed purchasing grain through Deadwood Port; even the deep-water trade port currently under construction was prepared for this purpose.

Yet, he never imagined that behind that "the more the better" lay such a heavy, hidden situation, nor did he expect this general to confess such top-secret intelligence to His Majesty the Demon King just like that.

Of course—

This Demon King was currently called Prince Kelin.

It wasn't just Titch; a flash of imperceptible surprise also crossed Luo Yan's eyes, but he quickly hid it behind a furrowed brow and said after a moment of thought,

"This is indeed a thorny problem... But the General may not know that Deadwood Port's current grain reserves are not exactly abundant. We ourselves have yet to achieve full self-sufficiency, so I fear it will be difficult to provide you with much substantial help in this matter."

Upon hearing this, General Hamilton was not discouraged; instead, he sat up straight, his eyes burning as he stared at him.

"Your Highness, you misunderstand. I am well aware of the situation in Deadwood Port! With the disaster conditions on the northern coast, you indeed cannot help, but your neighbors might not be in the same boat!"

After a pause, he laid out the purpose of his trip, speaking with a serious tone: "I would like to ask you to act as a lobbyist and help us purchase grain from the Gutafu United Kingdom!"

Luo Yan was taken aback, a look of surprise appearing perfectly on his face, which then immediately shifted into an expression of keen interest.

"The Gutafu United Kingdom? We do indeed trade with them, but the small amount of grain we import is only enough to satisfy Deadwood Port's own needs. I assume you need more than just rations for a few hundred people... With that much grain, are you sure they would be willing to export it to the Empire?"

Hamilton was silent for a moment, then looked at Luo Yan earnestly and said,

"This is precisely why I am begging for your intervention!"

Having said this, Hamilton did not wait for Luo Yan to speak, but pressed on, revealing the intelligence he had gathered and the deductions he had made based on it.

"According to the information I have collected, the Gutafu United Kingdom has already widely applied steam engines to their farming; in this, they are completely ahead of us. Furthermore, the climate of the Jiana Continent is hot and humid with abundant rainfall, making it most suitable for growing crops like corn and rice."

He paused, suppressing the excitement in his tone, and continued,

"And corn and rice happen to be among the staple foods we have purchased year-round from various ports on the New Continent! If we could procure grain from the closer Jiana Continent, our supply pressure would naturally be relieved, and the saved transport capacity could be allocated to where it is needed more!"

"Deadwood Port is well-positioned. I believe it has the full potential to serve as a supply port for the Empire's eastern coastal region. I imagine our enemies saw this as well, which is why they sent the minions of the demons to cause trouble here at this critical juncture."

Luo Yan listened as General Hamilton analyzed the situation so logically, a look of admiration appearing on his face at the right moment, though he smiled faintly in his heart.

It was true that this deduction was Hamilton's own conclusion, but it was also true that he had used a series of chess pieces—Lumier, Titch, Kaidesen, and others—to deliberately guide his thinking in the direction he desired.

This was a required course at the Demon King Academy—

Demons never proactively promise to give believers anything; instead, they guide believers to develop a heartfelt longing for the bait they have yet to cast.

After thinking seriously for a long time, Luo Yan looked up at the eager-eyed General Hamilton and spoke slowly.

"The General's words have reminded me. In fact, I do have some friendship with the royal family of the Gutafu United Kingdom. If it is just a matter of making introductions, I am willing to try!"

General Hamilton was overjoyed upon hearing this and swore,

"Whether this matter succeeds or not, the Empire will be forever grateful for your help!"

Luo Yan smiled faintly.

"General, you are overstating it. I am also a part of the Empire, so naturally, I have an obligation to contribute to the Empire's cause. It is just that..."

Hearing Luo Yan's tone shift, General Hamilton became anxious and asked nervously,

"Just that?"

Luo Yan: "It is just that with Deadwood Port's current transport capacity, I fear it cannot handle such a large-scale grain transport mission—"

Before he could finish, Hamilton laughed and immediately interrupted,

"Your Highness, please rest assured about that! We can solve the problem of insufficient transport capacity! As long as you are willing to help us contact the Gutafu United Kingdom, the expansion of the port can be left to the Imperial Navy! We will dispatch the best engineers to ensure the port is capable of accommodating large cargo ships!"

His resolute tone took Luo Yan slightly by surprise, but he immediately put on a troubled look, furrowing his brow as he continued,

"Expanding the port can solve part of the problem, but there are still difficulties. The Gutafu United Kingdom is located on the south side of the Sun Staircase Mountains, while Deadwood Port is on the northern coast. There is no road network connecting the two, not to mention the rugged mountains between us. Even if the grain could be transported to the port, I fear the road transport would be a significant challenge—"

"Please do not worry about that either, Your Highness!" General Hamilton patted his chest without hesitation after hearing this, saying confidently, "The engineering technology of the Imperial Corps of Engineers has no rival, whether on the New Continent or the Aosi Continent! You just focus on negotiating with those lizardmen; leave the work of building bridges and roads to us!"

