I was a knight in the Middle Ages

The sunrise bathed the corridor floor tiles in an amber hue, and Tony's straight back gradually blended into the bright sky.

Alpha leaned against the carved pillar, watching the receding silhouette, a smile unconsciously playing on his lips: "That little brat who used to chase after Linda for candy, now he's all grown up and can stand on his own."

Before he could finish speaking, the sound of leather boots crushing fallen leaves came from behind him.

Alice walked slowly towards us, arms crossed. Sunlight brushed across her pale skin, casting flickering shadows of tears beneath her eyelashes: "You're still as lecherous as ever. We're all the same, can't take your eyes off pretty girls."

Alice deliberately shook the gilded holster at her waist, still wrapped with the red silk that Flena had given her a few days ago. "First Flena, then that elf... I wonder which beauty will be sent to the guard next."

Alpha let out an awkward laugh and reached out to touch the silver rose hair ornament in Alice's hair, but Alice dodged to the side.

"Don't change the subject." Alice turned her face away, a suspicious blush creeping up her ears. "I don't need you to teach me step by step."

"But you need these." Alpha snapped his fingers, and a squad of soldiers immediately emerged from the shadows, pushing a cart covered with a black cloth.

As the fabric slid down, twelve uniquely shaped magic guns gleamed coldly in the sunlight, the crystals embedded in the barrels shimmering with a mysterious, deep blue—these were the newly developed energy-concentrating gun barrels from the goblin workshop.

"Sniping at extremely long range requires more than just skill." Alpha pulled out one and handed it to Alice; the textured surface of the gun felt slightly warm against her fingertips. "These magic guns can extend the range to four hundred meters."

Alice's pupils suddenly contracted.

The moment Alice took the magic gun, the cool metallic touch reminded her of the scene when Linda taught her how to hold a gun when she was a child.

Just as I was lost in thought, Alpha's voice rang out above me again: "Melissa's Skywing will handle reconnaissance, the original second generation will build the defensive line, and the Dark Elves will use their stealth abilities..."

Alpha suddenly drew near, its warm breath brushing against his ear. "My personal guard tolerates no weakness."

"Who wants to be your weakness!" Alice suddenly stepped back, only to bump into the other person's open arms.

Alice's struggling movements suddenly froze—the wolf head badge on Alpha's chest was digging painfully into her, but it unexpectedly calmed her down.

Just then, Mingyue hurried over, her footsteps shimmering in the sunlight like scattered silver fragments, the silver bells on her cloak jingling: "Lord Alpha! Lord Havel is waiting in the council hall with his men, saying it's the final negotiation regarding the mining city's shares."

"I understand." Alpha released Alice and casually tidied her slightly disheveled hair.

As Alpha turned, he caught a glimpse of the lingering blush on the girl's ears, and his smile deepened. "Let's go. If we dawdle any longer, those old foxes will surely divide up all the spoils."

A gentle breeze lifted Alice's cloak, and she followed, clutching her magic spear tightly.

Steam rose from the distant mine, mingling with the crimson dawn on the horizon, a scene much like the inescapable fate of everyone involved in this power struggle.

The crystal chandelier in the conference room cast a cold light from the dome, elongating everyone's shadows on the carved walls.

Alpha sat at the head of the ebony table, his gilded handguards tapping the surface gently, producing a dull echo.

Before the sound had even faded, Arroni of the Orff family abruptly overturned his chair with a "bang," the ruby-inlaid sword at his waist scraping against its scabbard with a piercing hum.

"This plan is an insult to the Orff family!" Arroni's crimson eyes blazed with fury, the silver thread embroidered with the family crest on his collar shimmering in the light. "We submitted our supplies preparation plan half a month ago. Are the Alpha Knights going to trample our sincerity underfoot?"

Havel stood up abruptly, the wooden chair scraping sharply against the marble floor.

As the representative of the emerging family, Havel's neck veins bulged: "Your family's so-called 'plan' is nothing but empty words on parchment! Our Havel Merchant Guild delivered three cartloads of mithril ore to the mining city last week. May I ask which warehouse Orf's supplies are currently gathering dust in?"

"Ignorant nouveau riche!" Aronni sneered, a hint of disdain flashing beneath his peacock-feather-like eyelashes. "The Orff family's caravans span the seven seas; how could your small family, which rose to prominence through smuggling, possibly compare?"

Arronie deliberately drew out the last syllable, his leather shoes rhythmically tapping the ground, "When our fleet returns, we will surely show everyone our true strength."

Alpha stroked the rune-engraved sword at his waist, his cold voice silencing the tense atmosphere: "Resource allocation will be based on the actual arrival of goods over three months. During this period, each family is free to allocate resources."

