The grand vision of the Sun Furnace faded, leaving the group amidst the desolate mountain air. The initial awe quickly dissolved into the biting reality of the 'dead zone,' as practical problems for Ryu's monumental project began to surface.
"Ryu," Ikkyu began, his voice thoughtful as he surveyed the barren landscape, the wind whipping at his robes. "While this location is ideal for your furnace, it lacks any existing infrastructure. No one lives here. Where will your workers and your engineers reside?"
Ryu nodded, expecting the inquiry, and examined the vast emptiness with the precision of an architect. Ryu said, "Indeed. That's the next step. We'll start by building staff quarters right here, near the furnace. But that's merely the foundation. Maximum output is generated when workers are content, and workers are content when they are with family. So, little by little, I plan to build a city around this furnace."
He gestured expansively, his vision already painting bustling streets, verdant parks, and homes onto the silent, rocky canvas before them. "A city born of industry, a beacon in this once-forgotten land, where life will truly thrive, a testament to human ingenuity overcoming nature's harshest challenges. Imagine the families, the laughter, and the vibrant community that will rise here."
Shizune-san, listening attentively, gasped in disbelief, her eyes wide. Even the practical secretary, visibly reeling, was shaken by the concept's audacity.
Ikkyu, however, merely offered a knowing smile, a faint chuckle escaping him. "Expected, perhaps," he murmured, his gaze fixed on Ryu. "Ryu always thinks big. And 'building a city where no one dares tread' sounds exactly like his kind of challenge. He thrives on the impossible."
"Ryu-dono," the secretary interrupted, his mind still reeling from the city concept. "You know what the worst thing about this place is?"
The secretary continued, "The food…. This area lacks fertility. You can't grow crops there. Maintaining a population here would necessitate ongoing, expensive imports, which presents its fair share of logistical challenges."
"A valid concern," Ryu acknowledged, his gaze sweeping over the dusty ground, already formulating solutions. "But not an insurmountable one. I will introduce revolutionary farming techniques that require less fertile soil and significantly less water, techniques unlike any seen before. These new agricultural infrastructures will be built concurrently with the furnace and the initial staff quarters." He paused, then surprised everyone by declaring, "We will prioritise the construction of staff quarters and new farming infrastructure first. The factory can wait until its people are fed and housed. Grand machines are meaningless if their operators suffer."
This pronouncement, delaying his own grand factory for the sake of basic human needs, was a move few, if any, would expect from someone so driven by innovation. The secretary felt a new respect flicker within him, a quiet understanding dawning. "He speaks not just of profit or production, but of people."
"And water," Ryu said, easily changing the subject. His mind was already a few steps ahead."Ms Secretary, I also have a way to fix the water supply. First, we will make a horizontal directional drilling machine and pipes that are flexible enough to work with it.
"This HDD will allow us to lay pipes deep underground, without the need for digging open trenches on the surface," Ryu explained aloud, his voice confident, addressing the unspoken questions. "Sabotage will be incredibly difficult, and even if an enemy managed to breach a pipe, it would only result in a localised leak, perhaps a few small, contained lakes forming, easily repaired. No widespread disruption, no easy target for crippling the factory's operations."
"HDD?" Everyone exclaimed, their voices a chorus of confusion. "It's a specialised underground tunnelling technology I have in mind," Ryu elaborated, his enthusiasm growing, a light in his eyes. "Instead of digging a long ditch, the machine drills a pilot bore along a predetermined path, then pulls the pipe behind it. It's precise, minimises surface disruption, and is incredibly fast."
The group was visibly puzzled by Ryu's explanation, their heads tilted in confusion, trying to grasp the concept. A shocked silence fell, quickly replaced by a wave of disbelief spreading through them.
"Underground pipes? Without digging? But... how would you even engineer such a machine, let alone guide it through miles of earth without disrupting the surface?" Ikkyu's brow furrowed, his strategic mind racing through the implications. The guards also shared puzzled looks, their grasp of engineering concepts pushed to its boundaries.
"Imagine a giant, underground worm," Ryu added, a spark of enthusiasm in his eyes. "It bores through the earth, guiding itself with incredible precision, pulling the pipe behind it. The surface remains untouched, undisturbed. And at the end we have underground ducts."
