Chapter 1197: The Torch of the Civilization
The week-long trial marked more than the students’ first faltering steps into the sky — it shook the entire city.
Several citizens had spotted a “giant kite” hovering above the city’s southern quarter. Tilly flew the Unicorn around the castle often enough, but she confined herself to depopulated stretches. Most people had never truly witnessed a real plane. When word spread that student pilots were flying out of the academy yard, onlookers converged on the southern districts. At first it was only the residents near Shallow Port and the industrial zone who knew; within three days, the news had moved through every street in Neverwinter, and the curious had besieged the academy’s perimeter. Each time a plane slid into view, the crowd erupted — cheering as though it were their own bodies climbing into the blue.
Honey seized the moment. She published a piece titled “A Recurring Miracle,” detailing the trial in full and running two close-up photographs of the biplane alongside the text. Graycastle Weekly sold out in hours and reached a new peak. Merchants from outside Neverwinter bought copies at inflated prices from locals who had managed to get them; those who couldn’t afford the markup hired copyists to transcribe both the article and the photographs by hand. The paper’s street price climbed further still.
Aerial Knights became a name everyone in Neverwinter knew overnight.
Roland received Tilly’s report a week later.
One hundred and fifty of the one hundred and ninety-seven trainees had passed. Forty-seven had crashed — with only four planes in use for the trial, that averaged to roughly eleven crashes per aircraft. A high rate, on its face. But Roland understood the plane: lightweight, simple in structure. As long as the engine survived, the airframe was repairable. Most of the crashes had come during landing — too fast, or too slow, reflexes a beat behind the machine. The biplanes would fly again.
Two of them wouldn’t. Both had been beaten past the point of practical repair. And for the advanced training program to follow, a minimum of twelve to fifteen aircraft would be needed — the same number a modest fleet required in his previous life.
He set the report down. Really, the whole document carried a single message: The air force needs money. Give me money.
Roland found himself smiling. He had to admit that Tilly had grasped the nature of an air force faster than he might have expected — the understanding that a competent fleet demanded not just pilots but a deep reservoir of training aircraft, burning through them at a steady rate. She had that instinct already.
At present, every industry in Neverwinter was stretched thin. An air force could not be conjured quickly.
Edith Kant, Chief of the General Staff, had submitted a report alongside Tilly’s.
It was short. It was interesting.
Edith believed the aerial knights could alter the course of the war — might even prove decisive — if handled correctly. She wished to establish a research committee and send its members to the academy to study the planes directly. She had also drafted several preliminary tactics tailored specifically to aerial operations and wanted to discuss them with Roland at his earliest convenience.
She was probably one of the few senior officers who had genuinely engaged with what the planes could do. Roland admired the perspicacity: seeing new hardware and immediately asking where it fits into a battle — that was rare.
He was reaching for the telephone to summon her when his guard appeared at the door.
“Your Majesty — the Minister of Construction, Sir Karl Van Bate, requests an audience.”
Roland withdrew his hand. “Send him in.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Karl entered, saluted. “Your Majesty. The construction of the Miracle Building is complete.”
Roland stood at its base and looked up.
Two years of work. A staggering quantity of gold royals, steel, and concrete — enough, if redirected, to build three Redriver Bridges. With Lotus, Hummingbird, and the other witches helping, they had managed to construct it with far less manpower than such a structure had any right to require.
He was under no illusions: building a nation’s habit around extravagant architecture was a reliable way to hollow out its power. And yet the effect on the people gathered below was undeniable. He could see it in them — the way they craned their necks upward, voices dropping, eyes wide.
The Miracle Building rose fifty to sixty meters above the surrounding two- and three-story residences. The contrast was vertiginous.
As Neverwinter’s new landmark, it announced itself with more than raw height. Its drainage system worked through a series of water tanks at ascending levels, ensuring steady pressure throughout. Four outdoor elevators — steam-driven from engines in the basement, operated by attendants — could carry dozens of passengers at a time between floors, their glass walls offering a broadening view of the city as they climbed. Rudimentary by the standards of another world. Unprecedented in this one.
“Your Majesty,” Karl said, hand over chest, once they reached the podium. “Please say something. Your subjects are waiting.”
