Published at 11th of May 2026 6:21 am

Chapter 949: The Future of Europe

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A year had passed since the German Reich reached its total consolidation. The greatest territory the fatherland had ever reached. And projects to integrate it as Europe’s economic and cultural center were underway.

Strategically, Europe had returned to a state of monarchies, all bound in some way that relied on Germany’s hegemony and security.

Grand international projects, modelled after those already operating between Germany and Russia were being projected and scaled.

Currently, Erwin stood in the center of von Zehntner Tower in Berlin. A massive neo-baroque structure operating as the strategic and economic headquarters of the family’s massive global consortium.

He stood at a table surrounded by civil engineers, mechanical engineers, architectural engineers, and city planners all hired as employees of the von Zehntner consortium under generous terms.

The table was massive, projecting a miniature replica of Europe and its major economic hubs, as well as the future infrastructure built between. Airports, electronic air ship mooring stations, maritime deep water ports, regional electric high speed rails, and international maglevs connected.

As well as a continental highway system, all of it operated as a redundant and parallel infrastructure system. One that allowed transportation at the micro and macro level.

Freight, passengers, and livestock could be freely moved between European nations, and potentially the world at large in a way that relied entirely on the German fatherland for daily operations.

Erwin gazed at the miniature replica of the future and stood amazed by its efficiency. With one of the city planners nodding his head in pride at the proof of concept.

"I must say, rebuilding all of Europe from the parameters which have proven to be a massive success across Tyrol and all the German Fatherland was a difficult process. And will no doubt require international cooperation, investment, and human resources on a scale never before seen from the human race. But... if accomplished, Europe will become the envy of the world."

Erwin watched one of the miniature trains representing a maglev move from Lisbon to Moscow. And though it wasn’t a part of this particular proof of concept, he also knew one day those maglevs would run straight to Vladivostok and potentially even Hanseong.

And while this was economically and culturally prestigious, it presented certain security concerns for Erwin who inherited a bit of his father’s paranoia regarding military matters.

"It’s phenomenal, as for the international cooperation, my father will be attending a summit soon to discuss this very future we have conceived. This is why this proof of concept was so important. However, I have one concern: strategically, how does this leave the fatherland vulnerable?"

A civil engineer stepped forward, an Order of Military Merit from Tyrol pinned across his chest, the crossed gilded swords attracting Erwin’s immediate respect and attention.

"We built this system keeping in mind its potential for use by an adversarial nation as an asset in the event of another European War. There are redundant systems in place, only accessible to our end that could kill the grid’s ability to be used by our enemies. It’s a one sided affair. So long as there is peace, the system runs with optimized efficiency, in a time of war... nobody but us can use it, even internally."

Erwin’s gaze drifted further towards the mock-up, noticing several of the key strategic designs that his engineer had alerted him to.

He didn’t speak immediately, instead reflecting on how visible this would be if anyone didn’t know what to look for. He sighed heavily and then raised his gaze back to the group of engineers.

"Assuming for a second that my technical knowledge and ability to detect these features is limited to that of a layman. What are the odds that the experts of our allied nations will see these covert measures we have put in place?"

The engineers huddled up and spoke to one another. Each had an opposing view on the matter, and they didn’t wish to speak until coming to a consensus.

In the end, the engineer with the military merit order pinned to his chest stepped forward once more to deliver the conclusion.

"After consulting with my colleagues, we believe that without anyone informing them of their potential existence. It is highly unlikely they are to discover them at all."

Another engineer stepped forward to clarify an additional point that his colleague had not mentioned.

"In essence, a highly capable and paranoid engineer studying the mockup and project in its entirety would be required to discover our failsafe’s. And even if that were to occur, they are designed to be explained away as redundant safety measures, not kill switches."

He stepped back into the line of other engineers, allowing the leader of their project to continue once more.

"There you have it... To put it simply, it is highly unlikely that any committee which reviews our proposal will ever see the one sided advantage this brings to the Reich. And if I know politicians as well as I think I do, then they’ll likely be too blinded by the wealth this provides, and the goodwill of the public to ever consider such a hidden blade."

