[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 238: Ascension (2)

Once the Black Tower's demonstration ended, the crowd was left in great confusion.

It was a feeling eerily similar to when they first encountered magical engineering.

As if something that had only existed vaguely in their imaginations and minds had been dragged into reality.

Even Emperor Ludwig himself showed great interest.

"A fascinating technology indeed. I have a few questions for you."

"Please, ask as many as you wish, Your Majesty."

"First question. If that mechanical golem is capable of learning from its environment and reasoning on its own, how is it any different from a homunculus—which the Empire has banned?"

"Everything from its origin to its operational principles is entirely different."

The mage responded immediately, as if anticipating the question.

"A homunculus possesses consciousness. Our mechanical golem does not."

"No consciousness... Is that why the technology is called a Cognitive Pattern Processing System?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After a brief pause for thought, Ludwig asked again.

"What does the Black Tower define as the difference between consciousness and cognition?"

"According to our internal definitions, consciousness is composed of subjectivity, emotions, desires, and free will. In contrast, cognition is a much simpler, more intuitive system made up of sensing, interpreting, categorizing, and reacting."

Subjectivity—the ability to think for oneself.

Emotions and desires that could influence the execution of commands.

And free will, which could cause outcomes to deviate unpredictably.

The Black Tower mage continued proudly.

"Technically, the Prometheus model may be an inferior version of the homunculus from the past. But in terms of functional superiority and command execution, it is undeniably a complete upgrade."

"Hmm..."

Ludwig nodded subconsciously.

Truthfully, there had been similar experiments in the past.

With the technological capability to create homunculi, it wasn’t like something of this level couldn't have been built.

‘The real advancement isn't the technology itself, but the body.’

Back then, there had been no faction specializing in mechanical golems like the Black Tower.

Even the Black Tower itself had only switched from necromancy to this field out of necessity.

‘A mechanical golem with specs far superior to anything from back then—plus learning capabilities...’

Ludwig nodded again.

"It seems this proves that the Black Tower has successfully and fully replaced its main school of magic. However, before this technology is commercialized, it must undergo inspection by the Imperial Office."

"Of course, Your Majesty!"

The mage replied joyfully, almost leaping with excitement.

After all, the Emperor had just acknowledged a “complete replacement of the Tower’s main school of magic.”

And since Ludwig had been the very one to officially ban necromancy, this would undoubtedly wash away much of the negative sentiment that had accumulated over the years.

During the 10-minute break following the demonstration, a flood of guests rushed to see the Black Tower Master.

"Greetings, Master of the Black Tower. We are the co-chairmen of Stratow & Vale Corporation, a defense contractor. We are very interested in collaborating with your Prometheus model..."

"Your presentation was truly inspiring. I fully agree with the opinion that your tower's technology rivals magical engineering, and I look forward to further collaboration..."

It was a veritable flood of visitors.

Though the growing noise around the table made some other tower masters uncomfortable, no one spoke up.

This was one of the privileges granted to a tower master after a successful demonstration at the magic showcase.

As the time for the Red Tower’s presentation approached and the crowd dispersed, Red Tower Master Kudel spoke.

"You've developed quite an impressive piece of tech. Congratulations."

"Thank you, Blue Tower Master."

"So tell me—wasn’t it mentioned that this could be used for military purposes as well?"

"With some custom tailoring, there's nothing it can't do. We’re already planning a version for use as a sparring partner for mages and knights."

"Hmm... in that case, it might pair well with our Yellow Tower's Argo program. We've already been using that for training purposes."

Even the Red and Yellow Tower Masters were showing interest in the Black Tower's next-generation golem.

With proper use, it could be a huge boost to their military strength and commercial ventures.

"Hmm, if things go well..."

Kudel glanced at Sasha with a meaningful look in his eyes.

"This might really be the moment the Four Great Towers get restructured."

"...Watch your mouth."

"Hey now, I never said White Tower specifically."

He chuckled wickedly, baring his teeth.

It was the kind of face that made you want to punch him just once—hard.

Sasha barely suppressed the urge and instead kept a composed expression.

"...Hmm?"

Kudel tilted his head.

She didn’t look the least bit shaken, when she should have been pale and trembling.

‘Don’t tell me she thinks just because she became an 8th-level mage, she won’t get booted from the Four Great Towers?’

If that’s what she really believed, he wanted to tell her to wake up.

Sure, producing an 8th-level mage was a major feat—but if you compared recent achievements and future growth potential, the Black Tower was overwhelmingly ahead.

‘Unless...’

Could it be that the White Tower also had something prepared?

Kudel Redmane looked toward the stage with an intrigued expression.

"Ah, my people are coming on now."

The Red Tower’s presentation wasn’t all that impressive.

Being a tower that prided itself on combat power and firepower, they showcased a new offensive spell and a new enemy detection technique meant for the western front—nothing more.

But since the Black Tower had just caused a massive stir, the Red Tower’s presentation felt tame by comparison.

Kudel smacked his lips at the underwhelming response.

"Tch, disappointing."

The Black Tower was like a natural disaster that had swept everything away.

