Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 849: Future of Domain Research

CH849 Future of Domain Research

***

Alex’s now-iconic Mana Carriage rolled through the expanded streets of Ashwell, flanked by four mounted members of the Silver Wolf Guard.

People, particularly children, waved enthusiastically at the carriage. But, on this rare occasion, Count Skywalker didn’t wave back. Instead, he looked completely lost in thought.

Seeing this, the adults gently pacified their children as the carriage continued down the street.

The people weren’t upset—only a little disappointed—as they assumed the Count was deep in thought, pondering new ways to further develop their domain.

They weren’t entirely wrong. Alex was indeed lost in thought, contemplating how to further develop one particular aspect of the domain.

‘With the increasing population, it’s time I started looking into the secrecy and security of the sensitive projects being carried out within the domain,’ Alex mused to himself.

He recalled a presentation he had prepared for his father shortly after the territorial battle against the Kellerman Fief, when his father, Earl Drake Fury, had decided to send him on an interplanar expedition.

‘I wonder how the old man is doing? I hope he didn’t start a war in my absence,’ Alex chuckled inwardly.

Then his thoughts shifted to his siblings.

‘I’m pretty sure Sofi will do well managing the barony. I’m more worried about Sera. She seems like the type to either get into trouble or cause it.’

He stroked his chin.

‘Then again, I can count on Sofi to keep her in line.’

‘Ulfman should have learnt a thing or two from Lord Marshal Lawson. I wonder if he’s been thrown into a battle or war of his own yet. The Wildkins from the Ironmourn desert are always attacking Fury lands anyway, so I’m sure Ulfman has already had the chance to test what he’s been learning in the field by now.’

Then Alex thought about his youngest sibling, and an unmistakable fondness appeared in his eyes.

‘By now, Wilbert should already be at the Cradle. I just wonder if he’s made it into Echelon yet. If he has, then by the time I return to Pangea, I hope he’ll have some magic armour designs we can collaborate on together.’

Thinking about his youngest sibling, who was his self-proclaimed number one fan, Alex couldn’t help but feel a sense of longing.

He had always made a conscious effort not to think about Pangea since arriving in Verdantis, fearing it would make him restless and impatient. He only allowed himself to dwell on it now because they had finally gathered everything they needed for interplanar travel back to Pangea.

Now, it was only a matter of actually building the Interplanar Gate itself.

Thinking of the Interplanar Gate, Alex shook his head as he remembered why he had thought of his father in the first place.

‘ARCH and ARMOUR,’ Alex recalled. ‘Instead of coming up with a completely new plan, I can simply adapt the ARCH and ARMOUR blueprint I presented to Father back then.’

ARCH — Advanced Research Command Hub

ARMOUR — Centre for Advanced Research in Military Operational Utilities and Resources

According to the blueprint Alex had presented to Earl Drake Fury back then, ARCH was to serve as the umbrella organisation for all research and development within the territory. Meanwhile, ARMOUR would be a top-secret R&D organisation focused exclusively on military applications.

Technically, Sugud’s Bureau of Research and Development was already acting as the Frontier March’s version of ARCH—but only barely.

Alex still intended to establish ARCH as an organisation independent of, and superior to, the BRD.

Unlike the BRD, which under Sugud’s leadership functioned as a hands-on technocratic organisation, ARCH would instead be structured as an administrative body.

ARCH’s primary mandate would be to coordinate all research and development efforts throughout the domain and ensure the efficient allocation of scarce resources towards projects that aligned with the territory’s needs and long-term policies.

‘With ARCH established, the BRD can leave the administrative burden to actual professionals and focus on the research and development work it excels at,’ Alex mused.

‘That said, the BRD has already attracted far too much public attention. Between Mana Cement, Mana Steel, the Crossbow, and the many other research projects it has undertaken within the domain, the BRD can no longer function as a secret research organisation,’ Alex concluded regretfully.

This was where his old ARMOUR plan would come into play.

