Railway construction officially began in full swing.
At a single order, the entire Black Rock Tribe was mobilized.
More than five thousand able-bodied laborers, including Black Rock's reserve troops and Roland prisoners.
Together with the newly joined Dog Clan and Cat-ear Tribe, plus some eager Fox clansmen, were organized into one vast engineering corps.
Florgloria's logistics department ran at unprecedented efficiency, sending forward a steady stream of grain, tools, tents, and other supplies.
The first step of the project was surveying and planning.
Survey teams made up of Sa Lan's Scout Battalion and Cat-ear hunters who knew the terrain shuttled through forests and plains with Wu Liang's rough maps and levels, searching for the gentlest, most geologically stable route.
Soon a line heading east from Black Rock Tribe straight toward the Wailing Swamp was fixed.
Next came the grueling earthworks.
'One, two, heave! One, two, heave!'
Thousands chanted in rhythm, swinging shovels and picks, leveling heights and filling hollows.
Dog clansmen, with their powerful physiques and stamina, became the backbone of this task.
They tirelessly pushed wheelbarrows, carting away earth and stone, sweat soaking their fur, yet no one complained.
White rice and meat broth were limitless, and their status was fully equal to that of Black Rock tribesmen.
To these formerly half-starved beastmen, this was paradise.
Once the roadbed was compacted and leveled, the next phase began.
Countless crushed stones were spread to form a thick ballast layer.
Heavy, creosoted sleepers were carried in pairs and laid on the ballast.
Each was spaced precisely according to cord measurements, perfectly aligned.
Finally came the rails.
Forged round the clock by the Military Workshop, each ten-meter rail was immensely heavy.
They arrived by horse-drawn heavy wagons, rail after rail.
'Lift!'
At the foreman's shout, dozens of the strongest men heaved a rail up and set it gently on the sleepers.
'Down!'
The rail landed with a dull thud.
Workers with sledgehammers swarmed in.
Amid ringing clangs, they drove huge spikes into the sleepers, locking the rail fast.
It was a beauty of strength and rhythm.
A black steel line crept visibly across the primal land, stretching ever farther.
While the railway surged ahead, another change within the Tribe quietly bore fruit.
Black Rock Tribe, Magic Academy.
Aniya Merlin, once an imperial lady and now the Academy's dean, regarded a coil of something with stern eyes.
It was thick copper wire sheathed in heavy black rubber.
'Dean, following Lord Wu Liang's drawings, we used vulcanized rubber as insulation and produced the first mana wire.'
A young Magic apprentice reported excitedly.
'It's a cable, not mana wire.'
Aniya corrected, though excitement sparkled in her blue eyes.
She knew better than anyone what the breakthrough meant.
It meant power from steam-driven generators could now be transmitted over long distances with low loss and at scale!
Soon every old wire in Black Rock Tribe was replaced by the new cable.
The Military Workshop's furnaces never cooled; machines roared twenty-four hours.
Suina and her Artisans raced to produce rails, bullets, and those twenty maxim heavy machine guns.
Black Rock First Academy and the Magic Academy blazed with lamplight.
More tribesmen, after a day's labor, entered classrooms to study literacy, arithmetic, and basic science.
Track-laying speed soared.
Crews could even run night shifts under safe electric light.
The steel dragon advanced more than a kilometer each day toward the east.
Half a year later, the first true steam locomotive made its maiden run.
Powered by a mighty steam engine, it pulled ten flatcars.
As Wu Liang, Suina, and other leaders stood on the decorated engine, the whistle sounded and steam billowed.
The train started, soon reaching a gallop's pace, while every worker cheered like thunder.
The train was more than transport; it was proof of Black Rock's industrial might and organization, the crystallization of every tribesman's sweat and pride.
Meanwhile, rubber products blossomed everywhere.
Tough black rubber boots replaced fragile straw or leather footwear as standard issue.
Light waterproof raincoats let people work freely through the rainy season.
Most important, countless inflatable tires were produced.
Every wagon in the Tribe was fitted with them, revolutionizing transport speed and comfort.
Horse-drawn heavy convoys could now haul hundreds of tons to railhead a hundred li away within a day.
Under Lolia's care and Wu Liang's Earths Grace, agriculture yielded a record harvest.
Huge granaries brimmed with golden grain, enough to feed the whole Tribe for three years.
The three new beastmen clans had fully merged into this thriving family.
Wu Liang savored this rare stretch of calm fulfillment.
He spent most days in the Tribe handling development, occasionally inspecting the railhead or checking new weapons at the Military Workshop.
In free moments he stayed with his women and children.
He would sit in the yard holding the twins Wu Di and Wu Shuang he had with Eliza, basking in the sun.
The two little ones could already babble 'Papa,' their jade-carved faces melting his heart.
Sometimes he stayed with eldest son Wu Qi.
Wu Liang would guide the boy's small wooden blade, teaching him a warrior's honor.
Wei Xian watched them gently, her eyes full of happiness and content.
The harem was harmonious.
Under Wu Liang's guidance and even favor, the women found their places.
Though small rivalries and jealousies still flickered, harmony centered on Wu Liang prevailed.
Yet beneath the songs and laughter, an undercurrent stirred.
One afternoon, while Wu Liang and Florgloria discussed the next town expansion, Akomann entered with a grave face.
'Wu Liang.'
She cut straight to the point.
'Something feels wrong.'
'What is it?'
Wu Liang set down the blueprint.
'Lately, Sa Lan's scouts on the border spotted sneaky spies.'
'They don't look like men from nearby tribes; they're trained scouts.'