The Meaning of Machinery in the Old Man's Eyes

Grandmaster Jürgen had no reason to attend the exchange between the two academies. Moreover, since the Black Dragon City side specifically requested to see Dean Breidan de Morai, there was even less reason for him to show his face.

However, because his disciple Master Pierre, had previously sent him a letter that revealed some of the true situation in Black Dragon City, his curiosity drove him to want to meet Mr. Tuster, the man whom his disciple had praised so highly in his letter.

To maintain secrecy, his disciple Pierre didn't elaborate on the extent of Tuster's skill in the letter, only mentioning that Black Dragon City had a "world-class master Grand Mechanical Master."

Now that I see it, it is indeed extraordinary!

Karl's raccoon combat suit is at least ten years ahead of the technology level of their Oma Royal Academy of Sciences!

And Mr. Tuster is said to have mastered even more advanced technology, has not yet made a move.

It is said that he possesses a truly top-tier battle suit of armor with combat power comparable to a "legendary" suit.

Grandmaster Jürgen did not know Tuster before. When that "scandal" broke out, Tust was still a mid-level mechanic in the Varalze Province in southern Omar.

Later, after studying at the Royal Academy, he progressed through the ranks to become an advanced master, grandmaster, and Grandmaster.

He only learned about the feud between Tuster and Breidan when he heard that Black Dragon City wanted to visit under the guise of an exchange.

At that time, he knew that there might really be more to the story than met the eye.

Because he knew that Dean Breidan was capable of such a despicable act!

Jealous, petty, and prone to eliminating those who disagree with them.

Over the years, although Bradan had reached the pinnacle of power and there were few things left for him to be jealous of, he was still doing the same despicable things as before: nurturing his son, who was not particularly talented in mechanics, and using patents from who-knows-where to forcibly elevate him to the status of "Mechanical Grandmaster."

This matter might not be clear to outsiders, but it couldn't be kept from him, the "Grand Mechanical Master".

After all, the academic circle of mechanics isn't as clearly defined as the Extraordinary Rank, where there are distinct levels with clear dividing lines. The titles of "Senior Mechanic" and "Mechanical Grandmaster" within the mechanics world only require rank assessments, papers, patents, and achievements.

The sole assessor is the "Oma Mechanist Guild".

Only the three Grandmaster of the Oma Royal Academy of Sciences can be assessed and certified as Grandmasters.

Anyone else who can pass the "Mechanical Grandmaster" exam based on their own abilities is undoubtedly a mechanical genius with exceptional talent.

But Grandmaster Jürgen knew Breidan's son and was certain that he was not the kind of mechanic with extraordinary talent.

But that guy surpassed himself and received the "Grandmaster" evaluation.

It's obvious there's something fishy going on here.

Its purpose is self-evident.

One of the qualifications for being nominated as president of the Royal Academy of Sciences is to have a title of Grand Master or higher.

The president of the Oma Royal Academy of Sciences possesses immense power, and in the capital, he can even influence the emperor's decisions to a certain extent.

Breidan intended to turn the Royal Academy into his Morley family's "private domain," a crucial bargaining chip to ensure their family's continued presence among the top nobility.

Also due to certain conflicts between the political and academic circles.

Jürgen had long been fed up with the chaotic academic atmosphere in the college.

He was powerless to do anything about it.

He felt that if the academic atmosphere were more pure and less cutthroat, Omar's technological development would be far ahead of what it is today.

It's not necessarily better than the current Black Dragon City, but it's definitely not much worse.

Therefore, Jürgen felt that being humiliated by Black Dragon City this time was not necessarily a bad thing.

At least it made those "mechanical politicians" in the academy who thought they were "invincible" and who only thought about vying for fame and fortune realize that their status was being threatened and gave them a sense of crisis.

Upon seeing Grandmaster Jürgen appear, everyone stood up to greet him.

Even the Grandmaster Oliver greeted him politely, "Vice Dean, what brings you here?"

Grandmaster Jürgen didn't say much, just nodded indifferently.

Turning to Karl on the arena, he said directly, "Mr. Karl, your combat mech skills are truly remarkable. Our Omar mechs are far inferior to yours. Your achievements in the field of mechs are unmatched, even by this old man."

He readily admitted defeat.

There was really no need to continue the exchange between the two academies at this point. The technological gap in combat mechs was already a huge gap that even a layman could discern.

If you can't compete, you can't compete. Accepting it calmly makes many people feel less embarrassed.

