The New Age of Transportation

Arthur woke up early and completed his usual exercise routine, which had become a habit. After a quick shower, he changed into fresh clothes and had a fast breakfast. He then left his room to head toward his father's chambers.

When Arthur arrived at his father's room, the guards—already accustomed to the prince visiting his father early in the mornings—knocked on the door and informed the king of his arrival. Once the king gave permission for him to enter, Arthur stepped into the room.

As he entered, Arthur noticed the fatigue evident in his father's face. He was aware that this exhaustion was likely caused by the increasingly tense situation surrounding the Maraz Strait. Despite his weariness, King Cedric greeted his son warmly, smiling as he said, "I'm listening, Arthur."

Arthur approached and said, "Father, you've been looking quite tired lately. Taking some time to rest would do you good."

Cedric smiled and replied, "Thank you for your thoughtful words, Arthur. But keeping up with developments around the Maraz Strait, ensuring trade isn't disrupted, and maintaining diplomacy with both the Aragon and Fas Kingdoms have been draining. Things have been particularly challenging since we began selling weapons to both kingdoms—now they're both trying to pull us into their side. The likelihood of war seems to be increasing. What do you think? Should we join the war?"

Arthur answered firmly, "No. Unless we can seize control of the Maraz Strait ourselves, entering this war would only waste human resources and capital. We should remain neutral politically while continuing to sell weapons to both sides."

Cedric nodded in agreement. "I share your view. Now, what brings you here this morning?"

Arthur placed some drawings on the table. On the topmost sheet was a hand-drawn illustration of a steam locomotive on a pair of tracks.

"Father," Arthur began, "over the last six months, we've been establishing factories in various sectors across the capital, and production levels have been increasing every month. However, despite this growth, transporting goods within the kingdom remains slow and inefficient. We need to change this. If we can accelerate the movement of goods in the domestic market, the economy will grow faster, and tax revenues will increase as well."

Cedric nodded thoughtfully. "You make a strong point. What solution do you propose for this problem?"

Arthur gestured to the drawing on the table. "We can solve this by using this machine to connect major cities and ports," he said.

Cedric studied the drawing of the machine and asked, "What does it do?"

Arthur explained, "This machine is powered by a steam engine. It moves along two parallel iron rails—what I call tracks—and can operate for long distances, carrying tons of cargo and hundreds of passengers."

Leaning back in his chair, Cedric imagined the ports and cities connected by the railroads Arthur described. "This is revolutionary for transportation," Cedric remarked.

Arthur continued, "I also have some ideas about the roads in the kingdom."

Cedric responded, "I'm listening."

Arthur said, "Father, most of the roads in the kingdom, especially those connecting settlements, are dirt roads. They're littered with rocks of various sizes, which slows down travel and makes it uncomfortable. Additionally, when it rains, these roads turn into mud and become nearly impossible to traverse by horse-drawn carriages. This makes it extremely difficult to transport goods and people, even over short distances. To address this, we need to build a nationwide network of proper roads."

Cedric replied, "Such a project would take decades and cost a fortune. Building roads doesn't seem as practical as constructing railways."

Arthur acknowledged this. "Yes, building a nationwide road network would take decades and require a massive budget. But if we built roads using identical stone blocks like those used in cities, it would take even longer. However, I've observed that the wheel of a carriage only contacts about one square centimeter of the road surface at any given time. So I've designed a more efficient road system that can be completed in less time.

"In my design, rocks would be broken into three sizes. The largest stones would form the base layer of the road, medium-sized stones would be placed on top of them, and finally, gravel-sized stones would form the top layer where the wheels make contact. Building roads this way would drastically reduce construction time and costs.

"I've also designed a steam-powered stone crusher to handle the process of breaking rocks into the desired sizes. With my simplified road design and the stone crusher, we could complete the nationwide road network in just five years, at a fraction of the cost."

Cedric listened intently, placing his hand on his chin in thought. After a moment, he said, "You've convinced me once again, my son. With your road design and machines, we can achieve a nationwide road network in a short time and at a lower cost."

Arthur added, "Father, organizing such a large-scale project won't be easy. Additionally, after building these roads and railways, we'll need to maintain and repair them regularly. I suggest establishing a separate Ministry of Transportation to oversee the construction, maintenance, and management of these networks. This would make the entire process more manageable."

Cedric nodded. "You're right. A project of this size and complexity requires proper organization. I'll give the order to establish a new ministry."

After saying goodbye to his father, Arthur left the palace to meet with William about manufacturing the necessary trains, rails, and wagons.

When he arrived at the city's industrial district, he was pleased to see that the factories had expanded significantly and increased in number compared to six months earlier. Feeling a sense of accomplishment, Arthur made his way to the steam engine factory where William's office was located.

Upon arriving, the guard at the entrance immediately recognized Arthur, as the prince frequently visited. "Welcome, Your Majesty. Mr. William is in his office," the guard said.

Arthur thanked him and entered the building, heading straight to William's office. Inside, he found William's desk covered with designs for steam engines, each tailored to a different sector.

When William noticed Arthur's arrival, he greeted him warmly. "Welcome, my prince. I wasn't expecting you today. My apologies for not greeting you at the door."

Arthur smiled. "No need to apologize. It was a last-minute decision," he said, gesturing to the papers he carried. "I have some designs I'd like you to manufacture."

Recognizing the designs in Arthur's hand, William smiled, realizing the prince had invented something new. "Of course, Your highness," he said, clearing his desk and making room for Arthur's plans.

Arthur laid out his drawings, and William's eyes widened when he saw the depiction of a train on rails.

"Your highness, what does this machine do?" William asked, intrigued.

"This is called a train," Arthur explained. "Using a high-pressure steam engine, it moves along the rails and pulls attached wagons. It will revolutionize logistics."

As Arthur described the train, William became increasingly excited and began asking numerous questions: how much weight it could carry, how it would stop, and the specific requirements for the tracks. Arthur patiently answered all his questions, and after a long discussion, William, fully satisfied, said, "Don't worry, Your highness. I'll complete the prototype quickly and begin mass production soon."

Arthur then informed William about the newly established Ministry of Transportation and explained the plan to build a nationwide railway network. He instructed William to collaborate closely with the ministry throughout the process.

After finishing his conversation with William, Arthur returned to the palace. As soon as he arrived in his room, he took a hot shower to wash away the fatigue of the day. Realizing he was late for dinner, he instructed the servant at the door to bring his meal to his room.

After eating, Arthur poured himself a glass of wine and stepped out onto the terrace. He sat down in his chair, sipping his wine as he gazed at the stars. While looking at the night sky, he began to reflect.

"It's been almost a year since I arrived in this world," he thought. "In just this one year, the country has changed significantly, and the pace of transformation is only accelerating."

Arthur felt increasingly satisfied as he thought about the sweeping reforms he had made in industry, education, and transportation. "It will likely take a few more years for domestic production to fully satisfy the internal market," he mused. "For now, it seems I won't face any major challenges in terms of raw material imports."

However, Arthur knew that once the domestic market reached its limit and the country began exporting goods, tensions would rise. "When Pendralis begins flooding foreign markets with cheap, high-quality, and abundant goods," he thought, "international political tensions will inevitably increase. This will likely lead to conflicts or even wars."

He made a mental note to strengthen the Pendralis military, especially its navy, to ensure the security of raw material supplies and maintain open access to export markets.

After finishing his glass of wine, Arthur stood up and headed to bed, preparing to rest for the challenges of the days to come.