Episode 140 — A Physical Shortcut to Equilibrium
"Mr. Zect... what do you mean by 'it won’t be that easy'? We have the blueprint, and the logic is sound. All that’s left is to negotiate with the lords and implement this 'Symbiotic Network,' right?"
"Gustav. The specifications might be perfect, but the hardware specs for the environment we’re running them in aren’t up to snuff."
I tapped my tablet, pulling up the Felsen Regional Dynamics Map and highlighting the "highways" on the regional map. Thin, unreliable brown lines stretched out from Felsen in every direction.
"Think about it. To maintain the 'distributed subcontracting structure' I proposed, the packets—that is, the goods—need to be exchanged constantly, on time, in high volume, and securely. But what’s the state of the logistics infrastructure in this world right now?"
Gustav went silent for a moment, likely playing back the state of the roads in his mind.
"The areas near Felsen are paved with cobblestones. But once you step outside... they are little more than dirt paths where two carriages can barely pass each other. When it rains, they turn into mud pits, and wagons can be stuck for days. And then there’s..."
"Exactly. The risk of bandits and monsters. The probability of packet loss is way too high."
I traced the highways on the screen with my fingertip as I continued.
"In the Civil War story I told you, it wasn't just factories that gave the North its overwhelming advantage. It was a high-speed network called 'the railroad' that stretched across the land like a web. It allowed them to move heavy cargo in massive quantities, regardless of the weather, and get it to the destination exactly on time. Because they achieved this 'synchronization,' the North was able to function as a single, massive system."
I lowered my voice slightly, hitting Gustav with some hard numbers.
"With the current specs of these dirt roads and horse-drawn carriages, a division of labor is impossible. Let’s say a shipment of timber from Duke Daryl’s land arrives at Felsen three days late. For those three days, the Felsen assembly line completely freezes. The latency is too high; the system can’t stay in sync. At that point, it’s not symbiosis anymore—it’s a collective crash."
The color drained from Gustav’s face. As a commander, he understood the importance of supply lines better than anyone. But seeing it framed as "economic synchronization" likely made the gap feel impossibly wide.
"Meow. (Oh, here we go again. You’re going to dig up the world and fill it with more weird stuff, aren't you?)"
I stroked Tama’s soft back with one hand while operating my smartphone with the other.
"Well... complaining won't change the specs. If the physical layer is vulnerable, you fix it with physical construction. Gustav, I’m going to search for the 'highest spec physical network' that can be built with the current technology level of this world. I’ll need accurate elevation data and geological reports for the surrounding five territories."
"Searching... You mean you will draw the answer from the 'Spring of Wisdom' once again?"
"You could say that. We don't have asphalt, but we have Roman stone roads, Macadamization... somewhere in history, there’s an optimal solution that once triggered a 'logistics revolution.' I’ll take that and combine it with Elishua’s magic and Garam’s engineering."
I opened the browser on my phone, my fingers flying across the search bar.
*All-weather high-standard road structure*
*Medieval logistics security automation*
*Pre-industrial revolution canal vs. carriage road efficiency comparison*
I scanned the results briefly before closing the browser.
"I’ll do the deep dive later. Back to the study to stare at the PC again... Well, no way around it, I guess."
The pale blue light from the screen illuminated my face.
Laying down thick, fast, and robust "cables" on the motherboard of the world. My core processing area was already diving deep into the sea of information.