[3rd person PoV- Imperial Court]

"Long live your imperial highness!" The gathered nobles bid the emperor their salutations as he dismissed them.

The emperor sighed as he looked at Albert as all of the nobles left.

Emperor: Should we act now or wait until the supposed public gathering of his is over?

Albert who was sleeping with his head down, was silent for a while before he woke up and looked around. *Yawn* He stretched his arms while yawning.

Albert: I think we should wait.

Emperor: I thought the same thing. He won't purposely agitate and anger all those nobles without having a backup plan.

Albert had a confused look on his face.

Albert: What are you talking about your highness?

The emperor looked at Albert in confusion as well.

Emperor: What did you think I was talking about?

Albert smiled cheekily while looking around to see if anyone was there to help him out. Unfortunately, all the nobles had left leaving just him and the emperor alone in the room.

Emperor: I don't have time to waste Albert.

Albert: Of course, it was about whether to go and eat at John's restaurant after the event or before the event. Is it not?

Emperor had an annoying tick appear on his head, while Albert looked at him innocently.

Emperor: Get out and do something useful.

The emperor ordered as he stormed out leaving Albert wondering if he had given the wrong answer.

Albert: Meh, Smith will deal with it.

Albert shrugged as he left.

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[About a week later- Ez PoV]

???: "You…highn…wak…p!

Someone was trying desperately to wake me up, but I ignored them as I blissfully embraced my dream.

Wait a minute. Wasn't that Ellis' voice? It sounded pretty urgent as well.

I quickly shot open my eyes, but it was too late as someone grabbed my leg and smacked me to the floor.

*Bam*

Son of a rotten mushroom!

Do these people not know how to throw water onto a sleeping person's face or to scream into their ear?

My nose had broken along with several bones in my face along with ribs. It looks like soon my ribs will become an iron fortress for my heart at the rate it was being broken and healed.

Someone pulled me up by the collar and I got to see the face of my assailant.

Maximus: You are late again!

However, I just stared at him instead of replying. What was with him and brutally assaulting people who are sleeping?

Maximus threw me to the side.

Maximus: Feed him the emergency supply quickly. Majority of the high nobles, about half of the commandments and the representative of the other half commandments and Smith who is there for the emperor are waiting for you and you have the guts to sleep?

Ez: Majority of the high nobles, about half of the commandments and the representative of the other half commandments and Smith who is there for the emperor are waiting for me and you have the guts to severely injure the very person who is to go in front of them?

That was what I intended to say but what came out of my mouth was blabber and gibberish due to all my facial injuries.

Maximus just stared at me.

Luke brought a large bowl of emergency food I kept in stock which I quickly ate.

My body soon began to heal and repair itself.

I repeated what I had tried to say earlier to him.

Maximus: Your injury can be fixed, but your punctuality cannot be. Stop dawdling around and get moving. Tens of thousands of people are waiting for you.

I sighed as I walked out of the small building that was constructed just for today's convention. Life is so easy sometimes when you have high ranking magi's at you beck and call.

Outside thousands of people were walking around with a festival atmosphere. Stalls were on the side serving all sorts of items and luxury goods.

While every few meters there were buildings erected just for the purpose of today's convention.

Maximus guided me to the entrance arranged for those with titles and noble ranks to arrive in.

I had to wait for 20 minutes before the first V.I.P even arrived and it was a high noble.

I looked at the masked Maximus in annoyance.

Ez: 20 minutes of my peaceful sleeping time.

Maximus: Your event schedule suggests high nobles and those with higher rank has their arrival time at 3 pm, which was 20 minutes ago.

The nobles who came parked their luxurious carriages elsewhere and just walked in through the entrance.

We greeted each and everyone who came in from then on.

Of course, most of those nobles had slight trepidation in seeing me but I ignored that as I put on my nice face.

They bowed towards me and especially towards the masked Maximus who they knew as a commandment.

After all the high nobles had arrived the commandments started arriving. I bet these guys purposely planned to come late after being aware of everyone arrival time.

Of course, I saw a few familiar faces.

Albert: Hey punk, tell me what you have…

Ez: Next!

I shouted ignoring him much to his amusement as he stayed behind and started talking with me.

