## Chapter 375 – Reapers of the Machine (2)
A man, who at some point noticed a massive black shadow looming over the royal capital, looked up to see something enormous dominating the sky.
“Whoa!! What is that!?
What kind of thing is that?”
“Is it a monster? What in the world…!!”
An oval, round shape, like a giant balloon.
And dangling from its lower part was something like a pouch, dwarfed in comparison to the massive object above.
“Have you ever seen anything like that…?”
“No? No way, right?”
The people of former Groden buzzed with unease as they watched it, but only for a moment.
Something like a rope seemed to drop from the pouch below, stretching down until it nearly touched the ground.
“A rope…? Looks like it’s made of steel?”
“Is that even possible? It’s so long?”
Then, the lower part, which had been clinging to the thick steel wire like a pouch, began to fall in its entirety, causing people to scream and flee.
“Uwaaaah!! It’s falling!!”
“Danger!!”
However, it slowed down midway through its descent and eventually touched the ground very gently, landing stably.
Up close, it looked like a large steel structure, like a container with many windows. It slowly opened, revealing people inside.
The residents, who had been running away in fear, turned back to stare in astonishment at the people emerging from within.
“Who are those people…?”
“They’re wearing Barmhausen attire, aren’t they?
I remember it because it’s so unique!!”
Neat and tidy suits that seemed uniformly styled.
And beside them, each displaying unique forms, were beings that resembled monsters and animals, made of inorganic matter but moving as if alive.
Among them, a man stepped forward, bowed politely, and offered a formal greeting.
“Greetings to His Majesty, the King of Groden!!
We are a delegation dispatched from Barmhausen…!!”
But contrary to his bold proclamation, when he raised his head, he found himself surrounded only by the residents of the royal capital. The man turned to look at his companions with a bewildered expression.
“What? Is this not the place?”
“Perhaps we were swayed by the wind.
It seems our landing zone was incorrect.”
“Ugh… Let’s go back up.
Our target is the royal palace garden.”
As the people casually returned to the container, and the container closed and began to ascend the steel wire back toward the balloon in the sky, the residents were left dumbfounded, unsure of what they had just witnessed.
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Although there had been a slight mishap, the news of the Barmhausen delegation’s arrival turned not only the royal palace upside down.
The very heart of Groden Kingdom’s royal capital.
Everyone waiting for their visit at Groden Royal Palace appeared calm on the surface, but behind the scenes, a frantic power struggle was unfolding.
“That… get rid of that.
The decoration is too much.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
The nobles and various state officials waiting in attendance whispered something to their subordinates, who had come up behind them, and then sent them away.
“Your Excellency, preparations are complete.
The tribute to be presented to His Majesty…”
“The tribute is ready, so leave it be.
Instead, order a re-inspection of the magic circles for the amenities.
The time to welcome the state guests is almost upon us.
We must ensure they are functioning properly so we can accommodate our guests.”
“Yes, I will double-check them.”
Of course, it was impossible to summon all the nobles governing the outlying cities of Groden, so only those from nearby cities had gathered in the royal capital upon royal command.
Even so, a considerable number of nobles had gathered for a specific reason.
Understandably, many nobles were eager to network with the Barmhausen delegation to expand their connections, whether they liked it or not.
“Greetings to His Majesty, the King of Groden!!”
“Welcome, and thank you for your long journey.”
Charlotte, who was observing the audience between the king and the delegation’s representative from the side, was also one such case.
As the eldest daughter and current head of the Polynac family, which operated the Saint Flansina Academy, a treasure trove of talent and the pride of Groden.
And as the chairwoman representing the academy, she had earned the right to stand near the king.
Her expression, however, was slightly stiff with tension, and she wore an awkward smile.
The engineering department head from Barmhausen, who had joined her group but had to remain separate during the audience, gestured for her to smile more brightly.
But already tense about meeting the Barmhausen dignitaries, she didn’t even notice.
“She always gets like this when she’s nervous.”
“Haha!! Considering her age, that’s to be expected.
A young lady meeting such important figures.”
The middle-aged engineering department head and the elderly magic department head standing next to him chuckled together, whispering to each other as the welcoming audience for the delegation gradually came to an end.
As the audience concluded and they moved to the next location, the magic department head turned to look up at the airship-like vehicle that had brought the Barmhausen delegation.
It had reduced a journey that would normally take years to just over a month, and even allowed humans to fly without the power of magic. He gazed at this marvel of civilization with a scholar’s eye, full of wonder.
“So… that is the technological prowess of Barmhausen…”
“You’ll be even more amazed if you go there yourself.
The advancement of Barmhausen’s technology is limitless.”
“That sounds interesting. I should take a trip around the world after I retire.”
“Though you have much to do before then.”
After they turned away.
The Barmhausen delegation, having gone through the formal process of the official audience.