In the realm of steam technology, those who have mastered it always come first.

Jürgen feigned ignorance and asked Karl, "May I ask, Mr. Karl, who is your teacher?"

Upon hearing this, Karl on the stage replied, "I come from the Black Dragon Academy. My knowledge of mechanics was all taught to me by my grandfather."

Jürgen raised an eyebrow. "Grandpa?"

At this moment, Rein stepped forward and solemnly introduced to everyone, "This is Mr. Tuster Furnster, Dean of the Academy of Sciences of our Black Dragon Academy."

It can be said that the old man single-handedly supported the technology of Black Dragon City.

As the world's top mechanic, he has to maintain a certain level of prestige.

It's only natural that the Black Dragon City himself would introduce him.

However, this name is unfamiliar to most mainstream mechanics today.

The younger ones have never even heard of it.

As people get older, they may not be able to remember a person's name from thirty years ago.

"Tuster? Where did this mechanic come from? I've never heard of him."

"I'm pretty sure that this person isn't on the list of Grandmasters or higher certified by the Mechanist Guild."

"That's not right. Why haven't I heard of such a skilled mechanic? To design such a powerful mecha, one should have at least a lot of high-level patents, but I don't recall ever seeing one?"

"I don't recall ever seeing this name before."

"."

The trainees whispered among themselves.

Now, Karl alone has slapped the entire OMA Academy of Sciences in the face, and no one doubts that Tuster is a top-notch mechanic anymore.

That's precisely why everyone was even more puzzled.

The lineage of top-tier mechanics is unique to Omar. Even the mechanical academy of the Xid Empire recruited second-tier talents from Omar with high salaries.

It's safe to say that any skilled mechanic must have a direct connection to their Oma Academy.

But nobody had ever heard of this "Tuster Furnster." His name wasn't on the Mechanist Guild, nor on the patent list, and there was no mention of any apprenticeship or famous disciples.

A blank page.

It's as if they appeared out of nowhere, completely out of this era.

At this moment, Mr. Tuster also stepped forward. Today was his stage, and he would not back down.

He looked at the students who were filled with doubt and introduced himself, "You students may not know me. But thirty years ago, I was also a member of the Oma Royal Academy of Sciences. This is where my dreams took flight. I studied here, got promoted, and became a senior researcher."

Call.

Upon hearing this, a collective sigh of relief could be faintly heard.

If they lost to someone else, Oma Academy would lose all face. But if they lost to one of their own "seniors," it would be much better.

However, the problem still exists.

Since he is a senior in the academy, why have I never heard of him?

At this moment, an academy member asked, "Then, Mr. Tuster, since you are a senior member of our academy and such a skilled mechanic, why have we never heard of you before?"

Karl's armor was so impressive that even Grandmaster Jürgen felt inferior to him; one can only imagine the level of a teacher who could produce such a disciple.

Tuster smiled slightly and said, "But later, due to some things, I was expelled from the Mechanist Guild."

"Cough! Cough!"

However, before he could finish speaking, Grandmaster Oliver coughed a few times, interrupting him.

He naturally wouldn't let Tuster reveal the "scandal" from back then, and added, "Mr. Tuster! While I think your Black Dragon Academy has indeed performed well in exchanges, please watch your words. The Imperial Supreme Court has already ruled on the matter from back then. Please don't spread fabricated facts that contradict the judgment and damage the academy's reputation."

Tuster glanced at him and said calmly, "Grandmaster Oliver seems to have heard about what happened thirty years ago? Then tell everyone what happened back then?"

Oliver clearly thought the Black Dragon City side was going to use this as an excuse to cause trouble, and his tone became less polite. "That's your private matter! This is an exchange meeting between two academies, not a place to discuss old grievances. Besides, in my opinion, you deserved to be expelled from the academy back then. The court has already made its ruling. If you have any objections, you can appeal. Don't come here to tarnish the purity of this academy."

He paused, then continued, "Besides, don't think that just because you've found some ancient technological heritage somewhere, you can act recklessly at our Oma Royal Academy. A person's research level doesn't reflect their character! Mr. Tuster, please have some self-respect!"

These words were spoken with righteous indignation and cleverness, leaving no room for Tuster to refute them.

So what if you're highly skilled?

It doesn't mean you have good character!

Besides, it might not even be due to my own skill level; what if it's an ancient relic I've unearthed?

Once this label was attached, everyone's curiosity turned into a subtle wariness.

