Sylvester had just returned to the Holy Land and began focusing on helping the research and development department to make things he was knowledgeable about—food processing technology and methods. After all, as an undercover spy in his last life, he was a businessman in the USSR who dealt with food processing. It was one thing that led him to get cozy with all sorts of military officers and party seniors.
"Aluminum? Your Holiness, the prototype looks brilliant, and its properties are the best to hold food, but it's an exotic material. It's too expensive to make aluminum containers to store food," Cardinal Jinn said while observing the prototype Sylvester had made and presented.
"Increase the mining then. Use the steam trains and other tools that can be run on steam and electricity to increase the efficiency and the output," Sylvester ordered him in return. "Implement everything we make here, Jinn, otherwise it's useless. Perhaps we should form a whole new department for the implementation of technologies."
"Father."
Sylvester looked at the door of the workshop's private office. He smiled at the sight of his precious little girl, Ella, with her short blonde hair tied in little pigtails on each side with little red ribbons shaped like butterflies. She was clearly out of place with all the old men in the room, but her expressions never let anyone think they were dealing with a child.
"My favorite!" Miraj abruptly chirped but kept himself silent. Even Ella only knew Chonky was a squishy guardian angel, and sleeping while hugging him was the best.
"Father, I made something to help you." Ella entered with a jute bag on her shoulder, filled with things. "I made a box that's easy to make and heats the food on demand."
Sylvester looked at Jinn and Robert, his two Oppenheimers, and sighed. The boys were bested by a little girl this time. "Really? What is it?"
Ella narrowed her eyes at Sylvester and looked annoyed. "Don't treat me like a little baby, Father."
'Well, at least she's started calling me father. Oh, Diana, you'd have loved to meet this one.' Sylvester couldn't help but fawn over her.
"Sorry, sorry… Go on, Bishop Ella, what have you prepared?" Sylvester asked like the Pope this time, albeit noticing Jinn and Robert smiling from ear to ear.
"After reading the material science book you prepared for me, I found out that it lacked the information about most magical materials."
"Because the book was meant for everyone—magic user or not," Sylvester told her.
Ella bobbed her head energetically, her little pigtails fluttering with that. "I know, that's why I added information. You want to use aluminum because it's malleable. Then why not use magic to extract aluminum? I experimented and found Mythril can help the refining process of bauxite with its magical properties. I think we can ask Ashra and see if she can become a living, breathing, mining powerhouse. Her leftover scales can also be used to do the same manually."
Sylvester listened to the girl with great amusement. As far as he knew, Mythril was a great conductor of solarium and a very hard material. "I'll do the experiments and confirm your findings later, Ella. What about the heating you were talking about?"
"Oh, that's easy." Ella picked up the square can she had made, and showed him its underside, where a little thread was hanging. She pulled it, and immediately the can started turning warm. "A very low-grade fire crystal was placed inside this little chamber under the can, and got activated when I pulled the thread, letting the rune scheme drawn inside it become complete and activating the fire crystal."
"..."
Robert and Jinn were speechless, and Sylvester was proud. Sure, he could think of a hundred other ways the design could be improved, but the fact that this concept was workable, solved many things.
"This invention and discovery will be patented to you, Ella. A little amount of royalties will be given to you over the next fifty years, as long as the concept is used," Sylvester announced right away. "This can solve the issues of our soldiers, sailors, Clergymen, and Bright Mothers who go on long journeys or serve in harsh places. With this, we can even make the cold north habitable."
Ella smiled proudly, "Thank you, Father. But, as a reward, can I get some Skygem from you? And meet with Ashra personally?"
Ashra was a gigantic snake on par with a Grand Wizard in terms of power. So Sylvester had some worries. "I'll allow it, but you can never meet her without having one of the Guardians of Light beside you. Or take Felix with you when others are busy."
"But… He's busy with his marriage preparations."
"Wait!" Sylvester suddenly jumped from his seat. "When is his wedding?"
"Tomorrow."
"..."
"I need to be there." Sylvester quickly wrapped up the meeting and picked Ella up by her waist at his side as if she was a doll. "He asked me to come a day early. Let's go. We all need to be there before the evening!"
"Aaaa…" Ella yelped once Sylvester leaped into the air, although she found it exciting nonetheless. "Why hurry so much, Father?"
"Because." Sylvester felt a little emotional. "Because Gab and I are his only family."
…
One festival after another. Not long ago, the Great Harvest Festival had occurred, and now it was the entire Gracia celebrating the royal marriage that every little toddler who had just started school knew about.
Maximilia City was modern and beautiful, the peak of what a city could look like. Happy people, easy transport, clean, and with a general air of positivity in everyone's hearts. But for the occasion of the royal marriage, most of the central city, the roads leading to the royal castle, and all the shops were decorated to the teeth.
