Chapter 244: Pompous

February 27th, 626

I tuned out Umara’s soft snores, staring at the screen in front of me containing lines of code. 

I hadn’t been much of a programmer on Earth, though I had dabbled in it, learned a language or two. Unfortunately only the backbone knowledge of that subject was applicable for me here. 

Sawn was a genius. Before the Aerial, when an enchanter put down an enchantment, the enchantment instructions were fixed and permanent. They never went beyond what the enchantment did, like building a purpose-driven machine. It had clear limits and did nothing beyond what it was intended to do. 

But Sawn created both hardware that could change and the software to take advantage of it. Being able to program demanded that data storage could change itself, reading and writing and running code. So, Sawn had to make an enchantment that could not just store data like an Orb, but change itself. More than that, it had to be able to change itself without demanding a full re-enchantment from a warlock. It had to be an enchantment that could enchant its own enchantment. 

This was the most important concept behind Sawn’s Aerial system. 

He had made the first magical computer and all the systems within it, almost entirely from scratch. He was a genius, and I appreciated that. 

What I did not appreciate was having to revamp a poorly written assembly language in order to work with Sawn’s tech. The aerials worked on their own specially designed ecosystem and operating system, with their own language to boot. The language was primarily derived from the enchanting language, which was understandable, but it didn’t have to be. It seems like Sawn realized that fact halfway through and made a language that was a mix between raw enchanting and his own invented assembly. 

It was ridiculous that he managed to make anything work, and so I set off to make a new language that could replace his, one that was far easier to work with. 

The great thing about it all was the fact that the most raw language that the Aerial spoke wasn’t 1’s and 0’s. It was the esoteric language of Mana and Psyka, and technically, all I had to do was translate it into something a bit more comprehensible. 

Sawn had already done half the work so I did the other half and made it all cohesive. 

As for determining the processing power of an Aerial or anything like that, I was stumped. For now I didn’t care and it seemed like the Aerial could process anything I threw at it instantly. I had yet to reach its limits, mainly because I hadn’t yet programmed anything that could possibly force it to struggle. 

Either way, I had developed my own programming language, gave the documentation to Sawn, and started implementing a certain level of programming with all the things we were making. 

In order to make any system inside of a tank, plane, vehicle, or weapon automated in any form, it needed to have some level of programming, which I was perfectly fine with implementing. 

Because of the gearing systems I designed, I made it so that tanks could operate in both autoloader mode and manual mode. Knights could throw in shells easily, and if they weren’t there then the tank driver could have the autoloader do the lifting, just slower than a knight could. 

Unfortunately, I didn’t have access to spatial enchantments that could modify spatial storages and codify extraction. If I did I could make it so that a spatial device would automatically deposit a new shell into the chamber when one was fired. With enough engineering it would allow a tank to fire multiple times a second instead of after multiple seconds. 

I had to manage expectations for now. 

Anything programmed for vehicles was inserted after the construction process was finished. Since I had hand designed the code, all the builders needed to do was copy the applicable code onto whatever device was needed and insert it. I didn’t have to worry about teaching the programming language, although there were summoners in Wonderland handling that task. 

Fortunately, everything that I made simply worked. I was too smart to make mistakes, especially with my attention to detail. 

Preparations for the King’s Assembly were underway and coming along swimmingly. We had our largest tank design fully operational, which was the one we were going to showcase. We also had all of our armored vehicles ready, including superior Steeds, proper APCs, armored cars, and regular cars. 

We also had new plane designs out, though those weren’t as much of a priority and wouldn’t be showcased. 

We did have artillery out though, as well as missile systems for aircraft and improved turrets. 

Not everything would be on display but Sawn and I were ready for shock and awe. 

On this particular day I just had to shape up a few more programs before pushing them for use, ones for sensor systems that we wanted to install on planes. 

Of course, I had been working all night in my office. My sleep schedule had recently come down to ‘whenever I could’ so it was morning and I’d be going to sleep after this was finished. Umara should be waking up later. She had been doing nothing but practicing magic when I wasn’t occasionally teaching her about enchanting or running around with her in tow. 

