Magic Industrial Age.

Chapter 408-406: Only Stand on the Winner's Side (Bonus Chapter 16)

"Hehehe!"

"Hey hey hey hey!"

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

Luo Yi first sneered, then mocked, then burst into laughter, and finally laughed so hard she was doubled over, slapping the table.

Suddenly, his smile vanished, and he regained his composure completely, saying, "Lord Carlisle, you seem to rarely communicate with people on an equal footing?"

"First, they throw out sensational arguments to intimidate people, then they use their silver tongues to spread rumors and confuse right and wrong."

To be honest, this kind of negotiation skill is really rudimentary!

"I'm willing to talk, but you can't treat me like a fool."

Luo Yi's face was undisguised in his sarcasm. After a slight pause, he continued, "Fine, since you want to do it this way, then I'll listen to your brilliant ideas."

As he said this, he gestured for him to continue, and asked, "Would you like to continue?"

Grand Duke Carlisle's face turned pale and then purple as he was mocked by Roy. Even though the swelling hadn't subsided, his unpleasant expression was still evident.

He paused for a long time before taking out a cigar from his dimensional bag, cutting off the end, lighting it, and taking a few deep puffs.

As smoke billowed from his mouth and nose, obscuring his expression, he seemed to finally calm down in the hazy light.

Duke Carlisle removed the cigar from his right hand, looked at Loy, and said, "I haven't seen someone like you in a long time. You can stir up my emotions with just a few words."

"Such seasoned and shrewd people don't seem like they're this age?"

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Grand Duke Carlisle didn't respond. He took another puff of his cigar before continuing, "I'm curious, aren't you worried at all about the defeat of the Habsburg Empire?"

"Or are you so convinced that the Habsburg Empire will ultimately prevail?"

As he said this, he immediately added, "I know that, in the eyes of people like you, the old system represents decay, corruption, and inefficiency."

I also acknowledge that the Bonaparte Empire revealed many fatal weaknesses during this war.

"However, the old system also represents the interests of most countries, a rich heritage, and a number of powerful individuals beyond your imagination."

Upon hearing this, Luo Yi waved her hand and said, "It seems that under the current circumstances, third-tier transcendents can no longer dominate the battlefield?"

Grand Duke Carlisle: "Indeed, but magic cannons and heavy machine guns still seem so powerless when facing a fourth-tier calamity."

Loy: "I don't deny that, but how do you know that the Empire doesn't have any new methods?"

Your Warcraft Knights and Wyvern Knights have made their appearance and are very strong, but the Empire has also brought out countermeasures such as magic-powered flying vehicles, six-barreled Gatling guns, and sniper rifles.

You know what happened to be missing from the back?

Grand Duke Carlisle added, "We still have enough legendary experts."

"With the power of a single nation challenging the entire old aristocratic system, I don't need to elaborate on which side those legends who have withstood the test of time will stand on, do I?"

Luo Yi retorted: "But I remember that legends are not allowed to get involved in mortal wars, right?"
Those who violate this rule will be subject to extremely severe punishment!

Grand Duke Carlisle: "But you seem to have forgotten that it is the Church, the oracle of the Sun God, that establishes and maintains this order."

But the Church of the Sun God is least likely to tolerate heretics, so do you really think the Church and that great being mentioned above will just sit idly by?

Luo Yi: "But don't forget, the state religion of the Habsburg Empire is the Seven Gods. If that one takes action, do you think the Seven Gods and the Church of the Empire will just stand by and do nothing?"

As he said this, he gestured with his hand: "That's seven against one!"

Grand Duke Carlisle's face twitched again, his chest heaving like a bellows. He had never imagined that his opponent would be so difficult to deal with.

He even questioned again: "Are you really so sure that the Habsburg Empire will win?"

This was even an outburst from his inability to refute the argument; he repeated the same words twice.

To his surprise, this time, Luo Yi slowly shook her head and said, "I was never sure!"

"What did you say?"

At this moment, Grand Duke Carlisle could not hide his astonishment:

Luo Yi slowly spoke: "The empire has its advantages. Its productivity is indeed ahead of the times. If we're talking about mortal warfare, artillery and heavy machine guns could have crushed the former knightly order."

However, what you said makes sense!

When pushed to the limit, numerous powerful figures will emerge, natural disasters will be as common as dogs, legends will abound, and even the Church will be forced to act recklessly. The great beings at the top can no longer hold back.

So, I'm not sure who will win or lose!

Grand Duke Carlisle countered, "If that's the case, why are you so determined to stand on the side of the Habsburg Empire?"

Luo Yi retorted in kind, "Which eye of yours saw me firmly standing on the side of the Empire?"

Grand Duke Carlisle was taken aback upon hearing this, and then said, "As far as I know, some of the most advanced magical weapons, processing machinery, and elixirs in the Habs Empire are provided by your Flower Territory."

Moreover, the group you're with in Auckland even undertook most of the railway construction projects.

