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Chapter 193 - Chapter 193: Tasking the Science Department with Developing a Propulsion System

Wilder went straight to the Munitions Department. Along the way, he was, of course, greeted with salutes from its members. Eventually, the department head got word of Wilder's arrival and hurried out to receive him.

Wilder explained the purpose of his visit.

The department head immediately ordered a subordinate, "Prepare a large, black-canopied carriage. Go to the armory and retrieve one hundred machine guns, each equipped with a sixty-round ammunition belt."

"Yes, sir."

The carriage was massive, and the horses pulling it were no ordinary steeds. They were a unique breed native to the Kingdom of Morass, powerful and robust, with incredibly thick limbs and backs—a breed specifically for pulling heavy cargo.

These horses were called Dreadnought Steeds. They were extremely difficult to capture, and even Wilder's forces didn't have many; on average, each department had only five or six.

Soon, the carriage full of machine guns left the Munitions Department, heading for the coastal port of Morass.

At the speed of the Dreadnought Steeds, the journey would take a full day. As the sun began to set, the carriage finally arrived at the port.

General Kuchiel was already waiting there. Accompanying this voyage was one of Wilder's current top combatants, Vice.

Naturally, Wilder couldn't personally deliver the goods; it would be beneath his status. Therefore, the voyage would be undertaken by only Kuchiel and Vice, along with five or six members of the Transport Unit.

With Kuchiel's steady and experienced hand, combined with Vice's superior combat power, Wilder felt at ease. As long as they didn't run into anyone at the level of a Sweet Commander, there should be no problems.

Watching the small ship, laden with machine guns and ammunition, sail into the distance, Wilder returned to the Royal Palace at full speed.

For the next few days, Wilder remained in the palace, handling official business and periodically receiving reports from the various department heads. Among these, the progress of the Talent Development Department was his greatest concern.

The current progress was considerable. The number of civilians who had passed the interview had already reached twelve thousand.

"That should be enough for now," Wilder said, putting down the document in his hand.

He looked up at Akira, who stood respectfully below. "The number of recruits has temporarily met our requirements. You can suspend the recruitment for now."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"At this stage, we can begin to shift our focus to the formation of the department itself. The six of you should first list the required positions and the number of people needed for each. Then, select suitable individuals from the recruits for the appropriate roles."

"Additionally, you need to conduct a training session for the new hires. Tell them what they need to do now, what they will be doing in the future, and how they should do it."

"Yes, sir," Akira replied with a bow. He then looked up and added, "Your Majesty, regarding the collection of books, I would ask for the cooperation of the Monitoring Unit and the Transport Unit."

"Rest assured, I will have them cooperate fully. The collection of books must also be expedited. Furthermore, the scope must be wide! The collected books should be immediately copied and backed up. There must be at least three copies of each. One will be placed in the library of the future Talent Development Department office. Another library, accessible to the public, must also be built, and it will receive one copy. However, you should know which books can be read by civilians and which cannot. The final copy will be kept in the Royal Palace library," Wilder stated with imposing authority.

Wilder was very satisfied with Akira and the others. In just a few days, the preliminary curriculum had already been designed and refined. Yes, it was only preliminary; more subjects and improved content would need to be continuously added in the future.

For now, this curriculum focused primarily on teaching literacy, arithmetic, and the core ideology. Developing textbooks for other subjects was not so easy and would require more time.

The curriculum was divided into three types of textbooks: one for mathematics, one for literacy, and one for history and ideology.

The history and ideology book was not as simple as its title suggested. It explained the current state of the world, then compared it to the Kingdom of Morass—how other nations were, while Morass still faced threats. It emphasized that everyone was fighting to protect the kingdom, and that to defend Morass was to be a hero.

Wilder placed the utmost importance on this aspect. The printing factory was currently working around the clock to produce the textbooks, with an initial print run of one hundred thousand copies of each type.

Furthermore, Wilder had proposed several essential establishments for the Talent Development Department from the outset, and their construction was now being expedited.

