Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology - Chapter 1128

Capítulo 1128: The Ride!

12th October 1694

A pair of caucasian women, with slightly wrinkled skin and greying hair, got down from the train at the Kempe Gowda railway station and moved forward with a hint of enthusiasm in their eyes. Helena Górska was the one with the red hat and a chudi thar, while Natalya Voskresenskaya was the one who was wearing a Sari.

” It’s quite hot here, isn’t it? ” Helena Górska commented as she wiped the sweat that had accumulated on her forehead with a napkin, while Natalya Voskresenskaya nodded and put down the luggage with a deep sigh.

” It is, no wonder the people here like to wear little clothes, ” Natalya looked at her armpits that were drenched and felt helpless.

Helena Górska smiled, ” I wonder what those nobles who always claim that Bharatiya people have no shame will wear when they come to the Bharathiya Empire? ” An image suddenly appeared in her mind, and she smirked, ” Will it be like a pig wearing ‘noble attire’, sweating until it loses all its weight? ”

Imagining the image, Natalya Voskresenskaya smirked, “Haha, probably.”

With a loud whistle from the steam engine and the ringing of the bell at the platform, the train began to move once again, going on its next phase of the journey. Turning around, Helena Górska and Natalya Voskresenskaya became silent and stared at the train until it disappeared from their sight.

” I wonder when Warsaw will have a locomotive? ” Helena Górska picked up a luggage and started walking towards the exit as her words floated in the wind. Natalya Voskresenskaya quickly followed along; she was still unaccustomed to the sari. ” If your country wants to research the technology by itself, probably not any time soon, maybe in a decade or two more, but if they want to import it, I guess they can do it. ”

Hearing her companion’s words, Helena Górska let out an exasperated breath. ” My king and the nobles are acting like mice, worried about the Bharatiya Empire or anyone else having too much influence in the country. So they have taken a complete isolationist policy when it comes to accepting anything from abroad.”

Although due to this policy, local talents like her are getting more chances when the country is investing enormous amounts of resources into cultivating their own technological talents and technology, the more people like her see the world, the more they understand the gap between the Polish-Lithuanian and the Bharatiya Empire. It’s not a gap of one or two years; it’s a gap of 100 or more years. It cannot be simply bridged by oneself without having an empire spanning a continent as a backup. Even medical talent like her can see this, she didn’t know why the leaders could not. Even thinking about it makes her feel irritated. ” Forget about my situation, how about you? Is Russia going to import the locomotives? ”

Natalya Voskresenskaya didn’t know what Helena thought for so long, but hearing the question, she smiled. “The negotiations are going on, and it should be soon. Also, the emperor is building a new city called St. Petersburg in the north. It’s not too far away from my hometown, Novgorod. If the emperor establishes the railway line from St. Petersburg to Moscow, then Novgorod will also be one of its stops. I’m hopeful that in a few years I can travel through the locomotive to my own home.”

Helena Górska showed a look of envy; also deep in her eyes, there was a hint of worry. If Polish Lithuania keeps falling behind, what is the future of her motherland?

Unconsciously, they came out of the railway terminal and reached the entrance of the railway station.

The sign of the help desk caught the attention of Helena Górska, so without hesitation, she went forward and greeted the help desk employee.

“Namaskara, sir!”

The employee of the help desk was taken aback, as it was rare for Europeans to come to the capital, but it was not unusual, so his expression returned to normal, and he put on a professional smile and greeted back, ” Namaskara madam, how may I be of your service?”

“My companion and I are looking to get to a place called ka…do…gou…di? ”

“Kadugodi.”

“Yes, that. Could you please direct us to the place where we can take a carriage or some sort of transport to get there? ”

Natalya Voskresenskaya joined the group.

The man at the help desk thought for a while and responded, ” If you want to take a carriage, then there is a carriage terminal only 100 metres down the road, you can find carriages going to every place in the city, but since the destination of the two of you is Kadugodi, I suggest you do otherwise.”

“Huh!”

“Why? ”

Helena Górska and Natalya Voskresenskaya exclaimed in unison.

“It’s because the road has been blocked, mam, so all the carriages going to the east of the city are being diverted to the north and then travel to the east by going through several satellite towns and villages on the outskirts of the city. It will take twice or thrice longer, so I suggest you take the new metro, it is slightly expensive, but it is quicker even compared to carriages if the road is not blocked.”

Helena Górska and Natalya Voskresenskaya nodded, but when they heard about the metro or whatever, they were confused. What the hell is that?

