Chapter 58: UPGRADE
The sun was high above the mansion, lazily pouring its golden light across the forest clearing like thick syrup. In the workshop beneath the mansion, a faint hum echoed from within — not of magic, but of metal, oil, and raw invention.
Lindy stood still, her gloves blackened, face smeared with grease. But her eyes... they were shining like twin stars.
She looked at the object in front of her.
Four wheels. A steel body. A crystal-core engine carved from mana-charged stones. And a steering rod. It wasn’t a car like Earth’s, but it moved — without horses, without magic runes constantly draining, without needing a beast’s energy.
It ran because she made it so.
Sarah stood nearby, holding a jug of water, watching her with awe. "Is it... finally done?"
Lindy didn’t answer with words. She simply stepped forward, turned a small metallic lever on the side of the vehicle’s frame, and mana-charged sparks jolted into the central core. The crystal lit up.
A quiet vrrrmmmm noise began.
The wheels turned slowly at first, then smoothly rotated forward. The thing moved — just a few feet — but enough to change everything.
Sarah blinked. Darcy clapped from behind, eyes wide in disbelief. Aric, who had just entered from upstairs, froze.
His eyes traced the sleek body of the carriage. "No horses?"