The copy has 0 error tolerance, and the last words on the ground are all wrong for me.

Chapter 398 Mechanical World
When Olivia heard Wu Chang's question, her eyebrows twitched for a moment, as if Wu Chang's words were too sharp and hurt her.

She walked to the podium, placed one hand on it, and looked down at Wu Chang.

"Sir Sean, I hope you know what you are talking about."

Wu Chang seemed not to notice the warning in Olivia's words, and continued:

"Your Majesty Olivia, I certainly know what I'm talking about."

"My partner, Ravington, once said, if you eliminate all the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how unreasonable, is the truth."

"Anyone who has seen the crime scene where Prime Minister Ron died would find it difficult to link his death to suicide, but we followed the clues and ruled out all possible suspects. Suicide became the only possibility."

Olivia pursed her lips, forced a smile after a moment, and said, "The premise for this statement to be true is that you have really ruled out all the impossibilities."

Wu Chang carried a chair, walked through the crowd that was frozen in applause, climbed over the red police rope, and placed the chair under the podium, facing Olivia.

He sat in a chair and looked up at Olivia, as if he was giving a performance report.

"At the beginning, we investigated the assassination of the Prime Minister and found four clues at the crime scene. Among them, the sound from the phonograph record and the bloody words on the wall pointed to homicide."

"The document unfolded on Prime Minister Ron's desk provides us with two more directions, namely the Pine Tree Coal Mine explosion and the workers' march."

"Looking back now, I can see that Prime Minister Ron wanted to guide us to investigate the Pine Tree Mine explosion from the very beginning."

Wu Chang paused for a moment, waiting for Olivia's reaction. Olivia didn't say anything, but stretched out her hand to signal him to continue.

Wu Chang continued:

"Prime Minister Rowan should have chosen Ravington as the detective to investigate his death from the beginning."

"In my opinion, if Songshu Coal Mine wanted to conceal the truth about the deep mining area, there were too many ways, but the incident handlers left many loopholes. These loopholes are kept above a certain level and are not easy to find at a glance, but if it is determined in advance that there is a problem in the mine, it is not difficult to find clues with Raventon's level."

"This makes the truth of the Songshu coal mine explosion, that is, when everything started, more controllable."

"That is, when the police department asked for help from Raventon and Raventon discovered that there was something wrong with the Songshu Coal Mine, everything started from that time."

Olivia used her hands on the podium as a fulcrum, walked around the podium, leaned forward slightly, and asked:

"Sir Sean, what do you mean by the beginning?"

Wu Chang raised his eyebrows and said bluntly:

"Of course, you are using the position of prime minister as bait to lure all parties to fight for the power of prime minister. In fact, you are using the fights between the parties to weaken their prestige among the people and pave the way for you to return to the pinnacle of power."

Wu Chang's straightforwardness made Olivia unable to cope. She said, "Sir Sean, you'd better be responsible for what you said."

Wu Chang ignored Olivia's threat and said:
"As the leader of the Conservative Party, Prime Minister Rowan has been regarded as a traitor by his own party members since the anti-Corn Law movement, but it is impossible for him not to be aware of the ambitions of the Lord Chancellor and others."

"According to his plan, we have discovered the existence of the Flesh and Blood Extraordinary Steam Engine. We only need to spread the word a little bit, and the Conservative Party, who are eyeing the power of industrial regulation, will soon send an assist."

"It's just that Prime Minister Ron overlooked one thing."

Olivia cooperated and asked, "What did you miss?"

Wu Chang sighed and said:
"Someone did not follow his instructions and leave Stylan, but chose to continue their plan alone."

"That man didn't know that the exposure of the Pine Tree Coal Mine was intentional. He was afraid that Raventon would find him like he did back then. In order to buy time, he killed Baron Philip and his family."

"It was precisely this action that made us realize that the mastermind behind the Pine Tree Coal Mine was not the Liberal Party led by Glad, but the Steam Parliament lurking in the shadows of Grimland."

Olivia's fake smile slowly disappeared, and her face became expressionless and cold.

She seemed to want to say something, but did not interrupt Wu Chang and continued to listen.

