By the time the meeting ended, darkness had settled over Elarion.

Most of the officials departed carrying fresh orders, revised schedules, and enough paperwork to keep entire departments occupied for weeks. The planning offices for the Five Pillars would begin operating the following morning, and survey teams were already moving toward future construction sites. For many people, the day’s work was finished.

For Lucien, it was only changing direction.

As the conference chamber gradually emptied, he stopped several people from leaving.

Lucas.

Malen.

Gandalf.

Maerath.

Ironbreaker.

The five remained while the doors closed behind the last administrator.

Large maps still covered the central table. Iron Junction occupied the center of the largest one, with planned rail lines stretching outward toward Titanworks, Ironhold, Seastar, Skyforge, and Elarion itself.

For several moments, nobody spoke.

Then Lucien rested one hand on the map.

"We’ve spent most of today discussing cities."

Lucas nodded.

"Naturally."

"Now I want to discuss what connects them."

The administrator immediately understood.

"The railway network."

"Exactly."

Lucien’s gaze settled on Iron Junction.

The city did not exist yet.

Survey teams had only recently begun their work.

Yet the more he considered the Five Pillars, the more convinced he became that Iron Junction would determine whether the entire project succeeded.

Titanworks could build machines.

Ironhold could manufacture weapons.

Seastar could dominate maritime trade.

Skyforge could pioneer aviation.

None of it would matter if goods moved slowly.

None of it would matter if armies arrived late.

None of it would matter if resources remained trapped hundreds of kilometers from where they were needed.

A civilization expanded at the speed of its transportation.

And Elarion’s transportation was about to become outdated.

"The current locomotives won’t be enough."

Ironbreaker grunted.

"Not even close."

The dwarf leaned over the table.

"They’re reliable. That’s the nicest thing I can say about them."

Gandalf looked amused.

"Coming from you, that’s practically praise."

"It wasn’t intended that way."

Lucien ignored them.

"The existing railway system was built for a different Elarion."

Lucas folded his arms.

"The population growth alone will strain capacity."

"Exactly."

Lucien pointed toward the routes feeding into Iron Junction.

"Once Titanworks begins operating, we’ll be moving machinery on a scale we’ve never attempted before. Ironhold will need steel, chemicals, fuel, ammunition, and manufactured components. Seastar will pull resources toward the coast while bringing trade inward. Skyforge will eventually require specialized materials that cannot be produced locally."

The room remained quiet.

Everyone understood the implications.

The railways would become the arteries of the entire territory.

And the arteries needed a stronger heart.

Lucien pulled a set of Warhound engine schematics from a nearby folder.

Maerath’s attention locked onto them immediately.

That reaction alone confirmed Lucien had chosen correctly.

"The Warhound changed more than warfare."

The old archmage leaned forward.

"I agree."

"It proved something."

Lucien spread the schematics beside the railway plans.

"It proved that hybrid mana-mechanical propulsion is practical."

Maerath studied the drawings carefully.

The old mage’s expression gradually shifted from curiosity to concentration.

Gandalf recognized the look and sighed.

"Here we go."

Lucien continued before either mage could start arguing.

"I don’t want improved steam locomotives."

That earned immediate attention.

"And i also don’t want better coal engines."

Now even Lucas looked surprised.

Coal had powered Elarion’s rail development from the beginning.

Replacing it wasn’t a small improvement.

It was a complete shift in direction.

Lucien tapped the Warhound schematic.

"I want locomotives built around hybrid propulsion."

For several moments Maerath simply stared at the diagrams.

Then a slow smile appeared.

The expression was remarkably similar to the one he wore when discussing impossible magical theories.

"Interesting."

Gandalf immediately looked concerned.

Lucas looked worse.

The administrator had already learned that researchers describing something as interesting usually resulted in budget increases.

Lucien pointed toward the primary freight routes.

"The first design will become the standard locomotive of the Five Pillars network."

His finger traced the routes leading toward Iron Junction.

"It must move industrial cargo, construction materials, machinery, steel, and food supplies without requiring constant stops for fuel and maintenance."

Maerath nodded slowly.

Reasonable.

Lucien met his gaze.

"I want a minimum output of three thousand horsepower."

Silence settled across the room.

Ironbreaker stopped examining the map.

Lucas stopped writing.

Even Gandalf needed a moment to process it.

The existing railway engines were nowhere near that figure.

Three thousand horsepower would place the locomotive in an entirely different category.

Maerath, however, looked delighted.

The old archmage studied the Warhound schematic again before turning his attention toward the rail network.

