Remus kept up his end of the bargain and built a railway network connecting the major cities of the Midlands as well as Quinoa, Arbar and Dauru, the capitals of the Southlands, Eastlands and Northlands.
The central hub of the rail network was placed just outside Oldtown. The trains carried goods and passengers all over the Human Kingdom and there were exclusive carriages with luxurious furnishings and decorations reserved for the Goblins of the Banking Guild as well as the rich elite.
The profits from the train company were considerable and made Remus one of the richest men in the Kingdom.
The next stage of his plan was to gain the allegiance of Raasmus, the High Priest of the Church of the Seven.
"Very little is known about him," Tacitus said. "He doesn't seem to be motivated by money or prestige. It will be your greatest challenge yet to sell something to someone who you know nothing about."
"Where can I find him?" Remus asked.
"Last I heard, he was sequestered in the Temple of Eeedith," Tacitus replied. "It's very remote and very secluded but all you have to do to find it is go to the town of Morthal East of Ibdan and follow the true believers on pilgrimage."
Morthal was not an easy place to get to. It was located in the middle of a swamp and had to have very high foundations making the city stand out over the horizon. The roads that approached it were constantly flooded and there were rampant attacks from Demon Frogs.
Remus didn't exactly understand what that meant when he arrived at Morthal but it soon became clear as he encountered people wearing plain brown robes with necklaces emblazoned with a seven-sided star.
"Are you also here to seek enlightenment?" one pilgrim asked.
"Excuse me?" Remus replied confused.
"You're not from here so you've obviously come a long way," the pilgrim said. "Don't you seek enlightenment?"
"Yes, I do," Remus replied. "How do I find the High Priest?"
"If it is your destiny to meet him then he will find you," the pilgrim replied.
As Remus went around the upper levels of the City looking for an inn to stay, he was approached by another pilgrim.
"I know what you're about to ask," Remus said. "And the answer is yes, I have come looking for enlightenment and also the High Priest if you know where he is."
"Praise the Seven!" the messenger said. "When the High Priest told me to go and search for the person looking for him without giving me a description, I was afraid that I would fail him."
The messenger took him through a large bronze with intricate carvings of strange animals on it, through dimly lit hallways to the centre of the temple. It was a large catacomb with a waterfall emptying into a pool on one side of the wall.
There Remus met a man with an oddly shaped head. It was too long and had a crescent-shaped patch of white hair around the top with a bald top. The man also sported a long white beard and seemed to have his eyes closed most of the time.
"Are you Raasmus," Remus asked.
"Yes."
"I'm here to-"
"It doesn't matter why you're here," Raasmus said. "If you want my help, go into that waterfall and tell me what you learn."
He pointed to the waterfall and without hesitating, Remus climbed the bridge that parted the pool and entered the waterfall. On the other side was just a cave but when Remus tried to turn around to return, the waterfall was gone and there was just a steep cliff in its place.
As Remus stared into the distance at what he thought was an illusion, a hand firmly clasped his shoulder but when he turned around he saw something that made his blood run cold.
It was Yoshi.
Himself.
The way he was when he died on Earth with his dorky hair and stupid grin.
"It's been a while," Yoshi said with a smile.
"I'm dreaming," Remus said.
"You're not actually dreaming. Not technically at least," Yoshi said. "This place allows your inner self to show you hell and hopefully the experience will make you a better person."
"Alright, let's get this over with," Remus said. "You can start the torture. Just don't touch my face."
Remus closed his eyes and turned his head to the side anticipating excruciating pain.
"Are you retarded? I'm not going to torture you. Why would I torture you? I am you," Yoshi said. "Did you even listen to anything said? I'm here to show you hell."
Remus straightened. "Alright, sorry. Go ahead"
Yoshi showed him visions of him in his thirties receiving the Nobel prize in Physics for his research paper proving the Unified theory of matter. Another vision showed himself building the first commercially viable fission reactor and also designing a faster-than-light spacecraft.
The next few visions were of him marrying a cute brunette and playing with children on a backyard lawn in the suburbs. Yoshi looked happy and fulfilled. A life well lived.
"Isn't that Maggie?" Remus asked. "She was my childhood friend from way back when. I had a crush on her all my life."
"This is what you could have had," Yoshi said somberly. "You had all the potential in the world but this is what actually happened..."
Yoshi showed Remus another vision of him watching a military drill with battle tanks from a tree, then going on a date with Liz, the spy who would eventually betray him, and then another of being shot in the head by a mysterious man.
"I think I understand," Remus said. "Hell is seeing what I could've become."
"You have another chance," Yoshi said. "Don't waste it."
Everything faded to black and when Remus woke up, he was being carried out of the pool, soaking wet. Two men frantically pushed on his chest attempting to revive him while Raasmus, the High Priest, stood over them watching the entire scene calmly.
"What did you see?" Raasmus asked."
"Hell," Yoshi replied.
"Good," Raasmus replied. "You came here to seek my friendship and alliance. You have it. The current King would never have agreed to risk his life in order to gain a small piece of wisdom. I think it's time that the Human Kingdom had a new bloodline on the throne."