Chapter 100

Chapter 100: The Development of the North.

“Is this the North that I knew?”

“What are you so surprised about? You must have heard the rumors too, right?”

“Well, yes, but…”

Transparent Ice trailed off his words.

He just stared at the sight of the North that he visited after five years.

‘How is this possible?’

The image of this place five years ago flashed through his mind.

Back then, by the order of His Majesty the Emperor, many transporters flew to the North with food, necessities, and basic materials.

He was one of those transporters too.

The transportation was not that hard.

There were large rivers that ran through the South and the North.

The transporters just had to load and unload their goods at the river ports.

But at that time, most of the Northern region was undeveloped.

Only a few places along the river were settled.

But now…

‘It’s no different from any decent city in the South.’

Of course, it was not comparable to the major cities in the mainland.

The infrastructure such as paved roads, sewerage, and convenience facilities was still lacking.

But these things were also under construction, and the residential areas were already neatly organized by blocks.

It was astonishing that this happened in just five years.

“Ah, thank you as always. Well then, take care!”

“Yes. See you next time. Haha!”

After the trade between Sharp Claw, the captain, and a merchant who had settled in this area was over, the ship that Transparent Ice boarded sailed northward again.

And he realized.

‘It’s the same here.’

The port areas along the river had all achieved rapid development.

There had been a huge change in just five years while he was dispatched to the South for sugar trade.

Transparent Ice wondered what the driving force behind this development was.

So he asked Sharp Claw about it during their voyage.

“How could the North develop so fast?”

“That’s right. Isn’t this too fast?”

“Haha, you’re right. It’s fast. Come on. Follow me.”

Then they went to the deck and drank while looking at the calm river water.

“Ah!”

Sharp Claw gulped down a high-proof liquor and leaned on the railing.

And he looked around and started his story.

“Don’t you feel anything when you look at this huge river?”

“Hmm. I don’t know…”

“I always feel that this continent we live in is blessed by the great spirits. Look around. There are so many ships, right?”

At that remark, Transparent Ice nodded involuntarily.

Indeed, there were a lot of ships going up and down this large river.

“Of course, the rumors are spreading, but many imperial citizens still think that the North is nothing but an undeveloped land. And when they come to the North for the first time, they fall in shock like you. It’s a common sight.”

“I guess so.”

“I often ask them. Is there any reason why the North couldn’t develop like this?”

He pointed at the vast Mississippi River.

“Look at this giant river. It connects from the southern cities to the far north regions, right? And that’s not all. There are a lot of other rivers that can carry ships. Even their size is bigger than those in the South. Do you know how efficient transportation is through these rivers? You’re a sailor, you should know better than anyone else.”

“That’s true. But these rivers have been here for a long time, and settlement didn’t progress for a long time.”

“Of course. Back then, there weren’t so many ships going back and forth to the north. But now, there are countless people settling in the north, and there is a huge demand for food, goods, and raw materials. How can it be the same as before?”

There were hardly any people among the imperial citizens who were extremely poor.

They had high average wages, so they were able to consume enough.

These people migrated to the north and worked in the frontier, earning wages accordingly.

Naturally, there was an explosive demand for the things they needed to live and the materials they needed for the frontier.

Thanks to this, the imperial merchants rushed into the northern trade to make money.

And in this situation, the rivers that stretched throughout the north became the basis for meeting the explosive demand.

“Is that all? There are also many mines near the river. Thanks to that, now we can use the minerals mined here right away. The development of the north will speed up even more from now on.”

“Oh… I heard that the northern industrial zone is in full operation.”

“It’s only two places that have been activated yet. If all the industrial zones are completed, it will be quite a sight.”

He took another sip of his drink and continued.

“Thanks to the news of the development of the north spreading, more and more people are migrating to the north every day. Once some time passes after the capital moves to the north, the north will surely surpass the south.”

“Do you really think it will go that far? No matter how you look at it, the gap is still huge…”

“Don’t believe me if you don’t want to. I’m planning to move my family to the north completely next year. You should also secure a place in the north before it’s too late. Don’t regret later that you don’t have a residence permit.”

“…I’ll think about it.”

After finishing his conversation with Sharp Claws.

Transparent Ice was immersed in his thoughts alone.

‘Will it really happen as the captain said?’

If he had heard such words before seeing the situation in the north with his own eyes, he would have snorted.

But after seeing the north that was developing at a speed beyond his imagination, these words sounded very credible.

‘Yes. Let’s seriously consider moving while traveling around the north for the remaining time.’

