The West Grand Duke's estate was in the midst of a full-blown industrialization drive, with fortifications going up everywhere.
Most importantly, they had firearms like Olesian's.
And plenty of them.
Inside the Grand Duke's residence, a slogan from more than twenty years ago still hung on the wall.
Forty million men take up arms, vowing never again to let the Eastern Empire fall.
It was a slogan from the early days of the Northern Empire.
More than twenty years ago, it had once again helped the Northern Empire through a crisis.
Back then, after the Crown Prince question was settled, everyone had gotten on the same page. The various factions had rallied under the banner of Loyalty to the King and gone to every battlefield.
There had been no infighting, no scheming against one another, until they had fully reclaimed the territory they'd lost before the war.
That unity had vanished in the blink of an eye.
All that remained was an empire torn apart by infighting.
They had even joined forces with their former enemies.
Enemies for thousands of years, no less. But history had repeatedly shown that they couldn't be trusted.
The West Grand Duke's Ansu Kingdom was now focused entirely on recuperating and rebuilding its strength.
At Isa's request, Chali was planning the Western Empire's industrialization here.
Yes, Chali and Isa were both here.
Chali was now overseeing the industrialization. Back then, she had been the one in charge of logistics and construction.
And now she was doing the same.
Though she had become a little Blood Princess, she still had her mind.
But Isa wasn't happy.
Why?
Because Chali understood the industrialization process better than even Yuffie, who had been advocating learning from others and imitating them!
She even had a knack for designing firearms.
For