Development in Two Years

By the middle of the second year, the reconstruction of Helmarte had grown into something far greater than anyone had expected.

It was no longer changing only the appearance of the capital.

It was changing the Kingdom of Belfast itself.

Every week, caravans arrived from distant provinces carrying materials destined for the construction sites. Roads that had once seen only an occasional merchant wagon now carried steady traffic from dawn until dusk. Iron ore from the northern mines, timber from the western forests, limestone from newly expanded quarries, and coal from Teucher Mining Company's operations all converged on Helmarte.

Long lines of wagons formed outside the city gates each morning. Some carried steel beams, copper wire, and cast-iron pipes. Others delivered cement, bricks, tools, machinery parts, and food for the growing workforce.

The demand never seemed to slow.

The reconstruction had created an economy that fed itself.