Hearing this, Luo Yan's furrowed brow finally relaxed, and a pleasant smile appeared on his face.

"In that case... I think the problem should be manageable."

Titch, sitting to the side, watched in a daze, momentarily forgetting to hide the surprise on his face, his mouth hanging open in an 'o' shape.

A chill rose quietly from his back, and at the same time, his admiration for Luo Yan deepened involuntarily.

As expected of Lord Demon King—

He hadn't even seen the corn from Saint Yier Castle yet, and he had already swindled the deep-water port and road network of Deadwood Port from the Empire's hands...

An Imperial General building roads for the Demon King personally.

If that got out, I'm afraid even the demons in the Demon Capital wouldn't believe it, right?

The next morning, the rising sun climbed from the sea, looking just like the infinitely bright future of Deadwood Port.

The Imperial soldiers on the docks had already risen early, even earlier than the sailors forced to work. Some were patrolling, some were drilling, some were moving bricks... looking out, it was quite lively.

The entire port was filled with unprecedented vitality, making it hard to imagine that just a month ago, this place was still a wasteland.

Under the gate tower of the fortress, Luo Yan had changed out of his dusty robes into clean clothes. He took the reins handed to him by a servant and appeared in everyone's sight again, leading his warhorse that had also rested for the night.

That handsome face and the lifelike Purple Moon emblem made him look like a hero from an epic in the eyes of the soldiers, causing them to cast looks of reverence involuntarily.

Of course—

What they worshipped wasn't the lifelike Purple Moon, but the rum that His Highness the Prince had given them last night.

They hadn't had such a good time drinking in a long time.

Luo Yan nodded slightly to the soldiers who were watching him, showing his approachable side.

It was a pity that after the "Disaster OL" system update, he could no longer observe those "fractional" changes; otherwise, his faith power would definitely be skyrocketing right now.

Mounting his horse, Luo Yan pulled the reins to change direction. He looked back at General Hamilton behind him and said loudly,

"General, my guard is still on the way back to the northern coast. I need to rush to the Sun Staircase Mountains area to rendezvous with them first, after which we will return directly to Assam City to meet the King of the Gutafu United Kingdom... I will leave this place to you!"

Hamilton nodded solemnly and gave him a standard Imperial military salute.

"Rest assured, Your Highness! With Baron Kexiya and me here, we will certainly not let you down! I believe that when you return next time, you will see a brand-new seaport!"

"Haha, then I shall look forward to it! Farewell!"

Luo Yan smiled slightly, nodded deeply, then spurred his horse away, rushing toward the direction of the Sun Staircase Mountains.

According to Hearing You You, the Chieftain Society of the Gutafu United Kingdom had already elected their King.

As their master, he really should go and meet his subjects.

Hamilton watched the back of Luo Yan riding away until the figure gradually disappeared into the distant jungle and mist, only then reluctantly withdrawing his gaze.

What a good person...

After learning about the problem at Saint Yier Castle, this honorable Prince only rested for one night before rushing back toward Assam City without stopping.

Thinking of this, Hamilton suddenly felt a bit sorry for him. He would have to thank him properly next time they met!

Titch, standing to the side, coughed lightly, looked at General Hamilton, and said with a smile on his face,

"General, what shall we do next—"

Hamilton restrained the reverence and sigh on his face, quickly recovering his usual majesty and decisiveness.

"Need you ask? Naturally, it is to assemble the construction team immediately and start making preparations—"

Before he could finish, he looked at his adjutant and ordered immediately,

"Pass on my order: detach a construction team from the port area to go to the suburbs with me. I will go there first and wait for them!"

"Yes!" The adjutant beside Hamilton responded quickly, turned around, and trotted off to call his men.

Hamilton mounted his horse, bid farewell to Titch, and paced toward the camp in the suburbs of Deadwood Port.

Watching the spirited General leave, Titch breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

Lord Demon King above—

This master has finally found new work to do, and I can finally rest for a few days without having to accompany him in spouting nonsense.

At the same time, on the other side, on the bustling dock, a team of Imperial soldiers was quickly assembled.

Several officers directed everyone to organize construction tools and supplies, and a team of Imperial engineers quickly packed up and headed toward the land outside Deadwood Port.

Hamilton followed several engineers to the high ground near the port.

He took out his pocket watch to check the time, then ordered decisively,

"Today, we will first conduct surveying to clarify the route of the road and the location of the infrastructure. The goal is to build a main road capable of accommodating at least four carriages side-by-side as soon as possible, ensuring a smooth path from Deadwood Port all the way to the southern plains of the Sun Staircase Mountains!"

His order was concise and clear, yet the several engineers looked at each other, their faces involuntarily showing expressions of difficulty.

One of the older engineers hesitated for a moment, looked up at the rolling hills and endless mountains in the distance, and reminded him cautiously,

"General, are you sure you want to build such a wide road? I fear this will consume no small amount of manpower and material resources..."

