"Was it really so difficult for the people of Aegir to put aside their past grievances and join hands with the Terrans to live together on this land?"
Felix tapped a finger lightly against the desk.
"Perhaps I should put it this way," he said. "Because the Aegirians were fortunate enough to obtain the technology of a previous civilization, they came to see themselves as superior, believing that all other Terrans were merely the descendants of lesser civilizations."
When Felix deliberately emphasized the word fortunate, Clementia broke into another cold sweat.
As an Aegirian, her first instinct was to refute such a statement, but she found herself unable to do so. Everything Felix had said was true. The ancestors of the Aegirians had indeed discovered the technology of a pre-civilization by chance, and that singular advantage had allowed Aegir to become the most technologically advanced nation on Terra. That pride, already etched into their bones, had led them to believe they were noble and fundamentally different from the other Terrans.
But without that technological advantage, what exactly did the Aegirians still have?
Were they stronger in battle than the warriors of Kazdel?
Were their Arts more profound than the sorcery of Leithanien's spire casters?
Was their industrial capacity greater than Victoria's?
Was their Manpower greater than Yan's?
The answer was no.
Without that advantage, the Aegirians were suddenly no different from any other ordinary nation on Terra. Once, they might have proudly declared to the rest of the world that they alone were fighting Seaborn, that they alone were preserving the peace of Terra. But now, when Felix had extended an invitation to Aegir, Seaborn had already chosen to fight alongside Terra.
Kal'tsit had summed it up well:
"You and your race make me laugh."
It really was laughable.
What reason did Aegir still have to cling to its pride?
Perhaps only their unique ability to live in the deep sea still set them apart from the rest of Terra.
Clementia sighed inwardly. She had no idea how this mission would ultimately end. Even if she did everything she could to secure a favorable result, she could not guarantee whether those arrogant governors back in Aegir, still convinced that Aegir stood above all other nations of Terra, would accept it.
Still, she had to make her position clear.
"Your Highness, Aegir has no intention of opposing the nations of Terra, nor does it seek to dominate Terra. Aegir is willing to open channels to the nations of Terra. Aegirian technology can be shared to help build a healthier scientific environment, so that the people of Terra may live in peace and happiness."
Clementia smiled faintly and bowed.
"Seaborn is no longer Aegir's enemy. Naturally, Aegir's policy of isolation must also be abandoned."
Felix raised a few fingers.
"First, I need to see an official diplomatic delegation from Aegir."
"Second, Aegir must establish an embassy in Kazdel."
"Third, now that Terra is moving toward peace, Kazdel is preparing to establish maritime routes linking the nations of Terra. Aegir will be included."
"Fourth, your borders must be opened, and regular academic exchanges must be maintained."
Hearing the four conditions, Clementia finally let out a quiet breath of relief.
Fortunately, they were not demands for forced submission.
Although, even if Felix had demanded Aegir's submission, Aegir did not truly have the leverage to refuse. In fact, refusal would almost certainly mean destruction.
The evolved demons had already been annihilated by the evolved Seaborn, and now Seaborn obeyed Felix completely. When the time came, Felix might only need to wave a hand, and Seaborn would act.
If that happened, how many days could Aegir endure?
Probably not even one.
The four conditions did not sound difficult on the surface, but Clementia knew how exhausting it would be to persuade those obstinate governors. Running through the demands once more in her mind, her eyes hardened.
"Your Highness, please allow me to participate personally in the construction of the maritime routes between the nations of Terra. This lies within the scope of my own profession and research."
"You may."
"Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness. I will bring this message back to Aegir at once. We will return within a month."
After exchanging a few more meaningless pleasantries, Felix could not help but laugh once Clementia had been escorted out of the room by Irene.
The demands themselves were not difficult. What amused him was Clementia's self-imposed deadline.
A month?
Was that really enough?
When Irene returned to the conference room, she saw the faint amusement on Felix's face.
"Your Highness, do you think the Aegirians will compromise?"
"What do you think?"
"The communication between Iberia and Aegir relied entirely on letters. Every morning, the messengers of the Inquisition would go to the shore to collect the letters the Aegirians had sent. If they wanted to reply, they would write their own letters and place them on the sand, waiting for the waves to carry them away."
She tilted her head slightly.
"It's such a baffling yet strangely magical way to communicate."
