"... Steel is forged by fire and heavy hammers, and the same is true for this city! From several thatched huts made of adobe and hay to the steel forts standing by the Lake of Rose, we have experienced countless disasters, fires, wars, and famines!"

"But--my beloved fellows, remember what I said--no matter how tragedy, they never succeeded in defeating us, never once! In the embers, we are reborn! And become stronger!"

"This city, and the people who grew up in this city, have a spirit, a kind of courage! Tenacity! Indomitable spirit! It flows in the blood vessels and bones of you, me, every Solingen people. It is this spirit that supports us to rebuild them again and again when the streets, houses and warehouses are turned into ashes again and again..."

A graceful man in purple clothes stood at the top of the steps of the Municipal Palace, where smoke marks and blood were not washed away, and spoke generously to the thousands of citizens gathered in the Municipal Square.

His left hand was erected by his waist, and his right hand was waving passionately with the ups and downs of his tone.

The dark crowd in the square was like an orchestra, directed by his right hand, sending louder approval and cheers.

Standing by the window and looking at the figure on the steps from afar, John Selvette sighed: "I'm still not as good as him."

"As a negotiating opponent, you are more difficult than him - I'm not trying to compliment." Winters leaned against the window frame and waited until the two rounds of cheers were separated by two rounds of cheers: "But I have to be honest, others can't learn the skills of Mayor Wupper."

It is hard to imagine that they came from the mouth of a timid mayor who was forced out of his home by a gendarmerie.

When the Municipal Palace was attacked by an explosion, the mayor, who had a quick reaction, immediately abandoned the council and his colleagues, and fled from the Municipal Palace from the secret passage with his guards, returned to the mansion, and refused to take another step forward in the door.

But Paul Wupper has this ability: as long as you put on a gorgeous robe, put on a precious wig, put on a thick layer of powder, and then push him into public, you don't have to worry about the rest.

"I thought Mayor Wupper was just good at performing," Winters said leisurely, "But now I find that for Mayor Wupper, performance is an instinct that he cannot control. He is not good at performing, he is a slave to the desire to perform."

"The Steel Fort is now in need of a leader who can boost the fighting spirit of the people." Servette exonerated Paul Wupper: "Besides, since Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden, no one was absolutely free. Mr. Granache, what kind of slave are you?"

"I?"

This question was somewhat beyond Winters' expectations. He thought for a while and answered seriously: "Maybe I am also a slave to the desire to perform?"

Servette's eyes were like blades: "Then what role are you playing?"

"At least in Fort Steel," Winters said slowly: "I'm playing a positive role."

Servette didn't agree, and was still the face that lacked emotional fluctuations. He pulled up the curtains: "Let's go out for a walk."

Winters agreed of course.

Servette led the way, and the two left the municipal square, neither rode horses nor took cars, did not bring guards, nor did they wear any ribbon medals that indicated their identity. Then they walked along the street made of slag and went all the way to the south bank of the Rose River.

Standing on the south bank, looking around, among the charred broken walls, some people who did not go to the municipal square to listen to the speech are cleaning up the ruins.

After the warehouses and shops of various shops were claimed, the garrison announced the blockade of the South Bank to be lifted - nothing left anyway.

Control on the North Shore was relaxed, the market resumed business, churches were also open to victims, and some homeless victims were evacuated to villages and towns outside the city.

Perhaps the heat of the embers has not yet dissipated, but the steel fort is already on the road to reconstruction.

People wiped away tears, pushed away the debris and rubble, and collected the stone and wood that could still be used. Overfire trees were also continuously transported from the mountains to the city for reconstruction.

"No matter how many times." Servet looked at the people who looked determined and buried his head in their work, and whispered: "I will be amazed by the will of mankind."

Winters stood silently, without saying a word.

After a moment, Winters asked: “You submitted a new South Bank plan in the City House?”

"Yes." Servette walked towards the ash pile next to the road and said calmly: "The original blocks on the South Bank are centered on Elin Church, and are randomly stacked and wrapped, and the layout of the streets and blocks is illogical. Since there is a chance to completely rebuild, we can't take any detours."

Winters politely responded: "A very visionary idea."

Servet looked for a while and pulled out a charred rat from the ashes: "Some people said that on the night of the fire, the rats on the south bank jumped into the Rose River in groups, all frozen to death under the ice. All those who had not had time to escape were burned to death, and even the rats in the basement could not escape. Have you witnessed it?"

"I didn't pay attention."

"Hope is true." Servette buried the rat's corpse back into the ashes and said in a low voice: "This may completely cut off the plague in the steel castle."

After walking a while, the two arrived in front of the ruins of Elin Cathedral.

Elin Cathedral was almost razed to the ground in the fire, leaving only a bell tower that did not want to collapse stood alone at the southern end of the site.

On the night of the fire, the lead plates covered by the church roof were melted and flowed down the street. It was not too late to recycle the lead, so at first glance, the stone pavement around the church seemed to be coated with a layer of dull silver.

Walking through the ruins of the church, Servette said regretfully: "What a great cathedral, but unfortunately it is still vulnerable to the fire tornado."

"I can't agree." Winters rubbed his nose: "The fire tornado is just a tornado. Elzen Cathedral is a stone building. How can the tornado overturn Elzen Cathedral? It is obvious that the repair brackets inside and outside the church were burned down and the roof lost support, so it collapsed."

Servette asked: "Are you there?"

"Everyone present saw it," Winters replied.

Servette did not go into it. He looked around the remaining walls of the church and suddenly asked Winters: "Do you know how Steel Fort started?"

“Because of iron ore?”

"Did you see the mine in the Steel Fort?"

