"Miss Ann?"
"Miss Ann?"
"Miss Ann, are you alright?" the director asked with concern.
"You still haven't told me your decision. Do you want to be a janitor or a cook?"
"Don't worry, the assessment for official researchers is always available. As long as you have the ability, you can be promoted at any time!"
"Of course, if you really can't accept these jobs, we completely understand."
The director's words jolted Sandrone back to reality.
Not join?
With so many advanced scientific theories laid out before her, if she gave up this chance to access and verify them at will, she'd be kicking herself in her dreams for the rest of her life.
But if she joined the Fontaine Research Institute as a janitor or a cook... oh, she couldn't cook, so it would have to be a janitor.
A dignified Fatui Harbinger, working as a janitor in Fontaine?!
If her fellow Harbingers found out, even the late La Signora, Rosalyne, would laugh herself back to life!
No matter what, even if I can't become an official researcher, the position shouldn't be this humiliating!
Her mind raced, faster than it ever had during her scientific research. An idea struck her, and she hurriedly turned to the director.
"Surely you need someone to manage security here, right?"
"I'm more than qualified! Just look at my perfect masterpiece—it can effortlessly deal with any threat the Fontaine Research Institute might encounter."
Sandrone patted the Autonomous Mechanism behind her and began to shamelessly sing her own praises.
At that moment, the Autonomous Mechanism's eyes flickered red again.
The director noticed the anomaly but didn't pay it much mind, instead listening intently to Sandrone's pitch.
Once Sandrone had finished, the director chuckled warmly.
"Miss Ann, your creation is truly outstanding. I'll grant you that."
"But to qualify for security work at the Fontaine Research Institute... well, there's still quite a gap."
Sandrone laughed in exasperation upon hearing the director's words. She, a dignified Fatui Harbinger, had condescended to act as a security guard, only to be looked down upon?!
Hmph, you know nothing of my true power!
"I understand you might find this hard to grasp, Miss Ann," the director said. "How about this? I'll make an exception and show you the Fontaine Research Institute's crisis response measures."
"Miss Ann, please follow me."
With that, the director led the way. Sandrone followed, unimpressed.
As if any ordinary weapon could possibly move me. Even if its destructive power slightly surpassed her Autonomous Mechanisms, a fixed-position weapon couldn't even begin to compare to her masterpieces!
Unless its firepower was truly overwhelming!
It would need at least Archon-level destructive capability to even earn a second glance from her!
Truthfully, Sandrone was still simmering over the director's earlier remarks. Her masterpieces had been reduced to being compared with those shoddy Gardemeks.
Although he had quickly and accurately assessed the Autonomous Mechanisms' specifications, she refused to believe the Gardemeks could rival her creations.
He was likely just trying to suppress her haughtiness to make her easier to manage later.
Sandrone had seen such tactics countless times within the Fatui; she had even used them herself to manage her own subordinates.
Sandrone had to admit that in the realm of energy application, the Fontaine Research Institute had reached a level she could no longer comprehend. However, she refused to believe the Institute was so far ahead in every other field.
The Autonomous Mechanism trailed slowly behind her, the red glow in its eyes flickering incessantly.
"We're here. This is the place."
Soon, the Head stopped in an open area and gestured to one side.
With a low rumble, the roof above began to retract, revealing the azure sky. Sandrone watched in astonishment.
"Miss Ann, please look."
Following the Head's direction, Sandrone spotted a tiny black dot in the distance.
"That's the target. It may look small from here, but it's actually about one-third the size of the Fontaine Research Institute."
The Head's words left Sandrone momentarily stunned, then a wave of shock crashed through her.
Though he hadn't specified the distance, Sandrone could already make a rough calculation based on the visual size comparison.
The target had to be hundreds of li away!
"Pure metal?"
"Yes, more or less. Though we prefer to call it an alloy."
At the Head's explanation, Sandrone struggled to maintain her composure.
Setting aside how the Fontaine Research Institute managed to suspend a pure metal structure of this size in mid-air... if this was the target, what kind of weapon were they planning to show her?!
