"I have a comprehensive plan."
Levi held up one finger with confident authority, fixing Bard with an intense gaze.
"Don't you think the roads throughout this region are far too difficult for efficient travel?"
"I think... they're reasonably adequate?" Bard replied carefully, his mind working through recent experiences.
Although the nearby roads weren't particularly smooth by any measure, it didn't require a full day to travel from Lake-town to Dale, and with no enemies daring to approach their territory, whether transporting supplies or simply traveling remained quite manageable.
"Merchants have already received news of Dale's remarkable reconstruction. Quite a few have arrived during recent weeks. They typically reach Lake-town first, then travel to Dale via the relatively level terrain, encountering basically no serious obstacles. The journey proceeds very smoothly."
Hearing Bard's detailed report, Levi shook his head with obvious disagreement.
"I'm not referring to the local roads here, though these certainly need significant improvement as well."
"I'm talking about the road from Dale to Roadside Fort."
"Roadside Fort?" Bard's expression showed complete confusion at the unfamiliar name.
"Where exactly is this place located?"
"West of the Misty Mountains."
Bard couldn't help but lean back in his chair with obvious alarm.
"That's an extraordinarily vast distance."
"Forgive my bluntness, but constructing such an incredibly long road probably isn't very..."
Halfway through his objection, Bard suddenly stopped speaking as realization dawned.
No, it definitely wouldn't have worked before, but now, when everyone could utilize some of Levi's construction magic...
Maybe it really could be accomplished?
"Not very... not very feasible to complete within a reasonable timeframe," he finished diplomatically.
"Of course it can't be completed quickly," Levi agreed readily.
He examined the small gift box in his hands while continuing: "So this represents a long-term infrastructure project. When this city and town are completely restored to full prosperity, the residents will always need some ambitious new work to pursue."
Never mind waiting for the settlements' infrastructure to recover completely. Actually, just observing the current situation, everyone had already been liberated from basic subsistence production, requiring only time to digest and adapt to their new reality.
"Of course, certainly, you have the final authority in such matters."
Bard's primary attitude remained, "Whatever you decide, I'll implement faithfully."
As for the specific difficulties that might be encountered during execution, what obstacle couldn't their legendary lord overcome through sheer determination and ability?
"Then let's plan the initial phases first."
Having Bard locate a detailed map, Levi spread it across the table with deliberate precision, pointing to Dale's marked location.
"First, from Dale to Lake-town, a properly level road is absolutely essential. This area remains relatively secure, so we can construct the road on the surface, which will also prove more convenient for maintenance."
"That presents no significant difficulty."
Bard recalled the familiar terrain between the two settlements and offered a definitive assessment. As for the latter portion of Levi's explanation, since he genuinely couldn't understand the technical implications, he simply ignored those details automatically.
After all, there were truly too many incomprehensible concepts that Levi regularly discussed.
"Excellent progress. Next, we'll continue southwest from Lake-town for a substantial section, extending to here, creating a crucial buffer zone."
Levi's finger traced to the entrance of a dense forest near the Mirkwood foothills.
"The road extending all the way to this point remains quite safe, and elven watchtowers guard the forest border continuously. When the time comes, I'll position some iron golems strategically, and basically no problems will arise."
"Then here..." Levi's finger moved deliberately across the map.
"Starting from this forest border, we'll go up."
"Up... you mean northward?" Bard asked with growing confusion.
But wasn't there already an established road leading north? Did they need to construct another duplicate route?
"No, not north."
Levi picked up a writing implement and drew a bold line across the parchment. This line extended continuously westward from the junction east of Mirkwood and west of Lake-town, crossing above the entire Mirkwood forest, over the Anduin valley, through the treacherous Misty Mountains, and across the dangerous Troll-fells, connecting directly to Roadside Fort.
"We'll take the sky route."
After fully comprehending Levi's audacious words, Bard remained genuinely stunned for quite an extended period. This moment was like a long fuse continuously burning sparks through his consciousness.
When the realization finally reached its critical point, with a metaphorical explosion, Bard's mind seemed to detonate as he widened his eyes and stared up at Levi with absolute incredulity.
