Munitions Empire

Arriving in Brunas with Taren X were several dozen ships of mysterious origin, none of which flew a national flag, nor were their sails uniform in color, and even their sizes were not quite the same.

These ships hailed from many different countries or regions, but after being inspected, they were allowed to unload in Brunas.

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Unbelievably, these long-distance sailing ships were filled with iron ingots from an unknown source! Entirely iron ingots! A massive quantity of iron ingots! Top-quality iron ingots.

After verifying the secret signal, the Shireck maid on the pier handed the document in her hand to a subordinate beside her, watching, expressionless, as the workers and cranes moved the costly, high-quality iron materials from the sailing ships.

The workers waiting at the dock scrambled to load these goods onto the long-awaited horse-drawn carts and trucks, which then hurriedly made their way to the nearby train station.

There, trains that could go directly to the Great Tang Group awaited, freight trains that could deliver the iron materials straight to the steel mills, where these raw materials would be refined and processed into the steel products needed by the Great Tang Group.

Including steel capable of being made into railway tracks, steel for manufacturing gun barrels, steel that could be transformed into sheet metal, steel that could be used as the framework...

In short, the Great Tang Group had an immense need for steel, and clearly, constructing an entirely new world would require even more steel.

"We can't keep this secret for too long," the maid said, looking at Harry, who stood silently beside her. "Even if you're good at keeping secrets, our clandestine cooperation won't stay hidden for long."

"We don't need to keep it a secret," Harry responded with a relaxed smile as cart after cart of iron ingots was moved out of the dock. "As long as there's no evidence, that's all that matters."

"Sometimes, they don't need any evidence to take action," the maid replied coldly.

Harry remained unconcerned, lazily stretching. "Hmm... so why would they want to take action?"

"What do you mean?" the maid asked, giving him a sideways glance.

Harry finished stretching, dropped his hands, yawned, and then answered: "Why would they stop something that's to your advantage?"

Lately, he had been working with Van Kums on a financial data model, and for three nights straight, he hadn't had a good sleep.

They were about to accomplish a feat no one in the world had yet touched, their data model could play the world's financiers like pawns on a chessboard.

It was a great mathematical model that transcended the entire era. Once it started operating, the Great Tang Group would have the world's financial jugular in its grasp.

The concept was, of course, proposed by Tang Mo, and once Tang Mo presented it, he and Van Kums became obsessed.

In fact, much of their work was essentially verification or recalculations, but in the process, it seemed they had opened the door to a new world.

Van Kums had begun to worship Tang Mo as a deity, and Harry had elevated his own mentor to the altar.

Both of them now felt an urge to kneel before Tang Mo, because the work they were doing, the path they were walking, belonged to realms they had once thought only the divine could touch.

This was indeed a strange feeling. Having touched upon this domain, they could almost explain all the current financial and trading systems of the world and predict their future trends.

"You support us with steel and other metals, we support you with processed parts and also help you assemble more advanced machine tool equipment. Who would stop such a beneficial thing?" Harry countered the maid standing next to him.

This was part of their secret cooperation. The Shireck Consortium would use its vast network of relationships and years of accumulated expertise to mobilize all available resources to support the Great Tang Group, ensuring that Great Tang no longer had to worry about raw materials.

In turn, the Great Tang Group would produce more advanced machine tools, including electric motors and steam engines, and sell them to Shireck—or rather the workshops controlled by Sofia Shireck—to help Sofia increase her production capacity.

Their cooperation was mutually beneficial as Sofia gained advanced mechanical manufacturing capabilities from the Great Tang Group, and the Great Tang Group obtained precious raw material supplies for the next six months.

This collaboration, it was uncertain who benefited more, allowed Shireck to gain some of the advanced production technology and corresponding mature products of the Great Tang Group. This enabled Shireck to improve its competitiveness, and at least in regions not within the reach of Great Tang, they could profit handsomely.

With this income and the progress brought about by the absorption of Great Tang technology, Shireck would be able to complete its own strengthening and advancement, becoming even more powerful.

