Episode 49 — The Scale of the Future and the Street in the Sky

10:00 AM.

Right on schedule, the living room intercom rang. The monitor showed the usual suspect Bartos in full gear, Gustav the Lord, Elishua the mage, and a newcomer—Master Craftsman Garam, a man with a physique like a boulder.

I remotely unlocked the front door without ever leaving the Throne of Sloth.

"Pardon our intrusion, Master Zect!"

As soon as they entered the living room, everyone’s eyes were pinned to the center of the table. It was the full-color mockup of the roundabout and signs I’d spent over three hours printing yesterday.

"...What is this?"

Garam was the first to speak. He practically dropped to his knees to get his face closer to the table, his trembling fingertips hesitating to touch the model.

"It’s not stone. It’s not wood. But this smooth texture, this shape without a single flaw... Zect, did you carve the very 'soul of the city' out of thin air overnight?"

"No, it’s just a sample model. It’s made of resin... basically, a special material stacked layer by layer."

Elishua’s eyes sparkled at the vivid green of the grass and the sharp red of the signs.

"What lovely colors...! Master Zect, did you use magic to color this? I don’t feel a single trace of mana, yet..."

"It’s not magic. It’s just science... or rather, technology from my home world."

I took a sip of my cola and got down to business.

"Now, as I mentioned to Bartos yesterday, let’s drive the number of accidents at our intersections as close to zero as possible."

Gustav tilted his head while studying the model.

"To zero? But I heard from Bartos that accidents in the new city have already been reduced by nearly ninety percent... Surely reaching for more than that is a difficult task..."

"Then look at this. This is the answer."

Cutting Gustav off, I picked up a small model of a freight carriage (also printed yesterday) and placed it at the entrance of the roundabout.

"This is called a 'Roundabout.' A circular intersection. ...Alright, Rule Number One: All carriages entering this intersection move in a 'clockwise' direction. Going against the flow is strictly prohibited."

I flicked the model with my finger, making it travel around the circle.

"Rule Number Two: Priority goes to the 'carriages already inside the circle.' Any carriage trying to enter must stop and wait at the entrance until there’s a gap in the flow. ...Garam, look at the angle of this entrance. It’s not a right angle, is it?"

"...I see. It curves gently to merge with the circle. At that angle, it’s impossible to charge in at full speed."

"Exactly. By design, you're forced to slow down. That’s why violent collisions won't happen. ...And finally, Rule Number Three: Signaling when exiting the circle."

I picked up a tiny red and white flag I’d printed and handed it to the miniature driver.

"Since this world doesn't have turn signals, the drivers will carry 'flags.' When you're about to exit the circle, you hold up a flag on the left side. As long as you're staying in the circle, you don't. ...If we strictly enforce this 'flag management,' the driver behind will know exactly where the guy in front is going."

Silence filled the living room.

The group watched the movements of the models I was manipulating with the kind of intense focus usually reserved for legendary fairy tales.

"...I see. Unifying the will of the people through the 'shape' of the road itself... What a sophisticated philosophy."

(Right? I thought the same thing when I first learned about them back in Japan, where we only had traffic lights.)

Gustav let out a voice of admiration, but Garam was still glaring at every corner of the model, seemingly unconvinced.

"...Zect. I get the rules for the carriages. But what about the people on foot? Carriages will be moving around this circle non-stop. There won't be a gap for the elderly or the kids to cross."

"Good question, Garam. ...The pedestrians won't be walking on the same ground as the carriages in the first place."

Using tweezers, I grabbed the "X-shaped stone-style arch" model I’d left at the edge of the table and clicked it into place over the roundabout.

"This is a 'Pedestrian Bridge.' Complete separation of traffic—in other words, a grade-separated crossing."

"What...!?"

"Pedestrians go up these stairs, cross over the carriages, and come down on the other side. As long as humans and carriages don't share the same 'surface,' there's no conflict. Even if you run the simulation a hundred million times, the collision rate between people and carriages remains zero. ...Garam. This arch, connecting the four corners through the center—with your skills, you could build it into a masterpiece that serves as the symbol of Felsen, right?"

I added, "Also, Garam. I want the stairs for this bridge to be about twice as long as they are on this model, making each step very shallow. It would be best to have ramps next to the stairs too. That way, the elderly or people carrying heavy loads can climb without losing their breath. ...Steep stairs are a 'bug' in themselves... they're just an invitation for accidents."

Garam’s eyes took on the sharp glint characteristic of a master craftsman.

"...Indeed. A bridge that strides over the carriages, and a gentle arch kind to the elderly. That is a task worth doing. I’ll carve out the strongest, most beautiful bridge in the world—one the people of Felsen will be proud of."

"Master Zect..."

Elishua stared at the model dreamily.

"If we embed luminous stones into the railings, it will look like a path of light crossing the night sky. My beauty will..."

"Sure, why not. It’ll improve visibility at night, too."

After brushing off Elishua, I turned back to Bartos.

"...Oh, and Bartos. Make sure the Knights enforce these flag rules. The citizens won't move unless they see an example being set first."

"Yes, sir!! Understood! From tomorrow, every knight shall raise this 'Holy Flag' during training and carve the discipline of the circle into their very souls!"

(Okay, it’s not exactly a "Holy Flag," but whatever.)

Once the explanation was over, the group left, looking satisfied—and overflowing with motivation.

In the living room, now quiet after the storm, I sank back deep into the Throne of Sloth.

"...Phew. Maybe it’ll be quiet for a while now."

At some point, Tama had jumped back in through the window and settled onto my lap.

Mrrp. (...Good work. That was a decent job.)

"Tama, where did you go? ...Well, with this, you should be able to walk around the city in peace too."

I scratched Tama under the chin while gazing at the models that had fulfilled their purpose.

Two hundred million L-points.

A fifty-million-point throne and a two-point-five-million-point printer.

(...I didn't waste those points. Yeah, this is all just a proactive investment so that I never have to stand up from this throne again.)

Outside, in the center of Felsen illuminated by the setting sun, Garam and his men were already beginning to draw a massive "circle" on the ground.

Felsen New City, Version 1.1.

'Traffic Rules Patch' installation complete.```

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