Lately, apart from his daily training, Marco's main daytime activity has been monitoring Jude's progress on the construction project.
With all potential obstacles to the Southern Railway Network eliminated and the full cooperation of the Fiore Kingdom, the entire project has entered a rapid development phase.
Thanks to Marco's various hints and outright directives, the Southern Railway Network is now being constructed with the full might of the Fiore Kingdom, sparing no expense.
Though Jude and King Toma don't understand why Marco is in such a hurry, they are more than willing to comply since it benefits them as well.
In just over half a year, stations in the southern cities have been nearly completed and the rail lines connecting major cities are steadily being laid—a thriving scene by all accounts.
This progress is why Marco is confident that the "Gold Cloth" will soon be within his grasp, at least before the S-Class Exam begins.
To expedite the process, Marco even enlisted the help of mages from Fairy Tail.
Not just them—he also had Jude post various commissions in other Magic Guilds, hiring mages to resolve all sorts of issues.
With mages assisting in the construction, many difficulties were easily overcome.
Challenging rail segments requiring excavation, tunneling, or dealing with magical beasts were swiftly resolved using magical means, saving considerable time and effort.
Marco truly went all out to speed things up.
Not only did the Fiore Kingdom mobilize its full national resources, but its Magic Guilds also contributed without hesitation, pooling their strength in a rare display of unity.
Even the Dark Guilds didn't interfere with the railway project.
After all, Dark Mages also travel and riding a train is far more comfortable and faster than a horse-drawn carriage.
The Dark Guild members aren't fools—having railways benefits them too.
Since the rail lines mainly connect major cities, they don't interfere with the guilds' remote headquarters hidden deep in the mountains and forests.
"More and more lines are becoming operational. I believe the entire network will be fully connected in another two or three months!"
At the Heartfilia Conglomerate headquarters, Jude Heartfilia was in high spirits as he briefed Marco on the current status of the Southern Railway Network.
With the project progressing so rapidly and the Fiore Kingdom's government fully cooperating—providing funds, manpower, and resources—Jude was naturally the happiest of all.
What was once a struggling, unpopular railway project in the south had now become the kingdom's most sought-after venture.
Best of all, the royal family hadn't tried to take a slice of the profits or "nationalize" his railway company—they hadn't even attempted to claim a stake in it.
At first, Jude was somewhat puzzled by the situation.
But after learning that Marco had taken Princess Hisui as his disciple, everything made sense.
Jude realized that the royal family had refrained from interfering solely out of respect for Marco.
Otherwise, even with the close relationship between the Heartfilia family and the royal family, it was unlikely the monarchy would have stayed completely uninvolved.
When it came to interests—especially concerning such a crucial industry—the Heartfilia family's ties with the royal family might grant them some courtesy, but certainly not to the extent of the monarchy stepping back entirely and leaving everything to them without any oversight.
However, now that Princess Hisui had become Marco's disciple and joined the Fairy Tail guild, the combination of the Heartfilia conglomerate and Fairy Tail was more than enough to inspire confidence.
The royal family's non-interference was also a gesture of deep respect toward Fairy Tail.
Come to think of it, if they were willing to entrust their only princess to them, why would they hesitate over a mere railway company?
"Do your best and complete the southern railway network as soon as possible," Marco said, once again urging progress.
This left Jude with a strange expression.
He wondered why Marco was really in such a hurry.
What benefit did the completion of the southern railway network hold for him?
If it was for financial gain, this project wasn't exactly a quick-money scheme.
Moreover, Jude couldn't believe Marco was doing this for money.
First, the project itself wasn't a fast-profit venture, and second—Marco wasn't short on money to begin with!
Since his debut, Marco had earned an untold fortune through his fame as the Star Rose God, his work on The Great Detective Holmes and occasional album releases.
Combined with his strikingly handsome appearance, he had become an ultra-popular mage and a teen idol.
If Marco wanted to make money, he had plenty of easier ways—releasing albums or books would bring in far quicker returns than building railways.
Marco's visit here was merely a detour—his real purpose was to hold a book signing.
After nearly a year, The Great Detective Holmes II was now being released to great fanfare.
"Mind if I ask—" Jude couldn't suppress his curiosity any longer and wanted to know why Marco was in such a hurry.
"Nope," Marco refused without hesitation.
"Get back to work. I have things to do." Marco stood up and left immediately.
There was no way he could explain it to Jude—how could he say he just wanted the people of the south to enjoy the convenience of railways sooner?
"..."
Watching Marco walk away, Jude shook his head.
If the young man didn't want to talk, there was no point pressing further.
Whatever Marco's reasons, this matter wasn't harmful to him anyway.
After leaving the Heartfilia conglomerate headquarters, Marco headed straight to the venue for his book signing.
He didn't often participate in such events or organize fan meetings—after all, he was a mage, not an actual idol.
Fairy Tail was thriving and didn't need him to debut as an idol to save it.
But this was a new book release.
No matter what, he had to make an appearance—if only to show appreciation for his fans' long-standing support.
What Marco didn't know was that there was a fan who had been eagerly waiting to meet him for a long time, and this time she had secretly come to see him.
Not only was Marco unaware, but even the fan's father Jude didn't know about it.
Despite knowing Marco for so long, Jude had never taken Lucy to meet Marco, nor had he brought her to Fairy Tail.
It couldn't be helped—Jude wasn't doing it on purpose; he was simply too busy.
And Marco, who kept pushing for project progress, also shared part of the blame for this.
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