Whooo!
The black-and-red steam locomotive belched rolling clouds of white smoke as it traveled along the tracks.
This was a special train running from Green Forest City to Plymouth City, the royal capital of Invis.
Inside one of the carriages.
Aaron and Bruce sat facing each other. Bruce stared out at the pastoral scenery beyond the window, slightly lost in thought.
Nominally, he was traveling alone to Plymouth to inherit another portion of Clark Das's estate there.
But after he boarded the train, Aaron had joined him.
Seeing that Bruce's mood had recovered somewhat, Aaron began discussing other matters to distract him.
"It takes twenty hours to get from Green Forest City to Plymouth. Looks like... we'll be spending the New Year on the train."
Aaron sighed.
"The New Year..."
Bruce emerged from his daze, though his expression was still somewhat vacant. "Before I knew it, another new year is about to arrive..."
Over the past year, he had successfully stepped through the gates of the mysterious world and fulfilled his long-cherished wish, but he had also lost his teacher and closest friend.
Aaron casually picked up the newspaper beside him and glanced over it. "The kingdom has won another glorious victory in its South Innis colony. It successfully suppressed three rebellious native states and defeated several rebel forces..."
"Isn't that perfectly normal? We Invis are the strongest nation on the continent."
The corner of Bruce's lips tugged into a smile, filled with intense pride.
In this age, Invis was unquestionably the strongest nation in the world!
"Yes. Thanks to Arthur the Sun King, we were the first to bring an end to darkness and chaos, lighting the flame of industrial civilization. We defeated the powerful continental enemies—the Romani Duchy and the military power Tisago—then actively explored new sea routes,