Doesn't that prove it?

"What does this mean?"

Luo Yi couldn't help but roll her eyes: "This only proves that the Empire gave me an order, and I provided manpower, resources, and materials to produce a portion of the products for the Empire."

"How can something as simple as exchanging money for goods be considered taking sides?"

"By choosing sides, I either directly send troops to participate in the war, or I issue a clear declaration to the outside world in the name of the Earl."

Do you have these?

“No, not at all!” Grand Duke Carlisle added, “But didn’t you accept aid from the Habsburg Empire? All these magical machines, were they the technology and personnel they sent out?”

"But I paid! All their aid was bought with my own money, such a large sum of money, so what?"

Grand Duke Carlisle blinked, seemingly confused and bewildered: "No, no, the situation in your Duchy of Normandy, it's not, it's not..."

"How dare you say that! A perfectly good duchy has to be divided into two factions. Do you think we wanted this? Weren't we forced into it by you?"

Maintaining stability and peace in the duchy is proving to be no easy task for us!

"Wait a minute, wait a bit!"

Grand Duke Carlisle waved his hand to stop Lloyd from speaking. He narrowed his eyes slightly, took a few more puffs of his cigar, and finally sorted out his thoughts.

He said, "You mean, your relationship with the Habsburg Empire is just a transaction?"

"Yup!"

"So, the products we sell to them can also be sold to us?"

"As long as the price is fair, we will absolutely not cheat anyone, young or old!"

"Even those heavy machine guns and magic cannons are like that?"

Luo Yi reached out, took out her dimensional bag, infused it with magic, and with a backhand motion, pulled out a Maxim magic-powered heavy machine gun.
He tossed it in his hand, then tossed it over, saying, "Isn't this what you wanted?"

Grand Duke Carlisle hurriedly dropped his cigar, reached out and took the magic-powered gun, which was made of pure metal and was quite heavy, yet it also had a mechanical beauty.

Grand Duke Carlisle stroked the surface of the gun, feeling the coldness and chill of the steel, his expression surprisingly fanatical.

He looked up again, and asked uncertainly, "Are you really willing to sell?"

"As long as the price you offer is right!"

As Luo Yi said this, she seemed to have thought of something again. After a moment of hesitation, she said, "However, there are some things I need to clarify first."

"I knew it, you definitely would..."

"Don't jump to conclusions so quickly, let me finish."

"What do you say!"

"First of all, the production capacity of my Flower Territory is limited, and we must prioritize the Empire, since their orders were placed first."

You can have them, but you'll have to wait in line!

How long will it take exactly?

"That depends on your orders and quantities. I'm currently expanding the industrial park and actively increasing production capacity, but this will take some time."

Of course, this refers to the latest magical weapons. If you're looking for slightly less powerful ones, I have plenty in stock; you can use those first!

"really?"

"It couldn't be more real! However, we need to conduct these transactions privately, quietly."

Otherwise, if the Empire finds out, it will cause a huge uproar, and that wouldn't be good!

"That's easy! We'll definitely be very careful."

Grand Duke Carlisle felt as if he were dreaming.

His primary task on this trip was, of course, to win over the Flower Territory, and ideally, to persuade Loy to stab the Habsburg Empire in the back.

The problem is, everyone knows this task is impossible!
The Bonaparte Empire is currently unable to muster the absolute power to coerce Roy into submission.

However, besides his primary task, he also has a secondary task, and it could even be said that this secondary task is what everyone is looking forward to.

That is to obtain enough magical weapons through the Flower Clan!

The series of wars served as a wake-up call for these old nobles, waking them up.

They also knew that the Knights' fighting strength was outdated, and that legions equipped with magical weapons were the future.

When people are beaten and it hurts, they start to think about correcting their ways.

However, if you want to acquire magical weapons in large quantities, you have to search the entire Old World. Apart from the Habsburg Empire, the only other place is the Flower Territory.

Grand Duke Carlisle was thus forced to leave the battlefield and arrive here. In fact, he even got a good beating in order to get Roy to sit down and have a proper talk!
However, even he hadn't expected the task to be completed so easily.

At this moment, Loy knew he had achieved his goal, and he said, "Grand Duke Carlisle, you just asked me which side the Flower Territory is on?"

"Then I can tell you definitively now!"

"If you want me to organize an army to attack the Habsburg Empire from behind, I definitely won't be happy about it."

Similarly, I will not agree to the Empire sending troops to fight.

"I only stand with the winner!"

Grand Duke Carlisle pondered the words: "The winner's side, huh?"

Luo Yi added, "I'm just a minor count, and I don't have that much ambition. Everything I do is to maintain the stability of my territory while trying to develop it as much as possible."

"Therefore, I only stand on the winner's side!"

"This is our survival strategy as a minor noble family."

"Furthermore, I have a question: why are you so hostile to the promotion of magic energy industries?"

　I have a little recommendation for today, so I'll start with this update!
　　

(End of this chapter)