The Empires And Kingdoms Asking For Help

December 27.

With the year now nearly finished and right before it turned over, Ian was receiving the ambassador of the Vincent Kingdom, which had broken away and become independent.

The two independent countries had established embassies in Pullea, the current capital, but in reality, only the Polia Kingdom recognized them as states for the time being, so those embassies had no choice but to exist only here.

In any case, after hearing the words of the ambassador—someone who had once belonged to the same country but had become a noble of another nation after the split—Ian felt satisfied. He was pleased that they had given a positive answer to what he had requested.

“Understood. We have already decided to provide funds and food to the Vincent Kingdom quickly.”

“We are truly grateful. Our king told us to convey that if you provide funds and food, he will immediately prepare the troops.”

“Then I will send them at once. And once it becomes the new year, we will send our troops in earnest along with transport ships.”

“We will hurry to prepare to receive them. Ah, and he also said that negotiations with the empires will be entrusted entirely to the Polia Kingdom.”

“Don’t worry about that. We will coordinate it well and ensure it helps your country. And we will have every empire recognize you as a nation.”

“We are deeply thankful that Your Majesty—so wise and benevolent—offers such help. We hope that our two countries will continue to live by helping one another in the future.”

“That will continue to be the case.”

That was the departing figure of the Vincent Kingdom’s ambassador as he left amid such conversation. Watching this, the chancellor spoke quietly to Ian.

“They certainly seem impatient.”

“They must know it too, don’t they? That this will be a tremendous help to them.”

“Indeed. Next, the ambassador of the Rubid Kingdom will come in prepared, but is it truly acceptable for us to help them as well?”

“It is acceptable. Wouldn’t it be good for us if they acquire a certain level of national capacity?”

These were two kingdoms that had only just begun taking steps as nations. Because their situation was unstable, securing a solid foundation through this opportunity would not be a bad thing for them. At the same time, if they gained national capacity, it would not be a bad thing for the Polia Kingdom either.

‘We share a language, and we have plenty of ties—so in the future, it’ll be perfect for achieving economic encroachment.’

“Next, let us meet the ambassador of the Rubid Kingdom.”

With Ian’s words, he could see the ambassador entering. And just like the Vincent Kingdom, he heard the exact same answer. With this, if the two kingdoms strained themselves, they could mobilize at least fifty thousand troops.

Meanwhile, just as expected, it seemed the empires and kingdoms had spoken among themselves, because the next day their ambassadors arrived all at once. Crowding into the audience chamber, what they said was, as expected, that they wanted help.

“Lawless men are continuing to try to shake the colonies. Therefore, we intend to form an alliance as we did in the Great War and resolve this matter together.”

“I, too, am greatly concerned about that situation.”

That was sincere. Only if they properly stabilized would money be able to flow in normally. In any case, at his words, their expressions brightened, and they began making their formal request. Listening, it was exactly what he had anticipated. They wanted Polia to provide troops and clean up the colonial rebels.

“………Therefore, if the Polia Kingdom provides assistance, we will offer sufficient compensation afterward.”

“I have heard you. With multiple nations requesting help, I think it would be difficult for us to refuse.”

“Then you mean?”

At Ian’s words, the ambassadors’ faces lit up. Since Ian had already been preparing for this, he decided to accept what they asked. And judging by what they had said, the compensation was quite good.

Just as with what the Noma Empire and the Moria Empire had offered, the kingdoms that would belong to the allied force said they would provide similar compensation as well. In other words, they promised priority in reconstruction and low tariffs. For Polia, it was absolutely not a bad deal.

‘The construction companies are going to go crazy.’

Over the past years, quite a lot of civil engineering and construction had been carried out within the homeland. With five years of such time, projects had proceeded in all sorts of places, and many had been completed. Of course, there were still ongoing projects and places that needed work, but it was true that construction orders had decreased compared to before.

‘Everyone will have to devote themselves to construction until they have no breathing room. And even the companies that will put out export goods will have no choice but to develop.’

Since they would take on a significant portion of each nation’s reconstruction, an enormous flow of money would pour into the Polia Kingdom. Originally, a great deal of capital had already been expected to flow into Polia, and now even more would be added on top of that.

‘All the more reason to exercise restraint.’

If massive money flowed in and vast capital piled up, there was a high chance luxury and indulgence would spread. Moreover, the economy could become a bubble-inflated market. Since he did not want things to become a situation that could burst at any time, he had already gathered large numbers of economic experts and had been devising solutions.

“I will accept the request. Wherever you wish, our army will be dispatched and will suppress them.”

“Thank you! It is truly a benevolent decision.”

“We hope we can develop into a close relationship with the Polia Kingdom going forward.”

“We feel the same!”

At the words of the various kingdoms’ ambassadors, Ian nodded. At the same time, he felt a slight worry. If he spoke so confidently about resolving the matter, only for the troops he sent to be defeated by the colonial rebels, it would be truly humiliating.

‘If that happens, I’ll have to commit and keep sending troops—three hundred thousand, five hundred thousand, whatever it takes.’

He was sending them to build experience anyway. Considering that it would also develop military doctrine across the armed forces, he could rotate the gathered troops and let most of them gain combat experience. In truth, even if they lost once, it would not be a total defeat.

‘That wraps up the morning.’

Minor matters would be discussed and handled below. And there would also be matters concerning the Vincent Kingdom and the Rubid Kingdom, but as king, it was not something he needed to personally concern himself with. And in the afternoon, there was an important matter he needed to confirm.

‘I should go confirm the utilization of the White Crystal.’

He had kept putting it off, and only now did he have time, so he headed to the Zaila Research Institute on the outskirts of the capital.

2:30 PM.

