Chapter 374
The day of Duke Adelgard's visit came sooner than expected, set for three days later. We adjusted our schedule accordingly.
On the day of the Duke's visit, I had Esmeralda go to meet them. As I waited, thinking they should arrive soon, a light of teleportation magic spilled forth from ahead. A few seconds later, the group that had teleported appeared.
The returning Esmeralda, Duke Adelgard, Mr. Lotus, two guards, and one handsome man looking around curiously.
"Phew... It's been a while, Liberta."
"Yes, it has been a while, Your Excellency. I'm glad to see you in good health."
"My consciousness almost left me just now... It would have been dangerous if I hadn't heard from Esmeralda beforehand."
The location they teleported to was the rooftop of a fortress built adjacent to the city wall.
You might wonder why such a place, but the interior of the fortress is essentially a bundle of classified information.
Even if I trust Duke Adelgard, I can't just casually show him the inside.
However, showing nothing at all would breed distrust, so I prepared this space offering a panoramic view of the town enclosed by the walls.
Though, well, seeing that panoramic view—or rather, the cluster of buildings that absolutely couldn't exist in a first-year pioneer village—His Excellency the Duke nearly lost consciousness for a moment. But let's not mind that.
"You truly have built a fortress. And such a sturdy, massive one... With whom do you intend to start a war?"
"Always the joker, Mr. Lotus."
"No, I'm being rather serious."
Next, the recovered Mr. Lotus seriously asks the reason for building this fortress, but there's no way I'd do something as troublesome as start a war.
"It seems excessive as a defensive facility, does it not?"
"When fighting things like Azhdaha, even these city walls and fortresses feel insufficient."
What I envision are world-monster class creatures still roaming this world.
If a monster like the Rainy Devil attacked, a half-hearted fortress would be useless.
You rarely encounter them—unless blessed by the Goddess of Misfortune—and if things are like the game, you shouldn't have to worry about fighting them unless summoned through the proper procedure. But there are monsters among world-monsters even more dangerous than Azhdaha.
So, installing interceptors, preparing thoroughly, and creating a structure to maintain it—this might still be insufficient.
"I understand what Lord Liberta intends to fight."
"I'm glad you understand."
I get the feeling Mr. Lotus's smile is strained upon understanding the target of my excessive vigilance, but I ignore that and turn my gaze to the figure standing as if hiding behind the guards.
"Nice to meet you, if I may? I'm Liberta, the person in charge of this territory."
"A pleasure to meet you, Lord Liberta. I am Madeto, Madeto Gazes. I hold the position of court physician and am also the head of the Gazes Marquisate."
He had been looking around curiously until then, but when I directed my gaze, he straightened his posture and bowed neatly in greeting.
I sensed no atmosphere of contempt or looking down on me in his attitude.
Rather, he looked at me so directly I even felt respect.
"I have heard about you from Duke Adelgard. I have come hoping to borrow your wisdom."
He gently offered his right hand, requesting a handshake.
For a noble—the head of a Marquisate, no less—to proactively request a handshake from a boy without noble rank is quite an unusual gesture.
This action is nothing less than a noble's declaration of respect, placing themselves below the other party.
"Of course. I've heard the details. I will cooperate as much as I can within my abilities."
"Th-Thank you! That's heartening!"
I had confirmed with Duke Adelgard beforehand that this person truly acts for others' sake, a person who dedicated his life to medical salvation, consistent with his FBO counterpart.
I cannot, and do not want to, refuse a request for cooperation from someone who pours their heart and soul into helping others.
The strength with which he gripped my hand probably reflects the magnitude of his joy.
"It's not good to stand and talk here. Shall I show you what I can, and then we can talk?"
"That will do."
"Yes, please."
Even if we're on good terms, there are places even Duke Adelgard cannot see.
That said, what would be classified is information like production methods, so we just need to be careful about that.
After all, the materials for this fortress are made from the earth around here. Anyone could make bricks of the same strength if they knew to mix in the "Mark of the Weakling."
If they saw the Factory Golem, it might be a bit troublesome, but it's currently busy leveling the mountain, so there's no worry of them seeing that.
The Block Golems can be seen, but any alchemist in the Royal Capital could make them if they tried, so it's fine if they see them.
The Commander Golems are currently working here, but at a glance, they just look like golems with chairs attached.
Information won't leak that easily.
I still have plenty of trump cards, and important things are hidden in the Spirit World.
So, the tour of the developing pioneer village began.
"...First, may I ask about this moving floor?"
The first thing commented on was the elevator.
Entering a large box at a dead end, simply pressing a switch made it slowly start moving.
Murmurs of amazement escaped from all five, including the guards. A few seconds later, Duke Adelgard and Madeto immediately grasped the value of this magical tool.
"It's an elevator. With this, you can reduce personnel for lifting/lowering goods, decrease labor, and improve efficiency."
"How much weight can it carry?"
