Inside the newly rebuilt tunnel, I made the railway appear. Forty balls of light shoot out of my body, the effect is more flashy than usual. Many high-pitched metallic sounds overlapped, and the whole island seemed to tremble. Eventually, when it subsided, a train, a station, and tracks appeared before my eyes.
Let’s start with the train.
The jet-black body and red color are reminiscent of retro steam locomotives. However, the train is powered by a magic motor, so it does not have a chimney. The front is decorated with the gold emblem of Baron Dantes, which is very stately. The convoy consists of two cars, the first of which is a passenger car and the second is a freight car.
Of course, this can still be increased by consuming points, but for now, it should be fine as it is.
The interior of the carriage was wood-grained, and there are 30 comfortable chairs covered with green fabric inside. Its line is only a few kilometers long, but it is very luxurious.
Next is the freight car. Though it’s not as luxurious as the passenger car, it is very convenient because it is equipped with an elevator and a small crane. It’s spacious enough so it can even carry Lucio and the wagon together.
While the train is thus luxurious, the station is relatively simple. There are no ticket gates or benches, just a raised platform. However, shrubbery and benches can also be installed by consuming points.
Well, this place is underground, so sunlight does not reach in. There is probably no need for shrubbery.
“C-Cedie-san!”
Mio-san’s trembling voice made me turn around. She is quite fidgety in her uniform.
Oh right. I assigned Mio-san as the designated driver when I built the magic railway, so the game must have issued a uniform for her as well. She is wearing a dark navy jacket and pants, a double-breasted coat, and a cap, and a leather bag was slung over her shoulder.
When Mio, who is petite, wore the uniform, it created a cute contrast, like a child wearing adult clothes.
“W-what’s going on here?”
“It’s the Magic Railway uniform. This is the summer one. Please wear it when you come to work.”
There are no ticket vending machines at the station. In other words, for the time being, Mio-san will be selling tickets and handling operational duties, making this a one-man train.
If there is a uniform, it will be easy for customers to understand. At the moment, there are only two stations, “in front of the Auberge” and “at the exit of the Simpson territory”, so there should be no problem.
“Okay, let’s do a test run right away. Good luck Mio-san.”
“E-eeh? You mean right now!?”
“The magic train has a lot of automatic control, so it’ll be okay. Don’t worry too much.”
If we set the speed to about 30 km/h, there wouldn’t be much to be scared of.
We then bravely climbed into the driver’s seat.
✲✲✲
Ten days have passed since the completion of the Magic Railway. Today is the unveiling ceremony of the railway.
Paul-oniisan preached me before, so today is also a party to celebrate my peerage as a baron. With the permission of Earl Simpson, the meeting place for the ceremony was at the station on the Simpson side. The idea is for people to board the train from there to come to Gandalcia Island.
The road to the main road was maintained by Char. She pulled out the bushes with her hands, removed the large boulders, and quickly made a path. She is a little girl who is more powerful than heavy machinery.
It was sudden, but I still sent invitations to neighboring nobles and acquaintances and surprisingly, many people participated. Not only Earl Simpson and Paul-oniisan, but Viscount Terbert of the Imperial Household also came. Emma and the witches of Sambabano also came. And then there’s Masciolini-san.
As a courtesy, I also sent an invitation to Alexei-oniisan. I thought I was going to be ignored, but to my surprise, Alexei-oniisan came.
He doesn’t feel bad at all, and he’s still even looking proud though….
“Hello Alexei-oniisan.”
“Mm, it looks like you’ve done a good job. The bottled wine.…”
He looks a bit frustrated, but I wonder why?
All the scheduled guests are ready, so the unveiling ceremony finally began.
“Now then, please take a look. This is the magical train that Gandalcia Island is proud of.”
I gives a signal to Mio-san, who is waiting in the tunnel. As people gazed at the exit of the tunnel, a train bearing the coat of arms of the Baron Dantes appeared in front of them.
“W-what’s this?”
People only know about sailing ships when it comes to big vehicles, so they’re amazed at the majesty of the train.
“This is a Magic Train, a new-age vehicle that transports people and goods. I will open the doors, so please enter from the platform.”
I led the way and led the guests inside.
“Whoa! This looks like a nice and fancy salon.”
I heard Masciolini-san’s voice behind me.
That’s great, that’s great.
It helps me out a lot if he can liven things up like this.
“Alright everyone, please take your favorite seat.”
When all the passengers boarded, Mio-san’s voice could be heard over the loudspeaker.
“Thank you for taking the Magic Train today. The train departs from Simpson Territory via an undersea tunnel to the island of Gandalcia. We’ll be departing shortly.”
When the train started moving, the excitement of the people inside reached its peak. However, it went inside the tunnel right away, so the view wasn’t that good. It would have been nice if it had been a railway by the sea.
