[Now Entering Arwintar, Capital of Baharuth.]

I'm not quite sure how long I spent talking with GLaDOS once we had reconciled a little bit, probably hours really. I ended up revealing my ability to travel to other dimensions to her (which she took surprisingly well, probably the system's fault,) and then we went off topic and into a very stimulating discussion about inter-dimensional portals and other tech, which was where I learned that in fact- No, you did not need a white wall for the portal gun to work anymore. The beginning models used to need them to help define and keep the portals stuck where they were without instability, but later models overcame that issue and the portal devices were only left locked to white panels for the purposes of testing, a restriction that GLaDOS had easily removed from my portal gun upon request.

Still, as happy as I was picking through GLaDOS's vast knowledge on the sciences, I did have things to do back in the New World, so eventually I did have to say goodbye, but not before using some of Aperture Science's surprisingly good personal tailoring robots to get a new outfit.

What? You didn't think I was going to host my showcase at the festival in my dark and intimidating servant armor, did you?

Anyways, I ended up styling myself in a mixture of Victorian dress and steampunk, combining a frilled white button up shirt and a corset with a dark blue coat and striped pants, and of course, combat boots modified to incorporate the benefits of Long Fall boots. All in all, it wasn't bad, but I needed to up the "Steampunk" factor, so with the help of a handy Aperture Science Metallic filament printer- (basically a 3d printer for metal,) I created some armor to line the inside of my coat and made a pair of gauntlets, all colored to look bronze, but actually made of a much stronger alloy.

I was surprised to find out, but apparently the higher ups in Aperture took their safety more seriously than others, whether due to the hazard their very workplace held or outside interference I wasn't sure, but they had an option to add their own weave of synthetic spider silk to their outfits. For those who don't know, spider silk is incredibly useful, as it is a hundred times stronger than steel with a fraction of the weight, and when weaved together like clothes? It becomes tougher than even Kevlar. Tie that into my outfit, and then with me reinforcing things with my mana? I've just made a new outfit that is not only just under my actual armor in terms of protection, but since it's tailored to fit me? I get a movement buff! All that was left was for me to do was to make some decorative goggles and Voila! Steampunk outfit complete!

[Item creation successful!- 1x Steampunk Light Armor]

I gave the mannequin-looking tailor robot a hug for its wonderful work before I left, saying goodbye to my... new mom... before returning to the New World. Hmm. New mom... My new mom... yeah, that's still going to take some getting used to.

I wound back up right where I left off in front of the barn before heading back to base to dump a shitload of new blueprints on Dell's desk. The Aperture Science blueprint pack had a TON of good shit, and I couldn't wait to start introducing some of it to our designs. The firing mechanisms for turrets, for one, were game changers. Firing mechanisms without the need for propellant, and therefore removing the need for cased ammo would shave off soooo much work when producing rounds. It also allowed higher calibers of bullets, and since sabot rounds were so simple yet incredibly effective, it allowed guns to have much better armor penetration.

Right, you might not know about different types of armor piercing rounds. A quick lesson on ammo types and armor penetration then-

Most know about armor piercing and hollow point rounds, how Full Metal Jackets, or FMJs are designed to strip away at their outside in order to punch through and penetrate their target, while hollow point rounds are designed for soft targets to flatten and spread upon entry, creating more damage. Hard targets vs soft targets is a big deal in how best to use types of ammo on high caliber weapons as well.

Fighting against armor on tanks and other vehicles can be similar in how ammo is based. Some shells tanks use are designed to punch through armor and explode, some are designed to shred themselves on entry and introduce shrapnel which would bounce around the inside of an enemy tank, and some are just high explosive rounds- which, while not always able to penetrate heavy armor unless the caliber is big enough, high explosive completely shreds weaker armor and is incredibly effective at killing the softer, less armored targets.

Also, there is the more common types of ammo introduced in World War Two like HEAT, or High Explosive Anti Tank rounds, which shoot fin stabilized canister rounds that upon contact, detonates a shaped charge that sends forth a jet stream of incredibly hot fire that burrows through armor like a hot knife through butter. This is often how most anti-tank rockets like the RPG-7 work, delivering large caliber HEAT rounds while anti tank missiles can use their bigger caliber to detonate multiple feet away and still penetrate. Some, like the javelin missile, even have two shaped charges where the first one is fired to clear any obstruction for the second, to defeat spaced armor.

Later on, however, countermeasures were introduced and standardized against Heat rounds, like reactive armor plating that explodes upon contact with munitions, often negating or obliterating the incoming round, and something new was needed to ensure effectiveness. And thus the sabot round was introduced. Simple in design and execution, it is little more than a dense metal dart with fins. As a sabot hits enemy armor it grinds away at itself until it penetrates, bringing a heavy amount of shrapnel in its wake as it burrows through armor and sometimes out the other side in one of the most effective methods of penetration- brute force focused on a small, narrow point.

A standard armor piercing ballistic capped shell from a 120mm cannon might have around 250mm of armor penetration, but with a sabot round that is easily increased, from around 400mm to over 600mm of penetration based on the round's construction, creating an incredibly reliable tank killer, as 400mm is considered heavy armor on tanks. Now imagine sabot rounds on smaller arms. 25mm cannons could penetrate around 75mm armor, a greater equivalent than most early WW2 tanks, and it only increases in relation to the caliber. Add in the rapid firing mechanisms of an auto cannon, and you have yourself a weapon that can drill a hole through enemy armor in seconds. All in all, it was incredibly deadly, and I wanted one.

I was so wrapped up in my weapons fantasies I nearly didn't realize I had returned home until I entered the R/D wing, striding through the halls with purpose.

"Dell!" I shout, kicking open the door to the workshop looking for him. Ever the tinkerer, he looks up from where he was welding a piece of metal, armor for something I supposed, but that wasn't important. "Put down that torch and pick up a pen, we have new blueprints for cool shit!" I paused. "And I may have gained a slightly homicidal AI as a mother!"

Dell flipped up his welding mask, raising an eyebrow. "Sounds like a helluva story there, partner." He said, setting his tools to the side and pulling off his gloves as he started to look at some of the blueprints I was spreading over a lesser used table. He let out a low whistle as he looked over one of the papers, taking in the detail. "This is some pretty advanced work, where'd you get these ones?"

"Well," I began. "Part of my powers in crossing realities seems to drop me off at places of fiction that I've seen before, often for major events, and sometimes things apparently get rewritten to accommodate me. This time, I was dropped off in a science facility entirely run by artificial intelligence after the mainframe murdered all the humans (because the scientists were all amoral assholes who treated her as an experiment,) and I was forced to run puzzle solving tests involving portals, lasers, turrets, and buttons. Apparently things in history were rewritten so that I was the main character, and I ended up helping another A.I. overthrow the old mainframe, who wanted to kill me, only to be betrayed, then I allied with the old mainframe to overthrow the new one and save ourselves from a reactor meltdown, and somehow ended up discovering that I, as the main character, was the daughter of the woman the mainframe used to be before she was uploaded, which is a whole 'nother bag of worms, but we managed to talk things out some and agreed to give it a shot and try to make things work."

