The night was deep. In the room, on the wide wooden bed against the wall, Yang Zicang let out a comfortable “Ah” and flopped down onto it.
“Riding an airship isn’t as comfortable as I thought it would be. “
“Yeah. ” Dereiano, holding a kettle at the door, grunted in agreement, then said, “Want to listen to some music? Little Luo is over there, fiddling with that gramophone to get it working. “
“I’ve actually never seen such an ancient thing in all my life, but, ” Yang Zicang forced himself upright with an effort from the waist, exhaled, and said, “it’s a bit too late now, you know, I haven’t had a proper rest these past few days. “
“Don’t rush to rest just yet. ” Dereiano held a low-proof flavored liqueur he’d taken from the small wine rack on the table-counter, gestured with it toward himself, and said, “Go find Miss Koni. A girl cares about you that much—I don’t need to say any more, do I? “
Yang Zicang pondered for two seconds, thinking back to the night he first met her on the island, and immediately felt his big toe go numb.
He rubbed his face. “I’ll go. “
……
Hailikoni’s suite was right across the slanted hallway of this reception house. Yang Zicang walked through the corridor toward it.
As he approached, the door suddenly opened. Jennifer, who had a few small freckles on her face, glanced at him and smiled.
“Mr. Buchen, are you looking for our Colonel? “
“She’s already a colonel? “
“Yes, it really seems like you don’t care much about our Miss Koni, eh? Oh, by the way, ” she glanced at her watch, “I have to step out for about half an hour. Please let Miss Koni know for me. “
Before Yang Zicang could say anything, the lady pulled the door open and walked out.
“Sigh~ ” Yang Zicang scratched his head, and the beautiful face and graceful figure of Hailikoni surfaced in his mind, but were immediately replaced by her heroic posture on the plane and her gentle, caring image in the ward.
“What are you staring at? ” Hailikoni, passing through the suite’s living room, asked.
Seeing Yang Zicang standing at the half-open door, she suddenly smiled lightly and said, “Are you waiting for me to take the initiative to invite you in before you move? “
“No way. ” Yang Zicang pretended to be nonchalant as he walked in.
“Come to think of it, this is our first time meeting alone since we were on the island. ” He casually closed the door behind him.
“Yeah. Back at the villa, you were always rushing around. In the hospital, you had plenty of time, but I was the one who was busy. “
The woman was tidying her belongings, and Yang Zicang stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall and watching. At this moment, she exuded the light, youthful aura of a girl around twenty years old.
……
Dereiano and Zorro had a couple of drinks in the room. Zorro said, “My buddy can be a handful, can’t he? “
“Yeah, he always manages to blow things out of proportion in the most inexplicable ways. I find it hard to believe he’s operating alone without a team. “
Dereiano, sitting in his chair, took a hearty gulp of his wine, set the glass down, and said:
“That other friend of yours you mentioned, he’s completely assimilated into a certain Silent Wise Man’s action group. How long does he plan to stay there? “
“No more than a hundred years, ” Zorro said, caressing his glass.
Dereiano was silent for a few moments. “Sometimes I really envy you for having these friends. Ah, but of course, now I’m someone that some people envy too. So I need to do a good job with what’s coming next. “
The soft melody from the phonograph drifted through the air.
A knock sounded at the door.
Zorro glanced over, got up to open it, and Jennifer walked in carrying some food.
“You didn’t get to eat well on the road. Replenish your energy first before resting. “
The two men and one woman sat down again.
“Do you have a specific plan for this new development technology? “
Jennifer said while eating, “From the looks of it now, Dean Haimasen is likely the first obstacle we need to overcome. “
“We weren’t planning to start with him. “
“Oh? ” Jennifer looked at the two men, a bit puzzled.
Dereiano picked up a snack that resembled a potato chip and looked toward his wine glass:
“His excuses for rejecting this technology feel way too contrived. We want to try approaching the Preparatory Committee directly. “
Jennifer’s eyes flickered downward as she thought it over:
“If this technology were meant to be just preserved by a single nation, I’d say your idea is correct. But as things stand, we at Hewok Consult are planning to use this development technology on a large scale in the years to come. “
She looked at the man before her, who seemed momentarily taken aback. “If that’s the case, it’ll be pretty difficult to get it secured at Shitven. “
Dereiano, under Zorro’s instantly pensive gaze, pressed his hand on the table and said to the woman:
“Hold on, what exactly are you here for? “
The woman gave a confident, light smile:
“Primary task this time, on the diplomatic front, is to assist the newly established World Ark relief organization in removing foreign laborers within the empire. “
This was the final obstacle of Yang Zicang’s labor issue’s shining trail.
It turned out that the Hevinsock government was capable of providing so much help in this matter, even willing to leverage diplomatic channels for advocacy at such a moment.
Though this was also a concession the Stephen side was already planning to make.
“And then? ” Dereiano asked in a low voice.
Zorro silently awaited his answer as well.
