The Mechanical Era



13th of Heimz, 5018.

Kant stood firm in his black suit, looking out of the glass window to gaze upon his magnificent industrial city. He could see the chimneys puffing out black smoke high into the sky, the steam trams moving around at high speeds, and the people going about their day, as they went over to work, to shop, and to learn.

In just a matter of months, he had managed to turn this primitive pre-industrial merchant city, into an industrial manufacturing giant, producing large about of steel, textiles, and other goods at a fast rate at a competitive price. He had done this by introducing new legislation, and technologies such as the steam engine. 

He soon hoped to expand this model to the other cities of the kingdom and incentivize the people living in the smaller towns to move over to the larger cities, so that his kingdom could grow in wealth and prosperity. 

Before he could continue on daydreaming about the future, his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a knock on the door. Kant turns around and takes his seat on his chair, before allowing whomever on the other side of the door to enter.

"Come in."

Alan walks inside the room, carrying what appears to be a large rolled piece of paper. He bowed down, greeted Kant good morning, and then handed him the rolled piece of paper.

"This new network map just came in today. It says right here on the top left that it is from the drafting team. They said this new map has been reviewed and accepted by the civil engineers," Alan claimed. Kant unrolled the map to take a look for himself. 

He was stunned by the level of detail they had put on the map. They had covered every major city, town, and village in the kingdom. The map also indicated potential sites for future railway expansion, highlighting the strategic locations for industrial development and resource exploitation.

Kant studied the map carefully, tracing his fingers along the intricate lines and symbols. The drafting team had truly outdone themselves. Perhaps, it was the reason why he couldn't get the map earlier to bring to the meeting. 

"This is exceptional work, Minister Alan. I commend the members for taking their time to make such an intricate and detailed map," Kant praised. He looked up from the map to face Alan.

"How many revisions did they have to go through?" he asked. 

"From what I heard, they had to revise the about 5 times, sir. Though, they were minor changes to the network. This is the final product they had approved of. They asked me to present it to you," he stated.

"Are there any changes you would like to make to the map, sir?" Alan queried the king. Kant looked back down at the map to analyze it a bit further. 

"No. This is good. I approve of this map. When are they starting construction?" Katn replied, adding a question at the end.

"It is scheduled to start on the 20th of Heinz. They said they needed time to prepare. To get their workers equipped with proper clothing and all. They also request that we send a few DEF Agents as well."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. They are afraid that their workers will get attacked by a bunch of demons while working. It may cause a lot of delays, and additional cost while building it."

"I fully understand. Get Director Kristina Robins to send some DEF agents to protect the workers. We don't want any delays because of those pesky animals." 

"Right away, sir. I will have her know today. Is there anything else you need me to do?" 

"Yes, there are two more things you can do for me," Kant replied. He got up and walked over to his file cabinet, where he keeps a lot of files about invention blueprints, legislation, and charters safe and sound. He picked up a blue file and handed it over to the minister to read.

Inside, he found a charter for a new department, called the 'Post Office Department'. As he perused through the document, his curiosity grew. The charter outlined the establishment of a centralized postal service, how it worked, and the responsibilities it entailed.

"What is this, your majesty?" he queried the king, wanting a little more information and context.

"This, Minister Alan, is the charter for the 'Post Office Department'. It outlines the plan to establish a centralized postal service for our kingdom, to allow individuals to communicate with each other better." 

"A centralized postal service?" Alan questioned, a little surprised. Currently, there was no governmental organization regulating posts. One had to pay a private messenger, who will deliver a letter or a post to the recipient.

The pigeon carrier towers, which were settled across the entire continent, were also run by private entities, separate from the kingdom's rule. 

"Indeed.  The aim here is to improve communication between the city of Hoverdam, and the other smaller cities and towns of the kingdom. It is my firm belief, that this is a necessary development, to continue the industrialization of our nation," Kant explained.

"I see sir. Could you please elaborate further?" Alan politely asked. 

"Sure, no problem.A centralized postal service would allow faster communication between individuals and businesses, businesses and businesses, and individuals and other individuals. What used to take a couple of days, could be delivered to the right person in a quicker time.

With a centralized postal service, people in even the most remote areas of our kingdom can stay connected and informed, fostering a sense of unity and cooperation among our citizens," he explained. 

"Furthermore, there are advantages to us, the government as well. A well-organized postal system will be able to facilitate the timely exchange of official documents, notices, and other crucial information, enhancing the overall efficiency of our administration.

For instance, say the IRS want to inform the citizens how much taxes they owe the government. They can just send it via a letter through the postal service." he stated, adding an example at the end. 

Alan listened intently to Kant's explanation, gradually comprehending the significance of establishing a centralized postal service. He nodded in agreement, seeing how it could streamline communication not only between citizens but also between various government departments.

Although it would mean a lot of work, considering he not only had to set up an office not just in the city of Hoverdam, but in all other cities as well, he was up for the challenge. Besides, it wasn't as if this was his first time on the job. The man was an experienced minister after all. 

"That sounds like a splendid idea, your majesty. Though, I do have one question though,"  Alan responded.

"What is it?" 

"Will we be utilizing the railroad network for this? I have a feeling that you are bringing this up now because of the railroad network, which will start construction soon," he added, asking Kant a question, to which he nodded.

"Yes, it will. I am only bringing this up now for that exact reason." 

"The railroad and the postal service will help the kingdom integrate its territories far better. It allows for the centralization of government power and expands our administrative capabilities. It is very important that this railroad gets built," he told the minister, his voice very serious and stern. 

"This brings me to my second request. I need you to commission a few locomotives, as well as a dozen locomotive carriages, for me.

Considering that we will be building these railroads around the entire kingdom, it will get progressively harder to build on territories further away from any major urban settlements.

This would be a significant logistical issue in the construction of the network, as materials will have to travel longer to reach the area the materials are demanded."  Kant explained.

"That is indeed a problem, sir. Do you have any way to fix this?" he asked. 

"I do. To solve this issue, we can use the locomotives themselves to bring in the materials needed to build the network, as well as any other supplies they may need while building it.

It will help the railroad to be built faster, and it will also serve as a test to see how reliable the train tracks and the locomotives are.

Once the project is finished, we can start utilizing the railroad network far sooner, as we would already have a few locomotives in hand to use," Kant answers, impressing the minister once again.

"That is a brilliant solution, your majesty! I will get to it, as soon as possible," he stated. 

"Thank you, minister. You praise me too much. Now, I hope you remember my requests?" 

"Yes sir. I do. I need to contact Director Kristina about sending in a few DEF agents, I need to set up the Post Office Department, and I need to commission a few locomotives and carriages," he replied back.

"Very good. Now, you may now leave the room,"