Countless points of light illuminated Blood Port's night, and they were gradually increasing in number.
Lamplighters carried ladders from one streetlamp to the next, climbed up, took keys from their pockets to unlock the lamp covers, and held tiny flames inside. Then another star appeared in the night.
Nighttime brightness had once been used to measure a region's level of development. That metric had many problems, but in this era, it really could reflect the degree of industrialization.
Alvaray had seen gas lamps before. He had encountered these novel things long ago in Rhine, and their bright flames had greatly impressed him. He had even considered installing a few at home, but the complex piping design eventually made him abandon the idea, leaving him with only a few lanterns.
These permanently installed gas lamps relied on underground pipes to supply gas. Cast-iron piping not only required regular maintenance, but gas pressure also had to be controlled. Otherwise, the lamps either would not light or would flicker constantly.
All of this required systematic industrialization. The Northern Territory could never have it.
But Rhine did. Though its industrialization was rudimentary and covered only a small area, it was still industrialization. Rhine had become the jewel in the Empire's crown because of it.
Alvaray had once yearned for Rhine beyond measure, for those scattered lights in the night. If not for the constraints of his status, he would certainly have bought an estate in Rhine and properly experienced the Empire's prosperity.
But all those ideals and extravagant hopes shattered at this moment, melting like a thin layer of snow beneath the scorching midday sun.
Yes, Blood Port was that blazing sun.
No longer were there dim, uncertain flames, but streets and factories bright as day.
Workers finishing their shifts, exhausted from head to