Eternal Night: Building an Empire from Scratch

Edgar stood alone atop the Fortress Wall of Soragon Bazaar.

The city below had already begun settling down after the chaos of the day, while the streets slowly became quieter as people returned to their homes.

For now, Edgar had placed Andrew and Oswald in charge of his Fortress, but he still couldn’t completely relax.

’Will they be able to handle things if someone attacks while I’m gone?’

Edgar looked toward the distant forest.

He had left his main Fortress before and survived, though he believed that the Soul Guardians could keep things in place.

Another problem that Edgar had was finding someone in charge of the Bazaar.

Soragon Bazaar was much larger, and its location made it far more valuable to anyone looking for control over the surrounding region.

’If someone stronger comes while I’m away, I don’t know if anyone would be able to stop them.’

Edgar took a deep breath before shaking his head.

There was no point worrying about something he couldn’t predict.

Besides, he had already left several Soul Guardians nearby.

They would at least give the Fortress enough warning if something approached.

Edgar continued walking along the wall while looking over the surrounding land.

The grey-black fog had already begun gathering in the sky.

The Eternal Night was only a few minutes away.

’The walls need to be replaced.’

Edgar looked toward the old stone walls surrounding Soragon Bazaar.

They were massive, but age had clearly taken its toll.

Several sections were cracked, while others had been repaired so many times that the original stone was barely visible.

With the resources he had obtained from the treasury, Edgar could finally afford to invest in the city’s defenses.

’If Nightmare tides attack this place, these walls won’t last long.’

The thought immediately made Edgar consider something else.

’And then there’s the railway.’

He had already thought about creating a proper transportation network between his territories.

The idea was still rough, but the basic structure was simple.

A four-way railway would connect his main Fortress, the subsidiary Fortress near the Han River, the ore mountains, and Soragon Bazaar.

Each location would become part of one interconnected network.

That would allow ores to move from the mountains to the Smithing Houses, while food and finished goods could travel between the settlements.

It would also make moving soldiers much easier if one location came under attack.

Edgar looked toward the distant mountains.

’...That will take a long time.’

The railway would require enormous amounts of iron, manpower, and construction.

More importantly, he needed to figure out how to make the tracks function during the Eternal Night.

Still, it was worth building, as a proper transportation network could change the entire region.

Edgar finally turned away from the outer wall and walked toward the inner Fortress.

---

He quickly found Gordon near the main courtyard.

The veteran knight was speaking with several people from the Bazaar, discussing the distribution of supplies and the organization of the city’s guards.

The moment Gordon noticed Edgar, he immediately ended the conversation and walked toward him.

"My lord." He bowed respectfully. "Do you need anything?"

Edgar nodded. "I need someone to bring me a large amount of parchment."

Gordon looked slightly surprised. "How much?"

"As much as you can find." Edgar thought for a moment before adding, "And bring me a good quill as well."

Gordon nodded immediately. "I’ll have someone prepare them."

Edgar thanked him with a nod before continuing toward the inner Fortress.

---

Edgar eventually entered one of the rooms he had chosen as his temporary workspace.

Unlike the grand halls around it, the room was simple.

There was a large wooden table, several chairs, and a few shelves along the walls.

It was more than enough for what he needed.

Edgar sat down and waited.

Several minutes later, a young servant entered carrying a large stack of parchment.

He carefully placed everything on the table before setting down a small container of ink and a fine quill.

"Your parchments, my lord."

Edgar nodded. "Thank you."

The servant bowed before quietly leaving the room.

Edgar looked at the mountain of parchment in front of him.

He slowly picked up the quill. ’If I want to build the railway, I’ll need more than just iron.’

He needed a reliable source of energy and a way to move the trains.

And most importantly, he needed to make sure the system wouldn’t collapse under the influence of the Eternal Night.

Edgar dipped the quill into the ink as there was one thing he could begin with.

Gravity.

The same principle that had powered some of his earlier ideas could potentially be used to create a much more efficient transportation system.

Edgar placed the tip of the quill against the parchment.

He took a deep breath and began drawing the gravity rune, starting with a curved line.

Several smaller symbols connected together.

His movements were slow and deliberate.

The first gravity rune gradually took shape across the parchment.

Edgar stared at the completed design. "...This should work."

He placed the parchment aside and picked up another sheet.

This time, he began modifying the structure while keeping the core the same.

’...If I can find a way to push the gravity outward rather than inward...’

One parchment after another slowly filled the table.

Some runes were nearly identical, while others were completely different.

Several failed the moment Edgar tried activating them.

A faint distortion appeared before the parchment suddenly tore apart.

Edgar sighed and threw the failed piece aside.

"Too unstable." He picked up another sheet.

The parchment remained intact, but the rune barely reacted.

He continued experimenting without noticing the passage of time.

Outside the room, the last traces of natural light slowly disappeared.

The Eternal Night descended over Soragon Bazaar, but Edgar didn’t stop.

His eyes remained fixed on the parchment as another idea slowly formed in his mind.

’What if I don’t use gravity to move the train?’ His gaze slowly shifted toward the previous diagrams. ’What if I use gravity to reduce friction instead?’

Edgar’s eyes brightened.

That would dramatically reduce the energy required to move something heavy.

He quickly grabbed another sheet.

The quill moved across the parchment again.

Before long, Edgar had created a rune with significant changes from the one he first tried.

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