25th March 1690

Mumbai, Economic capital of Satavahana, Akhand Bharatiya Empire

A massive 4,000-ton sailing ship docked at the port of Mumbai with its sails furled, while a few dock workers pushed the stage platform forward and secured it to the deck.

Ioannis Theodorou picked up his bag, stood on the deck right where the platform was attached, took a deep breath of the salty sea air, and looked at the port with curiosity and expectation. For a long time, he had heard a lot of stories about the Bharatiya Empire, about how people have no shortage of food or clothing, about how it is warm all year around, about how you can talk to anyone in the country within the same week, about how you can travel from one edge of the continent to another within a month, how rail cars and the flying balloons could be seen in the air, and a lot more things. The Bharatiya Empire had already become a legend in his mind, and he couldn't wait to explore the nation that had helped his motherland to the fullest.

As he got down from the ship, he was attracted to the people wearing colourful clothes, ornamental jewellery, and being in a hurry as if everyone were on a mission.

He felt extremely refreshed.

"Whoa, what is that?"

His teammate Evangelos Pappas, who disembarked after him, exclaimed in surprise, catching the attention of all the team members getting down from the ship.

Hearing the exclamation, Ioannis looked in the direction Evangelos was pointing, and he was taken aback. There was actually a metal ship floating on the water. Although it did not even look half the size of the ship they had travelled in, the fact that it was shimmering in the sunlight and giving off a metallic glow was enough to surprise him, as well as many others.

"That should be the steamship of the Bharatiya Empire," Ioannis muttered unconsciously, and Evangelos, who was right next to him, looked at the ship listlessly and spoke out, "I didn't think metal ships actually existed. Who would have thought?"

Hearing the voices of dissatisfaction from the people above who were still getting down from the ship, Ioannis came back to his senses and immediately gathered his team to the side so that they would not obstruct the other passengers.

Ioannis looked around for the guide they had been provided with and finally saw a person holding a signboard with the name Greek Football Team written on it in Greek.

"Come on, let's go."

Meeting their guide, Swarna Tejashwi, the team immediately logged into a lodge and took the much-needed rest. But Ioannis did not sleep, as his mind was filled with curiosity about this country, and he wanted to see what the city was like before he left for the training camp.

So, informing a word to his guide and taking some basic instructions, he went to explore Mumbai, which was apparently, from what he was told, one of the major port cities of the empire and one of the largest urban cities.

Ioannis wandered through the city without any destination in mind. He didn't visit tourist spots or scenic places, yet every step he took left him amazed. The footpath beneath him was paved with neatly cut cobblestones, laid in perfect symmetry. It gave a sense of beauty and precision, and despite walking for so long, his shoes were still spotless; the streets were that clean.

As he walked, the prosperity of the empire became clear. He passed jewellery shops crowded with customers, apparel stores filled with colourful and stylish clothes, and restaurants whose aromas made his stomach growl.

The street lamps caught his attention next, each one different from the other, with unique carvings and elegant designs that seemed to turn even the roads into art.

After hours of exploring, Ioannis finally decided to return to his lodge. But before he could, something extraordinary appeared before him, the legendary car often spoken of by the Jews and Bharatiyas back home.

It roared past him, leaving him frozen in disbelief. The vehicle was no larger than a carriage, yet it belched thick steam like a furnace and moved with a deep, thunderous rumble that shook his chest. His mouth hung open for a long time; he simply couldn't believe what he had just seen.

When Ioannis returned, he found everyone still asleep. Not wanting to disturb them, he quietly went to his room. From the window, he watched the soft orange glow of the kerosene lamps lining the street below. The city was still lively even at eight o'clock, and the distant sounds made it hard for him to fall asleep at first. But exhaustion soon took over, and he eventually drifted off into slumber.

The next morning, Ioannis was woken up by Evangelos.

"Quickly, freshen up and get ready, we are leaving."

Ioannis rubbed his face and immediately started preparing. Thankfully, everyone in their team was disciplined people, especially after being conscripted into the People's Militia, so they were ready to leave by 9:00 AM sharp.

"Please hold these tickets, these will be important as we will have to hand them over to the ticketing staff after we get down at the location."

Coming to the railway station, Swarna Tejaswi handed out to everyone a piece of paper which had something written in the Bharatiya language. Ioannis took the ticket and did not pay any attention to what Swarna was saying at all. How could he, when he had never been to a railway station, and everything around him was novel?

The platform they arrived at looked quite similar to the one at the port. Chairs were neatly arranged, greenery filled the area, and people moved about busily. Numerous boards and signal flags hung from the pillars, though he couldn't read them; their designs looked impressive. What intrigued him most, however, were the rails. They reminded him of the mining cart tracks his father had once worked with, but these were thicker and spaced much farther apart.

Also, weirdly enough, the rails had large gravel rocks between them, with concrete slabs placed exactly perpendicular to the rails at constant intervals. His heart told him to jump down and check it out, but his mind was stronger and reminded him to be stable.

Thanks to his self-control, he did not do it and saved himself from embarrassment and a lot of fines. Soon, the ground began to vibrate.

Ioannis's expression immediately brightened, and Evangelos stood up from his seat.

"Is it coming?"

Evangelos moved to the edge of the platform and looked towards the direction that Swarna said the train would come, and Ioannis went forward and stood right next to him.

"Blare!"

The sound, like that of an elephant's cry, albeit at a higher pitch, was heard, and this sound was getting closer and closer. Finally, on the horizon, the train appeared, and it came forward extremely slowly. Ioannis felt like he could run faster than it, but something about its stature and the air of weight it imposed on the mind tuned him to know this thing was not to be trifled with.

"Blare!"

After signalling his team to board, he finally stepped inside, followed by Swarna, which, for some reason, made him feel relieved. He had felt uneasy earlier when he was seated comfortably in the train, knowing their guide wasn't with them.

Soon, the train began to move. The boys looked out of the train with excited smiles on their faces. The feeling was weird, as if they were moving so effortlessly, as if they were gliding in the air.

The speed began to pick up, and the nearby shrubs, trees, and signal poles became a blur. They finally left the cement jungle and entered the wilderness. Looking at the farmers working in the fields and the water bodies along the way made them feel extremely mesmerised.

"Hey, look!" Leonidas shouted. He pointed his finger at a farm in the distance.

Ioannis went to the window to check it out. Evangelos and the other boys similarly held the railings of the window and looked into the distance, with their faces pressed against the iron bar.

"Is that... a tractor?" Evangelos hesitantly asked, and Ioannis, who looked at how a bunch of tractors kept tilling the land so effortlessly, nodded with an absent expression.

As the journey continued, one station after another, the passengers travelling with them increased, but it was never to the point of being overcrowded and people having to stand. Also, Ioannis and others loved when people came, because the Bharatiyas seemed to have a habit of singing on the trains and playing musical instruments. They enjoyed the music quite a bit. After a while, they picked up this habit and sang whenever there were not too many Bharatiya people in their carriage, even amusing the three or four Bharatiyas who were in their carriage by singing Greek songs.

Finally, after two days of continuous travel and after changing trains multiple times, they reached Dharampuri, the place where the Dharampuri Sports Academy was located.

By the end of the journey, Ioannis, Evangelos, and others were all tired. They just wanted to collapse into a bed, but they had to attend the orientation ceremonies. To Ioannis's surprise, his team was not the only team attending the training camp. There were actually people from different countries, some countries he did not even know the names of, but he did recognise the Jewish team wearing the uniform with the Israeli national flag and the Egyptian team, similarly wearing the uniform with an Egyptian flag.

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