On the Great Tang Group's side, it might seem they only acquired a large amount of raw materials, but it wasn't that simple.

What the Great Tang Group currently lacked was the raw material supply to support its vast technology. Once they overcome the most difficult developmental phase and build their mines and land into qualified raw material supply bases, the Great Tang Group could then take full advantage of its technical superiority.

By that time, the overwhelming effect of technological superiority would immediately come into play, and while transforming qualitatively, it would also achieve a quantitative change!

Imagine a Great Tang Group that is not short of gasoline or steel, how formidable an existence it would be…

"At the end of this collaboration, you will acquire almost all the advanced technologies, including wireless telegraph, steamship, and automobile technology. What is there to be unsatisfied with?" As Harry spoke, another truck loaded with ingots passed by where he stood.

The truck could carry about two tons of cargo, and it was fully loaded at the moment, so the entire vehicle appeared heavy, and its shock absorption seemed a bit sluggish.

Watching the full truck drive past him, Harry felt as if he were seeing the heavy ears of grain at harvest time.

"Hmph... you actually already have newer technology, don't you? The car technology you gave me before... was just your previous T-model car..." The maid complained dissatisfied.

"Be grateful! Even a T-model car, you were not able to produce before!" Harry retorted disdainfully, "Without the help of our technicians, you wouldn't be able to produce a T-model car for another two years, and now you have a similar production line and you're still not satisfied? That's too greedy, isn't it?"

For a moment, the maid seemed to see Sofia's image on Harry's face, and she paused slightly, then fearfully diverted her gaze elsewhere.

She could feel her heartbeat seemingly change a bit, but she quickly calmed down.

Then, ignoring Harry beside her, she kept telling herself inwardly that she was a lesbian, a lover of women, and the person she liked the most was the powerful Sofia.

But... are there really men in this world as powerful as Sofia… A young man, a few years younger than her, a strong young man…

Uncontrollably, her gaze shifted back to Harry, just in time to catch him with a pair of gentle eyes looking at the distant sea.

In an instant, the powerful, focused, resolute, steadfast... everything imaginable rushed into the maid's desolate heart.

At that moment, she felt dizzy and nearly had a nosebleed.

Harry had just been contently watching a brand-new Liberty ship navigating the sea, knowing that it was the Liberty ship that had been launched yesterday on its trial voyage.

He was very satisfied with the progress at the dockyard and made a mental note to praise Mr. Parker, who was supervising the operation of the dockyard, at the next meeting.

When he realized that the Shireck liaison beside him had been silent for quite some time, he turned his attention away from the sea.

And as he looked at her, he saw the maid's eyes brimming with curiosity as she scrutinized him up and down.

"What are you doing?" Harry felt that the way she had looked at him was somehow familiar. He stepped warily aside and asked subconsciously.

"Nothing... We have many beautiful ladies at Flame Castle. Next time, shall I bring one for you?" Blurted out the maid, as if possessed.

She probably didn't even know what she was doing...

Harry remembered that look; it was the same one his female classmates had when they eyed the latest handbags on the street - full of appreciation, a desire to possess, driven by a collecting fetish and a controlling desire - a demeaning lowbrow taste...

"No need, thank you, I don't have time for women." Harry was as straightforward as a beam of light. In his world, the female form certainly did not appeal to him as much as mathematical models did.

The maid finally realized how she must appear to ordinary people, what sort of monster.

She wished she could slap him and then shout loudly to bring him back on the right track, "Wake up! You need a woman! A good woman who is worthy of you!"

But on the surface, she still smiled politely, "It's okay, if you don't need one, then it's easier for me."

Another vehicle fully loaded with ingots drove past the place where they were standing, drawing Harry's attention away, and the conversation came to an abrupt end as if nothing had happened.

A second later, the maid began to miss her beloved Sofia again, while Harry returned to contemplating his data models.

On the distant sea, the horn of the Great Tang Group's massive Liberty ship sounded, its wail obscuring all the awkwardness.