Alpha's gaze swept over Arroni's momentarily frozen expression, and he continued: "The mining city will be a haven of free trade in the future. The city's garrison will be limited to a thousand men, and a military restricted zone will be established within a hundred kilometers of the city."

"Absurd!" Arroni's roar made the crystal chandelier sway slightly.

"Without sufficient armed forces, how can merchant ships defend against pirates? And who will wipe out those roaming monsters?" The family members behind Arlani nodded, and the parchment contracts clattered loudly as they were slapped on the table.

"I have reached an agreement with Torres, the representative of the city lord of Balor." Alpha's voice was as cold as ice.

"Security is the responsibility of the mining city's direct guard. Anyone violating the military restricted area regulations will be considered a provocation against the entire alliance." Alpha's gaze swept over the crowd, lingering for a couple more seconds on Aroni's pale face.

Havel cleared his throat at the opportune moment, breaking the stagnant air: "Your Excellency, regarding the distribution of products from the mining city..."

"Apart from the top-tier armor and high-precision magic gun, the remaining goods will be allocated according to shareholding ratios." Alpha opened the gold-edged contract, magic patterns flowing across the paper.

"But before the formal signing, each family only has the right to purchase at the original price." Alfa deliberately emphasized the words "original price," and out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Arroni's lips twitch.

The ensuing discussion devolved into lengthy and detailed negotiations.

When the improved craftsmanship of the new magic gun was mentioned, Havel took out his pocket watch and glanced at it: "Since the last test, the range of this three-shot magic gun has increased by twenty meters."

Before Havel could finish speaking, Arrone suddenly let out a heavy snort: "Just some flashy little tricks."

Alpha leaned back slightly, looking at the angel relief on the dome.

The seats for the Allison family members remain vacant; the gold-embossed invitation must already be lying in their study.

As dusk crept in through the window, it stained the contract on the table crimson.

Alpha secretly gripped the secret letter hidden in his sleeve—it bore the iris emblem of the Allison family.

As the carved wooden doors of the conference hall slammed shut behind him, Alpha breathed a sigh of relief as he removed the heavy knight's badge.

The golden-red cascade of the setting sun flowed down from between the spires, gilding the mining city emblem on his silver armor with an amber hue.

The distant clock tower chimed its time, startling a flock of gray pigeons that flew over the brick chimney.

"These documents are for the review of Administrator Miss Phyllis, who will be in charge of the subsequent handover negotiations." Alpha handed a stack of parchment stamped with sealing wax to a servant waiting in the corridor; the sound of his boots striking the marble floor was particularly clear in the empty corridor.

As the last rays of sunlight climbed over the castle's arrow tower, Alpha had already mounted his chestnut warhorse, the pebbles kicked up by the horse's hooves leaving faint streaks of light in the twilight.

The mining city construction site was still a hive of activity. The dwarf engineer, Baras, wearing leather goggles, stood beside the newly completed railway tracks, his beard smeared with engine oil, but he grinned, revealing a set of gold teeth: "Look at this masterpiece!"

Barras pounded on the gleaming steam locomotive; the intricate gears on its metal shell still turned slowly. "The miniaturized boiler featured a double-spiral tube design, coupled with an improved piston system, making the steam engine smaller yet more powerful."

Alpha crouched down, his fingertips tracing the seamless welding process at the joint of the rail.

The brand-new railway tracks snaked towards the horizon like silver snakes, and the gravel between the sleepers gleamed with a faint blue phosphorescence—a result of a special treatment that incorporated trace amounts of magic crystal powder.

"From here to the port of Constanta," Alpha unfurled a parchment map; the route, marked in red, traversed vast, dangerous areas marked with skulls. "It must be completed within three months."

A cunning glint flashed in Balas's single eye: "If we use the newly developed magic crystal powered road spikes, the construction time can be cut in half."

Barras suddenly lowered his voice, "But I've heard that the Allison family has recently stockpiled quite a few cargo ships in the Black Sea..."

Alpha's pupils contracted slightly as he rolled up the map again and stuffed it back into his saddlebag.

The eastern horizon was already turning dark, but Alpha seemed to see, thousands of miles away, a mineral vein containing unknown power shimmering in the darkness of the Gobi Desert.

As a time traveler, Alpha always remembered the map of uranium mine distribution in Kazakhstan from his textbooks in his previous life.

And the location of the magic crystal mine in this world today is strikingly similar to the location of the mine in my memory.

"Prepare ten of the latest armored trains." Alfa gripped the reins tightly; the warhorse pawed restlessly. "Now that the mining town is secured, we're going to meet with the Kazakh Khanate's caravan."

The night wind, carrying the heat waves from the distant furnace, brushed against his face. In a daze, Alpha seemed to hear the roar of the steam engine and the sound of camel bells intertwining in the depths of time and space.