Erwin did not respond immediately, he stood there and studied the miniature layout of a future Europe as conceived after a lifetime of his father’s efforts. He looked for any perceived flaw, any catastrophic trouble this could bring to the fatherland.

And in the end, he concluded it was optimized almost to a fault. He nodded his head in approval, but did not grant any promises to the team who had worked tirelessly to ensure this mock-up was built to spec in time for the diplomatic summit.

"Alright, I’ll bring it to my father’s attention. I’ll have him overlook it, and see his opinion on the matter. Since he will be the one displaying it at the upcoming summit in Hanseong, we will only move forward once we have his approval. And not a moment before."

The mere thought that Bruno, of all people would personally be approving the project was a thought that filled the engineers with both anticipation and dread.

He was a man, after all, who held the highest regard from the German public. And from an engineer’s standpoint, the efficiency with which he had waged war for nearly half a century was a marvel.

But it was because of what he had accomplished that many suspected his requirements were most strict and severe.

Erwin could see the apprehension was suffocating the atmosphere in the room, and was quick to indulge his employees.

"Relax, my father might have been a formidable figure on the battlefield, but it’s not like he’s going to have you flogged or shot for designing something he doesn’t agree with. I can tell you from personal experience that outside the military structure he is a very different man. I’m sure everything will be fine. Go home and relax, you will hear from me soon enough."

The engineers chose to trust Erwin’s words and left his office behind. Where he stared at the project for quite some time alone until finally sitting back down at his desk. He picked up the phone and could hear his secretary on the other line.

"Ingrid, do be a dear and connect me to my father, will you? I’ll take the call on the secure line, thanks."

He didn’t wait for a response, and the woman didn’t bother giving him one, judging by the exact order he gave, he didn’t need to waste time with formalities.

The line rang once, twice, and then on the third beat, a familiar voice came from the other end.

"Well, if it isn’t the CEO of the von Zehntner consortium, how can I help you today, Mr. von Zehntner?"

Erwin smirked, scoffed, and shook his head all at once.

"Father, must you really teas me, even now? I’m a 44-year-old man! Anyway... did Ingrid fill you in on the gist of things?"

The line was silent for a long while, but once Bruno spoke again, his voice was filled with far less sarcastic wit than before.

"More or less... you always have remarkable timing. Finishing the project just before the summit, even though the task was daunting. Anyone else would have fumbled this."

Erwin sighed and nodded his head. The timeframe, the sheer logistics behind the project, and the timing were all against him.

But he and his team had pulled it off in the end, a functional proof of concept that acted as a replica at a micro level of what they planned to achieve over the course of the next two to three decades.

He gazed upon the mock-up with approval and pride. His voice containing a hint of relief.

"So, when can I expect you in the office?"

"For what purpose would I possibly travel to Berlin?"

The words were the last thing Erwin expected from his father. And Erwin quickly sat up straight, his fingers wringing the cord of the phone.

"What do you mean? To approve the project? This will determine the future of Europe! Don’t you at least want to ensure there’s nothing wrong with it before you bring it to the summit in Hanseong?"

Once more his father surprised him with his words, and an almost mocking scoff.

"Erwin... you were right earlier when you said that you’re a 44-year-old man. You’ve been leading this consortium for decades while I pursued military and geo-political efforts. I may tease you because you are my son, but I wouldn’t have put you in charge of the family business if I didn’t trust your judgement. You don’t need my approval for something like this, because this is your project, not mine."

There were no words that could explain the shock that Erwin felt at this moment. He simply sat there stunned into disbelief.

But there was also something else that Erwin felt: certainty. He ultimately nodded his head with a satisfied smile on his face.

"It’s funny, when I was younger you used to tell me that the time would come where I would inherit the world which you built, and with it would carry the responsibility of forging a future path forward... I just never expected it to come so soon."

Bruno didn’t respond, at least not at first. And when he did, it was simply a formality.

"We’ll speak again when I’m back from Hanseong, until then, I trust you to continue moving forward with the project as if it has already been negotiated. Good luck, son."

After saying that, Bruno hung up, leaving Erwin to sit there alone. He pulled a bottle of fine liquor from his nearby shelf and poured himself a drink. Staring silently at the world’s future, which he had been the primary architect of long into the night.

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