For the next six months, the Barony went through a revolution. The railway had arrived in this corner of the fantasy world. When the route for the first village was complete, they had the opening. Countless people fainted at the sight of the 'horseless carriage', and it took several weeks to get people using it. Soon, more than half the villages were connected, and the 'railway stations' became the centre of each village. Trips that would take a whole day would now be completed in less than an hour. The magic train could easily reach 10-15 times the speed of a horse-drawn carriage without the need for stops and resting. The fare was free for residents by showing their resident cards.
"Brother, today they connected the fishing village?" Helena asked. She was home again on vacation from school.
"Yes, will you come?" asked Daniel, only to get an enthusiastic nod. Helena loved the sea, but it was too far to go there frequently.
Starting today, people would be able to get fresh fish every day. The Barony's economy has been exploding. Aunt Secilia could barely catch up -- she already had ten people in her group. The advent of a faster and safer transportation system increased commerce. People started moving to the villages and commuting to Fini. Adventurers would flock to the town since the new train would take them to the Endless Forest in 30 minutes. There was fresh produce in the market every day!
The new agricultural techniques that the Lord introduced started paying off, and the territory was now self-sufficient and exporting products. Magical devices were everywhere, and the Lord paid for the crystals to operate them. Lighting in the streets, baths with running hot water, the train, wards to fend off magical beasts, and many more.
No one knew that the crystals used in all the magical devices were actually recharged crystals from the secret facility near the Endless Forest. With the ability to restore 100 small or 20 medium crystals daily, the Lord produced more crystals in a day than the adventurers hunted in a week. The number covered all the territory's needs and exported the rest through a merchant in the Capital, the father of a friend of Helena's from school. The income from the crystals was all invested in the Barony, allowing for unprecedented development of the area.
"Brother, this is amazing. I wish Father were alive to see you and our territory," said Helena leaning on her brother's arm while the train crossed their territory.
Irrigation projects were under development, transforming arid areas into bountiful land. Fertilizers, both natural and synthetic, were used as instructed by the Lord. At first, people revolted. The use of excitement or the use of minerals in the precious fields was unheard of. Yet, nobody dared to refuse. The first year, people thought it was just a coincidence that the yield doubled. The second year, they didn't say anything. Now, everyone was praising their genius Lord.
The Barony funded housing projects in every village and Fini, eliminating homelessness. All residents, as long as they were working, underage, or seniors, had the right to live in a house and use the public amenities. Bathhouses, public restrooms, and parks were created to improve hygiene and provide entertainment. Running drinking water was already available in Fini, and many wealthy merchants received the 'hot water extension' for services to the Barony -- usually, heavy investments in the territory industry. With all the development, the new farming areas, and the new businesses, there was work for everyone, and they were paid fairly and on time.
"The sea, brother! Look, it's endless!" Helena cheered along with many other passengers. For some of them, it was their first time seeing the sea.
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'Captain, this is where we will put the sea resort. We'll build a marina to protect the fishing boats, some restaurants, a pier, an ice cream shop, ...' Jon went into urban planning mode in Daniel's mind.
Many of these developments have already been marked and funded. Jon and the Captain grew up near the sea. It was the only thing calming them down during their time with the organization. Jon had better memories because he joined the organization as a teenager. The organization raised the Captain, so he never tasted family life -- until now.
"So, Helena. The plan is...", in a rare moment of wordiness, Daniel started explaining to Helena the plans as relayed by Jon in his mind.
Helena was smiling, and her beautiful face attracted everyone's attention. She had grown into a fine lady. With her beauty and the territory's increasing wealth, marriage proposals began flooding in for Annette and her.
'Cap, our little girl is turning into a woman,' said Jon.
"Mmmm." said Daniel, his face returning to its natural gloomy nature.
'Hahaha,' Jon was laughing. 'When did you become a dotting overprotective brother, Cap?'
"Hey Daniel, what happened? Did I do something wrong?" worried Helena, only to receive an arm around her shoulders and no answer. They had arrived at the beach. Daniel wished to forget everything for the day.
= * =
But, all things were not rosy. The Barony neighbored the Duke of Argaka in the East, the Endless Forest in the West, the Barony of Prastio in the North, and the foreign Kingdom of Alampra in the South. Except for the North, all other neighbors needed military attention.
Based on the territory size, the Barony was not allowed more than 1000 soldiers and guards. After Daniel took over, he split them into 200 city guards, 700 soldiers, and 100 special units. He quickly cleared the ranks of criminals and recruited many young people to fill the entire quota. Robert took over the soldiers, one of his trusted subordinates took over the guards, and Daniel took direct orders of the special unit.
With the photographic memory of Jon, Daniel wrote training regimes, codes of contact, and codes of engagement. They designed and outfitted each unit, using the 1000-year experience of the organization back on Earth. He raised the men's salaries, provided housing for them and their families, and introduced a zero corruption tolerance. Anyone on the security forces found guilty of corruption would be stripped of his position and sent to jail. If found guilty of treason, death awaited them.
After two years, the men were now well-trained. City guards would rotate through the villages, and special trains were used to get them to remote locations. The crime rate plummeted, partly due to the new policies on housing and jobs and partly due to the well-trained guards.
The soldiers were stationed at the four borders and rotated weekly. Two hundred soldiers were permanently stationed at Fini, ready to be deployed to the borders using the railway. Jon also designed early detection devices installed at the borders and powered by crystals; they would alert the military of any movements of people not following any of the major trading routes.
Finally, the special unit was trained as agents, using a similar regime as the Captain used back on Earth. A rotating number of them were deployed to protect Helena, Annette, Aunt Secilia, Shein, and other prominent officials of the Barony. The rest were undergoing gruesome training under the Captain at all times.
With the economy and safety improving daily, things were looking up for the little Barony of Thanatos.
= * =
"Hey, brother. Have you thought what I asked you?" said Helena breaking the silence. They were walking next to each other on the sandy beach.
"About?" asked Daniel.
"Daniel! You are almost 14 years old! We talked about it; you need to get engaged! I have some friends from school that are dying to meet you!" yelled Helena.
"..."
'Cap, did she break you? Hehe hehe,' Jon laughed loudly in Daniels's head.
"No," answered Daniel.
"What do you mean no? That's not even an answer! You need an heir! You are so useless; if I don't introduce you to any girls, you'll never find a wife! ..." Helena started nagging for the next hour.
The Lord, Daniel, was staggering next to her, unable to escape her grip. Some other prominent officials walking behind them were smiling at the sight while a voice in the boy's head was still laughing loudly.
If only things would remain this peaceful...