"From your voice, something serious seems to have happened. Do you need my help?"
"No, it's fine. Just focus on your own matters. How has Sumeru been recently?"
Su Han had also been communicating with Nahida very little lately.
Their last conversation was three days ago.
At that time, the other party had revealed she was forming a military force. It was unclear how things were progressing now.
When Sumeru was mentioned, Xingqiu laughed heartily.
"Everything is going smoothly. Aside from a slight lack of funds, everything else is fine! Recently, I met with Diluc, and then he headed to the desert. As for me, I'm developing things in the rainforest."
With the support of the Dendro Archon, Xingqiu was thriving in Sumeru.
He had not only established a large trading guild but also formed a mercenary group of three thousand people.
Most of them were from Liyue Harbor.
A smaller portion had been recruited locally in Sumeru.
There was no doubt about their loyalty, as all had been carefully evaluated. However, maintaining such a group consumed Mora like flowing water.
Su Han smiled when he heard this and said, "If it's not enough, you can take some from me."
"No, no need to trouble you."
"I have my own solution this time. As long as the goods in my hands are transported to Liyue, I can definitely earn over 200 million."
"Right now, I'm considering something. Su Han, do you think it's possible to establish a direct route from Liyue?"
At present, land transportation required passing through The Chasm and traversing mountains.
The difficulty was obvious.
But traveling by sea took too much time.
After Su Han's guidance and Xingqiu's recent experiences, he had begun to consider the idea of railways.
The inspiration naturally came from scenes in Adventure King.
If trains could run across the sea, what would happen if they were built on land?
"Just a short time apart, and you've already become this thoughtful. That's really impressive."
Su Han sincerely admired him.
The previous Xingqiu had only been a young master obsessed with comics.
Now, he was not only running his own business but also thinking about opening transportation routes. It truly broadened his horizons.
After being praised by Su Han, Xingqiu immediately became embarrassed.
"Hehe, I was inspired by you."
"But what do you think about this idea? If we depart from Liyue Harbor or Gui Li New City, a straight route would be much shorter than going around. Although sea travel is convenient, there's a saying."
"Time is money."
Su Han completely agreed with this.
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.
He had actually researched railway development before, but due to insufficient funds and lack of technology at the time, he had shelved the idea.
Now that Xingqiu brought it up, it really could be put into action.
Su Han picked up a Den Den Mushi and said to Xingqiu, "Wait a moment. It's better to discuss this kind of matter from multiple sides."
"No problem."
Soon, Su Han connected calls to Jean, Ningguang, and Sucrose.
Voices from all three sides sounded simultaneously.
"I contacted you this time because I want to discuss a matter regarding transportation."
"Please go ahead."
"The situation is like this…"
Su Han refined Xingqiu's idea and also laid out the routes.
For example: Liyue Harbor - Gui Li New City - Qingce Village - Mondstadt City.
This was the first route.
The second route:
Liyue Harbor - Sumeru, or Gui Li New City - Sumeru.
"What do you think?"
Steel was not lacking in any nation.
So it could be directly smelted.
The problem lay in the locomotive and various technologies.
The vehicles in Fontaine used a unique energy.
Other nations simply could not replicate it.
However, as for alternative power sources, Su Han also had solutions.
The most basic one was the steam engine.
After thinking for a moment, Ningguang replied, "No problem at all. I support this idea. Once the routes are opened, trade will become even more prosperous. I believe Liyue's prosperity can accommodate the markets of all nations."
"I also support it. However, could we build another railway? From the ranch to Mondstadt City."
The ranch had already been completed.
Large numbers of cattle and sheep were being raised.
Beidou's ship had also arrived.
But transportation was still a major issue.
If routes could be established, all problems would be solved.
In this era, transportation costs were often the most expensive.
Su Han smiled and said, "Of course. But Miss Sucrose, do you need any help with the research direction?"
"Well… This Immortal can answer that. There will definitely be no problem."
"!!!"
Everyone was startled by the voice of Cloud Retainer.
When did this Adeptus arrive at the laboratory?
Seeing that Su Han did not speak, Cloud Retainer immediately laughed.
"Sucrose, what do you think? I told you, once I speak, they will all be startled."
"You truly are amazing, Adeptus." Sucrose praised, then answered, "Brother Su Han, don't worry. With the Adeptus and me here, the locomotive will definitely not be a problem. As for the carriage design, we'll need your help."
"No problem."
After all, they were not building high-speed rail.
Su Han felt no pressure at all.
After finishing the discussion, Xingqiu could not help but ask, "Wait, I still have one question. Should the train climb mountains, or…"
"Climb mountains? That would be taking a detour. That little one named Xingqiu, don't worry. This Immortal has plenty of methods. At worst, we can just drill a hole through the mountain."
Only an Adeptus like her could say such a thing.
Although Su Han could also achieve it, if he took action, the mountain would likely be split apart entirely.
