Magic Industrial Age.

Chapter 431, Page 429: The Quad Meeting (Please Subscribe)
Dolphin Island.

This is an island in the Silver Sea, under the rule of the Bonaparte Empire, because it is only a dozen nautical miles from the coastline of the Bonaparte Empire.

Of course, this place is also very close to the Kingdom of Sardinia.

Standing on Dolphin Island, if the weather is good, you can see rolling mountains at the edge of your field of vision.

That's where the Kingdom of Sardinia is located!
Therefore, it's hard to say what the true ownership of this island is, but neither of the two major powers seem inclined to argue about it.

Because it really doesn't have many resources, and its geographical location isn't exactly advantageous.
The only redeeming feature is the pleasant environment, the mild climate, and the dolphins that inhabit the surrounding area.

These sea creatures are intelligent, mischievous, and playful, but they are also kind and love to rescue people who have fallen into the water.

Over time, tourism has become a pillar industry here.

Several luxury hotels cover this area, making it a popular choice for nobles and wealthy businessmen who want to vacation and enjoy the fun of beaches, surfing, and seafood.

They allow children to play freely in the sea, and the dolphins will drive away all large marine mammals and rescue drowning children.

Of course, in return, the hotel will provide the dolphins with plenty of small fish and shrimp.

The two sides have benefited from each other for many years.

However, at some point, this place was suddenly sealed off by knights.

They did not raise banners, but their fine knight armor, the horses they rode on (either of which were of magical beast lineage or were actually magical beast mounts), and the magical weapons they carried all indicated their noble status.

They were very impatient with the island's residents and tourists. Although they did not go on a killing spree, they drove them into their houses and refused to let them out.

But even so, they were merely guards.

A magician descended from the sky and, after several days of busy work in the pioneering area of ​​the island, erected four teleportation portals.

Then, truly noble people came to the island.

Some wealthy businessmen secretly watched and even spotted people wearing golden crowns or red clothes.

This discovery has truly terrified many people, who fear they may have been drawn into some secret affair and murdered to silence them.

Fortunately, nobody was interested in them; in fact, most people didn't even bother to give them a second glance.

Like an eagle soaring in the sky, it doesn't care about ants on the ground.

And it wasn't until it all ended, until they were able to escape, that these people realized what they had gone through.

Only then did I learn what had happened on that island!
For the coalition forces, finding a suitable place for a three-way meeting is actually not easy.

No one wants to hold a meeting on someone else's turf, because that would inherently deprive them of some say.

In that case, the Papal States would be the most suitable!
There, with the Church of the Sun God keeping things under control, everyone was able to remain much calmer.

But the church objected!
They just announced that they wouldn't get involved in worldly wars, and now they're making an exception? Isn't that just contradicting themselves?
As a result, after discussion, they decided to hold the meeting on Dolphin Island.

Royal knights dispatched from three foreign countries blockaded the island, allowing entry but not exit.

The remote teleportation portal ensures freedom of movement and avoids wasting time on the journey.

As for the attendees, they are all top-tier figures.

The Bonaparte Empire sent the Crown Prince, a shrewd and experienced foreign minister, and Marshal Joffre was also present.

In the Kingdom of Sardinia, the queen's eldest son, though not yet crowned heir, enjoys immense prestige.

And his partner was none other than the Imperial Navy Marshal.

In other countries, the army has always been the most important force, and marshals are generally selected and promoted from within the army.

In the Kingdom of Sardinia, however, the navy is the foundation of the nation, and this naval admiral is almost equivalent to the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

As for the Slavic Empire, the eldest son of this generation is a typical wastrel and is not capable of being trusted.

So the eldest princess, along with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Military Affairs, came.

Finally, the Church of the Sun, which presided over the meeting, sent its top-ranking cardinal to the event.

This scale is considered top-tier in diplomatic negotiations.

Moreover, this is not the limit.

The reason for setting up the remote teleportation portal is that, if needed, the emperors and popes can directly land on the island.

However, negotiation is all about talking first and then deciding!

Even if we can't reach an agreement, the talks break down, or we end up arguing fiercely when these people come, it doesn't matter.

At worst, the emperor or the pope can step in and suppress the matter.

But if the most powerful people in the world meet and fail to reach an agreement, things will fall apart, and there will be no way to resolve the situation.

Therefore, the fact that these people came forward already indicates the importance of this meeting.

The most important topic they discussed was naturally uniting to resist the invasion of the Habsburg Empire.

There's not much to say about this, because with different systems there's basically no room for compromise. If the three kingdoms didn't want to be swallowed up, they had to cooperate sincerely.

Therefore, this topic was moved on very quickly.

Thus, the allied forces truly became a legitimate allied forces.

With the resolution to establish the coalition in place, many subsequent matters became easier to discuss.

For example, each of the three countries established a war coordination department, and they had to be informed of any major actions first.

For example, in the Battle of the Marne, if the Bonaparte Empire were on this side, it could have communicated with the Slavic Empire first.

