Volume 4 Chapter 96 Astute elder Lisanya
This method could be summarized in one phrase.
It was too tall? Very simple, they could just flatten it!
A fifty meter tall cliff was a natural moat that couldn’t be jumped over for most people of the continent, so whether it was the Rudson Kingdom or the Amrit Chamber of Commerce, they all thought that Xu Yi was insane when he wanted to build a road that connected to the Rudson Kingdom.
But for Xu Yi, one the technologically advanced earth, a cliff of fifty meters wasn’t considered that difficult to take care of at all.
On earth, there were many methods to solve this problem, but with the limited technology on the Sines Continent, Xu Yi chose to use the most simple and crude method which was to flatten this cliff.
To put it specifically, it was using a large amount of stone and dirt to fill up the low topography of the Stantine Duchy. They would forcefully connect to the Rudson Kingdom on the other side of the cliff.
It was naturally impossible to completely flatten everything. What Xu Yi wanted was to lay down the road on a hill shape.
With the height of the cliff and the gradient of the road, the length of this hill would be five kilometers. With the cliff that was at least fifty meters tall, it would require an astronomical amount of stones.
With the previous technological standard of the Sines Continent, whether it was digging out the stones or transporting them, they could only depend on manpower. To complete such a large project, it would take over ten thousand workers and would take at least ten years to complete.
This kind of project was impossible unless it was something undertaken by a country.
But with the magic machines developed by the Frestech Chamber of Commerce, this project was much more simple.
With the careful calculations of the Amrit Chamber of Commerce, their final estimate was that as long as there were enough large and medium sized Magic Excavators and large Magic Cars, this large project would take no more than three thousand people and could be done in two years.
If everything went smoothly, the Stru Road would be completed in just five years.
Although the amount of people and time had been drastically decreased, the investment hadn’t decreased by much.
According to the estimates, the Stru Road would definitely be the most expensive road the Amrit Chamber of Commerce had constructed.
The one hundred and forty kilometers of road in Xu Yi’s territory to the border would cost three hundred thousand gold coins.
Then the five hundred and sixty kilometer road on the Rudson Kingdom side to their capital Caraca City would cost one million and one hundred thousand gold coins.
These two roads would be built with the normal method, so they cost the same as normal.
But for the flattening project, to reach the cliff and enter the Rudson Kingdom, it cost a shocking eight hundred thousand gold coins just for the five kilometers.
Adding it together, the seven hundred kilometers of the Stru Road would cost over two million gold coins, it might even reach two and a half million gold coins.
Even if the Rudson Kingdom was in charge of investing for this road, chairman Cruise felt that the cost of constructing this road was very high and wasn’t worth it.
To him, the Frestech Chamber of Commerce was spending this much on a single road. It was better for them to circle around and spend a few more days on traveling instead of building this road.
But Xu Yu didn’t care too much about this price.
On earth, building a highway would cost tens of millions of yuan for each kilometer. For this road that cost less than ten thousand gold coins for each kilometer was considered much cheaper.
Although the materials and labour on the Sines Continent was cheaper and the road quality couldn’t compare to the highways that were built on earth, Xu Yi was still able to accept this.
The reason he insisted on investing this large amount to build this road was actually also because Xu Yi didn’t want to use the method that chairman Cruise proposed.
Detours in transporting to the Rudson Kingdom were feasible, but they had to enter the Lampuri Kingdom for that detour.
First not mentioning how every product that entered the Lampuri Kingdom meant having to pay a tariff, if the Lampuri Kingdom ever chose to ban the Frestech Chamber of Commerce’s products, it would be too late for the Frestech Chamber of Commerce to come up with a solution.
In the end, the Frestech Chamber of Commerce developing the large Magic Boats that could enter the sea and constructing this Stru Road was to make it easier for the Frestech Chamber of Commerce to transport goods across the continent.
The Stantine Duchy had good weather, was good to live in, and wasn’t affected by much, but the terrain here was actually limited. If they couldn’t find a way to solve this problem ahead of time, the Frestech Chamber of Commerce only had a path to death.
Of course, this problem wasn’t something that elder Lisanya considered. This time she came to meet with Xu Yi because the flattening project of the Stru Road pa.s.sed through the Moon Shadow Forest of the Moon Shadow Tribe.
To flatten the ground, they had to raise the elevation which would greatly affect the landscape of the Moon Shadow Forest, so Xu Yi had to earn the support of the Moon Shadow Tribe ahead of time.