This was simply not a project that could be completed in a short time. They would likely have to prepare for long-term construction, and they might even have to mobilize more personnel from other ports.

After all, Deadwood Port couldn't scrape together that many people; those sailors were already exhausted just from building their own houses.

Hamilton glanced at him and said seriously,

"Transporting grain is no small matter; how could a narrow little path be enough? Furthermore, we aren't just transporting grain; in the future, there might be ore, timber, and even other supplies being sent to Saint Yier Castle continuously! Forget about a little manpower and material resources; even at a greater cost, you must build this road for me!"

"Yes! The General is wise!" The engineer felt a chill in his heart and hurriedly lowered his head to note this down.

Hamilton nodded with satisfaction and continued,

"In addition, after this road is built, you must set up a post station and warehouse every ten kilometers or so along the way to facilitate the transport of supplies and the rest of the soldiers. The entire road project must be constructed strictly according to the standards of the Imperial military supply line. Do you understand?"

No one had any objections.

Everyone responded in unison,

"Yes, General!"

Watching the spirited soldiers and engineers before him, Hamilton's heart was also stirred, and he waved his hand to signal them to start working.

Accompanied by the sound of orders and hurried footsteps, the Imperial construction team began to get busy in the suburbs of Deadwood Port.

They moved back and forth on the land in the suburbs of Deadwood Port with measuring tools, quickly outlining a spacious and straight road planning line, extending all the way from the port, pointing directly at the majestic and rugged Sun Staircase Mountains in the distance.

Hamilton, standing on high ground, looked down with satisfaction at the orderly and busy scene before him. Although the land before him was still a wasteland, a grand and magnificent blueprint had already been drawn in his mind.

A wide Imperial boulevard, with stable post stations and warehouses along the way, carriage teams loaded with supplies and grain traveling continuously upon it, ultimately resolving the supply crisis on the eastern coast...

Thinking of this, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but lift into a confident smile, and a fiery light flickered in his eyes.

However, unlike General Hamilton, the quartermaster to the side had an expression of utter misery.

Building a port was one thing.

Now he had to build a road over mountains and ridges!

This general seemed to have no rough concept of cost at all.

Even if it was a matter of expediency... wasn't this a bit too expedient?!

He had no doubt that after such a toss-up, it would be better to cooperate with the Empire's merchants.

At least when cooperating with those merchants, the prices were all clearly marked, unlike here, where although not a word about money had been spoken from beginning to end, it looked like a bottomless pit that could never be filled.

Finally, someone couldn't help but say something.

A young adjutant stepped forward, looked at the ambitious General Hamilton, and said in a low voice,

"General... even if that Mr. Kelin is a Prince of the Empire, do we really need to go this far?"

He always felt they were paying too much.

And so far, apart from obtaining some pie-in-the-sky promises that looked infinitely bright, they hadn't seen a single practical benefit.

That gentleman hadn't even guaranteed that the negotiation would definitely succeed.

Facing his subordinate's questioning, Hamilton actually realized a bit that he had been a bit too carried away.

But he had already invested his capital; if he backed out now, wouldn't that be equivalent to admitting his decision was wrong?

In that case, how would the costs already invested be accounted for? Who would take responsibility for the decision-making error?

It was precisely because of this that Hamilton would never admit that he had agreed a bit too rashly.

Moreover, he wasn't wrong—

Whether from the standpoint of the Empire or from the standpoint of a general, winning over this Prince was absolutely necessary.

This wasn't just to solve the supply problem.

It was for long-term interests!

They had to gain a foothold on this land faster than Hell, and gain the friendship of those lizardmen as much as possible.

At the very least, they couldn't let them lean toward Hell!

If these lizardmen who mastered advanced steam engine technology defected to Hell, not only would the supply line on the eastern coast be exposed to the threat of Hell, but the entire power map of the Vast Ocean would be affected.

And Hell would no longer be without a navy.

Those demons wouldn't even need to rely on teleportation arrays anymore; they could reach directly into the Vortex Sea, and even threaten the safety of the Holy City!

That's right.

This was for long-term consideration.

Looking at the young adjutant, Hamilton said in a majestic voice,

"... Keluomier, you don't understand; I am planning from a long-term perspective."

The adjutant named Keluomier gave a wry smile and said,

"Long-term plan... aren't we here to solve the immediate problem?"

Hamilton curled the corners of his mouth.

"Yes, but not entirely... You will understand sooner or later. Every drop of sweat we shed here means the young lads of the future can shed one less drop of blood. Even if it's for our own sake, let's work hard!"

Seeing that the General's mind was made up, Keluomier retreated silently, saying no more.

Hamilton also didn't want to waste time arguing about this already decided matter. He handed the supervision work to the officer beside him, then walked to his warhorse and mounted it.

Having stayed in Deadwood Port for so long, he had finally achieved some results.

He should also return to the ship and spend some time writing a report to inform the rear of the good news here...

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 318 =====