Merchant

A caravan traveled north along the narrow Anzeta Corridor toward Romulo City in the empire.

Leading the group was Joseph Salazar, a renowned merchant from the Thrace Kingdom, one of the heads of the Pearson Merchant Guild, and the person in charge of the guild's trade with the Empire.

It is said that he has one-sixteenth Elf blood, which makes him more handsome and younger than ordinary people. Although he is over fifty years old, he still looks like he is in his thirties.

At this moment, Joseph looked at the long, narrow valley that seemed to stretch on forever, and tapped the ground with his cane impatiently. "How much longer until we get there?"

"My lord, once you step out of the Anzeta Corridor, you will reach the heart of the Embers of the Burned Empire."

The guard replied in this way.

"This is basic common sense!"

Joseph was somewhat annoyed.

"This trade route has been open for so long, and you haven't even familiarized yourselves with the surrounding environment!"

"Lord Joseph, this is our first time too."

The guards smiled obsequiously and apologized repeatedly, which calmed Joseph's anger slightly.

In fact, there was Teleportation Array in Tahan City in the Kattepa Area, that led directly to Istaria, but Joseph refused their help, citing "looking for business opportunities."

This was, of course, just an excuse. Besides being the head of the Chamber of Commerce, Joseph had another identity—the "white glove" of Prince Bowers, the eldest son of King Wilhelm.

He used his relationship with the prince to obtain inside information for profit, to acquire wealth for the prince, and to handle matters that he could not personally handle.

Although their trade with the Embers of the Burned Empire has been quite frequent in recent years, the Thrace Kingdom has been busy with war, and most of those transactions are handled entirely by the Empire South Continent Company, which only needs to wait in the south to receive the goods.

In addition, the Embers of the Burned Empire was heavily guarded and possessed a complete intelligence system, so the Thrace Kingdom's high command actually knew very little about the Embers of the Burned Empire.

Joseph's mission to the Embers of the Burned Empire was to gather intelligence on the empire, including but not limited to drawing maps, exploring defenses, investigating the army's situation, and stealing military blueprints. Of course, to better understand the situation, they also hired a guide from the empire in Tahan City Hera Gatti.

The guide was beautiful, but Joseph felt that her pupils resembled those of a reptile, giving him a strange sense of danger. "Mr. Joseph, don't worry, we'll reach Istaria before dark, and we won't need to walk out of the Anzeta Corridor."

Hera came up from behind and said in a soft voice.

Joseph asked with some suspicion, "Why?"

Hera smiled and pointed ahead, "The Anzeta Corridor Station is just ahead. We can take the Steam Engine Car to Istaria."

"Steam Engine Car".

He had heard of this term before; it referred to a unique mode of transportation in the empire, which was said to be quite convenient.

Joseph looked in the direction the finger was pointing and saw that a clearing had been cleared in front of him, with metal tracks laid on the ground, stretching all the way to the end of the valley.

The steel surfaces were smooth and flat, with a uniform color, and there were no hammer marks, dents, or cracks on them, so they were obviously good quality steel.

"Such high-quality steel, just laid out on the ground like this?"

Joseph was taken aback; even the former Fadlan Empire would not have been so extravagant.

Hera smiled and explained, "Mr. Joseph, the Empire's steel production should far exceed your imagination. They will use those huge furnaces to gather all the scrap steel and pig iron together."

Moreover, these are all His Majesty's assets; within the empire, absolutely no one would dare to steal them.

Joseph quickly adjusted his expression and said in a pretentious manner, "I originally thought Anzeta was just a remote and barren place, but now it seems that it is indeed more prosperous than I imagined."

However, compared to the once Holy Fadlan, this is still insignificant.

"Waaah—"

With the roar of the steam horn, the steel behemoth arrived, billowing steam, and stopped in front of the caravan.

Immediately, everyone present, except for Hera, gaped open, including Joseph.

Some guards even thought that enemies were coming and nervously raised their shields to block them.

"Everyone, don't be nervous, that's the Empire's Steam Engine Car."

Hera smiled and gestured for him to get in, then said, "Get in the car, Mr. Joseph."

There's no need to be ashamed of it; everyone who sees it for the first time reacts the same way you do.

