Bottleneck / Let Off Steam

His eyes circled the map several times before finally settling on Leithanien.

Leithanien was a famous source of mineral deposits in Terra, with every kind of mineral resource imaginable. It was only after Victoria colonized the region that it had been able to transform itself from an agricultural nation into an industrial one.

Back then, Victoria had also invested considerable effort into developing Leithanien's mining industry, improving its technology, and upgrading its equipment. It then used the returns from that investment to claim the throne of Terra's biggest rogue state.

But that was all in the past. Now, in order to suppress Leithanien, Victoria had even deployed naval guns.

Kazdel still had some surplus steel production capacity, and Theresica was in no hurry. He simply waited in silence.

Put bluntly, Leithanien was one enormous mine. Aside from minerals and Catus, it had nothing at all. Victoria had sent both warships and infantry there, but how long could such a huge army maintain its supplies so far from home?

In January of the following year, just as the Sarkaz began mass-producing mortar shells of the same specifications as Ursus's, Victoria decided that no major upheaval would occur. After leaving infantry belonging to Duke Wellington stationed in Leithanien, its warships began returning to Victoria.

The moment Victoria's warships departed, the shapeshifter, acting under Theresica's orders, sought out Leithanien's independence organization and invited its leaders to Kazdel.

Leithanien's independence organization was not led by one person, but three. One was a merchant, one was a warrior, and the other was a doctor.

"Hello, and welcome to Kazdel."

"What do the Sarkaz want with us?"

The merchant's eyes were filled with wariness. To an organization like theirs, the danger posed by the Fiends was no different from that posed by Victoria's suppressive forces.

Seeing their expressions, Theresica laughed and gestured for a servant to bring them something to eat.

"Don't be nervous, friends. I invited you here without any ill intentions."

"I've never been friends with a Sarkaz."

"Uh... hahaha..."

Looking at the muscular Catus, whose expression was tense, Theresica explained, "But I believe we have the foundation to become friends."

"What foundation?"

"Two months ago, Victoria sent people to demand that Kazdel export goods to them at low prices while importing their goods at high prices. We paid a considerable price just to send them away."

Theresica looked toward the merchant in the suit. "I believe you have an even deeper understanding of such behavior."

At those words, the three relaxed slightly. The merchant asked, "Then why did you summon us? To have us kill Victorians for you? We can't even beat you."

"Killing a few Victorians wouldn't hurt them. What I want is to make Victoria miserable."

Theresica smiled. "Victoria wants to suppress you, so I'll support your independence."

"I never expected the Sarkaz to become so kind one day... So what's the price?"

The Catus merchant maintained his composure and gestured for his companions to remain silent.

"There is, of course, a price. Your ore is excellent, and your smelting technology is something we want."

Theresica spoke directly. "We'll provide you with medicine and supplies, such as protective equipment. In return, you'll give us the things I mentioned."

The warrior and the doctor's eyes immediately lit up. These were exactly the things they desperately lacked!

Under the surveillance of Victoria's garrison, obtaining simple close-combat weapons was still possible. But preparing a full set of protective gear was practically impossible.

Whenever they fought Victoria's garrison, they found themselves lacking protection, while the Victorians' attacks were often lethal. When they attacked the Victoria soldiers, however, it was difficult to inflict fatal injuries, because their blades, spears, and clubs were all blocked by the protective gear worn by the soldiers.

"What do you think?"

Theresica asked, though the answer was already written plainly across their faces.

"How much protective equipment can the Sarkaz provide us?"

"As much as you want, so long as the ore, smelting equipment, or technology you provide is worth the price."

After hearing the confidence in Theresica's voice, they nodded without hesitation.

"Very well. Our agreement is concluded!"

"Good. I hope our cooperation goes smoothly, and I wish the three of you success in your endeavors."

Theresica casually extended his hand and shook theirs lightly.

It feels good to be in the stronger position. It's so easy and comfortable.

The Kazimierz Foot Knight armor that had been gathering dust in the warehouse, along with its weapons, was brought out one after another. All of it had belonged to surrendering soldiers and remained completely undamaged. The medicine was packed together with the equipment and delivered by transport ships to the desert near Leithanien, where it was exchanged with the Catus independence organization.

While metal-smelting technology and equipment were being brought in, Theresica began searching for suitable personal land vehicles to lay the groundwork for his future plans.