Albert: …and he asked me if we should wait or not? All I said was yes and he just stormed off in anger…

Good thing I had met people more annoying than him, otherwise I would have personally ripped his mouth off.

Maximus: Can you shut up for just 1 minute?

Albert: I can shut up for 1 second if you want?

Luckily for Maximus, just as he was about to enter a brawl with Albert, Smith arrived.

Albert: Smith! Just the person I needed to see. Last week when the emperor asked me…

He went to annoy Smith who quickly increased his walking pace and didn't even bother to look me in the eye.

Soon another person I had seen a long time ago arrived.

Ez: Well hello there, sis!

I smiled towards Natasha who bowed her head towards me respectfully and quietly before walking in.

After a few more minutes of idling around and greeting people, it was about time.

Ez: Well is that everyone?

Maximus: Yeah that is everyone.

Ez: Stupid rules about giving respect and showing hospitality.

Maximus: You are already ranked number 1 on almost all of their kill list, so this is the only way to make sure they do not somehow try to jeopardise the PCD release.

I shrugged and walked in.

Ez: How many times do I have to tell you they can try but it would never work? Trust in me and the public.

It was 4:30 pm.

Just on time.

I walked towards the stage.

Screens started appearing all over the field for those who were too far back to see me up close.

The loud field became quiet as they realised the event was about to start.

Ez: Well everyone it is good to see you all. I won't bore you with long words so this will be a small intro.

I appeared on all the screen.

The crowd cheered and clapped as my voice was perfectly heard throughout the whole area.

Ez: You might be all wondering why I had suddenly mobilised such a large scale event on such short notice. Well, it had to be done for what I am going to introduce to you all today. Technology.

Just as I said the word technology the screens started showing a short video of cogs and gears that were struggling to move at first before it gained momentum and rapidly started moving. Then the camera zoomed out to show an automated carriage being moved by the cogs and carriage.

The people were fascinated by it, most have never even seen the inside of a carriage, while the few that had became curious about what I could be leading onto.

Ez: I can see the fascination in most of your eyes from seeing the inside of a carriage for the first time. But that is not the reason I called you here. The reason I called you all here is to witness things much more advanced than simple cogs and gears which are powered by magi crystals, that moves a carriage.

Ez: Before that let me introduce you to a new sector I had opened.

'R&D' These 3 characters appeared on the screen surrounded by cogs, gears, puzzles etc.

Ez: R&D stands for research and development. I had established this new sector about a month ago.

As I talked the letter R&D expanded to their definitions.

Ez: Most of you who live in the capital might have heard or seen the recruitment process, some of you even participated in it.

Ez: Many of you wonder what it is, and its purpose. I will answer your 1st question, as for its purpose by the end of today's convention you will realise the purpose of R&D.

Everyone listened quietly most occasionally being distracted by the animation going on in the screen that I had set up beforehand.

Ez: R&D is the latest research unit I have established in the empire. We require not only scholars but also those who like to create new things or learn and apply new things. So, if you are interested in joining you will know where to find me. Spread the word to the whole of the Empire.

Ez: I am not interested in your academic qualification but rather your capabilities which I will personally assess. Should I find it satisfactory then you are hired!

Ez: Even if you are a beggar, child, someone in his/her deathbed, as long as you like to create things or have a talent at learning or building things or thinking up unique ideas just fill out the application which we will post throughout the whole capital starting in 2 days time and submit it to the address written below the application.

Ez: If you are successful in your application, I will contact you. Remember there is no deadline for this application, however, you will only be able to apply once every 10 years. So, don't squander your chance and think about applying carefully.

I am pretty sure by now the nobles who were listening must be very confused. If what I said was true, then that means I will receive millions of applications by the end of this year alone. They must be wondering how the heck I was going to process all those applications.

Ez: Now onto the main event!

I announced as it got to 5 pm.

Ez: I have invited a few of the researchers in the R&D department to show you some things that they have developed or planning to develop since the 1 month that we have started.

Ez: Make sure not to leave before the end as the final product is something I made for all of you, and you all are going to love it.

I baited them so that they wouldn't leave from boredom at listening to these bookworms talk.