Blauw Empire's Technological Advancement

2 weeks later, on the first day of the week, whereas Heian Ciemnosc and Little Ish had already returned to the Palace.

"You know, now that I think about it," Sara spoke in his mind, but it did not alert Heian Ciemnosc as he kept walking towards the underground industrial workshop. He looked ahead with a calm expression and kept his Spirit Sense to himself, but he did scan throughout the entire place on the other side of the ginormous gate to confirm nothing stage or suspicious was happening. This wasn't his organization after all, and the Blauw Empire had been dealing with spies nonstop, although their number decreased since new years.

“Mhm, what is it?” Heian Ciemnosc commented slightly and let Sara continue with her thoughts. In his inner self, she frowned a little before beginning, “Comparing the Azure Dragon’s Bloodline innate Divine Art, yours is already a Divine Art. It’s just that it’s under-leveled. It cannot express its full might and is as if it is being unlocked bit by bit, but it’s not. It’s entirely… unrestrained. As I said, it’s more as if it’s adapting. Yet, it has no pre-programmed course and only increases as you progress.”

“?!” Heian Ciemnosc’s mind thundered when she mentioned his innate Art wasn’t a Supreme, but a Divine grade Art! However, Sara didn’t stop there, and she continued. Her voice turned lighter and obtained a higher pitch. “It’s strange! Because I can also feel it is a really unique innate Divine Art. It’s almost as if it's out of this world! However, you and your Art are definitely from this world, no doubt about it, and you don’t have any remembrance of my world like I do.”

“It’s as if the innate Divine Art… is you, and you are it. Just like you are your own Spirit Image, your Spirit Bosom is the same as anyone else’s inner body, and your Links have nowhere but your inner self to link to. Your innate Divine Art is like that. It shares those similarities… Remember when you couldn’t upgrade to the 4th level no matter what? Until you broke into the Second Step? Well, thinking about it, you might have to break into the Third and Fourth Steps to ‘unlock’ the 4th to 6th and the 7th to 9th levels of your [All-Devouring Force Chronicles].”

“You may even have more! Who knows?” Sara’s eyes widened the more she spoke. Heian Ciemnosc might not understand it himself, but she had seen the world for who knew how long. He only knew she wasn’t there when time was still around… or so do the stories tell. Sara continued with a more excited tone. “If your innate Divine Art’s body tempering keeps evolving indefinitely, who knows how strong you will be when you reach the Sixth Step?!”

“Ah, that’s if you survive and not die with so many powerful, hidden enemies, especially that one…” Sara pouted as she respectfully chose to close her mouth. Heian Ciemnosc didn’t mind it and simply nodded before saying something inside his head. “Thank you for the information. I’ll pay you later.”

“Bah, no need to say it. You can make some pre-payments all day if I care. Just don’t treat me as a business partner.” Sara grinned from the left corners of her lips and said without seriousness. Heian Ciemnosc shook his head, arrived before the 4 square kilometers big steel-like gate, and placed his left hand on it before sending dark Neutral Energy into it. He added in his mind, “Alright. Have you deciphered a way to help Little Ish’s body tempering Art improve? Other than what I already know…”

“Yup, I have~!” Sara triumphantly extended her right leg and stretched it wildly without holding it. She cleared her throat before starting, “Other than alchemy products only top Sixth Step alchemists can do once every Archeon, and mating her, you should try letting her fight it out in the way her body knows best how. No power sources other than her bodily strength, and no equipment, wearing ordinary clothing, and without your help or presence in her knowledge.”

“Mating?” Heian Ciemnosc raised his right eyebrow as the gate rapidly opened. It didn’t make a sound and was stupidly efficient to an unbelievable degree. Usually, such structures would be far too slow to ensure safety and productivity, but with Heian Ciemnosc, no such things were a problem. Sara nodded as she blinked her eyes and kept her eyelids closed, slowly opening them as she elaborated. “Of course! You are the perfect incubator for every living being. If I were you, I’d worry more about anything stronger than me, not just the Races.”