The secretary, however, felt a jolt of profound realisation. "This isn't just for a factory; this is a blueprint for an entirely new kind of national infrastructure—an invisible network of water, the very lifeline of every city, secured deep beneath the earth."
With the three major problems—accommodations, food, and water—resolved, Ryu turned his attention to other logistical matters. "Now, regarding the next factory… the salt. I was told there are already salt factories on the shores south of this location."
The secretary nodded. "Indeed, Ryu-dono. They are traditional but functional."
"Good," Ryu stated, turning to Kaori, his secretary, who had been meticulously noting every word. "Ms Secretary, instruct someone from the company to visit those existing salt factories. Their mission will be to modernise them. Plant some solar panels for power, install water collectors for desalination, and set up storage units for food. We'll integrate them into our larger network, making them more efficient and self-sufficient."
Kaori's pen scratched across her pad. "Such immense scale," she thought, her mind reeling. "His plans surged like a tidal wave, transforming everything in their wake. I must ensure I don't miss a single detail."
"Now for mining," Ryu continued, his gaze drifting towards the iron-rich mountains. "The iron here is basically untouched due to the huge transportation costs. We need to start extracting it. But the question is, where should we build the initial machinery—the cranes, the HDD, the earth flattener, and the carrier electric trucks? Do we build them here, in the Land of Rivers, where we have the ore but no refinement capabilities, or back in the Land of Fire, where the expertise is, but the raw material isn't?" Ryu posed the question to the secretary.
The secretary pondered for a moment, then his eyes brightened with a spark of inspiration. "Ryu-dono, there is an artisan village near River City, known for its exceptional metalwork. They are well-versed in intricate smithing and mechanical arts. They could certainly assist. Their expertise is highly acclaimed across the entire region."
"Good," Ryu said, with a satisfied nod. "I need to hire some. I assume I can leave this task with you, Ms Secretary?"
"Yes, Ryu-dono," the secretary replied, a newfound enthusiasm in his voice, his earlier scepticism fading into a growing, almost fervent, belief. "Consider it done."
"He sees opportunities where others see only obstacles, and you forge the very means to conquer them."
"Excellent. I will prepare some blueprints for the initial machinery." Ryu paused, his mind quickly prioritising. "The road flatteners will need immense force; an earth-flattening machine using a massive roller combined with a rotating flatter/crusher, powered by electricity, would deal with all shrubs and rocks, clearing the path efficiently. Roads can come later, once the proper infrastructure is in place; flat ground will be enough for a start."
He decided on the order: "We'll start with the horizontal directional drilling machine first, then the road flatteners and cranes, and lastly, the carrier trucks for the trackless transport system."
Ryu offered a small, knowing smile, then quickly wove a few fake hand signs. The air around them shimmered, and for a fleeting moment, the desolate landscape transformed using a genjutsu.
Before their eyes, a grand solar furnace, gleaming with polished mirrors, rose from the earth. The surrounding mountains, now covered in a mosaic of electronically controlled mirrors, bounced focused light onto the central furnace, creating an intense, searing beam.
Silent, powerful electric megatrucks carried massive loads of ore across newly flattened terrain. Powerful cranes lifted massive iron blocks, while massive bulldozers reshaped mountains with their electric blades.
It was a brief glimpse of a future industrial marvel, but breathtaking. The guards gasped together. The secretary's jaw dropped, his eyes wide in disbelief as he tried to reconcile the impossible vision with reality. 'This... this is beyond anything,' he whispered, almost to himself.
He looked at the secretary and said, "Ms Secretary, I'll need a place for a workshop for now, a temporary space to begin manufacturing these components."
"The workshop will be ready in a day or two, Ryu-dono," the secretary promised, eager to support Ryu's ambitious plans. "We will prepare it to meet your high standards and make it immediately available."
"Perfect," Ryu said, a satisfied smile on his face. "Ms Secretary, send people to help begin setting up a proper lab in River City. We have a lot of work to do."
##PoWeR StOnEs##
If possible, please leave a review here. A review would mean a lot to me and help me expand the story.
Please support me on Patreon.
25+ more chapters, including 5 free chapters for everyone, are available to read on patreon. com/PageTurnerPJ.
Your support is what gets this story going, so please donate PoWeR StOnEs to the story and add it to your library.
Please keep supporting the story.