Chapter 12: Scientists
Aside from the assassination attempt on Hades, there was also the search for the Military Production Site.
Within the Kingdom, there were many World Government spies, but these were all blocked by the Kronos Kingdom.
Outside the Forbidden Zone, countless informants had already been deployed. As soon as someone approached, they would be detected, and certain life sensing devices would issue an alarm.
At that time, a large number of hidden Hades Guard and Dark Guard would take action.
Furthermore, 300,000 Army troops were permanently stationed in the Forbidden Land.
It had only been three years since munitions began flowing into various parts of the World, and their influence was mostly limited to the Four Seas and the New World, not yet widespread.
Although the efficiency of automated production lines was high, it still hadn't met Hades' requirements.
Just for muskets and flintlock guns, whether long-barreled or short-barreled, the total output over three years was only six million guns.
Their influence on the World was not significant because most were used to arm the Kingdom Army. Only about one million truly flowed into the Great Sea.
And such a quantity on the Great Sea actually couldn't make any waves at all. Just the West Blue and North Blue, which were filled with gangs and rampant crime, were major consumers of munitions.
It should be noted that these were very simple weapons, easy to produce, yet they hadn't even reached one-tenth of what Hades had imagined.
Whether it was the production lines, the efficiency of automation, or the operating efficiency of machine tools, they all needed to be continuously improved.
This was the foundation of industry, and the technological accumulation the Kronos Kingdom needed to undergo to build better machinery.
It was also because these production lines were established in the early days of the Kronos Kingdom and were not perfect. Now, they were preparing for a complete update, having gained experience.
Currently, the focus of the Kronos Kingdom was on heavy industry: steelmaking, metallurgy, machinery, energy, especially the development of electricity.
What Hades developed first was military industry, using it as the core to radiate into broader fields.
In this Great Sea, nothing was more important than mastering strength. As for other things, they had to be put aside for later.
With the technology foundation of heavy industry, they would gradually move towards light industry next, dumping goods into various parts of the World.
The steps couldn't be too big, but the prospects were very broad.
Technologies like laser cannons and electromagnetic cannons weren't particularly difficult. For world-class scientists like Tesla, there were already methods.
Human enhancement and nutrient pods already had a certain foundation. The Kronos Kingdom originally had some research in this area, touching upon the fields of super soldiers and longevity.
However, the Kronos Kingdom needed more knowledge about the human body and medical aspects. In this regard, the "Medical Powerhouse Nation" Drum Kingdom was certainly more authoritative.
They had already sent people to invite them.
There were definitely people who couldn't resist the temptation of money. As long as they were willing to pay the price, there would certainly be people willing to come to the Kronos Kingdom.
The environment of the Kronos Kingdom was much better than that of the Drum Kingdom. Having a deep medical foundation did not mean that the residents of the Drum Kingdom had good lives.
Hades didn't even mind using some illegal means. There were simply too many Pirates and human traffickers; there were plenty of ways.
Many things, Hades only needed to propose a concept, and finished products could be manufactured within just a few months.
In the Royal Academy of Sciences, there were even some theoretically powerful weapons. The "Oxygen Absorbing Bomb" possessed destructive-level explosive power. At the same time as the explosion, it would absorb oxygen over a large area, creating a Death Zone.
This was actually a Mother-Child Bomb, equivalent to two bombs: one for absorbing oxygen and one for exploding. After all, putting both effects together was too difficult and unnecessary.
"Wrath of the Sea King" could release special sound waves that resonated with Sea Kings, attracting them to come, and at the same time making the Sea Kings violent, capable of erupting with terrifying effects on the sea, causing indiscriminate berserk destruction.
Named after the legendary Ancient Weapon "Sea King", it was enough to show their ambition.
This weapon targeted the Great Fleets on the Great Sea, similar to the Pirate Alliance and the Marines' Buster Call.
These two weapons pursued large-scale destruction and could be manufactured given enough time.
However, the current focus of the Royal Academy of Sciences was still on missiles.
There were also powerful technologies that could be practically applied, such as artificial intelligence, and even nano-insect drones, military robots, electromagnetic railguns, and Metal Storm, all envisioned with a certain technological foundation.
They could definitely be researched in the future; what was lacking now was just time.
Thanks to the powerful technological foundation of this World, these were not far off. After all, even cola could be used as an energy source.
For Hades, the manifestation of Black Technology that originally existed in fantasy was truly somewhat exciting.
The Royal Academy of Sciences had only been established for four years to date, and it had already gathered a large team of numerous scientists and researchers.
A large number of results were born from it, injecting new vitality into the development of the Kingdom's various industries.
Currently, the Kingdom was still cultivating talents with research capabilities and strongly supporting the development in this area.
At the same time, it continued to collect talents from all aspects from various parts of the World and the Great Sea.
Currently, these were just small movements to avoid being noticed by the World Government. When the World became more chaotic, Hades would accelerate its actions.
Hades had even set his sights on Vegapunk, who was called the "wisdom surpassing the world by five hundred years".
Where he was now, Hades was not clear, only knowing that he was born in the Future Country.
And the Future Country was not simple. Located in the Extreme Cold Zone, the environment was harsh, and the residents' lives were difficult, but it possessed powerful technology strength.
Many high-end technological products on the Great Sea came from the Future Country. The Future Country's economic strength was not bad, which was also why it could become a Member Nation of the World Government.
The Kronos Kingdom even needed to secretly send people over to learn, and they couldn't be discovered by the Marines, otherwise, they would attract the attention of the World Government.
Karakuri Island was so large that it was also very difficult to find where Vegapunk was. As long as one made a name for themselves, they would inevitably catch the eye of the World Government.
However, if they could obtain the design blueprints Vegapunk left behind during his youth, that would be a worthwhile gain.
And that future ship where the world's top scientists gathered, named "MADS", Hades would also send people to board.
Hades would certainly not miss the Lineage Factor, which was called the "Life Design Blueprint".
Whether it was cloning, biological modification, or even artificial creatures, feeding Devil Fruits to inanimate objects, or creating artificial Devil Fruits, all required the use of lineage factor technology.
Just as its name suggested, mastering the Lineage Factor could even create life.
This was the future!
They could even poach some world-class scientists from this organization.
Numerous world-class scientists gathered together, certainly including more than just Vegapunk, Queen, Judge, and Stussy, who are known.
The others were either hiding under assumed names during the pursuit by the World Government, or they were captured or killed.
If a few could be saved, it would be equivalent to the Kronos Kingdom mastering the lineage factor technology.
(end of chapter)