Chapter 1169: The Grant Plan

To the southwest of Cecil City, nestled at the junction between the Dark Mountains and the dense forest, stood a sprawling facility. Thick, imposing walls sealed it off from the outside world. At every corner of the walls rose towering arcane obelisks, flanked by guarded watchtowers and fortified firing platforms. Armed soldiers patrolled the ramparts, their weapons at the ready. From the rear of the base, a road snaked into the Dark Mountains, pointing toward the Defiant Fortress. Another path stretched westward into the dense woods, leading to the Number One Dragon Cavalry Training Base.

This massive complex was one of several experimental and processing centers under the Arcane Technology Department.

Deep within the facility, an independent office building stood inside a vast cavern carved out of the natural mountain formation. The flag of the Cecil Empire hung from the high dome, cascading down the rocky wall to the floor. A middle-aged male researcher crossed the mechanical bridge connecting the security checkpoint to the office area. Under the watchful gaze of the imperial banner, he stepped inside the building.

Compared to the austere and oppressive atmosphere of the base, the interior of the building was bright and soothingly decorated. Along the long main corridor, soft light from magical crystal lamps spilled down, casting a gentle glow on the researcher’s shoulders and reflecting off his head.

A young female researcher approached from the opposite direction, stopping politely in front of him. “Good day, Leslie Think Tank.”

“Miss Fanny,” replied Marlin Leslie, recently promoted from senior researcher to “Think Tank,” nodding to the young woman who had just graduated from the Imperial Academy and been assigned here. “I just received word that the large anti-gravity units from the Pompeii region have passed through the Rockport checkpoint. They should arrive at the Whitewater River port soon. Tomorrow, take the paperwork and handle the handover—you’re familiar with the procedures, right?”

“Yes, Leslie Think Tank,” the young assistant researcher nodded vigorously, her youthful energy and eagerness to take on important tasks shining through. “Don’t worry, I’ve assisted my mentors with several handovers already. There won’t be any problems.”

“Hm,” Marlin replied, then casually asked, “Is the Minister in her office today?”

“Yes, she arrived early this morning to personally oversee some technical processes related to engine synchronization. She’s currently in her office on the second floor.”

“Good, I’ll head over now. Fanny, don’t forget what I asked you to do.”

After this brief exchange, Marlin Leslie bid farewell to the young assistant and made his way to the second floor of the office area. At the end of the bright, spacious corridor stood the office of the highest-ranking official in the Arcane Technology Department—a respected member of the royal family. Though in this era most people consciously downplayed many of the old aristocratic customs, Marlin, born into the Leslie family, still adhered to certain “principles” that had been upheld for decades. He paused before the door, quickly smoothing out every detail of his attire and adjusting his expression before raising his hand to knock.

But just as his fingers were about to touch the door, voices from inside stopped him. He heard two voices—one clearly his direct superior, the other the Empire’s Grant Chancellor.

“You’ve exceeded the budget for the third time, Rebecca! I know your project is a high priority, but you have to consider our finances. Why not run more simulations in the Origin Lab?”

“I did, Auntie… but the Origin Lab isn’t omnipotent. Who could have predicted that activating multiple anti-gravity rings simultaneously would cause an extra magical resonance? But don’t worry! We’ve found a way to channel the resonance away in time—just add a layer of mithril plating between the primary and secondary power spines. And, Auntie, over in Pompeii—”

“How many times have I told you? When we’re working, call me Grant Chancellor!”

“Ah, yes, Auntie Grant Chancellor—the new factory in Pompeii has shipped its first batch! We’ll know in a couple of days if the anti-gravity units meet standards. If they do, production costs will drop by more than half…”

“Let’s hope it’s as you say. Otherwise, at the next budget review, I’ll have to drag you before the ancestors to explain yourself!”

“Ah, ah, don’t worry, Auntie Grant Chancellor, I’m confident—there won’t be any issues…”

“Stop—just call me Auntie. Damn it, I really should have found you a tutor skilled in both etiquette and combat back then…”

“Oh, Auntie, you’re being too harsh. Mr. Baulber was quite capable—though his fist techniques were lacking, his footwork was commendable…”

Marlin Leslie, a well-mannered and progressive scholar from the Leslie family who had embraced the Empire’s new order, and one of the most senior technicians in the Arcane Technology Department, stood outside his superior’s office, facing the biggest mid-career crisis of his life.

He knew his boss was inside being scolded by the Grant Chancellor, and from the conversation, it was clear his superior was in over his head. Standing outside the office, where the soundproofing was poor—a fact well known to everyone working here—Marlin wondered: if he pushed the door open now, how much of next month’s bonus would he still have left?

The voices inside quieted. Marlin swallowed hard, his expression conflicted. He knew Princess Rebecca wasn’t one to fuss over details and probably wouldn’t be angry if he accidentally overheard something awkward. Still, he hesitated—after all, even if the parties inside weren’t embarrassed, it was awkward for him to eavesdrop.

He decided to wait two more minutes, letting the awkwardness pass before knocking and pretending he’d just arrived, hearing nothing.

Just then, footsteps sounded behind him. He turned to see Miss Fanny heading toward a nearby office—she was there to retrieve some documents.

“Leslie Think Tank?” Fanny spotted Marlin standing outside the Minister’s office and exclaimed in surprise. “You haven’t seen the Minister yet? She’s right inside.”

Marlin stiffened his neck and, after a long pause, managed, “…Thanks for the reminder.”

“You’re welcome~~” The young assistant researcher smiled brightly and entered the room, leaving Marlin standing awkwardly outside the Minister’s office. After a moment, feeling the familiar weight of workplace pressure, Marlin sighed and scratched his head. The few remaining strands of hair on his head seemed to loosen further. Then he reached out and knocked.

