[Melas] Chapter 104: MTRDT (Patreon)

I began to grow worried when Gennady hadn’t returned after a whole day; he was supposed to be at a meeting in the House of Or’taq. However, since I didn’t exactly have any way to enter the parliament, I could not actually check up on him.

When morning came, I set out to the Library of Taw to find Bertrand. The Scientist would have been able to get me into places I normally wouldn’t be allowed, right? Unfortunately, he wasn’t in his usual areas, perusing the tall shelves of books as he leaned on his walking stick and puffed on his pipe.

I gave up searching for him after an hour, then went to check my bunker just in case something happened which forced him to flee to that secret location; that wasn’t the case. He was not there. So, I returned to the warehouse and found Gennady back, downing a mug of ale as he hurled insults and complaints.

“—and that idiotic Kamshat won’t cast a vote.” He slammed a hand on the table, clattering the plate before him. Elda poked him on the side.

“Oi, don’t waste the food.”

“But they’re so damned stupid!” Gennady let out a loud grunt. As if he was physically in pain from something. Except, he wasn’t, and he was just furious.

I walked in on this and stared at him. “You’re back,” I pointed out. “What happened?”

“I am,” the Dwarf sighed, rubbing at his temples. “And I’ve been up all night in the House of Or’taq because we can’t pass a damned resolution.

“The Miners Party are still deliberating on what to do with their overtly corrupt officials, waiting for more details from investigations to come out. And the Inventors and Builders Party don’t have enough votes to expel them from parliament! If they keep their seats, we can’t hold a proper trial for them because they have partial immunity!”

I cocked my head. “That’s… dumb.”

“It’s politics.” Elda crossed her arms from behind Gennady. I narrowed my eyes— the two were sitting awfully close. She leaned back on her chair and spoke matter-of-factly. “You don’t go into a room full of politicians and expect anything ‘smart’.”

“Bah!” Gennady waved a hand and stood up. “Whatever. And now Bertrand is involved too, because apparently that Human you saw throwing all those fancy tools?” After a moment’s pause, I nodded and he continued. “He was using mana tech being developed by that mad Scientist.”

Frowning, I peered at Gennady dubiously. “You think Betrand is involved in this whole thing?”

“If I know Betrand?” He stepped forward and shook his head. “No.”

“Then what happened?”

Gennady snorted, stopping right by the stairway leading up. “He probably had his inventions stolen from him somehow. You’ll have to ask him yourself.”

“But he’s not in the Library of Taw,” I said, raising a brow. “Where else am I supposed to find him?”

“Isn’t it obvious, lass? Visit him in his damned laboratory! I know I’ll be in mine.”

Apparently, Bertrand frequented another building which he had never told me about; it was the  Mana Technology Research and Development Center of Taw. Or the MTRDT’s main building.

It was not exactly open to public visit, but Gennady gave me a pass. As long as I was able to find Bertrand, I would be able to ask him for a tour around the facility. Also, I would be able to ask him some questions about how his inventions were stolen. Perhaps that could clue me into more about Didar and his group.

The large brick building stood at the edge of the inner city of Taw. It was girdled by high walls with mana crystals interspersed every so often to create some kind of an electrical barrier. The guards at the entrance let me in after I showed them my invitation from Gennady, before I asked for directions to find the Human Scientist.

I walked through bright, mana lamp lit hallways until I found his office. His name was written on a plaque in front of it. I gently rapped upon the wooden door, finding my knuckles striking a rather hard surface. I narrowed my eyes. Wisened Wood? I didn’t sense any enchantments coming from it, so that was probably it.

The door creaked open after a moment, and a wrinkled face peered at me. Bertrand didn’t have his signature pipe sticking out of his mouth, although his room had the telling smell of a smoke. “Melas?” He gave me a blank look. “What are you doing here?”

“Just checking up on you,” I said with a smile. “We haven’t spoken in a few weeks, and I heard about what happened from Gennady.”

“Ah.” He pulled himself out of his office, hobbling forward. “There is nothing to worry about from me. I have stood my ground in the House of Or’taq, if they have any gripes, they should direct it towards the Miners Party.”

“What exactly… happened?”

Sighing, Bertrand leaned against his cane and explained as the door behind him slammed shut. “It seems some of the members of parliament thought it were wise to spread confidential information which I have shared with them. Experimental technology, not yet fully tested, have had their blueprints copied and sent to… various groups.”

“What kind of groups?” I inquired with a cocked eyebrow.

“The kind of groups which I’m sure you’re familiar with.” He offered me a knowing smile. I ducked my head and murmured.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Bertrand started forward and gestured for me to follow. “Since you’re here, I’ll show you something. But if you have any specific questions you’d like to ask, there’s no need to mince words. I am not one to take offense to anything that could typically be considered too prodding.”

Shrugging, I decided to take his word for it and ask the question that was on my mind. “How did Didar get access to your tech?”

“Didar… ah yes, the one who had been bribing those members of Or’taq.” He nodded and waved a hand. “Those politicians who stole from me probably sold to more than one customer. And he might have been one of them. However, the question here is not how he got access to it. It’s why he did.”

