The Hidden Extra: The Lazy Prince Refuses to Ascend The Throne

”Hmm? A permit to build roads connecting every city in the empire?”

Ragan looked at Nolan, clearly caught off guard.

”Wait... what do you mean?”

Nolan went on to explain his plan.

Ragan listened intently. Five minutes later, Nolan finally finished explaining, and Ragan understood.

His expression turned serious as he asked, ”Kid, are you serious? You want Blue Moon to build an interprovincial road? And why are you acting as the intermediary?”

Nolan rolled his eyes.

”Father, I’m already tied to Blue Moon, especially after I helped them secure a major project in the Kingdom of Kaldarion on the Northern Continent. Since they need that project, I don’t have much choice but to help them. Besides, this arrangement is also in the empire’s best interest. It’ll make it much easier for merchants to travel between cities.”

”Hmm...” Ragan narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

Nolan remained calm, not the slightest change appearing on his face.

A few moments later, Ragan straightened up and asked, ”How exactly does the project work? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to steal it. I just need to know how this inter-city road is supposed to work.”

Nolan nodded.

”The idea is to build a special road connecting every city. But instead of horse-drawn carriages, it’ll be used by a huge vehicle called a train.”

”A train?” Ragan’s eyes widened. ”What’s it like?”

”It’s hard to describe,” Nolan admitted. ”The best way to put it is that it looks like a giant snake. It’ll be made up of a long line of connected cars, so merchants and ordinary people can all travel together. It’ll save a lot of time and money. Just imagine it... a single train carrying a thousand people. The economic benefits would be enormous, wouldn’t they?”

Ragan was speechless. He still couldn’t picture what a train looked like, but little by little, an image began to form in his mind.

A giant snake capable of carrying thousands of people at once.

His breath quickened, and his heart pounded.

”Kid, this project is absolutely insane!” Ragan exclaimed in amazement. ”Was Blue Moon the one who proposed it?”

Nolan nodded, then crossed his legs and replied casually, ”That’s right. They say it’s a long-term project. It could take fifteen years or even longer to complete, but they want to start it now. The only problem is...”

He rubbed his temple. ”They asked me to secure approval from the palace, along with construction permits for every city along the route. After all, the project is meant to connect cities across the empire.”

”I see...” Ragan let out a knowing chuckle. ”Understood. That won’t be a problem. I’ll issue the necessary permits. But remember, the imperial palace must get its share.”

”Don’t worry. I’ve already discussed it with their leader. At the very least, we’ll receive a twenty percent stake in the project. It’s a pretty good deal, isn’t it? We won’t have to spend a single penny, yet we’ll still own twenty percent of it.” Nolan smirked.

Ragan nodded with a smile. ”You’re right.”

The two exchanged knowing glances.

”By the way, kid.” Ragan’s expression turned curious. ”I know you have a close relationship with one of their executives, but don’t you think they’re relying on you a little too much?”

He knew how Nolan had first become involved with Blue Moon. It all started when Nolan saved the life of one of their high-ranking executives.

But Nolan’s relationship with Blue Moon seemed to be growing even closer. That was obvious from how many important national projects they trusted him with.

If Ragan didn’t know Nolan so well, he would’ve thought Nolan was one of Blue Moon’s owners.

If Nolan had known what Ragan was thinking, he probably would’ve laughed and said, ”Old man, I’m not just a shareholder. I founded the whole company.”

Of course, Nolan had no idea what was going through Ragan’s head, so that conversation never happened.

”Maybe it’s because I’m handsome? That’s why they trust me more than anyone else.”

Nolan shrugged, wearing such a smug expression that Ragan wanted to punch him right then and there.

”Forget it. I’m too lazy to argue with you.”

Regardless of the reason, Ragan was actually quite pleased with Nolan’s connection to Blue Moon.

The trading house had become an incredibly powerful force. It wasn’t an exaggeration to call it the dominant company in the empire.

The only company that could rival Blue Moon was White Lotus, which was now under the control of Belfor’s illegitimate daughter.

That was exactly why keeping a good relationship with Blue Moon was so important.

After that, their conversation turned more casual. They talked about all sorts of things, including which prince might eventually inherit the throne.

Although Nolan supported Elina, he wasn’t part of the struggle for the throne.

So the conversation stayed neutral, with neither of them favoring any of the candidates.

About an hour later, Nolan got up and headed back to his room.

The next day, he would head to the eastern region and finalize the preparations for his return to his previous world.

Just as he stepped out of his father’s study, someone suddenly hugged him from behind.

A pair of soft, mochi-like mounds pressed against his back.

”Guess... who I am?”

A playful voice whispered into his right ear.

Nolan chuckled and replied casually, ”Who else could it be but you, Sis?”

”Bingo!”

Seira giggled, let go of him, and walked around to stand in front of him.

”What were you doing in Father’s study?” she asked curiously, glancing toward the study door.

Nolan took her right hand and led her away.

”I had some important business with him. It’s about getting a permit for a highway connecting the major cities.”

Seira looked surprised.

”What’s this about? Why do you need a permit for something like that?”

”Blue Moon is planning a huge project,” Nolan said. ”It’s a transportation system that can carry thousands of people at once.”

Seira’s eyes widened.

She stood there in stunned silence for a moment before finally snapping out of it.

”A massive transportation system capable of carrying thousands of people at once?” she repeated, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. ”What’s it called?”

”A train,” Nolan replied simply.

Boom!

Seira felt as though a giant hammer had slammed into her head. Her breathing grew heavy, and her body stiffened.

”In short, they’re going to build a special route called a railroad track, and—”

Nolan began explaining the vision and purpose behind this new mode of transportation.

However, Seira didn’t seem to be listening. She remained silent, her expression vacant.

Suddenly, she spoke in a soft voice.

”A train... Is it a long form of mass transportation with many connected cars?”

Nolan, who had been explaining, suddenly froze and stared at Seira in surprise.

”Huh? How did you... know that?”