Base Construction Vehicle and the Prophecy of Calamity

"Your Highness the First Prince, look—this is our brand-new project list. See if there's anything else the Imperial Capital needs?"

"Your Highness the First Prince, look—this is Silverpeak Domain's alchemy park, a brand-new alchemical industrial park perfectly aligned with the Imperial Capital's high-tech development plans. Don't you think we could get just a little more subsidy...?"

"Your Highness the First Prince, this way, please..."

Once he learned that Carlos held funding approval authority, Ian's attitude immediately became enthusiastic. Even Carlos found it a little hard to adapt. "Count Silverpeak, restrain yourself a little... Silverpeak Domain isn't short on money now, is it? There are the Western Legion and Firestone Group's military-industrial orders, not to mention those drinks selling all the way to the outskirts of the Imperial Capital... Among all count territories, yours ranks in the upper-middle tier, and its future potential is immense!"

"When is money ever enough?"

At that, Ian could not help but let out a long sigh.

This was not an act. It was the truth.

Back when he had merely been a researcher asking for funding, he had not known the price of rice and firewood until he became the one running the household. Now that he was in charge, he understood just how voraciously his projects devoured money.

To say nothing else, the Artificial Soul project team alone—just to optimize soul structures and strengthen cognitive ability and memory—had already purchased no fewer than forty batches of ape-type Magic Beasts as test subjects. He had even begun breeding them in the laboratory, striving to cultivate an ape breed most similar to humans.

Beyond that, military-industrial research was another enormous expense. With Ian's attainments in alchemy, he could complete many of the Empire military's demands through his own research alone, but mechanical engineering and the construction