By establishing a new confidential organisation, ARMOUR, Alex would be able to implement the confidentiality policies he had overlooked during the rushed establishment of the BRD.

In particular, ARMOUR would be geared primarily towards military research, including adapting seemingly civilian technologies and products for military applications.

At its core, ARMOUR’s primary objective would be to ensure the domain’s self-reliance in critical military equipment, weaponry, and strategic utilities, so that it would never become dependent on outside sources.

ARMOUR would also allow Alex to transfer resources from the domain back to Pangea without drawing unnecessary attention.

Essentially, the BRD would be the public face of R&D in the domain while ARMOUR would become a black ledger, serving all—or at least most—of Alex’s confidential needs.

‘That’s as good a solution as any I can come up with at the moment,’ Alex thought.

He sighed before looking out of the window, only to realise they had already left the relatively bustling centre of Ashwell.

They had reached the expanded outskirts of the town, where there was little development beyond the road that cut through the area.

This had been a deliberate decision on the part of the domain’s administration, as it naturally kept people away. The lack of development also meant it was virtually impossible for anyone to enter the area unnoticed.

Alex’s Mana Carriage continued along the road until the bustling city of Ashwell had disappeared into the distance.

Finally, the carriage arrived at a manor situated deep within the expanded outskirts of Ashwell.

Despite the rushed establishment of the Bureau of Research and Development, which had not accounted for research confidentiality as thoroughly as Alex would have liked, there were still things that the BRD had done well.

One of them was this manor complex, which housed some of the organisation’s most highly classified research.

In fact, the manor was essentially Sugud’s personal top-secret research facility.

Alex alighted from the carriage and gazed at the manor, which was surrounded by barbarians from the Wildlands.

“Young Master Alex, you are here.”

A familiar voice called out.

Mordor Doomcrusher, flanked by his protégé, Tivela Andaroga, walked over to greet him.

“How are things here?” Alex asked.

“All is well. Hardly anyone comes here, allowing us to focus on our work and training,” Mordor replied with a smile.

Alex smiled apologetically at the man.

Due to the importance of this facility, Alex only allowed Wildlands barbarians whose loyalty he trusted absolutely—as they were incapable of betraying him—to guard it.

Amongst his retainers, only Mordor—and Tivela—had both the patience and the prestige required to command them.

In addition, Mordor possessed the magical background needed to understand, appreciate, and even contribute to the research being carried out here.

Unfortunately, this meant the brown-skinned Orc Shaman, who had joined Alex’s retinue in order to gain worldly experience, was effectively confined to watching over the facility.

Fortunately, the Orc Shaman didn’t mind, as it gave him the opportunity to teach his student the shamanic arts—or something close to them—and magic using Alex’s wallet.

“I am sorry to have you cooped up here, Mordor. I know this isn’t what you signed up for,” Alex apologised.

“No problem, Leader. I am aware I am the only one you can trust to protect our way back home,” Mordor chuckled. “Plus, you are paying for my student’s education. It’s a good deal for me.”

Alex smiled wryly.

Training a magic-oriented professional wasn’t cheap. Training one according to DragonHold’s standards—even the abridged version Mordor was teaching—was even more expensive.

Fortunately, Alex was anything but poor. Between his personal fortune and the resources of an entire domain, he could easily bear the cost of Tivela’s education.

“How’s the construction going?” Alex asked as they walked into the manor.

“It is on schedule,” Mordor replied.

“That’s good.” Alex nodded.

“Leader, aside from that, you’ll also be pleased to hear that Sugud has achieved success with another project.”

“Which one?”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

As if on cue to answer him, Alex heard a familiar loud sound.

Unfortunately, his Silver Wolf Guards were not as familiar with the sound, and they immediately moved to surround Alex protectively.

“Stand down,” Alex said excitedly.

He gently pushed the Silver Wolf Guards aside and hurried towards the source of the sound.

In the backyard, he saw Sugud holding a familiar contraption aimed at a wooden target riddled with noticeable holes.

The moment Alex saw it, his face blossomed into a wide smile.

***