Chapter 560 - 532: Roland Wushan
Chapter 560: Chapter 532: Roland Wushan
Although Gallon had expanded Swamp Castle by two rings, it was still too small to accommodate all the visiting nobles.
Fortunately, Ronin had prepared in advance, renovating and decorating the inns in town to make them presentable.
He could have actually chosen Moonlight Castle as the venue, as it was both luxurious and large enough.
Unfortunately, the railway to Moonlight Valley had not yet been laid, so he couldn’t show it off.
Inside the room, Dianey was leading the midwives, all bustling about. Missy Knight, now Blanche’s personal guard, was also by her side.
Ronin didn’t go in. He waited quietly outside the room, listening to the sounds of encouragement from within. He felt a mix of nervousness, anxiety, and impatience.
Childbirth was an extremely dangerous affair, but that was for ordinary people.
Blanche was now a Senior Mage. Although her Constitution couldn’t compare to an Advanced Level Knight’s, it was much better than an ordinary person’s.
Besides, Elron was waiting outside. If any accident were to occur, he was more than capable of handling it.
"Ha, this is the first time I’ve ever seen you so nervous!"
With his great-grandson about to be born, Lurans had made a special trip back from the front lines to Swamp Town and was now sitting on a sofa, waiting.
Also present were Wiggin, Ronin’s father, who walked with a limp; Ronin’s younger brother, Bretton; and Bretton’s betrothed, Lilia Black Jade.
Ronin smiled and sat down on the sofa as well. "It’s my first time, after all. It’s normal to be nervous."
"When your mother gave birth to your sister, I was just like you."
Wiggin said with a smile, "Later, with the second child, when you were born, I was much less nervous."
The old Wiggin had been somewhat eccentric and prejudiced against Ronin, and many of the things he did had been quite unpleasant.
But now, he no longer put on airs as a father in front of Ronin, instead acting like a cultured and gentle man.
’It couldn’t be helped. Who could blame him, when Ronin was a Legendary, a Duke of the Kingdom, and the future King?’
Of course, while Wiggin felt the pressure, he also felt proud.
"Ronin, have you chosen a name for the child?" he asked.
Ronin nodded and said, "I have. He’ll be called Roland. Roland Wushan."
Lurans raised an eyebrow. "It’s a boy?"
Ronin nodded. "Yes."
He was a Legendary Mage, and his Spiritual Power was immense. Blanche, for her part, was a Senior Mage, and she could clearly sense the conditions within her own body.
Therefore, even though the child hadn’t been born yet, they both already knew its gender.
That was why Ronin had chosen a boy’s name, hoping that Roland would grow up to be a brave and decisive Prince who could carry on his own ideas for reform.
Lurans laughed. "Excellent!"
"Congratulations, brother! I can’t believe I’m about to have a nephew!" Bretton said with a smile.
Ronin chuckled. "You and Lilia should hurry up, too. I’d like to move up a generation myself."
Lilia lowered her head, her face turning red.
Bretton scratched his head in embarrassment. "Lilia and I have talked about it. We’re not in a hurry. We’ll wait until I at least reach the rank of Golden Knight!"
He was only seventeen now. Although he was a Bronze Knight, becoming a Golden Knight would likely take another two or three years, even with the help of Enhancement Potions.
Starting a family at twenty seemed about right.
As they were talking, the sound of a baby’s cry, "WAAH, WAAH," came from the room. Everyone’s spirits lifted, and Ronin shot to his feet, rushing to the door.
A moment later, the door slowly opened, and Dianey walked out, beaming. In her arms, wrapped in swaddling clothes, was the newborn life.
"Congratulations, Ronin! It’s a healthy boy!"
Ronin let out a long sigh of relief, his face overflowing with unconcealable joy as he clumsily took the baby into his arms.
At that moment, it all felt surreal. A familiar quote from before his transmigration suddenly came to mind:
"My child, the day you were born, the very..."
Ronin shook his head, clearing away the random thoughts. He carefully looked at the little one in his arms, who now had his eyes closed and seemed very calm.
Lurans, Bretton, and the others gathered around. Ronin handed the baby to Lurans and then went into the room himself.
He gently took Blanche’s hand and said softly, "You’ve worked so hard."
Blanche smiled. Sweat had dampened her long, golden-brown hair, but her face was filled with bliss.
News of the new life’s arrival quickly spread throughout Swamp Castle and even all of Swamp Town.
