Europa Universalis 1867: Start by inheriting an armory

Beneath the vaulted ceiling of Paddington Station, soot and steam billowed from the gaps in the glass canopy, while the broad-gauge trains were painted in jet-black enamel and decorated with intricate gold thread along the edges of the carriages.

Louise stood next to Richard, wearing a dark blue travel coat and a fur hat.

Her nose was red from the cold wind, and puffs of white breath came out of her mouth.

Richard was beside her, his collar wrapped tightly with a scarf. He carried no luggage; it was in Henry's hands.

Henry was the man Richard had seen in the Secret Service's black jail; he had a broad chin, was as strong as an ox, and stood two steps behind them without a hat despite the cold weather.

He carried two large trunks in one hand and Louise's handbag on his other arm, looking like a well-trained servant.

Richard turned his head, glanced at Henry, and lowered his voice to Louise, "Does he have to come along?"

"Reginald means, protect my safety." Louise rubbed her hands together.

Richard rolled his eyes. Protect Louise? He was just using this as an excuse to spy on him.

He shook his head, took out two first-class tickets from his pocket, and fiddled with them in his hand.

It was obvious that Henry couldn't be in the same carriage as them; that was the rule. Servants could only go to second or third class, but he didn't seem to mind, since he didn't talk to Richard at all!

That's perfect, he'd love to be as far away from Henry as possible.

Richard put the ticket back in his pocket, glanced back at Henry, who was warily scanning the crowds on the platform, his suitcase motionless.

"That's settled then," Richard sighed.

Louise leaned closer to him, their shoulders touching.

"So... Wells?" she said, "when did you become interested in hiking?"

"Hiking isn't the point," Richard said, looking down the railway tracks into the distance. "What interests me are the rocks there."

"Stone?"

"Dolomite, after being calcined, can be made into refractory bricks, which I need to use to build a furnace," Richard explained.

Louise frowned, but didn't press the matter. She had known Richard for so long that she was used to him saying things that sounded completely illogical but were ultimately proven to be true.

She turned her head and looked at Henry.

"Mr. Henry," she asked, "could you please get my vest from my suitcase? It's a bit cold."

"Of course, Miss." Henry immediately put the box on the ground and squatted down to rummage through it. His fingers were large, but he handled the clothes with a care that was disproportionate to his size.

Richard leaned closer to Louise and whispered, "Why is there such a big difference between how he treats you and how he treats me?"

"Have you tried talking to him nicely? He's not actually that annoying," Louise asked with a smile.

Richard gave a wry smile. If Louise knew what kind of bastards those Secret Service agents had done, she probably wouldn't have said "it's not that bad."

Henry quickly found the sable shawl and handed it to Louise.

She rolled the shawl into a cylinder, put her hands inside, and a fluffy hand warmer was ready.

Just then, footsteps came from the other side of the platform, and the two of them turned around at the same time.

A tall figure emerged from the crowd.

The man was around fifty years old, with a robust build, and dressed in an elegant three-piece suit.

His thick, bushy gray beard reminded Richard of Zeus from Greek mythology, whose hair, which needed no trimming and exuded natural majesty.

He was carrying a huge leather suitcase, but his pace didn't slow down at all.

"Gentlemen! I've kept you waiting!" His voice was loud and full, as if his suit could not contain his energy.

He walked up to Richard, put the suitcase on the ground, and stretched out his free hand.

Richard grasped his hand and shook it vigorously: "Sir Andrew Ramsay, it's an honor to meet you."

"You must be Richard Bryan!" Ramsey exclaimed enthusiastically. "That old academic from Siemens has finally found me someone who knows what he's doing!"

"You flatter me. I have read your excellent work on the geology of North Wales, and it is very impressive." Richard stepped aside to make room for him. "Sir Ramsay, this is Miss Louise, my companion."

Ramsey bent down and lifted Louise's hand, his lips hovering less than an inch above her hand, lingering politely for a second before releasing her.

"It would be my great honor."

"It seems you and Mr. Siemens have a good relationship." Louise nodded with restraint and grace.

"They get along well?" Ramsey let out two deep laughs. "More like rivals who often argue than friends. He's come up with a lot of outlandish ideas about minerals at the academy."

He tapped his temple with his finger: "I've made a lot of fun at them. Of course, everyone has their own expertise. I don't understand his steel, and he doesn't understand my stone. That's normal."

"Then this exploration will depend entirely on you." Richard nodded respectfully.

Ramsey waved his hand: "Not at all. I heard about your ideas on dolomite. They're much more creative than Siemens's far-fetched ideas. It's a pleasure for me to go out with someone like you who's interested in geology and has an adventurous spirit."

Richard bowed slightly: "Those who only stay in the laboratory looking at specimens will never learn geology."

Ramsey's eyes lit up, and he pointed a thick finger at Richard's chest: "That's right! Geology must be explored on foot!"

In the distance, the railway tracks began to vibrate, and a long, drawn-out whistle drifted from afar.

A black train emerged from the shadows of the tunnel, its engine chimney belching white smoke.

The broad gauge train is wider than a regular train, giving it a sense of stability and immovability as it travels on the tracks.

The train conductor stepped out of the carriage, holding a silver whistle in his hand.

beep!

He blew a whistle and announced, "Passengers, you may board now! First class is at the front, second and third class at the back!"

Richard turned to the side, extending one hand towards the carriage: "Please, let's go inside and talk."

Ramsey picked up his suitcase and strode ahead, the thick fabric on his back undulating slightly with the rhythm of his steps.

Louise followed behind, Richard walked beside her, and Henry brought up the rear.

The train attendant stood at the door of the first-class carriage and checked tickets one by one to let passengers through.

Richard followed Louise up the steps. The carpet in the carriage was dark red, and there were individual compartments on both sides of the aisle, with brass number plates inlaid on the wooden partitions.

Ramsey had already found his compartment, stuffed his suitcase into the luggage rack, and peeked out from the doorway.

He saw Richard walking over: "I'm right next door. We'll talk after you've settled in."

"certainly."

Richard led Louise into the private compartment. Henry put his luggage away, turned around and quickly left the first-class cabin. Richard was about to leave for his own room when Louise called him back.

"Wait, stay here for a while." She leaned against the window, looking at the crowd of people saying goodbye on the platform outside, and placed the hand warmer on her lap.

The whistle blew again, as if urging the travelers to hurry up and get on the train.

Richard accepted her invitation to sit opposite her, and Louise turned to look at him: "Now you can tell me everything that happened."

Richard knew he could no longer escape, so he took a deep breath and explained the situation in detail.

"Let me make this short, it all started when we went to Switzerland..."