334 Only Two Hours
"Want a drink, everyone?" "Coffee, please." "You sure know where you are, Your Imperial Majesty." Soon after the train departed from the station, Mother called an attendant and ordered him to bring some drinks for us. The coffee had been becoming popular in the empire lately, so it was no surprise if His Imperial Majesty took a liking to it. .
Currently, the train was still accelerating, heading south, and had not exited the city yet. Through the windows, we could see the farmers briefly stopping their work to have a look at the marvelous spectacle passing by. "Woah! This thing is getting faster and faster!" "I think this giant metal is running way faster than a diving falcon!" "Indeed." The prime minister nodded in agreement with Gilbert and Gavar. "Even running this fast, the interior is so surprisingly stable. Not even a drop of coffee was spilled from the cup." It had been around two minutes since departure when the train reached a speed of three hundred kph, which was the current speed limit of the locomotive. At the same time, the train passed the Outer Wall through the south gate, so the scenery immediately shifted from a flatland to a lush forest. The Outer Wall was the only wall with four entry points. Though all the gates could be passed by pedestrians as well as horseback riders, vehicles such as carriages and wagons could only enter and exit the city through the west and east gates. The north and south gates were exclusively for the entry and exit points of the trains. "What a flavorful and aromatic treat." The emperor carefully placed his cup of coffee on the table after taking a sip of it. "The train seems to stop increasing its speed. You said that this train is going to the City of Lavender, yes?" "Yes, Your Imperial Majesty," Mother replied. "Can I ask how long this trip will be?" "Well, according to my son, Raphael, the estimated time of arrival from the dungeon city to the City of Lavender is around two hours." "Two hours?!" Along with the emperor, everyone except for my family yelled and widely opened their eyes after hearing what Mother just said. They were wildly taken aback by the train's astonishing capabilities. "It took us more than a week traveling from Lavender City to the dungeon city! And now you are telling us it only takes two hours by just boarding the train?!" "It's true."
"Did the Raevens know about it?" The emperor said as he turned his face to Uncle Steville. "Like you, Your Imperial Majesty, I don't know anything about it either. I am still in shock." Uncle gravely said as he shook his head. "All they said was that this type of transportation would be several times faster than a carriage, but I could not believe it would be that fast." "You also don't know, huh. But still, with this technological advancement, any travel on the continent would be exponentially revolutionized. Whether it is people, goods, or letters, all of it could be transported drastically shorter than anticipated. This transportation system is so good it has the potential to become bad if used wrong." "You're absolutely right, Your Imperial Majesty." The prime minister agreed with the emperor. "The trains cannot only transport passengers, but can also be used to mobilize an entire army division in a matter of time. If someone managed to steal and replicate this technology, it could significantly affect the progression of warfare." Wherever the world was, nations tended to use any available technology to improve their military quality, whether it was the old-fashioned way or the latest tech. One example was the bolt-action rifles Rick manufactured in Astley, which greatly contributed to the victory of the revolutionary army in the recent civil war. After being witnessed by several imperial scouts during the war, the empire immediately purchased a large number of karabiners, which eventually made the use of muskets obsolete. Since the empire could not recreate the karabiner completely, Rick had been making a killing out of them. One important aspect of the military was troop transport, and nations had spent fortunes to effectively shorten the travel time between two points. Currently, the methods of troop transportation are marching, horseback riding, and riding on vehicles such as carriages and wagons. There were teleportation magic spells, yes, but they were confidential military intelligence, a trump card that must be kept hidden from the enemy's knowledge. The emperor and prime minister were aware of the positive and negative impacts of the trains on the world, as they could be applied commercially and militarily. But I hoped they could see it more on the positive side. "Speaking of, are there any stations beyond Lavender City?"
"Actually, we have not requested neighboring nations permissions to extend the railway system in their domains, so the only two stations are in this city and in Lavender. But we are currently working for the documentation and patents of this system so that this would become operational as soon as possible." "I see." "Your Imperial Majesty," Rick, who was sitting beside Mark, Sophia's brother, and my cousin, spoke. "Regarding that matter, I already have discussed it with King Paul Astley, and he personally thinks that the train is a great invention. All he needs to do is wait for the documents and then sign it." "Permission is indeed needed to operate businesses legally." "Let's say that we are planning to extend the rails to the empire. Would the empire allow our trains to operate in the empire?" When Mother opened that topic, the representatives of the empire glanced at one another before they nodded all together. "Hmm... This vehicle is indeed convenient... and frightening at the same time. Personally, I think it is revolutionary and it would definitely improve the way of transportation on the continent. But I cannot decide on my own, so I have to consult with the ministers." "I understand, Your Imperial Majesty, please take your time." "Thank you, Lady Raevender." His Imperial Majesty smiled before he took a sip of his cup.
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