Chapter 556: Hughes’ Choice
Hughes did not answer immediately. Instead, he braced his hand on the concrete windowsill and looked outside through the Fortress’ observation window.
A raised train platform stood not far away. Members of the Expeditionary Army were loading and unloading cargo from the cars that had stopped there, while several spare engines were parked on the branching railways beside it.
Next to the platform was the Military Camp of the Expeditionary Army. Many supplies that were inconvenient to store close to the Fortress were temporarily placed in the Camp’s warehouse, and the Resistance Army as well as civilians who had come to seek refuge were also settled there.
The Camp’s Wall had already been repaired several times. Now, like the train platform, it was all concrete-poured. Even the nearby roads had been leveled, making the area look more and more like a small town.
After a few more days, this place might very well become a city.
The Railway had become the new artery of the Northlands. Wherever Castel’s Railway extended, prosperity followed. The Train made Blood Harbor—thousands of miles away—feel no farther than a neighboring town.
Hughes’ gaze drifted into the distance. In several Barracks, Expeditionary Army Soldiers who had just finished their shifts were resting while gathering together with copies of the Holy Text in their hands. The Holy Text had grown thicker and thicker, with brief coverage of all kinds of knowledge. Soldiers found the parts they were interested in and took the time to study—something many Expeditionary Army Soldiers enjoyed doing.
Outside the Barracks’ door, several Children were tugging on a Soldier’s sleeve, asking him to tell a story. Hughes could not help remembering the times he had told stories to other workers back at the Rhine Factory.
Only now, there was no Church coming to arrest anyone. Instead, the ones telling the stories were the Empire’s believers of the Imperial Truth.
Farther away, the newly built school of the Expeditionary Army was packed with people. Calling it a school was generous—it was merely a row of simple concrete structures. Forget white paint; they did not even have enough desks or chairs.
Yet many still squeezed inside, listening with great interest as Soldiers of the Expeditionary Army lectured.
At first, it had only been an empty clearing. Alexei, on a whim, asked some people to teach Resistance Army members basic knowledge about Castel.
As the teaching went on, the Expeditionary Army discovered that many refugees were illiterate. Being illiterate caused considerable trouble in Castel, so the Soldiers naturally began teaching them to read.
Once they could read, they could study the Holy Text of the Imperial Truth themselves, which led them to more questions, encouraging them to think—and to inquire.
The Holy Text that Alexei helped compile leaned heavily toward basic education, making it perfect for widespread instruction.
Gradually, these White Raven People even began discussing the Holy Text with the Expeditionary Army Soldiers. The more they learned, the more they understood their own insignificance—and the more they hungered for knowledge.
People gathered together with the Holy Text in hand, and thus a school was formed.
Now that the war had ended, they would soon have a taller school building, brighter classrooms, and no need to stand through lessons anymore.
These people would become the first generation of skilled workers in the Northlands. They would go to factories and support the region’s reconstruction.
Or they might continue their studies further and join Castel’s research institutes, pushing human civilization one step forward.
A few refugees of the Northlands peeked from outside, not understanding what was happening. They simply saw many people gathering and came to join in. Someone handed them a Holy Text and pointed at the drawings, explaining aloud. Soon, they no longer wanted to leave.
“After a few months, new factory buildings and schools will rise here. Before long, black smoke will billow from the chimneys, and classrooms will echo with the sound of reading. A few more months later, the city will begin to take shape. People will gather here, mesmerized by the creations of industry.”
“In five years, the Northlands will no longer know hunger. In ten years, even in the fiercest blizzards, no frozen corpses will be found. In a hundred years—thousands—the Northlands will become the true homeland of the Northlanders.”
“By then, the Transcendents of the Church will no longer be able to infiltrate, and the nobles’ bloodlines will no longer be sacred. Without any mobilization, people will take up arms to defend this land—to protect their home.”
Alexei and Hughes stood side by side at the window, gazing at the Wilderness outside.
“Truly…beautiful.” Alexei murmured.
“I remember you’re a Northlander?”
“Yes. I was an orphan here, taken in by the royal orphanage. Honestly, I barely remember anything from my childhood. My memories begin in the Rhine—doing homework every day, cleaning, being taught or reprimanded.”
Staring at the distant Wilderness, Alexei felt only unfamiliarity. He actually had no real homeland; he remembered no hometown. Everything in the past felt like a vague, simple footnote—no matter how he tried to recall it, only broken fragments came back.
“Then build these Northlands into the place you long for. If you can’t find a homeland, make the land beneath your feet into one—into everyone’s homeland.” Hughes patted his shoulder, then turned to leave. “Castel—Fire and Light in the Storm. Let this burning firelight spread across these fields.”
Alexei stood blankly at the window, staring at his unfamiliar homeland, murmuring under his breath.
“Castel…”
The battles in the Northlands had reached a pause. The Railway from Blood Harbor to the Northlands was no longer under heavy strain. Hughes originally intended to return to Castel, but there were still troublesome matters here. The Silent Sanctum’s members still needed supervision. Hughes had already transferred Richard from Castel to conduct examinations and research on whether they should be transported back. As for Gwen within the White Mist, there was no news yet.
Therefore, he planned to stay a few more days.
Nora and Big Gwen likewise had not hurried to leave. Hughes found a reason to delay them—Little Gwen’s connection with Big Gwen had yet to be confirmed, so it was better to observe longer.
Castel had officially begun the construction of the Northlands. More building materials were loaded at Blood Harbor and transported northward.
Although there was only one Railroad and one Fortress at present, in the future, the Four Northern Territories would no longer be just Wilderness.
Alexei stayed here as well. The construction of the Northlands was starting from scratch, and someone who could coordinate the entire industrial sector was needed—he was the most experienced.
Moreover, this was his own wish. It was Alexei’s first time returning to the Northlands since he left as a child. He wanted to personally build this strange yet familiar homeland.
Many members of the Expeditionary Army also remained, each for their own reasons. Some wished to participate in construction; others could not bear to leave their students.
Transportation was convenient here—though the Northlands were barren, the journey to Blood Harbor took only half a day by Train.
Thus, in recent days, the transport capacity heading toward Blood Harbor suddenly became abundant.
Many lower-priority transport requests were pushed forward.
For example—
Grand Duke Alvare.
This Grand Duke, skilled in adjusting to the winds, relied purely on his sufficiently swift surrender to emerge unscathed in the entire Northlands campaign—he did not suffer a single scratch and even had the Expeditionary Army resolve his major troubles for him.
But surrendering could not erase all his crimes. He still had to go before the Tribunal and face judgment.