Dell stared at me, shaking his head. "Life around you ain't gonna be boring, is it?" He asked, chuckling. "If you didn't have these blueprints, I'd think you were joking."

Oh, it only gets better, just you wait... I thought. I picked up a book of papers containing the portal gun designs and pushed it his way, excited to see his reaction. I watched as he started to browse it, originally only skimming the design before he realized what he was looking at and he furrowed his brows, taking a more serious look at it. He spent a solid minute reading it before looking at me.

"This... this... device..." He stumbled. "It's... incredible! It's revolutionary! And you were using this for simple puzzle solving?" I grinned widely at his response before pulling the ASHPD from my inventory. Dell watched with rapt attention as I shot a set of portals on the wall, utterly amazed as he realized he could see through them with perfect clarity. I enjoyed his speechlessness as I simply walked through one portal and out the other, grinning at him.

Dell walked up to one of the portals, eyeing the swirling blue around it's frame before sticking a hand through, feeling absolutely no resistance or sensation in the slightest. He looked at the other portal, looking at himself from another angle before stepping through, marveling at the experience. "Amazing..." He said in a low tone, turning back to marvel at the portal. "My teleportation uses molecular reformation to move someone, but this... this is a perfect fold of space between two points, there simply is no distance between them! Remarkable!"

"Yeah, Aperture Science has managed some pretty revolutionary inventions, but their scientists were utter psychopaths, and the company had a long history of ignoring basic human rights and wild experiments. Kinda glad it's been cleared out." I piped up. "If you want, I can take you there sometime. Now that GLaDOS, (my mom and the mainframe,) is the only one in charge, the entire place has become... relatively safer. She'd probably enjoy having a man of science talk to her that wasn't planning on suppressing her mind, and I think she'd find your teleporters interesting. Might want to watch out if she asks you to do some tests though."

"I might jus' have to take you up on that." He scratched his head, still looking at the portals. "Boss, do you realize all the applications this device could have?" He asked, looking at me. I nodded seriously.

"I can think of fifty uses alone for this device, and triple that when you consider that you can have stationary versions the size of a doorway. If we can also modify the size of these portals to something as small as a pinhole or the size of a tunnel, this presents so many applications it isn't even funny. It could be used for almost anything, and I literally mean that. Scientific research, making a truly infinite super collider, abusing gravity for power generation. Supplies, ammo, or fuel directly fed from another location, instant transportation, inter dimensional gateways... we could shoot portals to other planets and walk between worlds with only airlocks to step through."

"...We can visit the stars..." Dell mumbled, blown away by the idea.

I gripped his shoulder with my left hand, resting the Portal gun on my right. "We can visit the moon, build a base there, and so much more. It all might be incredibly advanced, but we have the tech, we have the designs, and we have the time to comprehend and use this stuff. This opens the door to so many things!" An utterly excited grin split my face. "Are you as excited as I am about this potential?"

His own grin started forming, a pure and joyous smile like a kid on Christmas morning. I could see the gears in his head turning as he realized just how much more was possible with these advances, and soon we were grinning ear to ear as we turned back to the schematics.

"I've got five days before I have to go back and man the steam engine for the event. Want to see who can create the most uses for this tech by then?"

Dell laughed loudly. "You may not need to sleep, but remember, some of us are still human here!"

"Aww, piss off with that," I say, slapping his shoulder. "You've got far more experience than me, you'll probably have ten times more uses than what I can think of. Plus, don't tell me you aren't going to stay up all night studying these anyways, I remember what you did when you were deciphering the material harvester!"

He laughed again, shrugging his shoulders. "Got me there, alright partner, get us some whiteboards and notebooks, I have a feeling this will be a productive few days."


Four days later...

We both sat sprawled on a couch I had built in the workshop not long after we began brainstorming, exhausted but happy as we reviewed our lists. A productive few days was an understatement, as we both put together so many ideas they had to be recorded and filed under projects for the future on the servers so we could review them later if we had similar projects. Junk food and empty bottles littered some nearby tables and a smart board was now set up on one of the walls where we both presented some of our ideas to each other, making improvements and sounding off the other for feasibility.

All in all, we were both tired, and Dell had bags under his eyes, but I don't think either of us had ever had such a productive week. Hundreds of designs and ideas were pitched and fleshed out, and our already long list of projects to build was tripled in size. I myself wasn't sure I would even be able to get to most of these projects before Nazarick arrived, there was just so many. Out of all of them though, there were a few I prioritized above everything else we made.

The first was rather simple, I would make one of Aperture Science's Thermal Discouragement Beams, ramp it up and turn it into an Thermal Disintegration Beam, then send it through a portal that exits the barrel of a rifle I can carry. Add some focusing lenses, and Voila! Instant death ray.

Second was a modification of the Material Emancipation Grills so that they could be used as security to disintegrate intruders, which was rather easy as that was just programming, and then to turn it into a weapon, which also wasn't that hard. I created an axe like design where the field could be used like a blade that would disintegrate enemies on contact. The only issue was power draw, and that could be solved with PORTALS!

Truly, thinking with portals was incredible, they were just that useful.

Third, I looked to portals in relation to Railguns, and devised a closed loop vacuum system where a projectile could be accelerated in an infinite loop before being allowed to exit, gaining a fraction of the speed of light. More than fast enough to light the air on fire from the friction of its passing, really. It was going to be an incredible boss killer, but there were issues. The problem was both the ammo suitability, power draw, and setup of such a weapon. It couldn't be portable because I may well end up getting killed just from being near it as it gets released, so it would need a weapons platform that could handle it, something I would have to look into in the future.

I really needed to talk to GLaDOS about building my own Deuterium Fusion Reactor, because at this point the diesel generator powering this base wasn't going to cut it in the long run, not at all. It wouldn't even be able to power the emancipation grills. Fission power, like in regular nuclear reactors was easier, but that required having a place to both host it and store the radioactive waste and I didn't want to bother with that here. The monsters are crazy enough without the possibility of mutants if something found caches of radioactive waste buried underground.

Perhaps I really would build a base on the moon. Eventually I want to put satellites in orbit, and whatever orbital weapons I might make, so that would take away the cost of rockets. And I could build super weapons without worrying about infiltration! Set up material emancipation grills in front of portals to the moon and control if they open or not and bam! Nobody could get to my secret base without my permission or some extreme circumstances!

Yes. I'm totally doing that, but I need to walk first before I can run, and I need to finish some of my projects here on the ground before I can even think of conquering space. I look over to one of my workstations, and at the half finished blueprint of my rework on the Intrepid.

