Merchant From Earth in the Magical World

Early the next morning, many citizens of Nuta City gathered in the wilderness on the southern outskirts of the city.

They had heard that a road construction competition was to be held here, which was certainly a novelty.

Everyone knew that for road construction on the Wildwind Highlands, one must seek out the Golden Oak Chamber of Commerce. They possessed Heavy Tamping Golems that could tamp the road surface flat and firm.

On the Wildwind Highlands, there was a rainy season that lasted for two to three months every year.

When the rainy season arrived, many areas would be submerged.

Therefore, roadbeds on the Wildwind Highlands had to be built at least two meters high to ensure passage during the rainy season.

This was not a job that just any road crew could handle.

Even roads built by the Golden Oak Chamber of Commerce's road crews would suffer serious damage from the soaking and scouring of the rain.

In some areas, due to small animals burrowing too many holes, collapses would even occur during the deluges.

However, the road crews of the Golden Oak Chamber of Commerce always managed to repair the damaged roads in a timely fashion.

The expertise of the Golden Oak Chamber of Commerce's road crews was widely recognized.

For someone to challenge them now, in the field they excelled at, promised to be an exciting spectacle.

The nobles and other influential people, however, were considering the deeper implications.

The capabilities of the Golden Oak Chamber of Commerce's road crews were not limited to road construction.

Marquis Anderson had been able to lead the Wildwind Highlands Legion to establish a new front, forcing the Orcs and Elves to unite, thanks to a progressively advancing network of fortresses. The roads connecting these fortresses were all built by the Golden Oak Chamber of Commerce's road crews scattered across the region.

Even some fortresses and barrier strips had been constructed with the participation of the Golden Oak Chamber of Commerce's road crews.

The Golden Oak Chamber of Commerce's Nuta City road crew was only one division of their entire road construction force. If someone could challenge them in Nuta City and even snatch away the road maintenance project from Nuta City to Storm City, it would undoubtedly shake the Golden Oak Chamber of Commerce's standing throughout the Wildwind Highlands.

How big a piece of the pie was this? And how much influence did it carry?

Count Theodore was not unaware of these implications.

A large question mark formed in the minds of the nobles and influential figures. So why did he still initiate this competition? What was he trying to accomplish?

Yan Xing, who had just acquired the map of the Wildwind Highlands, was, of course, oblivious to the full significance of the competition.

He just wanted to earn the 7,500 Gold Coins for the road construction. Themostup-to-dateversionisonM(VLEMPY)R.

He was in dire need of money.

Especially after completing the long-term development plan for the Eternal Domain the previous night, he had essentially shouldered a huge debt burden.

Building the magic energy generator cost money; buying matching Low-Level Magical Puppets cost money; developing turbocharged jet engines cost money; and he also had to purchase supercomputer servers, drones, networking equipment, various electronic devices, chips, and parts.

Industrialization and informatization sounded grand, but they were all built on a foundation of money.

Therefore, I must win today's competition, and the road maintenance project from Nuta City to Storm City must be secured, Yan Xing resolved.

Concerned about the competition, Yan Xing sought out Count Theodore early on. Together, under the protection of the City Lord's Guard Cavalry, they proceeded to the southern outskirts of the city.

An Earth Mage had arrived at the competition site beforehand and used Earth System magic to construct a viewing stand over ten meters high.

Pavilions were erected on the viewing stand, furnished with tables and chairs. Fruits were available for the nobles and dignitaries to enjoy and cool off with.

Servants stood by with large, transparent jugs filled with sweet wine.

When entertaining Eden, Yan Xing had once sent Donna with one such jug to find Butler Attlee to fill it with red wine.

Upon seeing it, the butler found this type of jug very interesting and reported to the old Count that Yan Xing possessed a very beautiful kind of wine container.

It was light green and transparent.

The wine inside, with its rippling colors, was clearly visible and captivating.

"Merely looking at it... it's as if one can smell the fragrance of the wine within. If we were to use this kind of container to serve wine to guests, it would surely leave a very deep impression on them."

