"It's alright, Alisa," Sana reassured her, her voice calm and confident. "Farlan is here for a reason. He'll take care of the financial issues for us. After all, he's great with numbers. In short, you don't need to worry about money. Just let your creativity run wild and focus on developing the technology."
"Alright, Sana-san," Alisa replied, nodding her head in agreement.
Sana smiled, sensing Alisa's relief, but before she could say more, Logan chimed in, his voice laced with a teasing tone. "There's no need to worry, Alisa. Our squad leader is more than capable of managing things. You're still just a kid, and Sana-san is a mature adult. Don't stress that little brain of yours. I see what you're doing—trying to win her favor."
The room erupted into laughter, the tension lifting.
Alisa's cheeks flushed with embarrassment, but she quickly shot back, "Sana-san, don't listen to him. It's not even funny."
Sana chuckled softly before turning to Logan, her expression turning slightly more serious. "Logan, stop. Her question was valid, and I appreciate that she asked it. Honestly, many of you probably had the same concern but were too hesitant to voice it."
A heavy silence settled over the room as everyone processed her words. They understood that this was not just about the technology—it was about trust and transparency.
"Sorry, Sana-san," Logan said, his tone now apologetic. "I didn't mean to cause trouble. I was just teasing."
Sana shook her head, her voice warm but firm. "No, Logan, you didn't upset me. I just don't want anyone to feel hesitant to ask questions. We're all on the same team here, and communication is key. Ahh… sorry, everyone. I didn't mean to make things awkward."
Logan interrupted with a grin, "Sana-san, you don't have to apologize for everything. You're our leader, and you have every right to speak your mind."
Sana took a deep breath and glanced around at her squad. Some members were her age, while others were older, and a few were even younger cadets. Yet they all looked at her with the same respect in their eyes, and it made her feel the weight of her responsibility.
"Alright, let's get to work," Sana said, her voice gaining a note of authority. "Hange-san's squad is handling the weapon production, so that's no longer our concern. Our only priority is advancing technology. And listen carefully—I don't have time to make prototypes and show you all the designs. We're going straight to the real thing."
She walked to the table and motioned for everyone to gather around. "Someone, bring me some A0 sheets."
One of the squad members quickly retrieved the sheets and placed them on the table. Sana spread one out and began to sketch, using a ruler and pencil to carefully outline her plans.
"We're starting a massive project here, and I expect all of your dedication," she said, her voice steady but intense. "This is going to take time—an entire month just for the design phase. If we fail, everything will be lost. But if we succeed… no one will be able to stop us."
She paused, allowing the gravity of her words to sink in. "But making this a reality will take years. We're looking at three to four years of hard work. Why? Because everything will have to be made manually. But once this project succeeds, it will change everything. Future inventions will come much faster."
A thoughtful silence followed as her squad processed the enormity of what she was suggesting.
"Sana-san," Gracen spoke up, his voice hesitant but curious. "What exactly are we making? I mean, something that'll take so much time—even though you already know how to do it?"
Gracen, a tall figure with slicked-back hazel hair, was always the one to ask the tough questions. His curiosity was a strength, but also a reminder of the responsibility Sana carried.
Sana smiled faintly, admiring his persistence. "Remember when we were learning about electricity? We're going to produce it ourselves. But to do that, we need to build a massive infrastructure."
She paused and drew more lines on the sheet, illustrating her plan as she explained it. "There are many drawbacks to coal-run plants, but for now, we'll make do with it. Once we're able to reclaim the land outside the walls, we can switch to more sustainable methods."
As she spoke, Sana handed a piece of paper to Logan. "Logan, go to Hange-san and ask her for advice on how we can arrange all the necessary materials. Also, get the budget list for our squad."
"Okay, Sana-san," Logan replied in a flirtatious tone, giving her a wink before heading out.
Sana turned back to her drawing, continuing to outline the main components of the project. "The key parts of this project are as follows: First, the coal reservoir; second, the crusher, which will break the coal into a fine powder to increase surface area and ensure complete combustion. Third, we'll need a boiler where coal will be burned to boil water. Then, we need an Electrostatic Precipitator to control fly ash. The boiler will also require an important component, the Economiser, to reuse energy. The steam from the boiler will power the turbine, which in turn will drive the generator."
She glanced up, making sure everyone was following along. "This is just the rough idea. I'll provide more details as we move forward."
The team looked at her sketch, clearly impressed by the complexity and ambition of the project. One of them even fetched a book containing additional details to support the design.
"Franz," Sana said, turning to one of the more senior members. "You take charge of this. I need to go to Erwin-san's office to get permission to begin the project. I haven't discussed it with him yet."
She gathered her things and headed upstairs, her mind already focused on the next step. When she reached the room, she found Layina peacefully sleeping, and Farlan sitting nearby, working.
"Are you done with your work already?" Sana asked, surprised to see him so relaxed.
"No, actually, I'm still working," Farlan replied, glancing up at her. "But I can watch Layina for you. If she wakes up, I'll give her some milk and take her outside."
Sana felt a wave of relief. "Thank you, Farlan. I won't be gone long."
"Go ahead, don't worry. I've got it covered," Farlan assured her, offering a reassuring smile.
Sana nodded gratefully before leaving the room. She was accompanied by two of her teammates for her safety as she made her way toward Erwin's office.