It seems to be someone who plans to cause trouble at the academy just because he's good at the technology?

These words, spoken by a senior school leader, naturally carry considerable authority.

None of the trainees asked about Tuster's identity anymore.

Surprisingly, upon hearing these words, Tuster calmly shook his head.

"I agree with you. A person's research level does not determine their character."

His words revealed no trace of emotion stemming from hatred, like a deep, ancient well, utterly still.

He paused for a moment before continuing, "I don't intend to waste public resources discussing my personal feud with Breidan in the academy. Since he's unwilling to show up today, I'll come back another day. The main reason I'm here today is actually for something else."

Is the old man about to show off his skills?

Upon hearing this, Rein raised an eyebrow, the chilling glint in his eyes becoming impossible to conceal.

He had originally planned to make a huge scene, but now, Breidan had no choice but to accept the situation, whether he wanted to or not.

He had Karl go on stage first to embarrass him, actually to give Tuster a chance to speak.

Only when you have the ability will others have the patience to listen.

Otherwise, once you enter the academy, no one will pay attention to what a strange old man is saying.

But to his surprise, what Mr. Tuster said next took him by surprise.

Tuster never mentioned his feud with Breidan again; the grievances he suffered back then, the hatred of his family's destruction, were all directed at him personally.

He harbored no hostility toward the Oma Academy.

Looking at the thousand people below, he said, "Oma Academy was where I grew up and studied. Without the academy's nurturing, I wouldn't be where I am today. I also love the field of mechanics, and I'm willing to dedicate my life to this great science. I'm grateful to the 'God of Steam'."

"Steam Machinery is a great invention bestowed upon humankind by the 'God of Steam,' benefiting mankind. Thousands of years ago, Emperor Spurglin created the first Mechanical City. From that time onward, humankind began to possess the ability to survive against harsh natural environments."

Even now, when I stand under the starry sky and gaze at it, I still feel that I've only grasped the basics of mechanics. The road ahead is still very long.

"Everyone should approach mechanical science with awe and humility. Only through humble pursuit can we reach the higher realms of mechanics. The development of mechanical technology is not the work of any one individual; it requires the collective effort of everyone."

"The most difficult period of primitive accumulation is over, and the 'technological explosion' is unstoppable. We mechanics are about to usher in the best era!"

"I can confidently tell you that in the future, we mechanics will definitely have an undeniable place in the top-tier Transcendent fields!"

"."

Tuster's speech silenced the large meeting room.

Not only the young mechanical engineering students, but also the instructors were all thrilled.

The old man's words are exactly what every mechanic dreams of.

Let machines benefit all mankind!

Let mechanics have a place in the top-tier, Transcendent realm!

"Well said!"

Upon hearing this, Grandmaster Jürgen shouted and led the applause.

Slap slap slap

Then, a wave of applause erupted in the huge discussion hall.

After a long while, the applause subsided.

At this point, Tuster revealed his purpose, saying, "I believe that mechanical science should be a purely academic field, not something that is mixed with power struggles and used as a bargaining chip in political games!"

He himself came from the Oma Academy, so naturally he knew where the academy's "ailments" lay.

These words resonated with many students present and touched their hearts.

At the current Oma Academy, increasingly serious cliques and factions have formed.

The students at the academy were also divided into factions. The upper-class nobles formed a nearly fixed circle. Even if the offspring of those upper-class nobles weren't particularly gifted in mechanics, they were destined for high positions of power.

However, the most diligent students in the academy were mostly from poor, aristocratic families.

Mechanics should be competing on talent, but in the academy, it's more about "connections".

The dean's faction has been running the academy for three generations, and their network of connections is deeply entrenched. The nobles and those with the correct political stance always receive the best resources.

This academic atmosphere has a profound impact on those impoverished mechanical engineers who are single-mindedly pursuing science and technology.

Without connections and the ability to flatter, they cannot obtain research resources approved by the Empire, nor can they use the academy's large-scale equipment.

This has greatly limited the development of science and technology.

Otherwise, how could Mr. Tuster have surpassed this era by twenty years on his own?

Talent is only one factor; environmental factors are the most important reason.

It's fair to say that the academic environment at the Oma Academy is worse than it was thirty years ago.

Tuster's words stung the students and instructors who were eager to learn steam technology but were not good at flattery.

The mechanics who focus on research are scientists! They are researchers! Not socialites from the capital!

Where do they find so much time to waste on socializing, networking, and flattering powerful figures?