This twilight marks not only the end of the conference but also the prelude to a new journey—the maps yet to be marked will eventually be filled with railroad tracks and trade routes.

Three months passed quietly, like fine sand flowing in an hourglass, with the sound of pages turning on the project schedule.

It may seem too short to complete a grand plan, but it is long enough to reshape the pulse of a city.

As the morning mist drifted over the towering chimneys of the mining town for the fifth time, the shadow of ruins had lifted from this long-standing industrial hub.

Mining carts rumbled along the repaired tracks, the furnaces of the smelter once again illuminated the night sky, and the city hall's glass windows shone with lights that stayed on all night.

Only the laboratory entwined with vines still holds unused cutting-edge technology.

Those sophisticated devices and blueprints, embodying the wisdom of the goblin race, have been secretly transported to the rear by a team of guards clad in silver scale armor, under Alpha's instructions.

On the battlefield where steel and sleepers intertwine, railway construction is staging a modern-day miracle.

Thanks to the heavy steam excavators and specially made steel rails allocated by Alfa, the mining city is connected to the port of Constanta, the pearl of the Black Sea.

With three times the manpower working day and night, it stretched out like a giant python awakening.

Workers passed scorching hot rivets high up on the scaffolding, while oil lamps formed a galaxy deep in the tunnel.

When the last section of track precisely connected with the port pier, deafening cheers even drowned out the long whistle of the ship.

Meanwhile, even larger transnational projects are also underway: in the mountains of Romania, the sounds of explosions and pile driving can be heard one after another.

On the plains of Bulgaria, the survey team's red flag fluttered in the wind.

At the construction site at the tri-border area, engineers of different skin colors used blueprints and gestures to overcome language barriers, allowing the steel dragon to weave a brand-new trade network at a speed of 100 meters per day.

These crisscrossing railway tracks not only conquered geographical distances but also became a golden link connecting the fates of multiple city-states.

In the twilight-shrouded strategic conference room, Alpha gently turned the bronze strategic sand table, the candlelight casting interplay of light and shadow on his angular face.

"The mining city is the cornerstone of our rise." Alpha's slender fingers tapped heavily on the miniature metal fortress on the west side of the sand table. "Gulis's magic spear regiment must be driven firmly there like iron nails—remember, their rain of arrows must strike fear into the hearts of any force that covets the mines."

Rowling knelt on the Persian carpet, her silver chainmail gleaming coldly in the candlelight.

As a commander who rose through the ranks from knight's squire, Rowling understood the mithril veins surging beneath the mining city.

It is not only the lifeline for forging weapons, but also the hard currency for exchanging strategic materials.

On the east side of the sand table, a model of the port of Constanta is bathed in artificial moonlight.

Alpha solemnly placed three cavalry insignia and an anchor-shaped emblem beside the port model: "This 'Pearl of the Black Sea' will be our future. Rowling, your three thousand dragon riders shall shake the land like a storm sweeping across the plains, while Mars's navy shall become the sharp blade that controls the waves."

Rowling gently bit her lower lip, her pearly teeth leaving a faint mark on her lips: "My lord, naval tactics..."

"Look here." Alpha unfolded a yellowed nautical chart, his finger tracing the winding waterways of the Bosphorus Strait.

"The Ottoman Black Sea Fleet was nothing but a paper tiger. Mars, a former naval admiral, had the key to defeating the Crescent Scimitar Fleet in his tactical notes. Just remember—warships are floating castles, and sailors are the bricks within."

As the grease on the bronze candlesticks crackled, Alpha's tone grew increasingly grave: "The Constanta merchant fleet must extend like the tentacles of an octopus. You must not only transport wheat and olive oil, but also establish a secret intelligence network. Remember, sometimes war intelligence more precious than gold is hidden in the cargo holds of a caravan."

Suddenly, Alpha's hand covered the entire Asian map: "When we control the Black Sea, the next dawn will illuminate the Kazakh yurts and that mysterious East protected by the Great Wall. But at this moment..."

Alpha's finger slowly retracted, hovering over the Balkans. "The privateers of the pirate alliance are tearing apart our supply lines, and the Ottoman Sultan's ambitions are like a rising tide, threatening to engulf our very foundations at any moment."

Rowling knelt on one knee, her right hand resting on the breastplate adorned with the family crest: "I am willing to burn my last drop of blood for you, sir."

Outside the window, the sound of the Black Sea waves, accompanied by the hooting of owls, seemed to provide accompaniment for this secret strategic meeting.

Alpha gently stroked Rowling's hair and placed a bronze whistle engraved with a griffin emblem into her palm—a token to summon support and a totem of trust.

"Lowling, do you know why we're keeping you here?"