"I understand, which is why I plan to focus on the mass production of mystical items. If we can crack this issue, we might be able to bypass the problem of lacking oil by leveraging Beyonder powers." Alaric said, not hiding his thoughts.
"That's a good idea. While Beyonder characteristics are conserved, crafting mystical items doesn't always require them. However, items made this way have a limited lifespan…" Roselle rubbed his chin in thought, then suddenly slapped his forehead. "Look at my brain! I've been in this era so long it's gone rigid. Why worry about lifespan for mass-produced items?"
"So, you think this is feasible?" Alaric asked for the expert's opinion.
"It's challenging. Crafting mystical items isn't something ordinary people can handle, but I could try creating something like a machine tool. If I can develop a prototype, with the Church of Steam's resources, we might actually be able to scale it up…" Roselle clearly already had some ideas.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Roselle. When it comes to invention and creation, even the entire Church of Steam probably can't match you." Alaric said with a smile, making a point to flatter when delegating tasks.
"Alright, who am I working for if not you?" Roselle didn't refuse, though he didn't make any guarantees either. "I can't promise success, though. Some things can be replaced with mystical items, but others might not be. This path may not work out."
"You won't know until you try. And guess why I set up a biological laboratory?" Alaric said with a smile.
"Hiss, you're planning to go the biological ascension route? That's bold!" Roselle instantly grasped Alaric's idea, giving him a thumbs-up before continuing, "Back in the day, I also considered advancing the biological tech tree, but as a Savant, my expertise was in mechanics, and I hadn't seen any Earth Mother Church Beyonders in Intis, so it fizzled out. Now that you're tackling this, I think it has real potential…"
As someone who had once single-handedly driven technological progress, Roselle was far from empty-headed. On the contrary, he had plenty of ideas in this field and immediately suggested a few research directions he thought were promising.
Alaric listened quietly, noting down the suggestions, then suddenly said, "Time's almost up. Want to say goodbye?"
"So soon?" Roselle was taken aback, then turned to Bernadette. "Bernadette, next time we meet, I hope you'll wear something different. Not that I'm trying to control your fashion choices, but you don't need to be trapped by the past…"
"I know, Father." Bernadette interrupted, looking at Roselle with a radiant smile. "Next time we meet, I'll wear the latest trendy dress and the newest accessories… I'm not some old-fashioned person, you know."
"Good to hear." Roselle said, relieved. "Goodbye, Bernadette."
"Goodbye, Father."
Bernadette's voice was soft, but not sad.
She knew she and her father would surely meet again.
"Wait, boss, you haven't answered whether Bernadette can join…" Roselle suddenly remembered, but before he could finish, his figure vanished abruptly.
Alaric, who had deliberately canceled the Shadow of Time, smiled at Bernadette. "Shall I take you back? Where are you staying now?"
Bernadette, slightly reserved, gave him an address.
Using his Traveler ability, Alaric sent Bernadette back to her temporary residence. Before leaving, he said, "Your father hopes you can work with me. What do you think?"
Bernadette was silent for a few seconds, then bit her lip and said, "Your Excellency Lucifer, may I know what you mean by 'reform'?"
For the person who saved her father, Bernadette was grateful, but having witnessed how Roselle established the Black Emperor's order, she had some trepidation about words like "reform" and "reorganizing the world's order."
Bernadette worried this might lead to another catastrophe, though from their brief interaction, the person before her didn't seem like someone capable of such things.
"You can read this book. After you finish, I'll tell you what we're trying to do." Alaric said, unsurprised by her reaction. He handed her a book titled On Capital with a smile.
"Hm?" Bernadette took the book, slightly puzzled, then nodded. "Alright, I'll read it as soon as I can."
"No rush. Take your time. It's not a book you can grasp by skimming." Alaric said with a smile, then bid farewell to Bernadette and went home to catch up on sleep.
Summoning Roselle for so long had truly exhausted him.
…
When Alaric woke up, it was already noon the next day.
"Good afternoon, Sherlock. Are you the only one here?"
As Alaric came downstairs, he noticed that aside from his alias "Jack Jones." who was also catching up on sleep, only Klein seemed to be around.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Lucifer." Klein said, clearly aware of everyone's whereabouts. He explained in detail, "Jack's been up for days and is still sleeping. Mr. Medici hasn't returned yet; I got a letter saying he'll be busy outside for a few more days. Mr. Azik and Will took Lil' Amon out, apparently to a new dessert shop nearby. Will loves their ice cream, so…"
Alaric nodded, indicating he understood, then went to the kitchen to make himself a simple lunch. After eating and cleaning up, he approached Klein and said, "Interested in coming with me to meet someone?"
After waking up, Alaric had received a letter from Bernadette. Cattleya had confirmed that Frank was willing to meet and talk, with the time and place up to Alaric.
"Someone related to my fate?" Klein guessed, curiosity piqued.
"Sort of. At least in the original fate, you were one of the few friends he had." Alaric said with a nod and a smile. "Jack's already told you about him... Mr. Frank."
"Him?" Klein was surprised but not entirely shocked, and asked curiously, "How did we become friends?"
"Simple. You know Frank's a scientist with some peculiar ideas. To most people, his ideas are too wild, but while you couldn't fully accept them, you weren't entirely put off either." Alaric said with a smile.
"Plus, you really wanted to solve City of Silver's food shortage, so you approached Frank, asking him to research plants that could grow in the dark and offered him plenty of help. Over time, your relationship grew."
"I see." Klein said, nodding as he listened. Though he hadn't experienced it himself, he could roughly imagine the situation.
Then, recalling what Mr. Lucifer had said yesterday, Klein looked up at him. "So, you're planning to use Frank's talents to advance biological technology?"
***
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