The nobles who had come to offer their congratulations filed into the castle to express their joy to Ronin, presenting the gifts they had long prepared.
The long-awaited banquet finally began.
Although the reception featured a rich variety of Western-style dishes, the Chinese-style cuisine that Ronin had grown fond of in recent years was also served, along with specially prepared strong spirits and more.
Although many of the dishes looked strange to the nobles, they had an indescribable novelty once tasted.
The lively atmosphere lasted for the entire day.
The next morning, Chahar, who was in charge of hosting, took the nobles on a tour of the coal base to give them a better understanding of this resource.
The hope was that they would then return to their own territories and see if they, like Marvin Viscount, could also find similar deposits.
After the tour of the coal base, Chahar led everyone to the outside of a factory.
"What is this?"
Someone soon spotted the railway stretching off into the distance. Confusion, doubt, and curiosity prompted many of the nobles to step closer for a better look.
This was, after all, the territory of the Duke of Conqueror, the likely future master of the continent. Everything here was worth their careful study.
Besides, Chahar had brought them here for a specific reason; something was clearly about to happen.
Luther squatted beside the two iron rails, studying them intently.
’Such a perfect connection method... These rails were definitely not forged by ordinary hands!’
As the Minister of Finance for the Oduin Kingdom, he keenly sensed that there was more to this railway than met the eye. He could smell the scent of wealth.
"Lord Chahar, might I ask what this thing is for?"
"Yes, such a long track must have consumed a vast amount of iron ore. Does the Lord Duke have a special purpose for it?"
The nobles voiced their questions one after another, all filled with curiosity about the railway.
Chahar smiled.
’Once, he had been just a minor steward following a down-and-out Baron into the remote mountains. Now, he could stand on equal footing with these nobles and Ministers of the Kingdom to discuss matters of state—something he would never have dared to dream of in the past.’
"Everyone!"
Chahar announced in a clear voice, "This railway is a great invention by our lord, the Duke of Conqueror, Ronin!"
His tone was impassioned as he mentioned Ronin, the man to whom he owed his meteoric rise.
"It will completely change the way we transport goods and people, making travel between our territories closer and fostering greater prosperity!"
The nobles exchanged confused glances. Though they were very familiar with the word "prosperity," the concept of a "railway" was still foreign to them.
Just as they were pondering this, a tremendous noise echoed from the distance.
Swelling with pride and excitement, Sedon drove a steam train toward them from the distance.
Although the railway wasn’t complete, a few miles of track was enough for a demonstration.
CLANG, CLANG, CLANG...
Two steam locomotives, one at the front and one at the back, were connected to five train cars loaded with materials such as dirt, timber, and coal.
"What is that?!"
"Oh heavens, what is that? A type of Magical Beast I’ve never seen before?"
"No, it’s made of steel and has no legs. What kind of Magical Beast looks like that?"
Everyone looked on in shock. The oppressive sight and sound of the approaching train made them so tense they could hardly breathe.
The nobles stumbled backward. They had never seen such a behemoth and couldn’t imagine how it was able to move on its own.
SCREEECH!
With a loud screech of friction, Sedon skillfully controlled the steam train, bringing it to a slow stop in front of the crowd.
Only then did everyone present get a clear look at its appearance and the goods being transported in its cars.
Sedon stepped out of the driver’s cabin, bowed to the nobles, and began his introduction.
"My esteemed lords, I am Sedon, the driver of the Wubei Territory Number One. Allow me to formally introduce you all to this... train!"
Floating in the air, Ronin listened quietly to the gasps of astonishment rising and falling from below. He knew that from this day forward, the word ’train’ would be etched into their minds.
Luther walked up to one of the cars, staring in shock at the sand and gravel loaded inside.
According to Sedon’s introduction, this single car was carrying sixty thousand pounds of sand and gravel. How many horses and how much manpower would it take to transport that much by land?
But the crucial point was that this was just one car of the steam train—and there were four more just like it!
And—even more critically—this wasn’t even the train’s maximum carrying capacity.
As a man of commerce and finance, Luther knew instantly that the impact of the train on transportation would be nothing short of revolutionary.
In that moment, Ronin’s image in his mind became impossibly grand.
’Magnificent... Absolutely magnificent!’
He couldn’t help but think, ’A man like this will surely become the ruler of the entire continent, and he will bring an era of unprecedented change and glory!’