If the White Night Festival ended at this point, it was obvious to everyone that the Black Tower would be this year’s main star.

‘Now that I think about it…’

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Kudel looked at the Yellow Tower Master.

His platinum-blonde hair was neatly combed back and gleamed with vitality despite his age.

His eyes were always tightly shut beneath his exposed forehead, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.

‘I’ve known that guy for quite a while now, and I still have no idea what he’s thinking.’

He could joke around even with Emperor Ludwig these days, but that guy remained an enigma.

Kudel clicked his tongue lightly and asked,

"Was it a train, you said? There are rumors flying about how the Yellow Tower will be unveiling a new type of transport."

"Why are you pretending not to know? You already saw it."

"..."

At the words of Pentarion Ereus, the Yellow Tower Master, Kudel had no choice but to fall silent.

After all, he had already sent someone to investigate what the so-called “train” was when the Yellow Tower conducted a trial run near the capital.

“This year, the Black Tower may have performed admirably, but the true star of the White Night Festival will be our Yellow Tower.”

Despite the arrogant remark, the Black Tower Master kept a calm expression.

There was no need to judge anything prematurely until they saw for themselves what the much-rumored train really was.

—Next, the Yellow Tower’s magical presentation and demonstration.

With the announcement, the entire hall was enveloped in darkness.

Then, a giant screen rose above the stage, and sound began to play.

Clack, clack-clack, clack-clack!

Clatter, clatter!

Two distinct sounds echoed from beyond the black screen.

People instinctively recognized what those sounds were.

“Huh? That’s... a carriage. Isn’t that a carriage sound?”

“Don’t tell me the Yellow Tower’s big reveal is just a carriage?”

“But... didn’t they already unveil self-driving cars a few years ago? Why go back to carriages now?”

People raised figurative question marks over their heads—only for a moment.

The camera slowly panned upward, revealing a vast landscape.

“Oh! That’s the Grand Line Canyon!”

“It’s a must-visit for any citizen of the Empire!”

A massive canyon in the northeastern part of the continent, a famous landmark.

Crossing that vast expanse were hundreds upon hundreds of carriages.

—VOLT.

Flags of the Volt Trading Company, nurtured by the Yellow Tower itself, were planted throughout the caravan.

At that point, viewers realized it was a major trading expedition.

While the cinematic aerial shots were impressive, what truly captivated the audience was the sheer weight and scale only a large trade caravan could convey—dust clouds trailing behind them as they surged forward.

“But... what exactly is the point of all this?”

“No matter how big Volt is, isn’t this kind of random?”

The footage was beautiful, but no one could quite grasp what message it was trying to deliver.

As people tilted their heads in confusion, a line of text appeared over the now-black screen:

[The 327 carriages shown on screen are carrying a total of 1,280 tons of goods.]

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

“1,280 tons in one go? That’s insane.”

“If Volt can manage that, what about Sirius Trading? Aren’t they even bigger?”

“Rumor says they run over 1,000 carriages per trip.”

“Crazy... even with Yellow Tower’s backing, it’s not easy to match that.”

Just then, a few sharp-eyed viewers noticed something on screen.

“What’s that metal-looking thing on the ground?”

“Looks like some kind of structure...”

“But why would something like that be attached to the earth?”

The moment collective curiosity peaked, the screen went black again, and a new sentence appeared:

[No longer will hundreds of carriages be needed for trade.]

Then—BWOOOOOOO!

A loud horn, unlike anything anyone had ever heard before, echoed throughout the hall.

The screen lit up again.

The massive Volt caravan split in two, parting like a tide.

Between them roared a gigantic steel beast racing down the tracks—a train.

[A new vehicle, a new paradigm, a new era.]

Faster than any carriage, the train blitzed past the caravan in a blur. Its sheer length stretched far beyond the camera's field of view.

“That... that thing’s a vehicle?”

“How can something the size of a building even move?”

All eyes were fixated on the endless train.

[Train: Arcanote. Cargo capacity: 500,000 tons.]

Half a million tons.

That incomprehensible, almost violent number burned itself into the audience’s vision.

[Previously, it took 11 months for carriages to complete a continental trade route.]

[Now, the train completes the same route in just 28 days.]

The video changed again.

Day and night, through rain and snow, the train kept running.

It was the ultimate evolution in trade.

A total paradigm shift.

At last, the video ended, and the Yellow Tower’s slogan appeared on screen:

[A single line to unite the continent—Arcanote.]

The screen faded to black, leaving behind a heavy silence.

But only for a moment.

Clap... clap...

It started with just one person.

Then the applause spread and grew louder.

People rose to their feet, delivering a standing ovation.

CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP!

The ovation lasted a full eight minutes.

The Yellow Tower Master, clearly pleased, allowed a rare, satisfied smile to form on his face.

“So that’s what this ‘train’ really is.”

Its cargo capacity was dozens of times greater, and its travel time reduced by a factor of ten.

This wasn’t just a trade innovation—

It was a turning point in civilization itself, one that could upend the entire social structure of the continent.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]