Lucy was holding a book in her hands. On the cover was that iconic silhouette portrait—wearing a hat and holding a pipe in his mouth.
The title The Great Detective Folmos was extremely eye-catching, and in the author section, the name Moen Dreyar was clearly written.
"Miss, shall we go over and take a look?"
The coachman spoke up. He was obviously aware that his young lady had been very fond of The Great Detective Folmos lately, and was also very interested in Moen Dreyar, because this young writer was said to also be a very outstanding Celestial Spirit Mage.
"Let's not. There are too many people."
Lucy shook her head. She didn't want to trouble others. With so many people packed in tightly, even Uncle Deller would have a hard time squeezing in.
"It's fine, I don't—"
"There will definitely be opportunities in the future."
Lucy, dressed in a Western-style dress, sat upright in the carriage like a princess, and with a single sentence stopped the coachman from trying to make the effort.
The coachman stopped speaking and continued driving the carriage toward the Heartfilia Consortium.
At the same time, the coachman sighed inwardly. Miss Lucy was truly considerate of others, a very understanding young lady. Unfortunately, ever since Lady Layla passed away, Master Jude had been returning home less and less, and Miss Lucy's smiles had also been growing fewer and fewer.
Lady Layla's sudden death from a severe illness was destroying this once-happy family, and everything had changed because of it.
The carriage slowly drove away. On Moen's side, he had finally managed to break free from the crowd as well. It was also thanks to the fact that he was a mage, and that he had long insisted on training his physical abilities. Otherwise, being surrounded like that, there would have been no way to get out on his own.
"I need to be more careful in the future."
After finally escaping, Moen reminded himself. At least for this period of time, he needed to pay attention. Only after the hype died down could he act so casually again. Right now, he had burst onto the scene out of nowhere, and naturally wherever he went he became the focus, causing a sensation.
Walking along an empty side road, Moen summoned two large crows and flew toward the Heartfilia Consortium while standing on them.
There was no need to search. Flying in the sky, one could spot that eye-catching commercial guild at a glance. Just like Fairy Tail in Magnolia, its guild hall could be seen at a glance even from the mountains outside the city. This was a city's symbol.
The two crows vanished, and Moen landed on the ground. He had already descended in front of the main gate of the Heartfilia Consortium headquarters. This naturally caused another commotion, but the guards at the entrance fulfilled their role as security, automatically preventing the crowd from gathering.
"Hello, I am Moen Dreyar. I'm here to visit Mr. Jude."
Facing the head of security, Moen politely reported his name and purpose.
The head of security naturally recognized Moen. He didn't ask any foolish questions like whether there was an appointment, and directly invited Moen inside, quickly sending someone to inform Mr. Jude.
Moen had not sat in the reception room for very long when Jude, with his head of blond hair, hurried over. This self-made railway business tycoon showed a face full of warmth toward Moen.
"Mr. Moen, a pleasure to meet you, a pleasure indeed! Your arrival truly brings great honor to the Heartfilia Consortium!"
Jude didn't look old. He was right in the prime of his life. This man was highly capable—starting from nothing, he had built a great enterprise in ten years, mainly operating railway businesses and making enormous contributions to the railway expansion of the Kingdom of Fiore.
It was said that the land owned by the Heartfilia family, together with its courtyards, occupied several mountains. The women of the household were required to wear Western-style dresses, there were numerous maids and servants employed in the home, and even dedicated magic instructors. It could be said that even great nobles couldn't compare. Achieving such a level in ten years was truly remarkable.
"Mr. Jude, you're far too polite. The fact that you don't blame me for disturbing you unannounced already puts me at ease."
Jude was giving him so much face, and Moen had come to ask for help. Naturally, he wouldn't put on airs, responding just as politely with a few courteous remarks. This made Jude feel somewhat surprised, he clearly hadn't expected Moen, at such a young age, to be so humble.
Someone like Moen a true prodigious youth, a peerless genius who burst onto the scene, a multi-talented all-rounder—being labeled with impressions like "arrogant," "overbearing," or "proud of his talent" would actually be quite normal.
After all, if one put themselves in his shoes—if they had achieved what Moen had at such an age, they would definitely be unbearably proud.
Moen being so tactful, without the sharp edge common to young people, naturally surprised Jude and made him look at Moen in a new light, placing even greater importance on this suddenly emerged "Rose Star."