Roland nodded and raised his hand to the crowd below.
The cheers rose like a wave breaking over him.
“Good afternoon, my subjects.”
“Today the Miracle Building opens to the public — a structure that sets records this world has never seen. This day will be remembered by those who come after us. But I won’t dwell on its grandeur. What you want to know is simpler than that: who will live here? Who was it built for?”
“Nobles? No — Graycastle has stripped nobles of their old power. The royal family? Of course not. I don’t need a building this size to hold my bed. The answer is straightforward. This building is for the residents of Neverwinter. For you.”
“You built the Miracle Building. You are entitled to this miracle.”
“Every room will be listed for sale. No title of nobility required. Bring your identification card, and you will become a resident of a building that is already part of our history.”
The wave came back — louder, longer.
“Long live the king!”
“Long live Neverwinter!”
When the voices settled, Roland continued: “Now — let us light the torch at the top of this building. From tonight onward, it will burn every night, visible across the whole city.”
In the roar that followed, Roland and several officials of the City Hall entered the elevator and rose to the roof.
A great stone basin stood at the center — filled to the brim with black oil. The oil had been specially treated: long-burning, odorless, clean. No foul smoke, no smog. The best fuel available for a flame meant to outlast the night.
“Your Majesty,” Nightingale said, and held out the torch.
Roland took it and walked to the basin.
A song drifted up from somewhere in his memory, its lyrics surfacing after years underwater.
“The moment there was the first sign of life underwater… you’ve come a long way…”
A smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. He touched the torch to the oil.
The flame caught — and held.
This was the fire of human civilization. He hoped it would burn forever.
Chapter 1197 - The Torch of the Civilization
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
The trial that had lasted a week not only indicated that the students at the Aerial Knight Academy had taken the first crucial step but also marked the official beginning of their training program. The trial, as a matter of fact, had stirred the entire city.
Several citizens spied a “giant kite” hover above the southern part of the city. Although Tilly often flew the “Unicorn” around the castle, most of the time she confined her activity to depopulated areas . As such, the public had never truly witnessed a real plane.
Onlookers rushed toward the southern city, hoping to catch a glimpse of the plane when it darted out of the yard. In the beginning, only residents at the Shallow Port and the industrial area knew about the trial. Nevertheless, within three days, the news was spread out throughout the entire city, and the academy was besieged by curious spectators. Whenever a plane slid into their view, the crowd erupted a loud cheer as if it were them riding the plane.
Honey took advantage of this opportunity and soon published an article entitled “A Recurring Miracle”, detailing the trial for the pilot trainees. The article was supplemented with two close-up shots of the biplane, which immediately brought the sales of Graycastle Weekly to a new peak.
Many merchants beyond Neverwinter sniffed a business opportunity and started to purchase the papers at a high price from the locals after they were sold out. Those who were not financially capable of doing that hired people to copy the article and the photos. Such a movement further raised the paper price in the city.
Aerial Knights, therefore, were known to everybody in Neverwinter overnight.
Roland received Tilly’s report a week later.
150 out of the 197 trainees passed the trial, which meant that 47 students crashed the plane due to major errors. As there were only four planes used in the trial, each plane crashed around 11 times on average.
It appeared that the crashing rate was pretty high, but Roland understood that the plane was lightweight and had a simple structure. As long as the engine remained intact, it was easy to fix them. Most of the crashes, as Roland noticed, had occurred during the process of landing due to speeding or slow operation. Roland was certain with a little bit of repair here and there, the biplane would recover its splendor.
Of course, the refurbished planes would obviously not function as well as the mint ones. In fact, two planes were so battered that they could no longer satisfy the need of the students. To make sure that the students received adequate training, at least 12 to 15 biplanes were required for the subsequent advanced training program.
This was also the number required for a large fleet in his previous world.
Roland concluded that the whole reported only conveyed one piece of information: “The air force and I need funds, and you shall give me money.”
Roland put down the report in amusement. He had to admit that Tilly did have some talent, for she had already grasped the nature of the air force when it was still in its infancy. In fact, a competent fleet not only required manpower but also a large number of planes for training purposes.
