Chapter 863 — New Shoots
Blade of Dawn · Page 1 of 4
From the Fertile Woodlands to the Valley Corridor, from Stonehold City to Thoring Fort, from the Gorgon River to the mountain passes at the eastern frontier's entrance, the land that had been scorched by war and then frozen for a whole winter by bitter cold was now swiftly reviving.
Warm winds blowing up from the southern regions swept across the vast fields of the Thoring district, swaying the green shoots in the farmland and setting the banners atop Thoring Fort's walls rippling—banners bearing the Cecil emblem, gold tracery on a field of blue, rising and falling with the wind.
A young officer in a dark blue coat walked briskly along the half-open connecting corridor that spanned the wall and the fortress. He passed through the passage that had been repaired not long ago, through the archway of the brand-new keep, through the inner-bailey colonnade with its two hundred and thirty-four years of history, and at last lightly knocked on the wooden door of the Construction Corps command office.
After receiving a reply, the young officer pushed the door open and entered.
Margarita, dressed in a knight's everyday uniform, her neat ponytail and brisk, dashing air about her, sat behind the desk. She lifted her head and looked at the subordinate who had appeared before her: "Something to report?"
"Yes, ma'am," the young officer said, snapping off a crisp salute and speaking with scrupulous precision. "Word has come from Stonehold City, Red Maple City, and the Fertile Woodlands: the Magic Web hub devices required for the second-phase project have all been successfully activated. The network backbone for the eastern plains region is now in place."
Margarita nodded. "And how are things with the Thoring main hub?"
"The Thoring main hub is operating well; all data are within expectations. Lady Beiyila has also provided a very detailed observational report on the central crystal array, and the report has already been approved by the expert team. The relevant materials will be compiled and brought to you for review."
"Phew..." Margarita let out a soft breath. "All our efforts over this long stretch haven't been in vain after all... We're one step closer to His Majesty's plan for a nationwide network."
"Apart from the Southern Region, where construction is already complete, we seem to be the fastest-moving major district," the young subordinate said with a touch of pride. "We've been building amid ruins, and yet we've gone faster than anywhere else—the West Coast is next. Then the Western and Eastern Regions. Word is the Northern Region has only just begun preparing for the second-phase project..."
"That's because the Empire gave more than half its engineering strength and countless manpower and resources to us," Margarita said, glancing at her subordinate and shaking her head. "And it's precisely because the East Coast is a reconstruction zone that we've been able to move so fast—the Construction Corps used the reconstruction camps as its foundation, setting up camps while pushing the Magic Web hubs forward, and we had a convenient piece of 'infrastructure' like the Thoring Great Tree. None of those conditions exist in other regions."
"...You're quite right."
"Never mind all that," Margarita said with a wave of her hand. "The backbone network is only the first step, and the simplest one at that. Connecting the major cities into a network isn't difficult. The hard part is that around those cities there are countless towns and even villages, and all of them are in His Majesty's plan—they must be completed.
"While we wait on the progress of the other districts' projects, there's still a great deal for us to do. Go and make preparations—we'll hold a meeting tomorrow morning..."
The young subordinate departed. Margarita let out a soft breath, and after settling her thoughts a little, she rose from the desk and strolled over to the floor-to-ceiling window beside it.