Chapter 664: Storm Point Underground Tunnel
Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooms saying saying news.
The square in front of Gaojiao Fort seemed to be injected with vitality, and the buzz of people instantly reached an extreme.
“All horses and vehicles are not allowed to mess around. They line up to pass in accordance with the order of approval. The better the order you have, the faster you can pass. Once there is a riot and delay, you have to wait until the day after tomorrow. I don’t want to delay things. Just follow the rules.”
"Personnel and cargo list, cargo inspection approval form. If you sell weapons, please prepare a weapons sales license. For adventure groups, please prepare your royal armed charter or royal writ. Travelers who need to carry weapons, please show them in advance. Wait a moment. Someone will check and tie you with a peace knot. If you are found out by us, we will treat you I am a trouble.”
“I would like to emphasize again, please report your spell caster level in advance. We will prepare a special spell casting certificate for you. Please don’t take any chances. When you go through customs later, professionals will screen your identity. If you do not report it in advance, you will be charged. If you are expelled, you will not be allowed to enter. After entering the country, you must be careful when casting spells. If you are found to be illegally casting spells, you will be fined at least, and you will be jailed at worst."
"After entering the tunnel, you are not allowed to stay for a long time. Stay and pass as soon as possible. If you have any problems, wait until you get out of the tunnel. Once the tunnel is blocked, it will be eliminated. Fines will be imposed based on the severity of the situation. "
"If the test is passed, release"
In front of the underground tunnel of High Angle Castle, Gavin and the others have fully experienced the Kingdom of Cormyr's treatment of weapons and spellcasters. The degree of strictness of the supervision is that they do not completely prohibit the carrying of weapons, but prohibit the random use of force.
Compared to this, the Rockland side is purely a lawless place. Not to mention the Purple Dragon patrol there, they don't care about carrying weapons at all. Even if they use force in front of them, as long as the target is not a Cormyrian, most of them will. Turn a blind eye.
This also reflects from the side that the Kingdom of Cormyr is confident in its internal security. They are convinced that there are no wandering monsters and bandits here, and there is no need for travelers to pull out their swords at any time.
The Crown Princess explained: "In order to prevent the underground tunnel from being clogged and to facilitate management, there is a one-way entry and exit, with entry on odd-numbered days and exit on even-numbered days of each month."
"This This is indeed a good method when the number of vehicles is limited, but once the number of vehicles reaches a certain level, "This method only treats the symptoms but not the root cause. Believe me, this situation will soon be faced here. The best way is to open another tunnel, one for entry and the other for exit." Gavin said. This judgment is not simply due to his confidence in the path of the conqueror, but also because of the bridge of faith and the city of faith he established in the goblin frontier.
Many caravans who would have taken the high road can come to Gaojiao Fort through the Bridge of Faith and take the east road. Whether it is smooth or safe, the east road still has an absolute advantage in a short period of time.
It is no exaggeration to say that this is the most important land gateway connecting the East and West Heartland regions.
As Gavin frantically expands roads here and promotes commerce in the City of Faith, the importance of this place for business connections will further expand.
"I believe what the general said, but it is so difficult to build a new tunnel." The Crown Princess couldn't help but sigh, "The total length of the Gaojiaobao Tunnel is 13,800 meters. Our science department The Kingdom of Mir, together with the dwarves of the Silver Clan in the Stormhorn Mountains, took a full half century to complete the preliminary survey and excavation work, and it took another half a century to open the large-scale traffic. In the meantime, there were several pauses due to financial resources and war. times, the manpower and material resources invested in it exceeded the imagination of the world. At that time, the royal family's financial deficit was as high as 150 million gold coins. It took a whole century to turn around. The courage of the predecessors to plant trees for future generations to enjoy is not something that even the ancestors of the Obaisqil royal family have in every generation. ."
"One Thirty-eight hundred meters? Sorry, please forgive my ignorance." Gavin couldn't help but marvel. Although he had been to High Point Castle once before and even observed its full view from a high position under the leadership of the Crown Princess. Think of how long this tunnel is.
Such a long artificial tunnel that traverses the entire mountain range would take decades to plan and build, even with a large number of modern tools.
When the Kingdom of Cormyr built this passage, it definitely not only used a lot of strong labor, but also a lot of magic help.
The few achievements he has made in recent times have made him look down upon the heroes of the world, especially kingdoms like the Kingdom of Cormyr that have been inherited for hundreds of years. Their heritage is much richer than he imagined.
As for those dark areas that stretch for dozens of kilometers, or even hundreds of kilometers, and can even cross the entire seabed, they are of another nature. After all, most of them are natural forces, although some are from underground races. Credit, but it was excavated bit by bit over thousands of years, including the dwarven mines and underground fortresses.
"It doesn't matter, the general is just being kind." Crown Princess smiled understandingly and said, "The Storm Point underground tunnel still has great potential that can be tapped. I'll wait until there are so many trucks that they crowd both sides of the mountain road. At this time, we can not only operate during the day, but also have continuous traffic at night, and at the same time, some of the work done in Gaojiao Fort can be exported. Delay a few kilometers or more than ten kilometers to allow a separate outpost to be completed. Gaojiao Fort will only be responsible for maintaining the rapid passage of vehicles.
