Chapter 149
Chapter 149: Join the Glorious Evolution!
The carriage raced across the dirt road, flanked by mounted guards clad in armor and bearing all manner of weapons, surrounding it on all sides.
Countless fine horses charged at full speed, cutting through roads thrown up with dust and mud, until they emerged onto a smooth, level street.
The hoofbeats of the horses drawing the vehicle gradually grew sparse, then fell silent.
Auréliane was somewhat puzzled, and she asked Lady Cassana:
"Aunt, why have we stopped?"
Cassana reached out one hand and slowly drew aside the carriage's window curtain.
"Because we have arrived."
Auréliane looked out through the carriage window.
What lay before her was a sight breathtaking enough to stun anyone who came upon it.
Countless towering buildings rose from the earth; on both sides, lampposts powered by magic lined the streets, and enormous chimney-like structures vented Magic Power in a spectrum of colors.
The flow of vehicles surging through the streets seemed to move as though enchanted as well—Auréliane could not spot a single carriage among them.
There were only mechanical devices of various kinds, trailing white vapor as they sped along.
Some of the pedestrians even had strange mechanical prosthetics fitted to their limbs as they walked along the road.
Mechanical eyeballs swiveled back and forth within their sockets, and one couldn't quite tell whether they were actually capable of sight.
There were also cats and dogs with whirring gears winding through them, weaving through the streets, seeming to add a touch of vitality to the whole mechanical city's ecosystem.
Auréliane stared out at the view through the window with eyes wide open, gazing everywhere with the curiosity of a child seeing the world for the first time.
"Get down from the carriage."
The guard outside opened the carriage door and set down a stepping stool for the 2 of them.
The 2 stepped out of the carriage one after the other, their movements equally graceful.
"Return and report in—you no longer need to guard me."
Cassana issued her orders to the surrounding guards in a measured tone.
This was the Rether Family's territory; there was no need for these guards to accompany her further.
They gave Cassana a collective nod in unison, then dispersed in an orderly fashion—disciplined and well-trained.
Only Elsa did not depart, and remained at Cassana's side.
Lady Cassana turned around and looked at Auréliane.
"From here on, we need to switch to a different mode of transport."
Auréliane was somewhat at a loss, having spent her years within the Royal Capital and never having seen any city beyond it.
The last time she had felt something like this was when she had gone to Endymion together with her teacher Viktor.
That experience had brought her an abundance of wonder.
And now, this advanced city before her eyes filled her with just as much amazement.
And yet, unlike the City of Mages, it did not feel fantastical.
Here, the atmosphere gave one a sense of order and harmony.
In this mechanical capital, even the air felt somewhat heavier, carrying with it a faint undercurrent of gravity.
Without warning, an automobile flickering with Magic Power glided slowly to a stop before them.
At the rear of the automobile was a rather large Magic Power storage tank.
Dense Magic Power, compressed and packed inside, served as its fuel.
Every part of the vehicle's body had its Magic Power held in check by steel, distributed across it with strict precision.
Seeing this 'carriage' that drove itself, Auréliane was taken aback with wonder.
This carriage had no wheels; the body appeared to have been enchanted, hovering slightly above the ground.
4 seats were arranged in 2 rows of 2, front and back, yet there was no driver within.
"It's a new product of the Rether Family—you can think of it as an automatic carriage that requires no horses to pull it."
Auréliane blinked, and couldn't help but think of her teacher Viktor's magical carriage, which also required no horses.
Though looking at it now, it seemed to have some differences from the thing before her.
Elsa moved first, opening the rear door and bowing to indicate that the 2 should enter.
"Get in."
With that, Cassana settled herself into the inner seat first.
Auréliane, with a heart full of apprehension, took her seat in this peculiar 'magical carriage.'
Elsa sat in front, fulfilling the role of bodyguard.
The vehicle began to move slowly, and because it floated in the air, it glided along with remarkable smoothness.
