A Person on Terra, With No Books to Read

Zeppelin showed a hint of pride on his face, and he walked to the side and pulled something.

After a slight noise, the lighting facilities one by one lit up. Looking at the creation that slowly revealed its huge form before him, Theresica's eyes widened. He asked in disbelief, "This... this was made by us Sarkaz?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Zeppelin nodded with a smile, "It doesn't need to walk on land, and I believe the bandits in the desert won't be able to fly into the sky."

Chapter 67: Zeppelin Airship

Theresica truly didn't expect that the Sarkaz would be able to build an airship!

He happily admired the behemoth before him, while Zeppelin introduced it from the side.

"Lord Theresis wanted a means of transport that could disregard mountains and regions. I was specifically in charge of this research. The only way to achieve the mode of transport that Lord Theresis requested was to continuously move in mid-air. However, our technical capabilities were limited, and we were unable to complete it until recently, relying on the machinery Your Majesty brought back, and some of the technology from Meyer Shipyard that you established, that I was able to complete it."

"Does it have a name?"

"Not yet."

"Then let's call it an airship."

Theresica directly borrowed the name from Earth. "You completed it, so it shall be the airship Zeppelin. How about that?"

"...It is my honor, Your Majesty."

Zeppelin was trying his best to control his expression, but he couldn't help but reveal a hint of excitement in his words. Who wouldn't be happy to have something named after them?

"May I go inside and take a look?"

"Of course, Your Majesty, please follow me."

Following Zeppelin, Theresica entered the cabin of the airship. The interior was simple, with only a cockpit. From here, one could control the air propellers responsible for directional movement, the deflation devices for changing altitude, and the compass for indicating direction. The rest was all space that could be used for storing things.

The structural layout of the Zeppelin airship was basically the same as airships on Earth, but there was a significant difference.

Theresica pointed to where the gasbags should have been and asked, "What is that thing for?"

"Your Majesty, that is the air cylinder."

Zeppelin looked towards where Theresica was pointing. It was above the cabin of the airship, a bloated object several times larger than the cabin itself.

He explained, "The reason the airship can stay in mid-air is by filling this air cylinder with gas that is lighter than ordinary air. Those gases will float up but are contained by the air cylinder, thus they will lift the air cylinder and float up together."

After listening to Zeppelin's explanation, Theresica nodded. It seemed the basic principle was the same as on Earth, but new questions immediately arose.

"Then why use metal to manufacture the air cylinder? Isn't that too heavy? Wouldn't it be better to use lightweight materials like cloth to make the gasbags?"

"Your Majesty, doing so does have its advantages. However, if cloth is used, it cannot withstand the attacks of ground-based Arts Masters, and when a Catastrophe strikes, even small Originium Catastrophes will cause the airship to crash."

Zeppelin explained that such a choice was dictated by the environment of Terra. However, Theresica didn't speak after hearing this and stood there in thought.

After a while, he finally spoke, "Catastrophes... if we bring a Calamity Messenger, we can avoid it, right? As for ground-based Arts Master attacks... if the airship flies up, can the Arts Masters still hit its top? We just need to provide protection for its lower half, and in that case, we can completely use gasbags!"

Zeppelin was stunned. This was a completely feasible plan! With this, the airship could carry heavier loads!

"Thank you for the inspiration you've given me today, Your Majesty. However, according to your idea, the airship would need to avoid all Catastrophes. In that case, it would have no value as a military product at all," Zeppelin said somewhat dejectedly.

But Theresica laughed.

"It's good that it has no military value! It's safer for us if it doesn't!"

He immediately ordered, "Prepare to produce the gasbag-type airship immediately. I need this."

"As you command."

Hearing His Majesty say this, Zeppelin immediately responded.

Airships of this kind had not yet appeared in Terra. After deciding to use them to transport materials for the mobile city, Theresica began to personally write documents similar to construction plans from Earth and requested Ursus and Yan to jointly send people to participate in related explanation meetings.

Igniter, the Speaker of the Ursus Imperial Council, was the first to arrive. His first question was, "Respected King, where is the vehicle you mentioned that can disregard mountains and regions and move in a straight line in the desert?"

Igniter was extremely anxious, so Theresica took him to see it first. Coincidentally, the first gasbag airship had already been produced and assembled and was undergoing a test flight.

Upon arriving at the test flight site near the sea, Igniter's eyes were fixed on the airship, and he couldn't bear to lower his head.

"King, can this be sold?"

"Uh..." Theresica showed a troubled expression. "Mr. Igniter, this is intended for transporting materials. If you buy it, it might delay the start of construction."

"It's alright, a slight delay won't have any impact. Besides, won't transporting resources with this be very fast? I'll pay with Ursus equipment, trading artillery for this with you."

