"Good morning, everyone around the world. It is currently 11 AM here in China, which means it should be around 5 AM in Europe at this moment," said Cristy Nomes, an English reporter working for the official European news agency owned and funded by the EU. "We are here because we received an invitation from the Chinese government to witness their working steam train and participate in a short Q&A session."
Cristy had originally come to China five years ago as an intern. Her degree was not even in communications, and at the time, she had mostly wanted to see the world and experience something outside Europe. However, when mana arrived, nearly all of the foreign news reporters stationed in China returned home.
Cristy was one of the few who remained.
Once the Guardian Trial ended, returning to China became extremely difficult because of the ridiculous journey involved. The European news agency had struggled to find anyone willing to take the position, so they eventually had to search for replacements themselves. That was how Cristy ended up staying in China, despite having originally intended to spend only a short time there.
She also happened to be exceptionally well suited for the position. Cristy was a strikingly attractive blonde British woman who spoke fluent English and had already spent years learning how China operated. More importantly, she was willing to stay when almost everyone else had gone home, which gave her an advantage that no amount of formal education could easily replace.
Over time, she became the most important foreign news reporter in China.
Not because the Chinese government had granted her special authority, but because she had something far more useful in the world of journalism: an audience. Whenever news about China appeared on the European network, the ratings improved drastically if Cristy was the one reporting it. After a year, she had become so popular that her reports were regularly watched across Europe.
That popularity eventually created a problem.
Cristy began noticing people following her.
At first, she assumed they were ordinary government officials keeping an eye on a foreign journalist. She reported them to the police anyway, just to be safe. Then she reported them again, and again, and eventually she had contacted the local police around ten times without anything meaningful being done.
That was when she decided to contact her superiors in Europe.
The situation quickly became an international issue, especially after someone realized that Cristy's situation could be useful during diplomatic negotiations. She was asked to investigate why she was being followed, who was responsible, and why the Chinese authorities were apparently refusing to intervene.
Cristy accepted.
For the next year, she investigated the situation while continuing her normal work. Eventually, she produced what became an extremely damaging piece of journalism. She documented the people following her, the surveillance she experienced, and the harassment she endured while trying to perform her job.
The documentary spread far beyond Europe.
Other countries were more than happy to distribute it because it provided them with another opportunity to damage China's international reputation. The documentary itself was essentially a record of one woman's struggle while living and working in China, and that made it considerably more effective than a normal political report.
Journalists being followed and monitored was hardly unusual in China. Foreign reporters who investigated subjects the government disliked had experienced similar treatment for years. Normally, however, audiences simply accepted that as part of international politics.
Cristy's situation was different.
Seeing an attractive and seemingly vulnerable woman being followed, filmed, and harassed created a much stronger emotional reaction. The story spread rapidly, and China's international standing suffered considerably as a result.
Cristy, however, cared about something much simpler.
The men had eventually stopped following her.
That meant she could finally return to doing her job without constantly wondering who was watching her.
"As you can see, they were faster than us by a hair's breadth," Cristy said with a smile. "We already have their announcement for tomorrow, so feel free to tune in then."
She stepped slightly to the side.
Behind her stood the magnificent steam train.
The entire world was watching the broadcast live because China had decided to show the demonstration to the international community. Their satellites had been used to distribute the broadcast, allowing people around the world to watch the event without having to pay for access.
The train itself immediately became the center of attention.
It was large, imposing, and unlike anything most people had seen since mana had changed the world. For a civilization that had spent years struggling to restore transportation, the sight of a functioning train was almost unbelievable.
"Good morning, everyone. My name is Qin Zhenya, and I am the lead engineer working on the steam train," said Qin with a proud smile. "It has been a privilege to work on turning our vision into reality, so allow me to introduce you all to its capabilities."
He paused for a moment as the cameras focused on him.
"She can carry eighteen carriages fully loaded with steel and still reach speeds of up to 200 kilometers per hour."
The statement immediately drew attention.
Two hundred kilometers per hour was an astonishing speed for something that was, by modern standards, an ancient technology. Yet that was precisely why the achievement mattered so much.
Rebuilding a steam train itself had not been particularly difficult.
The principles behind steam locomotion had been understood for centuries. The designs already existed, the basic mechanisms were well documented, and engineers had plenty of historical information to work from.
The difficult part had been everything surrounding it.
Mana had changed the physical world, and engineers had needed to understand how those changes affected machines. They had also needed to determine whether mana could be incorporated into the trains rather than simply forcing old designs to function in a completely different environment.
Then there was the problem of mass production.
There was little point in building three trains a year.
China was a massive country, and the amount of railway infrastructure required to connect its cities was enormous. They would need tracks, stations, locomotives, carriages, maintenance facilities, and thousands of workers before the investment could begin paying for itself.
The manpower requirements were particularly troublesome.
China had plenty of blacksmiths because of the enormous demand for weapons after the arrival of mana. However, every day those blacksmiths spent producing something other than weapons represented a potential loss of income.
A skilled blacksmith could produce a sword in a day, and a decent sword was worth at least one silver coin.
That meant the government had to carefully balance its available workforce.
If too many blacksmiths were moved into railway production, the weapons industry would suffer. If too few were moved, the railway network would take decades to develop.
That was why China's five-year plan mattered so much.
"Now, I am proud to announce our roadmap for the next five years regarding trains," Qin said.
The screen behind him changed.
"In the first year, we will focus on connecting Shanghai with Beijing."
The announcement immediately caused murmurs throughout the square.
"Then, during our second year, we aim to have a train running in every province. In the third year, we will begin work on a nationwide connection while expanding the total capacity of the network."
Qin continued without slowing down.
"By the fourth year, we aim to connect every Tier 1 city. In the fifth year, we will expand the network to every Tier 2 city."
He finally lowered his hand.
"Thank you very much. Now, the questions."
Qin gave a slight bow as the entire square erupted into applause.
The reaction was enormous.
For many people watching around the world, this was not merely a demonstration of an old transportation system. It was proof that humanity was beginning to rebuild something that had been lost after mana arrived.
"China's Xinhua News Agency," Qin said with a smile when the first reporter was selected.
He deliberately wanted to begin with the official state media.
The international reporters were already giving him looks that he did not particularly like. Starting with China's own state media would allow him to establish the tone of the question-and-answer session before dealing with the more aggressive foreign journalists.
He took a breath and waited.
The cameras remained focused on him.
The steam train stood behind him, its enormous body serving as a symbol of what China hoped to accomplish.