A Person in Terra, With No Books to Read

A long line had formed outside the largest conference room at Rhine Lab. Representatives from various research departments were present, holding their research reports as they waited. The massive crowd snaked down the safe corridor and reached the lower level.

Theresica listened to the reports and presentations from these project teams. He didn't truly understand most of it, but the problems that were revealed made him extremely worried.

Could Kazdel find so many researchers now? Absolutely not.

Kazdel currently only possessed some industrial production capacity. They had fought their way to victory against Kazimierz through sheer grit and luck, but compared to first-tier nations like Columbia and Victoria, they were still too weak.

Originium Arts could strengthen Kazdel to a certain extent, but it was primarily military in nature, and its use came with significant side effects.

A nation's true strength wasn't measured by its immediate combat capability, but by the integrated power of its population, resources, education, healthcare, research and development, and all other aspects.

Kazdel currently had none of these to boast about.

"Director... hello."

A new project team entered, their voices pulling Theresica out of his thoughts. The newcomers seemed startled by his somber expression and hesitated at the doorway.

Theresica quickly composed himself, doing his best to appear more approachable. His status lent a gravitas to his youthful face, making him impossible to dismiss.

"Please come in. You must have confidence in your achievements."

"...Yes... Yes, Director. My name is Johnny." "I'm Robert." "I'm Bill."

The three walked in. Their research project was artificial brains.

"Currently, Columbia uses computers solely for storing and retrieving information. I believe this completely wastes their potential. The human brain can remember and recall things; a computer's function is very similar to the brain. However, our minds can combine and apply knowledge, while computers can only perform rigid input and output. We want to reconstruct them, to allow them to function like a brain."

The three introduced their research project. After they finished, Theresica remained silent.

This is just a computer!

As they stood there anxiously, Theresica suddenly spoke, "Do you know Moore Joyce?"

The three exchanged glances, but then seemed to recall something.

"We have some impression."

"Isn't that Teacher's experimental subject?"

"Ah! That chip was part of our graduation project."

Theresica had asked casually based on a vague memory, but he hadn't expected there to be a connection. The world truly was small.

He beckoned the bewildered trio over. "Come sit here. There's no need to be so formal."

"What do you think of our project...?"

The three nervously clutched their clothes, their knuckles showing. Their financial situation seemed quite dire.

"I will provide the funding you need, and I hope you can deliver results for me."

Theresica smiled as he signed the check and pushed it towards them. "However, I have a small request, unrelated to your research."

"May I ask... what is it?"

"Are you interested in changing your place of work? Come to Kazdel, and I will fulfill all your needs."

The three thin young men did not hesitate.

"Yes, we absolutely can."

"Then please await my contact."

Theresica smiled and exchanged contact information with them. He felt like he had struck gold.

"I've heard of this project too, but no one was willing to invest, thinking there would be no return. You're so optimistic about it?"

Saria, standing nearby, seemed puzzled. She had seen Theresica give them a substantial amount of money.

"Well, this sort of thing... it's about intuition. Just like when I invested in Ms. Kristen."

Theresica replied with a smile, unable to explain that he had witnessed computers and the digital age on Earth.

"And this last one? Environmental Science. Columbia has had a 'graduate into unemployment' rating for ten consecutive years. I didn't expect there to still be students."

Saria looked at the last name on the list with slight surprise. "Muelsyse, recently graduated with excellent grades. She only joined Rhine Lab yesterday."

"Oh? Have her come in. I'm very interested."

Theresica's smile was wide. This was exactly what he wanted.

The conference room door was pushed open, and a beautiful young woman ran in with a smile. There was no trace of the fatigue from waiting on her.

"Hi hi! Hello to you two bosses. My research project..."

Muelsyse's words were cut off by Theresica.

"How many students are there in your school's program?"

Muelsyse blinked, a little taken aback, but honestly replied, "Not... not many, about 20 more..."

"Excellent. I'll visit your school tomorrow. You help me make the arrangements. I want the entire department."

Muelsyse and Saria both wore expressions of stunned disbelief.

But the next day, Theresica truly arrived at Trimount Institute of Ecology. The principal and teachers wore expressions of utter disbelief.

