Chapter 775 — The Northern Plan
Blade of Dawn · Page 2 of 4
"I did indeed see how the train runs, but to grasp how the railway system works seems not so simple a matter," Victoria said frankly. "It is a complex and vast system requiring the participation of many people; it is not like a spell, which can be mastered through one individual's insight and talent."
Watching this Ice and Snow Duchess describe her observations and impressions with an utterly deadpan face, Gaoyang could not keep a trace of satisfaction and gratification from his smile.
That the former ruler of the Northern Duchy should take an interest in the magic-drive train and the specific operation of the railway system, and even think on her own initiative to experience it firsthand—this was heartening.
For the northern regions also had plans to build railways; the magic-drive train, this new thing, would sooner or later be laid across the whole of the Empire.
As an old aristocrat of traditional origin and an orthodox mage, Victoria could cast aside the fetters of rank and old habits of thought and earnestly, actively seek to engage with new things—that in itself was already commendable.
Amid these musings and sighs, Gaoyang asked casually, "Tell me of the situation in Saint Sunil, and of the construction of the main magic-net hubs in the central and northern regions."
"Saint Sunil is now fully under control. The civil administration office is managing the city's operations, and the purification and rebuilding of the small plain southeast of Saint Sunil has met its projected targets. The displaced people from the surrounding area have been taken into the city or evacuated to nearby towns, and grain from the Western Border has arrived—this winter, at least, no one will starve," Victoria said, laying it out in orderly fashion. "The nobles who remained in the old royal capital have all been 'rectified.' Every family has sent the prescribed number of members, direct or collateral, to be entered on the resettlement lists. On that point, since the Gorgon River is closed to navigation, the various settlers bound for the Southern Border can now only travel overland through the Holy Spirit Plain, which is slow and costly. I am preparing to request that a portion of the construction teams be stationed on the spot in the Holy Spirit Plain's reconstruction zone, to assist with the rebuilding there while awaiting the thaw of warm spring..."
Gaoyang nodded. "Your reasoning is sound. Prepare the relevant documents afterward; I will look them over, and if there is no problem, we shall proceed that way."
"Thank you for your understanding," Victoria continued. "Also, regarding the main magic-net hubs in the central and northern regions that you mentioned... progress there remains at a standstill, chiefly in the northern regions. The mountains themselves make construction difficult, and in winter the ranges are sealed in ice, so heavy equipment can scarcely be brought in. We can only finish laying the nodes within the city limits for now; as for linking them into a network... that will have to wait until summer or autumn at the earliest."
Gaoyang had already learned the general outline of this from Hedy, so he was not much surprised now. But after Victoria finished her basic report, she immediately raised a detail that had not appeared in any previous written report: "There is one other thing... Your Majesty. While laying the magic net at Winterhold, some strange circumstances arose. The cause is still under investigation, but I felt I should tell you of it first."
"Strange circumstances?" Gaoyang's brow knit. "What happened?"