New Jamestown (1)
Even for a public official, it seemed there was only so much pull he could exert.
The fief that greeted Polman’s eyes was the very picture of a backwater hamlet. When he had received the deed in the capital of Hayden and set out for his new lands, he had felt a genuine thrill at becoming a noble with his own territory. But the moment he discovered that his domain consisted of nothing more than a handful of houses scattered across an empty plain, all the excitement drained away.
“So this is the second ‘Jamestown’? Then should we call it New Jamestown, like New York?”
“Hahaha. Exactly. Now that you mention it, Jinwoo, that’s perfect. Just like the first colonial settlement the United States built on American soil—Jamestown.”
Polman, who had been slumping in disappointment, found fresh strength in Jinwoo’s words. Back when the American continent was first revealed to Europe and immigrants began pouring in, the very first town to appear had been Jamestown. After that, countless cities sprang up and eventually formed the United States. Even if it was just a shabby little village now, it could one day become a living, breathing piece of history.
“We’re the pioneers who settled America. Then we should approach this with true frontier spirit. Let’s officially name the town New Jamestown.”
The thought that this tiny settlement might one day grow into a thriving city gave everyone a surge of energy.
“But did you know? Most of the original Jamestown settlers died within a few years. Oh, I’m not saying we’re all going to die or anything. Hahaha. Sorry—.”
The axe warrior Lieutenant Scott, who had joined in place of the late Arho, had a real talent for pouring cold water on the mood. The budding frontier spirit that had just begun to swell was instantly crushed beneath Scott’s death flag.
Besides, protests were already breaking out across the United States, Britain, and other countries, condemning the meaningless loss of hundreds of lives in the transmigration contracts. Demonstrators gathered every day right outside the condo where they lived, so the stress of death weighed on them constantly, even if only in the background.
“Scholars of medieval history and urban engineering from Earth have agreed to help develop this place. First, we need to record the size of the fief and its geographical features on paper.”
The U.S. government had made the creation of a safe zone where allied transmigrators could gather its top priority. Scholars would draw up urban development models, and they would follow those blueprints.
Sergeant John Low and Lieutenant Scott, who had received prior training, drew up the map. Using it as a base, the scholars began constructing a comprehensive development tech tree.
You have played for 11 hours and 38 minutes. Physical response is normal. All systems are stable.
They no longer strictly observed the old eight-hour connection limit. Originally, staying in the new world for more than twenty-four hours would upset the balance due to the demigods’ power, and priests of Tablon, the God of Balance, would come looking. And they didn’t just come—they came to kill. That was why everyone had followed the Earth-time eight-hour (new-world twenty-four-hour) rule.
But now that transmigrators from other countries had appeared as well, they wanted to negotiate with the Tablon Church rather than avoid them. So they had scrapped the connection time limit entirely. In theory, they could stay inside the capsules forever, but that would weaken their real bodies on Earth. Therefore, they made sure to exit at least once a day to eat nutrients and exercise.
That was why Jinwoo was jogging slowly on a treadmill in the gym.
“Lieutenant? Or should we start calling you Lord even on Earth now?”
Technically it should have been “feudal lord,” but Jinwoo teased Polman, who was running beside him, by using the more grandiose title.
“Wait until I’m a real monarch. Then you can call me that.”
Polman didn’t seem to mind the title of lord; he laughed.
“Still, when the people from the Tablon Church arrive, we’ll have to fight them. Do you have any countermeasures ready?”
“No countermeasures. But they won’t be able to charge in blindly like before, claiming they’re restoring balance.”
“Now that I think about it, even though they know Patrick is a transmigrator, the Tablon Church hasn’t made a move.”
“Right. We spoke briefly about it before—the reason the Tablon Church kills transmigrators is because of their crimes and brutality. But since Official Patrick has been setting an exemplary example, they probably won’t insist on killing us all anymore.”
It was fortunate that Patrick was working so diligently as a public official.
“Besides, now that China, Russia, and Britain have all started connecting, they won’t be able to focus solely on us.”
“I see. By the way, do you know how many connectors each of those countries has?”
“That’s classified. And they say they’ll be providing capsules to allied nations like Japan and Korea, so the number of transmigrators will only grow. Our job is to turn New Jamestown into a safe haven where those transmigrators can stay securely in the new world.”
“Then we’re going to have more work than we can count. We’ll need to recruit ordinary people as residents, and to feed them we’ll have to develop commerce and agriculture. Isn’t this going to be exactly as hard as the original Jamestown?”
“That’s why I called this meeting—to discuss development.”
“The development plan proposed by the medieval scholars and urban engineers starts with manufacturing and selling modern soap. The idea is to generate capital first.”
Whether recruiting residents or building houses, everything ultimately required money. Soap already existed in the new world, however, so it was uncertain whether Earth-made soap would sell well. If it offered superior fragrance and cleaning power at a cheaper price, it might move quickly. But if the difference wasn’t dramatic, sales could be difficult.
“They’ve laid out a plan that begins with soap and eventually leads to producing nitrogen fertilizer. After that they want to develop iron mines and start iron production here. I wonder if there even are any mines nearby.”