However, both Ursus and Yan focused on constructing enormous mobile cities and paid little attention to small personal land vehicles. Looking over the map of eastern Terra, Theresica searched around and discovered that only Siracusa had made decent progress in developing personal land vehicles.

Luxury sedans were what the people of Siracusa called them. He had ridden in one once before, and in every respect, it was much like a car from Earth. Aside from some flashy features, it was not particularly difficult to manufacture, making it perfect for training workers.

Theresica promptly wrote to Lady Sicilia, hoping to purchase the production license and technical documents for Siracusan luxury sedans. She agreed readily, since they were merely civilian products.

And so, Siracusa's luxury sedan arrived in Kazdel, where it received a new name: Mercedes-Benz.

Bottleneck

Although Kazdel had obtained metal-smelting technology and equipment, as well as a production license for Siracusan luxury sedans, those things did not belong to the Sarkaz yet.

The factories had to be built, the equipment installed, and the workers trained. Only after a production system had been established and the ability to independently improve the products had been developed could the things they had acquired truly become the Sarkaz's.

All of that required time—possibly several years if things went poorly. It was like a scientific research project. The best environment Theresica could provide was the most he could do; the results could only be brought forth by time.

However, after Victoria's military intimidation, everyone openly understood that Ursus and Yan's diplomatic positions leaned toward Kazdel. This could erase many unnecessary troubles for the Sarkaz. As long as the Sarkaz did not cause trouble, other countries would have to think twice before making any moves.

This period of peace would be a rare opportunity for the Sarkaz to recuperate. Theresica's policies guaranteeing supplies for infants aged zero to six, as well as supply guarantees based on the education system for children aged six to twelve, had reduced the mortality and disease-death rates among Sarkaz children to below six percent. Moreover, the number of newborns last year had multiplied several times over previous records!

The Banshee had once said bluntly, "In over a hundred years, this is the first time I've seen so many children."

As long as they waited twenty years, Kazdel would experience a population boom.

But that was a vision of the future. Present-day Kazdel was still trapped by its shortage of people.

Theresica called Mel over, connected to Siracusa's communications station, and contacted the computer trio remotely for a video conference.

"During production, could we replace certain steps with machines that use fixed or repetitive movements?"

Theresica posed the question to them. Kazdel's industrial exports were mainly concentrated in civilian goods. Ursus, which paid little attention to light industry, and Siracusa, which Leithanien had reduced to ruins, were their main export targets.

But the markets in those two places were simply too large, and Kazdel lacked the capacity to handle them both completely. Even so, Theresica stubbornly wanted to cover everything, earning more money to supply every aspect of Kazdel's development. Equipping artillery and upgrading technology all cost money!

Yet he did not want to make the factory workers work overtime.

With too few people and no desire to exploit Sarkaz workers, Theresica could only follow Earth's experience and turn his attention to automation.

After hearing his idea, the computer trio discussed it for a while.

"Boss, your idea has tremendous potential. Replacing workers with machines in certain production steps is highly feasible, but..."

They paused briefly. "Machines can malfunction. If one breaks down, it can only be repaired by a professional engineer familiar with its internal structure. But Kazdel currently has difficulty organizing a qualified maintenance team."

During the conflict between Siracusa and Leithanien, the three of them had also been sent to Kazdel to take shelter, just in case. At that time, they had witnessed Kazdel's backwardness.

And Theresica, whose thinking could be described as far ahead of its time, seemed almost like an oddity when compared with the other Sarkaz.

Hearing their words, Theresica helplessly covered his forehead. Kazdel had only just sent out its first batch of university students. There was still a long way to go in its technological development.

"Boss, if you want to expand production, why not recruit workers? There are many more people around Kazdel now, aren't there?" Mel said. That was indeed the case.

As Lungmen's mobile land segments continued to converge and connect, the mobile city was not yet complete, but it had already reached considerable size. Many international companies had opened branches there, sending their goods to Lungmen before using convenient airship transport to distribute them throughout Yan or elsewhere.

After Kazdel introduced its policy of aiding desert refugees, security in the desert between Lungmen and Kazdel improved considerably. In addition to airship transport, merchant caravans using overland routes also began traveling frequently. Several permanent refugee settlements had appeared in the desert, where passing caravans often stopped to rest.

But...

"It's a good solution, and it would solve the problem, but politically, it's difficult."

Theresica sighed. It was not as though he had never considered this approach.

