Chapter 125 – Test Run

Chapter 125 – Test Run

I stood on the walls surrounding the industrial district, watching as the first working tractor came to life and began rolling forward on the stone surface covering the area. If I had to guess, it was going around eight to ten kilometers per hour, which was already more than I expected.

"It's loud, slow, but damn it is beautiful!" I laughed, feeling really happy, starting to clap, which was mimicked by Sasha, who was grinning just as much as me. Soon enough, the workers were celebrating just as loudly, and after a round around the industrial complex, the tractor came back, and it was time to inspect the machine, looking for any defects, failures, or warping on its frame.

All was good. Its very first voyage, if I can say it that way, proved to be a major success. Was it like any machine I was used to in my memories? Nah. It would be a hack job in my previous life, but right here and now? This was perfect.

"Let's prepare it for the second test!" I exclaimed, turning towards the workers' leading representatives, "We will transport it to the castle and attach the tools to its back. Let's see how it handles the ground there! Winter is approaching fast, and I want to see how well it fares there. We don't need deep trenches but spots where we can hide the mines."

The transportation of the tractor was also a test in itself because I made them drive it all the way, stopping only to check on its components, how they held out, seeing if the calculations were proper and the materials could withstand their current duress. Everything was within parameters. This alone gave me considerable confidence, my mind returning to the plans of the mech, telling me we were capable of building it. My men could work with metal to such a degree that allowed me to continue with my plans and not only dream about them but also turn them into reality.

Its journey became somewhat of a spectacle as people came out of the city and sat at the roadside, waiting for it to pass by. Children were running along the road, keeping up with it, thoroughly amazed by the machine and the noise it was making. Good. This is how I will inspire a future generation to want to build their own 'toys!' I did not plan for it to happen this way, but I wasn't complaining.

"Son, couldn't we put weapons on that thing? Although it is slower than a galloping horse, we could fully dress it in a suit of armor! Make it impenetrable!"

After seeing it roll into the castle's grounds, my father's first words truly surprised me. He already thought of turning it into a tank after seeing it once, and I won't lie, I also thought of the same thing, except there were a few problems. I witnessed how mages fight, and if I made tanks, even if they were as primitive as their counterpart in World War I, they would be annihilated. They would be a waste of resources, even if I equipped them with shields as the Empire did with their flying ship.

With their current speed and maneuverability, they would need to be much faster to attack a magic formation and would be outmaneuvered by a regular army the same way. With the numbers' advantage on their side, we would most likely lose them and surrender it to the enemy for them to reverse-engineer it. I don't want that. So, instead of creating a tank division, I am more inclined to make a weapon on the level of their flying ship... And... Well, it just sounds much cooler... And because I can.

"We could, Dad," I answered in the end, nodding, standing next to Oleg, who was here to coordinate and oversee the tractor, making sure nobody touched it without my permission. "But I bet your people would easily outsmart and outmaneuver it."

"Yeah, but with enough numbers..."

"A beast would run circles around it." I added, making him sigh.

"Most of the segments within their formation were erased, probably as a security mechanism, but we still managed to save a lot of their data. We are putting it back together as best as possible, and although we may not be able to replicate their functions, it has given us a lot of insight into what kind of things were in there and comparing them to our and others' inventions."

"Focus on the shields." Yano ordered, looking at everybody present, "We already showed those bastards that we can hold the city, no matter what they throw at us. We are keeping their ships at bay just as we let their armies water the land with their blood! I know Ishillia... they won't back down; they never do, so we need their shield magic! Make that the top priority of research!"

There was a unanimous agreement between everybody that Ishillia had to be preparing something as they halted their constant assault, letting their armies rest. They wouldn't do it if something wasn't brewing behind their lines... as for what? Nobody could tell.

"The war in the South is going to end either next year or after," their king continued, dropping some heavy news that made them murmur amongst themselves. "They are being pushed out, and if nothing changes, Ishillia will retake all the territories that they lost, so everything depends on us now. If we can, once again, show the world we can repel whatever they are preparing, the stalking wolves will join in on the hunt!"

Nobody said anything; they were simply looking at each other. They believed in their king and had no choice but to continue doing so after they decided to attack the behemoth that was Ishillia. There was no backing out from it, and their bet was on the fact that they could show everybody that the mighty beast was weaker than it seemed. Then, the other considerable powers would join the fray, wanting to take a cut for themselves... They had to... Yet, until now, they have yet to really do anything besides moving some troops within their own borders. Yano and even his father had been exchanging letters with kings and emperors, nobles, and wealthy merchants for all those previous decades, yet when it was time to act, many of them remained silent. No longer responding in a way as before... But they couldn't give up. They crossed the gates of hell, and there was no way to back out.

"Keep working on it. The winter will be harsh this time, and the sky is already filled with the same clouds I experienced as a youngster. I just know... We must work extra hard to use our time and prepare a defense against whatever they are planning!"

...

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......

Somewhere, hidden within the Empire, the Empress stood in an underground facility, overwatching the creation of a massive magic formation. Its diameter was thirty meters in length, and the top mages of the Empire, fifteen, including herself, tirelessly worked to construct it in the past months. When finished, it would require eight of them to operate its different segments while she would be the focus point, standing in the middle. But... this was something that wouldn't be the finished product.

After completing it, there was no way to test it. The weapon itself would be too devastating to use, and its power source was ridiculous... It required four human-sized CCs to work and twelve skull-sized auxiliary CCs to keep it stable. At least, that was what Merlin VIII described in his plans to use for its basic configuration. When finished, they would know how to build it correctly and could finally begin shrinking the formation down. They were doing their best to turn it into something that one of their ships could grab and transport, as, right now, it was bound to this place. For that, they needed to at least halve its size.

"If this works..."

This time, Kathrien wasn't feeling angry. Deep in her soul, she was feeling excited. Seeing the formation come together, she already could see the devastation it would bring on the enemy, turning the whole wretched city into glass. According to her ancestor's notes, it was created to be used against something called a 'Titan.' As to what that was, she had no idea; the notes she received were incomplete. What she managed to gather was that it was neither a human nor a manmade thing; it was something natural. Thinking about it, she was certain that it had to be some kind of beast from the other side of the mountains... but, to her knowledge, Merlin VIII did not lead an expedition to the beast's land.

"Maybe he wanted to..." Kathrien murmured to herself, forming a slight smirk.

The power contained within this spell would call down the fire of the heavens and be on par with an attack of a God... Those pesky bastards had no chance to stop this, no matter their plans, and she would use it to show the world that nobody had a chance to go against her and her Empire. She will not only retake what they have lost but also conquer all of their territories and put her name down in history as one of the most extraordinary Empresses of the past centuries.