Despite how much I often rip on Fission as not being a good idea compared to Fusion, it has it's uses, especially when it means I can build an aircraft carrier that can last over twenty years without refueling. I've made good progress on the design now that I'm well versed from Dell's teachings. I'm still not as smart as him, and I probably won't be for years, but I can built things now and be proud of them, and the Intrepid II, or Intrepid Redux is something I really want to be proud of.

Featuring three nuclear fission reactors, a flight deck wider than a modern aircraft carrier, CWIS and AEGIS defense points, and a full compliment of robotic crew and automated systems, I truly hoped it was going to be something to last. I had picked up a few blueprints here and there over the months so that I at least had a pair of helicopters and some world war 2 fighter planes that could be used, but I still needed to program the synths so that they could take the place of pilots, and I couldn't do that very well without the ability and secrecy to take test flights. Outside of that, this project was just something I had started upon getting here, and I'd be damned if I didn't finish it. If I pushed, I could probably finalize the design by the end of the year, and have Dell look it over before trying to build it.

To the side of the carrier blueprints, several bare-bones designs of battleships and cruisers laid, parts of an escort fleet I still wanted to build. The pirates were getting worse around Re-Ulovale, and I wanted to deal with them in the coming months. Rumors had painted them as a foreign force that had moved in and taken over an island to the north to base operations from, one that was supposedly an old fishing town- and they had taken the citizens there as hostages and slaves.

There was no way I was going to let any thieving, rapist scum have a hold anywhere near me or my base, and so I planned to build an army of synths and eliminate the pirates once I could build my fleet. But, that was in the future. Right now, especially tomorrow morning, I had other things to do.

Standing up with a stretch, I worked the kinks out of my back, patting down my still wrinkle-free clothes before setting the tablet I was working on to the side. Our little competition had ended a few hours ago, and as expected, Dell had more designs than I did when it came to how to use our new blueprints, topping out at a hundred and thirty seven compared to my seventy two. He was a good sport about it though, and he liked a few of my ideas, often combining some of ours together for something new.

I reached over and waved a hand in front of his face, causing him to blink and look at me. "It's late, and I have the event tomorrow. Get up and get yourself some dinner and sleep, you can continue later." I said, taking the tablet from him. He rubbed his eyes before getting up, scratching at a bit of stubble that had grown on his chin.

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks." He yawned, checking the time. "That was some good brainstorming we did, the new tech is a fascinating read." Dell and I exchanged good nights and he sauntered off to the kitchen to make a dinner, probably a bacon and country ham sandwich with a sweet tea. I swear the man has a diet as southern as he is, and as a former southerner, I still approve, but even I prefer a bit of variety every now and then. Ah well, I don't even have much room to complain, I still don't eat much in the first place since I don't get hungry.

Maybe I should get some rest as well, mentally recharge before the event. Yeah, relaxing in a nice comfy bed sounds appealing. I put away my tablet and gather some of the blueprints, stuffing them in my inventory before making my way to my largely unused living quarters. It had some simple things, like a desk, a chair, a dresser, and a bed, but I haven't felt the need to call this place a home yet. It was empty aside from the basics, but it was all I needed.

I set an alarm on the bedside clock before laying back on the bed, letting my head rest on the pillow. A wave of tiredness hit me, and I was quickly pulled into dream land.


The sky was grey and foggy, swirls of what looked like smoke stirring in the winds.

I was back in this place, the place I knew, yet did not, but things were different.

The once towering mounds of scrap seemed to be smaller in size, and the sands of rust that covered the ground were receding in places, revealing blackened ground.

The air was hot, smelling of grease and metal, but far less of decay and rust. Something was changing. The wrongs were being righted. What wrongs? I didn't know, but something was working.

The smog was lighter than last time, the air less choked with fumes, yet carrying the scent of fire. Ash no longer fell so prominently upon my shoulders.

This place was... lighter? No, more... correct? That seemed right. It was like it had been neglected, but was now being tended to, like an engine that was sitting idle for too long and needed to be run.

That didn't quite feel right, but it was close.

Now that the fog had lifted more, something about the objects in the scrap piles caught my eye. Something about it seemed familiar... but from where? I couldn't quite tell, the world still had a haze to it, and the smoke and fumes made my eyes water.

I tried to take a step closer, but my foot fell through the floor and darkness consumed me...


BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEE-Crack.

Rubbing my eyes, I sat up and looked to my clock which now looked like a pancake. Did I do that? I must've. I thought I was hitting the alarm button but maybe I did it too hard. My strength is rather inhuman these days, I'd have to place it around D rank instead of the true A rank Jeanne Alter has, but I'll get there in time anyways as I level up.

Ah, wandering morning thoughts. Hey system? What time is it?

(It is now 6AM)

Good, good. Enough time to prepare the steam engine before the fair then. I walk out of the living quarters wing and off to the teleporters, disappearing in a swirl of blue lights as I reappear in Arwintar in my rented barn. Everything looks to be in place, and the great steel engine still sits in it's spot as the Synths stand around, keeping guard.

I roll up my sleeves and go to the train, climbing into the cabin before opening the firebox doors, tossing some wood from my inventory into there before using a burst of magic to set it all on fire. I toss another few planks in before checking the water levels, satisfied with what I see. I'll leave that to burn and move to the next part.

Hopping down and moving to the side, I pull over a cart with a pneumatic tool and slot in some grease sticks to get to work on the joints of the engine. Old trains like this didn't have ball bearings, just lubricant and rods of metal, so they needed to be taken care of properly and frequently. Working the handle, I greased the joints and even the wheels, letting the simple but monotonous task take me as I waited for the boiler to heat up.

Once that was done, I checked on the fire, happy to see it going well. I started covering the burning wood in coal from a small built in hopper section behind the cabin, spreading things around with the shovel to keep it level. If this was a bigger locomotive I'd probably want a pump to circulate the water faster, but with a small engine like this it wasn't needed. I climbed out and up along the side of the boiler, turning the "monkey's tail" valve on the top open to let steam fill the boiler and push out any extra air. Smoke was now rising from the stack, filtering through the planks of wood in the barn roof as I once again waited for things to heat up further.

Eventually, steam was rising steadily from the monkey's tail, and I turned it off, grabbing a can of oil and a crescent wrench. Returning to the cabin, I used the wrench to open the drain for the hydrostatic lubricator, letting the water out before closing it and refilling the oil. Turning the valves for the Dynamo and condenser, I hear the whirring of a small single fan turbine atop the boiler spool up as the steam causes it to spin a magneto, generating electricity for the few lightbulbs and other gauges on the engine.

Next is the air pump, which on this model is on the front of the engine. Two bulky cylinders, one for steam, one for air. Refill the oil on the air side, open the drains, and let any condensation left get blown out, because water does not compress and could damage a cylinder head. Once it's rhythmic pumping has pushed all the water out and it's just steam, tighten the drain, then the packing on the pistons to prevent leaks.

