Chapter 87
Chapter 87
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: Industrial Revolution (11)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
To persuade the Emperor—and furthermore, the nobles—what should I do?
I stood in the center of the conference hall, racking my brains furiously.
At first, I thought convincing just the Emperor would be enough.
It was the easier path, after all, with no need to worry about anyone else.
But now that I was here, my thinking had shifted slightly.
Just winning over the Emperor wouldn't cut it.
True success meant persuading the nobles as well.
This realization gradually welled up inside me.
Of course, I saw it as a good thing rather than a bad one.
Why had I been focused on the Emperor in the first place?
Because of the nobles' opposition.
In other words, clashes with them were inevitable down the line.
So why not make as many allies as possible right here?
With that in mind, I looked not just at the Emperor but at the nobles too.
What did they want?
It varied from noble to noble, but it all boiled down to one thing in the end.
They wanted gains.
Whether for themselves or their territory's people.
"Everyone, until now we've believed we couldn't wield mana freely."
So my job was to satisfy their desires.
"We thought mages, magic devices, or natural mana flows were all there was. But the mana power plant has proven we can harness mana without any of those."
I glanced at the Emperor. His arm rested on the chair, chin propped in hand.
He looked intrigued but bored.
Probably because it was the same old routine he heard all the time.
A quick look at the nobles showed them split down the middle—half interested, half not.
I needed a real showstopper.
But for now, it was time to build anticipation.
"Mana is practically in our grasp now. Can't we store it in mana crystals and use it right away? It could even replace mana stones."
"That's certainly a fine invention."
An interested noble nodded at my words.
His reaction drew the others in, and they began paying attention too.
"So what more can we achieve from here? I started wondering: do mana crystals really have to be shipped to power plants?"
"What are you getting at?"
The Emperor finally showed some interest.
Or more precisely, a faint spark had ignited.
I gave him a small smile.
"It's simple. Instead of sending mana crystals to the power plants, we send the mana produced by those plants all across the Empire!"
"How?"
The nobles began murmuring.
Some pointed out that mana crystals already did that.
Others couldn't grasp it at all.
A few seemed to have heard about the incidents involving the opposition leaders.
As the atmosphere heated up, I brought up the mana transmission towers—no, the power poles.
Of course, that included the mana lines equivalent to electrical wires.
My explanation was straightforward, but the reactions weren't.
"Mana flowing through wires?"
"Across those distances? Is that even possible?"
"Hmm. With enchantments, it's not entirely implausible."
Skeptical voices rose from all around.
There were positive responses too, but opinion was still evenly divided.
And most crucially, the Emperor must have found my idea utterly ridiculous.
He'd lapsed back into disinterest.
But that made me smile victoriously.
This was exactly what I'd been aiming for.
I clapped twice, and the people waiting outside entered.
The nobles looked startled, but I ignored them as the poles were set up.
"Take a look here. These are the power poles and mana lines I mentioned."
"Ho, you had this prepared already?"
One noble stared in surprise, and soon the room fell silent.
Perfect. I'd grabbed their attention.
I turned to the special mana crystal placed beside the poles.
It was roughly two meters in diameter—this was the key piece.
Once the device containing the mana crystal was connected to the lines, mana began to flow.
The mana traveled along the wires, passed through the prepared power poles, and poured into the empty mana crystal on the opposite side.
The nobles watching this spectacle gaped in astonishment.
"Th-that's actually happening!"
"If we could really install that...!"
Most of them eyed the mana lines hungrily.
Even the Emperor's eyes widened slightly.
I called out to them confidently.
"Once the mana grid is in place, you'll all reap the benefits right in your own territories! No need to ship mana crystals to distant plants—you can do it from the comfort of your homes!"
Every noble shot their hands up.
A mix of questions and criticisms flew, but I fielded them smoothly.
As I handled the nobles one by one, the Emperor finally spoke.
"Is it safe?"
Hm. What did that mean?
Was he simply prioritizing safety, or testing me?