If there is still no way to meet the demand, we will start by increasing the speed of vehicles. , as long as this aspect is improved, the pressure on the tunnel can also be relieved.”
The Crown Princess fully demonstrated her wit, turning her head and coming up with several feasible strategies to relieve stress. This was much more time- and effort-saving than Gavin's method of digging a new tunnel.
“Changing the means of transportation is indeed a very feasible strategy.” Gavin agreed, “In the later stage, rail cars can be used for quick transportation over short distances.”
Livestock dragging The speed of the truck being dragged is relatively limited, no matter how fast it is. , far less powerful than mechanical power for excavation. This kind of mechanical power refers not only to steam boilers and oil engines, but also to magical power. Leaving aside other things, what the goblin warlocks are studying in the Land of Three Rivers is An out-and-out magical furnace, using negative energy as its power source.
As for the golems, they are not common in Faerûn, but they are definitely not uncommon. They all use imprisoned elements as their energy supply core, and are out-and-out perpetual motion machines - at least they do not require human intervention. Energy supply, which draws energy directly from the elemental plane.
“Traction rail car?” Crown Princess’ interest was piqued, “Are you talking about the self-propelled rail car that dwarves use to transport minerals in their mines?”
Whether it is large conveyor belts, railway tracks, or rail cars, they are very frequently used in dwarf mining, especially the latter, which can be seen in slightly larger dwarf mines. This is related to their relatively limited population. They must try their best to It saves manpower and naturally promotes research and development when there is demand.
On the human side, due to cheaper manpower, including the existence of various slaves, there are not many mining companies that are willing to spend a lot of money to build railway tracks and rail cars. Even Gavin's Black Well Iron Mine is currently They are also using enlightenment trees to assist in transporting ore instead of building rail cars. After all, their development time is too short, their financial resources were relatively tight before, and they have not had time to upgrade their equipment.
“Yes.” Gavin did not hide it, and directly presented the idea of the train, “It’s just larger and more numerous than the dwarves’ carriages, ranging from dozens to dozens. , up to hundreds of knots. As long as the traction force is large enough, it is easy to reach hundreds of kilometers per hour. It only takes ten minutes to cross the underground tunnel, but the cost is relatively high. "
“No matter how high the cost is, it is far lower than digging a new Storm Point underground tunnel. If you can create another miracle in the City of Faith and increase the trade volume of the entire East Road tenfold, this will This matter must be put on the agenda." When she said this, the expectation in the Crown Princess's eyes on Gavin could not be concealed at all costs.
All this they said is based on the substantial increase in freight volume.
Without this major premise, everything would be a fantasy. Who would spend a lot of money to build something that is not needed?
If those mines produce enough iron ore every day, even the stingiest slave owner will consider updating the ore transportation equipment, because if they don't do that, they will have a grudge against money.
“I’ll do my best.” Gavin’s answer may seem a bit arrogant to outsiders.
But the Road of the Conqueror gave him sufficient confidence. Whether it is to obtain more road power or to obtain more wealth, he will build roads and promote the development of commerce. Running wildly.
Maybe he will have a hand in the Kingdom of Cormyr's renovation of the Stormhorn underground tunnel in the future.
"Your Highness, the road has been cleared and you can enter the tunnel." A middle-aged man wearing purple dragon armor quickly came forward. This man's name is Lajos Sargent, the garrison general of Fort High Point.
This is one of the benefits that the Crown Princess personally welcomes. Not only is the green light given to them at High Point Castle, but also along the way.
"Thank you, General Lajos, General Gavin, let's go."
Not only the Crown Princess is accustomed to this kind of first-mover privilege, but also the business travelers waiting to pass, Gai The text is also a joy to enjoy.
Equality has always been just a beautiful fantasy, not to mention the kingdom of gods. Even the gods themselves are divided into three levels, let alone mortals.
It would be foolish to pursue equality for the sake of equality blindly. Gavin only promoted fairness and justice in the army of conquerors, but he never shouted the slogan that everyone is equal. In a short period of time, this thing has Faerun is unworkable, and it is not conducive to your own rule, let alone your future collection of faith.
The Kingdom of Cormyr’s defense of this underground tunnel is also exemplary. It not only has an outer fortress that relies on the mountain, but also an inner fortress with three floors inside and three floors outside. There is also an inner one with a thickness no less than The 30-centimeter thick gate guard made of steel must be raised and lowered through a huge noose.
The width of the tunnel is much wider than Gavin imagined. At least the entrance is more than eight meters, and the height is more than five meters. Even the floor-type chariots of the conqueror's army can be lined up here. And walk, let alone ride on horseback.
The lights here are bright, but there is no trace of smoke.
Because what is used here is not ordinary lighting, but an immortal flame attached to the cave wall.
This is a two-ring evocation spell that allows the attached object to permanently emit flames equivalent to a torch. Gavin often uses this method for lighting in the kobold territory.
