Michael guessed that these 'invisible' creatures were a form of bacteria that mutated into a magical creature.
Just like how this world had magical humans and monstrous demi-humans alike, it should have been obvious that there were also bacteria that evolved into a different species!
Fortunately, this specific type of bacteria lived upon the clouds and sustained themselves through polluted smoke. Not only that, they also produced an abundance of mana as a side-effect.
If the village had these types of clouds above, then they would bring water mana to the entire territory, no longer making it a desert!
He has always been hesitant to spread the use of petroleum fuel due to the harmful pollution that it produced. He had been using his own magic to counteract the effects of the pollution by himself, but with these bacteria clouds, he didn't have to do that anymore.
Michael immediately asked the Dwarven King how he obtained these bacteria clouds.
"You want one for your village? Sure. We can give you a cloud seedling that can grow bigger than a mountain. Though, you'll need a lot of smoke for it to grow properly, or else it will just dissipate in the wind.
And don't expect that your cloud will bless your lands with lots of elemental mana at the start. It took us thousands of years before our cloud got to this point."
Michael was overjoyed once he heard this. They didn't have a volcano to sustain these special bacteria clouds, but they did have a Steam Turbine, which produced tons of smoke!
As the village advanced in technology, it would incorporate petroleum oil as its main source of energy. The smoke produced by those factories would only serve to turn the territory into a better, healthier place.
With a greater cloud, the more elemental mana would rain down on the village. Someday, the territory would not just experience summer throughout the year. There could be a rainy season, a winter season, and even spring!
He was now more sure than ever that allying himself with the Dwarven Kingdom was one of the best decisions he could have ever made.
"Are you ready to sign the official contract?" the Dwarven King asked, and Michael answered with a resounding yes.
They visited the throne room where the King's advisors and a couple of other high-ranking dwarves witnessed the signing ceremony of their alliance.
Michael and the Dwarven King sat on opposite sides of a table, with their contracts in hand.
"Your village and your company Reborn will be welcomed at our gates. You can sell your products at reasonable rates without any problem," the King said, reading the contents of their contract.
"And the Dwarven Kingdom will be our village's provider of all things metal such as steel, iron, and other such materials. And most of all, we are allowed to buy and distribute Damascus Steel from your kingdom," Michael recited.
The two men nodded, satisfied with the base agreement between their two territories.
"I would also like to employ your village in creating a road between the two territories. We will handle the materials, you will handle the work," the King proposed after talking with his advisors.
Michael quickly agreed to this. Now that there was an alliance between the two territories, it would be a lot more convenient for citizens to easily traverse the distance without problem.
He was already planning on proposing this agreement in the first place because he wanted automobiles to show their true worth as vehicles. And that could only be done through creating a flat road.
"I have another proposition," Michael said with a curious smile on his face. "I want to build a train system that connects our territories."
The Dwarven King and his advisors on the other side of the table showed confused looks on their faces. They had never heard of this 'train' that Michael was talking about.
"The train is a convenient transport system that will connect the Parched Lands and this Kingdom, needing only one day's worth of travel," Michael explained.
The dwarves gasped, unable to believe that it would only take less than a day to travel all the way to the Parched Lands.
And if Michael hadn't shown them his incredible inventions that defied reality, they would have denounced his words as nothing more than a lie.
"Is this true, Michael? How can you build such a fast vehicle?" the King asked.
And in turn, Michael also asked that same question to his trusted personal AI assistant.
ChatJK2, can you tell me how to build a train?
[Certainly. I have constructed a railroad system that efficiently connects the Dwarven Kingdom to the Parched Lands. I will download the schematics to your brain in 3…2…1…]
Suddenly, tons of information washed over his mind, giving him everything he needed to know to build a train from scratch.
He also saw a bird's eye view of the completed project, with the trains running at full speed and full of dwarves excited to spend the holidays at the paradise in the Parched Lands.
"If you can build such a vehicle, then this partnership will become even more fruitful than I thought! If we can exchange materials within a day, then our commerce will prosper!" the King exclaimed, his eyebrows flared from excitement.
Even his advisors couldn't help but nod their heads fervently at the thought of what this alliance would bring them.
"Quick. Let us sign this agreement!" the King said, already dipping the quill into the ink.
Michael did so as well.
This contract was flexible as well, so if they wanted to change or add a few more things to their agreement, then they could easily mend it.
He also had ChatJK2 parse through the agreement and it found no loopholes or weaknesses that any party could exploit.
"Ah, I almost forgot. For this agreement to work, you must give your territory an official name, one that would mark its place on a map," the King said.
Michael didn't have to think hard about the name of his territory. He knew that the village was growing far too big to even be called a village at this point, so he was already planning on giving his territory a proper name.
"Reborn. My territory will be called the Nation of Reborn!"