Chapter 98

It's impossible for just a few people to rebel against such a large, millennia-old Empire.

But Ieyasu's answer made Tatsumi's vision go black; it really was true.

"Good!"

"To help Miss Clara build a brand new country where no powerful people can do evil and treat human life as worthless."

"A truly fair and just country governed by the rule of law."

Ieyasu was very serious. After confirming the production speed and characteristics of the mechanical creature, he had no more doubts.

As more industrial bases are established, large quantities of mechanical parts are produced on assembly lines and then organized by Automaton Soldier.

Once it reaches a certain scale, it won't be long before it can form a Mechanical Construct army of 100,000.

Such mechanical beings are stronger than ordinary soldiers; overthrowing the empire is just around the corner!

With the addition of absolutely fair and just mechanical intelligent management, there will be no more corrupt empires.

In addition, there's the Creation Engine that Miss Clara mentioned. As the foundation of the nation, it's enough to ensure the Mechanical Empire's longevity.

"..."

Listening to Ieyasu's words, Tatsumi wondered if he had gone mad or if he was stupid. Was he really going to start a rebellion?

On what grounds?!

"Tatsumi, I know you have doubts. Come with us and see what's inside, and you'll understand."

Seeing Tatsumi's reaction, Sayo spoke up at this moment.

"... in?"

What's so powerful inside?

Tatsumi looked at the spot Sayo was pointing to with a suspicious expression.

After he went inside and learned about the concept of the Mechanical Empire, he was completely stunned.

It's all true! No wonder Ieyasu and Sayo were so confident and certain. It's just that overthrowing the empire is still a bit hard to accept for the time being...

"Just as people decay, so too do nations perish. This once mighty empire, which lasted for a thousand years, is now nothing more than a corrupt hell."

"Rebellions against the empire had already emerged in various places, and Clara and Svarog did not initially intend to establish a new empire themselves."

"However, the Revolutionary Army that rebelled against the empire was not as righteous as the world saw it. In order to overthrow the empire, they chose to ally with foreign races and made the decision to divide up the territory."

"A divided territory, an incomplete regime, means that the wars to come will only intensify..."

Clara slowly told them about her initial thoughts and the changes she made afterward.

Before the Revolutionary Army's Revolutionary Army. But once she learned of their decision, everything changed.

Even if they cooperate to overthrow the empire and form an alliance, the various forces will guarantee peaceful coexistence.

But how long will this situation last?

The lessons of Shenzhou history have taught the young girl that such a regime will inevitably run into trouble sooner or later, and that cooperation will not last long, but will only become more and more intense.

The ambitions of foreign races can never be satisfied.

"Is this really what the high command of the Revolutionary Army is thinking? Dividing up territories, dividing up the land..."

Upon hearing the Revolutionary Army's decision, Tatsumi's eyes widened. Even he knew that every inch of land was bought with blood, and that not an inch of territory should be given up.

The Revolutionary Army just handed over territory like that? And to a foreign race at that?!

I just can't accept this...

No matter how corrupt the empire may be, it was unparalleled in dealing with foreign tribes.

How can the Revolutionary Army be turning back the clock of history?

Although they hadn't yet come into contact with the Revolutionary Army, the group already harbored a negative impression of them. Even if such a regime overthrew the Revolutionary Army, how much better could it truly be than the empire in the future?

Chapter 39 Mech Grizzly: The Experience of Death

"Welcome, Tatsumi!"

After Clara explained the reasons, and with the persuasion of Ieyasu and Sayo, Tatsumi finally decided to join Clara's team.

Compared to the unreliable Revolutionary Army and the corrupt Imperial Army, joining Clara, whom he felt goodwill and gratitude towards, was the best choice for him.

Although it seems that Clara has nothing compared to the Empire and the Revolutionary Army at present...

However, the prospects are promising, and it is not without hope.

More importantly, providing timely help is far more meaningful than adding to someone's success.

He was among the earliest elders who established their unparalleled achievements and founded a new dynasty.

The reward for this meritorious service will certainly be substantial.

He also believed that Clara would not mistreat them.

This is so much better than struggling in the Ministry of War; this is true achievement.

"That's what we say, but what's our next step?"

After the welcoming ceremony ended, Tatsumi scratched the back of his head, unsure of what to do next. After all, changing dynasties was no small matter; there was a lot to do.

"We're just getting started, so it's best not to stand out."

"There is a classic policy in my hometown regarding this matter: 'Store up grain, build high walls, and delay declaring yourself king.'"

"So what we need to do now is to quietly develop machinery, not participate in the war between the Empire and the Revolutionary Army, wait for the right opportunity, and join the war when we have enough capital, so as to take over the whole world in one fell swoop."

Clara shared her thoughts, which were also the safest approach.

What we need to do now is to develop more industrial chains, expand the scale of Automaton Soldier, and build the Creation Engine.

