It was the earliest part of the morning at the Necro-Mall. For the past month, Karl Leech had barely contained his excitement while tracking the progress of his pickup truck. Now, he was watching the ghouls carefully push the massive iron body out of the tunnels.

"That's a beauty right there," Karl muttered, a wide smile splitting his face. "It looks exactly like a Ford F150 Raptor."

Dolrik, Karl's lead Ghoul engineer, stood beside him, watching the heavy labor. "We made the body design to be as accurate as possible to your desired style, My Lord. We adapted the shell for the heavy elemental plating."

"Then there's only one thing left to find out," Karl said, his voice buzzing with anticipation. "Let's see, If it purrs the same as the conventional one."

As the Ghouls finally pushed the truck out onto the paved plaza just outside the second set of entrance tunnels, the handful of early-morning Beastkin onlookers stared at the weird, dark iron wagon. Though the mall was open 24/7, customers who paid for accommodations often took the cool morning air in the park, and now all eyes were locked on the metallic monster.

Karl didn't care if it stirred up news; he was eager.

Once the vehicle was fully clear, he called out. "Stop, stop, that's enough!" He turned to Dolrik. "I assumed this one needs a key, right?"

Dolrik nodded, his multi-lensed eyes twinkling proudly. "Yes, My Lord." He handed Karl a key fashioned from black iron, featuring a small, yellowish elemental crystal in the middle. "This key works specifically with this vehicle. We matched the arcstone circuit board on the starter mechanism to a specific mana frequency, and this key activates it. It greatly improves security."

Karl took the key. "Good. Very good. Then, I'll test it myself."

Dolrik, with a hint of Ghoulish concern, stepped forward. "My Lord, I apologize, but I'm worried it might produce unforeseen problems since this is still the first field test. I am confident, but I'm not sure what failure points I might have missed. I may put you in danger."

Karl smiled warmly. "No, Dolrik. I'm done waiting an entire month. I'm testing this one, and that's final. Also, have trust in yourself, alright? You're the best engineer here."

Dolrik nodded, his concern only slightly alleviated. "Alright, My Lord."

Leo, Karl's ever-present second-in-command, quickly interjected. "My Lord, Dolrik is right. We need to insure your safety. I'll order someone to test it first, just in case."

Karl's momentary patience evaporated. "No, no, no, no, no, no! I don't need someone else to take this thing off of me!"

Leo insisted, "But My Lord—!" Karl ignored him, ducking into the cab.

The onlookers, confused by the argument and the strange iron wagon, pressed closer.

Inside, Karl settled into the surprisingly soft driver's seat. He took in the interior: the feel of the steering wheel, the gear stick, the throttle, and the brake pedals. It was all there, even an arcstone-powered speedometer, though there was no radio or music player yet.

Karl grinned. "This is amazing! On Earth, I only drove a Honda Civic. Oh, how I wished to have a Ford F-150 Raptor. And now, I actually have one." He ran a finger over the dash. "Though it's different under the hood, this still feels like the real deal. Hohoho!"

He inserted the crystal key and twisted it. The keyhole immediately lit up, and the speedometer and interior lights flickered to life, followed by the powerful front and rear running lights.

"Hahaha, it works! I guess that indicator is for the headlights." He flicked the corresponding switch, and the front lights turned off.

The growing crowd of customers inside the mall heard the stir outside and came to investigate, swelling the ranks of the onlookers staring at the large, intimidating gray iron wagon.

Karl took a deep breath. "Now, time for the real test." He adjusted the stick, shifting it to neutral to ensure he didn't launch the truck trying to rev the engine for show.

He turned the key knob completely. Instantly, the arcstone board sent a massive, controlled pulse of mana to the elemental stones located in the engine compartment.

The truck didn't just start; it growled, a deep, guttural sound that made Karl laugh out loud. "HAHAHAHA! THIS IS GREAT!!"

Outside, Dolrik exhaled in relief. Nothing had gone wrong with the initial startup, and his Lord was clearly ecstatic. The onlookers were shocked by the noise; it sounded like a captured beast roaring, though a plume of white elemental exhaust smoke poured harmlessly from the rear. Many feared the iron wagon was alive, but the Necro Corp staff quickly reassured them.

Karl peered out the window, giving Dolrik a massive thumbs up. "Nice work, Dolrik! Now, let's test your speed." He faced the stone road ahead, put the truck into first gear, and prepared to press the pedal.

Karl, settling into the driver's seat, switched the gears to '1'. "Let's do this slowly first," he muttered, scanning the stone road around the Necro-Mall's exterior park. It was enough space for a preliminary run.

He slowly and gently stepped on the throttle. He was instantly surprised by the vehicle's explosive acceleration as the speedometer instantly jumped to 20 in a second.

"Damn, you're a bad girl, huh?" he chuckled, quickly turning left as he tracked the plaza's narrow stone road.

The onlookers, who had tentatively crept back, were shocked. They had seen no horse, no mana current, no beast pulling the iron wagon.

