Trench Bolts and Magic

Chapter 110 The Girl and the Air-Cooled Light Machine Gun

The car drove along Dresden's wide cobblestone streets, passing the magnificent Zwinger Palace and the Church of Our Lady, and finally stopped in front of a solemn building in the city center.

This is the location of the Saxon Empire's Patent Office.

When the two got out of the car, it was still early, and the doors of the Patent Office had just opened, with almost no one around.

They explained their purpose to the guards at the entrance and showed them their military officer identification, after which they were immediately allowed to pass.

A staff member in uniform was already waiting in the lobby.

Upon seeing Ludwig, he immediately approached him respectfully.

"Lieutenant Colonel Seeckt, you've arrived."

"Ah."

Ludwig nodded and pointed to Morin beside him.

"This is Lieutenant Friedrich Morin; he's here to apply for a military patent."

The staff member glanced at Morin, somewhat surprised by his youth, but still maintained a polite smile.

"Okay, please follow me, both of you."

They arrived too early; the patent office hadn't officially started its working hours yet.

Therefore, Ludwig was left to wait in the downstairs rest area.

Molin was then led by staff to a room on the third floor specifically for 'military-related patents'.

The room was small and simply furnished.

Besides a large desk, there are two doors behind it.

Two bronze plaques hang on the door, bearing the words "Ordinary Patent" and "Confidential Patent".

When Maureen entered the room, she found that there was already someone else waiting inside.

She was a young girl wearing a black coat and a dark long skirt.

Her long, dark brown hair was neatly styled in a bun at the back of her head, revealing her smooth forehead and beautiful face.

She had a beautiful figure, but she looked a little nervous, her hands tightly gripping a file folder, her knuckles turning white.

Molin was somewhat surprised, not expecting that someone else would apply for a patent so early, besides himself.

He didn't disturb her, but simply sat down in the chair behind her in order, while he couldn't help but admire her fair neck as he waited quietly.

Soon, a staff member wearing gold-rimmed glasses, who looked like the person in charge, also entered the room.

He glanced at Morin first, then turned his gaze to the girl.

"Ms. Helga Schmeisser, is that right?"

"Yes, it is."

The girl quickly stood up and answered nervously.

"Please come this way." The staff member pointed to the desk.

The girl quickly stepped forward and handed over the file bag along with her identification.

The staff member took the document and carefully read through it.

The only sound in the room for a moment was the rustling of papers turning over.

Morin was sitting idly to the side, but soon his ears involuntarily perked up.

Because he clearly heard the staff member mention a word that bothered him greatly when confirming the contents of the document with the girl.

Regarding the design of this 'air-cooled light machine gun'

An air-cooled light machine gun?!

Maureen wondered if she had misheard something.

As an army officer who had just experienced the battles of the Kingdom of Aragon, he was well aware of the importance of machine guns for infantry fire support, a fact that had not yet been fully realized by the Saxon army's high command.

The army units are still equipped with the cumbersome MG08 heavy machine gun, which requires water cooling.

Light machine guns, which are lightweight, flexible, and can be used to launch attacks alongside infantry squads, are still just a theoretical concept.

Morin had originally planned to see if there would be an opportunity to get the commando team to use Madsen, MG08/15, or even just Chauza Chauza after returning home.

Unexpectedly, he found himself here, and heard what he wanted to hear.

Just as Morin was filled with excitement, the staff member had already finished reviewing the girl's information.

He tidied up the documents, handed them back to the girl, and then pointed to the door next to him that had a sign that read "Ordinary Patent".

"Ms. Schmeisser, your patent application follows the standard procedure for military patents. Please go to that room and speak with the staff there for a technical review."

"Okay, thank you."

The girl, known as Helga Schmeisser, breathed a sigh of relief, as if she had been granted a pardon.

She took the documents, bowed to the staff, and then quickly walked into the "ordinary patent" room.

"Next person."

The staff's calls interrupted Maureen's thoughts.

He stood up, walked to the desk, and handed over the large stack of documents he had prepared.

The staff member took the documents, glanced at the cover briefly, and then looked up to confirm Morin's name.

"You are Lieutenant Friedrich Morin?"

"Yes."

Upon receiving an affirmative answer, the staff member's attitude instantly became extremely respectful.

He immediately stood up from his seat, walked around the desk, and personally opened another door for Maureen.

"Lieutenant Morin, please come this way."

He was pointing to the room with the "Confidential Patent" sign.

Morin nodded to the other person and then walked through the door with the "Confidential Patent" sign. The room behind the door was much more spacious and brighter than the one outside, and the decoration was also more sophisticated.