Now that the air pump is running, we have air pressure for the rest of the engine for things like the brakes and other pneumatic systems. Returning to the cabin, I shovel more coal into the now roaring fire, taking note to spread it out again to keep the heat nice and level. I think I'm just about ready here, just need to let the steam built up a bit more and it'll be good to go today. Hopping down to give things a once over, I'm interrupted from my musings as a knock sounds on the barn door.

Curious as to who it could be, I motion for the Synths to hide in surprise positions before walking over to the big door, sliding it open to see a few of the organizers I had met with to get a spot here. They were all dressed in silk splendor and I was mildly surprised to see them here, as the sun had only just risen and I figured nobles liked to sleep in.

"Elias!" I call, reaching out a hand to one of them. "I didn't expect to see you so early today, what can I do for you?" I asked. The man, bald but dressed in a mix of fine clothes and jewelry eagerly shook my hand in greeting. I liked this guy more than most of the nobles, he was a savvy and successful merchant, and one of the main backers for the fair. He loved the novelty of the model train I had shown them and must've been eager to see the true thing.

"Jeanne, my darling! Wonderful to see you. We were just curious to see how ready your exhibit was, it's been the talk of more than a few people since your demonstration. I assume this is the true article?" He says with an eager grin, gesturing to the lone engine sitting on the tracks. I nod as I notice more than a few of the nobles gawking at both the amount of metal the locomotive was constructed with and the simple presence it has. With the smoke billowing from the stack, the slight thump of the air pump, and the lit up headlight it's probably beyond anything they've ever seen before.

"Indeed it is, I just got done warming it up too. I'll be moving it out of the barn and onto the event route in just a minute if you want to watch." I offered. Elias looked positively giddy, I swear the man was like a child around things he found 'new' and 'amazing' but even I failed to suppress my grin at both his enthusiasm and the pride of having a steam engine to show off.

"It's going to move? It's so huge! And so much metal, it must've cost a fortune to build! How did you make such an elaborate machine?" He gushed. I chuckled.

"Well, let's just say that I have a very cheap supplier when it comes to metal. As for constructing it, all the metal was hand tooled, measured, and fits precisely together in one incredibly complicated puzzle. The work and fine tooling alone might just be worth more than the metal." I wasn't exactly lying, as the designs for this was decades ahead of the times, and both the idea and production would be beyond the means of almost anyone in the kingdoms to produce.

"Fascinating." He said, looking at the locomotive with bright eyes.

"Well, if you want to watch, please stand to the side of the rails I've laid out. I'd hate to have someone get hurt." I said, motioning to the side of the tracks. Most of the nobles got the hint, and the small group started moving out of the way. I walked back to the engine, climbing up into the cabin and getting behind the controls. Flipping the directional lever forwards and releasing the brake, I pulled back on a much larger arm lever, causing some steam to escape as pressure was sent through to the cylinders.

SSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHH... THUMP

Ever so slowly at first, the wheels began to turn, and the engine started moving almost soundlessly on it's wheels. Good, that means they were well greased. I carefully feathered the throttle, maintaining a slow but steady speed as the engine pulled out from the barn with two open air cars trailing behind it. Sticking my head out to keep a better eye on things, I quietly snickered at how blown away the nobles seemed, storing the memory of their expressions of shock.

SSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHH... THUMP

SSSSSSSHHHHHH... THUMP

SSSSSHHHHHH... THUMP

The engine was working smoothly as steam was pushed through then expelled from the cylinders, propelling the locomotive at a pace faster than walking. I wanted to have the bell going and blow the whistle, but that might cause panic this early, especially since nobody really knew about this. I drove the engine up the rails a bit until the second car cleared the barn, slowing it to a stop before reapplying the brakes. I leaned out the side of the cabin and looked at the nobles as they seemed to gather their courage again to approach.

Elias looked positively star struck as he came up, marveling at the engine. "Amazing..." he breathed. "Something so heavy able to move so quickly, so smoothly... I've never seen anything like it!"

"Oh, I was taking it easy on the speed. It can move a lot faster than that, but for the people's safety I won't be moving it that fast around the event. I don't want anyone to stumble in front of it and get hurt." I explained. Several of the nobles nodded along, seeing the sense of the idea.

"And how does this... contraption... work again?" One of the nobles asked. I looked to the speaker, a thin man in a purple robe that I couldn't quite remember the name of. He had on a slightly skeptical face as he looked upon the engine.

"Steam power. What you get when you boil water. Surely you've noticed how if you stick your hand above a hot cup of tea you can feel moisture and heat rising from it?" A few nobles nodded. "It's like a huge tea kettle that it boils water, but instead of releasing that steam, it keeps it in the boiler and builds up pressure, then uses that pressure to move things." I explained. Mr. Thin over there still didn't seem to believe me, but frankly I didn't care. If they decided not to believe me it meant nothing.

"How fast can it go?" Another noble asked. I think his name was Mezamine. Not a bad guy, but certainly greedy.

I shrugged. "I haven't been able to put her through her paces properly yet, but she's able to go faster than a sprinting horse. If this event turns out well and I can get permission to build some tracks between towns and cities, I'll build another engine more powerful than this that will go twice as fast and pull more cars."

"And you can carry things like goods as well as passengers with this machine, correct?" Mezamine asked. I could see the gold coins flashing through his and other's eyes as they realized the trading potential. I grinned.

"Oh yes, there will undoubtedly be entire carriages dedicated to hauling goods. I believe that if I can get a good route set up through the empire, I could deliver goods from one side to the next in less than four days." I boasted, patting the side of the engine. I could tell I had several of them hooked on the idea.

"Do you need help convincing some of the lords to allow you passage through their lands?" Another asked. I turned to give them a considering look.

"Hmm, well, I hadn't quite gotten to asking them yet, I wanted to make a good impression here first. That said though, there is something I had in mind. Every person who wishes to ride upon the train or ship goods must pay a price. Part of that price will be taxes, but perhaps a portion of that price could also be a fee that goes to the local lords in exchange for a path through their territory." I laid out. Most nobles had considering looks, finding appeal in that idea.

"What about security concerns?" Mezamine asked. "Say some nasty criminal stows away on one of the carriages, or a monster attacks, how would that be dealt with?"

I gave a nod twice, bobbing my head in a side to side fashion. "A fair question. I was planning to hire either Workers or adventurers of iron to gold rank, offering discounts on tickets for any not on the payroll as long as they agree to help if any trouble comes up. As for stowaways, every passenger will be buying a ticket, and on the way to their destination those tickets will be marked by a hole punched into them, so they cannot be reused. Passengers without a ticket will be held for law enforcement at the next destination."