For example, schools—not the Cadre School, but schools to educate civilian children. Wilder felt he could afford that expense. Education would be free, at least within the capital for now.

A total of twelve schools needed to be built. Civilians would participate in the construction, and they would be provided with food.

This was a matter of necessity. If he could, Wilder would have built a hundred schools, but the kingdom was facing financial strain. Just building these twelve schools, consisting of simple walled enclosures and basic classrooms, had already cost him three billion Beri.

Fortunately, Vice and the others soon returned with good news. The transaction with Doflamingo had been completed without a hitch, and they had brought back two billion Beri.

Although two billion Beri wouldn't solve all their problems at this stage, it would at least provide some temporary relief.

When it came to money, the more, the better.

Wilder contemplated his next steps for development and decided he needed to get one particular industry off the ground first.

In this world, how does one make money?

By going out to sea.

Going to sea was the path to great wealth, which was precisely why Wilder was currently in such a passive position.

The most profitable route was blocked by Big Mom.

But this was only temporary. Wilder was determined to eventually break Big Mom's blockade!

Therefore, establishing that industry and running it well was an absolute necessity. It would drive the economy, expand trade, and create more jobs.

"Let's wait until the grain ripens and we can solve the problem of basic sustenance before we begin," Wilder sighed helplessly. The current situation was not the right time to launch it. The people couldn't even fill their stomachs, let alone spend money on anything else.

But that day wouldn't be too far off. There were many clever people, and not everyone would fixate only on immediate survival. They might not be able to go far, but the seas surrounding the Kingdom of Morass were still accessible.

It was dangerous, though; they had to be wary of Sea Kings.

"But some preparations must begin ahead of time."

In the Calm Belt, the most critical issue to solve was ship propulsion. So, they had to start solving that problem now.

Wilder dialed the Den Den Mushi for the head of the Science Department. "From now on," he said flatly, "begin developing a propulsion system for our ships. I don't care what method you use, but you must make it so our ships can move in the Calm Belt."

"Understood," came the single-word reply from the other end.

Wilder hung up. Currently, the only ships in Morass capable of navigating the Calm Belt, besides Wilder's own small, single-person vessel that was being repaired, were the black-and-red warship and three large and two small transport ships.

And all six of these ships had been purchased. Their functionality was not particularly powerful. Apart from one that was pulled by Sea Kings, the rest used a rather outdated propeller propulsion system. They were prone to damage, slow, and easily snagged by seaweed or other debris. Sometimes the ships were too heavy, and the engines would spew smoke and die.

Wilder's order to the Science Department was, naturally, for them to create a propulsion system that wouldn't be plagued by these problems. Otherwise, he might as well just buy more ships.

Having dealt with that matter, Wilder paid another visit to the Cadre training camp on the outskirts of the Direct Rule District. He watched for a while as the children, under the whip of Mandigore and Bilvat, poured out their sweat and tears.

He couldn't help but marvel at the constitution of the children in this world. After just a few days of training, combined with good food and proper clothing, the orphans' physical fitness had improved dramatically. Their spirits were a world apart from before. Looking at them now, they were like completely different people from when he had first met them.

Wilder left, satisfied.

"Next, it's time to focus on my own improvement. True strength is the ultimate guarantee."

As he thought this, a realization struck him. He had been so busy lately that he had forgotten to implement some of the ideas he'd had.

The Talent Development Department was just one small part of it. Wilder remembered his goal was to establish a comprehensive system of rules, regulations, and official positions.

"But the current Talent Development Department has already achieved a preliminary version of the system I wanted, composed entirely of scholars. Now, I just need to wait for it to mature and cultivate a large number of talents. Then, I can truly begin institutional reform."

There was still a long road ahead.

Wilder sighed with some emotion. At the same time, his steps, which had been heading towards the Royal Palace, shifted direction towards the Munitions Department.

