Ch.327Knowledge Cheat Loaded and Ready!

Needless to say, the title of Director-General of the New Continent Development Headquarters is no joke.

It’s not someone an ordinary C-rank adventurer could easily meet.

Unless, of course, you’re the man who was personally headhunted by that very Director-General—namely me, William J. Kim.

“Regarding the proposal you made previously, I would like to have an in-depth discussion. We are currently operating from the planned site of the 8th Western City, and I will visit you immediately at whatever date and location you specify… That should be sufficient.”

“You’re probably the only person in all of Grantis who would try to schedule a meeting with Director-General Geronimo with such a brief message…”

“So, Jessica, do you think I’ll be rejected?”

“No way. He’ll probably respond the same day he receives the message.”

That’s likely true.

After all, Director-General Geronimo is genuinely interested in technology from another world—enough to offer a million gold during our first meeting.

If I can secure a barrier tower for the Willow Sanctuary by properly responding to his enthusiasm, it’s a profitable deal.

After leaving a message for Director-General Geronimo using the inter-city magical communication system, we moved to the second floor of Jessica’s parents’ potion shop rather than returning to our lodgings.

This was to prevent outsiders from overhearing the core aspects of the technology we planned to offer to Director-General Geronimo.

“Come to think of it, did I ever tell Iris that I came from another world?”

“You didn’t tell me directly, but I heard the general story from Mina and Phil. Including how Director-General Geronimo covets your knowledge.”

“That saves me the trouble of explaining again. That’s exactly why I want to meet with Director-General Geronimo now.”

“So you’ll provide technology the Director would want in exchange for borrowing a barrier tower. What kind of amazing technology are you planning to offer as a bargaining chip?”

“It’s nothing that extraordinary. It’s something we’re already familiar with.”

Saying that, I pulled out the steam engine diagram I had drawn previously.

It was the drawing I had made for Mina to create a steam vehicle when our Ancestor was destroyed during Iris’s rescue.

“A steam engine. Are you planning to hand this technology over to the Development Headquarters to mass-produce Ant Walkers?”

“It’s a bit different, Phillis. If this steam engine is properly utilized, it can create a transportation method that’s incomparably superior to Ant Walkers.”

“Ah~ That thing you mentioned before? The one that connects several large vehicles in a row and pulls them…”

“That’s right. The formal name is a steam locomotive, and to generate sufficient power and speed without overturning, it needs to run on dedicated tracks.”

I spread out a new sheet of paper and began drawing a standard train.

A train with a steam locomotive at the front, followed by coal cars and various freight cars, running on long stretches of rail.

I tried to depict the power transmission to the locomotive wheels in as much detail as I could remember.

“Hmm… the basic running method is similar to mine carts.”

“Why does it have to run on these metal frames? This way, you can’t change direction.”

“That’s precisely the point, Seti. This thing called a train is a vehicle designed to transport heavy loads quickly along a predetermined path.”

“How fast is it?”

“According to records, one of the most famous steam locomotives of its time could pull ten passenger cars at about 100 kilometers per hour.”

“WHAAAAT?!?!”

Mina’s eyes widened in shock at this speed that defied Grantis common sense.

The other four also wore expressions suggesting they couldn’t even imagine how fast that would be.

“Of course, steam locomotives weren’t capable of such power and speed when they first appeared. Early models couldn’t even reach half that speed.”

In the early days of railway history, the ‘Stephenson’s Rocket’ of 1829 pulled about 13 tons at a speed of 46 km/h.

Just 13 years later, in 1842, the ‘Mercury’ achieved the aforementioned record of 100 km/h.

I have no doubt that in Grantis, with its magical technology and dwarf race, development would progress even faster.

“Even the Ant Walker that Mina built could reach 30 km/h on flat ground, right? Imagine refining that for rail travel and doubling the speed.”

“If we estimate the distance from Mothertown to here at about 800 km… that calculates to about 13 hours and 20 minutes to traverse.”

“At 100 km/h, that’s under 8 hours.”

