In the days that followed, Lara found herself consumed by work alongside Gideon and Matthias, laboring tirelessly on producing and selling the Iron Horse.
The clang of metal and the hiss of steam filled the workshops from dawn till nightfall. Though they hired additional workers, the complexity of the machine and the relentless pressure of deadlines meant they managed to release fewer than fifty units—far short of what they had hoped.
Eventually, Matthias, worn down by the limitations of their resources, was left with no choice but to seek an alliance with Prince Reuben's camp as per Lara and Peredur's advice. It was an uneasy partnership: Matthias contributed the technical genius and hard-won schematics, while Reuben provided what they so desperately lacked—the vast factory, skilled laborers, and raw materials to bring the Iron Horse to life at scale.
