May 5, 1615 Central Calendar, 05:02

MOASEC Employee Apartment Block, San Redentore District

Is it even possible for a person to experience sugar high from memories?

Well, that might sound unlikely, but ever since Meteos 'unlocked' the knowledge related to the wonderful yet ill-fated Malakh civilization, he found himself overcome by a sense of restlessness and euphoria on the way back to the apartment, resisting the urge to impart those incoming surges onto something in particular. In addition, after discovering that the inherited memories will instantly reveal themselves whenever his mind was focused on something, Meteos was torn between exploring to what extent he could dig the memories about the Malakh civilization and refraining from fixating on random objects for too long, fearing the disorienting side effects that might come.

He also knew that he needed to sleep, but it seemed impossible to contain his racing thoughts any longer. Soaring spires, intricate designs, and elaborate formulas—be they mathematical or magical—kept dancing one after another behind his closed eyelids as he struggled to drift into slumber. As a result, he woke up in the wee hours of the next day after a period of sleep filled with tossing and turning.

Rummaging through the apartment room's office, he gathered every piece of paper he could find and started recording those insights before a worst-case scenario where they would fade into obscurity. With a feverish-like movement, Meteos began to sketch, write, and draw, filling the office with the sound of his furious scribbling.

"...Hm?"

Sometime later, when Meteos reached for the box beside him after exhausting the space on a sheet he was working on, his searching hand was met not with the expected touch of paper but with the coarse texture of a cardboard box. He turned with a perplexed frown, only to confront the realization that he had used up all the paper available.

Despite the lingering excitement still coursing through his veins and a mountain of knowledge he yearned to document, the reality of lacking the means to record it in an organized manner greatly irked the silver-haired reincarnator. The grin that had adorned his face the entire time quickly vanished without a trace.

"...Bah! This won't do...!" With an irritated grunt, Meteos stood up from lying on his stomach like a cat and stormed outside the office, leaving papers still scattered all over the room.

…………

"Teacher, we have an emergency."

Upon hearing those words and feeling someone shake her shoulder, Robin, who was sleeping on the apartment's couch, jolted awake and instantly sprang into action as her training kicked in. Pulling Meteos close to her side, the professor positioned herself between him and the perceived threat. Then in a fluid motion, Robin switched the Manadriver that she kept attached to her belt from Save to Operation Mode, ready to blast the intruder to kingdom come with an instantaneous full-powered lightning strike.

"Stay behind me!"

Now, where is it? Where is the intruder—

"...Not that kind of emergency," came Meteos' deadpan tone from behind. "I woke you up because there's a disturbing lack of paper for me to write on."

Robin blinked, relaxing her stance before turning to her student with an expression tinged with exasperation. "You woke me up for a paper shortage."

"Correct."

She drew a breath and exhaled hard; her unkempt hair bobbed with the exaggerated motion. Looking at her wristwatch sitting on a nearby table, it was zero-five-oh-two hours. What a way to wake someone in the early morning.

"Fine, kid," Robin conceded. "I'll have Hirkane or someone to arrange the supplies, I'll also tell Artie to bring some when he goes here. What else do you need? Ink? Pencils? Fountain paintbrush?"

"Thank you very much. All of them would be appreciated," Meteos nodded, his eyes reflecting a relief not too dissimilar from someone who was just saved from a Lesser Nosgorath's killing bite. As much as Robin was glad about how serious Meteos was dedicated to his duties, that gaze struck the woman with an uncomfortable sensation with how uncanny-looking it was. This kid took a fucking shortage of paper as if he will die from it.

"...So, how long have you been sleeping?" Robin drawled as she began stretching her limbs and putting her glasses on.

Her student admitted with a frown, "Six hours of poor sleep. The origin Object from yesterday was so interesting that I couldn't help myself trying to give my take on it... this time without restrictions."

"Did you now?" groaned Robin, "Alright, I'll go give it a look, but first... why don't you go take a shower and calm yourself."

Meteos raised an eyebrow, but eventually glanced down at his disheveled appearance. His blue T-shirt was almost completely drenched with sweat that clung to him, accentuating the lines of his developing physique, and his silver hair was now a tousled mess sticking to his forehead and neck. Now that he was conscious of his own physical state, the sensation was undeniable—his skin felt clammy and his fingers were a bit sore from the adrenaline rush. It was merely a slight inconvenience to look like a disheveled madman when it comes to the grander scheme of things, but Meteos still agreed with his mentor's suggestion.