But as I put down words I suddenly sensed some new Auras come into the outer office. I ignored it and continued but then they got close to my door and I sensed Boris move to block them. 

The emotions got agitated. There were two people and I wondered who was ballsy enough to come demanding things in my own fucking office. 

I pat Umara’s head, and she instantly woke up. 

“What happened?”

“Someone’s here. You can go back to sleep.”

“No, it’s fine…”

She sighed and got up, rubbing her eyes as I stood to open the door. 

As soon as it cracked I heard conversing, thankfully no arguments. One of the people was talking in an overly formal dialect.

“…for months. If he’s here we implore you to allow us a word.”

“Sir.”

Boris ignored the man and turned when I opened the door. I looked at the newcomers, my patience thin since I was tired. 

I turned to the obvious man in charge, dressed in a fine suit and obviously rich. Even the butler looked rich, distinguished. 

“Who the fuck are you?”

“Sir Cooper.”

The man stuck out his gloved hand, smiling widely. 

“You can call me Vatsy. I’ve been fighting to meet you for some time. You seem to be a very busy man.”

“Figure that out all by yourself?”

I didn’t even glance at his hand, instead frowning at his accent, making a guess. It was masked by this world’s language but it was still distinct.

“What do you want?”

“I have a proposition,” He retrieved his hand and continued smiling, “I was hoping we could discuss a form of partnership.”

“What form?”

“More political than financial, since I’m sure you have all the money you could dream of in this world. It may only make you a king over primitives but that’s better than being poor on Earth, is it not?”

I stared at him for a moment before sighing and waving. 

“Come in.”

We walked back into my office, Umara nudging me with her Aura and speaking telepathically. 

“Another person from your home?”

“From my planet, yes.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“Let’s just say it guarantees nothing.”

I sat down in my chair, Umara sitting beside me in her own, leaving Vatsy and his butler to stand. 

Boris closed the door behind us, waiting outside. 

I sighed again. 

“So what do you want?”

“The Crown intends to impose regulation on your aircraft. Planes and helicopters both, as well as airfields and their management. They want control, and I happen to know people in their primitive instance of a parliament. I can make sure that the regulations don’t come down too hard. After all, I wouldn’t want you to be hindered in your attempt to move this blasted planet forward a few centuries. I quite loathe having to take a wagon everywhere there isn’t a teleporter.”

“…Here’s my problem with that, Brit.”

He frowned at my remark while I forced down my drowsiness with my Psyka. 

“I’m actually quite fine with the Crown imposing restrictions. All it does is hurt them, nothing more than shooting themselves in the foot.”

“But it would cost you millions of coin, completely eliminating a whole section of your business.”

“And yet I don’t care.”

My face remained placid. 

The Kingdom was being idiotic. No surprises there. But now, I didn’t have much of an issue with that. If they wanted to disadvantage themselves then I would let them, because now, I at least knew that no matter what they did, humanity as a whole would be perfectly fine. 

I had sent my newest designs produced during my little revolution to the Church. They had everything, and just as I would arm my own army, so too would they arm theirs. 

Except they would gear up on a much larger scale than I could, with more power behind their industry, and without the stupidity to boot. 

It could be said that by allowing the Kingdom to degrade their own power, I was preparing for the future. 

Besides, even if they imposed regulation on the aircraft, the tanks and armor that I was already rolling out would remain unaffected. We had already made plenty of planes, so those wouldn’t be lacking. And as for the bombs, those were produced in Wonderland, securely stockpiled and only distributed to specific clients according to their needs. The Kingdom was only one of those clients, and once I had my army, I wouldn’t need to go through them to get my hands on ordnance. 

I was the source. I was the creator and producer. The Kingdom might have the recipe for themselves but we had the industry. They could produce as much as they wanted for themselves. It wouldn’t stop us from producing dozens of times more. 

