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The Supernatural Research Institute, located in the Royal Tomb Mountain Range, was currently in the midst of a busy time, although the scale was smaller compared to its peak. The height of that peak was during the preparations for the Glory War when tens of thousands of scientists were working, but now only over 80% of them were here.
Elizabeth also relaxed the restrictions on scientists. The Shujin Academy, the Winterhold College, the College of Medicine, and the Institute of Technology were the four only academies in the Imperium. More than half of the scientists came from these four academies, while the rest were from the Supernatural Research Institute, which was also considered the most elite group. Private capital had begun to develop slowly, leading to the establishment of many private workshops and factories.
Unlike Earth, the financial industry, including stocks and bonds, had not yet emerged. This was partly due to policy influences and also because the Imperium's population was not large enough for many things to be feasible.
The number of scientists was increasing day by day due to their status in society. Being a scientist was the most valued and prestigious profession, and their treatment was very good. Once one became a scientist, they would be assigned housing and a job, along with a lifetime supply of food and clothing.
In contrast, local officials were not as well-regarded. This year, the imperial examination had been transformed into a scientist exam. Each year, thousands of people applied, and only those who passed the scientist exam could become scientists. Elizabeth issued the scientist certificates herself.
As a result of the growing trend, the Imperium now boasted over 100,000 scientists in various fields. While the second technological revolution was coming to an end, a myriad of research projects were still being initiated. Many aspired to emulate William, Dr. Han, and others, seeking to create amazing inventions to attain PhDs and gain fame and fortune.
[ ===== ]
Inside the Supernatural Research Institute, life was bustling with scientists moving about. Some were arguing over specific issues, some gathered to discuss various topics, and others stared skyward, muttering to themselves.
Particularly lively was Dr. Han and William's research group, which boasted a large number of scientists. William's aircraft had developed into its third generation, and he was prepared to work on even more advanced aircraft. Meanwhile, Dr. Han's group was occupied with research on numerous subjects.
Two guardsmen accompanied Elizabeth as she visited silently, observing her surroundings. The more potent virus that Dr. Han was developing should not be the weapon she sought; it might lack sufficient power to be used against formidable supernatural individuals.
Elizabeth arrived at Leland's lab. Following the last scientist's suggestion, he was still developing small armor, but the super-large armor had yet to be dismantled. He had not given up on this plan.
Elizabeth could only look at it a few times before moving on. While it might hold potential for the future, at present, it was merely a flashy decoration. An ordinary shell would bring it to its knees.
As Elizabeth walked around, she came to a particular area that left her dumbfounded. Wasn't this her old job— the physics research group? Inside, several physicists quietly conducted experiments.
Suddenly, Elizabeth remembered that since the last energy research, she had not developed any groundbreaking theories. She gathered a group of scientists across chemistry, physics, and biology for a discussion.
"With our current level of technology and theory, is it possible for us to invent a destructive weapon?" Elizabeth scanned the crowd and asked.
"A destructive weapon?" Most of these scientists were PhDs who had participated in the war. Upon hearing Elizabeth's prompt, they speculated that this was in response to the need for powerful supernatural individuals, and that current weapons might not suffice.
"We could improve the siege artillery." An older doctor stepped forward.
The crowd turned to look at him. This doctor was the leader of the Schwerer Gustav research group; he had not only created the Schwerer Gustav but also presided over the various artillery improvements that followed. In the realm of high-powered weaponry, no one had more clout than he.
"How powerful could it be?" Elizabeth inquired.
"If conditions allow, by gathering everything together, we could create a cannon ten times more powerful than the current one," the old doctor responded confidently.
He stunned the other scientists. All had witnessed the Schwerer Gustav's power; it could reduce the Flame Giant to ground beef. A single shot could fracture the walls of the capital. If this was ten times more powerful, it was conceivable that large portions of the capital would be obliterated.
"Any other ideas?" Elizabeth, however, did not dismiss this one and continued to probe.
The crowd was slightly taken aback; she was not satisfied with that suggestion.
The old doctor frowned slightly. In terms of individual firepower, this was the most potent weapon he could conceive at the moment. The others remained silent, including the biologists. If that plan proved insufficient, any viral weapon would be even less effective.
"There is no need to confine ourselves to current conventional technology; we can envision more from other aspects," Elizabeth encouraged. "As long as you believe it could unleash tremendous power."
As she spoke, Elizabeth recalled something she had read in a journal left by Kai. The inspiration that led Kai to develop gunpowder stemmed from fireworks, although he did not mention that Sebastian had prompted him.
The crowd exchanged glances and quietly brainstormed for a long time. Yet, they could not generate ideas. Even after an hour of discussion, each scientist attempted to devise something but found their thoughts futile. They were mired in conventional weaponry—artillery shells, sniper rifles, and biological weapons.
Although Elizabeth did not know what Sebastian sought, she intuitively sensed it. These were not the "world-ending weapons" he needed.
As the discussion began to wind down, and the group continued to discuss these topics, Elizabeth felt helpless and eventually announced the meeting's conclusion. Suddenly, a young scientist in the back raised his hand!
"Hemmer, do you have an idea?" Elizabeth recognized the young scientist.
