Chapter 834

Chapter 834: Sunrise Illuminated Train Station

Seeing Ye Ling gaze at her unblinkingly, Lolan felt flustered.

“Uh, very similar, uh, quite alike,” she thought to herself. How could they not be alike? They were carved based on her likeness.

“This… how should I put it.” Lolan avoided Ye Ling’s gaze, fidgeting with strands of hair by her ear.

“It seems there was some misunderstanding. Actually, it’s not a big deal. We just happened to run into each other, so…”

“So? Is that really Lolan!” Ye Ling grabbed Lolan’s hand and circled around her, comparing her to the distant statue, her expression excited as if stars were twinkling in her eyes.

“Let me see.”

“Woah, that is Lolan.” Before Ye Ling could cheer, Lolan covered her mouth.

“Alright, alright. We’ll talk about this later. Let’s go now.” She scanned her surroundings, relieved that no one seemed to notice Ye Ling’s casual words.

After leaving the square in Huifeng Port, they entered a pastry shop by the street.

Promising to buy her lots of delicious snacks, Ye Ling stopped asking about Lolan’s adventures.

They then sat down at a window-side table on the second floor of the pastry shop, waiting for their orders.

It was early spring, and the coastal city was warm. It being mid-afternoon, there weren’t many people on the streets. The sunlight slanted across the table, creating a tranquil atmosphere.

“Alright, I won’t make things hard for Lolan sister. Huhu, but as compensation, Lolan must cook me something delicious.”

After settling down, Lolan rubbed her forehead, finally calming the curious little one. Hearing Ye Ling’s words, she nodded helplessly.

“Hehe, I feel like I’ve gained a lot from coming out this time.” Ye Ling looked at Lolan, already imagining the moment when they returned home and basked in everyone’s attention together.

This was an experience she had never had before. Should she take this opportunity to gain fame? As they waited for their cold drinks and pastries, Ye Ling was torn.

She clenched her fist and placed it under her chin seriously, occasionally tilting her head in thought.

“I think I need a cool nickname too. That would be so cool.”

Seeing Ye Ling lost in her thoughts of the future, Lolan felt a slight amusement and relaxed.

Perhaps it was time to face reality. No matter how much she tried to hide her identities, they would eventually come to light. Ye Ling was easy to please, but others wouldn’t be so simple.

Felya and Lanlie might be surprised.

After sitting for a while, the shopkeeper brought their orders. Beside Ye Ling was a large cup of red fruit wine, bubbling continuously, breaking and splashing tiny droplets, giving a refreshing feeling. In front of her was a large square ice cream made of pink, green, and white, garnished with a bit of vanilla, emitting a sweet aroma of cream.

Lolan had a cup of chilled greenberry juice paired with a forest-themed cake decorated with chocolate. The greenberry juice was fresh and slightly sour, while the chocolate cake had a soothing sweetness, and the cream could be balanced by the juice to maintain a better taste.

Since Cranisia’s industry began to take shape, convenient alchemical devices started to spread through the cities, such as cooling devices for making ice cream and preserving food.

In an era without widespread electricity, these alchemical devices replaced the functions of electrical appliances. Although they required some magical energy replenishment, they were more convenient and not restricted by wires and power supplies.

During their boat ride back, they heard that some large cruise ships were equipped with dedicated refrigeration rooms to store food. Thus, many meat products processed in the ancient Gufia grasslands were directly transported to Cranisia’s coast via refrigerated ships, supplementing daily meals.

However, inland transportation was a different story.

—

After finishing their cold drinks and pastries, Lolan arrived at the train station in Huifeng Port.

The gray-white large rock walls were polished smoothly, revealing elegant patterns. When the walls and pillars reached over ten meters high, they gave a sense of grandeur that required looking up to see.

This newly built train station stood like a huge church on the northern side of the city, with the main entrance ahead serving as the exit for trains.

Inside the station, the spaciousness brought a refreshing feeling. Some sunlight filtered through the tall stained glass windows, casting colorful patterns on the opposite wall, showing the movement of dust particles in the air.

Lolan and Ye Ling both curiously examined their surroundings. Lolan had ridden trains before and was familiar with the process and architecture, but this church-style station was somewhat novel.

But this didn’t seem bad; it looked sturdy and spacious, avoiding a stuffy and oppressive feeling. The young lady secretly evaluated.

Cranisia had already built its first major railway artery, starting from the southern coast, connecting the former regions of Roulna and Vergha, then reaching the heartland of Cranisia, heading north to the Holy Land, and finally stopping at the northernmost point of the ancient Gufia grasslands.

Construction of this railway began during wartime, used for transporting troops and grain. Only after winning the war did they extend the remaining sections to Cranisia’s south, taking about three years in total.

Although the machinery used in construction wasn’t as advanced as in the previous era, alchemists with extraordinary abilities helped make many tasks more flexible.

Leveling and compacting the ground could now be done with corresponding spells, and heavy tasks like mountain excavation and laying tracks could be handled by specialized golems. This showed that Cranisia’s current technological path wasn’t entirely the same as Lolan’s memory of the industrial age.

With the assistance of extraordinary techniques, many things became more flexible and methods differed.

Perhaps they would ultimately forge a new path.

Lolan felt moved, looking at the patterns made of colored glass in the stained windows, depicting soldiers holding swords, mages holding wooden staffs, orcs riding horses and herding sheep, physicians carrying herbal baskets, women spinning yarn, and workers carrying wrenches. Together, they formed the scenery inside the station.

While having a sacred aura, they also felt close, as if these figures were right beside her, similar and relatable.

On the grand walls inside the station, a line of bold black characters stood out in the mottled sunlight.

“We will surely create everything we dream of with our own hands!”

(End of Chapter)