Someone's actually recruiting for a dead-end major?

"The work location is a bit far, and the environment is a bit harsh, but I provide room and board, you can take holidays according to Columbia's festivals, travel expenses for visiting family are reimbursed, and experimental funding starts at 30 million Rubles, with more added if needed..."

Theresica was still reciting the benefits he had prepared, but before he could finish, the students present swarmed him.

"When do we leave?"

"I can start working immediately!"

The graduates' enthusiasm exceeded his imagination, and even the school teachers crowded around.

"How about me? My knowledge is definitely more solid than theirs..."

One morning, the entire department of the school was emptied, leaving only the principal standing at the door questioning his life choices.

In this act of poaching an entire department, Theresica noticed that Colombians seemed to have no particular attachment to their homeland.

This vast land, originally a desert, was established as Columbia by immigrants brought from various places by Victoria.

Theresica knew clearly that it was not a sustainable plan to always use Columbia's chickens to lay eggs for Kazdel.

Since he had already poached an entire department, and this was not Earth with its various restrictions, he made up his mind and took out all his Rubles. In Trimount, the academic city of Columbia, he began to poach talent aggressively.

Compared to the funds Theresica controlled for all of Kazdel, the funding that various Trimount enterprises sponsored for research labs was truly incomparable. By promising huge research grants, he took a bite out of every school in Trimount, covering dozens of disciplines including physics, chemistry, mechanics, mechanical engineering, and mobile construction engineering.

Such a massive flow of funds made Warfarin a little worried.

"Theresica, the people you've brought in could basically form a new Trimount Institute of Technology! Such a large operation will draw a lot of attention to the Sarkaz!"

Theresica was unconcerned, "Don't worry, Warfarin, the thing I fear most is becoming famous. I won't let this happen."

Chapter 74: Cooperation with Siracusa

Siracusa, the Grey Hall.

The leaders of the twelve families gathered here today, but the atmosphere was not good. The suits they wore could not hide their ferocity. The recent troubles made them extremely agitated in front of Lady Sicilia.

"These Sarkaz have been acting a bit excessively lately, cutting off grain trade as they please."

"Yes, they come to us when they need us, and then kick us aside when they don't. It's quite unfair."

"Should we raise prices on other export goods to warn the Sarkaz?"

Around the circular conference table, the various family heads debated, but Lady Sicilia, seated in the most elaborately decorated chair, remained silent. She sat there quietly, gently sniffing the aroma of coffee.

After a long period of discussion, with Lady Sicilia still not speaking, the leaders also fell silent.

"Have you said enough? Have a cup of coffee if you're thirsty."

As Lady Sicilia spoke, the waiting attendants stepped forward with elegant strides and served each family head a cup of coffee.

"Are we just going to give up on the grain trade with the Sarkaz?"

One leader tentatively asked Lady Sicilia.

Originally, the Sarkaz had been importing grain from Siracusa, and they would take as much as Siracusa could export. This had led many families to venture into the agricultural business.

While secretly mocking the Sarkaz's "foolish king" for insisting that everyone eat the same amount of rations regardless of the situation, they counted their money and smiled from ear to ear.

Over the past year, Siracusa's agriculture had developed significantly due to the Sarkaz's large-scale purchases. Families engaged in the agricultural business had also made a fortune. This year, after ensuring that no one starved, the Sarkaz had also implemented a pro-natalist policy, which made those in Siracusa engaged in agriculture feel that the Sarkaz's grain import volume would further increase.

But reality played a cruel joke on them. The Sarkaz announced they would no longer import grain from Siracusa, leaving many families stunned. They had been planning to expand their grain production!

Seeing the unsellable grain, they became worried and came to Lady Sicilia during this Grey Hall meeting to vent their frustrations.

Lady Sicilia could also see the intentions of these families. They were afraid to act themselves and unwilling to incur losses, so they wanted to instigate her to speak with the Sarkaz to resume imports.

While feeling helpless towards them, Lady Sicilia also felt a sense of relief. These people were quite self-aware, knowing that with their families' limited manpower, causing trouble for the Sarkaz with force would truly be a death wish.

