While the northern regions were still frozen, the Central Plains of the mainland had already entered a warm spring.
Meanwhile, in the Bardi Empire's royal palace, the elderly emperor was currently waiting for his guests in the garden.
The Bardi Empire's Orloss Mosavoli St. Milan was a silver-haired old man with a kind expression. He wasn't tall, and he didn't speak loudly. When he walked, he even had the slow and leisurely manner of a learned person. He seemed like an old scholar who was easy to get along with. However, in the Bardi Empire, he had the "nickname" of the Fox Scorpion Emperor. This was referring to the fact that he was vicious both internally and externally.
Was it not easy to understand that he was poisoned both inside and out? "As long as the result is good, any means are acceptable." That was his motto, and he had always done so.
In order to solidify his centralization of power, he used murder, division, framing, and deceit against the Bardi Empire. For the sake of the country's interests, he tore up all sorts of alliances and agreements against the Bardi Empire multiple times and started multiple wars of his own accord. This earned him the title of "Unbeliever", which also caused the current Bardi Empire to lose all of its allies.
But where there were losses, there were gains. While he destroyed the reputation that the Bardi Empire had built up over countless years, the Bardi Empire's national strength also reached an all-time high. In just half a century, the Bardi Empire had annexed seventeen small and medium-sized countries, greatly expanding its territory and population.
"From the day I succeeded the throne, the war has never stopped."
At first, this sigh was meant to express his helplessness, but in the later stages, it became the pride of a person who had won consecutive battles.
On the other hand, the successive victories in foreign wars had also increased the prestige of the royal family. The great nobles in the country were also extremely respectful to the royal family. In fact, all the great nobles sent gifts every year for the old emperor's birthday. The heirs of the various feudal lords also came to the capital to learn from the royal family (as hostages).
Yep, those who refused to hand over the hostages and those who were openly disobedient were all dead. The Bardi Empire had long since returned to peace. It was likely that in the last three thousand years, the Bardi royalty's authority would reach its highest point in history.
This was only the achievement he had just made in his middle age, but in his later years, it was even more impressive. He used more than thirty years to make a century-long plan.
"Establish the Military United Front Department to unify the country's military affairs. All the feudal nobles must serve in the military regularly. Those who evade military service will die, and those who default on paying taxes will die. "
"The government controls the unified sale of salt, grain, steel, and other important daily and production necessities. Those who smuggle goods or sell goods without authorization will be sentenced to death."
"The government controls the idle civilian forces. All combat job classes must be registered, and all adventurer associations and adventurers must swear loyalty to the royal family. All adventurers are the wealth of the country, and they must unconditionally accept the country's mobilization in times of emergency. Independent adventurers were not allowed to exist, including Mages! Unlicensed Mages will be executed in public. "
It had to be said that Orloss's methods were quite impressive. He had taken over the throne during the most turbulent period of his country, but he had spent his entire life working hard to bring his country to its peak. Even though his reputation was in shambles, and he had no integrity or integrity to speak of, Orloss was still the most powerful person in the world.
Countless people, both in and outside of Bardi, hoped for his death. Assassins who signed in on time every month, without rest, could even form a schedule … Although Orloss was hated by many, even those who hated him the most couldn't help but admit that he was indeed a famous ruler who had brought this country to prosperity.
Monopolizing the sale of important resources and competing with the citizens for benefits was indeed quite hateful. However, the current Bardi Empire's treasury was far more abundant than anyone could imagine. Every year, the Bardi Empire's military budget was more than three times that of the neighboring countries', but the treasury wasn't strained at all. At the same time, it had been several decades since Bardi had experienced a large-scale famine due to a natural disaster. Both the population and the prosperity of the cities were at an all-time high.
Although Orloss's decision to turn the relatively neutral adventurers and mercenaries into property of the country caused a huge backlash in the beginning, with the royal authority and the military backing them up, the waves calmed down after a generation. Now, all new adventurers treated serving the country as their duty. Even the rare job classes such as mages were self-consciously registered and became part of the government.
Without a doubt, this was a declaration of war against the old government. This naturally caused the adventurers, mercenaries, the Mage Association, the various Gods' churches, and many other neutral factions to be dissatisfied with. However, for Orloss Mosaivory, protests and assassinations were nothing out of the ordinary. His powerful guards who came out of nowhere had never disappointed him. Even numerous SemiGod assassins had died at his hands. Orloss had never feared any enemy's provocations.
