Sean had considered many possibilities, but he had never thought of the current situation. There he saw Queen Alto sitting across from him, her hands supporting her head, gazing at him with an expression that seemed to appreciate or perhaps want to devour him.
To be honest, this was the first time Sean wanted to seek help from the goddess and his brother-in-law.
“What’s the matter? Prince from a foreign land? Why haven’t you let your magnificent army cross my fragile border yet?”
Alto’s voice was charming; if she weren’t so far away, Sean would have thought she might reach out and touch him. Just thinking about it sent chills down his spine, making him forget to correct Alto’s mistake about his identity.
“I’ve been waiting very anxiously. Clearly, I am well-prepared, just waiting for your magnificent army to invade my kingdom and reach my most important Albar Rock Area.”
Seated beside them, Rosalind also seemed puzzled and urged gently, “Yes, Your Excellency Sean, since Fourth Sister has already chosen to cooperate with us, then why not let your craftsmen come to mine the magic stones?”
Looking at Rosalind, who had become more mature yet still wore a naïve expression, Alto couldn’t help but laugh, saying to Sean, “That’s right, Prince from a foreign land, let’s allow your craftsmen to enter.”
However, Rosalind then said, “As for the matter of the engagement, we can discuss it later.”
Upon hearing this, Alto frowned, glanced at her sister, and seeing Rosalind still with that innocent demeanor, she sighed and said, “I think it’s better to make a decision sooner rather than later, don’t you think?”
“Of course, if you want to discuss it later, that’s fine as well. Anyway, once your army crosses my borders, our relationship will already be established.”
This was the first time Sean felt hesitant on the Solun Continent. In the end, he still wore a courageous expression and said, “I understand. I will arrange for craftsmen and troops to head to Albar Rock Area, but… everything must be according to the contract. Shortly, my people will draft a contract and send it to you.”
Upon hearing this response, Alto displayed an eager expression and ultimately threw him a flirtatious glance, saying, “Just don’t keep me waiting too long.”
Once Alto had departed, Rosalind was still mimicking how her sister had given that flirtatious glance, but no matter how she tried, it just didn’t look right. Watching Alto leave, Sean sighed and shook his head.
“That woman is not as simple as she looks.”
Regas, standing beside Sean, stroked his chin and said, “Her territory, like Domingo’s, is on the border area of Castile, and because it is near the important Albar Rock Area, it can be said to be a battleground. Many territories have been repeatedly bombarded by Supremacy Magic, turning them into magic-less lands.”
“If what you said about Domingo being somewhat prepared is true, then in a real fight, her territory might fall more quickly than Domingo’s.”
Sean nodded, coming back to his senses from feeling watched just now, and continued, “For her, welcoming us is the only and best choice. As long as she can learn a bit of cannon technology from us, even if the empire withdraws from the Solun Continent in the future, she can still establish herself on this continent relying on the magic-less land and cannon technology.”
“The magic-less land is not just a punishment; instead, it will become her shield.”
“Are you really going to proceed with a political marriage with her?”
Regas looked at Sean with a playful expression.
“No, the empire hasn’t fallen to the point where I need to marry for politics.”
Sean said helplessly, “As for her wanting to form a relationship with us, let her be. As long as she is willing to pay the corresponding price.”
Alto Castile quickly leaned towards the empire, and after biting off two Castiles, the empire seemed to settle down for a short while.
Of course, settling down was only from the perspective of other places; in the barren red rock formations of Albar Rock Area, a group of gold miners was standing off against the empire’s experts and engineers.
“What a little brat! Have you ever heard of the Bloodstone Alliance?”
The burly miners rolled up their sleeves. After all, since starting to dig magic stones at Albar, they had never taken such a hit. In their eyes, they had no conception of the empire; even Avar people coming to this chaotic place would get a beating, let alone those coming from Castile.
They indeed had the backing, for their influence was very complex, not only consisting of many professionals but also having the Dragon Church involved. After all, the magic stone was a big business.
Sidney didn’t care about the shouting gold miners. Instead, he gazed at the magical terrain and said to Myron beside him, “It seems that my earlier paper was indeed wrong; the generation of magic stones has no direct relationship with the environment.”
“That’s alright; you can rewrite it.”
Myron took a cola out of his shoulder-mounted cooler and handed it to Sidney.
“No, let’s leave these opportunities to the younger generation. His Majesty the Emperor previously invited me to participate in the construction of the ‘Eternal Well,’ which can continually generate energy. I looked at it; it is truly magnificent, but this plan is still in the theoretical stage, and I am old. There are no more days left for me to complete this plan.”
Sidney took a big gulp of cola, instantly feeling refreshed.
“The drink promoted by the Female Pope really tastes good, but the sugar content is a bit high.”
Myron agreed, “Yes, it’s better chilled.”
At this moment, facing those shouting gold miners, the empire’s soldiers had brought in the freshly trained recruits to the front line.
“I am old, so after sorting out my theories, I handed all my research results to Lysha. She is still young and might lead the new experts to complete His Majesty the Emperor’s grand plan.”
Hearing this, Myron laughed, “So the chief rune master of the empire chose self-exile to come to this place?”
The soldiers began firing, and the gold miners were soon caught up in a melee. Some professionals among the miners also came into play, joining the battle, while the Lars Knights behind Myron all donned powered armor, engaging in fierce combat with the professionals.
“Self-exile doesn’t quite fit; crossing the Sea of Instability is a good experimental opportunity. With the empire’s latest instruments and the knowledge His Majesty learned from the goddess, I’ve gained some new understanding of magic power. That alone is not wasted effort.”
Sidney glanced at the gold miners who were elbowed aside by the Lars Knights and continued, “Moreover, I am hardly that little guy’s teacher; that title was merely given by His Majesty out of consideration for the little fellow. I am ultimately just a remnant of the old era; the new era should be left to the younger generation.”
Just then, dragons roared, and two dragons swooped down from the sky, seemingly already prepared to protect Albar Rock Area.
“Hahaha, what nonsense are you talking? I remember your old bones were pretty capable when facing the Lars Knights, right?”
“Come on, let’s bring those dragons down!”
