Kal'tsit was struggling to maintain her composure.
What the hell was this thing??
She had lived for many ages and had naturally witnessed countless things, including astonishing weapons, but...
This steel creation before her, painted crimson all over like a demon, was something even Kal'tsit had never seen before.
Such robots were not uncommon.
Both Raythean Industries and Rhodes Island had them.
However, due to limitations in materials and contemporary technology, these types of robots could never be deployed on the battlefield. Most of them were clunky and slow, barely usable in industrial settings where strength was needed, but not speed or agility.
But...
But...
This mech, several meters tall, moved as fluidly as a person. From landing to standing up, to firing its weapon, the seamless sequence of movements was practically indistinguishable from a real human's!!
How on earth did the Doctor achieve this?
And it wasn't just the mech.
Those two unmanned aircraft circling in the sky—had the Doctor already mastered the complete technology for manufacturing aircraft??
How is that possible!!
Kal'tsit's brain, which she had always taken pride in, experienced another momentary shutdown.
"Ahem..."
Kal'tsit let out a small cough, her expression still calm and cold, striving to convey a look of 'Is that all?'.
However.
While Kal'tsit could keep her composure.
Closure could not.
She ran over and, like a sloth climbing a tree, clung to the [Titan]'s leg. Her delicate little nose sniffed wildly at the paint on its thigh, her eyes shining with excitement, much like Warfarin's, with pink hearts flashing in her pupils.
Just as Warfarin loved fresh blood.
Closure loved money and all kinds of mechanical creations.
And the [Titan] before her was the true embodiment of the beauty of power, the beauty of machinery, and the beauty of money. Take the gatling cannon, for instance; setting aside the technological costs, a single burst of Originium Rounds would cost a fortune. In any case, the impoverished Rhodes Island couldn't afford to burn that kind of money.
Huff...
It was simply!!
A work of art!
"Doctor! Doctor!!"
Closure said excitedly, "This! Did you make this yourself?!"
"Of course."
Lucas smiled faintly, the corners of his mouth turning up, his expression serene and filled with confidence.
Lucas sneakily glanced at Kal'tsit.
Seeing that her expression hadn't changed much, but the shock in her eyes couldn't escape his observation, he felt immensely satisfied.
Heh...
Who are you trying to fool, Kal'tsit?
So what if you've lived for over ten thousand years...
Although, as Amiya said, Kal'tsit wasn't inherently bad, but... that cryptic way of speaking was really annoying. Who wouldn't want to see an ice queen break her composure? Honestly, it was pretty satisfying.
No wonder those doujins about the cold princess's corruption were so popular in his past life.
To see the eternally cold and sharp-tongued old lynx show a shocked expression in front of his big treasure, yet be forced to maintain her original aloof persona, feigning disdain while secretly craving it... (Priceless.jpg)
"This external armor?"
Closure knocked on the surface of the [Titan]'s armor. Even at Raythean Industries, Closure could be considered an expert. She could identify any alloy with a simple tap, but this mech's... she couldn't figure it out.
Could it be?
Closure's breathing quickened, and an excited blush spread across her pretty, lively face.
"I forged it myself. It's called Nirvana Metal. Its strength far exceeds Terra's current top-tier D32 Steel. Furthermore, due to its special internal molecular structure, Nirvana Alloy can absorb 70-80% of energy and impact."
"!!!"
Closure's eyes widened in disbelief.
She knew all too well how shocking Lucas's words were.
Without a doubt.
If this information got out, it would definitely shake the entire scientific community of Terra for a long time. A metal with a completely new concept—every nation, even the entire world's power structure would be turned upside down.
This wasn't just a metal anymore; it was a brand-new scientific breakthrough!!
Whichever nation or company could grasp it would seize the future.
The sudden rise of Iberia in the past, becoming a superpower on par with Victoria and Ursus, was a prime example of this.
Kal'tsit walked over.
She was naturally well aware of the importance of this technology, and it was in the Doctor's hands. Kal'tsit felt a bit dazed. If not for the Soul Verification showing no issues, she would really suspect the Doctor had been replaced by someone else.