There were still many areas to visit. He could still make this decision after visiting the remaining areas and touring the northern industrial zone.

Time passed like that.

And when Transparent Ice had visited all the areas and returned to the south.

He made a decision.

‘Let’s migrate to the north.’

He decided to migrate with his family to the unfamiliar but immensely potential north.

***

Meanwhile, when the appearance of the north was changing day by day, the outline of the next northern capital was somewhat revealed.

For quite a long time, geographers had looked around many terrains in the north, and based on this, candidates for capitals were narrowed down.

‘First of all, pass on the east coast.’

The coast was definitely advantageous for Atlantic trade in the future, but it was not a good choice in this situation.

There were many reasons, but one of them was that Appalachian Mountains stretched between east coast and mainland.

It was a big penalty to cross over mountains from coast to mainland.

‘It’s not good to be too far from coast either.’

As industry developed, transportation across mountains would become smoother.

So he had to think about far future as well.

‘Eventually these areas seem best…’

Kim Ki-woo looked closely at map showing distribution of rivers.

Among them, Ohio River stretching from Mississippi River to northeast caught his eye.

Ohio River was nearly 1600km long river.

Of course, it was very short compared to Mississippi River, but Ohio River was a very important river that ran through major eastern regions.

And above all, it stretched near Appalachian Mountains and was close to east coast as well.

It was also close to industrial zone near Great Lakes, so he could expect rapid development as well.

In addition, since it was a tributary of Mississippi River, he could expect smooth trade with south through river as well.

Eventually after a long discussion, capital was finally decided.

It was near Pennsylvania.

‘For now, this is the most suitable place for the capital.’

It was located along a large river called the Ohio River, and it was the most ideal region for developing industry in the future.

Before the advent, the Pennsylvania area had functioned as the center of industry for a long time. 

That was because it was a suitable region for fostering industry.

Abundant coal and iron, easy transportation and dam construction for electricity generation along the river, and the nearby east coast.

Finally, there were much fewer natural disasters compared to the south.

In many ways, this area seemed suitable for the capital in order to achieve rapid development.

After the capital was decided, the city planning began immediately.

“The capital that will be built this time will not change for a long time. Honey, we have to plan thoroughly from the beginning to the end, and then start construction.”

“Your Majesty is right.”

“I will present a city plan worthy of the capital of the Wakan Tanka Empire.”

As soon as the city planning began, countless experts from various fields all moved to the capital.

“Finally, the capital is changing.”

“We can’t make the future capital like this place without any style!”

No matter what the fundamental reason was for the birth of the city of art.

Wasn’t it because the appearance of the capital was too uniform and backward?

Many architects and artists had no intention of making such a mistake with the future capital.

“We have to make it so that everyone who visits the capital will be amazed by how stylish it is!”

“We can’t neglect the function of the city. We have to divide it into precise sections, and arrange the sewerage, roads, and buildings well.”

“We can’t just think about the present. Look at the capital. It became too narrow as time passed, right? So we have to build it big from the start.”

The masters of each field put their heads together and poured their souls into city planning.

But they soon hit a wall.

They knew roughly what the terrain was like, but it was not accurate unless they saw it in person.

So they went to Kim Ki-woo.

“Your Majesty, we will go to the north ourselves and complete the city planning. There is a limit to designing a capital without seeing it with our own eyes.”

It was a very reasonable argument, so Kim Ki-woo nodded his head.

“Good. I grant you permission to visit the planned site of the capital. I will support you generously, so focus only on city planning.”

“Yes, Your Majesty! We will not disappoint you.”

“Good. I trust you.”

After receiving Kim Ki-woo’s permission, they dispersed and began preparations for their dispatch to the north.

The city planning period would be long in order to build a perfect capital, and this meant that they had to stay in the north for a long time.

So there was a lot to prepare.

After all preparations were completed.

They finally gathered again and headed north.

“Heh… I heard that the north is developing fast, but its momentum is amazing.”

“Is it because Your Majesty’s foresight is shining again this time?”

They were amazed by the dynamic appearance of the north, just like other people.

Thanks to that, they felt an even greater sense of responsibility.

Most of the immigrants who made the north develop quickly would live in the capital in the future.

If they wanted to reward their hard work that made them what they are today, they had to design a stylish capital.

With this thought in mind, they arrived at the planned site of the capital.

“This place has also developed quite a lot.”

“But it’s too messy. Even if it’s hard to do it all over again, we can’t leave it like this!”

And they immediately stopped development in this area and started designing a city.

This is how a stylish capital began to reveal its outline little by little.