Then, in the final battle, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

They swallowed up the Revolutionary Army and the empire in one fell swoop.

"I didn't expect you to know so much about these things, Miss Clara. 'Store up grain, build high walls, and delay declaring yourself king'... Although I don't fully understand it, I feel that what you said is correct."

"But what do we need to do now?"

Listening to the girl's words, Tatsumi and the other two felt that they made a lot of sense. As expected of Miss Clara.

It seems she has planned everything out.

In this way, all I have to do is do what she says.

"Well... actually, it was mainly Mr. Svarog's plan. Mr. Svarog had organized these kinds of things before. Clara was just following Mr. Svarog's plan..."

"There are many things I need to trouble you with next."

"Especially regarding issues of raw materials and funding."

In truth, Clara has no real authority and is not suited to be a ruler, so the key figure has to be Mr. Svarog.

Even if Mechanical Empire is established in the future, the ruler will be Svarog or some other specific person.

Although Svarog represents Clara.

Then Clara started talking about the things they needed to do.

One advantage that Mechanical Construct have over humans is that they don't need food; as long as there is enough energy, they can continue to exist.

In terms of energy, aside from high-energy-consuming areas, the daily energy consumption is not high. It can also enter hibernation mode, only needing to be turned on when necessary.

This allows for the mass production of mechanical creatures without worrying about consumption issues.

So the only remaining problem is the raw materials and funding for making the mechanical parts.

To create large-scale mechanical organisms, a large amount of raw materials, energy, and funds are indispensable. The Revolutionary Army alone cannot meet Clara's needs.

Therefore, Clara set her sights on the merchants and dignitaries in the capital.

I won't say much about the powerful and wealthy.

Many of these businessmen collaborated with powerful figures, profiting immensely from the suffering of others.

If we don't target them, who else should we target?

Clara wouldn't handle these merchants herself; she naturally entrusted them to Tatsumi, Ieyasu, and two others.

"Are they planning to rob those unscrupulous merchants? It seems like there's an assassin organization called Night Raid doing that too."

Upon hearing Clara's idea, Ieyasu seemed to remember something and said...

"Yes, but Night Raid isn't the enemy."

Now that you mention it, it does overlap somewhat with Night Raid. But it's not a big problem; it just means the objectives are the same, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

"Um."

"Leave this to us. We've already gathered a lot of information about the merchants."

Ieyasu had no particular thoughts, and had even inquired extensively about the merchants in the capital because of the materials he was looking for.

"Clara will make those Automaton Soldier cooperate with you, and there's also this."

Clara naturally couldn't let them rob those merchants and nobles like that. Although they were quite powerful, there were many powerful people in the capital.

Not to mention those Imperial Arms users!

Therefore, she planned to have the Automaton Soldier and the Mechanical Construct that would be produced later cooperate with them, as long as they were given secondary control.

In addition, Clara also brought out several Oddities and Light Cone.

What are these things?

Tatsumi was very curious about what Clara had taken out.

It looks like something's not so simple.

"They can be considered special Imperial Arms. With their help, your operations will be even more foolproof."

Clara explained the abilities of these things to them. The Light Cone include the blue Preservation [Amber], the Abundance [Jia Guo], the destruction [Leqi], and the ethereal Light Cone [Hidden Shadow].

In addition to its protective power, the Amber Light Cone also has the ability to cause spacetime to freeze.

Only things that are not limited by time can endure through the ages.

[Jia Guo] Similarly, in addition to enhancing one's own self-healing ability, it can also provide a certain degree of treatment for others.

The Destruction Light Cone [Leqi] increases the user's power ceiling and can also shatter the surrounding space to a certain extent.

The Void Light Cone [Hidden Shadow] completely erases the wielder's presence. Most people, even those standing right in front of it, cannot detect its existence. The exceptions are a few exceptionally powerful individuals.

In addition, there are Oddities and useful Oddities, enough to ensure that the three of them are safe at all times.

Having learned about these abilities, Tatsumi was somewhat flattered.

They haven't even started working yet, and they've already given them such amazing stuff. They're trusting themselves too much!

However, with these things, it's hard for him to say he can't do it anymore. If he can't even do these things, he might as well go back to his hometown village and farm.

"Then I'll leave this to you."

Clara believed they wouldn't run off with her things, especially since they weren't valuable to her anyway.

"Don't worry, I guarantee I'll complete the mission."

Tatsumi took the item, full of confidence.

"..."

With that, things here are all arranged.

The raw materials and funding were provided by Tatsumi and his team.

The production base doesn't need her to be there all the time to operate normally. The Automaton Soldier will process the mechanical parts themselves and then create simple Mechanical Construct.

As for overly complex systems requiring specific energy engines, that can't be rushed.

After settling things with Tatsumi, Clara returned to Night Raid's base.