The Lasmos Merchant Group leads the market with their advanced technological capabilities. Because of this, their building felt more like a giant research institute than a simple shop.
As the streets grew quiet in the evening, Dien hid himself near the Lasmos Merchant Group building.
‘There it is.’
Before arriving at the building, Dien had met with a spy dispatched from the Kingdom of Delos to grasp the movements of the Lasmos Merchant Group and the Crown Prince.
The coronation ceremony for the Crown Prince had already concluded.
The scales of power had tilted completely toward the Second Prince. The forces that supported the First Prince had become targets of a purge and vanished, while the remaining noble groups were busy walking on eggshells around the Second Prince.
Furthermore, with the Emperor bedridden from an unknown illness, the Second Prince had become the final decision-maker, effectively placing him in a position above all others.
The powerful military authority of Scania, which only the Emperor could command, was likely already within the Second Prince’s grasp.
In this situation, rumors circulated that the First Prince was merely holed up in the palace playing around with concubines. For this reason, it was safe to assume there were no powerful figures left to act as a shield for the Lasmos Merchant Group.
Dien’s gaze turned toward the top floor of the building.
Despite the precarious situation—like a flickering candle in the wind—the lights in the office of the merchant leader, Las, were still burning bright.
Until he arrived in front of the building, Dien had assumed Las would have already fled the capital. The circumstances surrounding Lasmos had deteriorated to the absolute worst, after all.
Logically, a bloody purge would take place within days. Why was he still remaining in the capital?
Dien was curious about the merchant leader’s intentions.
‘I should meet Las and ask him directly. Let’s see, the ways inside… the second-floor window, the main entrance, and the outdoor stairs. That’s three ways. A total floor area of 3,000 square meters and seven stories tall. It’s an enormous scale.’
Dien continued to linger around the building. This was to familiarize himself with the terrain and secure an escape route in case an unexpected battle occurred.
There were two worst-case scenarios.
One was that the Lasmos Merchant Group and the Crown Prince had buried the past and decided to cooperate. The other was that Las was already dead inside his office where the lights were still on.
He wouldn’t know which situation it was until he went inside.
Having finished his scouting of the terrain, Dien prepared to enter the building. That was until he spotted several men lingering around the perimeter.
‘Their level of swordsmanship is high.’
He could now gauge a swordsman’s level just by the faint echoes of their movements. There were approximately ten swordsmen lingering around the building. Among those ten, he identified two as Aura Experts.
Unfortunately, they were wearing civilian clothes, making it difficult to identify their affiliation. However, since they could be the Crown Prince’s knights, he had to refrain from doing anything that would draw attention.
He needed to avoid being discovered by the Imperial Knights as much as possible. Officially, he was in the capital under the guise of a student on a field trip.
‘I can’t just walk in…!’
The knights were watching the entrance and the outdoor stairs. Breaking a window would also be problematic due to the noise.
Dien began to scan the vicinity to see if there was anything he could use to distract them.
***
Las sat in his office, taking in the blueprints of the machinery he had designed.
The complex designs were drawn meticulously on the paper. Though these blueprints might seem like nothing to others, each one was a portrait of his youth.
He didn’t know when the Crown Prince’s subordinates would storm the office, but Las intended to face the end of his life while looking at the designs he had created.
“Where would I go, leaving you all behind?”
The machines he had built with his own hands, which were no different from his own children, were here.
Therefore, Las could not leave the merchant group while abandoning them.
*Boom!*
“Is there a fire?”
Just then, a loud noise rang out, and a red light flashed outside the building.
Looking toward the source of the light, he discovered that a pile of hay in front of the building had caught fire.
“Oh dear…”
A carriage was surrounded by a great inferno. Several people moved busily to suppress the flames, while nearby residents watched from a distance.
Fortunately, it seemed no one was hurt. And then—
*Thud!*
Las, who had been watching the fire, turned his head at the sound of the office door opening.
“Phew… it really is high up!”
A masked man, breathing heavily, began to catch his breath after confirming Las’s face.
Las showed no change in expression even after seeing the intruder in his office. Instead, he looked down as if he had anticipated this situation.
“Are you Master Las?”
“Why do you ask? If your business is my head… then hurry and do what you came for.”
The man must be a subordinate of the Crown Prince who had come for him.
Thinking so, Las sat in his chair, looked at the blueprints on the table, and eventually closed his eyes.
“Tell the Second Prince… congratulations on becoming the successor to the throne.”
Las finished speaking.
However, nothing happened to him.
Observing this, Dien instead let out a sigh of relief and continued speaking with a voice laced with a light chuckle.
“That’s a relief. It seems I’m not too late!”
At the intruder’s mysterious words, Las opened his eyes and frowned, unable to understand the meaning.
“I don’t know what business brings you to me, but keep it brief…”
“This is amazing. A tower crane in this era… Everything from the mast insertion method to the jib design is near perfect. You truly are Master Las.”
The masked man—no, the masked Dien—interrupted Las.
However, the words of the intruder, who was smiling brightly while picking up a blueprint, were extraordinary.
“Who are you?”