But on the other side of his oppressive rule, there was quite a bit of resentment within the country. Countless people wished for his early death, and even more wished for the Bardi Empire to return to its former glory. In the eyes of those who were observant, this seemingly powerful country actually had weak foundations. It was constantly teetering on the brink of collapse. It was only a matter of time before it collapsed.
The biggest and most fundamental problem was that Orloss the Thirteenth didn't have any descendants.
Perhaps it was because he had been injured in battle in his early years, or perhaps it was because of his so-called virtue, but no matter what, although he had countless harems, he was never able to give birth to a single child. Two of his concubines did get pregnant, but the next day, he dragged them off to feed the dogs. For a short period of time, the rumor that the Bardi Empire was destined to have no descendants spread everywhere.
Of course, in order to solve this problem, Orloss had done his best. For example, he adopted many adopted sons and daughters. But after many trials and tribulations, only about twenty or so of his thirty or forty adopted sons and daughters were still alive today. Orloss's suspicious personality meant that those who were too strong would be eliminated early on. However, it was basically unrealistic to find a successor that all the factions would accept.
The oldest adopted prince, Carlston, was already over fifty years old. However, he appeared even older than the emperor. The only reason the prince was able to live until now was because he was useless. He wasn't as ambitious as his older brother, nor did he have any extravagant hopes of becoming the emperor while he was still alive.
"At any rate, he's already over seventy years old. He doesn't have much time left. Let's just wait for him to die, and then …"
There was an unspoken rule in the Main Plane. A king with a short lifespan would definitely be a king with a short lifespan. The Gods would not allow an immortal king to exist. If a king still cherished his royal power after a hundred years, then divine punishment would come unexpectedly.
Ambitious people sharpened their teeth in the dark of the night, waiting for the old lion king to die of old age. Not only were there wolves from other tribes, but there was also the old lion king who was on the verge of death. His brothers who were still alive had been waiting for him to die for a long time. Now that the lion king had died, his fertile territory would naturally welcome a new round of competition.
"He's not far away, not far away. He hasn't learned any martial arts or magic, and he's only relying on medicine to hold on. Perhaps he'll die tomorrow."
But today, this old king, who seemed to be nearing the end of his life, welcomed the date he had been looking forward to for a long time. It was a visitor wearing a black cloak. Under the guidance of the royal guards, he walked into the old emperor's garden.
"Emperor Aso, your personal arrival is the glory of our entire empire. It's a pity that now isn't a suitable time to publicly announce our relationship, so I can't prepare a banquet to welcome you. "
The old emperor put down his dignity as an emperor and hurriedly stood up to personally welcome this guest who had arrived in the night. However, this black-cloaked guest was an Immortal Emperor who was far more ancient and noble than the old emperor.
Emperor Aso had no intentions of being polite when faced with Orloss's welcome. Every minute he spent in the mortal plane was torture for him, so he unhesitatingly went straight to the point.
"That's fine. We've never cared about empty reputations. The only thing that can make me come here are actual benefits. Now then, young king, have you made your decision? Have you finally decided to embrace death and become one of us so that you can obtain true immortality? "
A sudden chilly wind blew past, revealing the man's true face under the hood of his robe. Or, perhaps it should be said that he didn't have a face at all. Only the green flames burning within his skull explained everything.
Only the legendary Undead Emperors could be referred to as undead emperors. In front of these ancient emperors who originated from the Undead Planes, even the modern Gods were nothing more than juniors.
Countless chains and seals covered Emperor Aso's body. However, just the power of death that leaked out from his body caused a black wind to howl in the royal garden. Large amounts of plants instantly withered, and the ground began to wither. Beneath the ground, one could faintly see white bones returning to the mortal world.
Orloss, who was only an ordinary person, laughed when faced with such a frightening aura that could even make a hero cower in fear.
"Back then, everyone knew that I, Orloss, was the most trustworthy of all. From the moment that you saved me thirty years ago, from the moment that ancient contract was established, our contract was destined to be effective forever."
Orloss XIII also unbuttoned his luxurious robes, revealing his upper body. Part of his abdomen was missing. Where his heart should have been, pitch-black bones and rotting flesh were piled together. Even the expensive Silver Rose perfume was unable to conceal the stench of rotting flesh.
Even though his physical body was frighteningly disgusting, Orloss continued smiling as if he didn't feel any pain at all. However, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes made him seem rather depressed.
"I've already been a living dead for more than thirty years. From that day onwards, did I have any other choice?"
…
Unlike the south, which had long days, the northern regions would usually get dark rather early in winter, especially at the end of winter. Right now, it was only six o 'clock in the evening, but the entirety of Diffindor had already fallen into darkness.
The newest product of magical engineering, magical lanterns, had been distributed to every household as daily necessities. However, most of the families still carried on with their usual habits, finishing their dinner early and lying in their warm blankets, preparing to wake up early the next day.
The streets, which had been bustling with activity just a few hours ago, were now completely devoid of people. Most people were either hiding in their warm homes or drinking themselves to death in bars and hotels. After all, even though it was already the end of winter, the cold at night was still fatal. Although it was regrettable that drunkards would freeze to death on the streets, it was still a common occurrence.
While the entire city seemed to have sunk into silence, in the southern suburbs of the city, there was an area with three-story houses that had been sealed off. There was no difference between night and day here. It was always brightly lit throughout the night, and there was always constant noise.
* Boom! * Most of all, there were all sorts of explosions. Judging from whether it was a gnome engineer or an alchemist flying in the sky, it was easy to tell which was an alchemy laboratory and which was an engineering laboratory.
In a corner of that sealed off area, there was a smithy. No matter if it was day or night, the sound of knocking never stopped.
Right now, I was here as well, checking on the progress of an important project.
"Orange Head, what's the situation like? How's the quality of these ores? Can they satisfy your needs? "
"This batch of magical iron ores is of excellent quality. Our mines have produced such top-quality ores. You probably bought them from the Ottoman Empire, didn't you? "
Seeing that I silently nodded, Old Hoyle continued speaking in satisfaction.
"If the materials can keep up, the progress will be quite smooth. However, isn't the time a bit too tight? We'll only be able to produce a prototype within three days. It'll be able to run, jump, and watch, but it definitely won't be able to fight. "
"Just a prototype is fine."
The most important part of showing off my new equipment was the design and the new technology within it. After all, the guests I invited might not even know what it was, so I only needed to fool them. With the order and funds, I would start the actual production line.
"…"
The cold winter winds caused the dwarf's brandy nose to turn red from the cold. However, the dwarf had an expression of displeasure as he gulped down a mouthful of alcohol and didn't reply. As a veteran armor master, he was quite dissatisfied with the fact that he had rushed the work to produce low-quality products.
"Was it worth it? You even turned all the red-light districts upside down in order to find me. "
"Hmph, don't be so arrogant. It was just along the way. If you just obediently worked here, it would have saved me so much trouble. Guess how your brothers would treat you if I told them that they were imprisoned because of you. "
"Those heartless bastards would directly tear me apart. You sly, skinny, and tall human. You purposely picked up Old Hoyle's weak spot. Be careful that your daughter doesn't grow a beard."
The dwarf took a puff from his pipe and muttered some dwarf-style vulgarities in a low voice. Then, he continued to pick up his hammers and continue clanking.
Hoyle, a gray dwarf, was a grandmaster blacksmith who specialized in armor. His nickname was Tangerine Head, and he was a member of the Gentlemen Alliance. He was also the blacksmith that I trusted the most. His skills had improved even further through his cooperation with the gnomes. If I had to evaluate his current armor smithing abilities, I would say that he had probably surpassed the level of an ordinary blacksmith and reached the level of a Legend.
Leveling up in a lifestyle job class was far more difficult than leveling up in a combat job class. Legend job classes had their own Soul Imprints and unique paths. Meanwhile, Legend-ranked blacksmiths also had their own paths.
Hoyle's path was so special, so special that it was the only one in the world. It was so special that it would be impossible without him.
In the blacksmith's shop, Old Hoyle was hammering a gnome mecha. This wasn't anything strange, as gnome harvesters and mechanical giants were already quite well-developed engineering products. What was strange was the size of this mecha.
It was 2.4 meters tall, and its weight was more than 150 kilograms. If it wasn't for the fact that the energy engine created by the "Olivia's Magic Box" on its back was currently working, giving it its own power, even a beastman wouldn't be able to wear such an armor.
The streamlined armor was inlaid with obsidian protective plates. This was a special type of armor used to strengthen tanks. Its defensive power far surpassed that of a Knight's plate armor. Even a small-caliber gnome cannon would only be able to leave a mark on it.
That's right, this wasn't a mechanical battle puppet. It was pure armor. Inside it would be a warrior wearing the armor, not a pilot.
"Although this design is quite good, there's also a problem. Without elemental control, you won't be able to activate its magic circuits. Even if you have my special magical components, it'll be nothing more than a pile of scrap metal if you don't have enough magic."
"Relax, I have quite a few subordinates with elemental control abilities. I'll give you the highest priority in providing your funds and materials. Hurry up and finalize the design, and then try to start mass production next year. I'll find some idiots to be your sponsors and experimenters. Just be bold and be creative. Those 'kind-hearted people' will use their lives to give you all the data of your creation. "
I couldn't help but nod in satisfaction as I looked at this old dwarf who had fallen silent due to his work. I touched the sturdy protective plates and iron body of the heavy armor.
"With this, my Four Elemental Swordcasters will be able to use at least three times their combat strength … Should I paint it red and install a ram on it?"
Determining how far a job class could go would depend not only on their strengths, but also their weaknesses.
The weakest aspect of the Four Elemental Swordcasters was probably their physical body's defensive abilities. A mature Four Elemental Swordcaster would need to improve their magic swordsmanship, as well as painstakingly train their elemental control abilities. They would also need to research sword seals and magical martial techniques. It would be incredibly unrealistic to expect them to have the same melee combat abilities as an ordinary Knight or warrior, even without using their mana.
Their physical body's weakness and the need to use mana meant that they could only wear light armor on the battlefield. This was a stark contrast to the muscleheads who could still move freely despite wearing heavy armor that weighed several dozen kilograms.
But on the battlefield, weak defense was the most fatal. Bows and arrows would always be the most cost-effective killing weapon. Arrows would fly everywhere, and it would be quite common to encounter them. It would be far too much of a waste if a magical swordsman, who had worked so hard to raise, was killed by a stray arrow or a rock.
"The first batch of mechas will be the 'Sith Warriors', a melee combat mecha with high defense, high strength amplification, and explosive short-range abilities. All of them will be given to the Silver Cross Squadron (Four Elemental Swordcasters). The second batch of mechas will be the 'Space Marine Marines', which have high mobility, medium defense, and high endurance. All of them will be given to the magic archers and top-level hunters."
In my future blueprint, my future armored army would already be in battle formations. Between the mecha dragons and the gigantic metal battle statues, countless mecha warriors would be the main force. They would accompany me in slaying demons and Gods, easily driving the demons back to the Chaos Abyss and kicking the Undead Emperors back to the Undead Planes.
"Special firepower type 'Tauren Cyborg Marines', special Sword Saints type 'Force Masters'. Haha, I can already imagine the perfect upgraded version right now."
Once my new generation's magical steel army was formed, I would have these ancient artifacts from the Middle Ages deeply understand what "advanced technology equals combat strength" and "falling behind means getting beaten up." Just as I was fantasizing about this, a voice filled with evil intentions pulled me back to reality.
"Stop dreaming. This thing has incredibly high requirements for many of its components. Right now, I'm the only one capable of creating it. Your local blacksmiths can't even make a kitchen knife. Even if I do my best to work for you, three months is already considered fast. Besides, even if I can keep up with the speed, will your mineral resources be able to keep up? Just relying on the barbarian tribe's open-air mines will take you ten years to accumulate enough materials. "
"Also, while you can still buy pig iron ore, your production of magical ores is far too low. If you can't obtain high-grade magical ores, your mecha army will become nothing more than a target for my thunderstorm magic."
I couldn't help but frown upon hearing this. Although I was displeased that my beautiful dream had been interrupted, everything he said was the truth.
I had already begun excavating the mines there, but the battle here had taken up all of my attention. Not to mention, the weather was so cold that I lacked large-scale equipment. Simply exploding the mines to obtain some open-air minerals was already my limit. I hadn't even started excavating the mines yet.
"It would seem that I'll have to make another trip there. One mine isn't safe enough, so I'll need to prepare several more. How about … I ask the Holy Church for more mines? "
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