Not to mention, Sawn was so filthy rich that we could buy all the Crystals we wanted from the Church, completely bypassing the Kingdom if we wanted to. I had already set up distribution points in the Holy See and within Wonderland, one of the things I had asked the Pope for. The Kingdom couldn’t stop us because they knew absolutely nothing about our supply line, nor anything else going on in Wonderland. 

I had hard control over everything I needed to be concerned about. I had a supply of Crystals and we had bought and developed our own chain of material acquisition and processing. I owned the entire industry top to bottom, and I’d never make the mistake of allowing the Kingdom to steal something from me, nor allowing them the opportunity to threaten me again. 

Their greatest mistake was allowing me to ever leave that room.  

I sighed and zoned back in on Vatsy. 

“So? Anything else?”

“…Is there a reason you believe yourself to be so immune to their machinations? Do you not realize how deep the Kingdom hides its secrets?”

“If you’re talking to me about the dark corners of the Kingdom then you’re even more naive about what’s going on than I thought. If that was your only proposal then you can see yourself out. I don’t need political help.”

“Hang on.”

He put up his hand right as Boris opened the door. Seeing as the conversation wasn’t done Boris shut it once more. 

“I know you understand that like you, I’m from Earth as well, John Cooper.”

“Yeah? And?”

“Does that hold no weight with you? We must cooperate! There are few of us and this world is out to kill us! If we don’t pool our resources and powers, we’ll fade away and our superiority will die with us!”

“…See, now I have a problem with you.”

I took out a cigar, lighting it while staring at Vatsy. 

I spoke after taking a few puffs, handing it to Umara so she could do the same. 

“How long have you been here, Vatsy?”

“I came to this world around 8 years ago.”

“8 years. Around 4 years before I arrived. And yet, what do you have to show for it? Money? An Auction House? I sense nothing greater than Authority 9 power from you and yet you dare call yourself superior?”

“My talent is far from being spent. You could not possibly expect me to reach Authority 10 or break the Great Barrier in such a small amount of time. I’m already considered a genius as it is!”

“And yet there are plenty of natives in this world who have outperformed you. You derive superiority from a bit of money and some shack in a black market? I consider what you’ve done as downright pathetic, especially since you’ve had double the time on this planet as I have.”

I stood, walking up to him and sticking my finger against his chest, several inches below mine. 

“I have more money than you. I’ve built planes using this world’s magic. I’m about to roll out new machines of war. I’ve been on the front lines and I’ve killed more monsters than you can count. I’ve revolutionized this world and I’m just getting started. Yet the only reason I know who you are is because I’ve been to a couple of your parties. I’m a fucking legend and you’re just some obscure figure in a black market playing the pompous Englishman. You’ve. Done. Fuck. All.”

I jabbed my finger against him with every annunciation, feeling my anger rise. 

“So don’t come here expecting to ride my coattails just because we come from the same rock. And don’t you dare ever call yourself superior to anything but a steaming pile of dog shit again. You’re a coward with misplaced priorities, focusing on playing politics and hoarding money instead of using your talent to solve the real problem. I could’ve come to this world full of Earth’s technology and springboarded from there but instead I find it a rotting swamp. Now I’m left to fix it myself, all because a sorry excuse of a man, a fucking Brit, couldn’t muster the balls to be anything more than a fucking waste of oxygen.”

I felt a pistol appear in my hand, so I pressed it against his head, feeling the fear in his Aura despite his face remaining frozen. 

“Unless you have something valuable to bring to this world, don’t ever show your face to me again. Otherwise I might just kill you and wield your assets myself. Perhaps then your life would be of some value.”

I continued looking into his shaking eyes a bit longer before sensing his butler get angry. I glanced at the older man before pulling away my gun and turning to walk back to my chair. 

“Take your dog and leave. I have nothing more to say to you.”

He stood there for a few more seconds before leaving silently. 

Boris peeked inside the open door before closing it once more, leaving Umara and I alone. 