He could see soldiers standing guard with tight security. Around them, there were even ten tanks stationed. Clearly, compared to before, both the number of troops guarding the entrance and the number of tanks had increased significantly.

Most likely, because the Mitor Research Institute in the south had been raided, they had expanded the security personnel. The vehicle convoy passed through the entrance and continued inside, and soon they were greeted by Director Dubein, the person responsible for the institute complex.

“Welcome, Your Majesty. It is an honor that you have visited the Zaila Research Institute again.”

“It has been a while, Director Dubein.”

“I have truly been counting the days until Your Majesty’s arrival.”

“I have been busy and had no leeway to come. In any case, let us go. I want to see the results quickly.”

“Yes, I will guide you at once.”

As Director Dubein moved as though he would personally lead the way, the guards who had followed Ian moved as well. Among them was Camyu. As they proceeded, they approached the building entrance. From the entrance alone, so many soldiers were deployed that it was no joke.

Heavy machine guns were positioned even on the rooftop, and piles of cover were stacked around the entrance, making it look as if they could fight at any time. In truth, this was a special location within the institute complex where the most important research was conducted.

‘There aren’t even windows, so the only way through is that entrance.’

Naturally, identity checks were strict. In fact, rather than blatant infiltration, it was harder to catch those who secretly falsified identities and acted as spies. Of course, this was not a place one could enter easily just by fabricating credentials.

‘Even if someone got in, they couldn’t open the doors to the core facility without permission from the people I placed under Mental Manipulation.’

Entering the lobby amid the saluting soldiers, a fairly spacious space was revealed. Passing through and going deeper inside, they could see more soldiers standing guard there as well.

What they faced was a thick-looking iron door. It seemed to be an entrance leading down a slope, and to open it required specially made keys. Naturally, those keys were held by the person in charge of the guards here.

He could see them immediately pull out a key hanging on a cord and insert it into the keyhole. The key itself was not a straight shape but literally formed like an X. And it did not require only one.

Beside it, Director Dubein took out a similar key, inserted it into a keyhole, and turned it. When the two were matched together, there was a clunk, and a grinding sound of mechanisms turning, followed by the sound of the lock releasing.

What was revealed was a thick metal door, easily a meter thick, slowly opening. It opened by a mechanical device, revealing a passage leading down. As that happened, Director Dubein, now close by, pointed inside and spoke.

“Your Majesty, let us go down.”

“Let us. Camyu, you alone will follow me.”

The guards would go no further. Inside, only designated personnel could enter. With Director Dubein in the lead, Ian and Camyu followed, and as they descended the sloped passage, what they saw was the entrance to an elevator leading underground.

It was quite large, since it was meant to allow various materials to be transported as well, and in truth its size had been increased in preparation for the future. They opened the barred gate-like door and stepped inside, and the moment the door closed, he began inputting a code—click, click—turning a numeric dial.

It was an analog-style code input device, and only when he entered a twelve-digit number did a metallic click sound ring out. Only then did Director Dubein press the button to descend; without entering the code, the elevator would not operate at all.

With the sensation of moving downward, the wide elevator began descending further and further. Only after reaching a fairly deep point did it stop. Ding—along with the bell sound, the doors opened.

Walking forward, they saw a narrow corridor again. Ahead, another iron door stood in view. Step by step, they moved forward. In truth, even this corridor had special devices installed.

‘The moment someone arrives here without the proper code from the elevator, they’ll be turned into a beehive.’

There were holes set into the walls at intervals, and within them were the barrels of heavy machine guns. From the moment the system recognized someone as an enemy, it would fire and suppress them. It was a scene that showed just how thorough their defenses were.

‘They’re getting what they paid for.’

This institute had been built sturdily with the mindset that it needed to last at least a hundred years, and it had been designed to allow for many kinds of renovations in the future. That was why there were many parts intended to be modified.

When they arrived at the iron door, Director Dubein entered another code. With a metallic click, the door opened. The moment it opened and they stepped inside, they could see an extremely spacious area.

A massive research facility filled their view—at least a hundred meters long and fifty meters wide. At least forty researchers were stationed here, along with various mechanical devices.

In effect, this place contained only the highest-level equipment available in this era. It could be said that an enormous amount of money had been spent to prepare it.

“Your Majesty, please come down.”

At Director Dubein’s words, they descended the steps, and they could see special agents stationed throughout. Expressionless, they stood like decorations along the surroundings. Because this facility was so important, only they had been assigned to guard it.

As they continued down the steps, some people recognized them, and everyone bowed their heads, observing proper etiquette toward the king. Every person stationed here could be said to be purely from the Polia Kingdom. For security reasons, they were not employing foreign researchers who had recently arrived.

As the researchers gathered, Ian spoke to them.

“Everyone is working hard here. I know it must be difficult to keep researching in a place like this.”

“Not at all. People like us live for research, don’t we? Rather, we are beyond happy that you support us so solidly that we can research freely without restraint.”

“That’s right. Hahaha!”

“We only need to conduct research.”

They were, quite literally, people utterly obsessed with research. From the moment he assigned them here, he had assessed their character. If someone were overly calculating and filled only with ambition for success, they could harbor ulterior motives, so he had selected only pure researchers and stationed them here. Of course, he had also evaluated their competence.

“Still, if you remain underground all the time, your health will suffer, so soon I will find a way for you to properly go outside and take rest.”

Of course, even for security, he intended to have them rest in a separately isolated resort-like space. Everyone’s faces brightened slightly. It seemed they did not want to do nothing but research forever, either.

As he exchanged greetings, Ian wanted to hear about the White Crystal, so he went straight to the main point.

“Now, I would like to see the White Crystal.”

“Of course. This way, please.”

Director Dubein guided them, and the place they headed for was a separate area prepared within the facility. In other words, he led them to a place where yet another enclosed space existed inside this vast space.