“The secondary mission is to see if, while courting Mr. Yang Bucheng’s investment in our country, we can also exclusively and completely buy out the Mortav team and their new developing technology, and bring them back home.“
Dereiano twisted his waist, nearly falling off his chair.
“Go fuck yourself.“
……
In the middle of the night, Dereiano, lying in bed, was completely panicked.
He had basically confirmed that this was the gaze bestowed by the era.
If things continued this way, by the end, this technology might end up missing in some inexplicable form.
“That damn infuriating woman. She even told me to just focus on being a bodyguard and not interfere with their actions.“
Dereiano let out a pant. Shit, if only I were really just a bodyguard.
He heard the faint sound of Zorro snoring coming from the next room.
That guy didn’t seem to care, anyway; the technology would thrive everywhere, there is. But if it were in Schwarzwinkel-Heuchelia, I might only end up with a sliver of Glimmer.
What to do, should I thwart Jennifer’s plans?
But she’s a national ambassador. If I were to make a move against her in this delegation… well…
If I don’t act, once Yang Buchen is invited to join the preparatory committee, she could immediately express, on behalf of the Heven Qwenk state, a plan to broadly promote this technology in the future.
Then, in line with the official style of Steffen, the technology would be instantly removed from the first tier.
Yet, right now…
In this night, there were still sounds of convoys passing from afar.
Those were all convoys transporting supplies and production materials.
The imperial capital, Kruens, had far too many assets and equipment needing relocation.
Promoting this technology, which has no direct bearing on saving lives, under such circumstances… only a half-madman would do that.
……
Back in his room, Yang Zicang felt as though his spirit had been scrubbed clean.
The feeling of being with Haili Koni was completely different from being alone in the Lost Frequency Zone.
Where was the difference? He lay on the bed, as the faint moonlight streamed in through the window.
Clearly, the difference was in the lack of security found in that broken world of the Lost Frequency Zone.
“Xu… Aiqin.” Yang Zicang held the name card of the ‘Trajectory Master’ in his hand and murmured softly.
There was no way to use it fluently here. He closed his eyes and soon fell asleep peacefully.
……
The next day, Yang Zicang joined Mott Thaff and the others for the administrative sessions following the Empire’s emergency military council.
The Minister of State and the Minister of Defense were both present. During this special period before the end, some affairs that were difficult for various departments to decide independently were sent to this office where the two ministers presided, in order to make rapid decisions.
This time, the two ambassadors, Blackwen and Zik, were not accompanying them, and even Yang Zicang himself participated only as an accompanying member of the delegation.
This rare opportunity for a meeting was due to the tireless efforts of Mathieu Hodge and his team from last night until this morning.
If there was any opportunity to bypass the President of the Academy of Sciences and directly attract the attention of the Empire’s high-level officials, then this moment might be the only chance besides entering the Preparatory Committee.
“A bit nervous. ” Mottuff nodded solemnly beside Yang Zicang on the wide corridor.
A team member beside the short researcher reached out and touched the man, “Stop talking, nobody asked you anything. “
“Can’t I even talk to myself? “
Yang Zicang coughed softly, signaling for them to be quiet. The side door of the office opened, and a lady walked in from the entrance, speaking softly:
“Please prepare the Mottuff scientist team. “
A few minutes later, this group of people appeared inside the meeting room carrying a nameless visualizer device.
After a presentation, everyone present was shocked that this small machine could project silent films usually only possible on large screens. What shocked them even more was that it actually produced sound as well. In other words, it integrated the combined functions of a radio.
“Truly incredible technology. ” whispered around the office.
“Please wait a moment, our Minister of Development and Planning is still in the next meeting room. “
Not long after, a middle-aged man with a thick neck, wearing a gray-black uniform and a general’s cap, entered the conference room accompanied by several people and sat down behind the table in the front.
The screen of the machine was still displaying images, and the sound of beautiful music with slight static continuously came through.
After briefly listening to the exchange between the two ministers, the Development Planning Minister looked toward the front.
“What is your appeal? Why have you come here instead of going to the Science Commission? “
Motaff took a deep breath. Under the gaze of Matthias Hodge, Yang Zicang, and other team members, and keeping in mind Dereiano’s instructions along the way, he said:
“We want to obtain more resources to immediately mass-produce image projectors, to improve access of the domestic populace to the latest news, to help smooth the dissemination of government decrees, to let the people see the figures on the front lines, and to reduce fear before the apocalypse arrives. “
The Development Planning Minister was silent for two seconds, then said:
“You want to let the entire continent know that the Empire is powerless to save them? “
……
“If the people see that scientists are still trying to break through to new technologies under the doom of the apocalypse, they will not feel complete despair about the future. “
Motaff on the corridor kept repeating this sentence to himself, then gave himself a slap. “How could I have forgotten such an important line? “
Yang Zicang let out a long sigh beside him.
“Sir, don’t blame yourself. You did quite well. “
Several staff members were already standing there, comforting the old man in front of them, who looked as though life had cared for him considerably and was now weather-beaten and sour from the experiences.