His mind was already moving through possibilities.

"The engine architecture will need a complete redesign."

"Expected."

"The mana-core assembly cannot simply be enlarged."

"Expected."

"The cooling systems must be rebuilt."

"Expected."

"The power cycle must be stabilized for continuous operation."

Lucien nodded.

"Good."

Maerath looked pleased.

Far too pleased actually.

The old mage had clearly accepted the challenge.

Unfortunately, Lucien wasn’t finished.

He unfolded a second map.

Military deployment routes.

Future frontier connections.

Heavy supply corridors.

Ironhold dominated the center.

Gandalf immediately noticed.

"So there is another project."

"There it is."

Lucien spread a rough concept sketch across the table.

Unlike the freight locomotive, this design focused on military applications.

Protected locomotives.

Armored wagons.

Troop compartments.

Artillery platforms.

Command sections.

Supply cars.

The room became noticeably quieter.

The implications were obvious.

Rapid troop movement.

Protected logistics.

Mobile artillery support.

Entire formations could travel faster than any marching army.

Gandalf leaned closer.

Now he was interested.

"The second locomotive is for armored trains."

Lucien looked between the two mages.

"I want a minimum output of five thousand horsepower or more if possible."

This time even Maerath needed several seconds.

Not because the figure was impossible.

Because it was ambitious even to him.

Eventually the old archmage laughed.

"Now we’re discussing proper engineering."

Gandalf rubbed his forehead.

"I knew this meeting would become expensive."

"It was always going to become expensive."

"True."

Lucien allowed the exchange to pass before turning serious again.

"The projects will be divided."

Both mages looked toward him.

"The engines belong to Maerath."

The archmage nodded immediately.

He had already claimed the work in his head.

Lucien continued.

"I want you focused entirely on propulsion."

Maerath listened carefully.

"Mana-core architecture."

A nod.

"Power generation."

Another.

"Heat management."

A thoughtful expression.

"Fuel conversion."

More interest.

"And overall engine design."

The old mage smiled.

"Acceptable."

Lucien wasn’t surprised.

Those areas aligned perfectly with Maerath’s strengths.

Then he turned toward Gandalf.

"The moment power leaves the engine, it becomes your responsibility."

The old mage raised an eyebrow.

Lucien pointed toward the armored train concept.

"I want transmission systems capable of handling those power levels."

Now Gandalf looked interested.

"Braking systems that won’t fail under military loads." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

The interest deepened.

"And i want drive assemblies designed for long-distance operation with enough reliability to not fail or need continuous maintainance."

Gandalf stepped closer.

"I want armored train integration planned from the beginning from the very scratch rather than a tutle shell which doesn’t fit anywhere."

A slow smile appeared.

There it was.

The project had become his.

Lucien continued.

"The engines are useless if the railway cannot survive them."

Gandalf nodded.

"For once, that is a completely reasonable statement."

Maerath looked offended.

"My engines would survive."

"The rails might not."

"Then build better rails."

"I intend to."

The argument began naturally.

Simply inevitable.

Lucas listened for several seconds before quietly lowering his head.

The administrator had already accepted his fate.

Research budgets were about to suffer.

Lucien almost felt sorry for him.

Almost.

Eventually the conversation returned to practical matters.

Materials.

Workshops.

Testing grounds.

Production schedules.

The discussion continued for nearly an hour while ideas gradually transformed into actual projects.

When they finally finished, a rough framework had emerged.

Maerath would establish a dedicated propulsion research program using Warhound data as the foundation.

Gandalf would oversee railway integration and armored train development.

Ironbreaker would provide industrial expertise where necessary.

Lucas would somehow pay for everything.

The final responsibility seemed the most difficult.

The administrator clearly agreed.

As the meeting finally approached its conclusion, Lucien looked toward the map of Iron Junction once more.

The city remained little more than survey markers and plans.

Yet the first major project tied to its future already existed.

A locomotive powerful enough to transform transportation.

And eventually another powerful enough to carry armies.

Lucas closed the final report.

"I’ll need a project designation."

Lucien considered the question for several moments.

Outside, workers were already preparing the future.

Survey teams were carving routes across the territory.

Construction planners were organizing labor.

The first Pillar had begun taking shape.

"Ironheart."

Lucas wrote the name.

No one objected.

The title fit.(If it fits it sits).

Iron Junction would become the heart of Elarion’s transportation network.

The locomotives designed for it would become the force that kept those arteries moving.

And somewhere in the back of Lucien’s mind, he suspected the project had just started a technological race that would eventually reshape far more than railways.