Palatine said all the suspicions in her heart in front of Roland, felt extremely happy, and took the teacup and drank it all.

Little Alberton smiled silently. Although Palatina's conspiracy theory logic is a bit far-fetched, reason tells him that it is unlikely that the Far Eastern authorities will create a seamless illusion, let alone falsify grain export data, but it is not harmful to be more vigilant if you are not afraid of 10,000.

"Palatina, you have such thoughts because you don't know enough about the local situation, I have been in the Far East for three years, and I have seen people's lives get better day by day, and I can prove to Roland that everything you have seen is not a trace of falsification!" Anthony felt compelled to stand up and speak up.

"I'm sorry, Anthony, you're my friend, but please forgive me for not being able to fully trust your testimony." Palatine added calmly, "You and your family have a lot of investments in the Far East, and you and Roland are a community of interests, and I have reason to doubt your testimony." ”

"What a weirdo you are, Palatina, and I'm sorry I can't make you let go of your prejudices!" His integrity was questioned, and Anthony couldn't help but feel angry in his heart, not wanting to argue with this stubborn woman anymore.

Palatina didn't care what he thought, she still stared at Roland, her beautiful blue eyes full of persistence, but also very moving.

Roland silently stared at her, lost in long contemplation.

Palatina was silent, waiting patiently for his reply.

The silence in the library lasted for two minutes, and Roland put down the teacup in his hand and slowly stood up.

"Tomorrow morning at seven o'clock, see you at the railway station outside the city, I will take you along the northern railway line, along the way will pass through many small towns and villages, if you are interested, you may as well get off the train to visit, feel the life of the people in the Far East." Roland looked deeply into Palatina's eyes and said meaningfully, "A country may be able to control the capital of the central government and decorate the scene of peace and prosperity, but it cannot disguise all the villages and towns along the railway line that stretches for thousands of miles, whether the agricultural output of the Far East is fake, whether the government of Kolas is really loved, and even whether I am a liar full of lies, you will come to a more fair judgment after tomorrow." ”

……

October 9, 7:30 a.m., outside Krasbourg Station. The loud whistle echoed in the early morning sky, and the train driven by the magic steam engine slowly accelerated, sailing along the straight tracks into the distance.

The windows of the first-class carriage were clear, and the visitors from the holy city of Assania gathered in twos and threes, full of anticipation for the trip north that Roland had arranged for them.

Anthony and little Alberton sat side by side in the middle of the car, enjoying breakfast in the on-board dining room, and the two rather fastidious boys were raving about the soft and delicious omelet and the mellow aroma of milk coffee.

Diagonally opposite them, Old Fogel and Palatina each occupied a window seat. As soon as old Fogel got on the bus, he collected all the magazines that were freely available to the passengers, and piled them up on the table a half-foot-thick stack. Most of these magazines were local publications published in the towns along the railroad, as well as a few purely commercial advertising brochures, travel guides, and mail-order brochures, but the old man read them with relish, and the smile on his lips showed that the imperial financial tycoon had sniffed out a business opportunity in the magazines.

Roland sat across from Palatina, sometimes turning back to answer all kinds of questions raised by the guests, but did not take the initiative to talk to Her Royal Highness the Princess, who was close to her. Palatina didn't feel left out of the cold, her elbows propped up on the armrests of the seat, her cheeks resting her cheeks on the rapidly receding scenery outside the window, her long eyelashes curled upward, her sapphire-clear eyes showing curiosity.

The train numbered "Z215" departed from Krasbourg and traveled along the "Northern Railway Trunk Line", which had just been fully opened, passing through the dwarf territory of Icewind Valley, the settlement area, the town of Big Rabbit's Nest inhabited by pygmians, and the "Valley Village Commune", an important agricultural town in the north, bypassing the misty swamps, passing through the Balle Pass, and then advancing along the upper reaches of the Veres River to the Lucian Plateau, stopping at Kitland for half an hour, and then continuing to the North Bay until the final stop, Port Baiou. The railway line through the far northeast is more than 2,000 miles long and is expected to take 44 hours.

"Our trip to the north took two days and two nights, and the long-distance journey was inevitably tiring, so everyone should be mentally prepared." Roland was like a seasoned tour guide, taking care of thirty distinguished guests from the holy city of Asia.

"The main line of the Northern Railway is more than 2,000 miles long, and it is said that it took only two years for such a large project to be opened to traffic, and the construction efficiency is simply frighteningly fast, how did you do it?" Old Fogel raised his gaze from the pictorial and looked at Roland with a smile.

"In order to build this railway, we set up a special Ministry of Transportation, and appointed the famous railway engineer Mr. Matwi Wittgenstein as Minister of Transportation, responsible for the overall coordination of road repair, and also established the National Road and Bridge Company, employing tens of thousands of strong laborers from Icewind Valley and Kitland......"

"I'm not concerned about the specific affairs of building roads, but about how you raise funds for construction, which is not a small amount." Old Fogel touched his mustache and added: "There are many mountains and rivers in the far northeast, and it is inevitable to wade through mountains and rivers during the construction of the railway, and it is very difficult to dig tunnels and build bridges, but it is not possible to overcome them by just accumulating the number of laborers, and I am curious how you overcame these difficulties and completed such a huge project in just two years?" ”

Old Fogel's question caused the passengers to echo it, and Palatina, including Palatina, cast curious glances at Roland.

Roland didn't answer the fat old man immediately, turned his head to look at his son, and said with a smile: "I thought you already knew these details from Anthony." ”

"Anthony told me something about the Far Eastern Railway bonds, but unfortunately this kid is not down-to-earth, too frizzy, and thinks he understands many things, but when I ask him, he can't tell why, I want to know the situation first-hand from you." Old Fogel said angrily.

was counted down by his father in front of everyone, Anthony couldn't hold his face a little, dropped his knife and fork and said stupidly: "People love to talk as soon as they get old, ask so much what to do, just buy bonds, lose mine!" ”

Roland couldn't help but laugh when he saw the father and son arguing. Originally, he thought that Anthony, the youngest son, had no inheritance rights in the family and his status was not high, but judging from the fact that the elder Fogel personally came to the Far East to investigate and called Anthony to travel north together, the relationship between father and son was far deeper than he expected.