There were special discounts and increased economic activity as tourists and guests poured in for the big day. Even the Church had sent hundreds of low and high-ranking men, while Bright Mothers were working with the various Grace Hospitals as well as smaller healing bays.
"What do you think? Isn't the city pretty?" Sylvester asked as he reached the city using magic boats and then used horses. He had brought half of the Guardians, Gabriel, Xavia, and his five students.
Ella and Rex were awed at the marvelous city. The same was true for Xavia and the others who didn't leave the Holy Land much.
"Father should make Sand City like this," Rex exclaimed excitedly. "I want those trams and the shining lights!"
"Some of it is possible, but the rest isn't. Sand City is ancient, and unless it's completely uprooted, it's hard to fully modernize it, nor should you aim to do it. There is beauty in history, Rex, so cherish your roots. Instead, making a new city is more feasible."
"Sounds like a plan," Rex was already planning to erect a few such cities after becoming the King.
"This place is brilliant for my size," Noby, the Elephantkin, said as he walked instead of riding on a horse. "My folks can easily live here."
"I designed it while keeping dragons in mind," Sylvester revealed as they finally approached the Royal Castle.
"Open the gates!" The royal guards roared frantically and knelt down on one knee, something they didn't do even for other monarchs. Being the leader of a religion was one hell of a thing.
Sylvester smiled and waved his hand as if blessing them all and rode into the massive gates beyond the deep moat filled with nasty giant snakes with poison so strong that even the water was poisonous.
Boom!
"You're late!" Felix landed in front of their little entourage, seemingly having jumped from the top floor of one of the towers.
"I was looking for a good present, my brother. How is everything? Ready to repopulate both the Sandwall and Gracia bloodline?" Sylvester teasingly asked as he hugged Felix. The man was now wearing regal clothes, instead of his regular armor.
"You bet." Felix was as shameless as ever. "Come, Baron Loveland has brought his new magic camera. Let's get our photos taken."
"Let's go then."
Quickly, Felix brought them to the main royal throne room of the new castle. Most of the seats were removed, and a bigger throne was placed on a heightened platform, big enough to seat two people.
"Mother Xavia!" Isabella was there, speaking with her Prima, looking absolutely stunning in her regal red gown and the crown on her head. She ran to hug Xavia right away, having lived with her for a long time in the past.
Xavia was all smiles and returned the hug as if she were her real daughter. In a way, even Isabella considered Xavia like a mother since her real mother never demonstrated her love, not even a speck of it.
"Your Holiness." She gracefully raised her skirt and greeted Sylvester with a curtsey.
"Sylvester, that's who I am when it's just us. Now come and give me a hug." Sylvester widened his arms and accepted the girl. Who would have thought the distressed Princess who ran from home and saved Sir Dolorem's life would become this close and important to him?
'Everything happens for a reason, I guess.' Sylvester thought when he patted her back.
Ke-Chak!
Just then, an intense camera flash came. Everyone looked to the side, and there he was, Baron Leo Da Loveland, the man who loved everything related to art and fashion, and refused every chance of nobility promotion to avoid further responsibilities that could hinder his hobbies. A man of true culture. But he looked much older now, wrinkles covering every inch of his skin.
"Forgive me, Your Holiness, Your Majesty. You two looked brilliant like that. I couldn't keep myself from taking a picture," Baron Loveland apologized.
Sylvester left Isabella and walked towards the old man with an angry face, his fist clenched. The halo behind his head appeared, scaring the old noble until he backed a few steps.
"F-Forg—"
"Come here, you old man." Sylvester laughed at the end and embraced the Baron who made his and Xavia's first ever portrait. "Take more pictures, and don't forget to include yourself in some of them."
"Agreed," Isabella gave her approval.
And so, the photo session happened. Sylvester, Gab, and Felix took a picture together, then Sylvester and Xavia, followed by others—none knew how valuable they were going to be in the future. How cherished they would be by an entire civilization. The faces of people who built the foundation of the new world—the face of the Pope, who was a bright light to the world.
For a few hours, they remained in the throne room and got hundreds of pictures taken, including the Guardians, such as Aurora and Lord Inquisitor. But as the night fell, and everyone was busy with wedding preparations for the next day, Sylvester received an undead raven from the Holy Land, from his Saint Seer, Lazark.
Crunch!
"Chonky, no! Bad manners, leave the poor raven alone. You'll kill it with your powerful jaws."
"But it's already dead, Maxy."
"...I need it to send the reply back."
"So boring, I'm going to Big Mum," Miraj chirped and flew out of the balcony to another room.
Sylvester sighed and opened the folded paper, only to smile eventually.
'Ah, so it's begun.'
Thank you for reading. Gifts and GT votes are highly appreciated.