"Well... that'd be true..."

With a sheepish acknowledgment, Meteos headed to the bathroom to get himself sorted and cleaned.

…………

Allowing the rhythmic sound of the falling droplets to calm his racing mind, Meteos also felt a wave of clarity that came along the soothing cascade of the cold shower that washed away the sweat and grime that clung to his skin. The familiar routine of lathering his body with his favorite apple-scented soap and rinsing also helped him ground his thoughts, bringing him to the conclusion that he needs to better control his 'urges,' lest he will embarrass himself in the future or worse, attract the wrong kind of attention.

Looking down, the first thing that caught Meteos' gaze was his own reflection in the foggy bathroom mirror. As he recalled, his previous life's 14-year-old self was leaning on the short and scrawny side. However, thanks to the time following Robin's training regimen in this world, his current adolescent body was taller and possesses well-defined, but not overly bulky muscles, giving him a lean and athletic appearance. Truly, being able to savor a second life was an extraordinary blessing—one where his past life's envy-driven result of his insatiable thirst for knowledge could manifest in tangible ways. In hindsight, the 122 years of his previous existence had found their purpose through this second chance.

"Civilization Annihilation Game... what a stupid name for a stupid game..."

Another thought crossed Meteos' mind as he pondered his circumstances. All four of the most renowned legends in the known world had some connection to the Game. Among them, the legend of the Emissaries of the 'Sun God' was the least familiar to the average Milishian. Some even dismissed it as a convenient tale invented by the Far Easterners to hype up something that might be much more mundane in nature. Although Meteos envied the existence called Japan, he too had once wondered about the true nature of this legend. However, with the revelation about the Game, the truth had emerged as almost cathartic.

It was, in truth, a tale of sham heroics engineered by Shamash the Deceiver to give the inhabitants of this world a semblance of hope while she continued to harvest the misery of everyone involved. After all, despair hits the hardest when one has a hope to cling on.

With a touch of irony, Meteos scoffed now that he found himself understanding a bit more about the enemy of all races, though unfortunately two wrongs still don't make a right for him to truly sympathize. On the other hand, the summoned entities—Japan and the Gra Valkas Empire or whatever—despite their intruding presence were now viewed with a hint of pity when he thought about it, since they were also victims of the Game and the whims of the "audience," the real villains who craved for that despicable show.

He wished to meet Kagaseo again and talk about things... but no matter how many Angel Fruit he consumed, it seemed that they would see each other again precisely when he wanted to.

…………

After finishing his refreshing shower and taking a moment to reflect, Meteos emerged from the bathroom feeling rejuvenated. He had changed into a fresh set of clothes and had taken the time to properly groom himself, now ready to face the day with a somewhat clearer mind. When he entered the office room where he had been feverishly scribbling just moments ago, he was greeted by a curious sight of Robin tiptoeing between strewn papers, even occasionally contorting her body to get a better view of some papers that were perched in awkward positions. It's as if she didn't want to move the papers even by an inch.

"Teacher, what are you doing?"

"Oh, hey, Meteos, I have a question..." Robin, in the middle of reading while doing a one-arm handstand near the corner, called out to him.

"Yes?"

"What are you writing here, exactly?"

'She can't tell? Strange,' Meteos cocked an eyebrow in bewilderment, "Mostly speculation and theories about 'deochalcum' alloy that you guys showed us yesterday... among other things?"

With a nimble movement, Robin stood back upright and flashed him a smile, gesturing to the papers. "Mm-hmm, is that so? You didn't tell me that you wrote it in a writing system you made up, though."

'What—'

When Meteos followed her gesture and spotted one lying near his feet, he felt his heart skip a beat. Instead of the Milishian script, the paper was adorned in hieroglyphs that shouldn't have existed on this planet.

Uncharasakyoo Rukuwashurapie Tezuts... which roughly translates to Rodanite Molecular Structure in the Holy Empire's common language.

