Far away in a remote region several cities away, a number of excavators and demolition machines were continuously being transported into a series of nearly deserted, interconnected towns.
These linked towns were undoubtedly ghost cities.
Due to their remote location, lack of geological resources, and being surrounded by mountains, it was extremely difficult for large machinery to access them. The only viable option was shipping by sea.
Even so, building a port in such an unprofitable area would be considered a massive waste.
Yet, the Suzuki Conglomerate had begun to act.
They had temporarily constructed a seaport for storing materials, and all necessary supplies were being shipped in steadily.
"One week. We're finally getting started."
Suzuki Ayako wore a blue one-piece work jumpsuit, a safety helmet on her head, and white sneakers on her feet. She looked nothing like her usual office lady appearance, instead more like a forewoman at a construction site.
In fact, that was exactly what she was right now.
Only, this wasn't just a construction site. It was a large-scale redevelopment plan connecting several abandoned cities.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sound of demolition echoed from one of the nearby towns.
Ayako looked toward the noise and saw an old building being torn down by a demolition machine.
The buildings left behind in these ghost cities were mostly dilapidated wooden structures from the past, not modern high-rises. That made demolition easier, even if the scale of the task remained enormous.
Completely clearing out these towns wouldn't be an easy job.
Ayako didn't expect it to be done quickly.
Her plan was to demolish and build simultaneously.
What was being torn down were traditional wooden buildings, and what would be constructed in their place were also wooden structures, but in a Western architectural style.
The building difficulty wasn't high, but the volume of work meant it wouldn't be completed in the short term.
Still, Ayako wasn't concerned about the timeline.
As long as the money kept flowing in, progress could be guaranteed.
Especially since this was not a solo project by the Suzuki Conglomerate. It was a joint venture involving several of Japan's top conglomerates.
Ayako opened a map and examined it.
"The surrounding terrain is surprisingly good. It's strange these ghost cities were abandoned for so long. The lack of resources is clearly the main issue."
Even the government had no interest in developing this place. That spoke volumes about how poor the natural resources were.
However, a lack of natural resources could be balanced by boosting cultural value.
"That's where Chikako's effort will be needed."
City planning would need to follow Ren's vision of Tingen City.
With demolition already underway, the city layout needed to be addressed soon.
"Alright. The initial structure of Tingen is roughly complete."
Ikeda Chikako put down her pen. Based on Ren's descriptions, she had drawn a rough layout on paper and marked each district with its intended name.
A river running through the center of the city split Tingen into north and south halves.
The west district was the aristocratic zone. The east was where commoners lived.
Between the west and east was a large church district. It housed the Storm Church's cathedral.
Just north of the church district was the Dark Church zone, where adherents of the Darkness Pathway gathered. Many of its followers resided there.
To the southeast was the district for the Mechanical Church, which also served as Tingen's industrial zone.
That region had a dense concentration of factories and handled much of the city's mechanical construction.
Nobles, commoners, and the poor were divided into separate zones, with different environments and levels of public safety depending on the area.
"Ren-sama, take a look."
Ren took the sheet of paper and examined the rough district layout Chikako had drawn. He compared it to the image in his mind. The layout was accurate.
"Not much difference. The key is the main river that splits Tingen, and the harbor district that sits at the central section of the river."
He sketched the harbor zone's placement based on his memory. The location matched the course of the main river perfectly.
The rest didn't need much adjustment. This was already very close to the Tingen City in his memory.
Based on this layout, the zoning was essentially complete. The rest would be small details and refinements.
Chikako took the paper back and finalized it as the official map.
It was nearly identical to the previous one she had drawn from Ren's description.
"That means the biggest problem now is opening a river channel. It needs to run through the entire city, and it will require a huge labor force to dig."
"But if we succeed, it would be a major benefit for the city. A huge volume of goods and people could flow in and out via the waterway."
Chikako had looked at maps of the area. Being surrounded by mountains would certainly affect the river's construction, and those mountain ranges would have to be dealt with.
Excavating through the mountains would be a major challenge, but for powerful conglomerates with influence, it wasn't an unsolvable problem.
After all, no one lived in those mountains. Cutting through them wasn't a big deal.
"I'll give the finalized city map to Ayako today."
"For now, we're still far from dealing with individual districts. We need to focus on opening the river first. Only once that's done can we begin mapping out the other areas."
The city's details would need fine-tuning later. The critical first step was opening the river, which would dictate all subsequent development.
Other construction projects could wait. The river had to be completed first to support the layout.
"Also, we need to start drafting the story. Ren-sama, are you free soon?"
"Well… I don't have any pressing plans at the moment. But I was thinking of going out with everyone this weekend."
"In that case, are you interested in football? The Emperor's Cup final is this weekend."
"Football, huh..."
Ren felt a headache coming on. He wasn't particularly into sports like football or basketball.
"But can we even talk about the story during the match?"
"Please don't worry about that. At the National Stadium, the VIP seating area is raised and set apart from the crowd. It's soundproof and offers a clear view of the game. The environment is much quieter."
Chikako enthusiastically described the stadium layout, the VIP area, and how it would be a suitable space to discuss story details.
"Alright, we'll go with your suggestion then. Even if I'm not into the match, the others might enjoy it. That time can be used to talk about the story with you as well."
Ren thought it over. It was probably best not to delay things further.
Ayako had already begun the city planning. It wouldn't be right for him to hold up the narrative development.
While the others watched the game, he and Chikako could finalize the story's prologue and its many Sequence settings.
Both the planning of Tingen City and the writing of the Lord of Mysteries story now needed to move forward.
(To be continued.)