Black Sail

Fen finished his business and stepped out of the adventurer's guild's main entrance.

"What's wrong, is there some big issue?"

Seeing Liszt's anxious state, Fen couldn't help but wonder.

Liszt was the tough guy who didn't even frown when surrounded by a dozen pirates at Heaven Port. Now, sitting in a chair, shaking his leg while smoking, his gaze unfocused and daydreaming, was extremely rare for him. The last time this happened was when his secret meeting with the daughter of a big shot at Heaven Port was discovered.

At Fen's words, Liszt stubbed out his cigarette.

"Did you buy a newspaper?"

Liszt intended to seek Fen's counsel. Having mingled in the upper echelons of the Western Continent, he was more aware of the impacts brought about by the operation of steam trains.

"Are you talking about the steam train affair? I heard adventurers inside discussing it. A friend of mine also thought of this invention but didn't publish his thesis due to the circumstances. Besides, he had no good ideas for precision molds for iron ore processing. I didn't expect it to actually come to fruition now, with a 'Blessing from Eternal and Time Dragon.' That's a bit far-fetched."

Fen didn't take it seriously, although he was slightly regretful. That friend was actually himself; he simply enjoyed his obsession with Magic Techniques more than his inventions.

Liszt fell silent for a moment, then slapped his forehead. Indeed, it was just a steam train. Having mixed with pirates for too long, his brain had become rusty.

It didn't represent much, after all. Upon careful consideration, it was merely a slight advancement in transportation. And it was still a long way from widespread application—it had just started operating on a single route. The Western Continent was much larger than the combined size of the seven continents and was far from being flat and unobstructed, with dangerous chasms, high peaks, and no-go zones rife with creatures. It was hard to say how many years building the infrastructure would take.