Mezamine nodded thoughtfully as the others began contemplating benefits. Elias shook his head, a smile on his face. "I'm sure you'll be a sensation during the fair, young lady! I don't think anyone has ever seen something like this. A mechanical vehicle that doesn't use magic or horsepower..."

I grinned. "Yes, I hope to make a lasting impression. If I can set up routes between the kingdoms themselves, travel and trade will be revolutionized and safer for everyone." I looked upon the locomotive fondly, recalling just how much use these machines were for almost two hundred years. I shook myself out of my reminiscing. "Well, I don't want to hold y'all up, you probably have a schedule to keep for the fair. I'll be hosting rides every half an hour once the fair starts, so I'm sure you can find some time to visit if you want."

Several of the nobles looked to the sun, noting the time and deciding that they should get a move on with their day. Elias stayed for a bit to chat, but even he had things to do, so he too split off after a few minutes. I went back and shut the barn door, leaving the synths to guard the teleporter. They would let me know if something was wrong. In the meantime, I took pleasure in driving the train forwards and onto the main track that had been set up, bringing it over to the boarding platform and ticket booth. Setting the brakes, I opened the fire box and shoveled some more coal, basking in the heat most might call sweltering before closing it and stepping onto the platform.

Obviously, I couldn't drive the train, sell tickets, and keep an eye on things, so last week I had set out a request in the adventurers guild for help. They didn't have to be high rank, I just needed extra hands and eyes. With luck, I should get some helpers arriving in a few minutes, but for now...

I pulled a few rolls of pre-made tickets from my inventory and set them in the ticket booth, each set for times and days of the event so they couldn't sell more tickets than available seats. Hearing some metal clanking and footsteps, I ducked out of the booth to see a group of adventurers approaching, gawking at the engine much like all the surrounding vendors had been doing since I moved into place. Dusting my hands, I cleared my throat to get their attention.

"I assume you all are the help I requested?" I asked. There were three of them, a sandy blonde male with a sword and shield, a raven haired female magic caster, and a young looking auburn woman with a spear. The one with the sword stepped up, nodding.

"My lady, Adventure team Pale Yew answers the call. I am Eron, and these are Yelena and Laiu, my companions. How can we assist?" He asks, looking completely confident. I raised an eyebrow at his chivalrous attitude.

"No need for the 'lady' title. Call me Jeanne, I'm just an inventor and adventurer, not a noble." I explained. Their eyes widened.

"Truly? That is fascinating!" Eron proclaimed. The raven haired magician, Yelena, I assumed, looked at me critically, while the spear woman, Laiu seemed to be in awe.

"Anyways, you three know the basics of what you're here for, right?" I ask. Laiu nods happily, stepping up to speak.

"You needed some people to sell tickets and deal with troublemakers, right?" She asked, seeming more excited about the 'dealing with troublemakers' than anything else. I nodded, at least she's enthusiastic.

"Yep. I need to keep an eye on the locomotive, so I can't keep track of everything on my own. One of you, probably Yelan, will be selling tickets. I've already got them made and ready so you'll know how many you can sell and when. Each ticket will be a silver each, and you'll all get a cut of the earnings at the end of the day. As for you two, I'll need someone to keep an eye on the customers, check tickets, resolve disputes, and someone else to keep an eye on the crowds around the engine when in movement. Eron, you'll probably be dealing with the customers, and Laiu, I might want you on the front to keep people away with the blunt end of your spear if needed. The locomotive has a lot of moving parts, and some parts are very hot. People might get stupid and burn themselves or injure themselves if they decide to touch things they shouldn't, especially when it's in motion." I explained.

They all seemed to understand their roles, but Laiu held up a hand in question. "Uhh, what exactly is your exhibit? Is it that huge metal thing?" I blinked.

"I guess I didn't really explain what I was doing here in the request, did I? Well, what you see behind me is a Steam Locomotive, something I made. It's a machine that can move under its own power, without magic or outside help, and I'll be using it to pull those carriages behind it around the entire event along those metal rails you see on the ground." I pointed them out. They seemed stunned at the idea, a reaction I was soon realizing might become tiresome in its regularity. "You'll all get a chance to ride it, and it's perfectly safe to be around if one isn't stupid and doesn't touch things they don't understand.

Laiu, if you're going to be on the front of the engine, I should point out what's safe to touch and what isn't. There will be some railings you can grab onto, but on the front of the boiler like that there will be a few things that are rather hot you won't want to touch. Eron, Yalan, I'll be showing you guys the tickets and walking you through what to do, and in the later days of the event you all can swap jobs with each other if desired. I will provide lunch after the noon train ride, and you'll get some downtime between every ride, which is every half hour.

Last, but not least- if you ever run into trouble with someone stronger than you, get me. I'm a lot stronger than you'd think, and I'll help you out as long as someone else can keep an eye on the engine." I finished.

They seemed pretty satisfied with the arrangement, and we spent the next forty five minutes going over things as the fair started to come to life. The first denizens of the city were now entering to enjoy the festivities of the week. Already, my steam engine was getting stares and looks as people stopped by, curious or wary of such a large metal contraption. I decided to try and practice my charisma by beginning a classic sales pitch like an old snake oil salesman, except my product delivered as promised.

"Come one, come all!" I begin, stepping forward on the platform, sweeping my arms in welcome. "I present to you today a great invention of travel, the Steam Locomotive! This machine uses no magic, no beasts to move! It moves on its own! Come and buy a ticket for a ride around the fair itself! Only one silver per ticket, and there are a limited number of seats per ride, get yours now before they sell out!" I put on my most charming airs, gesturing to the ticket booth where Yelan now resided.

People started approaching, and I smiled a victorious and smug smile in my mind. That's right sheeple, follow the heard, give me your coins! This costs me nothing but effort, but your cash is valuable! I'm going to make a killing here, dazzling the masses.

[Charisma check passed.]

[Due to a repeated action, you have gained a new skill- Saleswoman. 10% better deals when selling.]

Nice. Now to repeat this throughout the day, every day for the next four days. I'll probably get tired of it, but I don't think I can get tired of driving the steam train. I'll be using the bell and taking it slow to traverse through the fair grounds, but I don't think I'll need to do much to scare people out of the way when they see a giant metal machine moving towards them. I continue my pitch as people start buying tickets from Yelan, calling out as more people enter the fairgrounds. This'll be a piece of cake!


It was two days into the fair when something interesting happened.

By now, news had gotten around of the 'iron horse', and I didn't need to give my spiel to the masses anymore. We were selling out of tickets easily. I was standing in the shade of the engine's cabin as people clamored to buy from Yelan, who was having a little trouble dealing with so many customers. Ever since the end of the first day I had Eron helping her out to make sure nobody tried anything, and he actually had to step in a few times when it came to snooty nobles or angry customers. With a bit of smooth talking and a no tolerance attitude on my end those were usually resolved, but as I was now noticing, yet another of those cases was starting.

