But nothing out of a melodrama happened here. Portland felt there was no need for formalities between them. Besides, as a top mechanical engineer, how could he lack the confidence to make money for Kronos?
"Sure. You decide." Portland agreed without hesitation, then lowered his head and went back to studying the formulas.
"Do you have time? If you do, let's not study them here. We can go to the factory and put them into practice as we work through them," Kronos suggested.
"Sure. Let's go." As a full professor, Portland did not have to handle many things personally, so his schedule was quite flexible.
This time, Kronos did not take his own carriage. Instead, he rode in Portland's.
He had sent his own carriage off on an errand to the Grizzly Bear Bar in Bridge Borough, instructing the driver to tell Violent Bear to notify Gner that evening: Gner was to compile the information on the Black Skull Gang over the next two days, then come find Kronos at the Walter Factory.
Gner had been cooped up in the barracks for far too long. Once released, he roamed wherever he pleased, making it difficult even for Kronos to find him. Still, he did drop by Violent Bear's place every day.
Since sparring with Beyonders could no longer help Kronos digest his potion, their operation against the Black Skull Gang had to be put on the agenda.
Kronos planned to make his move once he had finished testing these materials.
Of course, that depended on having enough information.
After arriving at the factory, they headed straight into the laboratory. It had been built specifically for this purpose, and Kronos had consulted Portland about every piece of equipment they would need.
They could hardly fire up the smelting furnace just to test a new material. If the experiment failed, they would waste over a thousand pounds of metal in one go.
Portland was thoroughly practiced in experimenting with metallic materials. With his guidance, Kronos soon learned to handle the work himself, allowing them to work separately and greatly improving their efficiency.
The first few formulas had not been altered at all, so there was actually no need to test them. But Kronos could not think of an excuse to explain that to Portland, and they still needed to measure their basic properties anyway.
As a result, the first few experiments went extremely smoothly, though they still worked late into the night.
"These are all excellent materials." Portland's eyes shone as he looked at the samples they had produced.
"Enough admiring them. Hurry up and get some rest, or we'll lose time tomorrow."
Since the factory was far from both their homes, staying there made more sense and spared them the time spent traveling back and forth.
Portland agreed with this suggestion, so Kronos had two beds set up in the office area, and they slept there. The conditions were a little rough, but neither of them minded.
Compared with the smooth progress of the first day, the second day's experiments were somewhat rocky. Kronos was no towering authority in materials science, and the formulas he had modified all had problems to some degree.
Either their performance fell short or their properties were unstable. Although they worked in principle, they still needed further refinement.
This was where having an experienced hand proved essential. Adding a few unremarkable ingredients or slightly adjusting the quantities could turn a failure into something remarkable.
That was the difference between the Savant Pathway and the Mystery Pryer Pathway. Emperor Huang Tao had followed the Savant Pathway, whose knowledge leaned more toward the real world-physics, chemistry, and the like-so he could reproduce the technologies he remembered.
The knowledge of the Mystery Pryer Pathway dealt more with the mystical world, so its only help with technical knowledge lay in improving memory. Even if Kronos could recall these formulas, he had to rely on his own abilities to figure out how to improve them.
With Portland's help, it took three days to reproduce all but three of the more outlandish formulas. Although some fell a little short of their modern-world counterparts, they would utterly dominate in this world.
As for the remaining three, Portland believed they still had their merits. Though he did not think the formulas could be completed anytime soon, the ideas behind them could improve the performance of the materials in several of his earlier patents.
Kronos naturally refused to pass up such an excellent opportunity to watch an expert conduct research up close. As a result, Gner, who had arrived on the second day, could only wander around the factory. Kronos had no time at all to discuss business with him.
At last, Portland used these ideas to improve one of his earlier materials. His attempts with all the others failed, much to Kronos's disappointment.
But Portland said, "If scientific research meant completing anything you could think of, it wouldn't be called research. It would be called making wishes."
Kronos understood that, of course. He was merely a little disappointed. But seeing that even Portland felt no regret, he let it go.
All that remained was to apply for patents. The Walter Factory stood within the jurisdiction of the Church of Steam and Machinery, so once the applications were approved, the patents would enjoy the Church's protection. That was also why they had chosen to build the factory here in the first place.
