His order was concise and clear, yet the engineers who heard it were left looking at each other with uneasy expressions.

One of the older engineers hesitated for a moment, looked up at the rolling hills and endless mountains in the distance, and cautiously reminded.

"Your Excellency, General, are you sure you want to build the road this wide? This will probably consume considerable manpower and resources..."

This is by no means a project that can be completed in a short time, they might have to be prepared for long-term construction, and possibly mobilize more personnel from other ports.

After all, Withered Wood Port can't gather that many people, the sailors are already exhausted just from building their own houses.

Hamoldon glanced at him, speaking sternly.

"Transporting food is no small matter, how can a narrow road be sufficient? Furthermore, we are not only transporting food; in the future, ores, timber, and even other resources might continuously be sent to Saint Yil Castle! Don't talk to me about a bit of manpower and resources, no matter the cost, this road must be completed!"

"Yes, Your Excellency, General!" The engineer was startled, promptly lowering his head to take note.

Hamoldon nodded in satisfaction and continued,

"In addition, after completing this road, a post station and warehouse must be set every ten kilometers along the way, to facilitate the transport of supplies and provide rest for soldiers. The entire road construction must adhere to the standards of the Imperial Army's supply lines, understood?"

No one had any objections.

They answered in unison,

"Yes, General!"

Looking at the eager soldiers and engineers before him, Hamoldon's heart was also filled with excitement, waving to signal them to start working.

Accompanied by a series of orders and hurried footsteps, the Imperial construction team began busying themselves in the outskirts of Withered Wood Port.

They carried surveying tools, weaving back and forth on the land of Withered Wood Port's outskirts, quickly sketching out a planned line for a broad, straight road, stretching from the port all the way to the magnificent and perilous Sun Step Mountain Range in the distance.

Standing on higher ground, Hamoldon looked down in satisfaction at the orderly and busy scene before him, though the land still appeared desolate, his mind had already painted a grand and magnificent blueprint.

An expansive Imperial Avenue, complete with sturdy post stations and warehouses along the route, filled with convoys carrying supplies and food, traveling back and forth, ultimately resolving the supply crisis on the Eastern Coast...

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but lift his lips in a confident smile, his gaze alight with fervent brilliance.

However, unlike General Hamoldon, the Quartermaster beside him wore a face of agony.

Building a port was one thing.

Now they even had to build a road that traverses mountains!

This general seemed to have absolutely no concept of costs.

Even if the matter was urgent and permits leniency... this was too lenient!

He did not doubt at all that instead of laboring here, it might be better to cooperate with the Empire's merchants.

At least with those merchants, the prices are clearly marked, unlike here where no word about money was spoken from start to finish, yet it looked like an insatiable bottomless pit.

Finally, someone couldn't help but speak up.

A young Deputy Officer stepped forward, looking at the ambitious General Hamoldon, he softly spoke.

"General... even if Mr. Colin is a Prince of the Empire, do we really need to go to this extent?"

He felt they had paid too much.

And so far, besides receiving some seemingly infinitely promising prospects, not a single tangible benefit had been seen.

Not even a guarantee from that gentleman on closing the deal.

Facing the doubts of his subordinates, Hamoldon himself realized he might have gotten carried away.

But having already invested heavily, backing out now would be akin to admitting a mistake in judgment, wouldn't it?

Thus, how to account for the costs already sunk? Who would take responsibility for the misjudgment?

Precisely for this reason, Hamoldon would never concede he promised too hastily.

Moreover, he was not wrong—

Whether from the standpoint of the Empire or as a General, winning over this Prince was absolutely necessary.

It was not just to solve the supply problem.

But for long-term interests!

They must establish a foothold on this land faster than Hell, and seek the friendship of the Lizardmen as much as possible.

At least, they cannot be allowed to side with Hell!

If these Lizardmen, who hold advanced steam engine technology, turned to Hell, not only would the Eastern coastline's supply lines be exposed to Hell's threat, but the entire power dynamic of the Vast Ocean could be affected.

And Hell will no longer lack a navy.

Those Demons wouldn't even need to depend on the Teleportation Array, they could directly reach out into the Vortex Sea, even threatening the security of the Holy City!

Indeed.

This was for long-term consideration.

Looking at the young Deputy Officer, Hamoldon said in a commanding voice.

"...Kromir, you don't understand, this is a plan from a long-term angle."

The deputy named Kromir gave a wry smile and spoke.

"A long-term plan... aren't we doing this to solve the immediate problem?"

Hamoldon curled his lips.

"Yes, but not entirely... you will all understand eventually. The more we sweat here, the less blood the youngsters will shed in the future, even if it's for our own sake, work hard!"

Seeing the General's resolve, Kromir silently withdrew, no longer saying anything.

Hamoldon also did not wish to waste time arguing about something that was already decided, assigning the supervision work to an officer beside him, then walked over to his warhorse, mounting it.

Having stayed at Withered Wood Port for so long, he finally achieved some results.

It was time for him to spend some time on the ship to write a report and report the good news from here to the rear...

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