The next day.
Desolate North Imperial City, First Mechanical Workshop.
Zong Shen came here for a tour, accompanied by a young officer.
"This is the workshop supervisor, Karel Quinn, a master craftsman of the kingdom."
"Master Karel will introduce everything to you."
The officer pointed at a tall man in the distance, who was pacing before several cannons as he waited.
Then he added in a low voice.
"Master Karel has a bit of a temper."
"You should understand that grandmaster-level craftsmen tend to be somewhat unusual."
Zong Shen smiled and nodded, signaling that he understood.
Becoming a grandmaster craftsman required not only the proper talent, but also absolute focus and passion. Nearly every master craftsman was obsessed with the craft they had mastered.
Passion was the foremost requirement.
And such intensely focused engineering types had always been weak when it came to socializing.
They did not even like wasting words on strangers or laymen.
The fact that Karel Quinn had been persuaded to personally explain things to him was already enough to show Prince Ortis's sincerity.
Of course, not all craftsmen had eccentric personalities.
At the very least, Goblin Engineers were much easier to get along with.
Once they got past their initial period of arrogance, as long as you provided enough equipment, space, raw materials, along with suitable liquor and wages—
They would show you plenty of goodwill.
The officer accompanying him was named Saide.
Though he appeared quite young, he was actually already in his forties or fifties.
He had once been one of Prince Ortis's sworn personal guards.
In his early years in the military, he had displayed astonishing talent for cultivation.
He had advanced to the Legendary rank at a very young age.
Because of his strength, after entering the Legendary rank, his aging had