As the industrialization and urbanization of Kislev reached a certain threshold, Perturabo's ascent up the technology tree encountered a critical obstacle: the problem of human capital. Perturabo could not attend to every detail personally, especially now that his duties as Tsar demanded his attention at all hours of the day.
Under these circumstances, Perturabo devised a solution—the establishment of a specialized research department: the Academy of Sciences.
"Academy of Sciences"—this ancient term described the institutions of old Terra where governments supported a class of scientists and engineers who were exempt from manual labor. This allowed these intellectuals to devote their entire energy to the study of practical technologies and profound theoretical doctrines.
Before humanity began its interstellar voyages, the competition between the nations of Terra was fierce. They fought to the death over everything from basic industrial and agricultural output to the most sophisticated cultural ideologies.
Following the Industrial Revolution, the power of technology dictated the rules of the game. Whenever a vital new technology emerged, nations that previously sat on rare and precious natural resources found their wealth becoming irrelevant overnight, while previously ignored resources suddenly captured the world's gaze.
Because of this, the powerful nations of Terra spared no expense in scientific research, spending fortunes to cultivate talent and build advanced equipment to ensure they never fell behind their rivals.
As humanity entered the space age and began its massive expansion, traditional research models could no longer keep pace with human needs. Consequently, Artificial Intelligence—later branded as "Abominable Intelligence"—replaced human scientists as the primary force of research.
In fact, as these AI systems gradually took control of human research, scientists discovered a terrifying reality: they could no longer understand the logic of the machines. They were unable to comprehend how the advanced technologies created by the AI were even conceived.
As AI upgraded through generations, human scientists became increasingly powerless and were forced to retreat from the front lines of research. Humanity effectively abandoned the very fields they relied upon for survival—until the Iron War nearly annihilated all of human civilization.
After the Iron War, human civilization was shattered. Some enclaves managed to maintain advanced technology but remained isolated within their own star systems. Other branches of humanity suffered a more tragic fate; having lost the capacity for scientific research during the chaos, they regressed into pre-industrial medieval societies—Kislev was one such example. Others fared even worse, regressing into primitive societies of hunter-gatherers.
The term "Academy of Sciences" slowly faded into the dust of history alongside human stability—at least, until now.
With the progression of Tsar Perturabo's industrialization plan, the Iron Tsar's personal needs led to the resurrection of this ancient institution.
While Perturabo possessed a supreme wisdom unattainable by mortals and could single-handedly build machines beyond the imagination of any Kislevite, he was still only one being. He could design advanced steam engines and complex mechanisms, but he could not spend every waking moment physically forging them—especially as the factories rising across Kislev clamored for his inventions.
The coronation brought with it a crushing weight of administrative tasks. Although his appointed bureaucrats and his venerable foster father, Mikhail, handled the vast majority of daily affairs, the final review and signature of the Tsar were required to grant them legitimacy.
These trivialities consumed the majority of the Iron Tsar's day, even with a brain that processed information like a high-speed computer. While Perturabo derived immense satisfaction from turning the knowledge in his mind into physical machines, the heavy burden on his shoulders left him no time to display his individual brilliance in the workshop.
To continue his industrialization, Perturabo had to train a cadre of mortals capable of researching and manufacturing on his behalf, allowing him to focus on more significant matters. It was in this context that he reconstructed the ancient "Academy of Sciences."
In truth, Perturabo had begun this training while he was still merely the Lord of his rising city, Perturabograd. At that time, he started selecting the brightest and most agile minds among the mortal craftsmen—specifically, those clever enough to follow his logic and absorb the knowledge he shared. He educated and trained them, attempting to delegate his workload.
These individuals did not disappoint him. They quickly mastered what Perturabo considered "low-end" and "introductory" knowledge, learning to replicate the machines he had built.
Though their mastery seemed like child's play to Perturabo, it was enough to make them appear as peerless geniuses to the rest of Kislev. They became the managers of the first factories, successfully achieving an ascent in social class.
Following the success of this initial training, Perturabo ordered the establishment of a formal Academy of Sciences after the unification of Kislev. He gathered promising students from various universities and colleges to learn science directly from him.
These students, learning directly from the Tsar, became the first true generation of scientists in Kislev. They, in turn, would teach others, allowing Perturabo's knowledge to disseminate through the Kislevite elite.
Once scientific education was on track, Perturabo handed the task of research over to the Academy. He would periodically provide the Academy with relatively simple notes for them to study, while he turned his attention to more vital matters.
While this system was perhaps less efficient than Perturabo developing everything personally, he simply lacked the time. He needed the people of Kislev to rebuild their own capacity for research.
As this research capacity was restored, Perturabo's path up the technology tree became clear once more. The Iron Tsar was deeply satisfied.
Perhaps the time had come to meet his genetic father. He was certain that his creator would be proud of him. So Perturabo thought.