Zaecuria Kingdom.
Marquis Benedict's movement was extremely swift. The moment he got an agreement with Noel, he immediately sent the information directly back to their king.
The king of the Zaecuria Kingdom was not like the others. He had short brown hair and slightly slanted eyes. Coupled with the big round glasses, it gave him the atmosphere of a smart and calculative mind.
Because of the importance of the matter, the king had asked all ministers to attend so that they could hear directly from Marquis Benedict.
"Are you not lying?" The king asked with a shocked expression.
"I don't dare lie to you, Your Majesty. I have made a deal with Noel Ardagan. We're going to create the first automated ship in history with runes," said Marquis Benedict in a solemn tone.
"The first automated ship…" The minister of defense contemplated. "If we have that kind of thing, we can deploy it around the river and sea. The fact that we don't need to bring more workers to paddle the ship means we can increase the number of soldiers on board. Just imagining how a ship can bring hundreds if not thousands of soldiers in peak condition upon landing… it's unbelievable."
"No, no. You can't just think about the defense. If we use this ship as a mode of transportation. With our kingdom's layout, we can actually decrease the price of goods." The minister of economy waved his hand, thinking his idea was better.
"No. We should explore the sea with this ship. It's basically a high-risk, high-return investment. If we can find another land, we might be able to get more resources from that area." The minister of exploration and exploitation also intervened.
The king raised his hand, asking his ministers to shut their mouths. "Is such a ship possible?"
"I have seen an automated carriage that can move forward without a horse. When modified, it can also do a lot of things. I believe we can use that on a ship." Marquis Benedict nodded without hesitation.
"An automated carriage, huh? That's also good, but the ship is better for our Zaecuria Kingdom."
"But won't it use the same rune? If we have the ship, we can actually create that automated carriage."
The ministers whispered to each other again, thinking about the benefits for the Zaecuria Kingdom.
"What is the price we have to pay?" The king asked.
"First of all, we need about 200,000 gold coins and a lot of demon crystals to pay for the slots in the Rune Academy. As for the ship, we will be sponsoring it while sending five of the experts to work together with Noel Ardagan personally. In other words, these five will be able to learn the core technique to create the runes.
"However, he asked us to help the territory by sending those five experts in 1 grandmaster and 4 masters composition. From what I can see, he shouldn't have any problem gathering at least 10 grandmasters in his territory.
"And this is just a rumor, but the Moon Temple is planning to create another headquarters in his city. Their Saintess and a Paladin have been stationed there."
"!!!" The people widened their eyes in shock.
"Sponsoring the ship? Do you know that we need a lot of materials to do that? We might need at least 50,000 gold coins to bribe so that the materials and our workers can enter the Muivell Kingdom. What about the materials? What's the size? Depending on the size of the ship, the cost of materials can reach 200,000 if not 300,000 gold coins!" The minister of economy gasped, not believing the condition.
"That's not all. If the Muivell Kingdom knows about this, they are going to be hostile toward us."
The king furrowed his eyebrows. He waited for the ministers to discuss it first as he listened to their conversation.
There was one thing that piqued his interest. "Benedict. Humor me with this question. If the Ardagan Family manage to withstand the attack this time, how are you planning to take them down?"
"I don't think I'm capable of answering that question. I suggest…" Benedict glanced at the minister of war. If he was going to invade the Ardagan Family, what would he do?"
"Noel Ardagan is a smart man. The location of his main city is very strategic. On the east, there is a mine that can act as a second fortress. Beyond that, there is also the Greenwood Kingdom. In the west, he has a river. First of all, the purpose of creating that ship is probably to take advantage of the river and create a natural defense line.
"With this, both sides have been taken care of. In the south, he asked the Sword Arbiter to stay, meaning that place won't be attacked unless the Supreme Devil Organization plans to drag the twelve Arbiters in this battle.
"So, the only way to attack this city is through the north border. However, he should have thought about this and the Greenwood Kingdom might also use this to help him. In that case, they have to divert a portion of their power to stop the Greenwood Kingdom while the rest attack the Ardagan Family.
"I don't know what kind of fortress they are planning to build, but I know one thing. Gathering the necessary number of demons to take down that city must cost them a lot of time. And if they want to attack again, it will require more than a year if not two years. By that time, Noel Ardagan should have completed his city.
"To summarize everything, if the Supreme Devil Organization fails to kill Noel Ardagan in this invasion, it's extremely hard to take him down next time. Unless they bring at least two Ancient Demons, I can't see any way to take them down." The minister of war finished his explanation with a scale that no one had ever seen before.
"Ancient Demons?! But the last attack from an Ancient Demon was thirty years ago. Can they even bring an Ancient Demon?"
"If they can, all kingdoms might have to subjugate them. There's no way we will feel safe if we let a terrorist organization that is capable of moving an Ancient Demon exist."
The king seemed to have made a decision. "Alright. I shall accept this agreement. In fact, bring out another half million gold coins to build the port for Lounstein."