"Do you know who we are?" A man, probably a noble, said loudly at the ticket counter. "We must obviously be allowed on this ride!" I rolled my eyes and stepped out, ready to deal with whatever this latest issue was as I motioned for Eron to watch the engine. The young man gratefully took the out, having a new dislike for dealing with nobles recently. The wonders of customer service when dealing with entitled pricks.

I moved over to the booth as the man began ranting and I gathered the gist of what was going on. Apparently Yelan had just sold out of tickets, and there was some noble family trying to get on anyways, causing a scene. As I walked over, the perpetrators became clearer and I noticed they looked familiar.

"I am Sir Furt! And my family will not be denied a seat!" The name clicked in my head. Oh. OH. Well how about that! Seems Arche was brought to me instead! And this must be her dirtbag parents and her two adorable looking sisters. Really, all three daughters did look cute together.

"What is going on here?" I ask, striding up next to the booth. I see Arche catch sight of me and freeze, her eyes widening. Wait, why would... oh, shit. Right. Her talent lets her see magical auras, and mine is probably pretty hefty since I have nothing to conceal it. Damn, yet another thing to deal with. If she can see it, Ainz probably could with a spell, and his subordinates and summons. Why didn't I think of that? I really need to delve more into magic.

"Well, madam." Furt began. "This... wench... is not giving us a ticket!" He announced pompously. I heard Yelan gasp and my eye twitched, anger starting to simmer.

"I'll kindly ask you not to insult my employees in front of me, or them. And it seems like we've sold out of tickets for the next ride. You can come back at another time and try to get some then." I said, controlling my expression and tone.

"Ah, so you are the one in charge of this! Well, you must see, I am Sir Furt! My family and I deserve a ride on this strange contraption of yours." He said snootily. My eyes began to narrow and I'm sure a little of my control on my mystic eyes was slipping, because I think a slight heat haze was developing in front of my vision.

"I'm sorry, but we're sold out, we only have the same amount of tickets as seats. No exceptions. You can come back later, we will be here until the festival ends." I said, my tone final. He blustered at the verdict before puffing himself up to argue further.

"I'm sure you can do something." He said. "Replace a few of the passengers with us, we deserve better than this common rabble!"

This bitch...

My eyes narrowed further and I could notice a few people stepping away from the Furts, apparently not wanting to get involved. I looked at his family, from the nervously smiling wife to the wary Arche who held her sisters close and then back at Furt. "I'll take this chance to let you know that I am part of the so called 'common rabble', and if I remember right, so are you! The Furt's noble titles were stripped by the emperor, weren't they?" I asked, the beginning of a scowl forming on my face. He gasped in indignity, getting angry at the blatant reveal.

"How dare you! The Furts are a noble house, much better than the commoners like you!"

"Sureeee, so noble that they couldn't accept a simple truth and graciously try again like everyone else. I don't care what your standing is, unless you're the emperor himself you aren't getting special treatment! Now scram, and maybe we won't refuse you a ticket in the future!" I said, pointing off the platform. Furt's cheeks purpled and he grit his teeth.

"Why... I never! You...! I demand that you give us a ride this instant!" He yelled, spittle flying from his mouth. I curled my lip in a sneer as it landed at my feet, eyes hardening. I began to slowly walk forwards, starting to activate [Terrifying Presence]. My control on my mystic eyes was gone now, and I was sure they were glowing like hot coals as Furt started to lose his steam. People started backing away from the family and I was careful to keep the most of my presence away from Arche and her sisters, who looked borderline afraid.

"You don't get to demand anything." I stated coldly, still walking. Most of Furt's anger had been replaced with wariness and a bit of fear, and he was now sweating under the effects of my gaze as it pinned him in his entirety with a heavy heat. If I was to strengthen my eyes any further I had no doubt he would be gasping for water in seconds, maybe even experiencing burns.

"You have been rude, disrespectful, and downright arrogant." I said as I advanced. He was now backing away, the rest of the crowd more than happy to clear a path as he retreated. "I like to treat people with generosity and respect, but people like you? You take, and take, and take, without any regard of consequences. I have no mercy for people like you." He was now at the edge of the raised platform, one of the areas that didn't have a stairway. He was practically backed into a corner as I still stalked forwards, getting close.

"You are no longer welcome here. I don't ever want to see you again, do you understand?" I asked dangerously, glaring at him. He swallowed, trying to muster up some sort of courage, but that withered and died when I injected a tiny bit of mana into my eyes, sending a wave of sweltering heat over him. He nodded and I broke into a malicious grin. "Good." And then I pushed him off the platform.

He fell the five or so feet off the platform and landed on his back in the dirt, making him loose his breath as the rest of the crowd broke out into cheers and laughs, happy at seeing a stuck up ex-noble knocked down a few pegs. I dusted my hands and reigned in my presence, taking a breath to control myself before returning to look at the rest of the Furts. The wife managed to break out of her indecisiveness first, running to her husband to check on him while Arche stood protectively in front of her sisters, a defiant but worried look on her face as she looked at me.

Great, what a first impression to make on her. I just threatened and assaulted her dad, even if he was a piece of shit. I should make amends, but how to do so? Hmm. I walked over to them slowly, trying to keep a neutral expression, but I'll admit, seeing the young twins scared of me made me wince and deflate. I didn't like that look, it kind of hurt to see kids scared of me.

I sighed and stopped in front of them, looking at Arche. "I'm sorry you kids had to see that." I began. "You three don't seem like your father, so the ban doesn't extend to you. You can come back later and get a ticket if you wish." Some of the tension in Arche's shoulders loosened, and I decided to try and win the twin's favor. I knelt down before the young ones, faking a slight of hand with my inventory to produce a few lollipops I had won from the gacha, offering them out. "Candy?" I asked.

The two twins looked to eachother, then to their sister, before tentatively reaching out to take the bright colored items on sticks. I had already unwrapped them, so when they stuck them in their mouths the twins practically melted, loving the sweet taste. It made me feel much better to see them happy, and I offered a lollipop to Arche as well as I stood back up. She took it with hesitance before eating it, her expression softening immensely as the taste hit her. They really were just kids, and Arche was still in her mid teens. She really must've been strong to put up with all the stuff she did.

"Once again, I really am sorry about you having to see that, but I'll admit sometimes my anger is a little hard to control." I apologized. "I'm Jeanne D'Altra, by the way. You are...?"

"Arche. Arche Eeb Rile Furt." She said before pulling her sisters closer so the didn't wander off. "These are my sisters, Kuuderika and Urierieka." They looked up at me and waved cutely, causing my expression to soften.

"You have some lovely younger sisters, Arche. It is nice to meet you three."

"Thank you."