After receiving permission for dungeon entry and investigation, they began to disperse, each heading off to attend to their respective tasks.
Their purpose was not merely to investigate the dungeon.
They also needed to cultivate relationships with Groden’s nobles for the sake of their national interests, and often conducted surveys of the people’s lives to gather data for the reports that the delegation would present to the Barmhausen Assembly upon their return.
And the start of the academy situation survey, one of their tasks, began with Charlotte at the center.
“We express our condolences for the passing of Marquis.
He was an excellent scholar who actively embraced and researched the culture of Barmhausen in Groden, the kingdom of magic.”
“Thank you for your consideration.
He would have been pleased to hear that.”
“We were in the midst of discussing providing the latest educational curriculum from our Mechanica Engineering Academy, weren’t we?
If the discussion on that matter concludes quickly, we are willing to provide it immediately.”
“I certainly hope so.
Then, shall we get to the main point, including that matter?”
The discussions that followed were short and clear.
They wanted to inspect Saint Flansina Academy.
This included not only the engineering department, which had provided research materials and curriculum from Barmhausen’s premier Mechanica Engineering Academy.
But also the magic department and the swordsmanship department for mutual cultural exchange, and the medical department, which had partnerships with Chaoxing’s Shangri-La Medical Institute.
Groden, Barmhausen, and Chaoxing had mutual academic exchange agreements, so they placed no restrictions on each other, at least in terms of academics, and spared no support.
Therefore, Saint Flansina Academy in Groden, as the midpoint, served as the center of this joint academic zone, and talented individuals who wanted to delve deeper into specialized knowledge were sent to academies in each country for study abroad.
In other words, simply touring the academy was, in effect, a partial cultural exchange with Chaoxing.
“Saint Flansina Academy sincerely welcomes our guests’ visit.
First, I’ll hand out the schedule.”
“Ah, apologies for the rudeness, Chairwoman, but there is something we would like to confirm first.”
Charlotte was welcoming the guests, but for some reason, the delegation seemed restless, like dogs needing to relieve themselves.
Seeing this, Charlotte tried to hide her embarrassment and offered a welcoming smile.
“If there is anything our guests desire, we can adjust the schedule as much as…”
“It’s nothing so grand, Chairwoman.
Carla von Sterben.
We would like to meet that student first.”
“Yes…?”
“We are considering taking her as a special admissions student to the Mechanica Engineering Academy.
If the discussion goes well, she will return with us when this investigation concludes, so we are doing this to give her time.
We have already spoken with the student’s parents in advance, and the opinions of our researchers here are the same.
We want to make it clear that we do not intend to disregard Saint Flansina Academy.
We simply want her to receive intensive education in her home country.”
The Barmhausen Assembly was made up of numerous researchers.
If the researchers thought so, it was surely the will of the Assembly.
Charlotte, having heard a more significant story than she had anticipated, began to think, nodding her head and summoning the prepared vehicle.
“Ah. That… you’ll have to discuss it with her directly.
Then, I’ll guide you to the academy.”
Saint Flansina Academy had also benefited greatly from Carla’s technology license, receiving significant contributions to the academy’s operation itself.
A half-baked engineering technology that, in a way, belonged to the fusion magic category.
However, the special form of alchemy and smelting technology that used metals with low melting points, existing as liquids at room temperature or low temperatures, was clearly an innovation in this era.
Even if she returned to her home country, the provision of the license would not be cut off, but it was true that the treatment of Carla would inevitably become more cautious.
So much so that, as a special case recognizing her contribution, she had been allowed to have her own personal workshop within the academy.
This was an unprecedented event that even her talented older brother, who was called the young master of the smelting department, had not been able to achieve.
There was a clear wall between excellence and innovation.
But to say that they would take such an outstanding student, Charlotte, as the chairwoman of Saint Flansina Academy, could not help but feel regret.
‘If only… she would say she doesn’t want to go.
But that’s probably not going to happen……’
The academy was a place of learning.
In particular, Saint Flansina Academy was a place of harmony where various fields intertwined, allowing for the completion of new ideas together.
If they had several students like Carla, it was only natural that the students studying together within the academy would be stimulated and their abilities would be enhanced.
From Charlotte’s personal perspective, she hoped that Carla would stay with Saint Flansina Academy until graduation.
But as a noble, would she have any reason to miss the opportunity to return to her home country, to be treated so well, and to receive honor and attention?
Moreover, if she could do the experiments and research she wanted to her heart’s content, there would be no reason for her as a researcher to miss that opportunity.
Therefore, she had no choice but to assert the student’s will as the last bastion, even though the possibility was low.
‘I should tell them to prepare the procedures in advance…
If it comes to this, it can’t be helped.’
The corners of Charlotte’s lips, who was smiling brightly in the carriage, were slightly drooping.
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