After official matters were finished, Cloud Retainer asked, "Su Han, when are you coming back? I have researched several interesting things and am waiting for your evaluation."
"Probably another month. But Adeptus, what have you created?"
"That cannot be told to you now. I want to give you a surprise."
Hearing her speak so mysteriously, Su Han could not help but feel a bit of anticipation.
After all, Cloud Retainer always managed to give him unexpected gifts.
After the discussion ended, the call was finally hung up.
Yae Miko, who had been listening the entire time, asked curiously, "The train you mentioned, is it like those sea trains?"
"Yes. Since Liyue, Sumeru, and Mondstadt are relatively close, we want to connect them. That way, transportation costs will drop significantly."
After hearing Su Han's explanation, Yae Miko quickly said, "Then can you arrange something for us as well? Inazuma is so poor right now. You wouldn't bear to see that, right? Hehe…"
"Hey, acting cute like that is shameless."
"Just tell me if it works or not. If not, I'll call Lady Kitsune Saiguu over, and we'll both make fox sounds together."
In response, Su Han raised his middle finger.
This mischievous fox always used Saiguu to threaten him. It was truly infuriating.
One day, he would definitely knock on her fox head properly.
Still, since other regions were already included, leaving out Inazuma would not make sense.
Su Han extended his hand toward Yae Miko, who looked confused.
"What?"
"The map. If you want trains, we need to design the routes first."
"If you want it, just say so. Why are you being so fierce?"
Yae Miko pouted and took out a map from her pocket.
Su Han said in surprise, "You carry this around with you?"
"Of course. I've been thinking about how to develop Inazuma."
Yae Miko had clearly realized that prosperity required strength.
So during this period, she had been constantly researching Inazuma's development.
After all, no one wanted to see their homeland remain poor and dilapidated.
Su Han took out a ruler and began measuring. Considering Inazuma's geography, he finally outlined three routes.
The first: Ritou – Inazuma City.
The second: Inazuma City – Araumi.
The third: Inazuma City – Kujou Encampment.
Looking at the second route, Yae Miko frowned.
"Why build a route here? There's nothing developed in this area."
"You're mistaken. I plan to use this place as a training ground. At the same time, the scenery here is beautiful. It can serve as a military port. If you consider that, shouldn't there be a railway?"
"That actually makes sense."
Yae Miko quickly thought of the yokai community.
The two main routes served humans.
But Araumi belonged to the yokai.
It would not be fair to neglect them.
Seen this way, Su Han's design was truly reasonable.
After finishing the planning, the next step was detailed design, such as carriages, connections, and special components.
Su Han spent an entire day completing all the designs.
Fortunately, he had seen detailed references online. Otherwise, the data alone would have been a major challenge.
"Next, I'll leave it to Sucrose. I'm really exhausted…"
Su Han stretched and let out a long breath.
At that moment, a figure appeared behind him and gently massaged his temples.
The person's control over strength was extremely precise. Every movement made Su Han feel incredibly comfortable.
"Ah, that feels amazing."
"This massage feels so professional…"
Su Han turned his head and saw that the one massaging him was actually Kitsune Saiguu.
He looked surprised and said, "When did you come? Has your body recovered?"
Kitsune Saiguu smiled softly, glanced at the documents on the table, and said gently, "You've worked hard. My body is already mostly recovered."
Su Han quickly gave up his seat and pulled her down to sit.
"You're fine, that's what matters. But you still need more rest."
"From your expression, it seems you're worried I might disappear."
"Of course. You're my wife. I would naturally be afraid."
Su Han was not lying. Saiguu's condition made him feel extremely uneasy.
He always felt that she might pass away at any moment.
If that happened, there would be nothing he could do.
Kitsune Saiguu held Su Han's hand and said seriously, "Don't worry. I promised that as long as I survive, the rest of my life will belong to you. I will not choose death. So stop looking so troubled. I prefer to see your confident expression."
Their hearts were connected.
Whatever Su Han thought, she could directly sense it.
That spreading love made Kitsune Saiguu cherish it deeply.
After all, she had died once before. Now that she had the chance to embrace happiness, how could she bear to leave?
Su Han felt moved. He held her tightly and murmured, "I will definitely bring you back to full life. Please believe me."
"I believe you."
The two embraced for quite a while before Kitsune Saiguu gently pushed him away.
Su Han looked puzzled.
The fox spirit smiled and said, "I've finished reading all your comics recently. So, great author, when will you update?"
"Uh, you finished them all?"
"Mm-hmm. Not a single chapter missed. I liked every one of them."
"I see. Let me check."
Su Han opened the system.
He found that there were many messages today.
Among them, Fox Spirit Matchmaker had updated, and Under One Person had also received updates.
As for Wind and Cloud, it had accumulated three draws.
What made Su Han happiest was that the system's level had also increased.
It was truly a series of pleasant surprises.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bonus chapters every 200 Power Stone!
10, 20, 30 Advanced chapters in my Patr(e)on!
patr(e)on.com/hollyrisk