This perfectly scratched an itch for Count Theodore, who loved hosting banquets.

The old Count sought out Yan Xing to inquire if he could purchase a few of these magical and exquisite barrel-shaped wine vessels.

Yan Xing had benefited greatly from taking Count Theodore as his mentor and was even allowed to peruse the Count's private collection of magic books at his leisure.

Therefore, Yan Xing thought, Even though the Count says he wants to buy them, he clearly has no intention of paying.

So, he had to "reluctantly" make a generous gesture and gifted a few such jugs to Count Theodore.

The larger ones were 18.9 liters, and the smaller ones held 5 liters.

The road construction competition was the talk of the town.

Count Theodore had also invited many notable figures to watch, which provided an excellent opportunity to flaunt his newly acquired wine vessels.

The large jugs, filled with wine, were placed atop wooden casks.

Under the sunlight, the wine's red hue was as bright as blood, with a gemstone-like luster that, at first glance, made it resemble a flawless ruby.

The smaller jugs were used instead of traditional carafes for serving, with attendants standing ready on either side.

As the wine was poured, the guests could clearly see the liquid flowing inside the jugs, along with a layer of pearl-like froth on top.

Count Theodore's smile never left his face as he watched his guests express surprise, envy, and curiosity upon seeing his new wine vessels.

He continually raised his glass, inviting the guests to drink heartily with him.

Then, he would command the servants to pour again, taking another opportunity to show off his splendid, newly acquired wine vessels.

Seated beside Count Theodore in the main seats on the viewing stand were Yan Xing and Gale, the Nuta City branch president of the Golden Oak Chamber of Commerce.

Gale looked rather tense, finding no pleasure in the wine he sipped.

That was because he saw the Eternal Domain's road construction team, led by Knight Yan Xing, arrayed and ready below the viewing stand.

The Golden Oak Chamber of Commerce's road crew primarily relied on their Heavy Tamping Golem, as well as their established connections with the Wildwind Highlands Legion, a benefit of their backing.

The very fact that Count Theodore was holding this competition signified a crisis in the relationship between the Golden Oak Chamber of Commerce and Nuta City.

It was the old Count's retaliation for Gale's price hike.

The presence of large alchemical machinery in the Eternal Domain's road crew indicates they might actually have the ability to compete with us, Gale thought.

But where on earth did the Eternal Domain get such alchemical machinery?

Their style doesn't resemble anything produced by the Goblin Alchemy Factory.

The Eternal Domain's alchemical equipment all has wheels.

Whereas the alchemical golems from the Goblin Alchemy Factory mostly use mana-infused muscle fibers within their frames to power their limbs.

However, President Gale did not lose confidence in winning the competition just because the Eternal Domain's road crew possessed unorthodox alchemical apparatus.

Equipment is one thing, but experience is another, he mused.

The road crew of the Golden Oak Chamber of Commerce had extensive experience in building and repairing roads in the Wildwind Highlands.

The workers Gale brought along were all experienced professionals who could ensure that once the competition started, they would coordinate and complete all road-building procedures in the fastest way possible.

Fifty people plus one Heavy Tamping Golem—not a single person's effort was wasted.

The Eternal Domain's road crew, however, was a mix of Werewolves and farmers.

As for the skill level of those farmers in road construction... who knows?

But still... Werewolves can't even dig a proper hole, let alone handle a technical job like road building. It's simply beyond what those uncivilized savages can accomplish.

Thinking of his advantages, Gale's anxiety eased.

Besides, it's uncertain whether those bizarre, wheeled alchemical contraptions can even function properly.

Wheels require bearings, and bearings are notoriously fragile.

They might work for a light carriage, but under the ten-plus tons of a heavy golem, they'll inevitably fail due to the magnified torque...

Just then, Count Theodore turned to Yan Xing and Gale and asked, "Gentlemen, your road crews are ready, aren't they? Can we begin the competition?"

Yan Xing and Gale both affirmed they were ready.

Count Theodore announced the start of the road construction competition.