The Villainess Returns with a System-Chapter 98: Project Power

News of the Moore party spread around Elgard like wildfire. A revolution in technology was sparked, and everyone got a glimpse of what the future would be like: either they go with the flow or resist its mighty tide.

It has been proven time and time again that those who stand in the way of change are always swept aside by it and become forgotten in history, while those who embrace it get the chance to fully benefit from such investment. Stagnation is not only the enemy of people, but also of ideas and minds.

For that reason, ViTech was almost the most sought-after destination for the three days following the party. Agents from all businesses, scientists from every field, investors, and self-made visionaries all wanted to have a sit-down with Vivian Moore. Each of them had an idea, a dream only Vivian could make true, and they needed her abilities and connections.

However, Vivian was the busiest person in all of Elgard those three days, almost busier than the King himself.

Project Power, the number one priority project of ViTech, was taking leaps and bounds towards becoming a reality. Vivian was working personally with a team of no fewer than 100 scientists and technicians, including metallurgists, mechanists, and chemists, to make one thing possible:

Electricity.

Count Julian Moore had given clear instructions: to create a source of energy that is free and requires no resource extraction, ruling out all fossil fuel-based power dynamos. Wind and water turbines were being hastily developed, and many prototypes were put on trial.

A few days passed, and Vivian was immersed in her extreme lifestyle of developing the green power dynamos. Due to the fact that she was rarely seen in public those past few days, everyone and their mothers were now wondering what else she was going to come up with this time. It was safe to say that she was being monitored by multiple factions at once. Aside from the *Insurgency* and House Black, multiple tycoons were trying to get their people into ViTech to learn what golden egg would be laid next.

That next golden egg was already in an advanced phase. Through persistent trial and error, early experiments in electromagnetic induction yielded promising results. Under the guidance of Professor Bellfield and his team of scientists, the foundational theories and equations were established, paving the way for practical applications. Electromagnetic induction, the process of generating electricity by moving a conductor through a magnetic field, proved to be a groundbreaking principle. Despite the rudimentary materials available in this era, the calculations and methodologies were robust enough to overcome initial technical challenges, marking a turning point in the pursuit of harnessing electricity.

The next phase involved scaling up these discoveries, utilizing windmills and waterwheels for large-scale experiments. Vivian’s strategic acquisition of property along the Ralin River proved invaluable, as the installation of waterwheels required only material costs, a city hall application, and minor bribes to expedite bureaucratic processes. Waterwheels were installed along the river’s current, efficiently converting flowing water into rotational energy to drive dynamos. The windmills, meanwhile, were installed atop buildings, though Archester’s relatively low wind activity posed challenges. To address this, Vivian introduced an innovative design: vertical-axis windmills with twisting blades resembling a dancer’s spinning helix. These were specifically engineered to operate efficiently in inconsistent wind conditions, providing a steady source of mechanical energy.

Parallel to these efforts, Vivian directed a smaller team to develop dynamos powered by fossil fuels. Leveraging existing steam engine technology, a coal-powered generator was constructed within two days with the assistance of Voros. This generator not only showcased the versatility of dynamos but also positioned ViTech as a formidable player in the energy industry. Recognizing the commercial potential, Vivian ensured the invention was patented under ViTech to prevent exploitation by any potential rival. While preliminary plans were also drawn for a petrol-powered generator and even a magic-infused generator, these concepts were temporarily shelved.

Then came the unexpected blow.

Three days after the party in the Moore mansion, news reached Vivian that one of the projects she showcased at the party got patented by its maker without any attribution to the cooperation with ViTech as per the contract. That was Project Graham, the one that was meant to create an industrial-grade smokestack filtration system.

Breaching contract, Professor Ainsley Graham—the same scientist who was trying to develop kerosene—sent a total of 120,000 pounds, the full price of the contract’s monetary penalty.

"How can this be?"

Vivian’s shock could not be hidden as she was surrounded by ViTech’s executives to figure out what the hell went down.

"I have tried to get in contact with Professor Graham, but it seems that she has hired guards all over her house and is refusing to meet with us. The agent we sent reported that he was threatened by the guards, who said that they would break his legs if any of our people were to show up at her doorstep ever again," Oscar gave Vivian a report of what went down.

"Are you serious? This is thuggish behaviour. Is that woman out of her mind? She is a professor, for God’s sake!"

Despite the frustration, the setback had negative implications, prompting Vivian to immediately begin damage control and prevention efforts. Many theories were built on what went down with Ainsley Graham, but Vivian’s main concern was the bill voted on by the House of Lords to prevent environmental damage, the very same one Lord Julian Moore pushed for.

Once Vivian got home that evening, she reported it directly to her father, who seemed aware of the problem and informed her that Ainsley Graham had actually started her own company to manufacture the filters. She seemed to have acquired large funds from a mysterious investor, and her first action was to contact the Moore Conglomerate, offering her services to install the filters at a ridiculously high price compared to what Vivian had in mind.