"Can this actually be accomplished?"
"Of course it can."
Levi smiled with unshakeable confidence: "Haven't you understood the remarkable characteristics of those construction blocks after Dale's ruins have been under restoration for so many months?"
Bard forced himself to recall the evidence he'd witnessed.
Yes, those blocks were genuinely magical, instantly adhering together with perfect joints between cuts as if they were originally one seamless piece, and they wouldn't collapse due to insufficient structural support points.
Moreover, they proved quite convenient, whether for harvesting or long-distance transport. With enough dedicated time and labor, maybe it really could be achieved...
"First we'll build the ground roads completely. I'll make a diplomatic journey to Mirkwood. This matter requires asking the Woodland King's official opinion and permission."
This ambitious project couldn't be rushed at the moment.
Whether it was the complete restoration of Dale's various municipal facilities, Lake-town's industrial upgrading and modernization, or Roadside Fort's continued expansion and development, all required substantial time investment.
And Levi wasn't lacking in time, at least not currently.
After briefly discussing the preliminary concepts with Bard, Levi retrieved the construction blocks stored in secure containers and personally built a substantial section of road from Dale toward Lake-town, creating a practical template for future large-scale projects.
Then he traveled the entire distance to Lake-town and constructed another significant road section extending northward along the river, thus establishing both the starting and ending reference points.
"I understand completely."
Dale and Lake-town were also connected by navigable waterways, so in the future there would be two parallel transportation routes by water and land. According to the terrain characteristics throughout this region, residents of both Dale and Lake-town could construct houses and various commercial facilities along this new road system, dramatically expanding both settlements' scale and economic potential.
With larger populations, perhaps after considerable development, Dale and Lake-town could merge into a single unified metropolis.
By that time, it would surely present an even more prosperous and impressive scene.
At the city gate, Bard studied the new, perfectly level road surface that had been constructed overnight and felt genuine fighting spirit ignite within him, as if ocean waves were surging and crashing powerfully in his heart.
Even the ground road was so amazingly level and beautiful. If they could really build the "sky road" Levi had described, what kind of spectacular scenery would that create?
But just as Levi had clearly stated, whether this ambitious road could actually be constructed still required asking that formidable king of Mirkwood first.
After all, strictly speaking, the entire northern half of Mirkwood remained elven territory. If Thranduil didn't approve the project, Levi couldn't make territorial claims or bring his special construction abilities to bear there.
Looking toward the dark forest in the distance, Bard silently blessed Levi in his heart.
"May your path be completely unobstructed."
Unobstructed path? That was proving impossible.
At this very moment in Mirkwood, countless vicious giant spiders were converging toward one specific point with murderous intent. At the center of this spider convergence, flames kept igniting and extinguishing moments later, with occasional chunks of burning charred flesh flying outward, landing heavily on the ground or smashing into tree trunks with wet impacts.
Miraculously, the fire seemed to possess consciousness, only destroying its enemies without affecting other forest elements.
Burning giant spiders fell everywhere throughout the area, yet no forest fires started anywhere.
"You really don't understand what 'nemesis' means."
Levi swept through spider groups in efficient batches, his hands getting somewhat numb from all the repetitive cutting and slashing.
He had simply scraped down a few convenient stacks of spider webs while passing through the forest and released several captured small animals. Was such minor cleanup really worth this desperate, coordinated fight?
Hiss!
The spiders shrieked viciously, surging toward Levi one after another in waves.
If Levi could get close enough to understand their language, he would hear their heartfelt battle cry:
"Despicable human, destroying our roads, releasing our food, I'll kill you!"
Nemesis glowed with shimmering enchanted light, continuously taking the lives of spider after spider in Levi's expert hands, cutting through web after web with supernatural efficiency.
As corpses accumulated steadily while that human showed absolutely no signs of fatigue or slowing down, the spiders finally realized something was fundamentally wrong with their strategy.
Perhaps they shouldn't continue blocking his path...
While Levi battled the increasingly desperate spiders from the western side of Mirkwood, a familiar person entered through the forest gate, rushing urgently toward the Elven-king's magnificent palace.