Still, the inside of the tunnel is bright thanks to the magic lanterns.
The journey was about five minutes to Gandalcia, but the guests seemed to be enjoying the tunnel in an adventurous mood.
Earl Simpson excitedly speaks to me.
“Cedie-kun, this is even better than I expected!”
The Earl seems to have understood the usefulness of the train.
“I’m honored to receive the compliment. Is the ride comfortable?”
“It’s very comfortable. By the way, is it possible to extend this railway to Lebon?”
Here it comes!
“Yes, with the help of Earl Simpson of course.”
“Good, good. I’d like to talk to you about that in detail later. Do you have time today?”
“Absolutely.”
If a station can be built in Lebon, the number of people coming to the island will increase significantly.
The train went up through the tunnel to the ground level, passed in front of the hot springs and arrived at the auberge.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please come inside the auberge, we have prepared a small reception party.”
I prepared pinchos so they could be easily eaten. It’s the cuisine of Spain in my previous life. Pinchos are the Spanish word for skewers, and they are often made of meat, seafood, vegetables, cheese and many more. I relied on that memory and have Lynn make it, and as expected, she’s still as good as ever. All of them look delicious.
It’s a pity that I can’t eat them all because I have to entertain the guests.
Cream cheese, smoked salmon, roast beef and garlic baguette pinchos are reserved for later. At the edge of the hall, Upa and Mary are pouring wine for a toast.
“Let’s toast with the wine that Gandalcia is most proud of. It’s also the reason I was awarded peerage.”
Everyone was delighted by this.
Emma, who was nearby, smiled at me.
“I’ve heard about its reputation. This is the wine that was feasted at the Crown Prince’s party, isn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s the Château Gandalcia Special. However, the wine we’re serving today is a special product that was created through even more refinement.”
“A wine that surpasses the Château Gandalcia Special? That wine already had a considerable reputation in the industry, then……”
“It is a gem that I have already presented to His Majesty the King through Viscount Terbert who is here with us today. It is named Château Gandalcia Extra.”
Viscount Tervet is breathing heavily, like a hound that has found its prey.
“I can’t tell you how much I’ve been waiting for this day. I can’t wait to get to taste it!”
I mentioned the new wine on the invitation, and the Viscount came right away.
While everyone is watching the wine with expectant eyes, only Alexei-oniisan is in a bad mood.
“Hmph! What an exaggeration!”
Uhm, let’s ignore this person.
Glasses were raised throughout the hall, and Earl Simpson made a toast on behalf of the guests.
“Cheers to Cedie Dantès and the Magic Train!”
People who drank wine fell silent. But that’s not a sign of discouragement. Quite the opposite.
Viscount Terbert sighed tremblingly.
“What a perfect wine! I don’t have any other words for it.”
Other nobles seem to be having same opinion. Eventually, the noise grew louder, and people crowded to me all at once.
“Baron Dantes, can you please sell me this wine?”
“I’m sorry, but I’m not considering selling it at this time.”
I plan to give two bottles each to Paul-oniisan, who has been so kind to me, then to Earl Simpson and Viscount Terbert. I think they’ll be sold a little later.
I’ll have Viscount Terbert’s friends hold an auction for it first and decide on the right price later.
The attendees enjoyed the wine and food and congratulated me. When the feast was over, I saw off the attendees.
Oh no, Alexei-oniisan is coming this way….
His face is red, is he drunk?
I only served one glass of Chateau Gandalcia Extra, but there were a lot of regular Chateau Gandalcia, so he may have drank too much.
But…… that is certainly a solid footing….
“Cedie ……”
Oh, maybe he’s going to congratulate me though it is something he’s never done before?
“Sell me that wine.”
Uh-, I’m wrong……
It’s probably wrong to expect common sense from this brother of mine. Well, I’m glad he didn’t ask for it though.
“As I’ve told everyone else, I’m not going to sell it yet.”
“Don’t say such ridiculous things. Okay, okay. The blockade will be lifted. Even if you enter Dantes territory, you will not be arrested. So, are we good?”
Oh~, I didn’t think you’d make a concession, big brother.
But it goes without saying that you shouldn’t make unjust arrests in the first place. Well, there’s no point in fighting though. If there is a war, it is the common people who will suffer first.
But I don’t want to be compliant.
“What about business? Can I do business with Emma as before?”
“I’ll allow that too.”
“Okay, just one though.”
“Just one!?”
Alexei-oniisan looks like he’s about to cry.
It’s kind of funny.
“Well, if you don’t like it, that’s fine too….”
“G-got it. Let’s make a deal!”
Alexei-oniisan likes rare things, so he gave in.
At any rate, the blockade was lifted and peace returned to Gandalcia.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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