The entire world rejected the Sarkaz, and the Sarkaz likewise rejected other races. He had personally ordered aid for the refugees, and the work was carried out by young Sarkaz, which was why it had not caused any major disturbance. The infected from Ursus who had previously been brought in were all useful technicians, so even the older generation of Sarkaz found it difficult to object.

But if he now proposed allowing refugees into Kazdel to work, those people would certainly explode. The countless problems that followed would be impossible to untangle.

On that basis, Theresica had also considered an alternative: sending obsolete machine tools to refugee settlements and having them produce some components.

However, after investigating, the Banshee reached an unfavorable conclusion. The refugees were even less educated than the current Sarkaz. If they were to become substitutes for Sarkaz laborers, the initial investment would likely be enormous, consuming both time and effort.

It would also cause the Sarkaz to lose their advantage in industrial products during scattered trade with them.

Sighing, Theresica felt that Kazdel's development had reached a temporary bottleneck. Everything could only proceed step by step, inching forward under the slow push of time.

"That's all for today's meeting. Sorry for taking up your time."

Theresica smiled apologetically and reached out to end the call. Then he headed toward the door, wondering whether he should issue a notice to all the Sarkaz in Terra and call back those scattered outside Kazdel.

He did not know what effect it would have. The commotion would certainly be huge, likely attracting considerable attention and possibly creating security risks.

Ah! What a headache.

Mel opened the partition door for him, but before he could leave, an officer rushed in.

"Your Majesty."

"What is it?"

"A caravan transporting a shipment of arrows to Siracusa was robbed."

Theresica's eyes widened at once. Couldn't things stay peaceful for even a moment? Who would pick a fight with Kazdel now? Were they blind?

"Who was it? Leithanien? Victoria? Or Kazimierz?"

Theresica thought briefly and listed every country with which he had clashed since taking power, but the officer only continued shaking his head.

"Then who robbed our caravan?!"

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty."

The officer's face was covered in sweat. He braced himself and said, "We... don't know..."

"What?!"

Letting someone rob the caravan without even knowing who had done it—could the Sarkaz really produce such a disastrously foolish blunder?

Theresica hurriedly asked, "Were any bodies left at the scene? What about the Confessors? Did they participate in the investigation?"

"Your Majesty, the Confessors have already begun investigating." The officer nodded. "Several enemy corpses were left at the battle site, and the Confessors have begun extracting information."

Hearing that, Theresica hurried to the Confessors' research building. But as soon as he entered, he saw several medical personnel hurriedly carrying out three stretchers. One of the people lying on them was actually Salus!

"What happened? How did things end up like this?"

"Your Majesty."

After saluting Theresica, the leader of the Confessors said, "We are analyzing the enemies who robbed the transport team, using their corpses to determine which faction they belonged to."

"And the result?"

"We don't know yet."

The leader of the Confessors shook his head regretfully. "These people are all extremely severely infected with Oripathy. Many have developed Originium crystals in their brains, leaving their memory data disordered and fragmented. This has made our work extremely difficult. Salus was struck by the chaotic information flow while sorting through the memories."

"How is she? And what about the other two Confessors? Are they all right?"

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty. They only passed out."

Hearing the Confessor's words, Theresica breathed a sigh of relief. If Kazdel lost its already scarce technical personnel because of a few unknown assailants, it would be a devastating loss.

"What about the corpses? Let me take a look."

"They're this way. Please follow me, Your Majesty."

The leader of the Confessors led Theresica into an area separated by a heavy metal door. The temperature inside was extremely low, as though they had arrived on Ursus's frozen plains. Workrooms were spaced at regular intervals, each containing an ice table that radiated freezing air.

The corpses lay on the ice tables, surrounded by numerous Confessors carrying out their work.

"Your Majesty, this is where we urgently extract memories," the leader of the Confessors explained.

Theresica moved closer. The wounds on the corpses had already been covered with white cloth, so he could only see the grayish-white exposed skin and the person's disheveled clothing.

"This style of clothing... looks a little like Ursus's. Don't tell me they came from Ursus?"

Theresica suddenly felt a chill run through him, but the leader of the Confessors denied it.

"Your Majesty, there's no need to worry. They bear no clear signs of nationality or identity. Their clothing merely displays characteristics of Ursus's culture, which we have here as well."

With the investigation temporarily yielding nothing, Theresica could only inform Lady Sicilia of the situation and arrange for another shipment of arrows to be transported to Siracusa.