Of course, this is merely a theoretical calculation based on top speed, and in reality, it would take much longer due to stops at cities and water towers.

However, being able to cover the entire distance that pioneers have expanded into in just a single day, while pulling dozens of tons of cargo, would lead to a revolutionary transformation in logistics.

“…Indeed, if this could be realized in Grantis, it would undoubtedly be world-changing technology. A steel mass faster than carriages would also eliminate concerns about monster attacks.”

“The real issue would be securing the safety of the railways. If large monsters block the tracks or physically damage them, the train couldn’t run.”

“Well, we’ll have to rely on the brains of Grantis scholars for that part.”

While train whistles and cow catchers might work for wild animals, as someone from Earth, I can’t provide countermeasures for monsters.

So I’ll leave that part as a challenge for the New Continent Development Headquarters, and focus on what I can do now…

“It just occurred to me, wouldn’t it be more convincing to let Director-General Geronimo experience it directly rather than just explaining the theory?”

“Of course. Even we might not have believed that boiling water alone could move freight cars at dozens of kilometers per hour if we hadn’t experienced the Ant Walker.”

“However, unlike the Ant Walker, this would require space for laying tracks, and I don’t think it’s advisable to expose this information to people other than Director-General Geronimo.”

“Ah, you’re right, Phillis.”

That’s why we plan to set up the actual steam locomotive somewhere out of public view.

If the goal is just to demonstrate the potential of the steam engine, it doesn’t necessarily have to be at a 1:1 scale.

“For that, I think we’ll need Mina’s help again.”

“Hmm~? That’s the face of someone plotting something devious~ What is it, what is it?”

“It’s nothing that extraordinary. To put it simply…”

I plan to give Director-General Geronimo an unforgettable experience.

~ ~ ~ 7th Western City, Westend Seventh ~ ~ ~

While Will’s group was engrossed in their discussion about steam locomotives, Director-General Geronimo was busy with paperwork at the Development Branch in Westend Seventh.

Having successfully concluded the first round of talks with Marinda, the representative of the Aqua-folk, he had a mountain of work remaining.

What momentarily halted his busy pen was a piece of paper brought by a subordinate.

“Director-General, a magical telegraph has arrived from the planned site of the 8th Western City.”

“A magical telegraph? As if serial killings weren’t enough, has another urgent incident occurred?”

“Ah… it’s not from the Development Branch or the Sheriff’s Office, but from an adventurer named William J. Kim.”

“Hmm? Let me see.”

In principle, letters or telegrams from ordinary adventurers wouldn’t be directly delivered to the Director-General.

However, all employees of the Development Headquarters had been instructed by Director-General Geronimo to “forward any communication from William J. Kim or his party members directly to him, regardless of the channel.”

Thus, the subordinate faithfully carried out this instruction, and Director-General Geronimo slowly read the paper handed to him.

He did so with anticipation, wondering if they had found another extraordinary item like the Great Sage’s memoirs or a legendary magic core.

“…!?!?”

The content of the telegraph was concise, but the impact it had on the Director-General was by no means light.

After rubbing his tired eyes and re-reading the telegraph several times, Director-General Geronimo looked at the calendar on his desk and asked his subordinate:

“My scheduled visit to the planned site of the 8th Western City was in three days, correct?”

“Yes, Director-General.”

“I’m moving it up. I’ll handle only the most urgent matters today and depart early tomorrow morning. Please arrange an express carriage and escort personnel.”

“What? So suddenly?”

“It’s that important. Let’s see… if I leave tomorrow morning and it takes a full two days, then meeting with them around noon on September 13th would be good.”

Having calculated the timing in his head, Director-General Geronimo immediately prepared a reply to Will’s group.

He would hear the details at the Development Branch building at the planned site of the 8th Western City at noon on September 13th, three days from now.

That reply passed through the subordinate and the magical communication reception office, reaching Will before sunset. Will’s group then began preparing a presentation that would astound Director-General Geronimo.

The date was September 10th of the 101st Pioneer Year, the Day of Wind.

A refreshing breeze was racing across the autumn sky, which was as clear as the future of Grantis.