He was just under 20 years old and the youngest member in the entire Supernatural Research Institute. He had achieved first place in the scientist exam this year, which had led to his recruitment. He was the only new scientist this year to be admitted to the institute.
The crowd turned their attention to him. Hemmer, still showing some traces of youth, gathered his courage and said, "If we are talking about a powerful weapon, I do have an idea."
"Don't hesitate, just share it," Elizabeth encouraged.
"I think we should not limit our thoughts to weapons created by humans," Hemmer stood up and stated.
"What do you mean?" Elizabeth's eyes widened in realization. Being smart individuals, they quickly grasped the implications of his words.
"Compared to the power of conventional weapons, even if we develop something stronger, the most potent force still exists in nature," Hemmer proclaimed. "For example, tornadoes, tsunamis, earthquakes, etc. All these are many times more powerful than the Schwerer Gustav."
The other scientists were stunned. What Hemmer proposed was indeed unconventional, but it was a potential avenue, just something no one had considered before. In the face of such terrifying forces of nature, humanity seemed remarkably small.
"What you said is indeed a direction, but..." questioned the previous old doctor, "How would we harness that? If it can't be used, its power is meaningless!"
Many scientists nodded in agreement. Harnessing the power of nature was not something feasible with their current technological capabilities.
"Well..." Hemmer faltered. He had only just conceptualized the various natural phenomena but hadn't figured out how to utilize them.
"Let's explore ideas freely; speak without considering feasibility right now," Elizabeth suggested to encourage Hemmer.
"There are countless natural phenomena with super-energy capabilities, and while it's hard to harness them, we could consider imitating them," said one scientist.
"Imitating?" Others began to show interest.
"For instance, we could create a device that artificially generates a tornado, albeit in a weakened capacity," this scientist continued.
"An artificial tornado?" Many of the scientists' eyes lit up. But before long, they shook their heads. The idea was indeed bold, but it appeared unlikely to succeed.
Even if technology were sufficient, how much equipment would be required? The same limitation applied to recreating other natural phenomena—earthquakes, tsunamis, etc. They could only implement them on a small scale; a true replication seemed impossible. This proposal had opened a new line of thought, but it had ended before it could even fully develop.
Frustrated, Elizabeth had no choice but to dismiss the meeting.
Upon returning to the lab, Hemmer's mind continued to ruminate over the matter discussed earlier.
"Isn't there any natural phenomenon that could be replicated?" he mused inwardly.
A sense of disbelief overcame him, and he grabbed a telescope, exited the research room, and climbed to a high mountain near the Royal Tomb Mountain Range to observe the surrounding natural landscape.
At that moment, autumn enveloped the region. Streams, lakes, and rivers sprawled in the distance, while a gentle breeze rustled through the foliage of the mountains.
Suddenly, Hemmer noticed something—the red sun hung in the sky. Sebastian had created this sun, mimicking the one from his previous life using the power of his source. The outlined sun, although smaller, bore an uncanny resemblance to its larger counterpart.
"The red sun emits light and heat, and it can still affect us from such a distance?" Hemmer contemplated, observing closely. "Is it due to combustion?"
Doubts began to arise. Could combustion reach this level of potency?
"Or, similar to gunpowder, could several seemingly ordinary substances interact with one another to yield such incredible power?" As the contemplations proliferated, Hemmer's excitement grew. He felt as though he had stumbled upon a secret.
"The top of the red sun must be a completely new material reacting, resulting in far more power than gunpowder!" Hemmer exclaimed, nearly trembling with anticipation.
The young scientist hurried back to the Institute, eager to initiate experimental research. However, he faced a dilemma: which substances interacted at the top of the red sun? He was entirely in the dark on this front. The telescope couldn't reveal it, even the most advanced astronomical telescope could not uncover it.
Hemmer felt somewhat despondent. To identify the matter above, observation was necessary; but for that, he would require more advanced telescopes. Yet, being a recently recruited young scientist, he lacked the resources to procure such equipment, so he sought out Elizabeth for assistance.
Upon hearing his thoughts, Elizabeth was awestruck. She couldn't resist glancing up at the red sun. Shortly after, she slapped her forehead; how could she have been so oblivious? After all her observations of the night sky, she had not considered this. When it came to the most powerful weapon, nothing could rival the red sun situated above them.
Elizabeth promptly issued orders to assemble a research team to develop more advanced astronomical telescopes. Given that there hadn't been a previous need for such instruments, the Imperium's development in this area lagged well behind that of Earth.
However, telescope technology was not overly complicated. Following the mobilization of human and material resources, better astronomical telescopes were soon constructed, enabling clearer observations of the details surrounding the red sun. However, the initial findings were disappointing; no unusual substances were detected above—primarily hydrogen and helium.
This discovery startled both Elizabeth and Hemmer. Just these elements could yield such immense energy?! But in the minds of top scientists, this raised the question of its feasibility.
Elizabeth was exhilarated; she recognized that this could lead to an entirely new field of research, possibly uncovering aspects never explored before. Consequently, she quickly organized a research team.
Due to the elements and materials involved, she coordinated resources among physicists and chemists, bringing them together to investigate the secrets of the red sun.
[ ===== ]
"Interesting," Sebastian remarked with a smile. While the process differed somewhat from Earth, he anticipated that the outcome would be similar.