Winters recalled for a moment: "No."

"The mines are all on the other side of the mountain." Servet raised his hand and pointed to the north of the city: "There is a valley between the steel fortress, and there is a small town where miners live, called Hongshi Town. After the ore is mined, it will be screened and fired in Hongshi Town, and then transported to the steel fortress by carriage for smelting."

Winters asked politely: “You seem to know much about mining?”

"My father and grandfather are miners." Selvet's answer was calm: "My father lost half of his foot when he was fighting for Emperor Richard and was forced to leave the army. The pensions given to him by Emperor Richard were not enough to pay off his debts. He and my grandfather had to sell his only small piece of land, move from Neushal to Solingen, and rely on mining to support their families."

Winters nodded slightly and listened without saying a word.

"My story doesn't matter." Servette stopped and stared at the Rose River ahead:

“What I want to ask you is, why is it the Steel Fort?

In terms of natural endowment, although Steel Fort has the hydraulic power of Rose River, Redstone Town is closer to the mine. Monta has more than just the Steel Fort in one place. Why did Steel Fort rise to become Steel Fort?

Redstone Town, which once owned an iron ore, is now just a vassal of Steel Fort. Redstone Town does not have an iron smelting furnace, and even the property rights of those mines are in the hands of the Blacksmith Guild in Steel Fort. Steel Fort blacksmiths can enjoy the wealth brought by the iron smelting industry, while Redstone Town miners can only work hard in mud and water. Why?”

Winters recalled the story of the citizens of Steel Fortress saying "The Great Saint Joseph walked into the workshop and personally promised the blacksmiths prosperity and prosperity."

The people of Steel Fortress never doubted the authenticity of this story. They not only told them to the children, but also regarded the Great Saint Joseph as the sage of the Steel Fortress, and decorated the scene of "The Great Saint Joseph into the workshop" on every important occasion in the city.

"It may be God's gift." Winters said the always correct answer.

"Wrong!" Servette said firmly: "Only those who do not know why they succeed will use fate and God's grace to paralyze reason. I do not deny the impermanence of fate, but it is undoubtedly an insult to people to attribute everything to God."

Winters couldn't help but look down on Mr. Parliamentary, and nodded slightly and asked Mr. Parliamentary to continue talking.

"The answer is simple." Servette stepped on the ground: "It's right under your feet."

Winters raised his eyebrows: "Road?"

"Yes, Lu. Steel Fort defeated Redstone Town by building roads."

"Please explain in detail."

Servette leaned on a cane and spoke in a steady tone: "In the country of mountains, building roads is a sacred cause comparable to building a church. Do you know why?"

Winters replied without hesitation: "The cost is too high."

"Yes, because road construction is too expensive, it is often necessary to raise funds from multiple parties to start construction. Since the money is spent, investors naturally want to ask for returns. Therefore, there are toll checkpoints everywhere in Monta, and even the councils in many towns rely on tolls to be maintained."

Although Servette's tone of the tone of the card is very disgusting, Winters doesn't think there is anything wrong with it.

Because not only Monta, but other republics are also full of Luca. The Venetta people even joked that the magnificent army headquarters was built with tolls.

"Whoever builds the road will collect the money," Winters said, "It's reasonable."

"Yes, it's reasonable." Servet looked at the mountains and said nostalgically: "But the cleverness of the Steel Fort Blacksmith Guild is that they built the road and decided not to charge any tolls."

"The business is at a loss."

"It is indeed a loss-making business, but after using everyone's money to do the most loss-making part of the business, the rest will be profitable. In this way, even if you go far, the toll saved is enough to cover the cost gap between Steel Fort iron material and Redstone Town iron material.

Although road construction is a loss-making business, the steel fort was squeezed out by the loss-making business and occupied the iron smelting industry in Hongshi Town, thus prospering. Later, the steel fort continued to build and purchase roads. Until today, the convoys entering and leaving Solingen Prefecture do not need to pay tolls."

"Since Redstone Town has iron ore, they should not lack the means to deal with steel castle. How could they lose so easily?"

Perhaps he rarely said so much in one breath, Servette's voice became a little hoarse: "Because their interests are not unified, none of them can bear short-term losses like Steel Fort, and put their hopes on the long-term blacksmith guild. So they were defeated by each one."

Winters chewed Selvette's words: "Use everyone's money, what is the most loss in business?"

"This is true for road construction and the same is true for digging the Wupper Canal. Since it is everyone's money, is there anything wrong with spending it on things that can benefit everyone?"

"Yes, nothing is wrong." Winters picked up his arm and suddenly smiled: "But why do you want to tell me this?"

The remaining wall base was sobbing in the wind, but the church became silent inexplicably.

"You win, Baron Granashi." Servette turned his back, looked at the altar after being burned by fire, and spoke dejectedly:

"The Steel Fort is no longer the steel fort that was once. No one supports my relief plan. People who own this city are unwilling to spend their money on things that benefit everyone. I can only rely on your gold and silver to promote the reconstruction plan. Even if I know there is a problem with your identity, I can only turn a blind eye and acquiesce to them to sell your ordnance."

"So, this time you won, you beat us one by one." Selvette turned around and reached out to Winters: "Enjoy your victory, Lord Baron."

Winters calmly held the hand of Selvette and shook it.

Servette wanted to pull his right hand away, but no matter how hard he tried, his right hand was firmly held by the young baron.

"His MP, have you considered another way of cooperation?" Winters slowed down: "A way to make us and you all be winners."

"What method?" Selvette no longer tried to pull away his hands, but instead narrowed his eyes and stared at Winters cautiously.
Chapter completed!