Like all trains in Regiis, the one we were one was primarily a goods train. Most of the compartments were hermetically sealed and furnished with shadow and earth element topologies that expanded their internal space and reduced the weight of their contents respectively. This allowed each train to carry a mind-bogglingly large amount of freight. According to the latest statistics, nearly seventy percent of all goods transportation in Regiis was conducted via rail.

Only the first few compartments from the engine were purposed for passengers. And we had been assigned the very best one among them.

In times of peace, merchants, both civilian and noble, were allowed to reserve a part of the space for their goods. And for a fee, the train could carry passengers anywhere within Regiis. Travelling by train was much more convenient than taking the roads. There was only a set amount of punishment one’s buttocks could take from bumpy roads before one decided that it was time for an upgrade.

Rail was also the fastest method of long-distance transport bar the airships – and those were strictly military. Thus, there were a lot of takers from the mercantile class for whom time was money, earning the Empire a pretty penny.

In times of war, all the trains would be conscripted to carry soldiers and resources to wherever they were needed. The number of airships was limited after all. They were appropriate for carrying a rapid action force of the elite, but when it came to the floor of the military, the Tier 1s and 2s, the railway network was the way to go.

After the Shogunate had taken over the central part of the South-eastern Province, they had interrupted the railway lines between us and the rest of Regiis. Although the Empire had set about restoring the connection right away, due to the impending war and the rugged mountainous terrain the tracks would have to cut through, the efforts had been lukewarm at best. Now, after the result of the war had emerged, the work finally began in earnest and it had been completed just a couple of days before our scheduled departure.

The inauguration of the track was half the reason why so many dignitaries had shown up to see us off.

Since each train was loaded with a huge amount of valuable cargo, they needed a protection detail. We were the ones taking up that role for the train we were on. After all, there was no point wasting the time of a team like ours containing, effectively, two Tier 4 mages.

According to the roster I’d gotten, our cargo consisted of surplus crops from the primarily agrarian Felidae holdings, ores from the mineral-rich Heavenly Wolf Territory, and cotton and jute from the textile rich Crimson Coyote territory.

Also, there were two entire holds full of the body parts of the fire ants from the Sixth Forbidden Zone as well as fire stones and crystals that had been mined from within it. Given that Hei Yang effectively ruled half the Zone, the availability of the resources within it had shot up. It was easy to see that trade in fire elemental resources would be the main industry of Caldera in the future.

The wind whipped at my hair as I pushed open the hatch set into the ceiling of our compartment. Grabbing the handles on the sides, I let my feet leave the iron ladder beneath and pulled myself onto the roof of the train.

Artemis was sitting there with her back to me. She had turned her wings metallic and heavy, anchoring her to the roof. Letting the hatch swing shut behind me, I made my way over to her side and sat down beside her.

With a slight mental effort, I made the winds part around us, cocooning us in a bubble of stillness. Both of us sat there for a while in companionable silence, facing away from the motion of the train, watching the mountainous scenery whip past as it cut sinuously through the miles like a metal serpent.

“So,” I began, “what’s on your mind?”

She shrugged and leaned her shoulder against mine. “Nothing much…just feeling a bit off about stuff.”

“The war?” I asked.

“Yeah.”

“What about it?”

“Well,” she said, “it just got me thinking about how difficult it would be to free the Valkyries. All this time, I’ve been thinking that once I’m strong enough I can just wing my way over to Tortuga and just demand that they be freed. Maybe challenge the Viking Demigod to a duel with their fate on the line…”

She leaned her head on my shoulder and I wrapped a hand around her waist below her wings, giving her a comforting squeeze.

“That’s why I started training my Aspect of Sharpness the way I did, you know? All my matches were carefully curated so I only fought opponents who, while presenting a substantial challenge, were all ones I could confidently beat. It was a fast way to progress and after I gained Mastery, I could always branch out into different methods of mastering Sharpness. Learning them as a Master would be much faster than if I tried to comprehend them as an Adept.”

“Well, I guess I threw a wrench in your plan then,” I said, sheepishly.

She shook her head, her golden curls tickling the side of my neck. “No. It wouldn't have mattered if you didn’t. Even if I did manage to reach Grandmaster in Sharpness extremely quickly. Even if I managed to reach the peak of Tier 5 before I turned thirty, survived the shattering of my mindscape and became a Demigod... After participating in this war, I realize that it wouldn't have been enough. One person can never win a war. Not even someone who is half a god.”

She sighed. “And now that they have the Marine Palace, it just seems like my goal is running further and further away.”

We sat there for a while, listening to the soughing of the wind, watching the land whip by.

“Well,” I finally said, tilting my head and resting my cheek on her crown. “Then it’s a good thing you don’t have to chase it alone anymore.”

She smiled and leaned closer against me.

"There is that, I suppose."

Suddenly, shrill klaxons blared out from the engine room, breaking our moment of intimacy.

We were under attack!

Leaping to our feet, both of us sprinted in opposite directions on the roof of the train. Artemis towards the engine room, me towards the goods carriages. I growled deep in my chest. Whoever it was that had interrupted us, they would be sorry.

I would make sure of it.