Chapter 411: Vegapunk's Shock!

Vegapunk nodded.

Most of the books on Future Island are stored in his brain database; mere paper collections amount to less than half of Britannia's.

With Robin's guidance, Vegapunk reached out, took a book from a distant shelf, and began to read.

"Geography of the Goa Kingdom..."

"Causes of extreme climates in the New World and magnetic field research..."

"The impact of the Red Line on the world's environment..."

"A Hundred-Year History of Britannia..."

One heavy book after another passed before Vegapunk's eyes.

He read quickly, yet very seriously.

But precisely because of this, he could feel that this vast library before him was not fake; every single book within was the blood and sweat of predecessors, collected by Knight Gao Wen and preserved here.

This is a man who respects knowledge immensely; speaking of nothing but this point alone, Gao Wen is one of his best choices.

Yet, Vegapunk still has many questions in his heart that have not received answers.

He would rather meet personally the man who inherited the title of the world's strongest, to see if he truly matches what War Taowan described.

Thus, he has not yet made a firm decision.

Robin casually picked up a history book, sat nearby, and read quietly, occasionally taking notes.

And existences like Robin are numerous throughout the library.

For a moment, the sound of rustling pages filled the surroundings, making Vegapunk and the other standing in the middle seem somewhat out of place.

"I can't say what the reason is, but this place... is somewhat different from what I imagined."

War Taowan scratched his head, yet could not clearly explain exactly where the difference lay.

Vegapunk, however, had already realized the distinction:

"It is normality."

"This place... is too normal."

"One can freely browse books recording past history."

"Such a thing is utterly unimaginable elsewhere!"

Vegapunk could not help but offer many praises.

In fact.

For scholars, for scientists, this scene before them should be the norm.

Rather than being hunted by the World Government for researching history or technology, having to read a book cautiously, fearing discovery.

It is less like researching history and more like rats in a gutter, stealing cheese under the cat's nose.

But things should not have been this way originally.

Everything that happened in Britannia is what is normal!

Upon realizing this, Vegapunk's evaluation of Gao Wen in his heart rose another notch.

Originally, when he came here, besides wanting to see Gao Wen with his own eyes and observe this country, he also intended for Dragon to come here, to witness another possibility and give the revolutionaries some new thoughts.

Indeed, because of Dragon's connection, the Revolutionary Army would have been his first choice.

But now, seeing everything in the National History Museum of Britannia, his heart wavered for the first time.

Perhaps...

The path chosen by Knight Gao Wen might be closer to this country's future than the Revolutionary Army...

I cannot think any further.

Vegapunk shook his head, shaking the tangled thoughts from his mind.

For he clearly knows that until he truly meets that man, until he truly sees what Britannia intends to do and what future it wants for this world, it is absolutely not the time to make a decision.

Although everything Britannia has shown so far points in one direction, all judgment must wait until after meeting the man who is the leader.

Hiss—!

Vegapunk took a deep breath, his gaze falling on an old book on the shelf; after taking it down, he found a spot nearby and began to read quietly.

War Taowan simply lay on the table beside Vegapunk and took a nap; before long, light snoring sounds emerged.

The surroundings fell silent once more, with only the sound of people turning pages and faint footsteps.

By the time Vegapunk came to his senses, the sun outside the window had already risen halfway.

Opposite him, a figure with golden hair sat, though he did not know when they had arrived.

Jin Guang streamed in from the window, falling upon that person.

Vegapunk squinted, feeling that the person sitting opposite him was as brilliant as a gilded statue from head to toe.

And just at this moment.

Vegapunk saw the visitor's face clearly; he closed his book and spoke:

"Knight Gao Wen?!"

"Ah."

Gao Wen nodded and said calmly:

"I knew you would come."

Vegapunk glanced at War Taowan, his expression unchanged:

"You calculated War Taowan's personality and saw through his character; this fool has been speaking well of you all the way here."

"I never lied to him."

Gao Wen shook his head:

"I said I would release Ivankov, and I would release him too; I keep my word."

Vegapunk remained indifferent, unwilling to continue dwelling on this issue:

"The manufacture of the Ancient Weapons... how far have you progressed?!"

This was the question Vegapunk cared about most.

The dangers of the Ancient Weapons need no elaboration; if misused, the entire world would sink into the sea because of them.

For centuries, the ever-rising sea level, the ever-shrinking land, and the increasingly smaller population affected by this served as the best proof.

A great mistake had already been made; even if controlled by the World Government, it would inevitably be used to maintain their hegemony, but Vegapunk did not wish to see another Ancient Weapon emerge into the world.

"As expected."

"You can fool others, but not me."

Gao Wen was not surprised that Vegapunk had guessed he was secretly manufacturing an Ancient Weapon.

Vegapunk's intellect far surpassed that of ordinary people.

Gao Wen was the greatest beneficiary of the great war that erupted two years ago over the Pluton blueprints, and he had even spared no effort in invading Impel Down just to find Vegapunk.

Combining these two factors, deducing Gao Wen's current objective was no difficult task for Vegapunk.

As for the current construction progress of Pluton, Gao Wen had not concealed it.

"The blueprints have been fully understood; the issues of materials and processing have also been resolved."

"As for the central control system, with a user of the Swallow-Swallow Fruit available, once combined with Pluton, even the most massive warship can be operated."

"The only current difficulty is the energy source."

"To power such a gigantic warship, neither wind nor steam would suffice."

"Is that so..."

Vegapunk breathed a sigh of relief.

This did not differ greatly from his guess.

With the blueprints in hand, constructing Pluton was no difficult task for a major power like Britannia.

It could be completed in as few as a few years, or as many as ten, or even several decades.