Ch.87Western Forest Development

“Going through~!!”

Crack! Crackle!

The Western Forest was gradually developing holes here and there.

Of course, considering that this Western ‘Forest’ covered an area of 50,000 km², a few holes appearing in various places wasn’t such a big deal.

Even cutting down just dozens of trees would make those gaps clearly visible from the sky. What mattered was ‘for what purpose’ those holes were being created.

“We need to pull out the stumps… Where did all the shovels go? They should have all arrived by now.”

“The forest keepers say the road got soaked from the recent rain, and the carts got stuck.”

“Damn it… Then let’s pause the work for now.”

If you’re wondering why they’re suddenly disturbing the once-peaceful Western Forest, that requires a bit of explanation.

First, there are two regions above the Western Forest.

One is a plain, and the other is a coastal bay.

The plain is connected to the ridge of the northern mountain range, blocking the sea route. This means that the salty sea breeze is blocked, and when evaporated seawater forms clouds that cross over the mountains, they naturally condense, causing frequent rainfall.

And a plain with frequent rainfall… Even a child would recognize it as ideal for agriculture and livestock farming, wouldn’t they?

The coastal bay in the northwest was also an ice-free port like Pale Harbor, which held tremendous value in the northern region.

Although it was quite irritating that Marcus had brought this information, the information itself was true. So when additional fragments of the land’s core were obtained in the future, using these two regions would be the wisest choice.

They already had a firm grip on the northern mountain range, and the southern swamplands were difficult territory for others to claim. But the plains and coastal bay were high-value areas that other nations along the northern coastline might covet.

So far, no nations had established themselves along the northern coast of the continent, but considering that in this world, nations were formed not by people gathering but by monarchs making contracts with land cores, it wasn’t something they could simply ignore.

Anyway, returning to the point—while the northern regions were certainly desirable, why were they suddenly cutting the Western Forest in half? Because the Western Forest was the boundary zone connecting to the northern plains and coast.

Even with the same area, shapes differ. Some regions are elongated, others are round, so concepts like ‘strategic points’ naturally existed.

The Western Forest, viewed as a whole, resembled a lumpy potato, while the plains and harbor stretched vertically in a long formation.

Naturally, one could advance from the Western Forest to both regions, and vice versa.

And as always, where people and goods gather, cities tend to form. So this massive logging operation was aimed at creating a ‘city’ in the Western Forest.

In fact, even setting aside the management of the two northern regions, it was becoming necessary to establish a permanent settlement in the Western Forest to provide proper welfare for the forest keepers.

They had shown remarkable dedication by ‘walking’ to work across 50,000 km², but anyone could sympathize with how quality of life plummets as commuting time increases.

Moreover, the Western Forest effectively served as a border checkpoint. Continuing with ‘remote management’ by sending troops and materials from Amurtat City could lead to a sudden breach of the border.

While they had elves as biological early warning systems, the last war had shown that despite their efforts, over 10,000 troops ended up fighting beneath Amurtat’s walls. Stationing a certain number of troops at the border was not an option but a necessity.

*

“Damn it…! Move, will you!”

Crack! Crack!

“Neeeigh!!!”

Whipping the poor horse, the cart driver began desperately trying to calm his anxious heart as his cargo cart remained stuck in the mud.

It had seemed like a good idea when he secured a contract after hearing about the new city being built in the Western Forest. But now his cart was trapped in what had become less of a dirt road and more like a mudflat, unable to move forward or backward.

Accustomed to the well-paved roads of Amurtat City, he had failed to realize that forest paths differed from city roads. In his greed to deliver quickly and collect a hefty payment, he had overloaded his cart. Had he not done so, his cart would have reached the forest city under construction by now.

Crunch… crunch…

“Oh, good heavens…”

As footsteps gradually approached, the blood drained from the driver’s face.

In this forest, those who came hidden among the trees rather than following the path… one hardly needed to explain who they might be.

Swoosh!

“Aaaagh!!”

Yes, their identity was none other than…

“Looks like the cart is stuck. Let’s help him out.”

The forest keepers.

*

“Tsk tsk… Why did you load so much cargo? No wonder the wheels got stuck…”

Only after five forest keepers gathered around did the driver’s cart finally escape from the mud.

It was covered in dirt and straw, which would cause trouble later if not properly cleaned, as the hardened mud and moisture penetrating the wheels would become problematic. But for now, there was no issue with driving the cart to the new city.

“From now on, load a reasonable amount of cargo. We helped pull your cart out, but that was only to prevent the road from being blocked… we’re not professional towing services.”

“Yes, my lord. Thank you so much!”

The driver bowed at a 90-degree angle to express his gratitude, then drove away with his cart.

Though he might have been somewhat lacking in intelligence, the fact remained that his cart carried supplies equivalent to about three ordinary carts combined. When that cart reached the construction site of the new city, it would greatly help accelerate the construction schedule.

“A new city, huh… Our situation will improve too.”

“Indeed. Do you know how far we had to walk just to have a drink? Having to replace shoes every week—does that make any sense?”

“I hope they pave all these roads properly. So carts and people can travel easily.”

What the forest keepers, the managers of the Western Forest, desired most were city supplies.

Among the commonly called ‘city goods,’ they most preferred clothes, consumables, and luxury items. Clothes to withstand the cold forest winters, consumables to make their arduous duties somewhat easier, and luxury items like alcohol to boost morale and help forget fatigue.

Tobacco existed too, but given the nature of their work as forest keepers, it negatively affected their ability to conceal themselves. In the worst case, cigarette ashes could cause forest fires, so apart from administrative staff at forest keeper outposts, not a single person smoked.

“When the new city is built, I’m going to move my family here even if I have to spend all my savings. It’s so hard to see their faces even once… we rarely get leave.”

“…Speaking of which, I heard some crazy outpost captain arbitrarily canceled leaves, and one guy couldn’t even attend his mother’s deathbed… Outpost 109, was it?”

“Outpost 103. That captain ended up dead, I heard.”

“Dead? How did he die?”

“Well… you know. Legally it’s ‘missing,’ but in reality, it’s something a bit different.”

“Ah…”

Tending to the forest is grueling work.

They must fight life-threatening battles with wild animals that dig up saplings, constantly guard against venomous snakes and insects, and be wary of slimes falling from trees or rotting branches—one mistake could send them straight to the angels’ court.

Even elves, the forest race, complained about scouting duties and always longed for life in Elfium. It seemed clear that humans were fundamentally animals who could only find stability in spaces like cities and villages.

“I don’t care about anything else, but I really hope they build a restaurant. I can’t even remember the last time I had a juicy steak.”

“Ah… steak would be nice. I want freshly baked wheat bread slathered with butter…”

“Add a glass of well-aged wine to that, and it would be paradise.”

Above all, the most painful aspect was food.

Because spices could stimulate their senses, forest keepers were semi-forced to maintain a bland diet. For ease of production and distribution, they had to make do with smoked or pickled foods and hardtack for every meal, leaving them all hungry for the diverse foods available in cities.

Of course, the government wasn’t unaware of their plight and periodically sent care packages. But like all government-issued supplies, the quality was mediocre, and many items spoiled or deteriorated during the long journey, making most of them nice-to-have but ultimately dispensable.

Clatter… clatter…

“Another cart passing by.”

“Go quickly… so the city can be built faster.”

“I’m holding my breath until I can eat bread, steak, and drink alcohol. Hmmph!”

And so, with one death behind them, a new city surrounded by trees began to take shape in the center of the Western Forest.