HLM – Chapter 74 Launching the Grand Construction

Bowen squatted down and waved at the so-called ferocious dog. It instantly ran over happily, wagging its big tail and shoving its furry head between his legs, nudging around excitedly.

“Look at this silly thing grinning like that—doesn’t it look like it just saw its dad?” Charlie chuckled.

Wang Bo and the Mexican pretty boy burst into laughter. Bowen also wanted to laugh, but after a moment’s thought, he couldn’t. “You’re the dad!”

“Sorry, man, that just slipped out,” Charlie quickly laughed it off. “I was joking, don’t take it seriously. In fact, I’m its granddad.”

The cowboy’s eyes turned icy and sharp like blades. Wang Bo quickly stepped forward, ready to ease the tension.

As they joked around, the dogs barked non-stop. Just then, the villa door opened and a white man in beach shorts and slippers stepped out. “Hey, what’s going on?”

Wang Bo extended his hand and asked, “Hello, are you Mr. Pastoral Potter?”

“Yes, that’s me. You’re Wang, right? Ah, we’ve met before—at the summer games. You brought that really amusing bird,” the man said with a laugh.

Wang Bo suddenly remembered and smiled. “Fate, it’s fate!”

The summer sports meet had brought him enough popularity to become well-known in the small town. That fame would be a huge help when promoting Sunset Town in the future.

Potter invited them into the villa’s living room. On the way, Wang Bo got straight to the point: he wanted to build a road connecting the hill to Highway 8.

After hearing that, Potter replied, “That’s easy. But I’m not in charge—my wife is. Hey, Sharnie! Got a guest!”

Wang Bo was stunned. Bowen and Charlie instinctively widened their eyes but quickly realized—this wasn’t a massage parlor, no point gaping.

The Mexican pretty boy glanced awkwardly at Wang Bo and whispered, “Boss, we’re here to talk business, right? I mean road construction business, not, you know… the other kind, right?”

“Should be… right?”

A brunette woman in a dress walked out. She was beautiful and tall, with a graceful figure and especially striking legs in sheer black stockings—oozing charm and elegance.

After learning that Wang Bo wanted to build a third-class road connecting Highway 8 to the hill, Sharnie asked him to wait for a moment. She opened a laptop, and soon the printer began to work, producing a topographic map.

The map included Highway 8’s design and the detailed terrain of Sunset Town. Potter took it and began sketching with a pencil, slowly tracing out a road path—mostly straight except where it curved around a few small hills.

Sharnie looked it over and said, “Although we’ll need a full geological survey before breaking ground, with our understanding of the Otago plains and Southern Alps, this route should be feasible. Want to hear a quote?”

Professional enough. Wang Bo nodded. He knew building roads was expensive. Though four million NZD sounded like a lot, for road construction it was a drop in the bucket.

But he had a backup: Bay Psalms, valued at at least fifteen million NZD, was about to go up for auction.

From his research, he was confident he could at least afford to build a third-class road.

New Zealand doesn’t divide roads into highways and standard roads, but into three classes. First-class roads have the highest cost and can be considered national highways. One of the standards is an average daily traffic volume of 40,000 small vehicles.

Third-class roads are the cheapest, requiring only 8,000 daily average vehicles, typically used in rural areas.

First-class roads require a solid foundation using pre-stressed concrete pilings. Third-class roads have minimal requirements—just level the ground, add a stabilized base layer, then lay a strong asphalt surface.

Sharnie asked Wang Bo to review the proposed route and check if the direction was acceptable. If so, they could begin the cost estimation process.

Route design is one of the most critical stages at the beginning of road construction. What Potter offered was a rough draft. A real route plan would need to be based on site inspection, geological analysis, road condition, and biological density.

Wang Bo passed the map to Charlie and the others. They frowned and examined it carefully, but after a couple of glances, he snatched it back, scoffing, “Why so serious? It’s not like any of you actually understand this.”

“Sh*t!” The three of them cursed at once.

Based on the plan, a third-class dual-lane road would cost about 600,000 NZD per kilometer. The route was around 25 kilometers long, totaling 15 million NZD.

Hearing this, Wang Bo felt like his heart shattered. Damn, is it really this expensive to build a road in New Zealand? Even a third-class road costs 15 million?! Then how much did Highway 8 cost?

He stared at Charlie, grinding his teeth. “Over two million for town construction funds, huh?”

Charlie chuckled awkwardly. “But the state never forced you to build the road yourself, did it?”

“This is outrageous!” Wang Bo grumbled.

Sharnie explained that the figure was only an initial estimate, and it was based on the highest standard. In reality, road cost calculations are extremely complex with many variables.

Wang Bo asked what the cost would be for the lowest standard.

Sharnie shrugged. “Much cheaper—about 300,000 NZD per kilometer.”

Wang Bo replied, “Then calculate based on the lowest standard. Send engineers to test the soil and give me an exact quote.”

Potter chimed in, “You’re serious? Roads built to the lowest standard are basically just a layer of asphalt over the ground. It might look smooth, but it’ll cause problems later.”

Road construction in New Zealand is expensive due to frequent earthquakes. Even those undetectable by people can damage road foundations.

But Wang Bo was firm. He’d love to build a national-grade road—but did he have the money?

Building an entire town requires more than one road. He’d also need to build houses along them, which meant more funds.

Still, he wasn’t shortsighted. The reason he was opting for the lowest standard now was because he had another idea—Lord’s Heart.

Since the Lord’s Draw had already produced the Heart of the Pasture and Heart of the Castle, there was no reason it couldn’t produce a Heart of the Road someday. With such an enhancement, even a basic third-class road could be upgraded to high quality.

Road construction was a big deal. Potter, eager to secure the job, became very attentive—serving drinks, food, and even offering to throw a party to keep them around longer.