Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 684 The Unsophisticated "Charlatan"

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A long, drawn-out horn sound came from outside the train window, and the rumbling train slowly pulled into the station and stopped right next to the platform.

Simmons quietly lifted the curtain and glanced outside... This place, called the Royal Capital Central Station, covered a vast area. Several huge metal locomotives were parked side by side on several parallel tracks. Under the skillful coordination of the station workers, the locomotives were being hooked up to one after another, either closed or open. The most outrageous locomotive was pulling seven or eight carriages behind it, and the cargo it was carrying could probably weigh over a million pounds.

This is something that cannot be achieved by ordinary human power; it can only be accomplished through unpredictable magic and alchemy.

However... in the past, the church regarded these magical creations as blasphemous, mainly because the spellcasters attempted to use these creations that distorted the rules of reality to achieve the ultimate goal of advancing to the extraordinary and elevating their life level. They tried to touch the authority of the gods with their mortal bodies, which was undoubtedly a heretical act.

But the magical creations before him were neither meant to assist spellcasters in battle, nor the results of magical experiments… but rather ordinary vehicles pulling a cart full of grain, cloth, fruits, vegetables, and spices.

In addition to carrying cargo, people can also take the train to travel to all parts of the kingdom. The journey is extremely convenient and comfortable, whether it is a long or short trip, and it is faster than the ironclad ships that sail on the Ralph River.

Simmons and his group first traveled in batches from Grace on airships to Wangshan County, located on the border of Saint Valen... then they traveled by waterway to the old capital, Golden Radiance City, and finally took a train from Golden Radiance City all the way north.

In the past, the journey by horse-drawn carriage would have taken nearly half a month, but with the train rumbling day and night, it only took less than three days to arrive smoothly.

This made it difficult for him to firmly hold onto his past stance and call these astonishing magical creations "blasphemous heretical creations".

The plague he had inadvertently contracted while treating believers was quickly and almost completely cured during his short journey, thanks to injections and oral potions. The people of Saint Valen did not choose to stand idly by. On the one hand, these priests and priests recruited from the ruins of the holy city would still be useful after being sent to the front lines of the wasteland.

On the other hand, they were probably worried about the diseases they might be carrying, which could spread when they arrived in the northern capital.

Hearing the train conductor's loud shouts, passengers gradually walked out of the carriages... Looking at the people and passengers coming and going around the platform, most of them were dressed in bright and new clothes, and everyone had a smile on their face, with an indescribable radiance in their every move.

Looking at his somewhat tattered and dirty priest's robe, Simmons couldn't help but smile wryly. He subtly tugged at the hem of the robe, trying to smooth out the wrinkles.

A loud buzzing sound came from overhead, and it was obvious that the magic airships were flying by.

Simmons followed the group out of Central Station, led by the officer in charge of "escorting" them, and waited for the officials who were to receive them to arrive... He rubbed his eyes, somewhat unable to believe what he was seeing.

Standing on slightly higher ground outside the station, his gaze swept over a large number of neatly arranged dark gray buildings, and he saw many towering, massive structures that seemed to pierce the sky… The complex of buildings rose nearly a hundred meters high, far more imposing than ordinary mage towers. No wonder they called this majestic, isolated city in the North the second magical capital, Alaye. Although it lacked the floating Sky Domain Magic Tower, the cityscape before him was still nothing short of a miracle.

How much magical material and spellcaster's effort would it take to build such a magical city, which covers an area far exceeding that of Alaye?
Simmons couldn't help but recall the records in the Papacy's books. The Holy City of Goris, which was less than one-fifth the size of Starfire City, had to recruit nearly 100,000 laborers and believers from the southern kingdoms to build it. It took nearly 20 years to complete the construction. The hardships and bloodshed involved were self-evident.

As for Starfire City, the new capital of Saint Valen, he couldn't even imagine how much time, manpower, and resources it would take... It's no wonder that the magic emperor was able to successfully defeat the church and secular nobles and replace the previous royal family to ascend the supreme throne, given that he was able to control and manage such a rich and wondrous magical city.

The official in charge of receiving them rushed over in a wheelbarrow and greeted the officer "escorting" them apologetically, "I'm so sorry, today is the anniversary of the founding of the capital... I was delayed at the commemorative ceremony and that's why I'm a little late."

The officer shrugged nonchalantly, took the cigarette offered by the man, and glanced behind him. "The first batch of 368 healing priests recruited from the Holy City have all undergone background checks and are all from humble backgrounds."

The health ministry official nodded in satisfaction and called to Simmons and the others, "I will be in charge of leading you now. Please maintain order and follow me to the military camp by vehicle."

Even after arriving in the capital of Saint Valen, the Northern Army and the kingdom officials still did not intend to treat them differently. Instead of whips or shackles, Simmons and his party were greeted as if they were ordinary soldiers recruited from elsewhere.

But then I thought about it again and it made sense... There was really no need for the other side to go to such lengths to monitor and control a group of priests and priests who had no fighting ability.

Sitting on the equally fast alchemy wheel, we sped along the straight and flat road. Neat houses and shady trees lined both sides of the road. Crowds thronged the shops and businesses were booming. People either hurried by on oddly shaped two-wheeled vehicles or walked slowly in groups of three or five, carrying heavy leather bags, chatting and laughing.

Simmons's cart happened to pass by the group, and with just a slight turn of his head, he could glimpse what was inside their bulging bags... It wasn't rye, the staple food of the poor in the South, but fresh meat that was carefully wrapped but still slightly oozing oil, soft and puffy-looking white bread, and some fresh fruits and vegetables he had never seen before.

These are the kinds of guests you'd only see on aristocratic tables.

Considering that Saint Valen claimed to have completely abolished the hereditary system of noble titles, and that apart from the emperor himself, the former nobles in the city only had nominal titles and no real power... Simmons naturally did not regard these people as servants who purchased ingredients for the nobles, but if they were ordinary people, could they afford to eat such expensive and fresh meat?

Haven't you heard that resources are far scarcer in the Wasteland than in the South? After all, nearly half the year is spent in the bitter cold of winter, and large areas of frozen land simply cannot be cultivated for as long as in the central region of the South.

Could it be because of the important annual celebration, a gift bestowed upon the entire city by His Majesty the supposedly benevolent and generous emperor?

(End of this chapter)