Lind, who had no idea that he and Lilith had plotted a major conspiracy, was currently confirming details with Jefferson.
“Will everything be settled using raw materials?”
“Yes, Lord Governor. The Royal Capital is preparing to settle a large amount with raw materials. Do we need to change the payment method for them?”
“No, it’s not necessary. But the transportation of raw materials is an issue; let’s repair the road connecting to the Royal Capital.”
Jefferson nodded in acknowledgment and then took his leave.
Lind looked at the report in his hand with some amusement. It seemed that the Queen of the Royal Capital had already begun preparing to lay tracks, only to have the fruits of her labor claimed by himself.
With this batch of materials, the practical progress of the magic-powered train could be greatly accelerated.
Now, the obelisks in the major cities of the west had already been erected, and once the tracks were laid, operations could begin.
After finishing his work, Lind noticed that it was getting late and personally went to the laboratory to find Lena. The preparations for the train had now entered the final stage, with significant improvements in both power transfer efficiency and the safety and comfort of the train compared to the initial design.
As soon as Lena saw Lind arrive, she enthusiastically greeted him from the front of the train, and Lind jumped up onto the train head without hesitation.
Lena, with her hair elegantly pinned up, was still lively and dynamic, sporting a smile that never left her face. Her emerald eyes curved into crescents upon seeing Lind, and as he jumped onto the train head, the two seemed to connect naturally, as if it were meant to be.
Inhaling the familiar scent of soapberry from Lena, Lind’s mood gradually lifted.
Originally, Lysha was also working with Lena on the final adjustments to the arcane magic array at the front of the train. However, upon seeing Lind, she hurriedly began to bow, but Lind waved his hand, indicating there was no need for formalities.
Now, Lysha had already become the chief rune master of the territory. Except for the magic-powered train project, all her other research had shifted towards theoretical directions, with nearly all the rune masters researching arcane magic arrays in the territory being her students.
Including some members of the former Rune Scholars Society, who were serious helpers to the late Derek. Upon hearing that Lysha had become the chief rune master in Graythorn Territory, they quickly recognized the value of their old notes and came to seek her out.
The Derek Family had originally looked down upon Graythorn Territory and Lysha, but after breaking through Frostvale Fortress, they began to reach out to her and Lind through various channels, hoping that she could persuade Lind not to demand much land—or at least to let it go for less.
If it had been someone else, Lind would have definitely chosen to ignore it; in fact, he would have sent Colin to investigate the family thoroughly.
But regarding the Derek Family, Lind still asked for Lysha’s opinion. The status of technical personnel in Graythorn Territory was always the highest, and how the Derek Family coped with this issue was basically up to Lysha.
Lysha felt no resentment towards the family; instead, she felt relieved. At least now the notes left by her late relative Derek had completely shone in Graythorn Territory, becoming a core subject for every alchemist and rune master, which was more than enough for Lysha.
Thus, Lind made no changes to the terms he offered to the Derek Family: if they wanted to cooperate, they could; if not, that was fine too.
As for Magic Power Illness, although there was no cure yet, now they could seek assistance from the Grand Druid of the elves each day to absorb and adjust the magic power within their bodies, along with some technical exchanges.
This was previously unimaginable; the Grand Druid of the elves couldn’t be summoned simply with money; one needed connections.
Having connections was not enough; elves had always respected knowledgeable sages, and Lysha just happened to fit that bill.
After inspecting the laboratory for a while, the workday came to an end. While research had entered the final phase and overtime had become the norm, the Lord Governor personally came to pick up the Governor’s wife, so it wouldn’t be right to have her working late.
One had to say that taking time off to play around had clear benefits; Lena looked more energetic than before, reminiscent of the time when Graythorn Territory was still a small camp. On the way back, she practically bounced with each step, as if bursting with energy.
“The train can start operating now. Once the tracks are laid, we can deploy it within the army.”
Lena was still as sensitive to machinery and military matters as before.
“With this, our army can move faster in the Northern Border. Then we won’t have to worry about some areas being too far away for you to control, Lind.”
Then, Lena expressed some sadness as she said, “If Grandfather had this train back then, he could have reached the Northern Border faster, and perhaps things wouldn’t have turned out like this.”
Lind comforted her, saying, “This is not your fault, Lena. The Duke Lars should be proud of you for being able to create something like this.”
Though Lind wanted to say that it would probably end up being, “Duke, the Winter Fortress has arrived.”
The outcome remained the same; the situation at that time wouldn’t change because of technological or magical development.
“Uh-huh.”
Lena responded simply. After returning to the mansion, she resumed her previous routine of lying next to Lind every night before bed, listening to his reports about the territory.
However, Lena no longer fell asleep while listening; she genuinely began to contemplate some further matters.
“Lind, will this train eventually be converted for civilian use?”
“That’s correct. It might be converted for civilian use soon; as soon as the military route is stable, we can start considering laying down civilian routes.”
The merchants had been eagerly waiting for the magic-powered train, especially since it had recently conducted trial runs in the Graywhite Territory.
The larger the merchant, the more anxious they were, to the point where they nearly wanted to throw money at Lind to expedite the train and tracks, especially knowing that the tracks would be laid wherever the Graywhite Territory expanded.
Their behavior turned increasingly aggressive, transforming into war-mongers, privately claiming they wanted to march on the Royal Capital.
“Is the cost of this train really bearable for civilians given its high production cost?”
Considering the intricate magic arrays and devices within the train, Lena, who participated in the project’s development, should understand the estimated costs. It was likely that this project would have struggled to even get off the ground during Duke Lars’s time due to cost issues.
To complete this project so quickly, a powerful administration was necessary. Though she couldn’t articulate what that meant specifically, Lena already sensed that the control in Graywhite Territory now exceeded that of the former Lars Family.
“There’s no need to worry; civilian models don’t need to be this intricate.”
Civilian models only needed to consider safety and comfort. Production costs would be much lower than the current experimental and military versions. Additionally, there were alternative methods for generating income beyond just transport.
Of course, the track construction was never intended solely as a profit-making venture; it was a long-term project.
After discussing the situation in the territory, Lind suddenly said, “By the way, Isha sent a letter recently.”
“Is she doing well? Should we send her some new weaponry and equipment?”
Seeing Lena’s worried expression, Lind embraced her and said, “Don’t worry, she has been under less pressure lately. I heard that a great noble wants to win her over, seeking to ally through her to us.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Meanwhile, Isha was in the resistance base receiving a message from a noble envoy.
This was yet another noble seeking to persuade Isha to surrender, but the only difference was that this envoy proposed another request.
“You mean, your lady wishes to become the Governor’s wife?”
Isha looked at the envoy with a complex expression, her eyes filled with confusion, shock, and disbelief.
