The seeds of science took root in the soil of another world.
Paul almost laughed out loud, but he forced down the smile.
After Deson finished speaking, Cecil frowned and said, "Six months? If the Stonemason Clan really allies with the orcs, can we afford to wait?"
Paul slowly leaned back in his chair, his gaze drifting towards Weiss Academy through the window.
"We can afford to wait." His voice was calm. " Crystal Radiance has made it clear that it does not support continuing large-scale warfare. The king needs to recuperate, and we cannot go against the tide."
He turned back to Deson: "So, there's no need to rush the research on new explosives. We can take it slow and be more methodical."
His tone turned serious: "And this stuff is too dangerous. Mercury fulminate explodes, picric acid corrodes metal... Their experiments are like walking on a knife's edge, but for us, every researcher is a goose that lays golden eggs."
Cecil was slightly taken aback, but then understood what he meant.
"Strengthen laboratory protection," Paul ordered. "Add more isolation walls and equip the facilities with emergency fire suppression and evacuation plans. All high-risk experiments must be supervised by two people, and there must be zero casualties. If anyone gets into trouble, I will not only hold them accountable, but I will also halt the entire project."
He stood up, his tone softening: "Let them do their research, but don't make them gamble with their lives. Science is not a sacrifice, but an accumulation."
"Yes, Lord Glaeman!" Deson nodded and noted it down.
Paul concluded by saying, "Tell Wells and Hoffman —I'm proud of them. But they need to remember: the future of Lakeheart Town isn't in the power of a single explosion, but in every single day they live."
...
As dusk settled, Lakeheart Town, which had become an office area, The front yard of Lords Manor finally quieted down as the staff gradually left.
Paul rubbed his temples and walked through a series of long corridors into the inner courtyard. The candlelight flickered gently in the bronze lamp holders on the walls, illuminating his slightly tired figure.
"My lord." Butler Phillip Philip was already waiting on the veranda, his voice low and clear, "Madam is back."
"What, Catherine, did you go out on something?"
"Uh... I meant your mother."
Paul paused, looking up at the housekeeper: "Mother?"
"Yes, we just arrived and are waiting in the East Hall."
Paul quickened his pace and pushed open the carved wooden door of the east hall. A woman in a long robe was standing with her back to him, gazing at the flickering flames in the fireplace. Her familiar silhouette warmed his heart.
"Mom," he called softly.
Mariana turned around, the fine lines at the corners of her eyes trembling slightly in the firelight.
She strode forward, grasped Paul's arms with both hands, and looked him up and down: "You've lost weight. It seems you've been carrying a heavier burden on your shoulders than I thought?"
"I'm used to it," Paul smiled. "But I'm relieved that you're back safe and sound."
The mother and son sat down on the sofa in front of the fireplace. Philip personally served them hot tea and then withdrew. The crackling fire in the fireplace reflected the similar features of the two men.
Paul picked up his teacup, his voice lowering as the steam rose, "Will you leave again?"
Mariana hesitated for a moment, then gently shook her head: "I'm sorry, Paul, I still have some things to do. It's fate. I can only watch you grow up from afar, watching you walk step by step down a path I could never have imagined."
After a brief silence, Paul nodded. "Okay."
A smile suddenly appeared on his face. "By the way, since you're back this time, regarding your identity... previously only my father's old subordinates knew. But now, at least my wives should know."
"Wives?" Mariana paused slightly, her brows furrowing. "You...you've married other women again?"
Before he left last time, his son only had Catherine as his wife. Could it be that he...?
Catherine was the proud and proud Princess Aldor; would she allow her husband to have other women? Mariana was astonished.
Paul then realized his mistake and was momentarily speechless. He had intended to proceed gradually, but he had forgotten that his mother knew nothing about her experiences with the soul realm.
Mariana's gaze sharpened: "When did you marry someone else? Does Catherine know?"
She didn't want her son to ruin his relationship with the Aldo Royal Family because of this.
Paul smiled wryly: "The situation is a bit complicated... You won't be so surprised once you know the whole story."
Mariana stared at him, the firelight flickering in her eyes, as if she had a thousand questions to ask, yet didn't know where to begin.
"Let's start with the original source— Alvis from the Scholars Tower in Gabella came to me."
" Alvis?" Mariana exclaimed in surprise. How did this man end up in Northwest Bay? Wasn't this just asking for trouble for her son—Emperor Antonio was hunting him down.
"Listen to me, Paul, expel this man immediately!" Mariana frowned and warned sternly.
"Is it because the emperor sent assassins to hunt him down?" Paul smiled.
"How did you know? Ah! Has it already happened?!"
"Yes. That night, right after the academic conference in Lakeheart Town ended, I went to visit Alvis, who was staying there temporarily, and then the assassin appeared. It was a woman named Frostine."
Mariana was slightly taken aback. She had never heard of this name before. She knew that Antonio had sent the Ice Witch Coleridge to hunt down Alvis, but to ensure success, the Emperor might have sent more than one assassin.
Paul stated frankly, "She attacked Alvis and us!"
Mariana jumped to her feet and exclaimed, "You're injured? Damn it, I wish I had been there for you!"
Huh? What if Mariana were here too... Stop, stop, Paul forced himself to stop imagining it.
"Please don't get agitated. I'm not injured. It's La Di who was seriously injured while protecting me. But at this moment, some kind of mysterious protective magic on La Di was triggered. This kind of protective magic is unique to the Serdan royal family on the other continent."
"Did you know that La Di and Queen Isabella of the Serdans are actually... are actually in a relationship of being in different bodies but connected in spirit? I don't really understand how it happened between them, but their souls and senses are linked together, which is why La Di can trigger that kind of mysterious magic."
Mariana frowned slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes: "Heteromorphic co-existence... this is a magical existence that only exists in legends!"
As for the Serdans, she did know about them. When she returned to Northwest Bay last time, Paul's global expedition fleet had just returned, and the streets and alleys of Lakeheart Town were filled with news about another continent and the magical alien races on it.
"It was that magical spell that drew the severely injured La Di, along with several people around her—me, Catherine, Eileen, and Frostine —into a space purely at the soul level, a space composed of spirit, where Queen Isabella of Serdan, who should have been on another continent, also appeared."