A goatfolk stared, slack-jawed. "The iron wagon is alive!"

Karl completed the first lap and shouted through the window toward Leo. "Clear the road of customers! Now!"

Leo immediately organized the Necro Corp staff to advise everyone to temporarily clear the plaza. Karl smiled, decided to speed it up, and tested the brakes on the corners.

The truck accelerated surprisingly fast. As the corner approached, he switched the gears and gently stepped on the hydraulic brakes. He was surprised by how responsive and "sticky" they were. He turned the wheel, shifted gears, and accelerated again, satisfied.

He laughed maniacally. "HAHAHAHA! Now this is a car! If I had to guess, this is probably 750 Horsepower!"

Karl continued to loop the plaza. The onlookers were utterly stunned; the vehicle was faster than any unburdened mount. The Goatfolks merchants, saw the terrifying potential.

"If that wagon delivers products and resources at that speed, it would take only two hours from here to Stonehorn Crossing, instead of three days by foot," one Goatfolk whispered, shivering. "The entire economy will revolve around Necro Corp, dependent on their superior logistics."

After five exhilarating laps, Karl stopped the truck right at the front tunnel entrance, his face gleaming with satisfaction.

"Why don't you hop in, Leo, Dolrik?" Karl invited. "So you can both see why I insisted on testing it myself."

Leo exhaled and nodded. "It will be done, My Lord."

Dolrik was already beaming, eager to feel his creation perform.

Karl added, "Also, tell the others to load up some supplies for the DRIS outpost, so we can test how much this thing can handle."

A staff member ran toward the tunnels. Later, as the last crate was loaded, a Ghoul covered the cargo with a thick net and tied it down. The onlookers were stunned once more; the back was piled high with crates, planks, and wooden beams, and yet the iron wagon didn't even visibly budge.

Karl checked the rear-view mirror. "Damn, she's a real beast, I tell you. You should be proud, Dolrik." He smirked at the Ghoul engineer, who was now sitting in the back seat.

Dolrik swelled with pride. "I am, My Lord. I'm just glad it worked out in the end."

"Now, let's see how she handles with a load on her back." Karl shifted gears and pressed the pedal. The truck felt heavier, but the speed was consistent as it drove out of the plaza and onto the dirt road leading to the clearing. The customers watched the iron wagon, full of goods, speed away faster than any of their prized mounts.

"It handled the rough terrain so well," Karl exclaimed. "This is amazing!"

Later, he turned to Dolrik, his mind already racing ahead. "Dolrik, I need you to immediately design a large vehicle dedicated solely to transporting goods and people. A multipurpose transport truck that we can use for both civilian and military purposes. This will become the backbone of our company's entire logistical network."

Dolrik nodded, pulling out a small notebook and pencil.

Karl continued, "Since the vehicle will be bigger, you'll need to design a new engine. Design two engine types: a mana-powered engine, like this one, and a semi-mana-powered engine that also accepts diesel as fuel. It's better to have both types readily available so I can begin building a dedicated refinery for the diesel fuel as an alternative."

Dolrik nodded, furiously taking notes.

Karl then turned to Leo, who was sitting calmly beside him in the passenger seat. "Leo, how was the construction progress on the residential zone?"

"Vitro has completed building the houses as per your design," Leo reported. "He and his men are currently helping Rook build a dedicated barracks for the DRIS outpost."

"Alright. All that's needed is the furniture for the residential zones to be opened, right?"

Leo nodded. "Yes, My Lord. Mario has shifted his focus entirely towards building the furniture. Currently, only 25% of the artisans are working with customer orders."

"That's fine," Karl responded. "It's already time to decrease the woodworks production to avoid oversaturation."

Leo used the lull to voice a concern. "Are you planning to open the market for the flintlock, My Lord? I am worried about the large expense of iron being focused into production with no returns yet."

Karl smirked. "Not yet. The entire region is tense; it feels like the Cold War all over again. You don't need to worry about the flintlocks. I am planning to use the Orcs through Simon as the primary distributor of the flintlocks."

Leo looked confused. "Why not just us, My Lord? We keep the profits and the control."

Karl's smirk widened into a predatory grin. "I need to seal their alliance with them. It may only be a matter of time before Simon and Schalezusk can reunite all of the Orc tribes. Also," he leaned back, the truth pouring out, "Libera found oil near their village. It's a large lake that's been turned black over time. If I'm right, they might be sitting on the largest oil deposit in the region."

He gestured expansively. "If we can increase our relationship and cooperation as allies, we can work with them to drill and refine that oil. Not only are we personally drilling and refining their oil, but we're also personally buying it. With that fuel, we begin expanding the automotive industry, selling these trucks and the upcoming large transport vehicles. And when that happens, we'll be the sole supplier of fuel, and the sole supplier of logistics."

Karl threw his head back, laughing manically. "HAHAHAHAHA!"

Leo shook his head, a small, knowing smile on his face, muttering under his breath, "Here we go again."

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