"My teacher once said that the Aegirians dislike appearing before strangers. He also said that he himself had seen very few Aegirians in his lifetime."
Irene lowered her voice slightly.
"Other than the four Abyssal Hunters aboard the Venus, this is the first Aegirian I've ever seen."
"You'll be seeing many more of them in the future."
Felix stood up from his seat and asked Irene to organize the meeting minutes and send them to Ines later.
Then he returned to his office and called for Ines. Before long, the capable beauty knocked on the door and entered.
"Your Highness, is there something I can help you with?"
"There's a project I'd like you to take charge of."
Ines straightened her back at once. "May I ask what important matter it is? It is my honor that you trust me with it."
"Hm… if we're talking about scale, then yes, it's quite a big one." Felix glanced at the date and time, then smiled. "I want to hold a wedding in the autumn of 1101."
"A wedding?!" Ines's voice rose suddenly. Her cheeks flushed crimson, especially after noticing the meaningful look in Felix's eyes. She lowered her head so quickly that it nearly disappeared into her chest. "Th-that really is sudden…"
"Actually, if you think about it, the timing is about right."
Felix beckoned her closer. Ines obediently stepped forward and shyly sat down on Felix's lap. Felix gently stroked one of her horns, as though caressing a delicate work of art.
"We agreed before that after the war, all of you would be given a proper title. But the construction of the maritime routes between Terra's nations, the exploration of the second satellite, and many other projects have kept us too busy."
He paused, then smiled.
"I've already worked it out. About a year from now, we should be able to hold the wedding."
"Your Highness…"
"Of course you're included."
Blushing even harder, Ines lightly pounded Felix's arm twice with her small fist, almost pouting as she asked, "Then… how many brides will there be in total?"
"Don't you already know the number?"
Felix already knew that Mostima had secretly told her everything. Apparently Felix's harem had its own group chat, and every girl in it had already established a relationship with Felix. Mostima was the group owner.
Naturally, Ines was in that group as well.
Ines cast Felix a sidelong glance, meeting that slightly teasing smile. She pursed her lips and asked, "Then how grand will it need to be? How many people are we inviting?"
"This is the wedding of the Liberation King of Kazdel, not merely the private wedding of Felix."
The moment she heard that, Ines immediately understood. Even so, she still gently patted Felix's hand and murmured, "Your Highness is no ordinary person."
As she shifted restlessly in Felix's lap, she suddenly felt something unusual beneath her and instinctively stiffened.
The movement turned her ears red as well.
Then, after tossing her black hair aside, she slowly crouched down in front of Felix.
"Who… taught you that?"
"Wiš'adel."
"You learn very quickly."
___
While Ines was taking over this new responsibility, New Tara was already preparing for its final assault on County Hillock.
As the war neared its end, the nobles had gradually become numb to everything. No one wanted to keep fighting forever. Compared to a life of constant anxiety and bloodshed, they longed far more for peace and comfort.
Before the war, several nobles in the Kingdom of Tara had been eliminated, while another group had been imprisoned by Eblana because of internal division. The nobles who remained now both respected and feared her. Even with the support of the adventurers, many of them still resisted the continuation of war.
After all, they had joined the Kingdom of Tara to enjoy themselves, not to be dragged into yet another battlefield.
But New Tara could not allow the Kingdom of Tara to slow the pace of the conflict.
There were no marquises or earls in New Tara. The highest-ranking nobles were only a few barons. Beyond them stood the true foundation of New Tara: the common people of Victoria, Tara, and Gaul.
They were the main force of the new nation.
In Loughshinny's vision for New Tara, equality and harmony among the people were the central ideals. The nobility would still enjoy certain privileges, of course, but in New Tara, the common people could eat their fill, live independently, and clearly see the possibility of a brighter future.
The people of New Tara had hope.
They followed Loughshinny, their queen, with unwavering loyalty and stood by her through every hardship.
"After this battle, I'm going back to my hometown to get married."
The moment Cheng said those words, Dandao Dantart, and Xiyiye, who had just come out of the meeting, stopped in their tracks. Even Kumori turned to look at him.
"You've got to be joking, right?" Dandao Dantart immediately reacted, in disbelief.
"No. I'm serious."
Cheng's expression did not change in the slightest.
He nodded solemnly.
Xiyiye turned to look at Huangtian Houtu. "Huang, is he serious?"
Huangtian Houtu gave a slow nod.
