novelraw #209 - Section 209
#209 - Section 209
Now, Frankenstein is leading everyone back to the old path in this world, manufacturing second-generation magic crystal machines at the cost of limiting the adaptable population, in exchange for significant advantages in cost and performance. The Arcane Society generally approves of this change.
But this brings a problem: 60% of the people in the empire do not exhibit any magical talent. They can only control the second-generation magic crystal machines through soul-linking bracelets.
Even if they can use them, and achieve better results than the first generation with the same energy consumption, the effect is still much worse than those with real magical talent.
Having an extra layer of soul-linking bracelet as an intermediary is like playing ball in armor. The brute strength might be the same, but many delicate operations are impossible.
So, Roger pondered, since Lydia has found the core of magical talent, could he improve the magical talent of those with zero magic?
“Fran… she really likes to cause trouble.” A glint of fire flashed in Lydia’s eyes, igniting a fierce fighting spirit. “Don't worry, sir, I can definitely solve this problem!”
Seeing her so motivated, Roger naturally supported her, promising to continue investing in this project, while reminding her, “Safety first. Don't be greedy for success and rush things.”
“Don't worry, I'm not that kind of person!” Lydia bid farewell to Roger with a radiant smile.
Roger didn't point out, you are that kind of person!
Your crazy ideas have caused no shortage of trouble over the years, otherwise, why would the military be afraid to touch your equipment?
Lydia and Frankenstein are both considered “great inventors” of this era, with many talented people under them, producing a large number of patents every year.
However, Lydia's inventions have a strange, almost eerie quality, coupled with their unappealing appearance, leading everyone to have a subconscious resistance to bio-alchemy.
Ultimately, the number of Lydia's patents that are actually converted into products is much smaller than Frankenstein's, which makes Lydia very unconvinced.
Back in the Royal Magic Academy, she always outperformed that guy in every exam!
When magical industrialization began, Frankenstein surpassed Lydia even more. The empire invested all its resources in arcane equipment because Roger at that time was also thinking of various steel machines…
It wasn't until the battle with Sophie that Roger saw Lydia's power with his own eyes, and realized that he might have been neglecting a treasure loli, hence today's conversation.
The result was naturally very fruitful!
From the base coral to the critical magic core modification, both are projects that he is very optimistic about and have great potential.
Leaving the Life Orbit, Roger used the soul-linking bracelet to send a message to Margaret, saying that he had finished the preparations.
Margaret quickly replied: “What a coincidence, I finally dealt with that idiot太子!”
It was something that had been delayed for a long time. The military had been preparing in all aspects, and the first batch of equipment was quickly sent from the Life Orbit.
Roger didn't have much to do recently, so he mixed in with Prince Shaq's support fleet to the Sea Country with Margaret, preparing to personally witness this Sea Race hegemony.
Chapter 186: They Really Have Gundams Over There
The size of a plane in this universe is a very vague and unscientific concept.
Some planes contain many planets, like the solar systems and multi-star systems in Earth's universe.
But there are also settings like the Eternal Night World, similar to a flat earth.
Yet, there are also sunrises and sunsets, and a single moon, without the strange nights with seven or eight moons.
The formation differences between planes have a set of hypotheses and explanations at the Skysea Tower.
Aisali has also been involved in this research recently. Combining the discoveries in the Source Sea, they seem to want to come up with something big, to reach a conclusion that can be recognized by the magic world.
Unfortunately, Roger couldn't understand or listen to those studies, as they were all too profound and complex formulas, using various symbols beyond the four arithmetic operations. He could only admit defeat.
He can probably only wait until the final confirmation and then read the popular science version written by the magicians for ordinary people.
It is also because the Eternal Night World is such a simple continental plate that he dared to propose the plane wandering plan.
As long as there are enough engines, bricks can also fly into the sky, not to mention that the positioning of the plane is not solid.
Sending the Eternal Night World into the astral world is just a matter of consuming enough energy.
If the world's own energy is not enough, you can also drag fuel from other planes, burning other people's continents to open the “plane engine”.
Space technology is a huge advantage of this world compared to Earth's technology. When Earth can only send people to the moon, the magicians of the Eternal Night World can already roam the multiverse, and cross-plane development is completely achievable.
Of course, an important premise for the realization of the plane wandering plan is the complete control of this world by the Green Vine Empire.
Both land and sea must be controlled, and then a complete and accurate survey of the whole must be carried out, the plane must be reinforced, and engines must be set up before their wandering can officially begin.
Therefore, while strengthening national power, the empire has been preparing to sweep this world.
To prevent the gods from directly intervening, the empire will not really take action within this five-year plan, but will secretly weaken the strength of surrounding countries, waiting for the opportunity to harvest.
The Terra Kingdom harvests leeks, exports strange technologies to mislead, proxy wars, and provoke multi-national conflicts, taking multiple approaches.
The expected final scene will be the great powers discovering that they are a group of paper tigers while indulging in dreams...