“As expected… you were indeed the optimal design expert of the Lasmos Merchant Group. The field of optimal design is the flower of mechanical engineering—”
“Identify yourself!”
Las watched Dien with wary eyes. He had thought the man came to kill him, but instead, the intruder was showing interest in the blueprints. His behavior was incomprehensible.
“Are you a spy who came to steal my merchant group’s technology? Which group are you from?”
It was a situation where he could easily be mistaken for a spy from another group.
In response to Las’s defensive attitude, like a hedgehog raising its quills, Dien smiled reassuringly and continued.
“It’s true that I came to take something from the Lasmos Merchant Group. But it’s not your blueprints, Master Las. And while I am a spy as you said, I’m not a spy from another merchant group.”
Dien removed his mask as he spoke. His bright smile was revealed, seemingly lighting up the surroundings.
“To be this young…!”
Why would a spy remove his mask in front of him? And to think such a young person was a spy. Setting everything else aside, Las could not understand why the boy was smiling so brightly at him.
Soon, Las could not hide his embarrassment as the boy approached and bowed in greeting.
“It is an honor to meet the genius engineer and scientist, Master Las. I have come here to make a proposal to you.”
“A proposal? To me?”
“Yes. A great man like you should not vanish in a mere political struggle.”
“Ha… well now…”
Las’s gloomy face and Dien’s smile stood in stark contrast.
“I know the value of your abilities and the magic power devices you’ve created better than anyone.”
Las stared intently at Dien, who was bowing before him. He could feel that there was no ill intent in Dien’s words or actions.
“Ho ho… that is quite the excessive praise for a man who is about to die.”
“No, compared to your achievements, it is a woefully insufficient compliment.”
Dien could feel from Las’s tone that he had given up on everything. He couldn’t tell if Las had given up on fleeing despite the Crown Prince’s surveillance or if he simply had no intention of running, but it was certain that he had given up on life.
Dien intended to deliver his and Delos’s proposal to him immediately.
“I am an administrative official from another kingdom. If you would only accept, Master Las, we wish to relocate you to our kingdom. We have already prepared a new identity for this purpose.”
“Hahaha, that must be quite a kingdom. They might earn the ire of the Scanian Crown Prince.”
“That is how much our kingdom values you.”
Dien pulled several documents from his inner pocket and spread them out before Las.
“These are the items our kingdom can provide to support your research. It includes matters regarding employment subsidies, land purchase costs, and support for facility expenses. It also contains details guaranteeing your new identity and safety. Please, take a look.”
Las picked up the documents Dien had laid down. Even at a glance, he could tell the level of treatment was exceptionally high.
What kingdom could offer such conditions to attract a merchant group or a research institute? Since there were still many nobles who viewed merchant groups merely as dens of hucksters, support for recruitment at a national level was surely an unfamiliar concept.
“Hahaha, it is certainly an enticing offer given the current situation. However, I have no intention of leaving behind what I have achieved. Every invention in this building is like my child. I am not a parent who would abandon his children and flee.”
Las’s expression still seemed devoid of motivation. Dien simply gazed into his eyes without a word.
‘Hmm.’
Dien’s eyes narrowed. How could he dispel Las’s lethargy? It was only natural for a scientist to have an attachment to his inventions.
However, Dien knew that the creations Las would make in the future would be far more valuable than his previous ones.
“What happened to the engineers who belonged to the merchant group?”
“They have all left the capital. If I had known such an offer existed, I would have had them relocate to your kingdom.”
Dien nodded at Las’s words. A momentary silence followed. The light from outside had disappeared before they knew it. Judging by the lack of noisy commotion, it seemed the fire in the hay had been suppressed.
“Now, please leave. I believe my intentions have been conveyed.”
Las stood up and turned his back to Dien. It was a non-verbal gesture that he had nothing more to say.
Watching Las, Dien organized his thoughts. He then nodded and clenched his fists tightly.
“Since your will is the most important thing, Master Las, I have no intention of being stubborn. However, please listen to my story just a little longer.”
Dien flashed a deep smile in the awkward atmosphere.
It was his secret weapon to persuade a genius. Because it was a new inspiration that would reignite his passion.
“I will now explain the reason why you must come with me, Master Las.”
If it was Las, he would likely be able to understand the advanced technology from Dien’s past life.
Dien decided to awaken the intellectual curiosity of the engineer. So that a brilliant engineer like Las could find the will to live through curiosity.
“This is a story about a new world that you can create if you leave with me.”
“A new world?”
“Yes. After I learned about the magic power devices you created, I organized the operating principles of magic power devices and ideas for numerous machines that could be built using them. Please, listen.”
Dien’s words continued in a low voice. At his words, Las’s ears perked up.
“Well… first, I will give you an explanation regarding the automobile.”
“Automobile? What is that?”
“Shall we call it a carriage that moves automatically? A power unit moves a crankshaft, which transfers rotational force to a flywheel that looks like this… and then the rubber wheels on the road surface—”
It was a method of persuasion possible only because Las was a curious engineer. As expected, Las began to show interest.
Dien began to utter word after word as he recalled his past.
And soon, Las’s body began to lean toward Dien, like a ship caught in a powerful gale.
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