"A grand plan... you know," the City of Machinery " in the "Mechanical Book"?"
Belvan nodded. He had heard of it. Within the "Mechanical Book," there were several pages depicting a colossal city crafted from gears, steam, and steel.
"I am striving towards this direction, and our kingdom is also moving in this direction, growing increasingly robust under the auspices of Hiris.
For this, we need a powerful national strength, equipment far surpassing that of humans, abundant resources, and... vast territories.
I will generously fund you and those artisans studying steam technology until we achieve this goal. Therefore, if you wish to make your research public, I am sorry to say, you will have to wait a bit longer."
King Kafu the Sixth made his point very clear; the king did not wish to publicize Belvan's research on the Path of God's Creation to maintain an advantage over other kingdoms and races.
Belvan took a deep breath. He had anticipated this answer:
