He considered himself a knowledgeable elf who had been all around the empire, and sometimes he even felt more like an adventurer than a merchant.
Having experienced all sorts of things across the continent, he felt that there was nothing left in this world that could surprise him.
But seeing this huge train before his eyes, he realized he knew far less than he thought he did.
Beside him, his brother Rete's jaw dropped in astonishment.
"Reva, I think it's just an enlarged carriage, don't you?"
"Impossible! That's absolute nonsense!" Reva immediately retorted with certainty.
"No one knows carriages better than I do. There are no carriages this big in the world, not even among the dwarves! I'm certain of it, and they're forged from steel too."
"I suggest we go up and try it out. What do you think?"
"That's a great idea, brother."
At that moment, the train's whistle blew across the platform, and then the train doors were seen being opened from the inside. A variety of passengers began to disembark in an orderly fashion through designated exits.
The magic loudspeaker at the station suddenly rang out with a gentle, crisp voice that was audible across the entire train station.
"The Mana-powered Train to Emerald City is about to depart. Passengers, please show your tickets and board in an orderly manner."
On the platform, the passengers waiting for the train also took out their tickets while preparing to board.
Since there was currently only one railway line operational, and others were still under urgent construction everywhere else, the train could only transport people back and forth on this single route. There were simply too many elves wanting to travel between the two places for various reasons.
Some people even just wanted to satisfy their curiosity and experience a ride on this scientific marvel.
Thus, a phenomenon occurred that frustrated many travelers.
"I'm sorry, sir, but today's tickets are sold out!"
"What? No more tickets?"
"Yes, sir. Tickets for the next seven days are all sold out. I'm very sorry!"
The two brothers inquired at the ticket office and found that the earliest available trip was scheduled for a week later.
Though somewhat disappointed, they had to give up for the time being and explore the city.
This visit to Lunaria had given them far too many shocks already.
Strange signal lights stood in the center of every intersection throughout the city. Red, yellow, and green lights flashed alternately while precisely guiding the passage of vehicles and pedestrians.
When the red light came on, all vehicles and pedestrians stopped together in unison. When the green light came on, the flow of traffic and people moved forward in an orderly fashion. Even during peak hours, order was strictly maintained without chaos.
Between the neatly divided lanes, various new types of mana-powered cars shuttled through while moving in harmony with traditional horse-drawn carriages and beast-drawn carts.
There was no congestion or disputes between drivers, nor any chaotic noise that plagued other cities.
They didn't know what words to use to express their amazement. The two of them just felt that everything before them was incredibly advanced compared to the Imperial Capital.
They felt it was very necessary to introduce these innovations to the Imperial Capital as soon as possible.
After asking around among locals, they finally found the origin of these things. It turned out they were all products of the Lunaria Machinery Workshop.
So they hurriedly went to visit the Machinery Workshop to inquire about any potential partnerships.
By now, Paste had already begun new research projects for expansion.
He planned to design a flying vehicle modeled after the hoverbike, a project he had been researching for some time with great interest.
From time to time, he would go to Alto for discussions and technical advice. Alto held nothing back either when sharing his knowledge, and after all, this was essentially earning money for himself through the partnership.
The more money the Machinery Workshop made, the more he received in profit sharing. There were some things he didn't even have to worry about directly, and even the research and development was fully handled by his capable partner. He was simply living the dream as an investor.
Aside from Paste coming to see him occasionally for consultations, Alto spent the rest of his time urgently developing games for the next release.
Although it was said that two games were being developed simultaneously, since they both actually used a large amount of repeated assets and mechanics, the development was still quite fast overall. Though the workload regarding world-building was quite large and complex.
This part was personally overseen by Alto to ensure its quality.
As for the release schedule, priority was still given to Minecraft as the flagship game.
In this way, half a year passed while work continued steadily.
The foundation for Minecraft had been completed and tested internally. Now it only needed some optimization and final internal testing before it could go online for players.
Before that official launch, he did some preliminary hype as usual through various channels.
On the forum at this time, Clara was still sharing various guides in her posts as usual, with dedication.
Because a new DLC for Stardew Valley had been released recently, she bought and installed it immediately and has been playing nonstop.
For her, of all the games released since Alto's debut, she still liked the peace and tranquility of Stardew Valley best above everything else.
So even though she would sometimes experience other games, she still went to her farm in Stardew Valley every day to tend to it.
Planting vegetables, harvesting fruit, and so on brought her a simple but fulfilling joy.
She was the happiest when this new DLC brought fresh content.
In the new map, many new characters appeared with their own stories, such as Richard, Jun, and Daia. At the same time, several new areas were added to explore, like Ridgeside Forest, Ridgeside Falls, and Summit Farm.
New main quests were also added to the game, like the Seven-Colored Crystals and Purifying the Spirit Realm questlines.
After playing for a while, she carefully organized her thoughts on the new map and gameplay, then posted them to her account for her followers.
Her follower count was already pretty high now after months of consistent posts.
The post quickly received many replies from grateful players.
[Great Birdie is sharing guides again! I prostrate in worship!]
[So moved, thank you, Great Birdie, for this labor of love!]
[I was just worrying about how to pass the latest quest; this is perfect timing!]
Clara browsed the forum with a smile when a notification suddenly popped up on her screen.
It was from the designer she followed religiously, Alto himself.
She immediately clicked to view it with anticipation.
There weren't many words in the post, just a very short sentence and a video attachment.
She clicked on the video to see what it was.
The screen first plunged into darkness, then slowly began to play with an ambient sound.
A peaceful piece of music sounded in the background.
The perspective appeared on a plain filled with the fragrance of flowers and the singing of birds. The camera swept across boundless green meadows where the figures of cattle and sheep grazing with heads bowed swayed in the breeze.
The scene shifted to a lush coniferous forest where tree trunks shot straight into the sky. Light and shadow danced through the gaps in the leaves, and the faint howls of wolves came from the distance.
The perspective rose sharply into the air. Snow-capped peaks pierced through the clouds, pine forests stood like sentinels, and Snow Golems paced in the snow while leaving footprints behind.
The camera dove into the ocean depths where coral reefs bloomed in colorful splendor underwater. Shipwrecks lay slanted on the seabed sand, and the fluorescence of Elder Guardians flickered in the dark.
The camera pulled back again to show a wider view. Scattered wooden houses and farmland formed a cozy village, and square-headed villagers were busy with their own tasks. Iron Golems silently guarded their homes, and the smoke rising from chimneys held the warmth of everyday life.
Text appeared on the screen in elegant script.
[When twilight sweeps across the prairie, when the campfire lights up the wooden house.]
[There are no set paths here, nor any goals that must be achieved.]
[The story here is always to be continued, because your world is defined by you!]
Welcome to [Minecraft]