"He's going back to his hometown next week. Not to get married, though."
He paused.
"He's going on a blind date."
"Cut—!"
As soon as they heard that, everyone immediately burst into loud jeers.
Cheng didn't care and waved his hand and said, "Laugh all you want. Sigh, it's really hard for us professional gamers to find girlfriends."
"Hard? Since when do pro gamers not just randomly run into pretty girls? What kind of timeline are you living in?"
"There are definitely plenty of pretty girls, and there are definitely people with interesting personality," Huang Tianhoutu complained in the manner of an exasperated big brother. "But the ones you can actually build a life with are still a minority. We professional players spend practically the entire day inside the game, so finding a girlfriend who can truly understand and support us is difficult, alright?"
"Sigh. I just wish one day gamers could become part of the mainstream."
As soon as someone muttered that, the atmosphere stiffened slightly.
After a moment, Kumori coughed twice and broke the silence.
"Alright, the second battle of County Hillock is about to begin. Go back and get ready. This time we'll be facing other professional teams."
She turned her gaze toward Huang Tianhoutu.
"Huang, didn't you say you wanted revenge on the Warrior Team? Your chance has come."
Huang Tianhoutu gritted his teeth.
"Leave those bastards from the Warrior Team to us."
"Yanfei, I'm entrusting the ambush on Team T1 to your Yanyu Pavilion. Is that alright?"
"Alright."
"Lockless, engage the Sunflower Team head-on and pin them down."
"Understood."
The player assigned to pass on the orders repeated the mission details, then clapped her hands to signal dismissal.
One by one, the professional players filed out to make their preparations, while the Ice Rose Team remained behind to ready themselves for battle.
At dawn, New Tara deployed tens of thousands of soldiers and established a battle line outside County Hillock, personally commanded by Queen Loughshinny.
At the same time, adventurers infiltrated the outskirts of County Hillock from both flanks, each group moving toward its assigned target.
"The outcome of this battle is crucial to the future of the New Tara front," Kumori said quickly. "Among the Three Kingdoms, New Tara has the smallest territory. If we capture County Hillock, it will greatly benefit our future development."
She pointed toward the distant terrain.
"It's an excellent military position. Easy to defend, difficult to attack."
As they continued speaking, they approached the military camp outside County Hillock.
By coincidence, all of the professional players present had already been here once before. Back when they came with Horn and the others to rescue members of the Tempest Platoon, they had already explored the map thoroughly.
Now, returning to this familiar place, they naturally knew the terrain like the back of their hands.
Whether by some kind of dark humor or simple misfortune, the officer stationed at County Hillock was still Colonel Hamilton.
This officer had once served Victoria, only to later surrender to Tara. Because of that history, he was never given a truly important position. The nobles all maintained private armies of their own and had no intention of placing command in the hands of an outsider. Colonel Hamilton had no troops directly under his command and was little more than a commander without soldiers, making his situation both frustrating and humiliating.
This time, however, he had managed to seize an opportunity.
When New Tara launched its major offensive, his résumé allowed him to secure the post of camp commander.
Still, his authority extended only to defending the outer camps around County Hillock. He was not entrusted with the city's inner defenses.
After all, Colonel Hamilton had once been a surrenderist. The nobles had very little trust in men who had switched sides. Allowing him to defend a single camp was already the absolute limit of what they were willing to grant him.
The adventurers had already fought demons before.
Compared to that, these ordinary soldiers of the Kingdom of Tara were hardly worth mentioning.
After quietly knocking out or killing the sentries, the players slipped into the command room.
There, Colonel Hamilton, bearded and disheveled, was sprawled across a sofa in a drunken stupor, clutching a bottle of liquor and looking utterly decadent.
The players ignored him completely.
They immediately cut the radio line connected to the city and then had a Clever hack and infiltrate the Kingdom of Tara's public communication channel.
Once everything was done, they began to withdraw.
However, just as they were about to leave the camp, they were discovered by players from the Kingdom of Tara.
Players understood other players perfectly.
Everyone liked bullying the weak, and Colonel Hamilton was undoubtedly the weakest target available. The Tara-side players had already anticipated that New Tara's players would come after him, so they had been waiting in ambush, planning to eliminate them in one decisive strike.
The Clever spotted each other almost at the same moment.
Without wasting a single word, both sides launched straight into battle.