A Helping Hand

The first batches of Sand Nation people were already being sent to the Southern Region. They were currently being deposited in what was formerly the Port of Clearwater. The town had been completely destroyed and there were no people there anymore, but the location is still good and the new inhabitants were able to set up houses and start planting crops.

The land was fertile and water was plentiful. This was basically the opposite of the desert regions where every little bit of green land was claimed and well protected and where oases were rare. This would make supporting yourself in the Southern Region far easier than trying to support yourself in the desert.

All was not easy however. The crops that grow in the desert are not well adapted to growing in a more temperate environment. So, the people were given a bunch of different seeds, including many Golden Twos which had just recently been developed. The Sand Nation people had to be taught how to grow these new crops so some Neverwinter farmers had to be sent over to advise them. The Sand Nation people were fast learners and they were able to successfully grow their crops.

However, Roland's ambitions were not limited to just repopulating the Southern Region. He had some sh.i.p.s send a portion of the Sand Nation people to the Endless Cape. He didn't send too many people as they would need to build up a suitable base before the region could support a larger population. Although there was no reliable water source there, it was close to the sea. So, Roland decided to start experimenting with water desalination technology. While they were nowhere close to building the large desalination plants used in modern Earth, they could make more primitive devices that evaporate and condense water naturally.

There had been strong resistance from the Sand Nation people that had been sent there. After all, the location had previously been known as an inhospitable region that was used as an exile location. Many of the people had protested about how they had been tricked into coming there and there was a great deal of fear that they would all die from starvation or lack of water.

While there were assurances given that they would be able to create water and that food would be shipped to them, many of them were still nervous about the plan. However, Thuram was able to maintain order with the use of whippings to keep people in line. Furthermore, the men armed with guns were intimidating enough to deter any thoughts of rebellion.

Eventually, they settled down and began to start constructing houses and water desalination huts. Progress went well and eventually the people were able to obtain a source of water. This was good news for the people who had been nervous that they might all be stranded there and die. At the moment, they were still dependent on food imports, but once they get enough excess water they will be able to plant crops to make their own food.

In the Sand Nation, Roland was finally achieving his main objective - getting oil. Information was obtained from the locals about where the black water was and he quickly sent soldiers to secure those locations. These locations had oil coming to the surface by itself and the deposits were very shallow so it was not difficult to extract the oil from the ground. In the future, if these oil reserves run out they would have to invent equipment to drill deeper. However, that would be in the future and hopefully the oil can last them through the War of Divine Will. Once they defeat the demons they would have enough time to do what they skipped over in their haste.

These oil deposits, guarded day and night by the army, had oil extracted and put into barrels. These oil barrels were transported to the sea by carts and then taken to Neverwinter on boat. In the future, Roland hoped to build a rail line down there to help transportation.

The crude oil was currently being stored in Neverwinter as he was not able to use it yet. They were still building an oil refinery and even if it was already built he was still working on the internal combustion engine so there was nowhere to use the oil. So, he was storing all of the oil in a secured facility. This place would be the foundations of what would one day become the Strategic Petroleum Reserve of Graycastle.

With the oil secured, Roland could feel much safer as the lifeblood of the future war machine had been obtained. Now, he would continue to work on making the oil refinery. Plans were already being drawn up and it is expected that they would be able to begin construction soon.

Roland was looking a bit too far forward at the moment though. Cars were still in the future but right now there was a much more important form of transportation. Even in the modern day, large scale shipping over land was still done with trains. Building a rail network for Neverwinter is one of his priorities as it would allow resources to be moved around quickly and efficiently. Railways would also serve an important military benefit by allowing troops to be transported quickly and for them to be supplied even if they are far away.

In the old days, armies had to rely on living off the land to obtain food. However, the ways of war are changing. In an industrial war, an army cannot be supplied off of foraging. Instead, they must be supplied with food. Trains would be a critical part of the logistical network that will support the armies of Graycastle.