This talent...
Was simply...
Terrifying.
"This is the Doctor's secret and must not be revealed, Closure."
Kal'tsit's tone was serious. She knew the ambitions of Terra's nations all too well. Terra seemed calm on the surface, but undercurrents were surging. It was just a brief period of peace, and many nations, like Ursus, Victoria, and even Columbia, were looking for an opportunity to break the balance—for example, a brand-new technology!
Who wouldn't want to be the sole hegemon of Terra?
Of course.
Except for the neighboring Yan.
Yan was like a hermit living deep in the mountains, never meddling in the affairs of other nations, nor wishing to interfere. But if anyone were to underestimate Yan because of this, they would pay a heavy price. The once-mighty Ursus had learned this the hard way, suffering a major defeat in Yan despite being nearly invincible elsewhere.
Though her tone was calm.
Kal'tsit still couldn't help but glance at the [Titan] a few more times, even pretending to casually touch it.
Amiya didn't understand any of it.
But she was deeply impressed.
Her eyes sparkled, her hands clasped together in front of her chest as she said with admiration, "The Doctor is so amazing!!"
Hee hee~
In Amiya's eyes.
Both in the past and now.
The Doctor was omnipotent, all-knowing.
Even when he couldn't do anything during his assessment half a month ago, Amiya always believed that the Doctor had just temporarily forgotten. With his monstrous talent, learning it all back would be a piece of cake.
Closure climbed onto the [Titan] to give it a full 360-degree, no-blind-spot inspection, then asked her question.
"Doctor, how did you solve the issue with this mech's joints? With Terra's best materials, they shouldn't be able to withstand the high-intensity operation of such a massive body, right?"
Lucas smiled and explained, "The metal in the joints is also something I discovered myself. I named it D35 Alloy. Its hardness is slightly less than D32 Steel, but it has the ductility and malleability of modeling clay. Moreover, this metal overcomes the traditional flaw of ductile metals—the problem of uneven force distribution. No matter what shape D35 Alloy is formed into, it will maintain uniform force distribution everywhere, even better than human joints."
"Human kneecaps can suffer damage from high-intensity running and jumping, but D35 Alloy will not."
"Wow!!"
Closure was practically drooling.
The little profiteer hooked her arm around Lucas's, saying flirtatiously, "Doctor~ can you teach me? From now on, all the goods in my shop will be free for you~"
"...."
Lucas's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
That's it?
Isn't that a bit stingy?
A profiteer through and through.
Then, Closure playfully let go of Lucas's arm and deliberately stepped back as if startled.
"Ah! Could it be that you also want my...."
"But... it's not impossible..."
Closure's bare white legs, seemingly without pants under her long white T-shirt, rubbed against each other as if she were shy.
"Although I once said I would devote my life to science, science is right in front of me now!"
Before Closure could finish, a loud sound was heard.
*THWACK!!*
A fair-skinned iron fist landed on Closure's head.
"Ow! Kal'tsit, that hurts!!"
Closure squatted to the side, smoke rising from her head. Kal'tsit, her face still cold, said.
"Not bad, Doctor. Your talent has exceeded my expectations somewhat. This knowledge belongs to you; we at Rhodes Island will not demand it. However, I hope you can keep these technologies to yourself. This continent is turbulent, nations are in conflict, external enemies are stirring, and the gods are about to awaken. Your technology will become a coveted prize for all nations. You have the potential to change a country. Therefore, I hope you can protect yourself. However, as a member of our Rhodes Island, we will also do our utmost to protect this secret."
Another string of high-sounding riddles.
Kal'tsit turned to leave, leaving behind only the back of her white-shouldered figure.
"Hey? I still have more to show you, Kal'tsit. Don't you want to see the rest?"
Lucas called out from behind her.
"There is no need."
Kal'tsit turned her head slightly, her feet never stopping as she left the deck, her image aloof, like an immortal who has seen through everything. Then she quick-walked back to her office and turned on the computer monitor connected to the deck's surveillance cameras.