Gradually, it moved deeper into the city.
The appearance of the city revealed itself to Auréliane in greater and greater detail.
Countless soaring high-rises shimmered with strange and shifting colors.
Rotating gears in midair combined ceaselessly into all manner of signboards, as though advertising something.
As the vehicle drove on into the city center, she felt something stir within her and couldn't help but lift her gaze.
That was the highest point of this mechanical city.
Above the vast sky, several powerful Magic Power conduits converged at a single point, and an immense Magic Power barrier blanketed the city from above.
A breathtaking clock hung upon the high tower, its shape reminiscent of a gear.
On its face, 2 clock hands—one long, one short—radiated light in red and blue.
"Is that....magic?"
Lady Cassana began to introduce it to Auréliane:
"This place is known as the 【City of the Vanguard】—Tieyebo."
"It is also where our Rether main estate is located."
Judging by the surface of it alone, one might even feel that this place surpassed the Royal Capital in prosperity.
But……
"Aunt, why haven't you brought all of this to other places?"
Auréliane asked, while Cassana simply rested her chin in her hand, gazing at the mechanical scenery around them.
"Not enough energy."
"Energy?"
Cassana did not answer her question, and simply continued:
"All of this is rather convenient, isn't it."
"But the energy it requires is too great—we can only bring it to operation in a city of this scale."
Tieyebo's area was naturally incomparable to the Royal Capital, or to Blairstone under the Clavena Territory's governance.
Blairstone had an enormous population and, relying on its port and harbor, conducted a great deal of commercial trade.
Its affiliated sea territory was vast.
It was precisely because of this that Blairstone had become the Empire's 2nd most prosperous economic city.
The advanced city built by the Rether main estate was, strictly speaking, not even a tenth of Blairstone's size.
To say nothing of the Royal Capital.
To extend all of this to those 2 locations would demand tremendous expenditure—both in manpower and in finances.
The vehicle continued to move forward, passing through a dark mechanical tunnel.
As the light appeared once more, they arrived at the Rether Family's main estate.
Stepping out of the vehicle, Cassana spoke to the guard at her side in an unhurried tone.
"Elsa, you may step away as well for now—come and find me a little later."
"Yes, my lady."
The female guard addressed as Elsa lowered her head in acknowledgment and departed swiftly.
Taking this moment, Auréliane raised her head to look.
She opened her eyes wide, unwilling to miss a single thing here.
The Rether main estate was enormous, enclosed by thick and sturdy stone walls, divided into several distinct zones.
Countless servants went about their duties throughout the courtyard; standing outside the gate, Auréliane could already see them weaving in and out of room after room without pause.
Those grand brown buildings resembled mechanical towers, and between them there seemed to exist some faint and indistinct sense of order.
This place did not feel like a home.
It felt more like a compact, self-contained small city.
"What you see before you now is the Rether Family's Research Zone—without special authorization, no one is permitted entry."
"Over there, the area that takes up the most space, is the Testing Zone—dedicated test personnel carry out experiments on various novel inventions here."
Cassana guided Auréliane through the steel and iron structures, walking and introducing the entirety of the Rether main estate to her as they went.
"Here is the botanical garden."
Auréliane leaned her head in to look—inside were all manner of common plants, grown to sizes that defied all common sense.
Even the freshly budded fruit hanging from the branches stood taller than a maidservant.
"Those botanical gardens are responsible for purifying the air here, as well as cultivating vegetables and fruit, ensuring the Research personnel can be entirely self-sufficient."
Auréliane listened with a dazed expression and nodded in bewildered understanding.
All of a sudden, a robot with churning gears came tottering past before her.
This thing that could move yet appeared puppet-like gave Auréliane quite a start; she ducked behind Cassana, trembling slightly as she asked:
"That just now……what was it?"
"Mm, you can think of it as a brand-new invention—they share a collective name."
"Magitek."
Cassana walked with Auréliane at her side, talking as they went.