"The Steam Parliament silenced us at this time, which convinced me and Ravington that Prime Minister Ron's investigation did not uncover the deep secrets of the Pine Tree Coal Mine, so he did not continue to investigate the Liberal Party according to his planned trajectory."

"Instead, we follow the gang of miners at Songshu Coal Mine and investigate another clue left at the scene of the assassination, the workers' movement."

"But coincidentally, the gang of miners we were after belonged to you, Her Majesty the Queen. When you discovered that our investigation was off track, you used the miners to influence Connor and at the same time leaked some information about the Pine Tree Mine to the Conservative Party."

"Connor, who you support, and Nestor, who is supported by the Conservative Party, are enough to influence the opinions within the Light and turn our next target of investigation back to the Liberal Party, that is, the Sloane Textile Mill."

Having said that, Wu Chang took out Xavier's cane from his personal space. He held the cane in front of him, with the side with the Steam Council logo facing Olivia.

He looked into Olivia's eyes and said:
"In the plan you and Prime Minister Ron planned, the Steam Parliament was originally part of the plan. When you found that some people did not leave, you included them in your scope of use."

"In the Sloane Textile Mill incident, we demonstrated our ability to fight the Liberal Party. You only need to send someone to persuade Henry to abandon the Steam Parliament and cooperate with us."

"Henry's rebellion will definitely prompt Xavier to take action and launch the Great Stink in advance."

"After that, everything returned to the trajectory you and Prime Minister Ron had planned. You arranged for your extraordinary people to give Connor the evidence that the Conservatives were responsible for the Great Malaria Epidemic. Then, with the help of the Light and us, you forced the Conservatives to withdraw from the party at the same time as the Liberals."

"Up to this point in the investigation into Prime Minister Ron's assassination, the murderers have been eliminated one by one. Every suspect eliminated, regardless of whether they are related to the Prime Minister's assassination, has failed miserably because of our investigation."

“You’re the only one who’s winning.”

Olivia's expressionless face suddenly showed a smile again. She walked out from behind the podium and came to the center of the speech stage.

"According to your inference, since I am the beneficiary behind all these events, then I should be the murderer who killed Prime Minister Ron."

Wu Chang nodded and said, "For a while, I thought so, until I found out that Prime Minister Ron was the behind-the-scenes sponsor of the Steam Parliament."

"Xavier has always called himself Councillor No. 1, not because the Steam Parliament has a unique naming rule, but simply because he is not the Speaker. The real Speaker of the Steam Parliament is Prime Minister Ron."

Hearing this, Olivia couldn't hide the surprise in her eyes. She asked:

"How did you know that? There's no way Xavier would tell you that."

Wu Chang crossed his legs, crossed his hands on his knees, and struck a winner's pose.

"It seems that Raventon is a trustworthy companion. If he is your spy who reports my movements to you in real time, you would not ask this question."

"I often tell Ravington that I am an inspirational detective, looking for clues and inferences without relying on hard evidence."

Olivia shook her head slightly and looked at Wu Chang helplessly, "So this is your guess?"

Wu Chang denied: "My inspiration is a little different from your vague intuition."

"For example, my inspiration allows me to see that you and Ron have been treating Xavier as a consultant since before the advent of the extraordinary steam engine. When Revington led people to clean up the Steam Council headquarters, in order to protect Xavier, you deliberately used a complicated problem to keep him in the workshop."

Olivia showed an expression of disbelief, exactly the same as when Raventon first saw Wu Chang using inspiration.

"If you hadn't been in the New World for the past five years, I would have thought you were spying on Ron in secret."

"Sir Sean, tell me what else you have seen through inspiration."

Wu Chang said: "I saw that Prime Minister Ron has been studying steam rules and difference engines with the help of Xavier."

"I also saw that before Prime Minister Ron took action, he told Xavier that the plan was out of control and asked him to go to the new world first and come back in two months."

"He wants to get Xavier away. After two months, when the dust settles in Stian, you can take over Xavier as Prime Minister Ron's collaborator and let him continue to work for you."

"Prime Minister Ron was still thinking about you, or rather, about his and your plans, even before he died. Compared to you, Your Majesty, killing Prime Minister Ron, I believe that he was using his own death to detonate everything you had planted."