Arche started to turn back to trudge over to her irate father and fussing mother, but my hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Hey, ahh... I don't know how to... phrase this, but, well..." I began as she turned to look back. "I used to know a few people who had parents like yours when I was growing up. Let's say if someone like you wanted to... I don't know... get away from family for a while, maybe a very long while, and... wanted to bring a few others... something like that would be possible. If you get my meaning. I'll be be looking to hire some new people in the near future, and the people I hire might be placed in areas far from here, or in other kingdoms, really, and everything would be paid for with the job." Her eyes widened comically, a mix of emotions visibly welling up. "And... yeah..." I scratched the back of my head. God I was awkward.

"Well, a job offer isn't something one can usually decide on in a single day, so if someone interested in it wanted to... think about it for a while, they could have until the end of the festival, so they could catch me before I left." I awkwardly finished, patting her shoulder before letting her go. I felt really embarrassed about how poorly I worded things, so I just sort of nodded to her before walking back to the train.

I didn't look back until I got to the cabin, but by then she and the rest of the Furts had disappeared into the crowd. I let out a breath before shoveling some more coal. That was terrible of an attempt, but I hoped I got through to her. Those kids deserved better than their parents, and I hoped she would take the offer. I wouldn't be very good at taking care of them, not with how much I had to do, so hopefully I could pay her and she could take care of herself and her sisters. Maybe I could put her up in Re-Ulovale and see if Ellis or Crume would be willing to assist with them. Crume could be good for them, he could teach them a lot of the basic skills people seem to lack, and in return he might be able to dote on them like a grandparent. That sounded nice, the old man needed others in his life at his age.

An alarm I set in the System went off, and I pulled myself out of my thoughts as I realized the next ride was up. "ALL ABOARD!" I called, letting out the whistle on the train, scaring a few pedestrians who hadn't expected it. I turned on the bell and people started to move out of the way at Laiu's instructions, clearing the tracks. Regardless of drama, the day would always continue onwards.


On the fourth day of the fair, I was chilling with my temporary employees eating a lunch after the noon ride when a commotion down the street gained the attention of many. I could see imperial soldiers in armor on horseback clearing the path for a finely decorated carriage as they drew closer. My eyebrows rose. There was only a handful of people I could think of that could warrant both a guard and such lavish transport. I quickly finished up eating, snapping my fingers to get the other three's attention. Making sure I looked pristine, I stood out on the platform to greet our new guest.

The carriage pulled up and the guard spread out, and out from the door stepped a confident man with a blazing head of gold hair and bright purple eyes, dressed in fine silks and dazzled in tasteful jewelry. Well I'll be. Seems the Emperor himself decided to see us in person! Trailing behind him was his personal guards, Leinas Rockbruise, Baizwood Peshmel, Nazami Enec, and Nimble Anoch. All four cut an imposing figure with their armor and weapons, but I was most focused on Jirchniv.

His eyes had a piercing intelligence to them, a calculating gleam that few had, and with his looks I'm not ashamed to admit he was attractive. Of course, I didn't swing that way, but I could see the appeal. His eyes met mine and I could feel his scrutiny, passive, yet quietly judging. I had no doubt he was breaking down everything he could figure out about me, from my clothes to my looks, and how I carried myself.

"Your Majesty! I'm humbled to see your visit, am I correct in guessing you are here to see my invention?" I called, not loudly or fawning, but trying to convey both respect and calmness in the level he deserved.

He kept the passive smile on his face, climbing the stairs with his bodyguards. "Indeed. All I've heard for the last few days has been stories from my nobles talking about you and your machine, and one can only get curious when they listen. Is this it?" He asked, looking to the Locomotive which was quietly smoking on the tracks, only the sounds of the air pump and spinning dynamo coming from it.

I nodded, unable to keep a smile off my face. "Yes sir, first and only of its kind. Were you hoping for a ride, Your Majesty? You are welcome to have one, we were just finishing up our lunch break." I said, taking a quick look to see if my employees were ready, which they were, even if they seemed very nervous having the emperor there.

Jirchniv nodded, looking at the steam engine. "If I understand it, you control this machine from that area?" He asked, pointing to the cabin of the locomotive. I nodded. "Then I would wish to see what it's like from there."

I bobbed my head, starting to lead him over. "I'll tell you up front, it's hardly a comfortable or clean spot compared to the carriages, but if you want." I entered the cabin first and stood in the driver's spot, letting Jirchniv walk in with one of his guards, Nimble, joined us as the rest took seats in the carriages. The Emperor took a look around the cabin as I sat in the driver's seat, watching as he eyed all the gauges and pipes.

"This is some very fine metal working. you made all of this yourself?" He asked, looking around.

"Yep, with a little help from a friend. A lot of the tools and methods I had to make myself. Much of this just wouldn't be possible without the proper precision. I try not to brag, but I don't believe there would be many among the sciences that could understand all the math and work that has to be put into this." That was kind of true, I wasn't sure how far along the science here was, but I was fairly sure mathematics on compression and the forces at work in a steam engine might just be beyond this era.

"Impressive. And it truly moves under its own power?" He asked. I grinned.

"Would you like to see?"

He made a motion to go ahead, and I turned to the controls. Releasing the brake, I turned on the bell and set the engine forward, pulling the throttle arm back. As I expected, Jirchniv was knocked slightly off balance by the train moving, but to his credit he recovered quick enough to make it look like he was just correcting his feet before moving to sit on the other seat in the cabin as Nimble leaned back against the coal hopper.

SSSSSSHHHHHH- THUMP

SSSSSHHHHH- THUMP

SSSSHHHH- THUMP

SSSSHHHH- THUMP

God, that never gets old. I love steam locomotives. The train picked up pace until it was moving at the usual speed, most people at the fairgrounds now well versed enough to get out of the way of the engine as we moved, though a few seemed confused about why we were having a ride at this time until they caught sight of the Emperor himself sitting in the cabin with me.

Speaking of, Jirchniv looked absolutely fascinated, having a slight excited gleam in his eyes as he leaned his head out the window to look forward, watching the pistons and wheels move as we pushed through the fair. "Amazing." He said, wearing a genuine smile. I couldn't get rid of mine either, as I was happy to have someone else excited about something I took joy in.

"Just imagine," I began. "I have plans to make an even bigger engine than this, able to haul fifteen or twenty cars each, either of cargo or passengers. If I can set up routes of these tracks across the kingdoms, trade and travel will be revolutionized!"

Jirchniv seemed interested, but he pointed out something he thought of as a flaw. "It seems interesting, but something that travels this slow will be easy for bandits or monsters to hit."

I couldn't hold in the smug grin. "Ahh, but this is more or less walking speed for this engine. I keep it slow for the crowds, but if I had a wide open stretch of land? I could easily make it go faster than the speediest of steeds, and that top speed will only increase if I build one bigger. Come to think of it, there is a quiet stretch we'll pass through around the back half of the fair, I can show you just a little of what I mean there."

