Empire of the Ring

The train from the dock ran at a speed of 50 kilometers per hour, arriving in the city where the administration office was located in just ten minutes.

It was about five kilometers from the wharf to the city, so it was bound to arrive in a flash. It was able to speed up further, but it was such a short distance that it ran at 50 kilometers per hour.

“You’re acting as soon as you get on board, but if you increase the speed, you could even get to the Bentonite factory within half an hour.”

“Suh Min-seok insisted on putting a train with narrow gauge, but he doesn’t even mention it now.”

“It’s right for later generations to use standard orbits. What? Do we want to complicate the railway system only to save some bucks?”

“But the idea of saving a penny is pretty good.”

“He just retracted the plan, saying it would be more economical to put a standard railway because the land on the riverside will be added this time. I’m sure it wasn’t so easy to pull out because he’d been exchanging e-mails with the Russian train factory.”

“That’s how you grow as you go through trial and error.”

“He must be discouraged because the whole wheat export and the narrow-track rail system project are foundered. You should cheer him a little.”

“I’ll give him a bonus pay. That’s the biggest boost for a salaried worker.”

“Of course you should. He’s been working hard for the Arirang state. Did you try to get away with it?”

Today was the opening day of the train service from the wharf to the administration office. If the results of the test were good, the state planned to carry out the railroad project across the state in earnest.

The county was 44 kilometers east and west, and 25 kilometers north and south—about twice the size of Seoul. The railway would be built about 35 kilometers east from the western end of the wharf.

This could be done because the land that was given by the Kazakh government recently had elongated the width from the east and west of the state since it was formed along the Arirang River. Since it was adjacent to the river, it was easier to develop grassland or farmland.

The rails were needed as soon as possible in the farming towns and the town that had the Bentonite factory because they were scattered apart.

The multiple test runs of the train went quite well, and everyone who rode the train liked it.

In particular, Kim Chun got so excited and insisted that the state should consult with the Kazakh government to work on the connection of the state’s railway to the Kazakh main railway.

“Prince consort, I’m going to contact the Kazakh government and try to get the railroads connected.”

“It won’t be easy with the government’s budget. The central government might say we have to pay for it all.”

“Ouch, I didn’t think about that. I should rather slip some words when I attend the central government meeting.”

“Hahaha… That would be a shortcut. You could ask for a budget, and the central government might spare some for the railway.”

The train operation between the wharf and the administration office brought many changes to the state. First of all, hundreds of bicycles filling the roads commuting to work and back to home had disappeared. Workers at various factories near the dock began commuting by train, not by bicycle or bus.

Residents were happy just to get to and from work without regard to the weather. Riding a bicycle in the winter with a strong north wind was quite a trouble.

During the day, bulk vehicles busily moved back and forth to transport wheat. The amount of grain harvested from all parts of the state was huge, so about 20 bulk cars were mobilized. All the bulk vehicles that had been going between the dock and the administrative office were also mobilized to carry wheat.

The process of making wheat shipment was processed fast so that the wheat would be able to be exported before the winter came.

***

There were many teenagers and newborns, but there was a huge shortage of blue-collar workers. The territory of the state was almost doubled but it was hard to spot a person around the state except for the city area. Although there was an overflowing number of jobs, there were not enough people to do the job. The state was too deserted for its area.

Youngho called Niksic to discuss this.

“Lord Niksic, I don’t see you often because I’m so busy these days. I feel like it won’t be enough even if I have ten bodies since I’m traveling back and forth from the state to Siberia and Denmark.”

“Well, things only work when prince consort is involved.”

“It sounds like you’re asking a horse to run harder.”

“Huh… That’s proof that you have such exceptional ability. What are you worried about when our ancestors are protecting you?”

It was freaky to hear that the ring also contained the spirits of Serbian Kingdom’s ancestors.

These days, the ring’s energy had been intensified, so what Niksic said did not sound usual.

“If our ancestors are protecting us, I guess we can accept more Serbians.”

“What do you mean?”

“If there are still descendants of the Kingdom in the Balkan, I would like to receive them to the state. Lord, Niksic, could you please be in charge of this?”