"Only if he is really dead can Reventon and I trace his death all the way to his death and expose all the things done by the Liberal Party, the Conservative Party, the Charter Movement and other organizations. Let people realize that only by following your leadership, Your Majesty, can Stilan move towards the future."

"The support of the people for you, with the blessing of the First Law of Mysticism, will become the last piece of the puzzle to complete the Difference Engine and fully realize your plan."

Pop, pop, pop.

This time, it was Olivia's turn to applaud Wu Chang.

Olivia laughed at herself. "I'm beginning to regret inviting you back from the New World. Your inspiration is far more terrifying than Julie thought."

"Since you already knew all our plans before today, why didn't you stop me or take the initiative to join my plan."

Ever since Wu Chang saw the resentment of the phantom, he knew that Olivia would do something big sooner or later. Olivia and Xavier were both sons of the plane, and both mastered the rules of steam. Combined with the difference machine that Prime Minister Ron had been asking Xavier to study, it was easy to guess what Olivia's plan was.

However, there was no conflict between him and Olivia, so he didn't bother to stop Olivia, so he just watched the show from the side.

After finishing his work report, Wu Chang stood up from his chair, raised two fingers and said:
"The reason why I have waited until now to tell you everything is because I want to ask you two questions at this point in time."

"I can't guess the answers to these two questions. I want you to tell me the truth."

Olivia asked suspiciously, "Even your inspiration can't be seen?"

Wu Chang said as a matter of course: "Inspiration is not omnipotent. What do you regard inspiration as?"

Olivia: ...

She felt that among all the people in the world, only Wu Chang had no right to say this.

She resisted the urge to complain, adjusted her expression, regained her dignity as a queen, and said:
"Since you didn't bother me, tell me, what do you want to know?"

Wu Chang put his left hand behind his back, clenched the middle finger of his right hand in front of him, and said:
"First, what is your relationship with Prime Minister Ron? Why would he do this to you, even at the cost of his own life?"

"Second, you and Prime Minister Ron were able to plan ahead of time. In particular, you were exceptionally calm and at ease throughout the entire incident. It seemed as if you had seen what was going to happen today long before."

"This power should not come from the steam rules in your body, but from the difference machine."

"According to my guess, you and Prime Minister Ron probably made a prototype of the Difference Engine a long time ago and got some answers from it. I want to know what answers you got."

Olivia's eyes showed admiration. She liked Wu Chang more and more. It was not the love between a man and a woman, but the love that a queen had for her subject.

If Wu Chang had been willing to assist her from the beginning, her plan would have been much smoother than it is now, and maybe Ron wouldn't have died.

"The two questions you asked are actually one question."

Olivia walked towards the differential machine in the center of the Crystal Palace. Wu Chang was two steps behind Olivia, and the relationship between them was still like that of a queen and a knight.

Olivia asked, "Do you know the term 'Child of the Plane'?"

Wu Chang nodded and said, "I've heard of it."

Olivia said: "There is not only one Son of the Planes. Each Son of the Planes has his own mission."

"I had always doubted this until I took over the extraordinary library of the Mystic Knights. Based on old Anderson's conjecture, I created an extraordinary item that could connect to the will of the plane. Then I discovered my mission."

"Even now that the extraordinary steam engine has matured, Xavier's ability can only design the prototype of the difference machine. But five years ago, with the props left by the Mystic Knights and some guidance from Xavier, I somehow created the core of the difference machine."

"The only people who witnessed the birth of the Difference Engine core were Ron and I."

"It was because of the Difference Engine that Ron believed we could build his ideal world, so he was willing to sacrifice for it."

As she spoke, Olivia had already walked in front of the Difference Machine. The palace-like door of the Difference Machine opened, and a large amount of mist gushed out, surrounding Olivia.

Wu Chang felt the difference machine up close, and he understood why Olivia was able to create the core of the difference machine.

The omniscient crystal told him that it felt the breath of Taichu Lingshu inside the difference machine.

It is indeed very difficult to build a difference engine purely through knowledge, like Xavier did.

Even though he was the son of the plane and a genius in the field of mechanics, he could only design the prototype of the difference engine in five years.

The differential engine core, like the extraordinary steam engine core that Wu Chang had obtained before, is the most important part of the extraordinary steam engine. It only needs to be matched with a shell to exert at least 80% of its effect.

