The news did not arrive via ordinary messengers, but through one of Szayelaporro's surveillance automatons, which captured the lingering magicule oscillations from the epic battle in the marshlands. Shortly after, an official delegation from Tempest—led by a Souei even more silent than usual—brought the formal report to the Council of Avalon.
The Orc Lord, Geld, had been defeated. Rimuru had not only triumphed over the threat but, following his merciful and pragmatic nature, had absorbed the survivors of the Orc army into the Jura-Tempest Federation. To the outside world, Rimuru had become the "Chancellor of the Jura Alliance," but to Sirzechs, the significance was deeper: the political chessboard had just shifted drastically.
In the royal study, Sirzechs received the news while Szayelaporro calibrated a new set of analytical lenses.
"So, the Slime truly devoured him," Szayelaporro commented, never taking his eyes off his charts. "Interesting. The predation and analysis capacity of Rimuru Tempest is statistically anomalous. He now commands the strength of two hundred thousand Orcs. Biologically, he is a powerhouse; logistically, he is a resource-consumption nightmare."
Grayfia, reviewing the contracts of the Three-Nation Pact, looked up.
"This alters our position, Lord Sirzechs. With the Orcs as a labor force, Tempest's production capacity will triple. Avalon's market will be flooded with raw materials. We must adjust the Ducat's exchange rates immediately to avoid inflation due to oversupply."
Sirzechs stood and walked to the balcony, overlooking his city. Avalon was at peace, but he knew the Orc Lord's defeat was the signal the world needed to start fearing the forest.
"Rimuru did what was right for him. He gave a home to the hungry. Now, the human world will see not just a 'monster village,' but a potential empire rising alongside Avalon."
Valerius entered the room, carrying a tray with a crimson wax seal.
"My Lord, a personal message from Rimuru-sama. He invites the Sovereign of Avalon to the victory celebration and to discuss the fate of the Orc tribes. He seems... concerned about the number of mouths he has to feed now."
Sirzechs laughed softly.
"He has the arms, and I have the system. Szayelaporro, prepare the prototype for the automated irrigation system and the new alchemical fertilizers. If Rimuru is to sustain two hundred thousand Orcs, he will need Avalon's technology more than ever."
Sirzechs' arrival at Tempest was marked by solidity. There were no floating lights or roaring engines; Avalon's delegation arrived in heavy-duty carriages with reinforced frames, pulled by beasts of burden bred for endurance. The focus was not on ostentatious luxury, but on absolute functionality.
While Rimuru's feast took place—a sea of celebration where Orcs and Goblins shared meat and ale—Szayelaporro wasted no time. He headed to Tempest's technical center to meet Vesta. The dwarven scientist was hunched over basic infrastructure blueprints, trying to figure out how to organize logistics for two hundred thousand new inhabitants.
"Vesta-san," Szayelaporro said, emerging from the shadows with his impeccable posture, "your material resistance calculations are adequate for small villages, but for what my Master plans, they are... primitive."
Szayelaporro unfurled a roll of marble-parchment. On it were no complex engines, but the design for a Low-Friction Rail Traction System.
"The biological strength of the Orcs is our current fuel," the First Sword explained. "If we lay down tracks of polished, alchemically hardened marble and build wagons with Dwarven steel axles, a single group of ten Orcs can pull a weight that a hundred horses could not. It is geometry and physics at the service of expansion."
Vesta, analyzing the diagrams, realized the brilliance of it. It was a purely mechanical, brutally efficient solution. Under Szayelaporro's supervision and Vesta's practical experience, The Great Way Project was born.
The day after the feast, the revolution began physically. Geld, the new leader of the Orcs, commanded his battalions. It wasn't just manual labor; it was engineering. Szayelaporro provided precision measuring instruments so the rails would be laid with zero error. The Orcs, with their massive strength, hammered iron spikes into the ground, creating a railroad that sliced through the forest.
The first cargo convoys were colossal. They were platforms of ironwood and steel, loaded with tons of ore and supplies. Long steel chains were harnessed to groups of Orcs who, in coordinated rhythm, pulled the loads between cities. The reduced friction of Szayelaporro's rails transformed physical effort into unstoppable, continuous motion.
At Rimuru's makeshift palace, Sirzechs watched the inauguration of the first transport line.
"See, Rimuru-kun. We don't need immediate technological miracles when we have order and correct physics. Those rails are the veins of Jura."
Rimuru scratched his head, impressed. "You've turned the Orcs into a living locomotive, Sirzechs. It's impressive and, at the same time, a bit scary how fast things are changing."
The Industrial Revolution of Jura began like this: in the sweat of the Orcs, the gleam of marble rails, and the relentless mind of Szayelaporro. Avalon and Tempest were no longer just connected by friendship, but by a physical infrastructure that no storm or human army could easily destroy.
The implementation of the marble and steel rails transformed the landscape. Where it once took days to cross muddy terrain, the convoys now glided with rhythmic efficiency. At the exact intersection of Avalon and Tempest's borders, the need for a logistical hub arose. Thus was born the Central Exchange Station: The Alabaster Outpost.