It seemed the scholars intended to accumulate capital through soap, then boost agricultural output with fertilizer. Once food was secured, they would advance civilization through iron production. It was a classic Earth-style civilization development tech tree.
“Who’s going to sell that soap? If we only sell it inside the fief, there won’t be any visitors and no one will buy it.”
“Looks like Sergeant Hobbs and Bortas will have to become merchants.”
At Polman’s words, Hobbs’ face took on the expression of a man who had expected this.
“You two will need to study medieval commerce and trade.”
Sergeant Hobbs was a summoner—aside from the hardware leak incident—and Bortas was a tamer. Neither belonged to a direct combat class, so it made sense they had been chosen as merchants.
“Then I’ll run a fine establishment.”
Aoyama suddenly stepped forward and made an unmistakable gesture—inserting his right index finger into a circle formed by his left hand and pulling it back out.
“Visitors have to come to the fief first if we want to sell soap, right? So we’ll create a special red-light district and run a clean, high-class brothel.”
Aoyama declared he would take charge of the town’s entertainment quarter.
“Yeah. Japan does have a certain expertise in that area.”
Polman agreed, and everyone else acknowledged the logic, so the motion passed.
“The brothels here don’t manage their women properly. If we keep them clean, dress them well, and run the place professionally, it’ll be a golden goose.”
“Then I’ll take the tavern and casino!” Lucas from Brazil volunteered.
“Men coming to buy women need alcohol and gambling. I bet the casino will generate capital like crazy.”
It wasn’t an empty boast. They had the model of Las Vegas right in front of them. People had flocked to that empty desert for gambling and prostitution, and now tourists came from all over the world. And because casino structures prevented individuals from consistently winning, the house would steadily amass a solid financial foundation.
“If we introduce all the gambling games from Earth, it’ll be insane.”
Lucas went on at length, claiming he had even competed in poker tournaments back in Brazil and therefore knew casino rules inside and out.
“The rest of us soldiers, including myself, will be focused on the fief’s security and won’t be able to take on separate roles. Jinwoo, is there anything you’d like to do?”
“In that case, I’ll run a restaurant. Whether people are gambling or visiting brothels, they’ll need good food.”
“Ooh, that’s perfect! If four civilians handle the merchant work, the fine establishment, the tavern and casino, and the restaurant, the synergy will be excellent!”
“Very good. Everyone has their assignments. Then let’s all do our best for New Jamestown.”
While the United States was drawing up development plans for New Jamestown, other countries were also putting their heads together to figure out how to establish footholds in the new world.
“In the end, we need capital. The question is where to get it.”
China only had four transmigrators, so manpower was critically short and their job classes were problematic. After forcing their stats to 60, they only had an archer and a shield warrior for combat roles. The remaining person was a stockbreeder. Li Pilchun, their very first contractor, had been an herb gatherer and was useless in battle. They had considered cooperating with the Russians, but once they learned Russia had ten transmigrators, they canceled the plan. The numerical disparity was too great; they feared they would simply be swallowed up.
Instead, China continued attempting new contracts by offering amnesty to criminals.
“Until we can reinforce our numbers with new contracts, this seems to be our only option.”
Wang Shuchun, who had overseen the project from the beginning, pulled a small plastic bag from his pocket as if presenting his final idea.
“Th-that’s…?”
“Are you insane?”
The other committee members who saw the white powder inside the bag cursed openly. In communist China, drugs were the most sensitive of all issues. They knew from the Opium Wars of the past that a nation addicted to drugs would collapse.
“Exactly. This is it. How did the Western powers treat our China in the past? And by flooding us with drugs, how much profit did they wring out of us?”
The committee members began to feel that Wang Shuchun’s argument made sense. When shipping goods from Earth to the new world, the item that offered the highest profit per unit of weight was precisely that white powder.
“If we spread this in the other world and reap the benefits, we can accumulate several times more capital than America or any other country in a much shorter time. On top of that, we’ll build personal connections and distribution networks. It’s all profit.”
“I see. Besides, that place isn’t Chinese territory yet. It seems like the method that guarantees the greatest gain while inflicting the least damage on us.”
When Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Shin Keqing agreed with Wang Shuchun’s words, the rest of the committee began to seriously discuss the plan. Since they were already using the same method to undermine the United States—the world’s strongest power—from within, they decided to import that exact playbook.
While China was preparing to push dangerous drug trafficking in the new world, Russia chose a similar yet different approach.
“As you all saw on the way here, this world is lawless. It’s like medieval Siberia—only the strong possess everything.”
Smits, an officer of Russia’s Special Operations Forces SSO, had witnessed many things while traveling to Hayden, the capital of the Splain Empire. Orcs and goblins were interesting, but what fascinated him most were the bandit groups. And when he saw those same bandits sometimes operating as mercenaries, he realized this was a perfect business that required almost no initial investment.
“We’ll create sunflowers (Подсолнухи) here as well. Then we’ll move as a mercenary band, raiding wherever we can to generate capital.”
It was a barbaric and violent method, but in a world ruled by strength, he believed it was the most suitable.
“First, let’s head to the city the Americans are building for transmigrators and observe the atmosphere.”