29 A New Era

Roland was ready to build the first railway. The train prototype had already been tested so it was time to make history with the first railway line. Roland had to decide where the first rail line would go to. He had several options available. One option was to connect the various regions of Graycastle together. He was also considering building a railway line to the Sand Nation to better transport the oil.

There were many things to consider when building the rail line. A railway connecting the various regions of Graycastle sounds good but it would actually bring very little benefit. The industry of Graycastle was centered in Neverwinter and the other regions are mainly underdeveloped so a train wouldn't have much to transport. A line to the Sand Nation would be useful in the future but at the moment they were still making the internal combustion engine so it isn't needed yet.

In Roland's mind, the most important part of the railway construction is the symbolism. This was going to be the first railway, it would be the first step into a new world. A railway symbolizes connectivity. In these trying times, it was important to reinforce the idea of human solidarity.

Roland came to a decision, he would build a railway to connect Neverwinter and Hermes. Along with promoting the idea of cooperation, it would make actual cooperation easier as well. The two cities could trade with each other to increase productive efficiency and spur economic growth. It would also be easier for supplies to be sent. Roland was planning on sending Golden Twos to the church after enough seeds have been made for Neverwinter. Sending them by cart is far too difficult and can lead to losses during transportation. A train would be a much better method of transportation.

Most importantly, a railway connection would have military benefits. If either Neverwinter or Hermes came under attack by a large demon force, they could receive reinforcements from the other city. The most important advantages humans have over the demons is mobility. While the demons are constrained by the Red Mist, humans can go wherever they please. With the creation of railways, human armies can be sent around at a lightning pace compared to the slow marches of the demons. The rapid transportation of armies will help ensure the humans can obtain local superiority of strength. Roland suddenly had a scary thought of demons obtaining trains, a thought which he quickly suppressed. If demons could transport their Red Mist with trains then humanity would be in trouble.

Roland sent a message to Steven proposing the creation of a railway connecting their nations. While waiting for his response, Roland continued to stockpile the resources to build trains and tracks.

When read the message, he was delighted by the idea. In fact, he not only agreed to build a railway, he also proposed that they build a telegraph line between them in order to make communication faster. After all, in the American Civil War, one of the main advantages the North had is what they had a developed system of railways and telegraphs. Since railways are being built, they should also build telegraphs to complete the package.

The telegraph line would be buried under the railway tracks. Ordinarily, a telegraph line would be too difficult to maintain since people are often tempted to steal the valuable copper wires. However, since they are buried underground most people won't know about them. Furthermore, the frequent trains passing over them would deter thieves.

Roland agreed to Stevens proposal and they soon began constructing the railway. The route was planned out and Neverwinter sent out crews to start laying tracks and putting in the telegraph wires. Hermes also sent its own construction crews to start building tracks starting from their end.

Construction proceeded swiftly and soon the work crews were able to meet and complete the railway. To celebrate the creation of the railway, they would hold a ceremony to announce the opening of the railway line. The details of the ceremony were discussed over the telegraph.

Steven and Roland would meet at a railway station in the middle of the line to officially open the railway line. Roland got on a train and traveled from Neverwinter. Steven and Zero got on a train in Hermes and traveled to the station.

Since people were still unaware that Zero was the real pope, Steven would be the one representing the church. Zero wanted to go too because she wanted to see the train in person.

After the train started moving Zero was impressed by it. "Wow, we are traveling very quickly. Not even the fastest horses could outrun the train, and the train doesn't even get tired."

"It really is amazing", Steven replied. "The train is one of the symbols of industrialization, and it is the beginnings of a new interconnected world."

Zero spent the train ride looking out of the window and watching as so many locations appeared and then disappeared. These places would take many days to travel to but the train covered the distance in just a few hours. Finally, the train stopped at its destination.

When the ceremony began, both Roland and Steven walked up on stage and shook hands. Then, Roland cut the ribbon in front of the train station and officially announced the opening of the railway line.

"Today marks a defining moment in history", Roland said. Today, the disconnected parts of humanity come together as a whole. From now on we shall work together. An age of connectivity has come and with each advance we make, the world becomes smaller for we will no longer be so distant with those who live far away."