“...” Heian Ciemnosc’s face turned sour, but he quickly recomposed himself as his darkest eyesight welcomed the scene of nearly ten thousand expert engineers and Craftspeople working together and moving materials around, with machinery following after. He spoke in his mind. “So, just the average day for a beauty in the world? Wherever I go, even dogs, cats, and chickens will come looking for me?”

“Yup! Isn’t that scary? I never followed after a manwhore, or whore for that matter, in my search for a candidate! This is exciting!” Sara swiftly said. However, Heian Ciemnosc had a dull face and let her ramble to herself while ignoring her antics. He didn’t need to say he wasn’t like that. He didn’t need to prove himself… but she was too excited for now. Whenever that happened… it meant she wouldn’t shut up unless he started playing with her body.

Ignoring her, and with Sara having fun utilizing Heian Ciemnosc’s multitasking talent, knowing she was being heard, Heian Ciemnosc walked towards the only project at hand where a few dozen people were working on it. They wore steel blue colored uniforms and were so focused on planning the project’s procedure that not even the expert Craftspeople noticed Heian Ciemnosc approaching.

“Admiral Commander approaching!” Only when an Imperial Guard of many, guarding the project’s designated area around 500 meters long and 130 meters wide, shouted did they realize they were being watched by their second-highest commander. The first one is the Empress, naturally. The team in charge stood in attention, not missing one little beat, and saluted their second in command before relaxing their arms.

“Mn, have all the materials arrived, been checked, and tested thrice already?” Heian Ciemnosc nodded at them before speaking. From the group of workers, 2 leading figures stepped forth and walked to stand before him. They were an engineering citizen and a Craftsmaker forger. This was their distribution on anything, from working projects to military units. There would be citizens and cultivators, although some were from one type. From this, both sides would have a leader to command and dictate their side’s actions. When something of greater importance occurred, they would debate together before deciding.

“Sir commander, everything’s ready. We are the first ones to start the project. We even did a second round of analyzing our components while repassing through the steps and instructions. We will commence in about 2 hours. Will the Sir commander stay?” The engineering citizen spoke first. He was a decent, younger-than-middle-aged man with short, blue, jet-black hair. The Craftsmaker in charge was an oldie with no hair left atop his head. He remained composed as the leading engineering citizen commenced the debriefing.

“I will,” Heian Ciemnosc said as he looked at them before raising his eyesight to the instruments and machinery already in position to be used and started. That was when the Craftsmaker opened his mouth. “Sir commander, may I speak?”

“Mn,” Heian Ciemnosc casually looked at the oldie and slightly tilted his head to the left. The leading Craftsmaker nodded before starting. “We have everything ready, and we’ll start as you have said. But we haven’t become too familiar with the process. Should we really proceed like this?”

“Oh. I will guide you,” Heian Ciemnosc looked at every personnel from their team as he spoke. His casual look and calm words surprised the team, but they didn’t have time to grow excited before Heian Ciemnosc added. “Start with the materials first. You should know how to use the forgers and you how to aid them. Go ahead.”

Heian Ciemnosc turned around after saying that and summoned a black wooden chair from his Covert Space bag before taking a plethora of documents from the same. On the other side, feeling nervous but knowing what to do, the engineering citizens understood Sir commander’s words represented and got to work. The citizens and cultivators didn’t exchange words but were already moving in synchronization.

The citizens started moving left and right while the Craftspeople summoned their furnaces, cauldrons, and worktables. The citizens wore specialized gauntlets that covered up to their necks and sides, carrying items and helping the Craftspeople send them into the cauldrons or furnaces. Meanwhile, the Craftspeople sat cross-legged, somewhat far from their forges, and meditated to calibrate their state so they could proceed at their peak state and better.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

After the citizens were finished throwing the right items into the furnaces and cauldrons and placing others at the side, the Craftspeople got to work. They soared into the air as the citizens helped bring a few more ingredients and materials before leaving. With their Soul energy and Neutral Energy, these peak Dantreulity realm cultivators started making a flowery, mystical dance out of a smallish area in the absurdly immense workshop.