Kronos was unfamiliar with the procedures, however, so he could only leave them to Portland. In truth, despite holding numerous patents, Portland was no more familiar with the process. But he was a professor, after all, and the associate professors and students under him could handle it.
After four or five days without washing, Kronos did not go straight to Gner once the research was over. Instead, he first found somewhere to wash and change, then went to see Gner after making himself presentable.
"You two are finally done. I never knew you scientists were this impressive." It was hard to tell whether Gner was being sarcastic or speaking from the heart.
Kronos paid it no mind and simply said, "Tell me all the important information you've gathered."
"The situation at the Black Skull Gang's headquarters is basically the same as what we saw during those days of observation. The three leaders meet every day, and the timing isn't particularly strict. It's around eight, but they might be a little early or late."
"The guards aren't fixed when the leaders meet, either, but there are generally about ten. If we move fast enough, the two of us should be able to take them out without a sound."
"During these past few days of surveillance, I also found out where all three leaders live. But they're all in busy areas, and two have families living with them. I still wouldn't recommend attacking under those circumstances."
"Their movements during the rest of the day are rather irregular. They aren't disciplined people, after all. They do whatever they feel like doing, so setting up an ambush in advance would be difficult."
"From what I've observed, Lima and Godopus seem to be Sequence 8, while Moreira seems more like Sequence 9. I haven't found anyone of a higher Sequence. In that case, the two of us should be able to complete the mission without much trouble."
Looking at Gner's confident expression, Kronos felt his attitude was a little unreliable, so he began revealing some information.
"The organization behind the Black Skull Gang is the East Balam Restoration Society. The gang is merely a tool for collecting money for them. The East Balam Restoration Society should be subordinate to the Eternal Life Society, which is a branch of the Numinous Episcopate. That organization probably has three or four angels at Sequence Two or above."
Kronos then witnessed Gner's remarkable face-changing skills firsthand. Not only did his expression change, even his complexion shifted.
"Hahaha!" Kronos pointed at Gner and laughed. "A gang on the Black Skull Gang's level would be lucky to have a Sequence 7. I was just giving you a scare."
By then, Gner also realized he had been far too conceited. He had even begun to feel that he could take on the entire gang alone. His strength had probably increased too quickly since becoming a Beyonder this month, throwing his mindset off balance.
Seeing Gner sink into thought, Kronos nodded inwardly. That was more like it. Only someone who could quickly recognize his own failings was fit to shoulder important responsibilities.
After a while, Gner raised his head again. "Kronos, how should we arrange things?"
"I've worn myself out quite a bit over the past few days, so I need a full day's rest. Tomorrow, I'll contact my family and have them send someone to assist us. We'll make our move the night after tomorrow."
"Sorry for the trouble, but I'll need you to go back and keep watching them. If anything changes, we can adjust the plan right away. Make sure you get some rest, though. You need to be in peak condition the night after tomorrow. Don't underestimate them."
Gner nodded. "No problem. You can count on me."
"Oh, right." Kronos suddenly remembered something. "Remember to ask Violent Bear about buying two handguns. We'll need melee weapons too. I need a war blade and a dagger. For yourself, buy whatever you're comfortable using."
After all this time, Kronos naturally knew that Gner did not really like using weapons. Even though he was skilled with blades and daggers, he trusted his fists more.
If Kronos said nothing, Gner would undoubtedly use only his fists this time.
"All right." Gner was a little reluctant, but he also knew this would be closer to a fight for their lives. He could not afford to be so willful.
After Gner left, Kronos departed as well.
Portland had already left in his carriage, and Kronos had originally come along with him, so he had to find his own transportation home.
Fortunately, there was still the subway. Although it only went as far as Empress Borough, that was not far from his home.
The research over the past few days had truly drained him, and Kronos nearly fell asleep on the subway.
After leaving the subway, he hired a carriage and went home.
Kronos slept for a full seventeen hours. Only after supplementing that sleep with the Meditation Method of the Nine Secrets did he feel alive again.
He believed he would be back in peak condition by the time they acted tomorrow.
It was time to prepare to make their move. He summoned the butler and sent a telegram to Argyle Manor.
The telegram contained no important information, only a single sentence: "Coming home for worship the day after tomorrow."
There was only one circumstance in which worship was held at the manor, so the Marquis naturally understood.
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