After the coronation, Niksic had been almost at a loss for pride in having done all he had to do. He only stayed in his house in isolation, so Youngho feared his health would deteriorate.

Thus, Youngho was now forcing him to work.

“Prince consort, thank you for giving this old man one last chance to serve. I’ll get to work immediately.”

“You could probably get help from the Serbian Orthodox Church. Take some donations when you go to Romania’s main office this time. I’ve heard that the church’s influence had been very weak.”

“The patriarch will be pleased to hear that. The name of the Serbian Grand Duchy will be remembered for a long time.”

“Please tell him that we will make a donation every year under the name of our state from now on. Instead, ask him to send the remaining descendants of the Serbian Kingdom.”

“He won’t refuse it because it’s for the fellow countrymen who are living in difficult circumstances. The church will probably take the lead in recruiting immigrants.”

“Could you ask him to send people who are devout as a priority?”

“They’ll pick church members first. I’ll take a look at the mountain village, too.”

“People who can afford to live a decent life there won’t have much fun here. I hope people who live hard lives would come.”

“What kind of economic power do people in the Balkan have? They’re all about the same. It’s more important to see whether or not they are loyal to the kingdom.”

“Then I will leave the matter of selection to you, Lord Niksic.”

“Thank you for trusting me. I’ll give all of my energy.”

“Please take some of the descendants of the Knights with you when you go there. We should show our state’s dignity to the new immigrants.”

“Of course. I’ll shake the whole Balkan Peninsula with our entrance.”

***

“How many extra houses do you have now, Commissioner Kim?”

“We just took in 42 families who have moved out of Tajikistan and 29 families of newlyweds. Now, we have 130 homes left.”

“What about the new town area near the Grand Palace?”

“There are about 100 houses left, but they’re left for just in case. It’s a place where the Countryside Force guards live.”

“Is there no extra housing in rural villages and research towns?”

“We’ve got some, but they’re only about a dozen houses. Why are you talking about housing all of a sudden?”

“I’ve ordered Lord Niksic to find and bring back the descendants of the Serbian Kingdom. Not many people will move in this fall or winter, but there will be many immigrants in the spring.”

“Most of the places that we have newly given are close to the river. How about creating new villages there?”

“Build more villages?”

“We can pick a few places where the railway line will be laid and make maybe two villages near the railway. Our county has a small population, but most of the population is crammed in the city area.”

The city where the administration office was located had no choice but to have the entire infrastructure. Since educational facilities, medical facilities, cultural spaces, and shopping malls were all clustered in the city, it was natural for residents to prefer the place.

“I’m sure most Serbians would have been ranching or farming in mountainous villages in the Balkan Peninsula. I think they would prefer to settle in the newly incorporated areas. It will be difficult for them to adapt to the city life. It’s a lot easier for them if we established two large-scale ranching villages.”

“That’s worth considering.”

There were several small ranch villages throughout the state, but there was no large-scale village yet. It was because there was a shortage of water. But this time, the area would not be far from the river, and the water could be drawn from the river easily.

“We should pick sites to build the villages first.”

“I’ll choose fantastic places for them.”

“You should consult with Dr. Park Young-sun and the construction director Min. It’d be great if there is an underground water resource too.”

“I’m almost an expert now. I can even find a place where there might be water just by looking at it.”

Kazakh nomads could find a place in the plains where there was water with ghostly intuition. Kim Chun, a Koryoin, also had a basic farming experience in the plains since his family was used to farming for generations.

For new Serbian ranching villages, Park Young-sun went ahead and tried hard to find underground water with a huge excavator, but there was no luck. Knowing that the Kazakh nomads were great at this, he finally asked for help from them.

They came to the autonomous state and soon, they surprisingly were able to find water without a hassle. When Park Young-sun and workers dug the places where the nomadic people pointed out, two or three out of ten places had underground water.

When Young-sun asked them how they said that they could smell water. It was like they had super senses like animals. Animals, with their senses several times as sensitive as humans, had mastered how to dig up water and survive.

Park Young-sun said that it was unfair that his expensive equipment was no better than the nomads’ instincts. Although it gave him a hard time, the sites for new villages were finally picked. It did not matter how to get to the destination since the end always justified the means.