“Excuse me, sir, what is this metro you talk of? ” Helena Górska looked puzzled.

The help desk employee smiled. “It is a train, madam, very similar to a locomotive, but this one is only for travel within the city. And since it runs on an elevated bridge, there are no traffic problems, nor is it affected when roads are closed.” Worried the foreigners might not fully grasp his explanation, he added a small gesture, lifting his hand like an aeroplane to show how the train glides above the city.

Helena Górska and Natalya Voskresenskaya looked at each other, but at the same time, they were intrigued. ‘ A train that goes over the city? Interesting, Natalya Voskresenskaya’s eyes flickered.

“Then could you please point us to this metro, sir? ”

The help desk employee did not answer this time, but instead he simply got up, asked the ladies to follow along, and pointed towards a ramp.

He didn’t even have to say anything; there was a large board, ” Metro 200 metres ahead ” hung right above the ramp.

After thanking the help desk employee with a namaskara, both Helena Górska and Natalya Voskresenskaya dragged their luggage through the ramp.

As they walked, they felt extremely novel, since the angle got steeper and steeper, giving them a feeling that they were climbing a mountain. After reaching a certain distance, they saw a mesmerising view to their left, gigantic pillars rose from the ground supporting a large platform right over the city. These pillars stretched into the horizon, like a long concrete snake, touching the clouds.

Helena Górska and Natalya Voskresenskaya were awestruck and stood in place looking at the scenery with amazement.

“When did the Bharatiya Empire build it? Why did we not know? ” Natalya Voskresenskaya wondered out loud.

“Probably because the rulers don’t want people demanding too much from them? ” Helena Górska squinted her eyes while she clenched her fist.

Maybe it was a coincidence, at the horizon, a line of smoke rose from the air, and it got closer and closer.

” That’s the metro? ” Natalya Voskresenskaya exclaimed in amazement as she saw a small train getting closer and closer from above the bridge.

Helena Górska was amazed, but suddenly she remembered, ” The train is going east, that may be our ride, quick, let’s go, let’s go!”

Natalya Voskresenskaya came back to her senses and quickly dragged the luggage and ran behind Helena Górska.

As they got into the large building, they were welcomed by a help desk once again, and there was also a ticket counter in the distance, where a lot of people could be seen standing and collecting the tickets.

Thankfully, there were over 10 counters, so when Helena Górska and Natalya Voskresenskaya ran over, a ticket counter became vacant.

“Two tickets to Ka…dug…odi please ”

The ticket vendor was startled; the train was already at the platform, so his hands moved quickly and registered two tickets at the fastest speed.

” 60 Varaha, please, also the train is already at the platform, so hurry up, you have 10 more minutes. ”

Helena Górska quickly took out a fifty-varaha note, snatched the ten-varaha note she remembered Natalya Voskresenskaya had, and picked up the tickets.

Natalya Voskresenskaya dragged her heavy luggage behind Helena Górska in a hurry and finally saw the steaming train at the platform. They felt a little weird as they knew that they were standing on an elevated platform, but at the same time the largeness and the hugeness of the metro station gave them an illusion that they were still on the ground at another railway station, but unfortunately they did not have too much time to wonder as the bells of the metro began to ring and the whistle of the steam engine began to pick up, so without hesitation they both ran into the train with difficulty.

‘huf!’

‘huf!’

Helena Górska and Natalya Voskresenskaya panted heavily, and in the end, as the train began to move, they chuckled; they made it.

Looking around, the train was quite packed, all the seats had been occupied, and there were even a few people like them standing holding the iron poles. For some reason, Helena Górska felt that everyone in the train was filled with curiosity as well, as if these locals were also travelling through the metro train for the first time. ‘ Maybe this is a new invention?’ She thought. She was in such a hurry that she did not ask anything about the metro, but she felt that her guess was eighty to ninety percent correct.

They walked to the women’s compartment of the Metro and took their place by the wide windows. As the train glided forward, the city unfolded beneath them, streets, rooftops, and crowds slipping past in a steady, rhythmic flow. Below, people paused mid-stride, craning their necks to watch the elevated train sweep overhead, their faces lit with clear amazement at the new marvel cutting across their skyline.

” We haven’t even been to the World Ayurvedic Summit, and I am already amazed. I wonder how amazing the summit would be? ” Helena Górska commented with eagerness.

Natalya Voskresenskaya broke out of her daze and nodded.