Steampunk Era: Mad Abield

Calling it Rongma’s new district, Malin, with Jason’s help, confirmed that the location was in Tivoli to the east of Rome, about 26 kilometers east of Farol Principality’s palace. The terrain in this era was hilly, Malin had used spell formations to survey the hills, ensuring there were no cavities or anything else. Since the Steel Fist Dwarf clan had come, they were allowed to dig a Dwarven city beneath the hills and then construct a workshop area on the surface. This was to be the central zone of the new district; in the northern, eastern, and southern regions, three small ringed sectors would be expanded: a residential area, a defense area, and a wall area—walls were still useful in this era, whether against Spirits, Chaos, or something else. As long as they moved on foot, walls would be an issue they had to contend with. Moreover, walls could have platforms built atop them to place heavy long-range artillery, with a range far surpassing trebuchets, and the second-generation Blooming Bullets currently in development. The Elves suffered a high incidence of color blindness and weakness due to inbreeding on Eternal Night Island, but their natural talent for explosives moved Malin.

They had already mastered the use of IEDs on their own, their proficiency giving Malin a headache.

At the same time, he lamented: this world always harbored all sorts of madmen and lunatics, constantly challenging the patience of every sane person.

Of course, aside from the Elves’ problems, Malin felt relatively assured about the Dwarves; although quick to anger, once they accepted a principle, communication became much easier.

Just like the Steel Fist clan, they faithfully executed Malin’s arrangements, all issues resolved without Malin needing to explain—until these folks dug in the wrong place near the east, and Malin had to tell them they must leave enough of the structural framework so that Mages could later turn those load-bearing structures to stone.

At the top of the eastern hill, Malin planned to construct an observatory tower and a Mage Tower; the former would serve as his stronghold in Rongma, while the latter would be utilized by members of his own Mage Tower system.

For now, the hilltop and the Underground City below were entrusted to the Dwarves; the eastern and northern sections were managed by local human engineering teams, while the southern part was put on hold—for word from Lady Anna was that the Elves couldn’t bear it anymore, so they planned to send some of their members to leave the island first.

Malin welcomed this; after all, the so-called High Elves had lived on that island for many generations. Malin felt that if they continued in isolation, one day they would become estranged from the various Elven sub-species mingling in the human world.

Of course, Malin didn’t mean to say that they would develop diplomatic issues, but rather that he believed if they kept going this way, reproductive isolation might emerge.