Magic Industrial Age.

Chapter 432-430: Persuading the Red Dragon (Bonus Chapter 5)

The Quadrilateral Conference, also known as the Dolphin Island Conference, was a high-level meeting that remained largely unknown for a long time, yet it played a crucial role in the subsequent war.

There are no permanent allies between nations, only permanent interests.

Moreover, the major powers of the Old World have always been engaged in fierce competition, both openly and covertly.

The Bonaparte Empire and the Slavic Empire were located in the west and east respectively, and were too far apart to have major territorial conflicts.

However, the Bonaparte Empire and the Kingdom of Sardinia have always been in constant competition over maritime trade, colonial ownership, mining, and other areas.

Competition takes all forms—overt and covert—ambush, piracy, price wars, and so on.

How good are their relationship?
It's a joke!

For example, this time, although it was called a coalition, the Kingdom of Sardinia also sent an army, but from beginning to end, they were almost invisible.

They did almost nothing, yet they ran much faster than Bonaparte's army!
This meeting, of course, could not resolve these conflicts, but it sought common ground while reserving differences.

All discord was suppressed, and everything was focused on war!

Therefore, don't think that it's just a few pieces of paper and a signature. When all four parties agree, this agreement is sacred and inviolable.

However, this meeting also sowed the seeds of huge hidden dangers!
The final supplementary issue, which seemed to involve endless arguments and did not seem to affect the sincere cooperation among all parties, only revealed its power much later.

Only then did people realize that irreconcilable conflicts had already emerged.

Of course, what Luo Yi didn't expect was that he thought he was just a middleman, making some profit from the price difference.

But in the end, you'll become an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire!
He knows none of this yet, so he is currently preparing for his underwater journey.

……

Inside the golden house.

The magic mirror lights up, the camera shakes, and like fleeting glimpses, it reveals the scenery of the earth.

What you can see is two trenches, about a few hundred meters apart, on the undulating land, like two parallel lines.

Inside the trench, two groups of soldiers, clearly dressed in different uniforms, lay prone, engaged in combat.

Some places are uneventful, without any ripples; others are more intense, with machine gun fire and close-quarters combat.

It is worth mentioning that the coalition forces have made significant improvements.

At least, you won't see hordes of knights charging, nor will you see soldiers clad in heavy knight armor swaggering around on the ground.

Occasionally, when they charge, they have to crawl on the ground, emphasizing agility and speed.

While magical weapons do exist, their numbers are limited, and they are mostly carried by elite soldiers who are generally not deployed.

Therefore, cold weapons remained the mainstream, with most people using lightweight short spears or sharp short swords.

Can you imagine the scene of mowing grass while using cold weapons to resist a hail of bullets?

Therefore, the allied forces focused primarily on defense.

Let the imperial soldiers charge forward; once they reach the trenches, they can engage in hand-to-hand combat with cold weapons. As long as they are fierce enough, they can repel the enemy.

In this way, with the help of even more extraordinary experts leading the charge, they withstood attack after attack.

Of course, from time to time, the two sides will also exchange fire.

On the Empire's side, the magic cannons were firing at full power, the explosions tearing the battlefield apart again and again.

Many people are not killed by the explosion, but by the shockwave. They may not look outwardly injured, but their internal organs are shattered.

Fresh blood flowed from his seven orifices, and then he stopped breathing, a truly tragic sight.

On the coalition side, although they also had magic cannons, their accuracy and range were insufficient.

Therefore, they retaliated with magic cannons, trebuchets, large magic ballistae, and area-of-effect spells from the mage ranks.

The main problem is that if the quality is insufficient, quantity will compensate.

In terms of lethality and accuracy, it is naturally much worse, but because of its variety of styles, it can occasionally play a very good role.

For example, large-scale spells like earthquakes or meteor showers can always catch Imperial soldiers off guard.

Of course, in terms of the intensity of the war, it was not comparable to the Battle of the Marne, and it was even less than some of the previous major battles.

Perhaps having witnessed the climax of the battlefield, the present seems too ordinary.

Since everyone found it boring to watch, the Demon Eye Alliance had to keep searching for relatively intense battlefields to broadcast live.

Virgil the Red Dragon sat cross-legged on his golden bed, hunched over, looking just like an ordinary old man.

Upon hearing Luo Yi's words, he finally looked away from the magic mirror, tilted his head slightly, looked at Luo Yi, and asked, "Wait, what did you just say?"

"You want to go to the underwater world, to R'lyeh? To rescue that little sea monster? To do business with the Naga princess?"

Luo Yi asked, "Do you think this is feasible?"

"are you crazy!"

"The sea people have their own set of logic and customs, which, in modern terms, is their culture—barbaric and bloody."

"You think it won't be easy to do business with them properly!"

This is Virgil the Red Dragon's assessment, followed by the question: "So, if you can avoid going, then don't go!"

Luo Yi said, "Even if the business deal falls through, we still have to save Alexius the Siren King; he's an important partner of mine."