"Your Majesty?!" The minister of economy wanted to reject it since it would definitely hurt their budget.
"Let's take it this way. If we help him now, we will be considered his closest ally. So, all we need to do is ensure his safety for the sake of future development. As the minister of war said, it would be close to impossible to take him down if he survives this attack, so he should feel grateful if we help him so much right now. The boat might not be the only project we will have with him."
"!!!" The minister of economy abruptly stopped, showing his agreement.
"Minister of Economy, keep track of the budget. If it starts hurting, the royal family will open its treasury to raise the fund."
"Understood, Your Majesty."
The king looked at everyone, asking, "Who is the most suitable person to lead this project?"
Marquis Benedict raised his hand. "I suggest Duke Briton, Your Majesty."
"Duke Briton?" The ministers looked at each other. They wanted to suggest themselves, but when they thought about Duke Briton, they somehow felt a bit inferior.
"Duke Briton was an excellent shipwright. He is also a Spirit Grandmaster and has a lot of experience in battle. If he leads the project, he will surely do a great job. But hasn't he retired?"
The king didn't hesitate to declare. "Call Duke Briton to the palace immediately. This is a Royal Decree!"
"Ha!" One of the ministers hurriedly left the room to prepare the royal edict. For the sake of the future, the king didn't hesitate to pull the retired veteran back.
"Last but not least, gather ten talented kids in my country. Even if they are commoners, you just have to adopt them into the noble household in case people don't like it. I want them to be extremely talented in runes… so talented that Noel Ardagan has no choice but to accept them as his disciples. We're not going to lose against the Greenwood Kingdom!"
"On your command!" The ministers lowered their heads. All of them wanted to hold a competition to find talented people. These talents could be used in order to achieve further success on the court.
…
Greenwood Kingdom.
They seemed to be not the only ones who were busy discussing the slots in the Rune Academy.
The king had also assembled his ministers, including Raincart, Noel's grandfather.
"We'll be receiving the Water System from Noel Ardagan once Lady Anna returns. According to the second princess, the water system works perfectly as it's been described. She has gone to the lord mansion to test it herself.
"As for matters about the Rune Academy, the second princess has helped us get 20 out of 150 slots. The condition is only for us to help defend his territory for another two months.
"There are also a lot of new technologies that were not possible before. While she can't see everything, Noel Ardagan seems to be planning to use the runes for military weapons." The negotiator that accompanied Damian had finally returned and reported everything in front of all the ministers.
"What do you think, Raincart?" The king glanced at Noel's grandfather. He was supposed to be the one who knew him the most.
"I heard from the report that he was injured." Raincart looked at the negotiator.
"Y-yes. He and Lady Anna were rumored to be heavily injured."
"Yet, Anna went out with Damian."
"Are you implying something, Raincart?" The king frowned.
"Their injuries must be fake. Even if the others have confirmed it, we can think that their injuries have been completely healed."
"What? But he has the temple… No, wait. The Moon Temple only sent Saintess Layla and Paladin Aurelia. None of them have healing ability."
Raincart nodded with a smile. "He has someone who is good at making medicine. If I'm not wrong, his name is Khalid."
"Khalid? That Khalid?!" The king widened his eyes in shock.
"Yes. That's why I believe that the Supreme Devil Organization has fallen into his illusion. By using that to our advantage…" Raincart looked at another minister.
The minister sighed, knowing what Raincart wanted. "…I believe it's better to send reinforcement to Damian. If they can hold off more demons, it's going to be easier for Lounstein to withstand the organization's attacks."
"We got confirmation not long ago that the Zaecuria Kingdom had made contact with him. Their envoy seemed to leave right away."
"Did he shoot them down?"
"He won't be that foolish."
"Then, they might receive a deal so important that their envoy immediately returns to the Zaecuria Kingdom…"
The king felt pressured once again. They couldn't find out about this deal, but if they didn't do something more, they would be defeated by the Zaecuria Kingdom. "What does he actually want, Raincart?"
"I'm not sure this time." Raincart shook his head. "I think we should ask her highness Livia. The fact that he just wants help, not money, means he has secured enough funds. So…"
"So, Livia is the only one who can ask him." The king closed his eyes for a minute. "Ask Livia about what Noel Ardagan needs right now. Also, tell Count Agnus to assemble another army to reinforce Damian."
"What will be the size of the army, Your Majesty?"
"Five thousand elite soldiers. Not only will we defend the territory, but we might also use this opportunity to attack those demons. Make sure we contribute more than the Zaecuria Kingdom."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The king sighed while looking at Raincart. "It seems that the son is more troublesome than the father. Why doesn't he surpass his father by stealing not the daughter of a duke but a princess of a royal family?"
Raincart chuckled. Luke had stolen the princess of the Ezenholm Family in the past. He was angry at that time, but now that everything had passed, it was probably the best thing he had ever experienced. He proudly said, "As expected of my son-in-law and grandson."