"Alright."

Theresica reluctantly agreed, but what he had said earlier was just an excuse.

The airship was designed and built by Zeppelin and a group of veteran Sarkaz craftsmen, who worked manually from parts. Under their command, production was actually very rapid.

Moreover, the true core of the airship was the gas it was filled with, which was a product of highly purified Originium gasification. Zeppelin assured him that only the Sarkaz could produce it on Terra at the moment.

With this assurance, Theresica finally dared to relent. Since it was a civilian product, he was happy for someone to buy it! The after-sales service would earn the Sarkaz a lot of money! However, this was the first novel item to appear on Terra, and he felt uncomfortable not making more profit.

Kazdel received a batch of Ursus mortars and shells, while Igniter, on the other hand, proposed to Yan to slightly extend the preparation time and then handed over the Sarkaz airship to the Ursus Academy of Sciences for research to see if it had any value.

Ursus technicians conducted numerous experiments on it, including destructive impact tests, and finally reached a frustrating conclusion.

This thing flew slowly, was a conspicuous target, and couldn't withstand damage. It couldn't get close to the enemy and could only be used as a transport vehicle in the rear. However, even in this aspect, it had very high requirements for weather conditions. Ursus's perpetual snow made it unsuitable for flight, and at least the model provided by the Sarkaz was not yet capable.

Yan initially didn't react much to the airship, but when they learned that Ursus had specifically postponed its start date for this very thing, they became interested too.

A person who claimed to be a messenger from Yan's Ministry of Rites stood before Theresica, presenting a calling card with a unique cultural flair.

Theresica looked at it for a long time, but regrettably found no familiar Earth script. The man seemed to notice his expression and proactively bowed, saying, "Esteemed King of Kazdel, Yan and Sarkaz both have their own cultures, but we haven't communicated in a long time. I fear there may be some missteps in etiquette, and I hope Your Majesty will be understanding."

"It's fine, such things are not important."

Theresica said with a smile, "The fact that you've come personally to explain has already shown me your sincerity."

"Thank you for Your Majesty's understanding."

The messenger from the Ministry of Rites bowed again, this time stating directly, "Lord Wei and his wife, Ms. Wen Yue, will be visiting Kazdel in three days." Chapter 68 Lungmen

Initially, Theresica thought this Mr. Wei was some official from Yan, but to show respect and courtesy, he decided to greet him personally. However, upon meeting him in person, he was dumbfounded.

Holy crap! This is a dragon!

In the days following the messenger's arrival, Theresica asked him many questions about Yan, and the Ministry of Rites official, to avoid unnecessary diplomatic friction, answered as much as he could.

In Yan, dragons are transcendent beings who rule above the nobility; they are the imperial family of Great Yan! Since the founding of Great Yan, only 'True Dragons' have been able to lead this vast nation; this concept is ingrained in the heart of every Yan citizen.

The imperial relatives of a great nation and the leader of a small nation can, in a sense, be considered equals.

"It is truly exciting that Mr. Wei is willing to come to Kazdel."

"For the construction of the city, we will have to trouble Kazdel with the security work."

"That is natural. One must do things properly. Shall we go take a look at the airship first?"

Theresica suggested, and Mr. Wei nodded.

"Certainly. I've wanted to see what kind of thing can disregard mountains and rivers, allowing unimpeded passage."

"Please follow me."

Theresica led him to the personal land vehicle purchased from Siracusa. Taking it would avoid contact with the people around them. Vitt always used this when he came, but Mr. Wei said, "I want to see what Kazdel is like. I haven't had a good stroll around in a long time either. Is that okay? Please don't clear the roads."

"It is possible, but Mr. Wei, Kazdel has many Infected, and as long as they are not in the late stages of the disease, their actions are not uncontrolled."

Theresica became nervous upon hearing his desire to stroll around Kazdel. If an imperial relative from Yan were to contract Oripathy in Kazdel, it would be a huge disaster.

"Hahaha, it's alright."

Amidst the surrounding solemn expressions, Mr. Wei laughed, "I understand Oripathy and know its transmission routes. Moreover, one of the reasons I came here is to see the unique living environment of the Infected here."

Since he said so, Theresica had no choice but to agree, leading the way while asking, "Why is Mr. Wei so interested in the Infected?"

"There are quite a few Infected in Yan as well, and everyone rejects them."

"That's only natural. Even in Kazdel, people fear the Infected."

"Yes, that's true, but mild and moderate infections are not dangerous at all, aren't they?"

Mr. Wei's gaze fell to the side, where the playground of the Kazdel Primary School could be seen. Uninfected children were playing together with mildly infected children.

"The newly completed mobile city is called Lungmen."

