Southwest of the city of Cecil, a large facility was located at the junction between the Gloom Mountains and the forest. Thick walls isolated the entire facility from the outside world. At every node of the high walls, there were towering magic obelisks, as well as sentry posts and firepower platforms near the obelisks. There were soldiers patrolling back and forth on the high walls, all armed with live ammunition. There was also a road extending from the back of the base all the way into the Gloom Mountains, in the direction of the Defiant Fortress. Another road extended from the side of the base to the dense forest in the west, in the direction of the No.1 Dragon Cavalry Training Base.
This large facility was one of the many experimental and processing bases under the Magic Technology Department.
Deep in the facility, the independent office building stood in a huge cave made by the natural mountain. The flag of the Cecil Empire hung along the mountain wall from the high dome to the ground. A middle-aged male researcher crossed the mechanical bridge between the quarantine inspection area and the office area and stepped into the building under the gaze of the imperial flag.
Compared to the oppressive environment of the base, the interior of the building was brightly lit and had a relaxing color scheme. Along the long main corridor, the soft light emitted by the magic crystal lamps shone down from above, casting a soft glow on the middle-aged researcher's shoulders and a bright reflection on his head.
A young female researcher came from the opposite side, stopped in front of the middle-aged man, and politely greeted him. "Good day, Leslie Think Tank."
"Miss Fanny." Marlin Leslie, who had been promoted from senior researcher to 'think tank', nodded to the young lady who had recently graduated from Imperial College and was transferred here. "I just received news that the large anti-gravity unit sent from Pompeii has passed the checkpoint at Boulder Port and should arrive at Whitewater River Port soon. You should be there tomorrow with the procedures. You should be familiar with the procedures, right?"
"Yes, Leslie Think Tank." The young assistant researcher nodded vigorously, with the unique vigor of a young person and a sense of anticipation when carrying out an important task. "Don't worry, I have done the handover several times with the mentors. There will be no problem."
"Yeah," Marlin Leslie replied, then asked casually, "Is the minister in the office here today?"
"Yes, the minister came early this morning to personally deal with several technical processes in the engine linkage. He is now in the office on the second floor."
"Alright, I'll head over now. Miss Fanny, don't forget what I told you."
After this little interlude, Marlin Leslie said goodbye to the young assistant researcher and went straight to the second floor of the office area. He stopped at the end of the spacious and bright corridor. In front of him was the office of the highest person in charge of the Magical Technology Department, and that person was a respectable member of the royal family. Although almost everyone in this era consciously weakened many of the rules and habits of the old aristocratic era, Marlin, who was born in the Leslie family, still kept some of the 'rules' that he had adhered to for decades. He stopped in front of the door and quickly tidied up every detail of his clothes. He adjusted his expression and stepped forward to knock on the door.
But just as his fingers were about to touch the door, a voice from the office made him stop in his tracks. He heard two voices, one of which was obviously his immediate superior, and the other was His Excellency the Great Governor of the Empire.
"This is the third time you've exceeded your budget! Rebecca! Although your project is now a high priority, you have to consider our finances. Why don't you do a few more simulation experiments in the Origin lab? "
"I've done it, Auntie … But the Origin lab is not omnipotent. Who knows when the multiple anti-gravity rings are synchronized, there will be an additional magic tremor … But don't worry! We've found a way to induce the magic tremor in a timely manner! We just need to add a layer of mithril between the Level 1 and Level 2 power ridges. Hey, let me tell you, Auntie, Pompeii … "
"How many times have I told you to call me Great Governor when we're communicating at work!"
"Oh, okay, Auntie Great Governor. The new factory in Pompeii has already delivered the goods! In two days, we'll know if the anti-gravity unit charms from the production line meet the standards. If they do, the cost will be reduced by more than half … "
"I hope the situation is as you say. Otherwise, when the next financial settlement comes, I'll have to bring you to the ancestors as an explanation!"