Either way, I was brazen—no, forthright.
"Yes. It poses no threat. On the contrary, it'll usher in an era of peace and prosperity for the Empire."
"Hmm. Very well, let's discuss the details."
The Emperor had accepted the proposal.
The finer points would require negotiation, but this was as good as approval.
I hid my victorious smile and bowed gratefully.
Thus, I had achieved my goal.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ At last, the mana grid was officially proclaimed by imperial decree.
Not just the towers and power poles, but a host of related devices like transformers as well.
This meant I had to release the blueprints.
The reason was obvious: I couldn't shoulder it all myself.
We were already talking about building new mana power plants on top of everything.
So the blueprints were opened up, and each territory would fund their own installations.
My side and the imperial family would handle the transmission towers.
In simple terms, we set the standards and collected royalties.
Some places might skip it, of course, but they'd miss out on the benefits.
Meters would need to be installed too, and we'd hire personnel for that.
"Still, it'll take at least a few years."
To that end, the imperial family agreed to pay usage fees until things stabilized.
If the Emperor had pushed this solo, we wouldn't have had to worry about all this.
Either way, it meant far less on my plate.
That was a huge relief.
"Now that the mana grid's on track..."
Next up: factories.
It was finally time to develop tech for true mass production.
But I couldn't make every machine under the sun.
So I'd start with the most essential ones.
"Oh, right. Gotta install the transmission towers and power poles too."
For my own factory, I'd handle it personally.
Delegating to others would be too slow.
I mapped out my plans in my head as I headed to the lab.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ While Edn achieved his aims and moved to the next phase, the Duke grew busy.
The imperial family had tasked House Apontuna with installing the mana transmission towers and power poles.
He wasn't completely hands-off before, but now he had to take the lead.
Even for a duke, keeping his emotions in check was proving difficult.
He was already splitting duties with the palace, and now this full-time commitment on top.
"Phew. There must be good reasons for it."
As he sighed, a spark flared in the Duke's heart.
Not anger, but the flame that had kindled before his trip to the Holy Kingdom.
He shook his head, pushing away disloyal thoughts toward the Emperor.
There were more pressing matters right now.
"About 250 meters between towers. From the power plant here, then over to here."
He unrolled a map of the Empire and marked specific points.
Those were the projected sites for the transmission towers.
Actual construction spots might differ from the map, of course.
"Need to dispatch survey teams. And form new escort units for them."
The Duke paused, frowning briefly.
He swallowed a sigh and thought of the imperial knights and mages.
"Yes, I'll have to use them."
They couldn't refuse orders tied to an imperial decree.
And with the Duke's authority backing it, there'd be no pushback.
With those calculations in mind, he continued drafting the construction plan.
Several hours into poring over the map and documents, the butler knocked.
He had a report.
The Duke was mildly irritated at the interruption but quickly composed himself.
"Come in."
"Pardon the intrusion."
The butler entered and bowed politely.
With a solemn expression, he reported on Edn.
"Fresh news. Word from Edn Rerangbur's factory about a new machine."
"A new machine? Already, in such a short time?"
The Duke's eyebrow twitched, but the butler pretended not to notice.
He shook his head slightly and pressed on.
"Can't confirm that far. But they say it'll boost future productivity."
"Is that reliable?"
"Yes. The rumors are solid, though we haven't verified the prototype. Agents are looking into it now."
The Duke felt a mix of anticipation and worry about what it might be.
It wasn't like him to fret, but he couldn't help it.
"I wonder if people will accept it."
"...That's why we have you as family head."
The butler was startled by an expression he'd rarely seen on the Duke's face.
But true to his professionalism, he smoothed it over.
"Then I'll take my leave. I'll report any new developments."
"Very well."
The butler departed, and the Duke sank into his chair.
"Edn Rerangbur."
He mulled the name over, letting out a dry chuckle.
He simply couldn't imagine what Edn would unveil next.
With eager anticipation for whatever it was, he turned back to his work.