In the eyes of the known world's inhabitants, Rodanite, or 'deochalcum' as the Ground Facility crewmen referred to it, might as well be a literal indestructible substance. However, in the Ravernal Empire, the blackish-blue Rodanite was a lower-grade material created after the Light-Winged Devils lost access to the supply and technology related to an even more powerful translucent green material once used by their ancestors. It was quite a poetic relation, as if symbolizing the Malakhs' loss of inner light and their transformation into the rage-filled monsters that this world both knew and feared.

'Just as I was thinking to be more careful...'

Panic welled up inside him now that he realized that in his excited state, he had subconsciously transcribed all his thoughts in the language of the Malakhs—the lost language that he had also uncovered through his new memories. After doing a recheck on what he had written, Meteos had also apparently lowered his guard and allowed a number of contents that might be too suspicious to slip through, ironically saved by a language that no one in the known world—not even the Annonrial Empire—understood. That said, he needed to follow up with a cover story for this save.

"Oh," Meteos masked his inner turmoil with a sheepish chuckle. "The cipher I've been experimenting with, sorry I failed to tell you that, Teacher."

"Huh... there goes my enjoyment of reading your papers," Robin shook her head with a pout, but was seemingly convinced by his excuse. "You don't happen to have a codebook lying around, do you?"

Eyeing his mentor for her rather lax reaction, Meteos wondered if there was truly not an ounce of suspicion in this woman's heart and cracked a grin. If he were being an optimist, though, he was expecting a directive that would basically let him roam free with his 'weird ideas' as long as it benefits them.

The reincarnator tapped his temple, "Unfortunately that codebook is still in here and I'm inclined to make some more revisions, but I'll work on that once the papers are delivered. As compensation, I'll verbally explain it to you while I sort this mess."

"Hehe, you're such a good boy. Then, I'm looking forward to that. What else do you cook up while no one is looking, hm?"

In response, Meteos offered her a bundle of neatly arranged papers.

"Here, an atomic model. Do you want to see this first or do you want to wait until I compile the ones about deochalcum, or do you want to start with the magic formulas I made... over there?"

Robin burst out laughing. At this rate, the multiple reports she had to make to her superiors in the MOASEC and the Order would pile up beyond control, but she couldn't help but feel excited by the prospect of unraveling this Person of Interest's knowledge. However, additional personnel might be needed to provide support and ensure a desired 100% proliferation rate.

As the one who vehemently pushed this policy among the Order's leadership, Magister Sorath was such an excellent judge of character, Robin thought with satisfaction. Who would have expected that the policy of appeasement would turn out this successful?

❖⟐❖⟐❖

May 5, 1615 Central Calendar, 10:18

Investigation Laboratory for Fire Magic, Sandaliotis Prefecture, Caelus Province

Still amidst the atmosphere of the GP designs’ inspection tour, today’s itinerary would take the team to a facility located outside the capital where GP designs number 17 and 18 were currently in development. After passing the eastern hills that form the border between the capital and its surrounding plains, their journey led them to a bucolic district capital before continuing further eastward, meandering through the agricultural lands of the Caelus Province until they reached their destination. This trip, a departure from the team’s usual routine of working the Ancient Ministry’s complex and visiting the bustling metropolis of the capital, presented a refreshing change as they traversed a bucolic scenery in the middle of springtime.

Meteos, who had been dozing off throughout the journey, was nudged awake from the side by Walman as the car stopped.

“Are we there yet?” he muttered.

“Yeah, we’re here. What happened? Won a lottery in a dream?”

“Very funny, Walman… maybe I’m just feeling good today,” Meteos snorted. Now that he had relaxed a bit from what happened to him yesterday, he had discovered a method of better organizing the inherited memories throughout his time napping. As a result, he may have made some tugging of lips that were too wide to be subtle.

“Hah, you, upbeat, on so little sleep…” Walman deadpanned, opened the door and stepped outside. Watching his brunette friend’s back for a few seconds, Meteos fastened his loose bowtie and donned his jacket before following suit, inhaling some fresh air while he was at it.

A small welcoming party of local researchers was already assembled at the courtyard, and among the colorful people present, one of them stepped forward with a warm smile and shook the hand of Arthur, the de facto leader of the team (which was voted unanimously by everyone else, much to the bird beastman’s chagrin).

“Long time no see, Master, thank you for taking your time to receive us today,” Arthur let a small grin grace his countenance as he greeted the facility’s head researcher.

In response to his words, the head researcher’s smile went a tad bit brighter before replying with a spirited “You’re welcome!”