Theoretically, the probability that Olivia could have built a Difference Engine five years ago is about the same as the probability that a monkey could have typed out Hamlet on a printer.

All we can say is that it is possible for Olivia to build a Difference Engine, but it is unlikely that she can build one.

But if Olivia could find some extraordinary item containing the Primordial Spirit from the collection of the Arcane Knights, and accidentally activated the Primordial Spirit, then it would instantly make sense for her to have created the differential machine core five years in advance.

Olivia stopped talking, looked behind them, and said:
"Julie, come here. You should also want to know the answer we got."

Julie walked out of the mist, stopped not far from Wu Chang, and explained in a low voice:

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hide."

Wu Chang nodded and responded: "I know."

He was aware of Julie's presence from the beginning. When he was talking to Olivia, he described the investigation process in such detail because he was actually telling it to Julie who was standing beside him.

Including the two questions he asked, they were also asked on behalf of Julie.

Olivia looked at Julie tenderly and said:
"Do you still remember the first time we met? I was deeply controlled at that time. My clothes, hobbies and expressions were all controlled by them. I was at their mercy."

"I'm about to become the queen, and I'm not even allowed to keep the name Olivia, just because they think it's too mediocre and can't lead Stilan back to its golden age."

Julie also looked reminiscent and said, "I remember it was in the garden of the Stellan Palace. I met you who had escaped from the palace and was losing your temper."

"I just talked to you on impulse at the time, I didn't expect that we would end up like this today."

Olivia said in a serious tone:

"Although you were just impulsive at first, what we said was not a joke."

"You told me then that you would help me protect my name, help me take the throne, and free me from all restraints."

"In exchange, I promise you that I will become a great king, protect my people, and free them from suffering."

"I have always remembered the promise I made to you, so the question I asked the Difference Engine was how to make everyone live happily in the world, without hurting each other or falling into pain because of their own circumstances, and always being satisfied."

As soon as Olivia said this, Wu Chang thought of the Omniscient Crystal's evaluation of the Difference Engine, and immediately felt that something was wrong.

At this time, Julie didn't know the seriousness of the problem. She was encouraged by Olivia's tone and thought that Olivia had found the perfect solution.

It turns out that Olivia has not forgotten their agreement, and has been working hard for it.

But she once thought that Olivia was obsessed with power and had forgotten how to become a great king.

She was excited at the moment, feeling guilty, and asked:
"What answer did you get?"

Olivia looked at the Difference Engine and said, "The answer is machinery."

"Mechanical?" Julie looked at Wu Chang in confusion, not understanding what Olivia meant.

Wu Chang shook his head, indicating that he didn't understand either.

Olivia says:

"You see, a machine as large as the Difference Engine has hundreds of thousands of parts. Among them are important parts, such as the core of the Difference Engine, and also unimportant ordinary gears that can be replaced at will."

“Despite the huge differences between them, they can work in harmony with each other without any rejection. They work as one, making the complex machinery run smoothly.”

“If we regard the machine as a whole as a society, and each part as a different group in the society, and if we let people act like parts, everyone will realize that the difference between them being important or not is just the difference in their division of labor in the machine. Apart from that, they are all parts.”

“No matter how important a part is, it needs the cooperation of ordinary parts around it to play its role. When everyone has this awareness, society will be like a machine. They will only make each other successful, not hurt each other, and will not feel pain because they are not important enough.”

This time it was Wu Chang's turn to be surprised. He thought Olivia was going to make a big deal, but he didn't expect that at first glance, her theory made some sense.

He asked, "Your Majesty, the society you describe does sound like it can reduce many disputes, but human hearts are complicated and not as pure as mechanical parts. How do you plan to complete your plan?"

Olivia looked at Wu Chang approvingly. "We just need to combine the power of the Difference Machine, erase the complicated part of people's hearts that you mentioned, reduce people's excessive self-awareness, and implant the established collective consciousness, and we can achieve the world that Ron and I expect."

“A perfect world with absolute order, peace and no suffering.”

Wu Chang heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this. This made sense. He had thought that the Omniscient Crystal had made a misjudgment, but it seemed that he had been worrying too much.

(End of this chapter)