What weapon could possibly traverse such a vast distance and still maintain its destructive power?!
The next moment, the Director gave Sandrone her answer.
At his command, an intensely blinding beam of light struck the tiny black dot almost instantly, piercing through it and continuing into the distance.
Aside from the intense light, there was little other disturbance—not even a strong gust of wind. The silence was terrifying.
Behind Sandrone, the Autonomous Mechanism's eyes had, at some point, stopped flickering with crimson light.
The Director cheerfully handed Sandrone a pair of binoculars. She slowly raised them to her eyes. The sight of the massive hole punched through the target by the beam of light left her mind numb.
This weapon... it's horrifying!
Even if the metal used for the target was just ordinary material, it was still the size of one-third of the Fontaine Research Institute! Even if it had been made of paper, piercing through that thickness would have been absurd, let alone solid metal!
And this was an attack from hundreds of miles away. What if it were closer?
Fifty... or even ten!
Just how much more destructive would the weapon be at that range?!
And the speed... it hit the target almost instantly. Could any being below the level of an Archon truly react in time to dodge it?!
Sandrone's knees felt weak. She had just arrogantly offered to handle the Fontaine Research Institute's security. How utterly humiliating!
She leaned back to sit, but instead of settling into the familiar palm of her Autonomous Mechanism, she found nothing but air. She let out a startled cry, unable to react in time.
Just as her rear was about to make intimate contact with the ground, the familiar feeling of support returned.
Of course, the low height still meant she landed with a painful jolt to her backside.
Sandrone glared resentfully at the Autonomous Mechanism behind her—the masterpiece she had poured her heart and soul into. Now, it looked more and more displeasing with every glance.
It's one thing for its performance to be inferior, but now it can't even handle the simple task of being my seat without messing up? What use are you?!
"Miss Ann," the Director said, "would you like to have your Autonomous Mechanism give it a try?"
Sandrone's body stiffened.
Give it a try?
Try it and die!
What's the point of shooting from this distance? The missiles I equipped it with would probably just plummet into the sea below before they even got close to the target.
Better not make a fool of myself!
Seeing Sandrone shake her head, the Director's smile deepened.
"Since Miss Ann has finished observing our Fontaine Research Institute's mid-range attack methods, let me show you our long-range attack methods next."
Mid-range?!
You fucking call this mid-range?!
"Th-then... how far exactly is 'long-range'?" Sandrone stammered.
"Around one hundred to two hundred thousand Miles..." the Director mused, stroking his chin.
"H-h-how... how many?!"
Thud!
Sandrone's legs gave out completely, and she collapsed to her knees.
This time, even her Autonomous Mechanism couldn't catch her, as she had fallen forward.
Isn't that distance a bit too fantastical?
We're all adults here! Can't we stick to some semblance of science?!
This means the Fontaine Research Institute could hit my home in Snezhnaya from right where I'm standing!
This is utterly absurd!
"Miss Ann, why the sudden grand gesture?!"
Seeing Sandrone collapse to her knees without warning, the Director rushed to help her up.
"My apologies, I was a bit loud just now," Sandrone said slowly, looking at the Director's concerned face.
"Please, you must accept me! I absolutely love cleaning toilets!"
Even in her wildest imagination, Sandrone couldn't fathom how the Fontaine Research Institute had achieved such an incredible range with their weapons.
But one thing was crystal clear in her mind: she could not leave the Fontaine Research Institute until she had completely mastered these technologies!
Even if they tried to chase her away with a broom, she wouldn't budge!
So what if I lose face?If I can just study here for a while, it'll be worth it for a lifetime!
As for the "masterpiece" behind her?
That pile of scrap metal? Who needs it!
Maybe I should just repurpose it into a dedicated toilet-cleaning machine.
It'll be obsolete soon enough anyway.
Autonomous Mechanism: "?"
Spy-Poor Pulonia
-
In Sumeru City, the Akademiya's latest announcement left countless people utterly stunned. No one could fathom why the Akademiya would offer such incredibly generous terms.