I am very aware of the cost of the Eternal Flame. Even leaving aside the caster’s employment fee, this thing requires at least fifty gold coins, because it requires fifty gold coins of ruby powder as the casting material. Sprinkle over the casting location to ignite the magical flame.
If it comes in one or two pieces, even an ordinary businessman can afford it.
But don’t forget, this is a tunnel with a length of more than 11 kilometers. There will be one every ten meters, crisscrossing on the walls on both sides, which means there will be one every five meters. For this alone, more than 2 million have to be invested in this tunnel (the materials consumed and the hiring cost of the caster. Even the battle mages trained by the Kingdom of Cormyr still need to spend hiring costs. It is nothing more than the internal price, which is relatively cheap. That’s all).
The use of magic in this tunnel goes far beyond that. After entering the tunnel, Gavin clearly felt that their horse speed had increased to a higher level. Even if they were trotting, they still felt like they were running fast, as if there was an invisible big hand pushing behind them. They move forward.
Before Gavin could ask, the Crown Princess took the initiative to explain: "This is another important reason why the Storm Point underground tunnel enters on odd days and rises on even days. When this place is built, it will be related to the magic network. The resonance is formed, forming a wind channel. If the wind is tailwind, the speed will increase by one level, and if the wind is against the wind, the speed will decrease by one level.”
< br>Gavin suddenly realized, "This wind channel is not static, but reverses every twenty-four hours. On odd days, it blows from west to east, and on even days, it blows from east to west?"
What if? In this case, the regulations of the Kingdom of Cormyr are reasonable and the merchants are naturally very willing to accept the convenience here.
“Yes.”
"The creation of this wind channel is not related to the ventilation of the channel, right?" Gavin boldly guessed.
Ventilation is a top priority in this kind of long underground tunnel. If there are no good vents, people can be suffocated to death in the deepest part, let alone passing through it on a large scale.
“That’s right.” Crown Princess admitted openly, “When we first designed this place, we didn’t prepare any additional vents. We used magic to solve them all. I didn’t expect that it would lead to such a unique magical effect, so You never need to worry about suffocation here, and the wind here does not come from the outside, so the effect is constant, but this is the first time See it as a novelty when you see it. It won’t take long before you feel suffocated, monotonous, and boring. Let’s start speeding up. There will be people patrolling here every half an hour, and there will be no obstacles on the road.”
"Racing a horse in an underground tunnel is not an experience that everyone has. Let's get started." Gavin responded enthusiastically.
Since Tynarasta said this, it means that this tunnel is a straight road, at least without any sharp turns or obvious changes in width.
"Drive!" Princess Crown didn't give in. She knocked the horse lightly on her crotch and started running from slow to fast.
Drive! drive! drive!
Others followed.
When I started running, the uniqueness of the wind duct in the Storm Point underground tunnel was fully revealed. The horse under my crotch felt like it was half running and half flying.
After this incident, Gavin became a lot more cautious about his words during the rest of the journey. He no longer easily expressed his opinions on many things before seeing the whole picture. Being slapped in the face was second to none, mainly. Suggestions may not necessarily be timely.
After all, Gavin's thinking on many things is still based on the mundane, and both magic and divine arts are used to break the limitations of the mundane.
On the contrary, the Crown Princess did not take this matter to heart. She was very talkative and seemed to like to lure Gavin to talk. She was very proficient in war tactics, humanities and customs, magic skills and the concept of governing the country. , and has his own set of mature ideas.
At first Gavin listened more and responded less. When he slowly discovered that the Crown Princess had no specific purpose and just had a casual attitude, he no longer had so many worries. After all, Ms. Strategy He had negotiated the deal face to face, so how could he be afraid of a princess?
The best thing about Hai Tian Kuo Lun is that he can't feel the passage of time. When he came back to his senses, they arrived at Shilp Village, their first stop in the Kingdom of Cormyr.
Shilp Village is located at the intersection of the Carantaire Road (the name of the section of the East Road in the Kingdom of Cormyr) and the Oriole Road. It is a typical commercial town and village town. Most people make a living by doing business. All buildings are built along two business roads. Most of them have slate commercial signs. There are shops below and residences above. The two are perfectly integrated.
"Is this why you chose to stay here?" Tenarasta asked, looking at the bush ball in her hand in disbelief.
No wonder she was in disbelief. There were at least three hours until sunset, enough time for them to drive another fifty kilometers.
The shrub ball in her hand is about the size of a burly man's fist. It looks like a ball of bronze miniature cabbage leaf balls, but it is a bit more woody. At first glance, it looks like it is carved. Same.
This plant is called stike bush. Although it is edible, it does not taste good. It is said to be greasy, bitter and has a strong smell. However, it is currently the most popular fish food and fish bait in Faerûn. , all aquatic creatures living in freshwater and oceans - from the silver carps that swim in schools in the creeks to the dragon turtles - are very fond of it.
And it also has a strange characteristic. Any living creature that eats this plant will lose all ability to generate or release electricity within a certain period of time. Therefore, Styx shrubs are used to control and capture Electric eels are highly valued, and their prices are rising steadily.
(End of this chapter)