That's not untrue. Silver amber is a major commodity in the underwater trade, and Loy has become the largest supplier of silver amber in the northern magical world of the empire.

Before, he had to hide it, but now he's doing it openly and honestly.

After a slight pause, Loy asked again, "So, are you going or not?" The red dragon Virgil shook his head vigorously, like a rattle-drum: "No, no!"

"I am a dragon! An ancient red dragon! A fire-breathing dragon!"

"You can let me soak in lava as easily as taking a hot bath, but I can't unleash my full potential underwater!"

"How about I offer you shares, shares in Raymond Magic Energy Group?"

"This, this..."

"Your Excellency, you should have seen how booming the business is in the territory."

Last year was just a small test, but look at it now, the industrial zone is almost bursting at the seams, with all industries experiencing several times the growth.

As for profits, if by the end of this year they are not ten times that of last year, you can come and cause me trouble.

So, before you refuse, think about your earnings from last year?

And then think about the returns that increased tenfold?

Finally, how about another 2% return?

"Use your dragon race's arithmetic to calculate it properly, just how enormous is that wealth?!"

Loy's words were calm, but to the red dragon Virgil, they sounded like a devil's temptation.

His eyes involuntarily turned bloodshot, transforming into dragon eyes, yet he still struggled to say, "I want 5%, yes, just 5%, I'll accompany you to the underwater world."

"Don't worry, with me here, even if a riot breaks out in the Naga Empire, I can protect you."

Loy slowly shook her head: "5% is too much, but if you can persuade Grand Duke Karen to go with you, I'll agree!"

"You mean, give me 3%, give him 2%, and then let the two of us go on an adventure with you?"
"And I also have to help you persuade that guy Edward Cullen, who only knows how to live a reclusive life. Do you think that's possible?"

Virgil the Red Dragon seemed very angry, and jumped up, looking defiant.

Kroy's next words silenced him.

“What I mean is, the 5% stake is a gift from me! As for how to persuade Grand Duke Edward Cullen, that’s your problem…”

With just one sentence, Virgil the Red Dragon's expression froze, and countless ways to persuade Grand Duke Karen flashed through his mind.

They didn't use Kintil, they used shares!

After a pause, Luo Yi added, "Furthermore, it's important to note that this trip to the underwater world of R'lyeh..."

We're there to rescue people, and also to discuss business!

"Avoid fighting if possible; prioritize deterrence!"

"I believe that even that princess would remain calm when facing two legends!"

"I know, I know! That's the underwater world. I wouldn't have intervened unless it was a critical moment."

"Then it's settled?"

"Ok, deal!"

clap clap clap!
They clapped their hands to pledge their oath, and the three crisp sounds echoed throughout the golden house.

Then, Virgil the Red Dragon saw that Roy's nose was not a nose and his eyes were not eyes.

"Are you alright now? If you are, leave as soon as possible. I get annoyed just looking at you."

"I'll go then, but you have to keep things in mind! I have to leave tomorrow, or at the latest the day after."

If you can't handle Grand Duke Cullen, then I'm sorry, but you'll only have 3% of the shares left. Don't accuse me of breaking my promise.

"roll roll roll!"

Loy left with light steps, while the red dragon Virgil stared at the magic mirror, growing angrier the more he thought about it.

Then, magic surged, and the magic mirror screen went black.
He hurried out of the temple, out of Brussels, and headed towards the Dome Mountains.

Loy is infuriating, but gold is innocent, so even if it's tied up, Grand Duke Karen has to go with him.

……

Luo Yi's style of doing things is always to consider defeat before victory!

Therefore, he likes to consider all risks in advance and make arrangements as properly as possible.

Why did he dare to go to R'lyeh?

It was because he was confident in his own strength; a fourth-tier Calamity Realm expert was comparable to a fifth-tier one, plus two genuine legendary powerhouses...

He doesn't believe it!
What kind of dangerous place is Naralaya that he cannot go to?
It's worth mentioning that Otto, the Flame Sword Saint, went to Auckland City to replace Phil, the Iron Knight.

The reason why Roy sent the Iron Knight to protect Maruna was because he was a standard guardian knight with strong defense and a griffin mount.

In case of danger, riding a mount would allow Maruna to escape, making him a better fit than Otto, who excels in combat.

But now, since he was heading to the underwater world, Otto's fire-attribute battle aura became a limitation. Therefore, he went to Auckland City through the Empire's teleportation portal.
The purpose was to bring back Iron Knight Phil.

On this trip, Luo Yi didn't plan to bring too many people. The lowest level they would be was fourth-tier, otherwise going to the seabed would be more harmful than beneficial!
Of course, some follow-up arrangements are still necessary; it's better to be safe than sorry!
Two days later, after all this was done, the red dragon Virgil returned, accompanied by Grand Duke Karen.

Although his expression was somewhat unpleasant, he still nodded politely to Luo Yi.

Then, a large group of people headed towards the Silver Sea.

There, the Blood Gate teleportation array, unique to the underwater world, was already prepared.

　Here's the first update!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)