……

Umara watched John walk over to his chair and stand beside it. 

He seemed calm, even though he sounded angry when talking with Vatsy. She hadn’t expected him to treat the man like that, but she could understand. 

Still, she felt something when he got close. He set his hand gently on the back of his chair. The movement was smooth. There was no hidden thought behind it, no hesitation, no emotion. He simply set his hand down. 

Perhaps that’s why she felt something off about it. The lack of emotion, the lack of anger, frustration, sadness, happiness, despair. All the common emotions that she could see in everyone else, that everyone had at least a little of. 

There was none of it. 

Maybe that’s why she felt scared, why she had to stop herself from flinching when he grabbed the chair and slammed it across his desk full of screens and esoteric devices. 

“FUCK!”

He screamed, his rage overflowing all at once, previously perfectly withdrawn as if he truly were perfectly fine. He was so good at hiding it. 

“FUCK THIS GODDAMNED ROCK! FUCK THESE WORTHLESS FUCKING IDIOTS! CAN’T DO ANYTHING BETTER THAN SERVE AS SCOURGE FODDER!”

Her eyes flickered as he threw the chair against the wall. It was a steel chair with reinforcement enchantments and yet he left finger impressions in it. 

Her eyes snapped toward him, her heart pounding and circulating mana. She knew she wouldn’t have to fight her boyfriend and yet her body was telling her otherwise. 

She had to force down the effects of her adrenaline, force herself to calm down. She felt a bit of sweat bead on her forehead. 

She had seen what this man was capable of. She was confident that she had nothing to worry about. 

But volatility was scary, especially when you couldn’t see it coming. 

She opened her mouth and almost choked, forcing herself to take a breath and prepare her words, lest she show her fear. 

“John.”

“…Sorry.”

He simmered down almost instantly, but something about that pissed her off. She frowned.

“Was that really necessary? He came to help.”

“He came to leech.”

“It was a transaction, like many others. You could use political help, and you know that.”

“I don’t need it. As I said, they’ll only be hurting themselves.”

“Unless they institute restrictions that you’ll inevitably break. Then you’ll only give them the excuses that they need to bring down the hammer. I know how this works John. Probably more than you.”

She walked up to him, enough adrenaline pumping through her system to make her think she was about to face an Authority 10. 

She reached out and grabbed his chin, moving his head so he was looking straight at her. 

“You’re burning bridges before they can even form. I know you’re mad at their incompetence but kicking them to the side when they try to help is how you make enemies, and we’ve got enough as it is.”

“If Vatsy has any brain he’ll help me anyway. If he doesn’t then he’ll only confirm that he’s too stupid for me to even consider him as an ally. And if he stands against me out of spite, then I’ll kill him and take him for what he’s worth.”

“And how much damage would be done in the process? By that time, you’d probably be forced to retreat to the Church lest the Kingdom hunt you as a traitor! You know what the correct answer here is! You’re just too pissed to be diplomatic!”

“No fucking shit, Umara!”

She forced herself not to recoil at another surge in rage, not to react to the deep seated madness that peeked out from within his Aura. 

It was something she had never seen in him before. Something she had only glimpsed in the psychos of the black markets. Something that Royals on the battlefield were filled with. 

His voice fell low. Finally, she could see his depths. 

It was ugly. It was hateful. 

“I’m sick and tired of it. I’m sick and fucking tired of sheer fucking stupidity getting in my way! If I only had to deal with the natives of this world then I would understand the Scourge still being a problem. But now I find out that there are more people from Earth, and not only have they refused to do anything with their talent, but they’ve been hiding away with knowledge that will make the Scourge a fucking cakewalk to exterminate! It’s all being left to me to fucking fix! I’m the one who has to take all the fucking risk! I’m the one who has to lose my friends! All because they couldn’t use their fucking brains! The Scourge shouldn’t be a fucking problem and yet their idiocy has killed millions!”

Umara held her ground even though she could feel his Aura spread through the room so thickly that it stung her own, forcing her to pull it back into her body. Even after her Crown, his still remained wholly superior. 