Jirchniv raised an eyebrow, likely trying to pit the idea of such a huge metal object going even faster than a horse. In a few minutes, we broke through the crowds and reached the back half of the fair that the track went around, which was far less used than the main route, and I increased the throttle. The rhythmic sound of the cylinders increased in frequency as we sped up, and I accelerated us to double our speed before letting off, not wanting to go too much faster where someone could stumble out and get hit.

We were now probably coasting at sprinting speed for a human, maybe 15mph, and the cylinders were now making a noise closer to that delightful chugging sound most would recognize. The inner adrenaline junky in me wanted to open up the throttle but I had to keep control, I could do that later when I had the tracks built and the space for it. I looked over to see Jirchniv leaning out the window, enjoying the air on his face.

"I'm glad you are enjoying this, your Majesty." I said, checking the gauges briefly. Jirchniv turned to look at me.

"It is truly a marvelous thing you have made. Tell me, if you received all the permission you needed to set these tracks of yours, how long would it take to get several of these... Steam Locomotives... set up and running?" He asked seriously. I was caught a little off guard, but smiled. This was what I was looking for after all.

"Well, to be honest, the routes alone might take several months to build, even after finding the best paths. I can handle getting the labor for the task, but the routes that work the best will be straight and flat ground, ground that needs to be found, plotted, and marked. Inclines that are too steep will not work well for the trains as they might lose traction in rainy or cold weather, and if there is a mountain route I might need to make a special narrow gauge train to navigate routes like those, not to mention carving out the route in the first place. I'll need to find ways to connect the routes, places for stations to be built. It'll be a lot of work but I have a good idea how to do a lot of it." I explained. "If everything went well, I might have a few up and running by February, but that's not counting for weather or unexpected problems."

Jirchniv rubbed his chin. "Only four months? That's a lot sooner than I expected."

I shrugged. "I am an Inventor, I've already built a few things that will help the process dramatically, it's just the matter of carrying it out. I have been planning this for a while."

We were starting to approach the crowds of the fair again, so I slowed us back down to the regular pace, letting the young emperor collect his thoughts. I stood from the controls, confident enough in things to shovel some coal into the firebox, letting a wave of heat escape as I opened the doors before closing them again. I returned to my seat, watching the crowds go by for a minute before pulling in to the boarding platform, gliding in for a smooth stop before giving the whistle a tug and shutting off the bell. Setting the brake, I stood up and stretched, letting Jirchniv exit first. He and his guard left the cab, joining up with the other three knights before he turned to me.

"You have impressed me with your invention, and I truly want to see what you can accomplish for the nation if given the chance." He pulled out a golden crest shaped like a crown from his pocket, offering it to me. "This will be a sign of my approval, you have my permission to build what routes you want through my kingdom. I will let the rest of the nobles know to co-operate with you when you need it, and I expect to see your progress in the future."

I took the crest, brushing a thumb over it before pocketing it. "Thank you very much, your majesty. This will help greatly, I'll be sure to give you progress reports every few weeks. By the time things are fully set up, I'll have a special luxury carriage made for your travels." I smiled, nodding in respect. Jirchniv nodded back before walking back to his carriage with his bodyguards.

I stood there for a few moments, feeling accomplished before turning on my heel back to the train. We still had a day and a half left of the festival to work through, and while I had accomplished my goal, more needed to be done. I would need to ask mom if she could overhaul the synth designs for me and install a personality core into their AI. I needed a workforce to make and manage the railways, and they would work well. Still, things were finally happening here!


A/N: Well, surprise! I didn't make it in time for Christmas but I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Steampunk Jeanne was revealed, as she looks in the cover picture I made. (Stable diffusion can be pretty useful). Things are finally happening in the Overlord universe, and changes will be made in the future because of Jeanne and the trains. What changes? Time will tell. Otherwise, we saw a bit of Jeanne's plans revealed, some progress made, and a bit of fun was had at the fair where we finally met Arche and her sisters.

Honestly, I'm surprised I managed to get this done so quickly, but to be completely honest the reason I've been writing so much is because I've run out of things to read. I've read all the top 100 or so interesting stories in the Fandoms I like, and the crossovers between them, and now I'm fresh out. I'll probably find something to read, but given how much headway I was able to make on this story I might not look that hard so I can try and do more of this.

Anyways, onto reviews!

For those who liked GLaDOS, I'm glad. It was kind of a jump for me, but I'll be trying to include her more often in the future, and as for the one asking about Dell x GLaDOS, I won't say anything, but it's possible. I'm probably shit at writing romance though so we'll see what happens.

To the reviewer who thought "changing genitals" in character creation meant "changing gender", or maybe you didn't, either way I was NOT going to make Jeanne a futa, and a male Jeanne would've defeated the idea of it being Jalter.

To the reviewer who mentioned Half Life two, I'm honestly unsure what to do about that front. From my understanding of the Wiki, Portal 2 takes place literally 50,000 years after portal 1, so for all I know the combine have been long overthrown or humanity was wiped out, really it's a touchy thing that I don't know what to do about without involving time travel.

To the reviewer who said I named my OC lazily- that was the point. She's a person, a being with flaws, and one of them is a weakness at coming up with names, among other things. She's a bit of a loner too, if you haven't noticed. She doesn't regularly interact with people, preferring to hide away in a secret lair and toy with tech.

To the reviewer who decided introducing guns and technology was cringe, I don't have a good base of knowledge on magic to introduce spells and other things, so I don't try it and risk fucking it up. I'll probably be introducing some of the F/SN type of magic where things have a structure and a science because I can understand that. I love military technology, and I love sci-fi in general, and that's what I stick with- what I'm better at.

To the reviewer who mentioned that the laws of physics in the New World completely eliminated non-magical explosives, I didn't know that, and so I'll chalk it down to Game System interference.

To the reviewer who was wondering if I would have Jeanne steal an NPC from Nazarick with Downfall of Castle and Country- I honestly hadn't considered that, but that would be an evil MC move, and while Jeanne is somewhat lacking in morals, she's more gray and neutral/good than anything and as you can tell, hates slavery. I'm planning on a different route in how things will proceed with Ainz.

To those worried about how Jeanne hasn't quite been challenged yet, and hasn't truly felt the pressure some expect in a gamer fic, remember that this is primarily a sandbox story, and trust me when I say some moments of challenge and near survival will be in the future, in their own time. She likes to stack the deck, but sometimes even the best laid plans and preparations can be rendered null.

Some of you may notice I've been toning down the Gamer elements, and honestly that's mostly because I find it a pain to include some of them. I like portraying something more realistic, without pop-ups and messages occurring every few minutes for quests and tasks.

I'll respond to more of your reviews in the next chapter, but be sure to like and follow, all that jazz. Let me know if you think things could be improved, or things you might want to see in the future. Peace and happy new years, let's hope 2023 is better. *Knocks on wood.*