"Oh, oh, don't worry, Auntie Great Governor. I'm sure I won't ask …"
"Stop. Just call me Auntie. Damn it, I should've found you an etiquette teacher who was proficient in both the pen and the sword … "
"Oh, Auntie, you're too harsh. Back then, Mr. Bauer was actually quite skilled. Although he wasn't proficient in fist techniques, his body movements were quite good …"
Marin Leslie, a member of the Leslie Family, a progressive scholar who had a good upbringing and actively accepted the transformation of the Empire's new order, one of the most senior technicians in the Magic Technology Department, and the "think-tank" with the fewest hair of this batch. Today, he encountered the biggest middle-aged workplace crisis of his life in front of his immediate superior's door.
Knowing that his superior was being held down by his superior's superior in the room, and judging from the conversation, his superior seemed to be doing something stupid, he was standing outside the door of the office. The soundproofing of the room was not good, and everyone who worked here knew that. Question: If I push the door now, how much of next month's bonus will I have left?
The sound in the room had quieted down. Marin Leslie swallowed a mouthful of saliva with a complicated expression. He knew that Princess Rebecca was actually a person who did not care much about details, and probably would not be angry at him for bumping into an awkward situation. But this time, he could not help but hesitate. After all, even if the person involved was not embarrassed, it was quite awkward for him to listen in from outside.
He decided to stand at the door for two more minutes, and when the awkwardness was over, he would knock on the door and pretend that he had just arrived and did not hear anything …
Just as the thought crossed his mind, Marin suddenly heard footsteps behind him. He looked back and saw Miss Fanny walking to a nearby office. She had come up to get some documents.
"Leslie Think Tank?" Fanny also saw Marin standing at the door of the minister's office and exclaimed in surprise. "You haven't seen the minister yet? She's in the office … "
Marin straightened his neck and after a long while, he could only say, "… Thank you for reminding me."
"You're welcome." The young assistant researcher smiled happily and turned into the room, leaving Marin Leslie standing at the door of the minister's office with an awkward expression. After a moment, Mr. Marin, who often felt the pressure of the workplace, sighed and scratched his head. The circle of hair on the top of his head seemed to have loosened a little. Then he reached out and knocked on the door. Soon he heard a familiar female voice from inside. "Come in, the door is not locked."
Marin pushed the door open and entered the office. He saw Rebecca sitting behind the large desk, seemingly in a daze. The magic network terminal next to her seemed to have just been turned off, and the runes around the projection crystal were still emitting a faint afterglow.
"Err … Minister." Marin braced himself and greeted her. "I'm here to report the situation to you …"
"Marin," Rebecca said casually while maintaining her state of mind. "I suddenly have a question …"
Marin Leslie immediately adjusted his expression and put the report aside. "Ah, please ask away."
"Do older women have a worse temper than when they were young?" Rebecca looked at her old subordinate with a serious face. "I have a feeling that Auntie is getting more and more irritable in the past two years …"
Marin immediately broke out in cold sweat. This is a suicidal question!
Fortunately, Rebecca did not expect the unmarried middle-aged bachelor to answer such a professional question. She just muttered and changed the topic. "Sigh, forget it. Anyway, next time I see Pitman, I'll ask him to make some calming potion. Maybe Auntie will not care about the budget when she's happy …"
Marin's cold sweat had not stopped since just now. At this time, he saw his boss rushing toward the new direction of death. He wanted to remind her, but he did not know how to start the conversation. Before he could think of a way to open his mouth, Rebecca's voice was heard again. "Forget it, forget it. Let's not think about this first. Marin, what are you here to report?"