Unlike Earth, there are also civilizations in the oceans of this world. Although there is usually no sound, just counting the territory and “population”, it is actually stronger than any country on the continent taken alone.
It's just that the prosperity of the Sea Country was already ten thousand years ago. They launched a sea-land war, initially taking a great advantage, and then the ground people directly created the Kamsak Desert, forcing the sea race to be unable to continue their attack due to lack of water.
Then the ground countries united to launch a counterattack, relying on the absolute advantage in equipment, and drove the Sea Country back into the sea.
Then these mermaids became unenterprising, thinking that I have the four seas and don't need the land, and after generations of tossing, they waited for the rise of the Naga, a new empire.
In fact, the Naga were once vassals of the mermaid Sea Country, and received a lot of protection in the early days, but now they are one of the overlords in the ocean. The two countries are in constant conflict, and they have no energy to invade the land.
So, many times the land people also forget about them. Things like millennium annals usually don't have anything about ocean races.
But the Green Vine Empire has not forgotten. For the wandering plane plan, the ocean is also territory that must be included in its jurisdiction.
Now that the mermaid and Naga countries are at war, the empire has set a small goal, which is to be an arms dealer responsible for fueling the fire on both sides, letting them empty their national strength, and then sit back and reap the benefits.
Of course, if Shaq is strong enough and willing to cooperate with the empire, then supporting him as the new emperor of the Sea Country and then defeating the Naga is also possible.
The general policy remains unchanged, taking the easiest way, while expecting that the fanatic index on the other side is not so strong, then if it can be resolved by non-war means, they are also willing to try different victory routes.
This is also the change that the empire has brought about after the failure of the desert battle. The war barbarians who once went all the way to the dark are willing to use more flexible means to deal with the problems of surrounding countries.
Roger is happy to see such a result. War is indeed simple and crude, but it is not necessarily the most profitable solution.
In the face of the crisis of the world's destruction, every sane force in this world is an ally that can be won over.
Only those fanatics who are deceived, blinded, and brainwashed by the gods, or those with ulterior motives, are the enemies that the empire must eliminate.
Distinguishing who is the enemy, who is the friend, and who is the wavering force that can be won over is a lesson that the people of the empire are working hard to learn.
Roger and Margaret came to the Sea Country, in fact, also to investigate the current political situation of the Sea Country.
“Do you think it's okay to live in this palace?”
Prince Shaq bowed and led Roger and Margaret to his best manor, which covers an area like a small city. The interior is a continuous palace in the style of an underwater crystal palace, and there are countless treasures such as coral and luminous pearls.
“It's fine as long as we can live there.” Roger made a show.
“Me too.” Margaret followed up.
“Then please rest first, and then go to the front line after meeting the father.” Shaq ordered his subordinates to arrange the two people's residences separately, and he had other things to do.
He was detained by the Green Vine Empire for so long, and the Sea Country has been negotiating, but has never tried its best to get him out, which also shows that the position of this prince is actually a bit embarrassing.
In terms of blood, he is the rightful heir, and his mother is the queen of the Sea Country, but his ability has always been criticized.
Although the mermaid emperor is old and has established a crown prince, he still has at least two hundred years of life. Shaq's fourth brother, Dole, has been brave since childhood and is one of the few generals who has won against the Naga Empire on the frontal battlefield.
Without analyzing the water content, compared with the crown prince who only knows how to eat, drink, and have fun, the fourth prince Dole has the support of the military and the young and strong civil servants, and his mother's side also has a lot of power. His reputation has always overshadowed Shaq.
Shaq has no ambition. His strategy is to lie low, knowing that his father is also a stability-seeking faction with no ideals, so he does not engage in forming cliques for private gain, and lets Dole jump around.
This strategy is fine on weekdays, but when he was detained by Green Vine, there were very few ministers in the Sea Country court willing to support him. The tone of voice with the empire's dignitaries was soft, so whether he could return to his country depended on the empire's mood.
Now that he has returned to the country, few people value this consistently useless prince. Even if he says he has brought reinforcements, the mermaid emperor did not let him go to the front line, but first returned to the capital.
Because the commander-in-chief on the front line now is none other than the fourth prince Dole.
Although Dole has been defeated repeatedly, everyone knows that it is not his problem, but that the enemy really has Gundams.
According to the ministers, at least Dole can hold on at the front line. If the crown prince is sent to the two of them, I am afraid that they will collapse immediately and be driven straight in by the Naga.
So Shaq has to get his father's approval before he can truly participate in this war.
The empire did not contribute either. They are now playing the role of arms dealers, and now it is not enough to grab the dominant position, and by the way, they are also looking at Shaq's ability.
Roger and Margaret were arranged in different palaces, but thinking about the current situation in the Sea Country, Margaret couldn't sleep at all, so she borrowed the strategy of discussing with Roger, but actually chatting to relieve her worries.
“Roger, I'm worried that that idiot Shaq will mess things up. What should we do then?” Margaret asked worriedly.
