After reading all the stolen technical blueprints brought back by Uno and the Wei Clan, Elara found that only a small amount of real technology had been leaked by the Lianhuang Sect. Most of it was just basic agricultural scraps that couldn't cause any actual harm to the Plumera Kingdom.
Other things like papermaking, brick firing, smelting, and advanced iron weapon techniques were still safe. The Lianhuang Sect had only bought finished products and tried to take them apart and study them, but their guesses about the materials and processes were mostly wrong.
Even so, this didn't calm Elara's anger.
In every field and place, there were always some rotten rats, just like the corrupt officials she had just dealt with in the court. They ruined a good pot of soup completely.
When Elara shared these technologies with major departments, she had already considered the risk of leaks. To prevent that, she had ordered strict security measures.
No one outside the factory was allowed to enter. Inside, everyone had strict roles, like core technicians, assistant technicians, managers, recorders, and laborers. Each group had limited movement, and only core personnel could access critical areas.
It was probably because of this strict system that the Lianhuang Sect hadn't gotten their hands on any core technology yet. All they had were useless agricultural scraps.
Still, Elara was furious.
In modern times, these techniques might not be a big deal. But in this ancient era, each one had cost her great effort to obtain.
No matter who leaked these, even the smallest bit of knowledge, they were unforgivable.
This was also a warning. If she didn't handle this firmly now, more important or even core technologies might get leaked in the future.
Since there were traitors, they had to be hanged publicly. Only then would it be enough to scare others.
After carefully reviewing every single pirated blueprint, Elara ordered Uno and the Wei Clan to search all Lianhuang Sect hideouts again.
Once they confirmed that all stolen blueprints were found, Elara told her people to summon Kristof from the Ministry of Justice and Mr. Zhiron from the Ministry of Revenue.
"Aside from investigating all court officials, the Ministry of Justice will also create a new 'Technical Security Department' to oversee and protect our nation's key technologies."
Elara handed the thick stack of "pirated" blueprints to Kristof and Mr. Zhiron, then first looked at Kristof.
"From now on, everyone entering the factory must be strictly monitored by the Ministry of Justice. The higher the level of technology they access, the tighter the surveillance, including the families of the technical officials. Kristof, you must interview each core technical officer from the Ministry of Works one by one, to prevent any leaks or betrayal of our technologies. Anyone who dares to break this rule will face the harshest punishment."
Kristof's usual carefree smile disappeared as he looked at the pirated blueprints, his expression growing colder. "Yes, Your Majesty. I will ensure they are punished without mercy."
After speaking to him, Elara turned to Mr. Zhiron. "From now on, all workers entering the factory, even basic laborers, must have a personal file created by the Ministry of Households. Every new hire must first be screened. If they have any criminal history or bad behavior, they are forbidden from working in the factory."
"Yes, Your Majesty," the two respectfully replied.
After giving her orders, Elara's anger eased a little as she continued reviewing the items Uno had brought.
Aside from the thick pile of pirated blueprints, they also found several letters at various hideouts that were about to be sent to the Carnation Kingdom. Uno and his men intercepted them in time.
These letters came with many items currently produced in Plumera Kingdom using iron: things like iron farming tools, iron building frames, iron rods, wires, and fences. There were even discarded iron weapons. Boss Wei and others had packed all of this into a "sample bundle" to be sent with the letters to the Carnation Kingdom.
The contents of the letters said that after months of secret investigation, they discovered Plumera Kingdom had far more iron weapons than expected, even more than most second-class countries. The quantity was nearly equal to a top second-class country.
Besides weapons, the factories in Plumera Kingdom also produced many new and strange items. They even made household tools out of iron, like iron shovels and sickles. After Plumera Kingdom expanded construction, many new buildings like public toilets appeared and seemed quite unusual.
Based on all these strange signs, Boss Wei and the others strongly suspected that Plumera Kingdom had already mastered iron smelting technology. And behind Plumera Kingdom, there was a high chance that Tiangong Pavilion was involved.
They believed there must be an unknown and important reason, perhaps related to the mission where the sect leader sent Sindri to infiltrate Plumera Kingdom, which turned Plumera into a secret subordinate force supported by Tiangong Pavilion in the southwest. Tiangong Pavilion may have gifted them rare technologies and tested various hidden inventions there.
If this was not the case, it would be impossible to explain how Plumera Kingdom, which was still a weak third-class nation just six months ago, could suddenly rise to second-class power. The country was rapidly developing, showing technologies and rare weapons even second-class countries seldom had.
After reading the letter, Elara's anger faded a bit more.
Even though the technology leak from within the Carnation Kingdom made her furious, the letter was actually quite useful to her.
The reason she went to the Hundred Nations Banquet and connected with Lucian was to use Tiangong Pavilion as a cover for Plumera Kingdom's source and development of technologies.
This letter from Boss Wei and the others unexpectedly helped establish a clear link between Plumera Kingdom and Tiangong Pavilion, saving her the trouble of creating a false narrative.
But even with Tiangong Pavilion's name as a cover, Plumera Kingdom must not become too noticeable, to avoid drawing unwanted attention.
Parts of the letter revealing too many strange details about Plumera Kingdom had to be revised or removed. The iron weapons and tools collected by Boss Wei and the others could not be sent to the sect. If anything was sent, it could only be "secondary" quality ironware similar to that from Tiangong Pavilion.
Elara tapped her finger lightly on the table while holding the letters. She told someone to find Mathias and ask him to bring a few people from the Department of Science who were good at copying handwriting. Then she had them edit the letters.
Only after these letters were revised and recopied did Elara put them away. She also replaced the iron bundle with a package of lower-grade weapons, then handed them to Kristof and Uno.
"Uno, later return these letters and the 'secondary' iron tools. I will make sure Boss Wei and the others send these to the Carnation Kingdom."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Uno said as he took the letters and the iron tools.