Two days after Ash left, Maxi unexpectedly returned to Border Town and reappeared before everyone.
After the reason was clarified, her return was met with a warm welcome, and the Witch Alliance welcomed a new member.
To her delight, the welcome banquet was held in the castle's backyard garden. Long iron racks displayed a variety of meats, ready for grilling at will. The seasoning was equally impressive—salt, oil, chili powder, pepper, and even Roland's homemade barbecue sauce. This sauce was made by simmering mushrooms from the Hidden Forest with whole chickens, then seasoned with salt, sugar, and wheat flour to compensate for the absence of MSG. Maxie nearly stuffed herself full before stopping.
In the afternoon, Roland tested her abilities.
According to Nightingale's assessment, her total Magic Power ranks as average among witches. Her ability allows her to transform into various birds—provided she has seen them. The transformation consumes a significant amount of Magic Power, enabling her to change form 4-5 times daily. When maintaining the transformation state, she uses minimal Magic Power, making it a summoning-type ability influenced by the God's Stone. Her favorite bird is the pigeon, though Roland noticed that her body size increases substantially regardless of the bird she transforms into. For instance, when she transforms into a sparrow, it appears nearly the same size as an ordinary pigeon. When she truly transforms into a pigeon, she becomes about the size of an osprey.
Maxi couldn't transform into the mythical flying creatures he had imagined—like the phoenix, griffin, and Kunpeng (a mythical Chinese bird) drawn by Roland—which left him deeply disappointed.
Moreover, Ash had another point to consider: what abilities did the witches Tilly had summoned possess? If any could significantly boost farming efficiency, he wouldn't mind trading his skills for their support.
To this end, Roland decided to write a lengthy letter to Tilly, first outlining the natural alliance between the two sides, then warning her of the Church's ambition to unify the continent, and finally extending an olive branch with a proposal for mutual cooperation and shared progress. When Maxi travels to the fjord next month, he asked her to pass this letter along.
The next day, Prince received another piece of good news.
The steam engine production facility has finally been completed. Located on the opposite bank of the Chishui River, it sits west of Yezi's experimental field. The entire site is enclosed by wooden fences, with a simple path leveled to the floating bridge. According to Roland's plan, this area will become the town's future industrial park.
To maximize the building space, the factory was constructed with lightweight timber, covering approximately 1,000 square meters. Anna's machine tools had been delivered, including two steam boring machines, two manual milling machines, one manual grinding machine, and one manual lathe. Despite their simple principles, these machines featured first-class craftsmanship—except for wooden bases or footrests, all components were precision-cut from wrought iron or steel. This exemplifies the highest level of precision achievable with the materials available at the time.
The workshop now has only a meager dozen workers. Originally blacksmiths and apprentices from a small-town forge, they were recruited by Roland with a hefty monthly salary of fifty silver wolves to learn advanced machine tool operations. Their blacksmith tools and the forge itself have been relocated to a brick building outside the workshop. While still crafting minor components, all steam engine production will now be handled by the machine tools.
Roland inaugurated the event with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the factory entrance, gathering municipal officials for a grand reception and delivering a brief speech. Amid the simulated cannon fire of the Echo, Graycastle Industrial Company was officially established.
In the days that followed, Roland, the company's executive, would visit the workshop whenever he had time to demonstrate machine operations and steam engine manufacturing processes firsthand. To teach the illiterate blacksmith how to build and assemble a steam engine, his best approach was to create flowcharts—akin to assembly manuals for models—detailing component names, numbers, and dimensions, along with their installation sequence and connection methods. Soloya proved invaluable in this endeavor.
The initial days of production unfolded as he had anticipated—few parts met the standards, let alone assembling a complete steam engine. Yet Roland paid no heed to the defect rate. In Anna's hands, these defective pieces could be remolded into new plates in the blink of an eye. He was convinced that through repeated practice, these blacksmiths would eventually master the new era's craftsmanship.
Beyond the industrial facilities, Prince converted the North Slope Mines' firing room and backyard into a military factory, primarily producing rotating rifles and ammunition. After Losya, the kiln specialist recommended by Karl, arrived in Border Town, the newly installed bellows significantly increased the temperature, enabling independent cement powder firing. Consequently, the firing room became obsolete.
However, due to manufacturing constraints, Anna still handles the production of revolver firearms and bullets. Roland is designing a steam press for bullet stamping. While it's less efficient than Anna's cutting and molding process, it could at least ease her workload.
To thank Anna for her hard work over the past two weeks, he decided to give her a gift.
...
"Gift?" Anna set aside the cut parts, smoothed her forehead with her hair, and beamed. "Sure." "Why don't you ask about the gift?" Roland teased.
"Hmm..." She paused for a moment, deep in thought. "I truly appreciate every gift you've given." After over six months of recuperation, Anna had transformed beyond recognition from her first appearance in the dungeon. The once emaciated and frail woman now stood poised and graceful, her blue eyes sparkling with divine radiance. The crisp, solid-colored dress she wore exuded youthful vitality, and her entire being radiated the energy of youth.
This is what an 18-year-old girl should look like.
Roland's mood lifted as he saw the other person's lips curl involuntarily.
The gift was placed in the castle courtyard, covered with a layer of linen to surprise Anna—a thought that had crossed the Ash Messenger's mind during its creation. As a Prince, the gift needed something special; ready-made jewelry would seem too insincere. After much deliberation, he finally came up with this idea.
Roland lifted the hemp cloth, revealing a wicker basket before them. The basket's top was fastened with hemp ropes, the other ends of which were tied to a massive canvas.
"What is this?" Anna asked, curiously as she walked around it.
"Hot air balloon," he replied with a smile. "It'll take you soaring through the skies, letting you gaze down at the earth like a bird." "So we can fly?" She turned around, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Is that really possible?" The dream of soaring through the skies has been humanity's eternal aspiration. From gliders to hot air balloons, from airships to airplanes, people have made tremendous sacrifices in their quest for flight, never giving up on this pursuit. Though witches exist in this world, the privilege of flying remains the domain of the few. The breathtaking vistas seen from such heights are truly awe-inspiring.
"Of course, just fill the airbag with hot air." Roland had Nightingale summon Lightning and Maxie as backup. Should anything go wrong, Lightning and Maxie—now transformed into giant sea eagles—would at least ensure their safe landing. As for the other witches, he decided to keep them out of the mix for now, especially Wendy and Shujuan, who would surely oppose any of his risky moves. To them, absolute precision was non-negotiable.