He said, "I believe the Infected should also have a place in the city, and the management should provide them with certain living and working environments. Otherwise, it would be a huge waste of resources."

"Yes, Mr. Wei's idea... is very bold."

Theresica replied. It seemed this was the administrator for the joint city construction between Ursus and Yan. But to think that an imperial relative would be sent to the desert?

Alas, political struggles are truly terrifying. Fortunately, I just eat, drink, and have fun.

Theresica's inner thoughts were unknown to Wei Yenwu, who, along with his wife, seemed immersed in the scene of life in Kazdel.

"The food rationing that covers everyone is very peculiar."

"There's no choice. Kazdel's resources are not abundant."

Theresica smiled helplessly. A great nation like Yan, which was entirely self-sufficient, could not understand the predicament of resource scarcity. Currently, relying on food rationing to ensure no one starved in Kazdel was only possible through massive Originium exports, which were costly and left Kazdel with hidden risks.

By this time, they had reached the vicinity of the sea. Even without entering the test flight area, the massive airship floating in the sky could be seen by everyone.

"Is there truly such a peculiar way of ascending in this world?!"

Wei Yenwu's eyes widened. He was an imperial relative of Yan, and he could see any rare treasure he wished within the country, but he had never seen anything that could hover in mid-air on its own. Its propellers were used for changing direction, not for providing lift!

Under Theresica's command, the airship operators demonstrated a series of procedures to Mr. Wei and his wife, including landing, loading, taking off again, flying a loop around the test flight area, and then landing and unloading.

"Mr. Wei, all materials required for building the mobile city can be transported by airship as long as they are of suitable size. It is convenient and fast, and there's no need to worry about being plundered by desert bandits. Personnel will be transported by transport ships, arriving all at once with the mobile landmass."

Theresica held the transport plan documents and explained them to Wei Yenwu. He listened carefully to the entire explanation and nodded with satisfaction.

"Yes, doing it this way is very good."

Desert bandits were troublesome and also affected cross-border trade, a fact that Yan was aware of, but they had no good solution. It wasn't that they couldn't defeat them, but it would require immense effort with uncertain results, and it would also benefit neighboring countries for free.

Previously, Ursus would call out to Yan, saying, "You go fight, and I'll do trade with you to make money." Or Yan would call out to Ursus, saying, "You go ahead, and I'll trade with you to make money."

Both sides wanted the other to fight, and both sides wanted to... freeload.

However, this time, Kazdel emerged. Ursus told them to fight, and Yan initially paid no attention, thinking this was something they had been saying for years without any action.

But the next day, Yan border reconnaissance personnel noticed armed personnel from Kazdel becoming active around the Yan border. After reporting upwards, Yan sent people to investigate.

Good heavens, the Sarkaz are really going for it! Cavalry with supplies were launching fierce attacks across the desert, brutally overwhelming desert bandits. This was surprisingly straightforward.

Although Yan was pleased, they also felt the Sarkaz were a bit reckless, even considering reminding them that such actions might lead to difficult times in the future.

However, the Sarkaz stopped at this point and instead began to buy off refugees, appeasing them and proposing entirely new transportation plans.

Yan immediately felt that Kazdel might be a country they could communicate with. Wei Yenwu took advantage of his official position and came in person.

He understood all the issues with the airships, and after signing the transportation agreement, he began to discuss special matters with Theresica.

"Yan's terrain is diverse, with both plains and hills. The Shangshu region has steep mountains and inconvenient transportation. I wonder if Kazdel's airships can be sold?"

"Of course, that's possible. We can also provide Yan with long-term equipment maintenance and inspections."

Theresica's eyes lit up; he couldn't have asked for more, as this was another chance to earn a profit. Wei Yenwu also smiled, "Kazdel currently uses rubles for external transactions, but I'd like to pay in another way: Lungmen Dollars."

"May I ask, what is that?"

Theresica was a bit confused. Did Terra have currency called Lungmen Dollars now?

"This is Yan's arrangement for Lungmen."

Wei Yenwu explained, "Yan defines Lungmen as a special economic zone and will issue a dedicated currency there – Lungmen Dollars. You can use it to purchase goods from Yan and the Lungmen Special Zone, especially food. I believe it will be more competitive than Siracusa." Chapter 69: Business Booming

While Yan appeared to be stationary in a corner of Terra, it was actually quite busy internally. It had simply shifted its expansion to the economic sphere, a more concealed arena.

This was a brand new battlefield, and Yan had already begun its deployment. Lungmen Dollars were not only the sharp blade for Yan's future economic warfare but also a shield for its own currency. If Kazdel were to hold a large amount of Lungmen Dollars, Yan could simply have its printing presses work overtime, and Kazdel's economy would be completely overwhelmed.