Joseph quickly closed his mouth, gave a stiff smile, and retorted, "Compared to the steel guards of Fadlan, this is equally insignificant."

I'm just curious, are these steam trains open to ordinary citizens, or are they only for the wealthy and powerful? And what about our goods?

Hera patiently replied, "The Steam Engine Car is a gift from His Majesty to all the people. It only requires a small amount of money, and anyone can use it. It is very convenient."

A poet once said, "Your Majesty used steel to bridge mountains and plateaus, bringing people infinitely closer together."

She chuckled and continued, "As for the cargo? You don't need to worry at all. This steam Steam Engine Car can carry up to three hundred tons of cargo."

These steel behemoths, laden with goods, roared between north and south, transporting tens of thousands of tons of cargo every month, selling the empire's goods throughout Fei An Suo.

Joseph took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his brow and said softly, "It is indeed very convenient."

At this moment, however, he was thinking about the military mobilization capabilities of the Embers of the Burned Empire.

It's important to know that not every place has a constant Teleportation Array; the manufacture and maintenance of such things are extremely expensive.

These Steam Engine Car could carry hundreds of tons of cargo, so transporting soldiers was even easier.

In other words, as long as the emperor gave the order, the entire empire's army would quickly gather in the south—which would be a disaster for the Thrace Kingdom.

Moreover, these things, which are clearly magical creations, are being supplied to ordinary people! Even the once Holy Fadlan would not have done such a foolish thing.

Joseph thought so.

After paying a freight charge of twenty-one Ginar, the entire caravan of nearly one hundred people boarded the train, and their goods were moved into the freight cars.

"Waaah—"

With a whistle, accompanied by billowing gray smoke, the Steam Engine Car started running again, speeding along the tracks towards the north.

Its speed was not slow, and it quickly crossed the Anzeta Corridor and entered the vast Anzeta Great Wasteland.

Joseph gazed at the scenery outside the window, secretly recording it with the Image Recording Stone disguised as a medal on his chest. But the train sped by, and the scenery outside the window passed by in a hurry, so he could only record a very limited part of it.

Suddenly, he narrowed his eyes.

"That's... farmland?"

In the distance, there are vast, flat fields that stretch to the horizon, with rows of neat furrows in the fertile soil.

Compared to the farmland of the Central Great Plains, this is merely...

Suddenly, his eyes widened, and the words he was about to say froze.

One could see giant steel beasts with huge wheels moving through the farmland, using their wide "mouths" to till the soil and sow seeds.

Thick smoke was also rising from behind those giant beasts, a sight that Joseph found utterly absurd.

magic.

It is definitely a magical creation.

These Anzeta people, living in Magic Wasteland, actually use precious magical artifacts to perform the most lowly and humble farm work?

What's wrong with this world? You use magical creations for this? Even in the once Holy Fadlan, spellcasters were people of noble status and would never do such lowly work.

Seemingly noticing the shock in Joseph's eyes, Hera spoke up, "That's the Combined Seeder, also a favor bestowed upon us by His Majesty."

Looking at the distant farmland, she exclaimed, "Anzeta was once shrouded in hunger and cold, but now we have escaped the predicament of not having enough to eat."

This Lier Farmlands is nothing compared to the most spectacular Matra Great Farmlands to the north, which was once a desolate land.

Years ago, His Your Majesty Keosius personally used his supreme power to raise the earth, forming high mountains that blocked the cold winds from the north, warmed the land, and revealed the vast expanse of fertile black soil from the snow.

Currently, 70% of the empire's food supply comes from the Matra Great Farmlands.

At this point, Hera's tone had become somewhat devout, and her beautiful eyes were filled with reverence and fervor.

Upon hearing this, Joseph's eyes widened in shock, even revealing a hint of disbelief.

Change the terrain?

Even creating mountains? If what she said is true, then even a legendary mage would find it difficult to do that; it would probably be an effect achievable only by spells above the Nine Layers of Weave.

Before even reaching the legendary imperial capital of Istaria, Joseph was already deeply shocked by what he encountered along the way, and even felt a sense of panic.

Such an empire, brimming with ambition, would it truly be content with the meager lands of Anzeta and Carterpa?