There was only one elderly man in the room, with gray hair but a sprightly spirit.

He was wearing a crisply pressed suit and was sitting at his desk looking at some documents.

Upon seeing Morin enter, the old man immediately put down the documents in his hand, stood up, and extended his hand to Morin.

"Lieutenant Morin, welcome to the Imperial Patent Office."

His face was adorned with a warm smile, and his friendly demeanor made Morin feel somewhat flattered.

"Hello." Morin quickly shook hands with him.

"Please sit down." The old man gestured for Morin to sit down in the seat opposite him, and then personally poured him a steaming cup of black tea.

"Let me introduce myself. I am Horsch Kluge, the head of the Confidential Patent Examination Department of the Imperial Patent Office."

The old man sat back down and said with a smile, "Our senior management at the Patent Office informed me of your situation in advance."

"His Highness the Crown Prince personally gave instructions that as long as the patent you applied for this time has no major technical problems and passes our internal verification..."

He paused, looked into Maureen's eyes, and uttered a number that made Maureen's heart stop.

"The Imperial Patent Office will pay you a one-time compensation of 20 million Imperial Marks as the cost of buying out this confidential patent."

Twenty million Imperial Marks?

Maureen felt her mind go completely blank for a moment.

Is that a lot?

Although he knew that during this period, the Saxon Mark was directly pegged to gold, and its value was relatively stable.

But he still didn't quite understand what exactly 20 million Imperial Marks meant.

Seemingly noticing Morin's confusion, Mr. Kruger smiled and explained, "Lieutenant Morin probably doesn't have much of a concept of this number."

"To put it simply, I've worked here my whole life and handled compensation matters for almost all of the Empire's 'secret patents'."

A look of pride appeared on his face.

"I can tell you with absolute certainty that all the compensation paid by the Imperial Patent Office for classified patents since its inception, all combined, does not equal the amount you have paid this time."

Morin was stunned.

"At the same time, I can also give you a more intuitive reference."

Kruger continued:
"The Imperial Navy's newest and most advanced battleships cost between fifty and sixty million marks each."

one-third of a battleship
Maureen felt her breathing become rapid.

He had originally thought that the Crown Prince's "satisfactory compensation amount" would be at most a few hundred thousand or a million marks.

After all, in that era, an ordinary Saxon worker's annual income was only a little over a thousand marks.

A million marks is a huge sum of money that can make anyone financially free.

He never expected that the Crown Prince's gesture would be so grand.

This isn't just 'satisfied,' this is downright 'terrified'!
"Of course, all of this is on the premise that your technology must be real, effective, and of significant military value."

Mr. Kruger's smile faded, and his expression turned serious.

“Of course.” Morin quickly snapped out of his daze and handed over the thick stack of documents he had brought with both hands.

"Mr. Kruger, here is all the technical information I have prepared. Please take a look."

The old man took the documents, put on his reading glasses, and began to carefully peruse them.

He watched very intently, sometimes nodding, sometimes frowning.
As the conversation progressed, his expression grew increasingly serious.

Maureen sat to the side, feeling a little nervous.

Although he was very confident in the solution provided by the system, it was impossible not to be nervous, as it involved a huge sum of 2000 million yuan.

After a long while, Mr. Kruger slowly raised his head, took off his glasses, and let out a long breath.

“Lieutenant Morin, theoretically speaking, your plan is feasible.”

His voice held a hint of undisguised surprise:

"Moreover, if it can really be realized, its value is indeed worth the price."

He reorganized the documents and placed them on the table.

"Alright, Lieutenant Morin, that's enough for today."

Mr. Kruger stood up and shook hands with Maureen again:

"You can leave now. We will organize an expert team to conduct a detailed demonstration and experiment on your plan. Regardless of whether it is ultimately verified or if there are any problems, we will have someone contact you in person."

"Okay, thank you, Mr. Kruger."

Morin stood up, thanked the old man, and then turned and left the room.

He felt like he was floating, his mind filled with thoughts of "20 million marks" and "battleships".

When he returned to the lobby of the patent office, Ludwig immediately came to greet him.

"How did it go? How did the talks go?" he asked with concern.

"It went very smoothly; they offered me a price right away."

Molin was still somewhat dazed and spoke slowly.

When Ludwig saw this, he thought the man had suffered some kind of blow, and immediately said:

"Not enough? Don't worry, I've already thought things through regarding Friedrich's lawsuit. I've also found a lawyer; he's known for winning every patent case."

"It's not that we didn't drive enough."

Morin pulled Ludwig along, quickly walked out of the patent office and to the side, then lowered his voice and whispered in his ear:

"They offered me twenty million."

(End of this chapter)