She didn’t know how powerful he had become in the past month or so. What she did know was that he was too smart to reason with. 

He had all the answers. He knew every path. She couldn’t fathom his intellect nor the depths of his schemes. There was no reasoning with him because he had already reasoned everything. 

No, there were only two ways to change his course. The first was by arguing his principles, which was nearly just as impossible. 

The other way was by taking the issue out of his hands. 

Umara settled on her solution as he leaned forward. Perhaps he sensed her come to her conclusion. No, she knew he had sensed her. He was the master of the mind. There was little hiding from him. 

She could feel his rage-filled breath brush her face. 

“Give me a good reason why I shouldn’t just kill him and wield his assets for myself. Give me a good reason why I shouldn’t just kill those who get in my way and take the tools I need to win this war.”

“…Where would it end?”

Her eyes became firm, staring right back into those golden irises.

“Are you going to kill everyone? When others come to face you because you killed someone connected to them, are you going to kill them too? Why don’t you just go and start a rebellion?! It seems to be the most fitting course of action for your logic!”

He was silent. She knew he had thought it out. He had thought out everything he’d need to do should he actually go through with killing Vatsy. He knew the repercussions and he knew how he’d need to deal with them. 

He had pondered overthrowing the King. She knew he had. He knew the steps he’d have to take to become King himself, and if he set his mind to it, she knew he could achieve that. 

But it wasn’t about what he could do. It was about what he wanted. At least right now it was. 

She pressed. 

“But you don’t want to deal with that bullshit! I know it doesn’t feel like it but those people do have some value to bring! They may not be pushing themselves to their greatest potential like you are, but that doesn’t mean they’re worthless enough to kill! You’re just too angry to handle them and play nice! You know the smartest route involves diplomacy and you know that the greatest value comes from making them willingly work in your favor! Just because you hate politics doesn’t mean you don’t know it’s the right answer to all of this!”

“I don’t-!”

“I’m not fucking finished!”

She interrupted, feeling so much anger surge up in his Aura that for a second she thought he might bring out a gun and put a bullet through her eye socket. 

Her voice fell, and she spoke before his rage could build more, lest he block her out entirely. 

“You also have someone who can play politics, who knows how to play the noble game. Someone who’s good at putting on a smile and getting what she wants out of people. As your partner, she’ll happily wield her skills to help you, to take angering problems off your hands and bring you the beneficial solution. She’s not going to let you figure everything out on your own, but she also asks that you come to her for help. Not because you have no other choice, but because she’s your most treasured ally, who you trust to handle things as you need them to be handled.”

From the fourth word she felt his anger start simmering down. By the end, while he was still pissed, it was no longer overwhelming. 

It was like he had never considered the fact that she was there to help him. Perhaps he hadn’t. With so many things going on that only he could handle, he had forgotten that she was even there. 

He muttered, as if reluctantly considering. 

“I don’t want you to have to play politics.”

“Dear, I’m not forced to go back to that world. If I go back, it’ll be because I have something to fight for, which means I’m willing to. You’re not asking me to dive into politics. You’re asking me to help you. Leave it at that, and let me handle the rest.”

“…Fine.”

“Fine what?”

She smiled, making John sigh. 

“Umara, could you please go to Vatsy and find out what he wants, see if he can be of use to us?”

“Why yes, dear. I would be more than happy to help you in this busy time. Boris!”

The assistant opened the door, Umara’s voice having reverberated through the walls. 

She smiled at him. 

“Please send someone to catch Vatsy before he leaves. I need to speak with him.”

“Understood.”

He rushed out, Umara turning back and patting John’s cheek before walking off. 

“I’ll be back in a short while. You can get some shut eye until then.”

“Yes, dear.”

She sauntered out, closing the door behind her. 

Only then did she finally let out a shuddering breath, her legs feeling weak for a short time as she walked out of the office to go catch the pompous Englishman.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep