"The nearest city is roughly five hundred kilometers away from here because we are located near the German border," Bennie said calmly. "There are no major population centers in this region, so every large city is far away. No matter which direction we choose, we would still be looking at a journey of around five hundred kilometers." Building a direct road to one of those cities had never been part of his plan. In his opinion, it simply was not worth the effort.
The wilderness surrounding their territory would likely remain undeveloped for quite some time. Population centers naturally formed around areas with existing infrastructure, resources, and trade routes. Their forest possessed plenty of resources, but it was far from the locations where most people wanted to settle. Because of that, Bennie believed that waiting for a city road to reach them was unrealistic. If they wanted a connection to civilization, they would need to create it themselves.
"Okay, then what do you propose?" Karl asked with interest. Several of the other elders nodded as well, silently urging Bennie to continue. They could tell he had already spent considerable time thinking about the problem. The treasury elder rarely brought up ideas without first examining them from every angle. That alone made the others curious about his solution.
"My proposal is that we build a road toward the Rhine River and establish a pier there," Bennie said. He spread several maps across the table as he spoke. "It will still require clearing nearly two hundred kilometers of wilderness, but the benefits will be enormous." His eyes gleamed as he outlined the plan. This was clearly something he had been preparing for a while.
"If we do it correctly, travel will become much easier," Bennie continued. "Over time, a small outpost will naturally form around the pier. Adventurers will use it as a drop-off point when exploring the wilderness, and merchants will stop there to resupply." He tapped the river route on the map. "At the same time, they can purchase goods from us and transport them to distant cities."
"That all sounds promising," Lilly said thoughtfully. "But where exactly are we going to get the ships and workers needed to build both a road and a pier?" She already suspected part of the answer. The recruits were the most obvious source of labor. Unfortunately, in her opinion, every day spent building roads was a day lost from training.
The recruits themselves would have strongly disagreed with that assessment. Many of them would gladly endure a week of exhausting labor if it meant escaping Lilly's training regimen for even a single day. Her reputation among the younger members was both respected and feared. Most recruits considered a day carrying logs preferable to one of her intensive training sessions. Sadly for them, she often combined both.
"The ships won't come from us," Bennie admitted. "Quite frankly, we don't have the expertise required to build them." He looked slightly embarrassed as he said it. "Building the pier will already require our architects to search through the archives for historical construction methods." Unfortunately, the family's records on harbor construction were incomplete.
"It seems we may need to purchase some knowledge tomes after all," Bennie continued with a sigh. "As for the ships themselves, the answer is simple: merchants." His expression immediately brightened again. "I refuse to believe those profit-driven bastards haven't already started building transport vessels." Everyone in the room could easily imagine merchants racing each other to exploit new opportunities.
The quality of artificially produced wood was admittedly poor. However, if an entire ship was handcrafted using those materials, it could still function adequately for transport purposes. Alternatively, merchants could simply purchase better materials directly from the System Shop. Either option was profitable enough to justify the investment. The potential rewards were simply too large to ignore.
Roads connecting distant cities would take years to establish properly. Historically, border regions had rarely developed into major population centers. Most existing routes were little more than cleared pathways through grasslands and forests. They certainly could not support large-scale transportation. That left rivers as the fastest and most practical method of moving goods between settlements.
"No, I suppose you're right," Karl admitted. "The merchants will absolutely establish shipping routes between cities." He folded his arms while considering the proposal. "Transporting goods by river is faster, cheaper, and considerably safer than moving them overland." Given how many settlements had formed near rivers, the logic was difficult to dispute.
"Exactly," Bennie replied. "As for the workers, the answer is even simpler. We already have them." His grin widened slightly. "We'll use the recruits." Before Lilly could interrupt, he raised a hand. He had clearly anticipated her objection.
"I know what you're going to say," Bennie said before Lilly could speak. "You think they need every available day for training." Several elders chuckled quietly at the accuracy of that prediction. "I'm only asking for a week." His tone remained firm and confident.
"A week should be enough to handle the most difficult work," Bennie continued. "Once the route is established, we can improve it gradually over time." Since the road would primarily be used by family members and trusted merchants, perfection was unnecessary. A functional road today was worth more than a perfect road years later. The other elders seemed to agree with that reasoning.
"I have no objections," Karl said after a moment. He looked around the table to see if anyone else wished to comment. None of the elders raised concerns. The proposal closely resembled the methods their ancestors had used when establishing settlements. The only real difference was the distance involved.
"Good," Karl said. "Lilly, you'll organize the recruits." He then shifted his attention toward Bennie. "And you will make sure merchants actually show up. Otherwise, Lilly will deal with you personally." His expression remained completely serious throughout the statement.
"No problem," Bennie replied immediately. Even so, he swallowed nervously. Being chased by hostile merchants sounded preferable to suffering Lilly's displeasure. Several elders noticed his reaction and struggled not to laugh. They knew exactly why he looked worried.
"Then I think that concludes today's temporary meeting," Karl announced as he rose from his chair. One by one, the elders followed suit and returned to their responsibilities. Karl himself had a particularly important task waiting for him. Namely, protecting his beloved plants from the relentless schemes of his wife.
"Hey, Arin, you asked me to remind you about choosing your skill," Bill said while relaxing beneath a large tree. The oak still possessed a full canopy of leaves despite the season. Around them, the forest remained unusually green and healthy. It was a strange sight considering that winter should have arrived long ago.
"Oh, right," Arin replied. "Thanks for reminding me." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I really should get around to that." Several interesting skills had become available recently, making the decision surprisingly difficult.
"No problem," Bill said. After a brief pause, he glanced upward through the branches. "Actually, there is something else I've been wondering about." His gaze lingered on the leaves overhead. "Why haven't the trees shed their leaves yet? It's winter."
Arin looked around the forest as well. The observation was difficult to ignore once someone pointed it out. Not only were the trees still healthy, but the temperature itself felt unusually mild. The entire season seemed wrong somehow. More and more people had started noticing the same thing.
"You know what? I honestly have no idea," Arin admitted. "As far as I know, it looks like spring never ended." He closed his eyes and briefly reached out with his forest-related abilities. The trees responded with vague emotions, but nothing resembling intelligence. Unfortunately, they offered no explanation.
"I heard scientists are completely confused by it," Arin continued. "Nobody seems able to explain why the climate suddenly changed." The phenomenon appeared to affect the entire world. That alone made it difficult to dismiss as a local anomaly. Even governments were searching for answers.
"Have you not heard the latest theory?" Bertho asked as he entered the clearing. He casually lowered himself onto the ground beside the others. This secluded area beneath the old oak tree was one of the few places currently free from training recruits. As a result, it had become a popular gathering spot.
"Apparently, Gaia placed another warning on the desks of various governments," Bertho said. He stretched comfortably before continuing. The announcement had already sparked countless rumors. Nobody seemed entirely sure what the warning contained, but everyone agreed it was important.
Bertho decided not to mention the family's new road project. The elders would reveal those plans when they were ready. Besides, those old people worked frighteningly fast whenever they decided on a course of action. It had not even been a full day since the secret realm closed. Yet somehow the family was already moving on to its next major project.