This sentence was like the sound of nature. Fresh air suddenly rushed into Marin's windpipe. He could not help but exhale and quickly lead the topic back on track. "Yes, minister. First of all, it's about the anti-gravity unit at Pompeii Factory that has just come off the production line. Just now, Boulder Port sent a message that the express cargo ship has passed the checkpoint and should arrive at Baishui River Port tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. I've arranged for someone to hand it over. "
"Oh? Have they already passed Boulder Port? That's pretty fast. "Rebecca suddenly looked happy. She smiled and rocked on the chair." That's good. We can quickly install the new anti-gravity ring on the test frame. A series of projects in the test field will not have to wait. Any other good news? "
"Ms. Selena, the Node Scholar, sent a message that the No. 1 experimental workshop of Gelan Heavy Industries has been successfully launched." Marin nodded. "According to her judgment, the performance of the neural network under the control of the wet-ware mainframe in a practical environment is as expected. All the parameters are in line with or close to the conclusions calculated in the laboratory environment. She described that 'the whole factory has come to life. Every machine is as flexible as a human controlling his limbs. It's completely different from the old manual control of the lever and button.'"
"Such a high evaluation?" Rebecca suddenly raised her eyebrows. Then, she felt a little regretful. "Sigh, it's a pity that I'm not there. I really want to see how the first 'intelligent workshop' in human history works."
Then, she shook her head and refocused her thoughts on business. She looked at the documents on the desk. Between the documents and the ruler, a large sketch was spread out on the desk. The sketch outlined something that could be described as strange in the eyes of those who did not know the truth.
It looked like a very strange ship or some kind of "building" that could move like a vehicle. The scale of the tower next to it showed that this strange thing was huge. However, there were no sails, paddles, or other structures that a normal ship should have. Instead, there were large magical devices distributed all over the hull. They included a large number of anti-gravity rings with a diameter of more than ten meters, energy grilles with a length of nearly 100 meters, a continuous array of magic capacitors, and an even more dazzling number of magical mechanisms.
At the bottom of the blueprint, the rigid and clear lines of printed characters marked a top-secret code: Project 115.
It was just a sketch, and the details it contained were far from the real blueprint. However, this sketch was so complex that it could make the young technicians, who had just come into contact with magical technology, dizzy.
Of course, it was not Rebecca's own design. Although she was indeed a very talented magical engineer, the real cutting-edge magical technology had long been developed to a level beyond personal talent. This sketch and the entire design plan was the result of hundreds of experts in the magical technology department and collaborating scholars from several other research departments working day and night. It not only included a large number of demonstrations and calculations in the real world, but also countless deductions and simulations under the accelerated time in the Origins laboratory.
The project behind this blueprint was the most ambitious project of the empire in this exciting new era.
"The anti-gravity device … The ancestor once said that this is one of the most convenient technologies in the world, so convenient that it is almost cheating. And such an important technology should not be limited to making some 'gadgets' like the dragon cavalry or the Cloud Base." Rebecca looked at the thing on the sketch and said slowly with a hint of emotion, "Sometimes even I can't understand how the ancestor came up with those incredible ideas. To be honest, when he came up with the plan of the 'magic sky fortress,' I was shocked …"
"His Majesty once said that the source of his inspiration was the elves' Stellaris Temple." Marin Leslie's tone was a little admiring, and when he saw the blueprint on the table, there was a trace of pride in his eyes. "But I still have to say … the Stellaris Temple has operated in the sky of this world for so many years, and everyone takes it for granted as a 'undoubted miracle.' Only our Majesty can think of using manpower to replicate this miracle. This vision is incomparable to others."
"The ancestor said not to despise the vision of the ancients because of our achievements today. It was not that the ancients did not want to, but they could not do it because of the limitations of technology and the background of the times. The elves have spent so many years trying to restore their Stellaris Temple. If they had a way, wouldn't they want to build a new one? " Rebecca shook her head and said something that made sense, which was rare of her. "And what we're going to build can't compare to the Stellaris Holy Temple. Be it in terms of scale or internal parameters, the Stellaris Holy Temple's aerial fortress isn't something that can be replicated with today's technology … but we can try to build a downgraded version."
Marin Leslie listened to the princess's words, and a smile gradually appeared on his face. "If we can build one, we can build ten."
"Yes." Rebecca also smiled, and her smile was full of confidence. "If we can build one, we can build ten."
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