Zeppelin excitedly held up a finger. "A thousand ships. This thing has a very low manufacturing cost, a long flight range, and high practicality, so Her Majesty ordered us to build many of them."
In reality, airships were not slow. Xiao Xun's definition of slow was only in comparison to fighter jets.
At Zeppelin's invitation, Xiao Xun personally boarded an airship. This particular airship was for commercial use, designed specifically for carrying passengers, and it even had separate sections for nobles and commoners.
The airship not only provided drinks but also had restrooms.
After flying around the capital, Xiao Xun's airship slowly landed on a dedicated lawn.
After a quick assessment, Xiao Xun offered a few suggestions. He then toured the military airships. The facilities on the military airships were simpler, consisting only of the arcane super-flyer and storage for ammunition.
Xiao Xun was quite satisfied with Zeppelin's work. When he asked about his next research direction, Zeppelin showed him his design achievements.
Looking at the blueprints, Xiao Xun was stunned. "This is... an atomic bomb?"
Zeppelin's eyes lit up. "Atomic? That's a good name! Let's call it an atomic bomb then!"
Xiao Xun slapped the table in surprise, his face beaming with excitement. "You've really developed this thing?"
"It's still in the theoretical stage, and many aspects haven't been breakthroughs yet. If it's truly developed, using it to deploy from airships would be far more effective than current gunpowder bombs."
Xiao Xun thought to himself: far more than just effective; its power, developed to its current stage, was second to none.
"Your Highness, what are you thinking about?"
Xiao Xun crouched down and gently patted Zeppelin's shoulder. "This is excellent, but you must be extremely careful about safety. All theoretical research can be conducted here, but experiments must be carried out a hundred miles outside the city in a deserted area."
Although Zeppelin didn't know the reason, he nodded.
Xiao Xun continued, "Also, whatever you need, report it upwards. His Majesty will definitely approve. If you encounter any bottlenecks, find me immediately. Absolutely do not conduct reckless experiments."
Zeppelin nodded. "Understood."
After leaving Zeppelin, he returned to the castle, just in time for the evening banquet.
Everyone had a rather somber expression, especially Bicris, whose face was as long as a donkey's.
It was understandable. Money was being spent everywhere – for construction, military operations, and disaster relief. Everyone was asking for funds.
Bicris's hair was almost completely gone, and what remained had turned white. After only a short while, he lost his appetite. However, adhering to Celerpes's rules, he sat there, using a silver spoon to scoop soup.
As the violin music stopped, Celerpes gently put down his cutlery and got up to leave. Xiao Xun followed.
Back in the top-floor bedroom, Celerpes's face was pale, devoid of any color. He was also clutching his abdomen, appearing to be in great discomfort.
"Jiahe, are you alright!"
Mu Jiahe waved her hand. "I'm fine. I'm just a bit anemic, and with so much going on, I haven't been resting well."
Xiao Xun made a mental note to prepare some nutritious blood-replenishing meals for her when he returned to his original world.
Upon returning to his original world, Xiao Xun didn't rest. Instead, he dressed and went to the kitchen. He made a caramel macchiato using the coffee machine and, following a video, attempted to create latte art with whipped cream.
He also made cookies using red beans and prepared ginger paste for topical application.
Carrying the prepared items on a tray, he went to the bedroom. Seeing that Mu Jiahe was still fast asleep, he gently woke her up.
"Jiahe, wake up and eat something! I made this specially for you."
Mu Jiahe waved her hand. "Just leave it there! I don't have an appetite."
Xiao Xun urged, "Please eat a little. How can you function without energy? At least drink this caramel macchiato, and wear the ginger paste on your abdomen. I specifically had it made to relieve pain."
Mu Jiahe agreed. It was evident that she was indeed very weak.
Xiao Xun had never seen her like this before. He knew that the recent events had indeed taken a heavy toll on her; the burden was too much for anyone to bear.
He saw her suffering and felt it deeply in his heart. The only way forward was to defeat the Four Demon Kings and restore peace to life in this other world.
After Mu Jiahe lay down, Xiao Xun took the tray downstairs. Sister Mei had already started preparing breakfast.
She greeted Xiao Xun. Xiao Xun told Sister Mei that Mu Jiahe was not feeling well and should not be disturbed in the morning. He requested that a light and easily digestible meal be prepared for lunch and mentioned that he would not be returning for it.
Sister Mei's daughter, Xiao Xue, dressed neatly, was hiding in the kitchen eating breakfast. Despite Xiao Xun's invitations, she refused to come out.
After breakfast, Xiao Xun took Xiao Xue to the garage. Sister Mei gave her a few instructions before returning to tidy up the house.
Xiao Xun drove the car and asked her, "Where do you study?"
"G City Commerce College."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Xun realized it was the same school as Chu Ningxiang. "Have you heard of Chu Ningxiang?"
Xiao Xue blinked her large eyes. "Of course, I've heard of her. She's a prominent figure at our school."
"Do you know what her current situation is?"
"No, I'm just a freshman. She's a senior, so according to school regulations, she should have gone out for an internship by now."
Then Xiao Xue turned and stared at Xiao Xun. "Do you know her?"
Xiao Xun replied with a blank expression, "Sort of!"
He knew that due to their previous connection and the fact that he couldn't pin anything on her, coupled with his lack of further pursuit, it shouldn't have significantly impacted her life.
Thinking this, Xiao Xun felt a lot more relaxed. They truly had a connection but no destiny. He had liked her before, but it was only a liking, or perhaps an attraction, not love.
After dropping Xiao Xue off, Xiao Xun went to the detention center. He needed to see someone: Guan Jiawen.
Following the previous incident, Guan Jiawen had been taken to the detention center and was scheduled for release the next day.
After completing the paperwork, Xiao Xun sat at a window in the visitation area, waiting for the detention center police to bring Guan Jiawen over.
Guan Jiawen sat opposite Xiao Xun, and they both picked up the phones.
"I didn't expect you to come and see me," was Guan Jiawen's first sentence.
"I know you are a good girl, who has simply gone astray."
Guan Jiawen said with a blank expression, "Thank you."
Xiao Xun continued, "I heard you are being released tomorrow. Are you interested in continuing to work with me?"
Guan Jiawen lowered her head and said, "I'm too ashamed to face you again."
"I know you were forced into it. How about this: after you are released tomorrow, I'll let you rest properly, and I'll contact you again the day after tomorrow."
Guan Jiawen held the receiver in one hand and clutched the phone cord with the other, biting her lower lip. After a long pause, she asked, "Mr. Xiao, you really don't blame me?"
"People die for wealth, birds die for food—that is an eternal truth. I can understand you, but you didn't treat me as one of your own. In that situation, you should have come to me first. Why did you listen to their temptations?"
"I... I was too ashamed to come to you. I was afraid you would look down on me."
"If you act like this, I will look down on you even more."
Suddenly, a police officer walked over and reminded them, "Time is up."
Xiao Xun said his last sentence, "Don't forget what I said. I'll see you the day after tomorrow."
Then, he made a gesture as if making a phone call and walked out of the detention center's visitation hall.
Xiao Xun knew that what he had to do next was wait.