“Heey! Teach, long time no see!”

“Robin? Oh, my, look at you! You and Arthur have grown so much… where’s that boy Daguva?”

“Ah, he’s been busy being an assistant to one of the higher-ups, we’re sorry for not stopping by often.”

“Stow the apology, little bird, this is a happy day, I say!”

Arthur sputtered at the same time Robin snickered at that remark, “Pfft, little bird…”

“I’m not hearing that from you of all people…!”

Seeing the exchange happening from behind, a curious Walman turned to Meteos.

“Could it be that she’s Lady Tikal that Miss Robin once told us about?”

“Most likely, Teacher, Mister Arkland, and Mister Daguva’s mentor when they were still Apprentice Mages… Well, considering how her students turn out as Mages, I’ll expect her to be a martial arts specialist as well.”

“The teacher of our teacher, huh… So that’s what she looks like…”

Those very same eyes were glowing as she too looked forward to presenting the development progress to the young creator of the GPs under their care.

“Well then…”

When Robin turned at them and motioned them to come, they joined the reunion and introduced themselves.

…………

With Lady Tikal herself as a guide, the team promptly made their way to an auditorium for the presentation that awaited them. Given that the GPs under their care were still works in progress, both parties had decided to opt for a comprehensive briefing, utilizing materials prepared by the local researchers in advance since outright field testing was not expected to be possible. Nevertheless, the local crew still brought the results of their work into the venue, even two trucks used to mount the launch rails of the GP-18.

The much smaller GP-17 took center stage for scrutiny as soon as two completed prototypes were unloaded from their crates. While its initial purpose was to provide a weapon capable of taking down heavily armored vehicles (like tanks, should they appear) or fortified positions, its potential applications extended beyond that. Milishians, who were more accustomed to battling monsters and magical barriers, found value in the weapon. Additionally, for those involved in the clandestine project of reverse-engineering the Ancient Sorcerous Empire’s guided magic bullets, notes taken from the GP-17 and -18’s contribution to boosting rocket technology was nothing to scoff at, as attested by the regular reports from the hidden ones attached to this facility.

Yet, the inherited memories seemed to amplify Meteos’ sense of inadequacy as he looked at his own design. The current GP-17 was essentially a cruder version of the previous timeline’s Japanese LAM (Lightweight Anti-tank Munition, Panzerfaust 3) during the war against the Gra Valkas Empire’s era. It consisted of a simple metal tube with only an iron sight, a trigger grip for the launcher, and a warhead. It was simple enough to produce for starters and had proven its worth in past field testing as shown through magical photographs and film rolls, which depicted its successful destruction of fortified targets in fiery conflagrations exactly as intended. However, while there was nothing wrong with the team’s faithfulness to the original design, Meteos couldn’t help but wish that someone of Lady Tikal’s stature had considered giving this dated design a little tweaking here and there.

‘Here it comes…’

Feeling another surge coming, Meteos grunted and closed his eyes, allowing the ideas churning in his head to coalesce into a mental diagram.

Feeling the world around him fade into the background, the sensation like yesterday soon washed over him, but this time he wanted it to come like a controlled stream instead of drenching his psyche in a sea of memories. The accumulated knowledge from his past life and the inherited memories about the Malakhs in his mind, visualized as branches of blue and green light respectively, met and intertwined with each other before merging as one.

He then envisioned the GP-17, which appeared as a floating projection before him. Focusing on it, his desire for upgrades manifested as branches of white light that emanated from each part of the weapon. These branching paths split and merged hundreds—or even thousands—of times to create a complex web of possibilities. Each path leads to a different version of the upgraded GP-17. Some paths were extravagant, incorporating ultra-advanced technology and magical enhancements of the Malakhs to the utmost. Others were more grounded to his current world, focusing on improving reliability and ease of use. And so on and so forth until there was a huge web sprawling around him.

However, there were limitations in his world’s current technology level and production capabilities, as well as budget constraints to consider. As he scrutinized the web of possibilities, Meteos began to think further and trim down the options. The outright unfeasible upgrades were eliminated, focusing on those that would provide the most significant improvement in performance without breaking the bank. Eventually, the trimmed branches of light merged into two new designs that manifested in front of Meteos.

‘Well, I was hoping for a slightly more advanced upgrade, but these ones are already good enough. Here we go.’

With that, Meteos’ eyes slowly opened with satisfaction.

“So, Walman…”

…………

The Investigation Laboratory for Fire Magic, better known as IgniLab instead of its official acronym ILFM, was founded as a research institute with the primary goal of integrating fire magic into technology. In reality, however, IgniLab also served as one of the many public fronts for the MOASEC’s secret department. In addition, a portion of its personnel was provided by “The Voice,” a branch of the Order of the Ancients responsible for disseminating knowledge gathered from the Ancient Sorcerous Empire to the masses in a controlled fashion. IgniLab thus played a role in a resulting intentional redundancy, bridging the gap between these clandestine entities and the general public with their specialization in rocket technology derived from the analysis of excavated guided magic bullets.

Of course, knowing that this did not mean that the government would go around purging any unrelated individual who independently developed similar-looking inventions (they have learned that it was a stock Light Winged Devil-worshipper behavior during their time dealing with such cults throughout history), Meteos Roguerider can confidently present his rocket designs to his captivated superiors and leave those in charge to manage how to handle them. Then, as a result of the decision-making by the upper management, IgniLab was ‘contracted’ by the MOASEC and signed an ‘agreement’ to develop Meteos’ GP-17 and -18 designs.

Lady Tikal, the head of such a facility, observed the Person of Interest and his friend talking to each other in the aftermath of the presentation, noting the words that flew back and forth between them.

“…now, with a low pressure combustion as a result of this simplistic launcher, the grenade will have a severely limited velocity for a projectile of useful size. Do you know what that means?” Meteos finished his impressions with a question to Walman.

“Low range and a longer time to fly, so… it basically can’t hit targets very well unless a shooter is standing at point blank?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

A recoilless gun like what the first GP-17 prototype ended up works by expelling a projectile from the front and a countermass out of the back of the gun. Since it was only necessary to match the momentum of the countermass to that of the projectile, the GP-17 went straight using propellant gas moving at a very high velocity that can have momentum equal to a heavy projectile discharged at a lower velocity instead of using a solid countermass, which was a nuisance at best and a danger to one’s own troops at worst. However, the GP-17’s straight tube launcher has performance limitations which were noted during the inspection.

But thanks to this, the Holy Empire through IgniLab learned more about fluid dynamics and the local crew came up with a solution to improve its performance, resulting in the second GP-17 prototype incorporating the fire magic stone-propelled charge subdivided into increments. When the enchanter strikes the first increment, it burns and creates pressure pushing the remaining increments back down the tube. Then, the second increment is fully ignited, then the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth. The result is high pressure over a greater length of the tube and a greater volume of propellant gases for both propulsion and countermass, but still, there were limits. Meteos and others came when they were still working on a third prototype that truly incorporated a miniaturized rocket motor around the same time they were about to make a breakthrough in the rocket part of GP-18.

“Figures that there will be someone dissatisfied with our work, but I didn’t expect the inventor himself to criticize his own design,” Lady Tikal walked over with a jovial laugh.

“…My bad?”

“No, it’s good. I understand that it’s an old design and a lot might have happened since you created it,” the noblewoman waved him off good-naturedly before she suddenly turned to face the boy standing beside Meteos, her golden serpentine eyes narrowing. “Now, what about you?”

“What about me?” Walman nervously pointed to himself.

“No, no, no, relax. I just want to hear your thoughts.”

“Well, actually… I agree with Meteos that you need to find means to increase the velocity and range.”

“Okay, and what should we do?”

He looked at Meteos, whose gaze was fixated on him as if telling Walman ‘You got this.’

“Increase the pressure and velocity of the propellant gas…! Erm, just like constricting a garden hose with your thumb to make the water flow faster…”

Walman used the garden hose analogy to tell that a fluid passing through a constriction will experience a rise in velocity. But in gas systems, this only happens until a condition called choked flow is reached. At that point, further increases in upstream pressure do not cause further increases in downstream velocity. The result in a recoilless weapon is a rise in pressure sufficient to launch a projectile. To achieve a choked flow situation quickly in the GP-17’s straight tube launcher where the outlet velocity of the propellant gas remains subsonic, the local crew resorted to using low-purity magic stone propellant that burns very quickly, which in turn causes a rapid pressure rise in the area of the propelling charge. They did manage with the maximum pressure limit by using the proven magical strengthening method for the tube, but the gas velocity still remains limited in this system.

