First Light of a New Age

Chapter 172: Li's Disciple & Dungeon Adventure

Third Civilization Zone, Austronesia People's Empire, Imperial Majapahit, City of Singapore, Science Department Headquarters.

4th Year of a New Age, Thursday, 3rd Week, 9th Month of John.

The headquarters of one of the Austronesian Empire’s greatest institutions, the Science Department towered over the central district of the city of Singapore which could be seen from nearly every corner of the city.

It was here that the empire’s most brilliant minds labored day and night, producing projects and innovations whose results regularly astonished the world. 

It was here that breakthroughs were made, technologies so far ahead of their time that even the boldest predictions of rival nations seemed outdated by comparison. What began as theoretical experiments often emerged from these halls as weapons with machines and tools that reshaped entire fields overnight, all thanks to mana.

For civilians, the department represented progress and prosperity and an endless source of marvels that improved daily life, from medicine that cured once-incurable illnesses to machines that made cities run cleaner and faster. 

For the military, however, the department represented something more visceral such as dominance, security, and the assurance that the Austronesian Empire would always remain several steps ahead of its rivals, no matter how formidable.

Tonight, its grand presentation hall was packed with hundreds of scientists filling the tiered seats with the majority in white coats while a smaller number wore tailored military uniforms that hinted at classified collaborations. 

Along the front row were several influential politicians with their faces carefully composed, each flanked by armored security officers whose ceremonial plate carried the empire’s crest.

A vast projection wall dominated the stage, showing diagrams, dense schematics, and cascading streams of raw data. 

The room is filled with voices of the people and the occasional shuffle of paper, until the man at the center of attention took his place.

Doctor Han Wei Lun, one of the senior researchers, stood tall beneath the lights. His neatly combed hair, streaked with gray, spoke of decades of experience, while the glint of his glasses added an edge to his sharp calculating presence. 

When he raised a hand, the murmurs died instantly and the chamber fell silent.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he began, which carried across the chamber, “Today, we present the culmination of fifteen months of tireless research into mana-energy integration, high-density fission frameworks, and arcane-technical fusion.”

The screen behind him lit up with a diagram and outline of a missile unlike any conventional weapon, making everyone through the hall feel interested while others narrowed their eyes with unease.

Han continued, “This .. is the Magic-Fusion Bomb, a new class of strategic weapon, one that will redefine both warfare and deterrence in this New World”

With a click of his remote, the schematic exploded into multiple layers of blueprints, revealing the intricate inner workings of the warhead. Within its chamber, luminous runes spiraled around a crystalline mass, glowing with restrained energy.

“The core of the weapon is a fusion of enriched uranium and high-purity mana crystals that were recently extracted from one of the empire’s newly acquired mines in Hong Kong,” Han explained, “By securing control of nearly half the mine’s output which valued at over two million MEUs, our team was able to significantly accelerate development beyond projected timelines and culminated in this groundbreaking weapon capable of what we call [Elemental Annihilation].”