“What do you mean, exactly?”

“Have you been keeping up with recent events,” Bertrand asked in a curious voice. When I nodded, he continued. “You see, the Taw Kingdom is the largest Dwarf country in the entire world, but it was not always this way. It used to be four different nations, before they merged into one. And after having quadrupled in size, it grew to become one of the most technologically and culturally advanced nations. You know how this makes its neighbors feel, right?”

“They are scared?” I guessed.

“Correct.”

We passed through an arched entrance, leading us to an outdoor area as we walked under a sheltered path. To our left, there were Dwarves holding up guns and pointing them at targets. They took aim and fired, and loud shots echoed through my ears, making them ring and reflexively cover them.

Guns? I thought with a frown. Real guns. Just like the one Didar had. Each shot took a far longer amount of time to reload than a mana rifle. But they were far deadlier. Far more effective, especially if they became as efficient as the modern day guns I was used to.

Bertrand spoke as we passed through the testing grounds of weapons. “They view the Taw Kingdom as a threat. So, they, too, banded together to form their own nation. The Puer Kingdom. A relic of the past, almost. One almost as barbaric as the remaining Free Cities in the Free Lands.

“And yet, despite the fact that the Taw Kingdom has made no attempts at expanding its borders in recent years— our economy is too reliant on trade for that— the Puer Kingdom has been pushing us to war. And it seems this Didar has quite the connection to be able to sell our tech to them.”

“Wait,” I said and stopped right as we were about to enter another section of the facility. Back indoors. “You think he’s been selling your mana tech to the Puer Kingdom?”

“Oh, I don’t think. I am aware.”

“How do you know for sure?”

Bertrand brought me to the door of a large room guarded by two golems. He ushered me in, and the golems didn’t seem bothered by my presence. “Because they found messages exchanged between Didar and Puer. The man with him likely was a bodyguard sent by Puer to protect him in case something happened.”

“I see… by the way, where exactly are we?” I finally decided to ask. My eyes slowly swept across the room— I noticed enchantments, runes, strewn across the walls. There was a lot of protection set up here. So much so that I wasn’t even sure if I could break in here even without an army coming after me.

“You’ve been investigating into Space Magic, haven’t you?”

“I have.” I blinked then took in the sight of a contraption standing at the center of the room. It held up an odd object. It almost looked like a… box? Except, there was a tear in it. A piece of space was inside of it. “What… is that?”

“That, Ms Melas, is a Dimensional Storage Box.” He walked up to it and grabbed what looked like a magnifying glass with a red tint. “This is what the Taw Kingdom procured a long time ago. Back when the Heretics Corps still existed. They got it from one of the many spellcasters from the Shadow’s Evangelium. And inside that tiny box, it can hold a hundred tons of weight.”

My eyes grew wide at the number. “W-what?”

“We’ve been investigating it. It is created through a form of Space Magic, specifically to compress space into a smaller volume, but keeping its initial capacity. We’re trying to replicate its effects, but alas we’ve had little luck.”

I looked at the Dimensional Storage Box for a moment. Then I turned to Bertrand. “Why are you telling me… showing me this?”

“You said you were interested, and I believe it would aid us both if you can somehow decipher or understand how such an object works.” The Scientist grabbed a large stack of paper and handed it to me. Then he took the Dimensional Storage Box itself, covering the hole with a lid, and handed it to me. “Here, take it.”

“Are you sure?” I eyed Bertrand with slight wariness and slight confusion.

He smiled. “We’ve learned nothing from it after having it with us for years. But if you do learn something, be sure to tell us. It would tremendously help Taw.”

“I… thank you.” I accepted his gift— surprised I even got one despite just coming here for information. I did not learn much. Just that the Puer Kingdom was involved with this somehow. Not that it mattered to my investigation into Didar.

Bertrand escorted me out of the Mana Technology Research and Development Center of Taw. However, on the way out, I passed by an area which was even more heavily guarded. Dozens of golems stood guard outside a large door, reinforced with glittering mana crystals. Superior mana crystals perhaps.

I glanced over at it and turned to Bertrand. “What’s in that room?”

“That, Ms Melas, is the reason why your Dwarven friend dislikes me.” He spoke simply. I nodded.

“I see.”

His words were kind and his gift was generous, but I had forgotten the reason why Gennady disliked the man so much. It was not because Bertrand took Gennady’s job— instead, it was because of what he brought to Taw.

A superweapon.

One that could potentially change the course of history. Of war.

And hearing him talk about Puer— of the flaring tensions— made me suspect that he was not entirely innocent in leaking his mana tech blueprints.

I returned to the warehouse after, carrying the Dimensional Storage Box, and proceeded to stay in my room investigating it for the rest of the day.

Author's Note:

Remember, Melas isn't always the most reliable narrator. And she does tend to be paranoid. However, sometimes she can be right. 

But is she though?

Also, you can check out the first chapter of Tian here.