Chapter 757 — The March of the Times

"Something that can move vast quantities of goods swiftly across the whole empire, and at a cost that sounds very low besides—I doubt any merchant in his right mind would not be interested," Wena said in a soft, mature voice. "And not only I. Even our Grey Elf King—even several of the other kings—are very interested."

"Ah, then I must give you a thorough introduction," Boyu said, his face brimming with smiles. He gestured toward a shelf nearby, and a finely detailed magitech train model floated smoothly into his hand. "First, we must begin with the concept of the 'magitech-powered vehicle'..."

...

The Month of Mist deepened, and the year was drawing to its close. In this extraordinary year, this young yet ancient nation had been through so much—so many upheavals.

This year was destined to see many people and events recorded in history, to become a weighty annotation within the vast civilization of humanity. This year, too, was destined to see many new things born into the world, changing people's lives—and many old things quietly cast aside by the times, beginning to fade from the stage they once occupied.

Her day's training finished, Jinna walked slowly up the slope behind the Windcaller Camp. The wind from the mountain woods blew past her, not fierce, yet strangely cold.

Her mind replayed the day's extraordinary flight, and she felt her heart would remain stirred for some time yet.

Today, at last, she had left behind the stage of ground simulators and mechanical familiarization, and for the first time, with the aid of an assistant trainer, piloted that magitech machine called the "Dragoon" into the blue sky. Though the aerial training lasted only a brief hour, the experience—so vastly different from riding a griffin—had left a deep impression on her.

Steadier, swifter, more agile—lifeless steel and crystal wrought into a flying machine as delicate as a bird. She and another trainee soldier sat in the three-seat cockpit of the "Dragoon," skimming with their trainer over the skies of the northern slopes of the Dark Mountains. The vibration of the airflow traveled up through the control stick into her hands, and she could not help but think of a griffin's reins—and yet it felt utterly different.

Two sharp cries rang out nearby, breaking the thoughts of the newly minted Dragoon commander. She looked up and realized she had unconsciously reached the southern edge of the Windcaller Camp—come to a peculiar place.

Several large wooden nests had been set beneath a row of plank sheds, and around the nests one could see railings thicker than an adult's thigh. The distinctive smell of large birds drifted to her nostrils on the wind, and within those railings she glimpsed great wings and sharp beaks flashing past.

Without realizing it, she had wandered near the griffin nests.

The Windcaller Camp was the facility for training Dragoon pilots—one of the empire's more cutting-edge installations, more or less. The old-fashioned griffin nests seemed somewhat out of place here, yet from a practical standpoint it made perfect sense: the new magitech fliers had only just been unveiled, and apart from a few trainers dispatched from the research unit, even the training of the first pilots had only just begun. Especially since, before this, the facility had not possessed a single serviceable training craft. Under such circumstances, the camp's express transport duties to and from the imperial capital naturally still fell to the old-fashioned flying units.

Thus the Windcaller Camp, this cutting-edge training facility for flying machines, had always kept a contingent of old-fashioned griffins.

But it would not be long, she feared, before these griffins were disbanded...

A sudden swell of emotion rose in Jinna's heart, and she could not help but walk up to a nest she knew well.

Almost instantly, a massive shape rose to its feet within the nest, and the next moment a head crowned with a sharp beak and white feathers appeared before her.

"Hey there, old friend."

The female knight reached out and gently brushed her fingers through the feathers near her old companion's neck.

The griffin let out a resounding cry.

Jinna could not help but laugh. "Still as spirited as ever."

"Actually, he's swearing at you," a voice came suddenly from nearby, "and it's rather foul, too."

Jinna turned, a little surprised, and saw the golden-haired elven instructor walking over from not far off.

Beside the elven instructor walked a silent, gentle-looking lady with long black hair.

That black-haired lady was the assistant trainer who had guided Jinna through today's training, one of the technical experts sent over from the Magitech Research Institute.

Jinna straightened at once and snapped off a crisp, standard military salute. "Instructor Soyu, Lady Maggie."

Soyu returned the salute first, then waved a hand. "At ease. Training's over for today."

Jinna let out a breath, and the griffin beside her bellowed loudly once again.

Soyu immediately shot a glare at the noisy great bird. "Such vulgar language!"

The griffin lifted its head, and upon that feather-covered face there somehow surfaced a faint expression of pride.

Jinna: "..."

(Oh my god!!!!!

Speaking of which, my stockpile of drafts is about to run dry... but I should still be able to push through tomorrow...)