After obtaining a large amount of lime.
Romain's first move was to drive everyone out to build roads.
Lime, gravel, crushed stone, clay, silt, and even large quantities of wheat straw and weeds were all dumped onto the roadbed, then mixed with water into mortar.
This mortar was a very primitive form of concrete.
Its main components were sand, stone, earth, and grass.
The lime served as a binder for the various supplementary materials, solidifying and shaping them.
Then all they had to do was spread this thoroughly mixed mortar outward.
It was inferior to cement in every respect, but it was adequate for paving roads, and its advantages were durability and easily obtainable materials.
Romain required the concrete road to be at least eight centimeters thick—thick enough for an adult to fully stick in an index finger.
Naturally, this was an enormously demanding task, with a long construction period and grueling labor. Horses and Ox Carts had to haul various building materials back and forth the entire time.
But it had to be done!
The Salt Mine was forty kilometers from Sigg Town, and a single trip usually took more than two hours.
By the time lunch made in Sigg Town reached the mine, it had gone cold.
If the road was rough and uneven, the journey took another half as long.
Poor road conditions also caused severe wear on vehicles and wheels.
Besides, Sigg Town stood in the southeastern corner of the basin, while the Salt Mine lay toward the northwest.
In other words, this road did not merely lead to the Salt Mine.
More importantly, it thrust straight toward the heart of the basin.
Sigg Town was practically at its doorstep, yet they knew nothing about what resources lay within.
If he wanted to develop this vast