The Villainess's Reputation [Kingdom Building]

320. Research and Development in Kim Dukedom

Meanwhile, Northern City, Kim Island, Kim Dukedom, Ancorna Empire“The Mage Tower is nearly completed, isn't it, Miss Sarah?” Marie asked as they navigated the busy roads of Kim Island's Northern City.

Construction was still underway across the district, a constant hum of progress, but one structure in the distance stood out from the rest. It was a silhouette that defied every process of traditional masonry in this world. The tower rose in a series of sweeping, concentric tiers that expanded outward as they climbed toward the clouds, resembling a massive, ivory-colored chalice. Its surface was not the rough-hewn granite typical of mage towers, but a seamless, polished white, the result of Ravenna's internet researched custom cement recipe poured into intricate, precision frames.

Every level was wrapped in a breathtaking display of lacy Gothic tracery and rows of silent, watchful statues depicting Herptian tales that seemed to grow directly out of the walls. Unlike the weathered, crumbling icons of the Solious Main Church, these were crisp, mathematically perfect figures that caught the pale sunlight in sharp relief. Between the bands of ornate carvings, deep grooves spiraled upward, hiding massive glass panes that allowed the interior to glow like a lantern when the sun dipped low. It looked impossibly delicate, a spindle of lace standing defiant against the winds, yet beneath that skin of sculpted elegance lay a skeleton of reinforced steel, making it perhaps the most unbreakable fortress the world had ever seen.

“The mages and researchers who migrated from Otto City are working tirelessly to test the mind-control spells the Cult uses,” Sarah mentioned, watching Marie admire the view. “I honestly don’t know how Her Highness even managed to acquire those forbidden recipes.”

“They are also experimenting with the crossbreeding of flowers, right?” Marie added. “I heard it was exclusively discovered by Sir Eugene and Prince William, yet Master still got her hands on the recipes... It’s truly incredible how she seems to know everything.”

“If you think about it, our mages are researching some of the most powerful and dangerous magic ever seen,” Sarah continued, counting them off on her fingers. “Purple Glass Dust for disrupting dungeon mana, the crossbreeding of genetically distant flora without triggering dungeon spawns, the Cult's own mind-control and long-range teleportation spells, and even the method for custom dungeon creation.”

Sarah shook her head in disbelief. “The biggest insanity isn't just that we are 'researching' them; it's that we already have the exact recipes provided by Her Highness. We aren't struggling to find out ‘how’ to make these things possible, we are merely researching their use cases, optimization, and limits. I’ve never heard of anything so revolutionary.”

Marie nodded in agreement as they walked past the towering Ivory Chalice and headed toward the second Research and Development workshop. While Nillie’s Workshop in the main city handled mechanical engineering, this new facility was destined to be the heart of Kim Dukedom’s miscellaneous works supremacy.

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As Marie and Sarah entered the twelve-story structure, they headed straight for the second floor. Here, the newly arrived artisans and engineers from Otto City, having completed their preliminary training in the main city, were hard at work on product optimization.

The steam-powered factory floor worked tirelessly, humming with the production of items unique to the Kim Dukedom. A young worker approached them, looking visibly nervous; this was the first formal inspection by such high-ranking officials since this workshop's inception.

“Welcome, Madam Sarah and Your Divinity, Marie,” the young man said with a shallow bow. He led them through the maze of machinery. “Here, we don't just test new blueprints; we test mass-production methods. That giant piston-driven, steam engine assembly line is constantly being adjusted. We produce a batch, recalculate the efficiency, and repeat the process until we find the most optimal way to manufacture it for Her Highness's final approval.”

“What does this floor focus on specifically?” Sarah asked, while Marie, her eyes sparkling with pure excitement, began running around to peer at the various stations.

“We were mainly assigned to medical equipment,” he explained. “To figure out how to bring advanced tools to every physician in the Dukedom.”

“What sort of medical equipment?!” Marie asked, leaning over an assembly line where strangely shaped, slender knives were being churned out. “For now, those are scalpels, knives used specifically for surgeries,” he said, pointing at the gleaming blades.

“Oh! I’ve seen scalpels before, but these look far more advanced. I always thought they were just tiny daggers!” Marie noted, picking one up from the finished product section.

“They are forged from stainless steel so they never rust, and they’re weighted for precision,” the guide explained. “Unlike daggers and swords, which are combat weapons designed to kill, these are crafted for the intricate work of saving a life, Your Divinity.” He then reached for another device on a nearby table. “I think this might be even more interesting to you: a stethoscope. It allows a physician to hear a patient's heartbeat clearly.”

Marie practically jumped, taking the device to test it. “I thought you could only do that with magic! Don’t the priests have to use blessings to sense a pulse or hear a heart clearly to identify illnesses?”

“Her Highness’s medical books and the Basic Biology curriculum in the Advanced Education Academy are teaching physicians to rely on science rather than just magic,” the guide replied proudly. “It offers a much deeper understanding of healing practices without needing a Solious priest’s ‘Heal’ blessing for every minor ailment allowing us to not rely on the mainland for everything.”

Finally, he led them to a reinforced workbench where a heavy, brass-and-steel apparatus sat under a spotlight. “This is our crowning achievement. In collaboration with the master glassworkers who developed the camera, we have brought another of Her Highness's blueprints to reality!”

Marie began circling the device, her curiosity reaching its peak. It was a sophisticated piece of machinery, consisting of a heavy, curved neck and a rotating turret equipped with several small, powerful lenses. At the bottom sat a flat stage with clips for holding a glass slide, and beneath that, a small mirror tilted to catch and reflect light upward through the center.

“This,” the guide revealed with a flourish, “is called a microscope.”

“A microscope?” Marie whispered, leaning in until her nose almost touched the lens.

“It allows us to see things that are invisible to the naked eye,” he explained. “Tiny organisms, the structure of blood, the very building blocks of life. Her Highness says this will be the weapon that finally defeats the 'invisible magical beasts', the bacteria that cause infections and work in mysterious ways.”