By the next day, Vivian received a report that some of her company’s agents were assaulted by thugs while doing their duties; by the middle of the day, some of the technicians who live in low-class areas reported that they were assaulted or robbed on their way to work.

There was no hiding it now.

ViTech was under attack.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

Seven nights after the party, Vivian walked down the stairs at a late hour, dressed in a dark outfit, and the sound of her steps was light and muffled. While she was aiming to leave the house in the middle of the night, she was not sneaking out but rather kept on a steady path to the front gate.

"Vivian."

Her entire being was shaken all at once as she heard her father’s voice calling for her. While she was not sneaking, she did not want her father to know of her situation.

"Father! You are up this hour..."

As she turned to face him, Vivian saw that he was not alone but was rather accompanied by Morris De Brosa, as it seemed the two were having some late-night drinking party.

"Where are you going in this ungodly hour?" Lord Julian approached her, asking with a firm voice.

Vivian was indeed intimidated, but her father did not seem angered so far. Especially in front of Morris, whom he sees in a good light, he would not want to embarrass Vivian in front of him.

"Well... the truth is... we are initializing Project Power today. Most of the early tests are now complete, and the prototypes are mostly stable. We are going to start filling the batteries with acid tonight, and our official power grid will be online. The factory that is ready to be powered with the new machines will start working tomorrow morning if all goes well," Vivian reported.

Her voice was firm, and she clearly was not lying. Her father still frowned from what he heard.

"I thought that was supposed to happen two days from now," he said.

"True, but that was a lie. Since my employees are being targeted, I have spread a rumour prior to today and entrusted the Knights to collect the scientists from their residences personally. I am sorry I had to lie to you too, Father, but a secret only works if no more than two were aware of it."

Vivian’s apology made the Count look at her blankly for a while before letting out a sigh.

"You used to remind me of your mother when you were little," he said before showing a wry smile, "Now, you remind me of me."

Seeing Vivian act so cunningly, even Morris in the background was impressed, let alone her father, who seemed proud of her. He did not hide his smile as he spoke:

"When do you expect we can... Cough... we can... Cough! Cough!"

Just as he was about to ask her a question, the Count started to cough violently.

"Father! Are you alright?"

Worried, Vivian rushed to his side, but he cleared his voice and spoke.

"Just a little bit tired."

At that moment, Morris stepped in.

"My Lord, I think you should rest tonight. This is not the first time you have coughed like that."

Hearing him, Vivian looked at her father’s face, who seemed to have gone pale after coughing before returning to normal once again.

"Father! You have been coughing a lot like that?" Vivian asked with an alarmed face.

"No! Not as much as you think," Lord Julian replied and brushed it off, "This only happens after a long day of work."

"Then you must rest," Vivian said.

"I have been telling his lordship the same, my lady. Seeing that he was having a skin rash this morning, I suggested that he needs to see a physician," Morris added, pointing to his own temple.

"And I did. The physician said I only need some rest." Lord Julian seemed to insist not to rest and turned to Vivian, "I am thinking of accompanying you tonight."

"Absolutely not. You should rest like you were told."

Vivian strongly stood against her father’s decision, seeing how his health was being affected by his workaholic nature. To get him into more work during the time of his rest is something she would very much hope to avoid.

"Then who would you take with you at such a late hour?"

"Sir Logan and Sir Fabian."

"That’s minimal security; these two have just become Silver ranked no more than a year ago. You should at least take Ray or Rusty."

"But these are the mansion guards, Father. I am sure there are others."

"After me in terms of power, it is only Ray and Rusty. I have no one else to entrust you to at a late time like this," he replied firmly.

Since it was a sensitive time when ViTech was being attacked, her father’s worries were justified, and even Vivian would not be foolish enough to take them lightly. But then, someone seized the opportunity.

"If you excuse me, your grace," Morris De Brosa stepped in with a serious face.

"Sir Morris." The Lord turned to face him.

"If you do not mind, I can accompany the young lady on her outing. While it is not public knowledge, I am above the knights in terms of strength. Someone with keen senses as yours, my Lord, would be able to tell, of course," Morris said with a slight bow of respect.

Count Julian frowned at the notion.

"Sir Morris, you are my honoured guest. The nobles would scorn me if they knew I had tasked a man of your standing."

"My lord, you honour me too greatly," Sir Morris replied. "I, at heart, am merely an adventurer. It would be my pleasure to serve a house such as Moore."

Despite Morris’s air of mystery, Count Julian sensed his good intentions, especially considering his blossoming romance with Isabella. This, along with Morris’s insistence on contributing, swayed the Count. He consented to let Morris accompany Vivian, acknowledging the young man’s eagerness to be of use.

As for Vivian, she seemed to be troubled, but the fact that it was Morris and not her father accompanying her was much better, meaning that she did not have to restrict herself in doing what "needs" to be done.

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