As a result of the discussion with the inspection team, they agreed that the upgrade for GP-17’s design must incorporate a chamber of larger size than the propelling charge and a convergent-divergent nozzle incorporating a constriction and a divergent conical section (a venturi). A constriction sets up the choked flow condition without the need to use a very fast propellant and the conical divergent nozzle in turn accelerates the propellant gases to supersonic speeds.

“I see, a system like that will produce much more counter-recoil. We can even possibly launch projectiles heavier than what we currently have with the GP-17. That’s nice.”

“With higher purity magic stone propellant, you can try double or more,” Meteos chimed in as they reached a conclusion.

“Okay, everyone, please gather around!”

Lady Tikal loudly yelled inside the auditorium and pulled a nearby blackboard to list the rough outline for the future plans:

GP-17 rocket-propelled anti-armor grenade launcher (more like rocket-assisted projectile-firing anti-armor/monster/Nosgorath/whatever grenade launcher) a.k.a. “Hastilude”

Improvement on the launcher: addition of a larger chamber and a nozzle. Sustainer rocket motor. Improvement in the warhead’s aerodynamics. Incorporation of the Second-Generation Manadriver technology (Runite Charger and Core Circuit) to massively increase the versatility and double the warhead’s power in proportion to its size. More advanced and compact magic circuits to allow the usage of higher purity magic stone for the explosive, rocket propellant, and booster charge parts, which in turn allows for more mana to be infused into the device. Improved fuse. Usage of wind magic circuits on the warhead’s stabilizing fins to prevent the projectile from experiencing the weathervane effect (excess mana from Point 5 can be used to power an early version of the system). More advanced sights (whether a night vision will be available soon depends on the MOASEC Magic Technology System Development Facility’s progress in GP-110). Development of a ‘dual charge’ device after a certain youngster raised the possibility of an armor/magic barrier that can counter the warhead. It’s heavily implied from his tone that he will try to create such a thing in the future.

…………

After the team was done with GP-17, they naturally turned their attention to the other design, GP-18. However, at present the IgniLab crew can only present a pair of truck chassis modified to mount the completed launch rails as well as several mockups of the rockets which were still under development.

“Well, there’s nothing much to see here,” Walman shrugged.

“For a large-scale project like this, it’s pretty understandable, considering it just started not too long ago. But what’s your plan, ma’am?”

Looking at a 122-millimeter mockup placed beside the truck, Meteos shook his head and turned to Lady Tikal to ask her a question. There seemed to be nothing wrong with the GP-18 as well.

“If we continue at our current pace, we should be able to conduct a first test fire in the third quarter of this year. Actually, even if we want to modify the rockets to incorporate some upgrades, it shouldn’t take too much delay. Yes, we’re pretty confident with this one!” Lady Tikal answered with a cheery tone.

“Magnificent.”

This time, the GP-18 rocket’s larger size made it easier for the IgniLab team should they wish to incorporate upgrades such as modifying its warhead to contain Runite Chargers and Core Circuits. If they wanted to, they could even put the Runite Redoublizer in there as well and produce a small but powerful rocket capable of being set to detonate with a myriad of elemental effects, not just fiery explosions. However, at present they stayed to the less fantastical but more practical configuration, something that Meteos was inclined to agree.

While he was generally satisfied with the progress, Meteos still pitched ideas for improvement.

…………

12:01

A lunch marked the end of today’s agenda, and a group of masters and students could be seen chattering to each other as they finished savoring their meal in the IgniLab’s dining hall.

Wiping her mouth with a handkerchief, Lady Tikal asked the inspection team who sat at the same table as her, “What’s next on your agenda after this?”

“That will be Artie and friends’ turn next,” Robin answered, failing hard at not snickering when mentioning her colleague’s not-so-affectionate nickname.

“Ah, so back at the Ancient Ministry you go,” her mentor nodded with understanding. “Then I wish you luck with your part.”

“Thank you, Master.”

Despite his annoyance, Arthur dipped his head in respect.

“Speaking of which, do your departments’ projects have an estimate of when they will be completed?”

“I won’t bore you with details, but now that you’ve mentioned it, there’s indeed a very high likelihood of at least one or two projects finishing next year.”