At present, all the industries in Neverwinter were severely short staffed. Apparently, they could not build an air force in a short period of time.
Apart from Tilly, Edith Kant, the Chief of the General Staff, also handed him a report.
The report was short but quite interesting.
Edith believed that the aerial knights had a potential to change the situation of the war and would even play a decisive role in the outcome of the battle, provided that they were properly used. Therefore, she wished to establish a research committee and send them to the academy to learn more about the planes for future strategic studies. She also conceived a few tactics specifically for the aerial knights, which she wished to discuss in detail with Roland at the earliest.
Edith was probably one of the few executives who truly cared about the planes. Roland admired her remarkable perspicacity and the ability to quickly associate the planes with potential war practices.
While Roland was planning to summon Edith to discuss aerial knights, his guard reported, “Your Majesty, the Minister of Construction, Sir Karl Van Bate, wishes to see you.”
Roland withdrew his hand from the telephone and said, “Send him in.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Your Majesty,” Karl saluted as he entered the office. “The construction of the Miracle Building is completed.”
…
Roland marveled at the towering building as he stared up at it from the bottom.
It took them two years to build this magnificent edifice. The construction cost them tons of gold royals and a large amount of steel and concrete that was more than enough to build three Redriver Bridges. Thanks to Lotus, Hummingbird and the other witches, they managed to complete the construction with relatively little manpower and few resources.
Contracting an expensive habit of squandering national resources and developing an addiction to extravagant architecture would definitely weaken
national power. However, the impact this building brought upon civilians was also phenomenal, which could be evidenced by the reaction of the spectators.
The striking contrast between the two or three-story residential buildings and the Miracle Building that stood 50 to 60 meters tall exhilarated Roland.
As Neverwinter’s new landmark, the Miracle Building not only astonished the masses with its ineffable grandeur but it was also a manifestation of the most advanced technologies currently available in this era. For example, its drainage system was comprised of various water tanks at different levels to ensure that water could be drawn efficiently.
Further, four outdoor “elevators”, driven by the steam engines at the basement, could transport dozens of people at a time between different floors. Although the elevators were quite rudimentary compared to modern ones and they required attendants to manually control the operation, they were unprecedented in this era. Passengers could have a birdview of the city through the french windows installed to the elevators.
“Your Majesty, please say something,” Karl suggested while placing his hand on his chest after they reached the podium. “Your subjects are waiting for you.”
Roland nodded and waved at the thousands of heads below.
A tidal wave of cheers swept over him.
“Good afternoon, my subjects.”
“This is the day when the Miracle Building is officially open to the public. It’s a building that sets numerous world records. Today will be remembered by our descendents. However, I’m not dwelling on its degree of magnificence but on what you’re most concerned about, that is, who will be living here and for whom it was built.”
“Is it nobles? No, Graycastle has stripped nobles of their power. Is it the royal family? Of course not. I don’t need such a large building to place my
bed. The answer is simple. This building is for the residents in Neverwinter, that is, you all.”
“You built the Miracle Building and are therefore entitled to this miracle!”
“Every room in this building will be listed for sale. You don’t have to be a noble to buy. Just bring your identification card, and you’ll become a resident of this building that is destinied to be a part of our history!”
As soon as Roland finished, another wave of cheers flooded over him.
“Long live the king!”
“Long live Neverwinter!”
After the chorus died down, Roland continued, “Now, let’s ignite the torch at the top of the building. From today onwards, this torch will be lit every night and dazzle the whole city!”
In the deafening roar, Roland and some officials of the City Hall entered the elevator and climbed to the top floor.
A huge stone basin was placed at the center of the roof, brimming with black oil. This thick heavy oil, which had been specifically processed beforehand, had a long lasting power. It would not emit a foul odour or produce smog either. Therefore, it was the optimal fuel for a long-burning flame torch.
“Your Majesty,” Nightingale said as she handed Roland the torch.
Roland nodded, took the torch and ambled over to the basin.
He suddenly remembered a song he had once listened to, its familiar lyrics came floating out of his memories.
“The moment there was the first sign of life underwater… you’ve come a long way…”
A smile curled Roland’s lip, and he ignited the torch.
This was the flame of the human civilization, and he hoped that it would burn forever.