The other teams, still familiarizing themselves with their designated areas, some of the same size, of 500 m in length and 130 m wide, looked on with marvel as they felt inspired and their blood boiled. They could only watch for now as all the necessary, top-notch Second Step materials would take a long time to arrive, and the ingredients belonging to the alchemy profession were even more costly.

In the next few weeks, each of these teams could finally start working. Some, like the one Heian Ciemnosc was guiding right now, were in charge of doing the toys. On the other hand, other teams would be in charge of creating the toy’s fun parts. The latter were far too many. Lastly, other teams would be tasked with these toys and their fun parts having the best protection, from raw processing and creation to array formations.

It was a monumental project. One not even the Academy is engaging in. However, that’s because they precisely bought their arsenal and used their experts’ time to teach the students, even more so now that the transition was ongoing. It was still a process that would take any organization, even from the higher Steps, could take up to Eras and Periods before finally gaining a decent or admirable manufacture.

On the other hand, Heian Ciemnosc was making the Blauw Empire go through it in less than a few years… He was crazy in a good natured way. Nevertheless, the Blauw Empire wasn’t an all-forsaken place, and despite its terrible situation caged between a no way out encirclement, it could still kick and pedal like it was nobody’s business. Heian Ciemnosc wanted to utilize this surging, fiery passion within the Empire to impulse it forwards to its maximum.

Time passed. In under 2 hours, the workshop’s idle teams watched the first team start making the ship’s hull. It was just the beginning, but they were already sweating seeing their ‘senior team’ start what seemed to be the impossible before. Now, they were looking with their own eyes as the 75 meters wide, 300 meters long battleship took its first form. It was just its base structure, and nothing could be placed there, but there would be time for it to start taking shape.

Heian Ciemnosc watched the process for the rest of the day before the physically tired and mentally burdened citizens had to rest in less than 6 hours of work. They had to move nonstop, using any moment they could when they had to remain standing to take a break before resuming their activities in other tasks in their designated area. This designated area was slightly larger than the project’s end result, but it was enough to achieve efficiency and productivity.

And around the same time, the cultivators had to stop working, only doing a few extra jobs to lighten their workload tomorrow. Their exhausted mentality and power sources were used nonstop, moving a few things to shorten the time worked on the project, readily doing the work of 5 days from only citizens in a couple hours. Their power sources weren’t wasted, but they became weary from using them nonstop like this.

Not even in the most bitter fights Heian Ciemnosc had been in had he faced the same that these experts did before his eyes. They worked insanely hard, and if he was in their place, even with his [All-Devouring Force Chronicles] innate ‘Divine’ Art, he would only last 12 hours or less. As the day ended, Heian Ciemnosc nodded towards them and sent them his Universal Conveyance information. Like this, he could keep guiding them while away inland.

Dying of pure envy, the idle teams silently and imaginarily cried while the exhausted team wore smiles on their faces. It wasn’t as if they won a hundred million lotteries, but such contact was quite the big one. Who hadn’t read about underdogs’ histories before turning into a wild, mighty, and shining butterfly after growing up? They were gladdened about this job’s opportunity. As the closing hours were coming, everyone left, and the Imperial Guards proceeded to take guard outside the ginormous gate and through the tunnel until they reached the even bigger elevator.

Heian Ciemnosc flew fast towards the elevator as the others could only walk at the side or take the roads where only coming and going transporting vehicles could drive on. Not even he was allowed to fly, but since the real traffic would start months from now, Heian Ciemnosc took the liberty to be a bad boy. And after he took a personal elevator, before and at the side on the wall from the much bigger elevator, Heian Ciemnosc arrived somewhere between the southernmost island City and the Small City island.

A square was noticeable from a fourth point of view within the water as if a tremendous structure had been destroyed long ago, and time had simply done its stuff with it. However, this was precisely the elevator that Heian Ciemnosc had designed and was secretly built over the past 2 months, completed a week ago, and already in flawless functionality. A good portion of the Empire’s storage was emptied half a year ago, but the Universal Conveyance market wasn’t ‘perfect’ for no reason.