The Alpha Edge Project and GP-11 to -110, as well as newer models of magic torpedoes and conductive magnetic radars, were all slated to be completed one after another in the year 1616 Central Calendar. Even if the Holy Empire’s concerted effort cannot finish all of them, the Longsword was nearing mass production and the new Heavenly Vessel prototype was already nearing completion. Early 1616 CC will also become the due date for Meteos’ siblings which he never had in his previous life, making it a very special year for him.

Thinking about it, Walman’s head bobbed in wonder, “I didn’t realize everyone is pushing… next year will be a wild one, huh?”

“Well, there’s also that event that will be held next year…”

“Do you think it’s really the cause?”

Roughly around the fourth month in every even-numbered solar year which became the basis for the three great civilization’s calendars, an international event will be held at the Holy Milishial Empire’s southern trading hub of Cartalpas called the Eleven Countries Leadership Conference. While the aim of this event is ostensibly to jointly determine the direction of the known world’s politics for the next two years, all participating countries are expected to bring their strongest fleets in a show of gunboat diplomacy as leverage in exerting their will upon the known world. With the disparity between the superpowers and non-superpowers and among the fellow superpower nations, the event usually goes like this: a superpower forwards a motion and other non-superpower participants have no alternative but to comply. If said motion clashes with the interest of another superpower, however, things will get to become more interesting.

Since the end of the contentious Sol Island Dispute between the Holy Milishial Empire and the Kingdom of Mu in the late 1590s, subsequent editions of the conference were noted to be mundane enough to the point it’s boring with so few changes occurring. However, the conference was not necessarily the primary factor behind the Holy Empire’s forceful turning of its advancement wheel.

Lady Tikal laughed, “So, instead of merely intimidating virtual enemies, the Holy Empire is determined to make them all die from heart attacks and heartbreaks?”

“That’s ridiculous, Master,” Arthur rolled his eyes.

Meteos cringed and suddenly blurted, “…! Sorry, but I actually don’t find that to be funny.”

“Oh… my apologies.”

“See?”

“Oh, no! I’m so sorry!”

Shaking his head to calm them down and letting them continue with their conversation, Meteos leaned on one hand and rubbed his temple with his fingers. As per the announcement made at the end of the previous edition, 1616 will also be one of those years where the Annonrial Empire of the southern world will be present. Not long after the thoughts about the winged people who inhabit that country began to appear in his mind, a troubled expression appeared on his face. Given their association with the Ravernal Empire, their existence in this world was a product of the previous Civilization Annihilation Game. ‘What’s the correct way of dealing with them?’

“Hmm…” he decided to squash the discomfort that gnawed on his mind as he turned to the older members, quickly switching to an eager expression. “An international conference where the most advanced fleets from the world gather in one place sounds interesting…! Do you think we can go there and see it ourselves?”

Robin quirked her eyebrows, “Hmm… do you want too, Walman?”

“I doubt there’s actually something interesting about seeing foreign sailing ships, but if Meteos wants to go, I guess I’ll go as well.”

“That remains to be seen…” Robin started ominously, but in an instant a warm smile graced her lips, “But as long as we coordinate with the higher-ups and ensure our work doesn’t suffer, there should be no problem with traveling.”

In response, Robin saw her silver-haired apprentice give her a rather sweet smile, then turn to nudge his brunette friend with a victorious tone in his voice. Sometimes she almost forgot that for all their talents, they were still kids. Maybe Magister Sorath will be lenient in allowing them to go around as long as she is capable of guarding them as per the Order’s directive.

“Do you hear that, Walman? That one is secure.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“We get to see ships, duh.”

“Oh! That’s good for you, I guess?”

Walman didn’t necessarily share Meteos’ enthusiasm for seeing less advanced ships, but he does appreciate the prospect of traveling to new places. Meanwhile, a pleased Meteos took Robin’s words in stride, his cerulean eyes glimmering with an indescribable gleam.

Currently Publicly Available Information

INVESTIGATION LABORATORY FOR FIRE MAGIC

Investigation Laboratory for Fire Magic (ILFM or IgniLab) is a research and development institution dedicated to the study various aspects of fire elemental magic and its integration into the Holy Milishial Empire’s technology. It is based in Sandaliotis, Caelus Province in northwestern Milishial.