Gunpowder Plate Armor and the Magic Revolution

"How could Norze be the way you think?"

Eileen gave him a reproachful look from the side, "The restaurant is for eating. If you want to talk about work, go to the study. Nozer just got back and you have to talk about these nasty things. Aren't you afraid of ruining the mood for eating?"

However, this was the first time she had seen Leopold and Knozer talk so calmly and patiently, let alone proactively explain their difficulties to the child.

He truly treated Norze as an adult, not the child who could be easily appeased with gifts and promises.

This general, who appears ruthless and cold-blooded to outsiders, only shows this soft side to his family.

"I've looked at the interrogation records from the military court. You're saying the assassin spoke Edric's native dialect?"

Leopold continued to ask questions.

"Yes."

Nozer nodded, and when he heard that it was serious business, his smile faded a bit. "Their target is very clear: Dr. William Kaltoff. Those assassins are well-trained and very professional."

"I know that, it's William Kaltoff... he's a hot potato."

Leopold shook his head.

"A hot potato of gold?"

Nozer was somewhat puzzled. Shouldn't such an outstanding weapons design expert be a highly sought-after professional in every country?

How can it be considered "too hot to handle"?

"Because whether Dr. William is dead or not, it doesn't prevent Edric from having an excuse to cause trouble. In the end, the Emerald Palace will still have to clean up the diplomatic mess."

"A mess?"

"You need to understand, politics and diplomacy are the most troublesome things..."

Admiral Leopold rubbed his forehead in exasperation; even he seemed to find diplomatic matters deeply troublesome.

"Edric has never been satisfied with the tariffs they set for Orentia. They always feel they are too high, especially for metals and fuels. They've been wanting to find a reason to renegotiate for a while now... I reckon those annoying foreign affairs officers will be coming to cause trouble tomorrow."

"If that's the case... then it's really possible that these assassins were sent by Edric's side?"

Noze pondered for a moment and asked, "After all, they can profit from it."

He had a lingering question: if Edric's men wanted to kill Kaltov, why would they travel all the way to Orentia to do it? Wouldn't it have been more convenient to do it within their own country?

However, after General Leopold's words, he seemed to understand something. Rather than spending time and effort imprisoning Dr. William, it seemed better to let him return to Orentia and then send someone to assassinate him. Either way, there would be benefits.

The more one benefits, the more likely they are to do it; this is an obvious principle.

I'll borrow your head for a while, that's what I said.

"It's hard to say; we'll have to see the results of the investigation."

Leopold shook his head. "It's also possible that the Empire just doesn't want Dr. William to get rid of the mess that Edric has made his research stagnant, so they're just using Edric's name to make their move."

"Of course, it could also be the same as you think, who knows..."

"I also met with Dr. William and his daughter Sophie today, and about the Kaltov repeating rifle. If it could be deployed on a large scale, the infantry's firepower would increase several times over. However, the feasibility is still being reviewed by the logistics department... I personally think it's unlikely to work."

"As for the dockside assassination, I've already had Graham send someone to lead a joint investigation team. As for the dirty work, it will most likely be assigned to the Navy."

Leopold picked up his glass, took a sip, and said, "Even if all those assassins committed suicide by biting poison, we can still find some clues and maybe even find the mastermind behind it all."

"But Dr. William's daughter is indeed different from the women of Orentia... more capable and reliable, just like our Orentia army! I just don't know why she wears half a mask..."

Admiral Leopold spoke highly of Sophie, but his conversation veered off-topic and eventually turned to Nozer.

"Hey, Noze, what do you think of Miss Sophie?"

"Hmm...hmm?! What, how is it?"

Nozer was caught off guard by this unexpected question.

"Of course, it's about how the person is!"

Leopold showed no sign of letting Nozer off the hook, continuing his questioning with a smile, "You're not young anymore, and you're not bad-looking either. When I was your age, every girl in Monsoon City was eager to..."

Leopold glanced at Eileen, whose expression was unfriendly, and wisely refrained from continuing his tales of his romantic past.

"If that's what you're looking for, I'll ask someone in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to arrange for them to live near our home. It'll be convenient, how about that?"

"Ahem!"

Eileen clearly couldn't stand it anymore. She coughed a few times to come to her son's rescue, "Alright, alright, it's mealtime now. No more talking about such boring things, and no more work-related matters."

"Yes, yes, I'll listen to you."

Leopold immediately stopped talking.

After the family ate quietly for a while, Leopold noticed that Eileen had relaxed her guard, so he took the opportunity to refill Nozer's glass with water and quietly gave him some instructions.

"The military report has been delayed. Tomorrow morning, you will go with Graham to the tailor shop to have a few sets of formal and casual clothes made. Don't be polite with him, just let that kid pay for it. His family has been in business for generations, and I heard that one generation even bought a title."

Leopold, adopting an air of experience, advised Nozer, "As the saying goes, clothes make the man. When dealing with people, things you might not normally consider valuable can become very useful..."

"Admiral Leo Podestas!"

Even a fool could see that Eileen was truly angry this time.

A married woman calling her husband by his full name speaks volumes, especially when she adds his title.

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After dinner, the family of three sat around the fireplace. The dishes had already been cleared away by the servants, and the only sound in the living room was the crackling of the burning wood in the fireplace.

The orange flames danced in the furnace, casting a warm glow upon the three of them and dispelling the damp chill of the night air blowing in from the sea at Monsoon Harbor.

Eileen sat on the soft velvet sofa, holding a cup of warm black tea in her hands, her gaze fixed on Nozer sitting by the fireplace, and she kept complaining about Leopold.

"...I shouldn't have listened to your nonsense. You insisted on sending such a good kid to military academy. From the training camp in Jifeng City, to Lu Qing, and then to Herbert Military Academy in Fries, we've been separated for years!"

"Wouldn't it have been better if you had followed me to learn business? You could have stayed home, protected the family business, lived a peaceful life, and had someone by your side every day. You wouldn't have had to end up like this now, fighting with knives and guns at such a young age..."

In the days following the news of the missing officer in Herbert, she couldn't sleep at night; she never wanted to experience that feeling of anxiety again.

"Who lets a boy learn to do business? Aren't people afraid of laughing at us if they find out?"

Leopold put down his teacup, sat up straighter, and although his face showed some indifference, he still subconsciously softened his tone when he retorted, afraid of really angering his wife.