"That's amazing," Euphy murmured, her voice filled with envy as she gazed at Catherine. Catherine would soon have a dedicated theater for her performances and all sorts of novel instruments, while Euphy's own wish felt further away than ever.
Standing nearby, Mina noticed Euphy's internal struggle and spoke up. "Is there something you want to say? Just go up and say it. Wishes only have a chance of coming true once they are spoken aloud."
"Really? I can?" Euphy's eyes flashed with sudden hope.
"Of course," Mina said, crossing her arms. "As long as it's not too outrageous, the Master will likely agree."
As Catherine's friend, Mina suspected Lucas wouldn't be too hard on the little dwarf.
"Uh..." Euphy lowered her head. She wanted to study his secret flying machine; that surely qualified as outrageous.
"By the look on your face, your request isn't a simple one," Mina said, her eyes narrowing as she studied Euphy.
Euphy remained silent, remembering her father Durin's warning not to be disrespectful. Seeing the dwarf's silence, Mina didn't push further and hurried to catch up with Lucas and Catherine.
"Euphy! Keep up!" Catherine called out ahead, her voice bright and refreshing. "We're going to see the construction of the tallest building!"
"Oh..." Euphy replied dejectedly.
"What's wrong?" Catherine ran back, her face full of concern. "Are you feeling unwell?"
"No," Euphy shook her head, forcing a weak smile.
"Are you sure?" Catherine looked at Euphy's furrowed brow and quickly guessed the cause. She whispered, "Are you still thinking about studying that hot air balloon?"
"No, I... I'm not," Euphy stammered, shaking her head frantically.
"Come on, follow me!" Catherine grabbed Euphy's hand and pulled her toward Lucas.
"Wait! Hey!" Euphy was dragged along, completely dazed.
Lucas was staring at the skeletal frame of the tallest building, which was currently draped in bamboo scaffolding. The first floor's framework was complete. High above, a steam engine hissed and hummed, hoisting steel bars upward.
"In a few months, it should reach twelve stories," Lucas said softly. He felt twelve stories was the sweet spot; any higher and the cost would skyrocket, yet twelve was more than enough to claim the title of the tallest building in this world.
"Lucas!" Catherine's voice arrived before she did. "My friend has something she wants to ask you."
"Oh? What is it?" Lucas turned to see a panting Catherine and a very cautious-looking Euphy. Every time he saw Euphy, he found her fascinating; she was so tiny and exquisite, yet she felt entirely different from a human child.
"Euphy has a dream of flying. She wants to build a machine to fly back to the Dwarven Kingdom to find her mother," Catherine explained concisely. Euphy was too shy to speak, but Catherine had no such qualms.
"Fly to the Dwarven Kingdom? That's quite a distance," Lucas said, surprised. He thought for a moment and then asked gently, "Do you want to use a hot air balloon to get there?"
"Yes!" Euphy nodded vigorously. Her entire motivation for studying flight was to see her mother again. If she could get her hands on a balloon, she wouldn't have to waste years trying to invent her own wings.
"I'm afraid I have to disappoint you. A hot air balloon can't fly that far," Lucas said, shaking his head.
"What?" Euphy froze.
"Balloons consume a massive amount of fuel," Lucas explained calmly. The rescue mission to the capital had only been possible because they used multiple balloons to transport fuel and had supply caches prepared in advance. A single flight to the capital cost dozens of gold coins—it was essentially burning money. The further the trip, the more exponential the cost.
The Dwarven Kingdom was even further away. They would need at least ten stops to refuel. Coordinating that kind of logistics across unknown territory was a nightmare. If they veered off course and missed a fuel cache, they would simply plummet.
"This..." Euphy's eyes trembled as she looked at Lucas. She felt utterly lost. Was her hope gone just like that? She bit her lip and asked quickly, "What about the other flying machine?"
"You mean the hang glider?" Seeing Euphy nod, Lucas continued, "That's even worse. It's for short-distance flight only. It couldn't possibly make it that far."
"How can this be..." Euphy murmured to herself, devastated. "Is there really no way to return to the Dwarven Kingdom?"
"Not for now," Lucas said. Long-distance flight was a major technical hurdle he hadn't cleared yet. Unless he bought a small helicopter from Earth—but he didn't know how to pilot one, and transporting it would require disassembling every single nut and bolt.
"Lucas, is there really no other way?" Catherine asked, hugging Euphy. "She just wants to see her mother one last time, even if they can't acknowledge each other." Traveling by land into the heart of the Dwarven Kingdom was suicidal; dwarves were notoriously xenophobic toward humans.
"I didn't say there was no way," Lucas said with a light chuckle.
"Wait, there's another way?" Catherine's eyes widened. She had only asked out of habit; she hadn't expected a turnaround.
"Please tell me! I... I will give anything!" Euphy broke free from Catherine's hug and bowed deeply.
"I'm currently researching a new type of aircraft. If that is completed, flying to the Dwarven Kingdom will be no problem at all," Lucas said with a confident smirk.
"How... how much longer will it take?" Euphy asked tensely, her hands gripping Catherine's arm.
"There are several technologies yet to be mastered. Perhaps by next year," Lucas said tentatively. He hadn't checked on the Research Department's progress on the airship lately, and many parts hadn't been brought over from Earth yet. He had simply given them blueprints and models and let them experiment. He didn't have an urgent need for airships yet.
"Can I help with the research? I'm an excellent blacksmith!" Euphy stepped forward, pleading.
"You may," Lucas agreed. He had heard of the legendary craftsmanship of dwarves; letting Euphy join the team might actually yield some unexpected breakthroughs.
"Thank you!" Euphy bowed again, her eyes glowing with a renewed spark of hope.
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