"Mumble mumble~"
Closure mumbled indistinctly while holding her head, "Kal'tsit doesn't want to see it, but I do!! Doctor!! I want to see more, more!!"
"I really want to see the Doctor's treasures right now!"
Amiya, beside her, also nodded.
"Alright."
Lucas beckoned with his hand.
The Titan's simple autopilot system activated, and it docked with the [Titan's Dedicated Transport] hovering in the sky, returning to the hangar.
Meanwhile, from the open hatches of the [Stardust], weapons flew down like streams of light, landing on the deck.
Lucas introduced them one by one.
"Counter-strike protective armor barrier. The armor plate is made of D34 steel, which is less hard than D32 Steel, but it's lighter and more ductile. After landing, this armor plate can expand into a 360-degree protective barrier to ensure the safety of others."
"Raythean-style anti-armor heavy sniper. It uses large 12.7mm Originium Rounds. A single round costs several thousand Lungmen Dollars. I've inscribed a special casting unit into each round. Its effective range is 2km. Upon hitting a target, the internal casting unit will activate, releasing different powers depending on the caster."
"Hawkeye-style composite light bow. A toy I made for fun. Its power is average, only about 40% stronger than current mainstream bows and crossbows. It can use custom arrows of different specifications. My evaluation is that it's just so-so."
"Modified Raythean power armor. The external armor can be chosen freely, from Nirvana Metal to D32 Steel, or even lesser alloys. The casting unit inside this power armor was designed by me and can increase the user's overall abilities by 15%."
"..."
Blah blah blah.
Lucas introduced some of his other creations.
Many of these were co-developed by Lucas and Nian. Of course, Lucas didn't show off the truly cutting-edge stuff. For example, the [Titan]'s sword was a divine-grade weapon specially forged for it by Nian. There were also several semi-divine grade spears that could be controlled by the user's will. That was the real top-tier technology.
Closure was stunned.
In her eyes, everything the Doctor casually pulled out was a treasure. Even the recreational items he personally disliked were T1-level technology by Terra's current standards. Was this the Doctor??
"Doctor!! Teach me!!"
The profiteer finally couldn't hold back. She threw herself at Lucas's leg and hugged it tightly. This was the true god of machinery!! Wasn't this way better than those arrogant top experts at Raythean Industries??
A god was right beside me?
Amiya was very happy at this moment, but she didn't like Closure's behavior.
She's too close to the Doctor!
On the other side.
In Kal'tsit's office.
Kal'tsit was silently 'peeping' as usual via the deck's surveillance feed.
Her breathing became slightly more rapid.
These weapons...
If they could be mass-produced...
How terrifying would that be.
Just then.
As if he knew she was watching, the Doctor raised his handsome face, looked directly at the surveillance camera on the deck, a slight smile on his lips, and gave a thumbs-up, seemingly saying something.
Kal'tsit easily read his lips.
[What do you think, Kal'tsit?]
"....."
"Tsk.."
An unknown number of cross-shaped veins popped on Kal'tsit's forehead, and she immediately shut off the computer screen.
Huff...
However.
She felt a sense of relief in her heart.
The current Doctor...
At least he was not bad.
Completely different from the cold-blooded Doctor of the past who would do anything for victory.
But...
A Doctor like this no longer needed Rhodes Island.
Instead, Rhodes Island needed him...
Without his past memories, the only bond the Doctor had with the current Rhodes Island was perhaps the flimsy reason of wanting to find his memories. Perhaps one day, the Doctor would leave Rhodes Island and return to Columbia.
Or perhaps for the current Doctor, Columbia was his home...
Therefore.
Kal'tsit didn't want to rely too much on the current Doctor, even though she knew he was even more terrifying than the former [Ghost of Babel]. After all, tactics have their limits; otherwise, that final battle would not have been lost. But firepower has no limit.
Under absolute firepower suppression, even the best tactics are useless.
The future path of Rhodes Island is something I will have to figure out myself.