“I need to attend a research symposium on labor issues with the embassy staff this afternoon. It’s already on the schedule. Do you want to wait here and leave together, or come with me now? “
“I… ” Motav felt a bit conflicted inside. “I’ll go with you. “
They packed up their things, and a few more staff members walked over. “Please wait a moment, esteemed scientist. “
“Is something the matter? ” Motav looked up. The group beside him couldn’t help but feel a glimmer of anticipation.
The female secretary who had been standing beside the minister let out an awkward smile.
“How many of these machines do you have ready? Are they difficult to produce? “
“With the right production line and hands-on guidance from our team, production capacity should ramp up quickly. It wouldn’t be hard to turn out one to two hundred units a week. “
“No, that’s not what we meant. ” The minister’s secretary leaned in slightly, covering her mouth with her hand, and said in a low voice:
“The State Councilor is very satisfied with your technology. We were wondering if you could provide some trial units for our team to take back and study? “
“Ah, this… ” Motav nodded reluctantly, forcing a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, and said in disappointment, “Sure. “
……
The afternoon symposium on labor issues went smoothly for both sides. It was essentially just a formality, passing along a favor.
Having someone voluntarily take in these people brought back from abroad not only saves the daily food needed to fill their stomachs but also secures some investment for the Science and Technology Committee.
The already nominal leader of the relevant labor department basically just signed documents throughout, busy converting this merit into benefits for relocating to the southern region, allowing his family and some people who wanted to obtain qualifications from here to benefit.
At the same time, in another bustling college office within this city.
Haimasen, who had just finished attending a seminar on selecting difficult materials, barely returned to his own room of over 20 square meters when a knock came at the door.
Hearing the familiar rhythm, the slightly balding man‘s face showed a hint of joy.
He straightened his clothes and went to open the door.
Outside stood a man with a unique, slightly weather-beaten temperament similar to that of Zorro and Yang Zicang.
“I’ve heard some rapidly spreading news, so I came to confirm it.“
“Ha, please come in, Mr. Alienong. “
The visitor stepped into this college office with riding boots, which mismatched his somewhat cowboy-like attire. Haimasen fetched two glass teacups and began opening a tin of tea leaves, a beverage particularly favored by some Fogfolk.
“What have you heard? ” Haimasen asked.
“I heard that during the special governance time this morning, there was a new technological product that received unanimous praise, and it has been confirmed safe and won’t become a technological demon. So I wanted to find out what exactly happened. “
“Oh? ” Haimasen thought for a moment, “Are you talking about the long-distance imaging technology? “
The dean’s expression changed slightly. These guys actually thought of staking out the special governance time to directly confront the State Minister.
His heart skipped a beat.
“Unanimous praise? “
“Yeah, that’s the one. We went to check on the people who were there at the time in the afternoon, and they all said the technology was really impressive. But now they want to invest, so the Minister of Planning and Development rejected it outright. “
Haimasen let out a long sigh of relief and stopped what he was doing. Those two sentences made his heart clench for a moment, then relax again.
“Thank goodness. The factory resources we can allocate right now are already limited. If they take some of them away, our project will only be delayed even more. “
“Yes, ” Alenon replied, sounding somewhat worried.
“What’s wrong, my friend? ” Haimasen asked, sitting nearby.
Alenon said, “Among the people who came this time is Yang Buchen, a Fogfolk who’s recently become quite famous on the side of the Resistant States. I’m worried he might stir up trouble here. I thought we should discuss it—since we’ve already built up enough reserves to release the news. Otherwise… “
“The dependence on the photodetection technology that Fogfolk has the most faith in was already shot down by the Development Policy Minister. Unless the Prime Minister personally speaks up to get him resources, you don’t need to worry about that side of things. “
Seeing that the president of the Academy of Sciences still wanted him to stay out of sight, Alenon thought for a moment and said:
“You’re the expert. If we allocate a factory and develop your equipment with the workers there, how long would it take to mass-produce their TV sets? “
Haimasen’s eyes lit up. “You mean…? Wait, let me think. ” He turned around, grabbed a pen and paper, and frowned while jotting down notes.
“Now we are scarce on resources and talent. Assuming we can find engineers with experience in system design and circuit-related fields, and provide prototype machines and technical drawings. “
His pen tip touched the paper.
“Even with the military factory’s engineering team working overtime to disassemble, analyze, and understand the supporting principles and set up the production line, this process will take at least a week at minimum. “
“A bit slow. “
“Slow? Oh, my friend! This is already very fast. Under normal circumstances, trying to conduct small-batch trial production of that thing—only a few dozen units per month for internal testing and high-level demonstrations—would take at least six to nine months. “
The director stood up and said confidently:
“I compressed it to one week to get the production line ready, which is already extremely tight on time. And this is calculated based on my having reviewed the principles of those drawings! “
Alienong pondered for two seconds and sighed:
“In that case, it seems impossible for him to mass-produce enough televisions to cover the country in a short time. “
The visitor stood up and said:
“Forget it, let’s just focus on our own tasks. “
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