If the Royal Series made headlines, the Merchant Line built empires.
Launched in bulk from coastal cities and river-hugging hubs, these vehicles were no-frills, high-efficiency marvels. Sharath worked with alchemists to coat the frames with anti-rust lacquer and built a modular carriage latch for cargo trays, message scroll holders, and medical kits.
Estate stewards used them to oversee farmlands. Town scribes cut delivery times in half. Apothecaries and spice traders used caravans of them, even connecting regional trade networks.
Where before it took a week to carry spices from the Sunwind coast to Central Plateau, now it took two days—and one man.
Sharath implemented a merit reward system: smiths who met performance standards received better parts, prestige plaques, and training scrolls. Quality bred loyalty.
And so, as gold began to flow faster than the rivers that once choked with bureaucracy, the Merchant Line became the quiet spine of the economy.