Someone Rejoices, Someone Worries (Part 1)

As the adopted children of Archbishop Rauscher, Ace and Ruby had carved out their own paths; though the elder brother was physically disabled, his diligence had earned him a position as a mouthpiece for the Church—a preacher.

His younger sister, Ruby, had relied on her extraordinary talent and courage to become a combatant, a rarity throughout the entire Church.

This was their second Christmas since arriving in Austria, and despite the hardships of their journey, they had once again found a home.

In 1843, the Dutch government, considering domestic political security and the living space of its people, decided to relocate the Catholic, German-speaking (Dutch-speaking) population from the Flanders region.

The destination was naturally the Austrian Empire. It must be said that the enterprising spirit of maritime peoples is strong; after receiving promises from Franz, these people became the main force for Austria's overseas colonization.

By comparison, the Italians were far more lethargic, preferring to work as porters at the docks or perform odd jobs in the fields.

However, Franz could not allow these people to remain gathered in the same place; the number of Italians was too great, and they had to be dispersed to better integrate into the country.

The government of the Austrian Empire began to encourage Italians to "go out." Aside from those who found employment spontaneously, government projects also made a point of utilizing Italian labor.

The most significant of these was railway construction. Due to the complex terrain of the Austrian Empire, the number of laborers and the technical requirements for building railways were far higher than in other countries.

Fortunately, this era saw a large group of talented engineers in the Austrian Empire who completed many tasks considered impossible at the time, while also creating miracles that would amaze future generations.

Examples included