Even if the Slavic Empire only made a show of sending troops, it could still divert the attention of the Habsburg Empire.

For example, the Bonaparte Empire suffered heavy losses and was severely damaged. The high military expenditure was simply too much for them, so they needed some support from the other two countries.

Giving it away for free is impossible, but lending it out with agreed-upon interest is possible.

Of course, in terms of money, what Bonaparte needed most was food, magical items, potions, and weapons. The losses from war are extremely staggering; not to mention magical weapons, there is a huge shortage even of simple melee weapons and armor.

This requires the help of allies to get through this difficult time.

Regarding the purchase and distribution of magical weapons, although money was spent on them, Loy distributed them in batches.

Who goes first? Who goes last? Who gets more? Who gets less?
This is also a point of contention!
Furthermore, because this agreement was negotiated by Grand Duke Carlisle, the Bonaparte Empire had a certain degree of influence.

The first thing they did was to explicitly prohibit other countries from contacting Loy privately in any form.

The reason given is to avoid excessively high prices for magic weapons caused by multiple bidders competing for the same item.

This reason is actually plausible, because the price of magic-powered weapons on the black market has almost doubled.

Moreover, the more a weapon is used by the empire, the more expensive it is!

Of course, while it may sound plausible, everyone is aware of the underlying scheming.

However, the Bonaparte Empire is currently the one that needs magical weapons the most, so everyone has tacitly accepted it.

The only time the Bonaparte Empire made a certain request was when the cardinal presiding over the meeting became very angry.

He even started yelling and cursing right there in the meeting!

They condemned the delusional fantasies of a certain illegitimate child, the ingratitude of the three great empires, and the blasphemy against the gods.

But the result was still quite unexpected.

For the sake of the greater good, the cardinal had no choice but to acquiesce.

However, the condition for receiving this was that the distribution of magical weapons was divided into four parts.

The Church of the Sun God also wants a share!

The church is dedicated to spreading the faith, but they are respected not just for their faith, but for the power they wield.

What did that sentence say?

If you don't understand faith, I actually know a bit about martial arts!
This statement couldn't be more true when applied to the Church of the Sun.

Nowadays, it's normal for the church to want to study firearms and cannons.

Perhaps before long, they will baptize the cannons and guns, declaring that everyone killed by these weapons is guilty.

It should be said that, thanks to the immense pressure exerted by the Habsburg Empire, the Dolphin Island Conference proceeded quite smoothly.

Even the most contentious issue of troop numbers was resolved in less than a day.

The tripartite agreement was reached, and with the church as witness, all parties were stamped with the royal insignia.

However, this peaceful atmosphere turned into a heated argument after the last supplementary issue was raised.

On that day, the clear sky even became overcast due to the anger of some people.

On that day, the lively and playful dolphins, under the pervasive oppressive atmosphere, all huddled in their nests, trembling with fear.

On that day, all the tourists and residents on the island huddled under their blankets, sweating profusely with tension.

Even the powerful knights and the mages guarding them lowered their heads, like ostriches, afraid that the sounds would penetrate their ears.

On that day, the voice of the cardinal resounded throughout the heavens and earth.

"You actually want to promote magic-powered machinery?"

"Are you all crazy?"

"The Church will absolutely not allow you to do this! You are digging your own grave! This is also a betrayal of the Sun God!"

"Great God! Why don't you punish these traitors by burning them alive?"

"They will wail and cry in the flames, in this life and for all eternity!"

His voice was loud, but it wasn't just his voice; an even louder voice followed.

"We want to promote magical machinery, but who said we've betrayed the Sun God?"

"Is it an agreement that matters of faith belong to the gods, and mortal territory belongs to the nobles?"

"Besides, what should we do if we don't promote it?"

"Simply spending money to buy weapons—do you know how much gold that would cost? Most importantly, we'd never get the most advanced weapons."
"On the battlefield, must one use their flesh and blood to stop bullets?"

"Even a third-tier transcendent being might not be able to withstand the hail of bullets fired from a heavy machine gun!"

"But how many Tier 3 Transcendent beings do we have to fill this bottomless battlefield?"

"If we don't find a way to change things, we'll lose the day when natural disasters and legends are exhausted!"
The Old World is finished!

This argument didn't actually have a final outcome; all that happened was for everyone to go home and make their own arrangements and try things out.

If you don't learn advanced techniques, you'll only be able to passively take hits on the battlefield.

The three great empires felt this deeply, and they absolutely did not want to remain so powerless on future battlefields.

Moreover, the Empire's current magical weapons have not yet been able to inflict widespread damage on fourth-tier calamities.

But that's all for now!

Given the speed at which the Empire updates its weapons, if even the powerful beings of the Heavenly Calamity are no longer a threat, it will be too late for them to catch up, even if they want to.

Therefore, this final issue is less about gaining the church's consent and more like a notification.

In fact, Luo Yi had already drawn a conclusion about this farce a long time ago.

The Habsburg Empire may fail, but magical machinery will inevitably be adopted!

　Update, update!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)