But not only did the supplies arrive in record time, but they were also slightly on sale after the Wrath Nihility Academy’s war. It would have been ‘inflated’ on other occasions, but the waves rippling from the Blackotia Kingdom's 2 consecutive, Era-changing wars became far too impactful for every higher Step organization. As long as some attention could be brought to the other Second or First Step organizations who became inspired and emboldened… that would be enough.

However, after building this gigantic baby, only certain people knew its characteristics, while the workers and Imperial guards were already selected for their professionalism and high caliber. There were 14 different batches of Imperial guards who would take turns to guard the facility twice or thrice a month. The pay was damn handsome, and only the best of the best were selected for the third day, although that spot could be fought in intricate, social ways.

In any case, the Blauw Empire’s treasury was emptied by half again as the first few toys’ components started traveling towards the Blackotia Kingdom confidentially. Empress Shuna was so cautious that she selected the most sneaky and affordable delivery services. Several stealth-focused Fighters, with barely any self-defense, were hired to deliver the goods underwater. They could only send top-notch customized Fighters since the Blackotia Kingdom is a Middle Kingdom, but it was enough to avoid any danger, except the Academy’s detection.

Slowly, more and more of such deliveries would arrive. Eventually, the Blauw Empire would become a flat, slim, and impoverished fish that is the Azure Dragon’s Bloodline would become fat and juicy. The first team to start creating the Empire’s first Frigate since its foundation was just a short 2 months away from completion. Heian Ciemnosc would have to guide these people well enough so they could also pass it on to others.

… When Heian Ciemnosc was about to emerge from the platform, the elevator’s interiors, enough for 100 people to stand with each spreading their arms, it warned him to prepare to take off. That meant he had to either coordinate with someone who would take their ship out or take his out to immediately leave the area. The elevator also showed a radar showing everything 2,000 kilometers around the elevator in real-time.

… splash! Fwoosh- whoosh, wheesh, whoosh- peeeeew~…

Heian Ciemnosc’s body jumped upwards without a forced impulse, safely, and without making noise. Only he and the immediate surroundings could hear a splash as he was sent flying into the sky. Rapidly, he folded and swung his right arm. His Ornament flashed before him and up, flying already towards his northwest as he boarded it and did a few spins with it. After enjoying the sensation from stillness to sudden, fast movement, Heian Ciemnosc activated his smallish engine and speeded towards the Small City island through another angle.

Not wasting any time, Heian Ciemnosc took differing routes towards the Palace before landing on one of its protruding hangars. Leaving it to the palace maids and butlers, Heian Ciemnosc walked into the Palace and searched for the little girl’s residence. It was time to teach her. Besides, now that the second year under him was commencing, she would start learning better Water elemental manipulation instead of just techniques.

After taking a transporting vehicle filled with palace maids, where he became their beloved character to gossip with since he was a good listener, Heian Ciemnosc felt too much in a good mood not to celebrate. Thus, he opened his Universal Conveyance and started playing Mini Warlord in the screen mode. While they chatted and gossiped with him about everything, Heian Ciemnosc showed them a good time with his bold yet efficient tactics, mostly getting both sides destroyed but destroying the enemy first! That is always a good strategy!

“... Good afternoon, ladies. Salute your Empress from my part. Next dinner, you guys cook. I’m tired of watching my food eaten away before I can… oh~.” Heian Ciemnosc sighed and shook his head ruefully. The palace maids giggled and hid their mouths while narrowing their eyes before driving away.

Step, step- sliiide~. Heian Ciemnosc was dropped before the little girl’s residence. Opening it as he kept playing, this time a ranked match, he felt the little girl’s presence before the door, already with her wet hair mostly dried, and looking at his Universal Conveyance with delight.

“Imperial Teacher! Imperial Teacher! You promised me! Let’s play a match! I already played enough rankeds and attained my own! Hum, hum. I’ll show you how to play! Come on! I want to play with you!!” Little Ish acted cute, then proud and haughty, before becoming the cutest again as her delicate, lithe arms caged his left arm as he played with his right hand, and she dragged him inside. All the while, Heian Ciemnosc kept beating the shit out of another one of his victims.

…