Currently, among all the departments, the Munitions Department was developing the best. Its personnel had accumulated a wealth of experience and innovative ability. Coupled with the assistance of the Science Department, research and development of weapons had never ceased.

Although they had only invented the machine gun and the cannon so far, with no other noteworthy weapons to speak of, the experience accumulated through constant experimentation was real and tangible. With the right opportunity, they could one day invent a powerful new weapon.

And it wasn't as if there was no progress. The third generation of cannons was already under development and had shown some promising results.

Furthermore, the innovative contributions of the Science Department were also significant. The discovery of new metal alloys was a leap forward, providing a base strong enough to withstand the power of the cannons.

Gunpowder had also seen considerable improvement, a fact best exemplified by the shells for the cannons and the bullets for the machine guns.

Today, Wilder decided to give the Munitions Department a great gift, a gift that had been in his mind for a long time.

When he arrived at the main hall of the Munitions Department, Vane, the chief technician and head of the department, was already waiting for him, having been notified in advance.

Besides Vane, several of the most outstanding scientists in the department were also present. They took this matter very seriously, because the design for the machine gun had come from Wilder himself.

So, when they heard Wilder was coming to "give a gift," they were even more excited than Vane. They had been stuck in a creative rut for a long time. After all, imagination doesn't just improve by leaps and bounds. Limited by the bizarre science of their world, it was difficult for them to imagine something like a pistol evolving from a rifle. They would never have dared to think: So... a gun can be this small? A longer barrel isn't necessarily better?

When Wilder walked in with steady steps, they all took a deep breath and then, with respectful and serious expressions, gave him a salute.

"Your Majesty."

"Please, have a seat." In the middle of the room was a round table, just big enough for seven or eight people. Wilder sat at the head of the table and invited the others to sit as well.

"Tell me about your recent progress," Wilder said, lighting a cigar and taking a deep puff, looking at the assembled men.

"Err..."

No one had expected this to be Wilder's first question. They all looked at each other awkwardly, unsure what to say. In the end, they unanimously turned their gazes to the department head, Vane.

Wilder looked at him too.

Vane frowned seriously, lit a cigarette, and blew out a stream of smoke. After a moment's pause, he said, "Your Majesty, there has been no actual progress. However, one of my students has recently been developing a type of projectile that can be thrown by hand. I think it's a good idea. If completed, it could have a significant impact. And his progress on this idea is substantial; from what I can see now, there is a chance of success."

At these words, Wilder's eyes lit up slightly. This thing sounded familiar.

"Excellent. This idea is excellent. That young man must be specially cultivated. This idea should also be supported. Let him continue with it. Help him when he needs it."

"Yes, sir," Vane and the others quickly agreed.

"Also, regarding his idea, I have a few... unrefined suggestions. Perhaps you can have him try them out."

Wilder's words made their eyes shine. They immediately sat up straighter, like students listening attentively to a lecture.

They knew what it meant when Wilder spoke like this.

It meant this thing had potential!

Vane and the others listened intently, ready to hear what Wilder's suggestions were.

Wilder looked at their eager faces without comment. He took another drag from his cigar before speaking. "The idea of throwing it by hand is good."

Saying this, Wilder dipped his finger in his teacup and drew a cylindrical shape on the table with the water. Then he looked at them and said, "You can make it roughly this shape, a bit elongated. This would make it easier to throw."

Vane and the others nodded.

Wilder continued, "Also, once you have an idea, you should try to expand upon it. For example..."

For example?

Curiosity sparked in Vane and the others.

Wilder went on, "The initial idea is to throw a projectile. Well, can you think of it differently? Extend the ordinary thrown bomb to produce another effect. For example, a bomb that, when thrown, produces a thick cloud of smoke? Or perhaps, one that releases a blinding flash of light, temporarily blinding people?"

That's right. Wilder was talking about flashbangs and smoke grenades. To him, it was nothing special, but to Vane and the others, it was incredible!

This kind of thinking!

The hearts of Vane and the others began to pound with excitement!

 

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