When Xu Yi proposed this project to elder Lisanya, elder Lisanya had agreed to cooperate in the beginning.
And when elder Lisanya came this time, she didn’t seem that strange and Xu Yi naturally thought that she agreed to this cooperation.
As expected, after hearing Xu Yi’s question, elder Lisanya nodded, “Un, there’s no problem with this. After all, it would be good for our tribe if we can directly connect to the Rudson Kingdom.
Xu Yi revealed a faint smile and calmly waited.
Elder Lisanya paused before saying, “But…..chairman Xu, I have to raise a few conditions.”
“Please.”
“First, the construction of this road will cause great damage to the Moon Shadow Forest, so it will influence the lives of our tribe. Chairman Xu, you should give us some compensation.”
Xu Yi couldn’t help smiling.
Who said that elves disdained the calculating of humans? Wasn’t elder Lisanya currently bargaining with him?
“Of course, but how many gold coins does elder Lisanya think that our compensation would be enough?” Xu Yi asked with a smile.
“No, just gold coins have no meaning to us and we don’t lack them right now.” Elder Lisanya shook her head.
“Oh? Then what kind of compensation do you need?” Xu Yi was a bit surprised.
“We need some practical help. For example, because there aren’t enough water sources in the Moon Shadow Forest, our tribe has problems finding water to use. Chairman Xu, I heard Illusia say that you solved the Night Song Tribe solve their water problem when you first met them. Then can you help our tribe solve this problem as well?”
Xu Yi fell into thought before nodding, “Although this does need some inspection to get an answer, it shouldn’t be a problem. For example, our company has even developed magic machines that can siege a city, of course we can find some underground water in the Moon Shadow Forest. I can even build a comprehensive water system that can bring clean water to each of the homes of your tribesmen.”
“Really?” Elder Lisanya revealed a look of pleasant surprise, “There’s actually such a convenient system? That is great! Chairman Xu, I want to buy this system from your right now, it isn’t a problem if I have to pay for it.”
Seeing the excited look on elder Lisanya’s face, Xu Yi was a bit confused.
Was each elf tribe facing problems with a clean water source?
Whether it was the Night Song Tribe or the Moon Shadow Tribe, the first problem they had him solve was this.
As for the water system, Xu Yi had already started using it in a small capacity on his territory.
For example, there was a Magic Water pump under his manor, drawing out underground water to a water tank built in this manor. Then the water flowed from the tank through various pipes to the rooms that needed them.
This water system had been developed for less than two months and was still in its experimental phase. After this experiment, he would decide if it could be used all over the territory.
Xu Yi’s goal was that by the first half of next year, he would let every household on his territory have access to clean water.
“Is there anything else other than the water problem? Do you have any other requests?”
“Other than the water problem, there’s nothing that’s urgent.”
Elder Lisanya gave several other requests and they really weren’t that important. She just wanted the Frestech Chamber of Commerce to make the lives of the Moon Shadow Tribe more convenient.
For example, elder Lisanya hoped that the Frestech Chamber of Commerce would develop some new machines for the Moon Shadow Tribe’s fertilizer factory, that way they could increase the efficiency and their output.
Or the Moon Shadow Tribe wanted to build a small town for elves outside the Moon Shadow Forest like the humans. She wanted Xu Yi to talk to Duke Stantine and Lord Wein, helping them gain their approval.
Or for example, elder Lisanya hoped that the Frestech Chamber of Commerce would design a special Magic Sedan for her……
……
Hearing this request from elder Lisanya, the way Xu Yi looked at her had changed.
Compared to a normal elf, this elder Lisanya was like an astute human merchant. She definitely didn’t have the so-called pride of the elves and only acted for her benefits.
When cooperating with the Moon Shadow Tribe, Xu Yi didn’t see this clearly, but now he had a deep impression of this.
Because after Xu Yi agreed to all her requests, elder Lisanya looked very satisfied. After deciding on these compensations, she nodded with a smile.
“Very good, chairman Xu really is the best friend of us elves. As a n.o.ble elf, I have to respond to your generosity. Chairman Xu, I can provide a new design for this plan that can save you at least five hundred thousand gold coins and a large amount of time, are you interested?”
Xu Yi was stunned.
It can’t be, right? What method would save five hundred thousand gold coins? And save a large amount of time?
This was basically a fantasy!
But thinking of the mysteries of the elves, Xu Yi’s expression became serious. He sat up and looked at elder Lisanya.
“Please tell me.”