"Everything designed in this place was created with a single founding purpose."
"And that is: to make human life more convenient."
Cassana folded her arms and spoke in an even tone.
"Using magic as the fundamental foundation—yet breaking free of magic itself—so that even ordinary people who cannot use magic can enjoy the benefits it brings."
"How……how extraordinary."
After Cassana finished speaking, Auréliane listened with her eyes alight.
Everything before her brought her boundless wonder, and filled her with fascination for this unfamiliar land.
But all at once, a question came to her:
"Oh right, Aunt."
"I heard those ministers saying that you have been suspected of luring and capturing Elves……but why would you capture Elves?"
Lady Cassana's body gave a slight pause, and she let out a sigh:
"Your father put you up to asking this, didn't he?"
"I knew it—he's never been at ease about this matter."
Auréliane made no answer, but Cassana turned and changed direction, departing at an unhurried pace.
"Follow me."
Auréliane was most obliging, following quietly in her wake.
As they walked on, Lady Cassana arrived before the entrance to the Research Facility.
Standing at the doorway was an exceptionally powerfully built guard who, upon seeing Cassana approach, immediately stepped aside to clear the way, deferentially granting passage to this lady:
"Welcome back, Lady Cassana."
Those guards held the lady in the utmost respect—in Auréliane's eyes, this was the measure of Lady Cassana's authority.
A faint, indistinct feeling rose from somewhere deep within her.
Perhaps the Rether Family had always been under her aunt's control.
The mechanical gate opened slowly, and during this interval, Cassana continued speaking without pause:
"In order to realize the plan of making the convenience of magic accessible to ordinary people, our Research personnel have been engaged in continuous experimentation."
"They eventually discovered that among human races, only Mages are capable of storing large quantities of Magic Power, which could serve as an energy source."
"But once this Magic Power leaks out, humans are incapable of storing it, nor can it be transported elsewhere for use as energy."
"So we drew inspiration from other races—and in the end, confirmed this possibility."
The moment they stepped inside the Research Facility, researchers busy at work surrounded them on all sides.
Dressed in white coats, they bustled about the facility, carrying armfuls of blueprints and documents.
All manner of precision instruments sat upon large research tables, and many rooms had warning signs posted on them indicating to keep away.
"No need to mind them—they are all Mages from Endymion whom the Rether Family has signed to high-value contracts."
"We needed the wisdom of the City of Mages, so we brought many people on board to assist us."
Lady Cassana walked on, with Auréliane close behind.
The Research personnel passed by the 2 of them constantly, as though oblivious to their presence, each one buried single-mindedly in their own work.
And Cassana paid their lack of courtesy not the slightest mind.
Here, it seemed as though every single person had something to do.
As the 2 continued walking, they arrived before a large door.
At the doorway stood 2 guards as well, who seemed to be keeping watch over whatever lay behind it.
When he saw Cassana arrive, he bowed most deferentially:
"Lady Cassana."
Cassana said in an unhurried tone.
"Open the door."
The man drew out a card and swept it across the panel before the door.
【Access granted—】
Accompanied by the sound of mechanical turning, the mechanical gate's gears rapidly rotated and the light overhead changed to blue.
Cassana continued to speak to Auréliane:
"In truth, I don't know all that much about Elves myself."
"But I would hope that you might replace the word 'capture.'"
The gate swung open, and when Auréliane saw what lay inside, she stood rooted to the spot.
Before her was a breathtaking forest.
A dense jungle, interwoven with layers teeming with vitality, and a rich, natural breeze washed over her face.
Simply being here was enough to fill anyone with a sense of boundless contentment.
Within the forest, Elves frolicked and played, weaving back and forth among the trees.
Auréliane stared blankly at those jubilant Elves, while Cassana stood before her, arms folded.
"What you see before you is the Rether Family's long-concealed secret—the energy source of the City of the Vanguard."
"Designed with all care and devotion for the Elves—the Forest Paradise."