Roland has secured its first-ever purchase order since steam engine manufacturing began, with the deal representing the largest transaction to date.
A bare machine costs 500 gold dragons. Two units are delivered in the first month, with one additional unit added each subsequent month, totaling ten units. Future technical support, spare parts replacement, and equipment upgrades for the steam engine require additional gold dragon payments. As for premium after-sales service and the three-warranty guarantee, Roland stated he had never heard of such services.
Barov was most thrilled by the deal, believing that any means—whether trade or plunder—could boost the town hall's revenue was commendable. Critics, however, were not absent. Carter, Shu Juan, and Nightingale all raised objections, arguing that selling these powerful machines to outsiders was premature, especially since Border Town itself was struggling to meet its needs.
Roland didn't elaborate much on this, as his decision wasn't based solely on the perspective of a Lord, but rather from the standpoint of an industrialist.
It is nearly impossible to drive industrialization through individual efforts, even with knowledge surpassing his era. The town's capacity to absorb industrial products is extremely limited—manufactured goods that go unsold are no different from scrap metal. Only by engaging more people in this transformation can we ignite a wave of new applications.
What could he gain from selling the steam engine?
Abundant money, plenty of jobs, and a skilled workforce – the latter being historically the most important.
This is also the reason why Roland has reduced production.
With her enhanced abilities, Anna's productivity has skyrocketed. With enough raw materials, she can now craft a dozen steam engines in a single day.
Selling such products is simply about selling machines.
To drive this industry forward, a dedicated team must be assembled to handle production, assembly, and maintenance. In Roland's plan, he simply needs to establish a factory equipped with production tools like boring machines, planers, and milling machines, entrusting the entire steam engine manufacturing process to workers. Initially, the factory's production efficiency will inevitably be low, with a dismal product pass rate. However, as time goes on, everything will gradually stabilize. With Anna's personally crafted mother machine as a foundation, once the workers become proficient, output will steadily increase.
Next, the profits from selling steam engines were used to expand production and train more skilled workers. The experienced veteran workers enabled the town to manufacture advanced products like steam trains and steamships. This created a virtuous cycle. The sold steam engines also indirectly benefited the town—used in mining to lower ore prices, in shipping to boost trade, and in textiles to compensate for local weaknesses.
Roland would have loved to see steam power spread nationwide—provided all the machines were made in Border Town. Once he had unified Graycastle, it would save him a lot of trouble.
He also considered the possibility of buyers replicating steam engines. However, the new steam engine would feature a circular cylinder drilled by a boring machine, along with some deliberately designed complex components. Given the current technological limitations, it would be extremely difficult for them to produce a functional machine in a short time—even with a high-temperature Witch.
The deal was a big win, and they'd even found a sales channel for industrial products—should have been a joyous occasion, but Roland found himself completely unmoved.
"The sky's already clear outside—why are you still frowning?" Nightingale sat at her desk with legs spread wide, a plate of dried fish in her hand. "Still fixated on the Church's news?" When the scholar was absent, she'd become remarkably casual, lounging in the corner or on the wall's recliner. While other Lords would have considered this a breach of decorum, Roland knew she didn't care—and she knew it too.
"I've always wondered why the Church would support both me and Garcia in the throne contest. Now I think I understand. If my guess is correct, Tefiko must have received the Church's invitation too," he said with a frown.
Beyond the orders, Margery also brought Roland a wealth of intelligence about the capital. What particularly shocked him was the Church's attack and takeover of the Eternal Winter Kingdom. According to the merchantwoman, they seemed intent on advancing further and attacking the Wolfheart Kingdom. This news struck like a bolt from the blue, connecting all the ominous signs that had been lingering in his mind.
"Are you three vying for the throne?" "Not supporting, but draining resources," Roland shook his head. "The Church doesn't care about the war spreading nationwide—or rather, they'd welcome Graycastle's internal strife. The Church and its followers being drawn into conflict aren't their concern. Unlike Eternal Winter, Graycastle is vast and populous. A full-scale assault would cripple the Inquisition Army. We must first eliminate each other before he can seize Graycastle with minimal cost. Once that's done, we'll have as many followers as needed and build the Church however we want. Those pills... were just a carefully laid trap." King Wimbledon III's decree essentially gave the Church the opportunity to manipulate the situation. If Graycastle, Wolfheart, and Eternal Winter fall one after another, the sole Dawn Kingdom won't survive alone. The Church's true goal is likely to unify the four kingdoms. Given the delayed communication and public indifference, it's possible they only realized the danger when the enemy was already at their doorstep.
This is also the reason why Roland is anxious.
This era lacks the foundation for a united front, and expecting the Graycastle Nobles to come to their aid from across the border is nothing short of wishful thinking. When the Church's army marches to the city gates, the last thing he can count on might just be the handful of troops in the Western Borderlands.
"But now that you've acquired new weapons, the Inquisition Army isn't much stronger than an ordinary Knight. I don't think they can defeat you." Roland was surprised to see Nightingale's confidence grow so much, especially since she used to fear the Church when mentioning this colossal entity.
He forced a smile, though inwardly sighing. Handing over the revolver to Anna for production was straightforward. The prototype revolver and two revolvers produced demonstrated excellent performance in both trigger reset and automatic operation. Yet without resolving the bullet firing issue, the new weapon would lack practical combat value. With mercury paraffin still unavailable, he had to use alternative materials as primers.
Roland hoped the personal guards heading to Chishui City would deliver good news.
Just then, the lightning that had resumed its usual vigor flew into the office during routine training, delivering an unexpected message: the flag on a hillside in the eastern woods of Border Town had been replaced with blue.
As per the rendezvous method secretly spread by Roland, the blue flag signifies the arrival of a new Witch.