NOVEL WEB Chapter 123: Woven Bag_1
The Eternal Domain's road repair team used cloth bags filled with soil to repair the road, which gradually incited public outrage.
The commoners, already distressed and now furious, charged at the guards maintaining order for the competition.
The nobles in the stands also stood up one after another, condemning the Eternal Domain's road repair team for wasting fabric and competing in a disgraceful manner.
Count Theodore's complexion turned even uglier.
He had just noticed the Eternal Domain's team using cloth bags to carry soil, and he immediately realized something was awry. He had organized this competition; Yan Xing's use of fabric was a direct slap in his face.
This was definitely more than just a waste.
Now, due to the war, all prices were rising in Nuta City. The prices of food and cloth had doubled in a matter of days. For someone to dare use fabric to carry soil for road repair at this critical juncture would undoubtedly tarnish his prestige and send tremors through the city.
The competition had to be stopped.
Count Theodore asked Yan Xing sternly, "I don't know what a woven bag is, but all I see is your road repair team wasting a lot of fabric. This is deception! It is blasphemy! Do you know how many clothes could be made from that fabric, how many families could peacefully get through the winter!"
Feeling the angry gazes around him, Yan Xing was still quite amazed. Plastic woven bags, after all... Who would use such things to make clothes?
Yan Xing said to Werewolf Olaf behind him, "Go get some woven bags and let the Lord Mayor and the noble lords see what we are using to carry the soil."
"Yes, my lord!"
Werewolf Olaf, who stood behind Yan Xing, quickly ran down the stands. He pulled out some bags from the pile of woven bags, then hurried back up.
Yan Xing had him distribute these woven bags to the noble lords in the stands, and he also handed one to Count Theodore himself.
Count Theodore carefully examined the woven bag. This was indeed not cloth. He couldn't tell what the material was, though. The flat material was sparsely woven and didn't look like it would offer much warmth. It certainly wasn't suitable for clothes. This was another strange thing from Thunderous Swamp.
After Count Theodore saw what the woven bags looked like, his face softened a bit.
He asked Yan Xing, "What material is this? Why are you using it to carry soil?"
Yan Xing said, "We use a material called plastic for these woven bags. Plastic, you see, is an extremely cheap alchemical product developed by our Thunderous Swamp. It can be used to make ropes as well as bags for carrying things."
The old earl asked, "How cheap?"
Yan Xing responded, "Lord Mayor, how did the Golden Oak Chamber of Commerce quote the price for repairing 100 meters of road?"
Count Theodore looked at Gale beside him and told Yan Xing, "100 meters for 50 Gold Coins."
50 Gold Coins! Yan Xing inwardly exclaimed. The Golden Oak Chamber of Commerce was really gouging prices.
Yan Xing estimated his own costs. The woven bags cost two cents each. For a road 100 meters long, four meters wide, and two meters thick, it would take 10,000 woven bags at most. That would only cost $2,000 to get it done. The road roller was a gas-guzzler, but even burning through fuel voraciously... you couldn't use up $200 worth for 100 meters. Including other consumables and the fuel for the dump trikes, let's say $500 per 100 meters. There shouldn't be many other expenses. The peasants and Werewolves were his own people; providing them with ample food and a little spending money could also be budgeted at $500. According to the standards for main roads between human cities in the Wildwind Highlands, if Yan Xing were to construct this road, it would cost no more than $3,000 for 100 meters. A single Gold Coin could be exchanged for $9,000. The Golden Oak Chamber of Commerce quoted such high prices likely because of the cost of Rare Alchemical Resources consumed by the Heavy Tamping Golems and their slightly higher regular maintenance costs.
Yan Xing said, "Fifty Gold Coins for 100 meters... that price isn't too high. Hearing this quote, it's clearly a friendly price from Chairman Gale to you, Lord Earl. If our Eternal Domain road repair team were to build the road, the cost would be at least 60 Gold Coins for 100 meters.
"The price of woven bags is one Gold Coin for 250. To build a standard road segment of 100 meters requires 10,000 woven bags, which amounts to 40 Gold Coins. The cost of alchemy equipment and labor, we can barely compress to 24 Gold Coins. Lord Earl is my close friend; any future roads built by our Eternal Domain road repair team will cost 65 Gold Coins per 100 meters."
Count Theodore asked in amazement, "Sixty-five Gold Coins for 100 meters! Is that for the entire road using those woven bags to hold the soil and that kind of wheeled alchemy road construction machine?"
"Certainly," Yan Xing replied. "Whatever we do in the Eternal Domain, we uphold the spirit of craftsmanship. We seek excellence in everything we build or do, including road construction. We use the best materials and craftsmanship available to us, with no cutting corners! Using woven bags to hold the soil while building the roadbed, although more expensive than the traditional earth-filling method for roadbeds, definitely saves on future maintenance. I think once my road repair team and the Golden Oak Chamber of Commerce's team have completed this 100-meter road, Lord Earl could invite a Water Mage to wash both roads with water. Let's see whose road is sturdier and better suited for the climate of the Wildwind Highlands."
The room fell silent.
Anyone with clear sight could see the advantage of using woven bags to protect the soil. The soil wouldn't be washed away; no matter how much rain fell, it could only damage the surface. Once the rain stopped, a new layer of soil could be spread over any depressions, and the road would be clear again.
Therefore, although the construction costs of the Eternal Domain team's roads were 15 Gold Coins higher than those of the Golden Oak Chamber of Commerce, they would definitely save money on long-term maintenance. Moreover, sometimes the time saved isn't something that can be measured in money.
If the Eternal Domain's woven bags were truly cheap enough to keep the cost per 100 meters of road to 65 Gold Coins, then there was no need to continue with this competition. The innate disadvantage of the Golden Oak Chamber of Commerce's road repair team could not be compensated for by speed. Besides, they didn't even have a speed advantage.
"I don't believe it!" Gale shouted. "I can't believe these bags are so cheap. One Gold Coin for 260, how is that possible! You're lying, you're deceiving all of us. There can't be alchemical materials so cheap in this world."
Count Theodore also couldn't believe it.
If the price of these woven bags in Yan Xing's possession was really one Gold Coin for 250, it would be of immeasurable significance to the entire Wildwind Highlands.
Cities and fortresses are the nodes of the Wildwind Highlands Legion on the battlefield, and roads are the veins connecting these nodes. As humans inherently lack a certain tier of soldier, they find themselves at an absolute numerical disadvantage against the combined forces of Orcs and Elves. Keeping the roads clear ensures that human troops and supplies can move quickly along them, allowing for rational deployment of military forces. If the roads remained mostly passable, especially in rainy weather, the Wildwind Highlands Legion would gain more strategic advantages and initiative in warfare.
Moreover, using these woven bags filled with soil to build fortifications could replace some stone materials. Woven bags are easy to transport, and soil is readily available onsite. In urgent situations where temporary defenses need to be constructed, it's much more convenient than transporting stone from the rear.
For this war, the Orcs and Elves were well-prepared, and their attacks were bound to be fierce. If these inexpensive woven bags could be readily supplied, it would greatly improve the battlefield conditions for the Wildwind Highlands Legion. It could be a strategic material that changes the course of the war.