frightfiction Chapter 23 The Era of Roar
Chapter 23 The Era of Roar
Layot stood on the shore, looking at the enormous creature in the distance, which resembled a legendary giant worm. White gas continuously spewed from the top of its huge, round body, and awe-inspiring roars echoed over it—the sound of it about to emerge from its steel nest.
The idea of railway tracks has existed for a long time. In the cold, beyond the territory of the demons, the dwarves would use this structure laid on the ground to create tamed bears unique to the dwarves, and transport cartloads of ore to the surface.
Humans and demons gradually adopted this system. Of course, the tracks were different from the steel monster of today. Under Alice's supervision, the steam locomotive department worked hard on steam locomotives, from the initial small two-wheeled locomotives to the 4-4-0 locomotive with two sets of guide wheels, and then to the behemoth that is now lying across the railway. In three months of hard work, he witnessed the steam locomotive department grow from a group of twenty people to an organization with two hundred people and a steam locomotive manufacturing plant. He also followed the railway workers to lay the steel tracks from Trian to Port Hilla.
Without Alice, the engineers would never have been integrated and given the concept of a "steam locomotive," but without the craftsmen, Alice would have been completely unable to recreate a steam locomotive from the late Industrial Revolution, a massive locomotive that consumed almost 20 percent of Trian's steel production capacity.
Layot, a railway worker, knew this all too well. Every day, nearly twenty horse-drawn carriages transported steel to this huge workshop, where soldiers guarded the factory and implemented strict security measures.
The roar of steam engines, the clanging of steel, the booming of whistles—this was the most accurate description of the era that Princess Layot had ushered in. A colossal clock, said to have been made by craftsmen from the southern demon race, was erected in the square of Trian. Every "hour," it would strike a loud sound to remind the residents of the time.
If Layot could look into the factory, he would see that petite figure examining the steel structure. If he looked closer, he would see the green passenger car behind the behemoth, and several freight cars of different styles behind it.
The snow had long since stopped, and the roaring steam engine once again drew the attention of the people of Trian. Some residents looked up from their homes and saw a huge behemoth, billowing thick smoke, slowly driving into the distance on a small hill above the city—this was not the first time they had seen it, but it was the largest ever.
"Our Ministry of Railways' ST-4 4-6-0 ten-wheeled locomotive was jointly manufactured by the Ministry of Railways' factory and the Trian Machine Works. It is our most advanced and greatest steam locomotive to date. The design of the entire locomotive combines our most brilliant minds with your ingenious ideas. Of course, due to the current manufacturing level, some of your ideas cannot yet be realized, such as greater traction and a more comfortable riding experience..."
How many of these locomotives are produced in six months?
Alice did not reply. The carriage was filled with exquisite snacks and oriental tea for the princess, but she was busy reading the Ministry of Industry's report, her mind filled with data and industrial prospects.
"Based on the blueprints you left behind, the Trian Railway Factory manufactured it in two months. We are now expanding the production line. Your proposed assembly line concept has been studied and deemed feasible by our Ministry of Railways. We are pushing forward with production and expect to produce two locomotives in six months. After we become proficient, we should be able to increase it to three or four locomotives."
Alice was not only an industrial enthusiast in her previous life, but also a railway enthusiast. When she was summoned by the so-called church, she brought with her a large amount of data. Before becoming a vampire, she took most of the data with her, including several railway designs she had envisioned.
The railway carriages were rough, the locomotives were rough, and everything exuded a sense of rudimentary construction. The steam engine's power was not as high as designed, and the trains were not fast, but they were indeed running.
Alice opened the window, and the outside world was covered by a peculiar smell. Alice could smell that it was the smell of burnt coal, which actually made her feel at ease. Long ago, when Alice was still an ordinary person, she hated this smell.
Now, the pungent industrial fumes represent the weight of industrial civilization, and she seems to understand the words of a great man: "Looking from here, there should be chimneys everywhere."