"The Sarkaz have been very good to us. I clearly remember that the Sarkaz said they would continue this year's trade before suspending grain transactions with us. Have you all forgotten?"

Lady Sicilia's gaze swept over everyone. "Do you think I'm easily fooled, or that I've become so old and frail?"

The Grey Hall fell into silence. However, a waiter then ran in and whispered a few words in Lady Sicilia's ear.

In the theater they had visited before, Theresica met Lady Sicilia again.

"Long time no see, Lady Sicilia. I apologize for this presumptuous visit."

"Not at all, the King of Sarkaz is a very difficult person to meet."

After exchanging pleasantries, both parties got straight to the point. Theresica said, "I want to buy a piece of land, or a building, in Volscian."

"This matter is easily resolved," Lady Sicilia said with a smile. "Did you come all this way just for this? It doesn't seem like it."

"Well, this piece of land might be a bit special, with people not belonging to Siracusa frequently entering and exiting."

Upon hearing Theresica's words, Lady Sicilia's eyes changed slightly.

"May I ask what you plan to do with this area?"

Theresica replied, "Build a school, a higher learning institution."

This was the reason for his visit. He knew that his actions in Columbia had caused quite a stir. Once he sent all these poached individuals to Kazdel, the nations of Terra would have to re-evaluate Kazdel, and might even consider it a threat.

But what if he sent them to Siracusa, a country that, like Laterano, did not interfere in Terra's conflicts? Who would pay attention? Although this would benefit Siracusa somewhat, Kazdel's security would be strongly guaranteed.

"Lady Sicilia, as you know, Kazdel's conditions are very poor, and those with knowledge and skills often have their own tempers. I'm afraid they won't be able to stay in Kazdel and will all leave, so I want to establish a university in Siracusa."

Theresica looked at Lady Sicilia and said, "The teacher is already on the way. I'll provide the funds and the personnel. To establish a first-class university here, besides Sarkaz students, I will only accept Siracusa people you select. The ratio of Sarkaz and Siracusa students will be one-to-one. All you need to do is provide some convenience for entry and exit."

"I will handle the school's location and the entry and exit issues."

Lady Sicilia agreed without hesitation, saying proactively, "Feel free to send the teachers and students. I will handle all the problems."

Siracusa actually had no industrial technology. Apart from abundant resources, it was essentially a backward country. As long as Lady Sicilia was a normal leader, she wouldn't give up such a good opportunity.

Theresica couldn't think of any reason for Lady Sicilia to refuse him. On the contrary, she would try her best to cover up his secrets for him.

"I'm a bit concerned about security. I'd like to dispatch a small unit, about a company, to protect the school's safety."

Theresica said, "These armed personnel can be registered at the entry and exit points. I wonder if that's acceptable?"

"No problem."

Lady Sicilia readily agreed. She had always wanted Sarkaz to send a troop to help deal with the pressure from Leithanien. Not only did she get troops this time, but she also received a team of university teachers of Columbia's top caliber.

Good heavens! Was she dreaming? If future Siracusa could possess the technological level of Columbia and combine it with its own abundant resources, it would have a chance to become a powerful nation on Terra!

"I also hope that this matter doesn't need to be explained in detail to Father Agniel. With Sarkaz students, I'm afraid he might not be accustomed to it."

"Yes, I will handle it."

Lady Sicilia did not voice any objection throughout the entire conversation. That very day, she converted a newly built hotel into a school.

Kazdel Polytechnic University was thus established in Siracusa. However, the Siracusa people did not know this name. They only knew that everything in this area was Lady Sicilia's prized possession.

Because that very night, Lady Sicilia specifically notified all families and gangs that anyone who dared to cause trouble near this school or disturb its students would be considered an enemy of Lady Sicilia.

Chapter 75 Factory Upgrade

Apart from the ecology department and the computer trio, Theresica settled all other faculty members in Volscian City, Siracusa. These teachers had no objections to coming to Siracusa and were very satisfied with staying in the best hotels.

At the same time, a company from the Kazdel army entered Volscian, and the substantial research funds prepared for these teachers also arrived in Siracusa. Various laboratories meeting Columbia's top standards began construction under Kazdel's coordination.