"Mr. Moen, may I ask what brings you here?"
After exchanging a few pleasantries and brewing a cup of tea, Jude took the initiative to ask. He naturally knew that Moen wouldn't come looking for him without a reason. They didn't know each other before and had absolutely no intersection, so Moen must have come for something.
"I came for Master Voltava. I heard that he was invited here by you."
Moen took a sip of tea and explained his purpose for coming. Compared to coffee and the like, he indeed preferred tea.
"Master Voltava? He is indeed here with me. Are you hoping to attend the master's performance?"
"Then you're a step too late. The master's performance ended just yesterday."
Jude's expression was one of surprise. He hadn't expected Moen to come for this reason. Master Voltava was not the kind of person someone Moen's age would normally like. This Moen really was different—no wonder he had risen so suddenly and made such a big name for himself.
Without realizing it, Jude felt increasingly satisfied with Moen and increasingly optimistic about him. It could only be said that Moen's calm and steady demeanor truly suited his tastes. This caused some of the ideas in his mind to grow more mature, and the way he looked at Moen became increasingly enthusiastic.
"It's good that it's ended. I didn't come to listen to a performance. I came to formally apprentice myself to the master, and also to invite him to go to Magnolia and hold another performance."
Moen said with a smile. Since the master's matters here were already finished, it would be perfect to return to Magnolia together.
This master seemed to quite enjoy making money. Of course, it was also possible that he simply enjoyed spreading his art. But no matter what, inviting him to Magnolia should not be difficult.
"Apprentice yourself…"
Jude's eyes widened. This was a development he never would have expected.
"Is there a problem?"
Moen asked curiously. It was just a slightly niche hobby, after all.
"No problem. I'll have someone go invite Master Voltava over right away. I believe he'll definitely be very interested in this."
Jude quickly recovered and spoke with a smile, instructing someone to fetch Master Voltava. No matter what Moen wanted to do, he only needed to cooperate. He hoped that Moen would also cooperate with him shortly.
"Thank you, Mr. Jude."
Moen thanked Jude. At the same time, he was a little curious, why was this man being so friendly to him? Did he have some kind of plan?
Could it be that he wanted him to be a spokesperson? But wasn't the Heartfilia Consortium in the railway business? What use would it be to find him as a spokesperson for that kind of industry? And besides, this kind of industry didn't really need a spokesperson at all.
"Mr. Moen, may I ask what your opinion is on railways?"
While waiting for Master Voltava to arrive, Jude finally revealed his purpose and asked very directly.
"Of course they're a great thing. They greatly facilitate people's travel. If they could be faster and laid out over a wider area, that would be even better."
Moen answered honestly. This was truly how he felt. At present, the railway network in the Kingdom of Fiore was indeed not very extensive. Only the northeastern region had a relatively dense rail network, and the speed of trains still had plenty of room for improvement.
"Exactly. I also want trains to be faster, but that will require a long period of research. Right now, the most important thing is to lay railways in more places. Once everyone enjoys the convenience of railways, it will naturally drive the advancement of the entire industry."
Jude agreed with Moen's words and spoke of his own goals. He wanted to extend the railways to every city in the Kingdom of Fiore.
"So?"
Moen blinked. What did this have to do with him? He didn't understand railway construction at all. What was the point of Jude telling him this?
"We've actually been working on expanding our railway business toward the southern cities, but we've encountered quite a lot of resistance, as well as malicious competition. The local nobles and financial groups are not easy to deal with."
Jude continued speaking, while Moen's expression remained puzzled. Nobles, financial groups—he had never really dealt with such things and didn't understand them very well. Why was he being told all this?
"The Fairy Tail guild has considerable influence in the southern regions. My idea is whether the Heartfilia Consortium could establish a cooperative relationship with Fairy Tail, using Fairy Tail's influence to help the Heartfilia Consortium open up the southern market, so that railways can be laid in the southern cities as soon as possible."
At last, Jude revealed his true intentions. He wanted to cooperate with Fairy Tail, to use Fairy Tail's influence to open up the market for the Heartfilia Consortium.
"…"
Moen's expression turned strange. Fairy Tail did indeed have greater influence in the southeastern part of the Kingdom of Fiore and therefore more influence over the southern cities as well, but they had never been involved in matters like this. They had always simply accepted requests and carried out missions honestly.
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