On the surface, she is driving Shaq around, but after all, she is in a foreign country, and there is a limit to what she can do. This is a form of war that she is not used to.
Moreover, the Sea Country war has been dragging on for so long. If it is messed up again, wouldn't it cause trouble for our beloved Majesty again?
The little devil does not allow such things to happen, but seeing Shaq being unpromising, she is a little impetuous, and blisters have appeared on her mouth.
Roger smiled lightly: “Guess if that ambitious fourth prince wants the latest weapons and equipment?”
Margaret was stunned, and then couldn't help laughing: “You are the real devil.”
It turns out that the answer to this question is so simple.
They are using Shaq to enter the battle between the Sea Country and the Naga, not necessarily to support this prince.
For the empire, as long as the ocean battle does not stop, it does not matter who is specifically supported, as long as they continue to buy the empire's equipment and then help with testing.
If Shaq is not capable enough, then support Dole, or other generals.
Anyway, the Sea Country doesn't want to be suppressed by the Naga all the time, right?
Margaret solved her worries, and her tone suddenly became relaxed. She began to be curious about the equipment Roger purchased from Lydia.
Although the quotation for Shaq was discounted and discounted again, and a super-low interest loan was given, because Roger also commissioned Lydia to try out a new type of suicide fish, he almost spent all of Shaq's savings over the years.
Now Margaret is inquiring about the special functions of these new equipment, which can make Roger give up the increasingly reliable magic crystal machinery.
The two people chatted happily, and did not notice that the little maid in the study quietly exited the room, and then told the guard a message with a worried expression.
Soon, the news that Roger might go to get on the fourth prince's line reached Shaq's ears.
Shaq, who had just been rejected by his father, had just walked out of the palace. He originally wanted to relax tonight and discuss it again tomorrow, but he suddenly felt an extremely strong sense of crisis.
Oh right, the people of the empire can also find their younger brother.
“Fortunately, I arranged for my subordinates to pay attention to those cunning humans.” He showed a fortunate expression, turned down the wine party with a group of playboys, and returned to the palace to find his mother and began to complain…
He thought he was planning everything, but he didn't think about whether those words might have been deliberately heard by him by Roger.
No matter how arrogant the people of the empire are, they would not openly discuss in the home of a prince that we want to cultivate another prince.
It's just a pity that Shaq, who was already uneasy in his heart, was no longer in the mood to think about these things. Like grabbing the last straw, he just wanted his “imperial allies” not to turn to his lovely fourth brother...
……
……
Shaq, who was willing to give up his face and knew how to work hard, did not disappoint Roger. Through his mother's power, he successfully got the old emperor of the Sea Country to agree to him reinforcing the front line.
But it would not be good for the crown prince to listen to his younger brother, so he was ordered to contain the Naga Empire on the side of their advancing direction and open up a second battlefield.
This is a rather dangerous and difficult task. Building a defense line from scratch far exceeds the ability of Prince Shaq.
This is actually a step back for the old emperor under the pressure of his wife, wanting Shaq to give up in the face of difficulties.
As a result, Shark directly agreed, promising to send a full complement of soldiers and resources to the front lines of the two warring nations immediately.
Of course, he didn't know how to fight, but didn't he have an Imperial military advisor by his side?
Moreover, he also had the latest 'equipment'. Having seen Roger demonstrate its power, Shark felt quite confident about containing the Naga Empire from the flank.
Like dark clouds, a massive school of whales covered a large swathe of the sea.
This was the Sea Race's transport fleet. These giant marine creatures, ranging from thirty to fifty meters in length, carried tents, resource boxes, and granaries on their backs, their combined carrying capacity comparable to modern ten-thousand-ton freighters.
This was a resource uniquely bestowed upon marine civilizations. In the seawater, controlling large schools of fish to act as beasts of burden and food was an old tradition of the merfolk.
Their innate singing provided a natural boost in this regard.
On the back of a nearly hundred-meter-long, and quite intelligent, golden-horned giant whale was Shark太子's extremely luxurious mobile palace.
"My two lords, we will arrive at the front lines by the day after tomorrow at the latest. I implore you to assist me with all your strength. When I inherit the throne in the future, I will certainly repay the Empire," Shark said, raising his glass to Roger and Margaret.
"Easy, easy," Roger said, taking a drink with him. Margaret did not voice any commitment.
Although it smacked of empty promises, Shark really couldn't offer any more benefits right now.
Ever since he learned that the Empire was intentionally grooming his fourth brother, he didn't turn hostile but instead became even more respectful.
Don't let his previous non-violent, non-cooperative attitude in the City of Mysteries, where he tried to delay things as long as possible, fool you.
Now that he was back in the Sea Country, he realized how critical the situation had become and displayed a remarkable level of initiative.
Although he wasn't the smartest or most intelligent person, he wasn't stupid either, and he had a high emotional intelligence. When he actively tried to curry favor with someone, he could make the atmosphere quite lively.