Among the most bewildered were the people inside the Restricted Zone and the Resistance organization.
The Resistance had been ecstatic when they first received the news. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to unite everyone in the Restricted Zone and raise the banner of rebellion against the Akademiya. But the final outcome left them completely dumbfounded.
Seriously? The Restricted Zone just got bought out?
Why didn't they try to buy us out? Don't we in the Resistance have any pride?!
Although they desperately wanted to confront the Akademiya directly and show them the Resistance wasn't just a bunch of pushovers, reason ultimately prevailed. The group went back into hiding, quietly awaiting further instructions.
After all, confronting the Akademiya now was no different from having a death wish.
Everyone was waiting—waiting for the decision of the people inside the Restricted Zone.
Meanwhile, the members of the Homayani Family were also discussing the matter.
"There's definitely something fishy about this!" Paimon declared, voicing her thoughts.
"The Akademiya simply doesn't have that many medicinal herbs," Paimon argued. "Otherwise, they wouldn't have gone after Dr. Edward, and they certainly wouldn't have sent people to the Restricted Zone to forcibly seize the herbs. Clearly, this is just a ploy to make everyone lower their guard!"
Paimon's analysis was sharp, but it was still just speculation.
"But if the Akademiya really has some other agenda, why would they make this announcement public?" Dunyarzad asked, clearly puzzled. "If they fail to deliver on their promise, their credibility will plummet to an all-time low!"
"Well... I don't know..."
The question instantly took the wind out of Paimon's sails.
"We should discuss this with Dr. Edward," Faruzan suggested.
"That's a great idea!" Paimon immediately supported Faruzan's proposal, then looked at Lumine with concern. "But I'm not sure if the Traveler has recovered enough yet."
Hearing Paimon's words, Lumine quickly shook her head, indicating that she was fine.
After resting for so long, Lumine's body had recovered most of its functions.
"Are you really okay?"
"Traveler, don't push yourself!"
Seeing Paimon's disbelief, Lumine decided to use her Elemental Power to prove she was fine.
However, the moment she channeled her Dendro Elemental Power, an intense wave of emptiness washed over her. She clutched her side, her face turning deathly pale as she leaned against the wall for support.
"Traveler!"
Seeing Lumine's pained expression, Paimon flew anxiously to her side. "What's wrong?"
Lumine waited a long moment before shaking her head again, but the unstable Dendro aura radiating from her told everyone present that her condition was far from the "fine" she claimed.
"It looks like we have to go see Dr. Edward," Faruzan said decisively. "Not only to learn his plans and protect him from the Akademiya, but also to have him examine the Traveler's condition."
The others nodded in agreement.
"Dunyarzad, contact Dehya quickly!"
Paimon immediately flew over to Dunyarzad and began to speak.
Dunyarzad nodded. Just as she was about to reply, her body suddenly convulsed, and she collapsed weakly toward the ground.
"Ah!" Paimon cried out, trying to catch Dunyarzad. But she was far too small and nearly got crushed under Dunyarzad's weight. Fortunately, Faruzan reacted quickly, rushing forward to help support Dunyarzad and preventing her from falling.
But as they looked at Dunyarzad—her eyes shut tight, her face deathly pale, her expression twisted in agony, and her body burning with a terrifying fever—everyone knew something was terribly wrong.
"It looks like Miss Dunyarzad's Eleazar is acting up."
"So this is Eleazar?"
Paimon stared at Dunyarzad, who had been perfectly fine just moments ago but was now too weak to even stand. The terrifying reality of the disease struck her with chilling clarity, leaving her at a loss.
"What do we do now?"
"Looks like you've run into a bit of trouble."
Just then, a familiar voice came from outside the door, and two figures walked in.
Everyone looked closer. The newcomers were none other than Dr. Edward and Dehya, who had left earlier. Instantly, relieved smiles spread across their faces...
-
Spy-In hindsight, I feel that maybe Pulonia was not named when this chapter came out?. Ill update it to be Pulonia from now on.