Chapter 1656: Chapter 1656

1656: Chapter 1652: The Past Is Like Smoke 1656: Chapter 1652: The Past Is Like Smoke Lu Ping’an and Miss Lina returned on a special train…

To be precise, it was a temporary passenger carriage tacked onto a freight train.

Lu Ping’an has never liked the trains of this era; he’s quite displeased with these so-called “express trains” that only travel at speeds between 30 to 80 kilometers per hour…

But unless something unexpected happens, these trains are destined to be the mainstay of the era.

The other side of the two different world lines is the inevitable divergence in certain technologies, a subtle difference due to physical laws, but the main reason is the fundamentally different “needs”.

In a peaceful world that pursues development, high-speed trains are unquestionably an important infrastructure that drives economic growth.

But in this world, what’s most needed are transport capacity and stability, as high speeds tend to result in various serious accidents, with the maintenance costs of maintaining several major railway routes reaching astronomical figures each year.

Being able to open a railway line is already quite an achievement.

The main expense is not the construction cost, but security maintenance along the way.

Many guard posts must be built and enough high-tier combat power hired to ensure safety.

What to do if the speed is not fast and carrying capacity is not sufficient?

This world has creatively come up with an answer…

“The traffic has been kind of frequent lately, have we placed additional orders there?”

“Yes, metal ores are one aspect, heard that the National Defense Committee has bought a bunch of banned items, many of which are ancient taboo weapons that can still be used…”

When trains roared past on both sides, Lu Ping’an was somewhat bemused when he first saw an eight-lane train, but after thinking about it, it seems like it’s an inevitable path for the development of this world.

Compared to the other world line, trains here are longer, narrower, and slower, but a little calculation shows that the cargo capacity here is even higher than that of the previous world line.

Mainly because such transport is relatively safe and fast, and costs much less than large trucks.

However, as a consequence, this world’s railway lines are much less dense.

Just like when Lu Ping’an himself went to the “State”, it was mainly by bus, not train.

The maintenance cost of a single railway line is too high.

It’s hard to cover all the states’ capitals completely, and only some municipalities and top-tier cities enjoy this advantage.

This is also the root of the struggle of third-tier cities like Ancient City to climb to the first tier.

With limited infrastructure and policy resources, states’ capitals and municipalities have too much of an advantage.

Once a city in the same state gains an edge in this regard, a siphon effect is created within the state, and third-tier cities will only decline.

This is something that doesn’t change based on subjective thoughts…

Once a project is established, the inflow and outflow of raw materials and goods require freight support, and industrial projects are the foundation that drive employment and the local economy.

When locals have wages and money to spend, it leads to further circulation.

For this reason, the contradictions between regions in the Eastern Country of this world line are even sharper—it’s a zero-sum game.

From another angle, the high-speed rail network that covers the entire country in the other world line may also represent the biggest opportunity for development and national support.

Not considering events that are too far off, and returning to the present, for old stagers like Olga, they only need to observe the traffic on the railway network to gather extensive intelligence, including current development focuses, resource supplies, and so on.

“You see, carriages bearing the Eastern Grain mark are running that way, while what comes this way are mostly coal and metal mines…

Looks like their food industry has collapsed, and now they’re waiting for our help.

In this case, you could actually check the tracks along the way, lots of slag right?

The prices in small towns along the tracks are also an indicator; with Red Star’s discipline, it would be odd if there were no security guards reselling goods, take a walk around the small towns…”

Following her as she idly popped bubble wrap, Lu Ping’an also learned some interesting yet ultimately impractical knowledge for life.

She taught Lu Ping’an quite a few simple espionage and intelligence tricks.

Many of these are useful even for top combat powers like him, as they can be used to investigate and confirm intelligence about their surroundings.

Lu Ping’an learned a bit and realized he might not be able to use these techniques to gather information, but it would be much more difficult for others to use these tactics to find out information about him.

What surprised Lu Ping’an was the friendliness of the Female Countess.

According to the rumors he heard, she was rather difficult to deal with.

Lu Ping’an doesn’t feel that his abilities would change their attitudes; those top combat powers don’t talk or act like normal people…

The two of them whiled away the time by chit-chatting and exchanging information.

The Female Countess was quite interested in the Sakura Kingdom, but more in terms of “Why not simply send them to the mines, where there is a shortage of people”, “I’ve long suggested that we should cut off their energy pipeline; they are wolves that will never be tamed”—the standard “old father’s generation ideas”.

It seems that after experiencing two wars, one by the Red Star against the Sakura Kingdom, and the other by the Sakura Kingdom against the Eastern Country, she truly felt no fondness whatsoever for that nation and its people.

“…Ha, back in the 50s, you wouldn’t believe how obedient they were.

oh, I mean before 1850.

Later, when they found the dynasty was weak, they became like mad dogs.

Without the several sea battles that followed, the East wouldn’t have declined so rapidly…”

Alright, it seems that pure traitors are even more unbearable than the victims of war.

From the perspective of this elder, not directly throwing the refugees into the sea shows the decision-makers of this generation’s Eastern Country are too lenient.

Telling such a person with her experiences about how times have changed and that we must let go of hatred…

Without going through others’ pain, best not make such a foolish act that would get you struck by lightning.

And as he listened to the elder’s stories, Lu Ping’an found them thoroughly fascinating.

At that time, when she was still a mystical guest of the fourth-fifth tier, as one of the last princesses of the Tsar, she was a true historical legend.

The history in her eyes was just stories of the past, utterly different from the earnest history books.

How the high level of the dynasty clung to mystical arts, being fooled by swindlers from both the East and West, squandering a vast amount of resources, and the Super Divine Artifact Array that they ultimately failed to activate, with its core parts, the Twelve Pillars, seized by the alliance forces and sold abroad.

How the navy’s ships bought that year were total garbage, mere cast-offs from others.

Even that was after she had to pull strings with the favor of the Old Tsar to gather the goods…

“…These years I have been tracking down those twelve animal head sculptures, as well as the Tsar’s artworks.

It’s a pity, too many people don’t recognize their value; many old antiques are actually extraordinary add-ons of the old era…”

Lu Ping’an was very interested, and this aged predecessor was becoming more and more astonished as she spoke.

“Oh, you wonder why I am telling you so much?

You’re interested in the employment and goods prices in the Eastern Country and the Red Star…

Heh, isn’t that also an obvious outlier?”

“Isn’t that pretty normal?”

“Perhaps for others it’s normal, but do you truly need to eat?

Need to consider clothing and shelter?

Most of the time you’re thinking about the domestic impact of wars…

Other top professionals might do this as well, but they only think about themselves, at best some might consider their own forces, but never like you, starting from the perspective of the public life.”

The Female Countess even showed an expression of appreciation; being a person who had seen through countless others, she could tell what was pretense and what was real.

This little guy among the top combat powers had a rare “citizen’s mindset”.

That was not fake populism, not just lip service of “I am one of you,” but truly placing oneself in the shoes of ordinary people and thinking for the continuation of the race and nation.

“Perhaps it’s because I’m still young.”

Ha, those folks, they never thought of common people as their equals even when they were young.”

“Times have changed, the new generation is more empathetic…”

Lu Ping’an felt he was already quite inhumane, but after considering Big Cat and the other high-tier folks he had encountered…

well, he might still be somewhat human.