Undoubtedly, chimneys and exhaust fumes, though natural dead zones, represent a civilization that has finally gained enough survivability to break free from nature's enslavement. They also signify that the power of the three provinces occupied by Alice and Alicia has gradually acquired the resources to fight against their enemies.
"I'm going to check the engine on the motorcycle."
"Your Highness—the conditions there are terrible! Please..."
A leader from the Ministry of Railways stood in front of her, trying to block her, but Alice simply pushed him aside and walked toward the locomotive.
As soon as she opened the door, a cloud of smoke from burning coke rushed out. Alice covered her mouth and nose. The environment in the locomotive cab was indeed harsh. In order to open the train as soon as possible, the isolation door between the combustion chamber and the cab had not even been installed.
"Hello, gentlemen, thank you for your contributions."
Alice travels through various factories and construction sites every day. Even a laborer has seen her. The two people in front of her, the stoker and the driver, clearly recognize her as well.
After all, besides Alicia and Alice, there are no other people with white hair and red eyes. The former is responsible for coordinating the country and training the army within Alice's framework, while the latter naturally focuses on industrial production every day.
Alice's brain was thinking at high speed. Although she was still a little unaccustomed to the girl's body, her mind became clearer and her thinking speed increased, which eventually made her accept the status quo.
Is the temperature high?
"Sir, you know..."
"Where did the isolation doors that were originally designed here go?"
"Report... This door hasn't been installed yet..."
"Remember to install it when you get back to Trian for the major overhaul. Also, how much salary did you receive?"
Alice looked at the two workers, the stoker and the driver, who were highly skilled industrial workers, and she had clearly stipulated their wages.
The two men gave Alice a number, and she nodded in satisfaction. After carefully examining the numbers on the instruments in the driver's cab, which were manufactured on a small scale by the Trian Instrument Factory, she returned to the carriage with satisfaction.
Trains and carriages are not comparable. In just three hours, Alice saw the sea. The train station was built by the sea, and the civilian station was in front of the military station. The train roared through the fenced tracks under the gaze of the citizens gathered on both sides. The ten carriages connected behind reminded them of the legendary Eastern dragon or snake.
"My God! What on earth is this enormous creature?"
"Steel Dragon!"
"I bet it's a land-based ship. Look, it's just like those black ships coming out of the naval shipyard, belching black smoke. Those ships can sail without sails. Look at this thing, it has wheels too. I bet it's the same thing as the black ships!"
Two well-dressed men sat on the second floor of a restaurant, while the young man next to them pressed the pocket watch in his hand.
Click!
"how long?"
“According to the time His Highness gave, if I’m not mistaken, it should be three hours and fifteen minutes—oh, that’s Mr. Doyle, hmm, it looks like he’s also carrying a pocket watch, we can ask him.”
“Oh, if I remember correctly, a fully loaded freight wagon takes more than seven hours to reach Trian! So, the business potential of what Your Highness has created is limitless—if it could extend all the way south…”
"I bet Princess Alice will win, how about it?"
“As expected of my son, Dara Carter! Damn it, those swine in the South have no idea what business is, they only know how to enjoy food, power and women! But Your Highness, I see the qualities of a ruler in her!”
“She is upright, decisive, and visionary, and—Father, have you heard this before?”
"Tell me about it, my dear child?"
How much profit can one make by investing in the ruler of a country?
Dara Butt watched the train pass in front of them, nodded, and uttered the words Alice had once said to him in private.
"Countless times!"
"These are the questions His Highness asked us!"
"Now, it's time to answer that question, my child."
"We must take a good look at our beloved family and see who the true ruler of this family is!"
The two stood up, raised their glasses, and drank together.
The roaring steam trains, the excited merchants, the steam-powered machinery running day and night, and the powerful magic crystal gunpowder are brewing in the northern lands of the demons, awaiting the day of their eruption. Meanwhile, the south remains oblivious to the epoch-making changes taking place in the north. To this day, the usurpers in the south are still immersed in the joy of victory, too preoccupied to spare a glance at the changes in the north.
—A historian's account of the Demon Race Civil War in 653 of the Universal Calendar