A familiar female voice called from inside, “Come in, the door’s unlocked.”

Marlin pushed the door open and stepped inside. Rebecca sat behind a large desk, seemingly lost in thought. A magical network terminal beside her had just powered down, but the runes around the projection crystal still glowed faintly.

“Uh… Minister,” Marlin forced himself to greet, “I’ve come to report on the situation…”

“Marlin,” Rebecca said absently, still in a dreamy state, “I suddenly have a question…”

Marlin immediately straightened his expression, setting aside his report. “Yes, please ask.”

“Do women get more irritable as they get older?” Rebecca looked at her longtime subordinate seriously. “I feel like Auntie’s been getting more and more short-tempered these past two years…”

Marlin broke out in a cold sweat—this was a death trap of a question!

Fortunately, Rebecca didn’t expect this middle-aged bachelor, who hadn’t even married, to answer such a specialized question. She just muttered it and then shifted the topic on her own. “Ah, forget it. Next time I see Pittman, I’ll have him prepare some calming and restorative potions. Maybe if Auntie’s in a good mood, she won’t fuss so much about the budget…”

Marlin’s cold sweat didn’t stop. He watched helplessly as his superior barreled toward a new self-destructive path. He wanted to speak up but had no idea how to steer the conversation back. Before he could figure it out, Rebecca’s voice came again.

“Enough, enough. Let’s not think about that now. Marlin, what did you come to report?”

Those words were like a breath of fresh air. Marlin exhaled and quickly steered the conversation back on track.

“Yes, Minister. First, regarding the anti-gravity units just off the production line at the Pompeii factory: Rockport just sent word that the fast cargo ship has passed the checkpoint. It should arrive at Whitewater River port tomorrow or the day after. I’ve already arranged for personnel to handle the handover.”

“Oh? Already past Rockport? That’s fast,” Rebecca’s face lit up with a smile as she rocked in her chair. “Good, that means we can quickly install the new anti-gravity rings on the test frames. The projects at the testing grounds won’t have to pause and wait… Any other good news?”

“Node Scholar Selina sent word that Grant Heavy Industries’ Number One Experimental Workshop has successfully started up,” Marlin nodded. “According to her assessment, the neural network under wetware host control performs as expected in practical environments. All parameters meet or closely match the conclusions drawn from lab simulations. She described it as ‘the entire factory coming to life, each machine operating as fluidly as a human controlling their limbs—nothing like the stiff levers and buttons of old manual controls.’”

“Such high praise?” Rebecca raised her eyebrows, then sighed with a hint of regret. “Ah, too bad I wasn’t there. I’d really like to see how the first ‘intelligent workshop’ in human history powers up…”

She shook her head, refocusing on the matter at hand. Her gaze fell on the documents spread across the desk. Among the papers and measuring tools lay a large blueprint—a rough sketch of something that, to the untrained eye, looked bizarre.

It resembled an oddly shaped ship, or perhaps a kind of mobile “building” that could move like a vehicle. A nearby tower used for scale showed the massive size of this strange vessel. Yet, across its hull, there were no sails, oars, or any typical ship structures. Instead, it was covered with large arcane devices: numerous anti-gravity rings over ten meters in diameter, nearly a hundred-meter-long energy release grids, rows of magical capacitors, and a dizzying array of arcane mechanisms.

At the bottom of the blueprint, bold, precise printed characters marked a top-secret codename: Project 115.

This was only a sketch, far from a detailed engineering blueprint. Yet even this rough draft was complex enough to make young technicians new to arcane engineering feel overwhelmed.

Of course, this wasn’t something Rebecca had designed all on her own—though she was indeed a remarkably gifted mage-engineer, the cutting-edge magic technology had long since advanced beyond the scope of any individual talent. This blueprint, along with the entire design plan, was the result of countless experts from the Arcane Energy Department working around the clock, joined by scholars from several other research divisions. Their efforts included extensive real-world testing and calculations, as well as countless derivations and simulations conducted under accelerated time conditions in the Origin Laboratory.

The engineering behind this blueprint represented the empire’s most ambitious project in this thrilling new era.

“Anti-gravity technology… Our ancestor once said it’s one of the most convenient inventions in the world—almost to the point of being unfair,” Rebecca said slowly, a trace of awe in her voice as she studied the sketch. “And such an important technology shouldn’t be limited to just making ‘toys’ like dragon riders or cloud platforms. Sometimes, even I can’t wrap my head around how our ancestor came up with such incredible ideas. Honestly, when he first proposed the ‘Arcane Sky Fortress,’ I was completely taken aback…”

“His Majesty once said his inspiration came from the Elves’ Celestial Sanctuary,” Marlin Lesley said with a tone of admiration, his eyes gleaming with pride as he looked at the blueprint on the table. “But I have to say… the Celestial Sanctuary has been drifting through the skies of this world for so many years that everyone naturally regards it as an unquestionable miracle. Only our emperor could think to replicate such a miracle through sheer human effort—that kind of vision is beyond anyone else’s reach.”

“Our ancestor also said we shouldn’t look down on the vision of those who came before us just because of what we’ve achieved today. It’s not that they didn’t want to—it was simply impossible given the technology and the times. The Elves spent so many years trying to repair their Celestial Sanctuary. If they had a way, wouldn’t they have wanted to build a new one?” Rebecca shook her head, surprisingly pragmatic. “Besides, what we’re building can’t really compare to the Celestial Sanctuary—neither in scale nor in internal specifications. A sky fortress of that magnitude is beyond today’s technology… but we can try to build a downgraded version.”

Listening to the princess, Marlin’s face slowly broke into a smile. “If you can build one, you can build ten.”

“Yes,” Rebecca smiled back, her confidence shining through. “If you can build one, you can build ten.”

(End of chapter)