"This one is made for military use, so it's spacious. The possible transport weight is ten tons. Performance-wise, the limit is a bit higher, but considering safety, that's about the limit."
"Ten tons!? You can easily transport that much cargo to such a height with that!?"
"With just this, loading and unloading would be difficult. So, we've prepared golems for loading/unloading work compatible with this elevator, and standard containers and pallets for loading to improve efficiency."
"Marvelous! If even a smaller version of this could be installed in medical facilities, we could extend building structures upward and increase the number of patients who can be hospitalized. Even people with leg difficulties could move. That alone could increase the number of people we can treat."
"If you increase building height, considering earthquakes, you'd need to think about proper seismic-resistant high-rise structures."
"Indeed, that would be the next area of study."
Seeing the elevator and his immediate thought being its application in medical settings felt very much like Madeto. I explained what I could.
His sparkling eyes observing the facilities probably made me happy as a creator in a way.
But it's not good to let that happiness make me inadvertently spill words.
Keeping the classified parts firmly in check, we descended to the next level.
"What is this place?"
"It seems still under construction."
"It's this town's special transportation system. Still under construction, only partially operational."
The level we descended to was the second tier. Here, a network of tracks was being laid, and a station was under construction.
You could call it a railway network. As expected with something entirely new, it's taking a bit of work.
"Hiring dwarves for construction... I had heard about it, but to have the financial power to hire this many—I'm impressed."
"They are comrades. If you pay them generous rewards, they produce results beyond expectations. Rather, considering their passion and experience, I feel it's cheap."
But their faces didn't look troubled; they seemed to be enjoying the trial and error.
A few noticed us, bowed, and were about to interrupt their work to come over, but I gestured for them to stop and continue working.
Following that instruction, they then immersed themselves in their work regardless of our presence.
"I see. Indeed, experience is an asset. Considering that, such a conclusion is possible."
Madeto was surprised by the things he saw for the first time, then impressed, and greedily tried to absorb it all.
The reason for coming to this spot was to move to the vertical farmland area consolidated at the edge of the pioneer village.
"Is this also a golem? But it looks like a box..."
"It's a Golem Train, Prototype No. 3. Right now, it's used as a work transport vehicle, but by attaching passenger cars like this, it can be used for personnel transport as well. When it comes to pioneering work, transporting goods takes the most time and cost. This is for improving efficiency."
The tracks are still in the prototype stage, not quite finished products, but something functional enough has been completed.
So, I've already prepared tracks for food transport.
"What do you think? Want to ride in a passenger car? Or the driver's cabin? The ride is rougher in the driver's cabin."
"By all means! The driver's cabin! If this can be put to practical use in the Royal Capital, it will change the history of transportation!!"
"Indeed. As Marquis Gazes says, I shall also ride there."
I originally intended to show them, and they followed me without hesitation into the driver's cabin.
"It's surprisingly spacious inside."
"It's still a prototype. For now, rather than cutting costs, I'm prioritizing functionality by packing in features. Cost reduction can be done anytime, but expansion isn't so easy."
"I see."
Even with me, the five guests, and the quietly accompanying Lady Esmeralda—seven people total—there was still plenty of room.
Since we also need to transport workers like dwarves and former shopkeepers, it looks like a slightly small streetcar.
I took the driver's seat, and upon operation, the Golem Train slowly began to move.
"Compared to a carriage, the shaking is much less."
"And it's quiet. In terms of noise, this is a wonderful vehicle."
Voices expressing amazement at the comfort of the Golem Train traveling on its dedicated track could be heard.
"Esmeralda, is it alright to ask how this is made?"
"I'm afraid I don't know the production site. But even if I did, I couldn't tell you."
"...I see."
Then I heard a voice—that of a parent and child clearly defining their positions, drawing a line, and understanding.
"Liberta, can this be introduced to the Royal Capital?"
"You'd need to sort out the vested interests, establish a management system, and then... countermeasures for technology leaks, personal accidents, material theft... there's a lot to do. This train is technically a 'facility' after installation."
Upon experiencing the convenience and easily imagining its applications, it's human nature to want it.
However, being able to build this infrastructure as a transportation system is only possible because we're building this pioneer village from scratch. Frankly, the biggest factor is not having to worry about land rights issues at all.
"Vested interests..."
"Knowing this convenience, there will likely be many trying to interfere."
Both Duke Adelgard and Marquis Gazes, knowing that hurdle, made similarly grim expressions.
That part is beyond my control.
"If you can somehow manage that point, I can provide a certain degree of technology transfer."
"...When that time comes, I will rely on you."
"I will also cooperate at that time."
Honestly, whether a railway network can be built in the Royal Capital or not is unknown to me.
It's a matter for the future, and I know getting involved would definitely be troublesome.
"Oh, we'll be arriving soon."
Even moving slowly, it's significantly faster than walking.
Thus, while conversing, we arrived at the station where the vertical farmland, our destination, was located.