Magic Industrial Age.

Chapter 438-436: The Alliance Inspection Team (Please Subscribe)
Siren Harbor.

The governing hall, third floor, living room.

Grand Duke Carlisle stood by the window, looking down from his vantage point.

As far as he could see, there were seven piers along the coastline, all in full operation.

One of the docks was where passenger ships docked, and people were getting on and off, most of them carrying luggage and bags.

Along the way, there were many people holding signs and waiting.

The passenger ship had a huge volume of traffic, with a passenger flow that was almost exaggerated. From a distance, it looked like a densely packed mass of people, shoulder to shoulder.

Of course, this is related to the current chaos in the Silver Sea, and Siren Port is one of the few safe ports, but it already shows how large the population throughput is.

As for the other six wharves, they are all used for loading and unloading cargo, with three mainly for loading and three mainly for unloading.

All the cargo ships had license plates, and they were lined up one after another.

The dockworkers and porters have no shortage of work. They are mostly wearing short sleeves and bare-armed, working hard and sweating profusely.

Grand Duke Carlisle even saw warriors and mages acting as porters.

Although there are loading and unloading tools such as flatbed trucks and pulleys here, it is still very inconvenient to load and unload many large items.

This is where the incredibly strong warriors come in handy. Their robust physiques allow them to carry heavier items, and speed isn't the most important factor; stability is key.

If all else fails, a mage can be hired.

The techniques they used, such as 'feather falling' and 'levitation,' could greatly reduce the weight of the cargo.

To outsiders, it seems like a waste for warriors and mages to do this kind of work.

But Grand Duke Carlisle thought differently!

The existence of such a market indicates the existence of such demand, and these professionals must be able to earn a high salary here in order to engage in this work.

Grand Duke Carlisle was no stranger to the world; he had traveled to many places, but even in the Kingdom of Sardinia, he had never seen such a bustling port.

He took a deep breath, shifted his gaze from the dock to the buildings of varying heights, and saw all kinds of shops.

The streets were bustling with people, and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares and people talking filled the air, creating a lively atmosphere.

As he reached the horizon, he saw a bustling construction site and buildings rising from the ground.

Countless construction workers were busy there, like industrious ants.

He had been to Siren Harbor before; the first time he came, his moonship flew overhead.

Back then, Siren Harbor was just a tiny place, at most the size of a small town.

But now?

This is already a city!
The mobility of the population here ensures its vitality and development potential.

Perhaps, before long, this place will become a major port comparable to those with access to the sea, handling an astonishing amount of wealth every year.

This feeling of watching a city develop step by step is truly... frustrating!

The reason for his frustration is that this isn't his!

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Archduke Carlisle couldn't resist taking a cigar from a box beside him, cutting off the end, lighting it, and taking a puff.

But instead of enjoying the pleasure of nicotine, he became even more irritable.

He came here on a mission.

But this task is really quite difficult.

Just as he was pondering this, the door was pushed open, and Luo Yi strode in, her expression tense and her face grim.

He ignored Archduke Carlisle and sat down in the main seat of the living room without even glancing at him.

Oliveira followed slowly behind him, his expression even more blank.

Then a maid brought tea and snacks, but upon seeing this scene, she looked frightened and hesitated to move forward.

Grand Duke Carlisle strode up to the maid, accepted the tea and refreshments, and then waved for her to leave.

The maid fled as if she were running away, forgetting to even close the door.

He shook his head, closed the door again, and even thoughtfully locked it. When he turned around, his arrogant demeanor as a duke was nowhere to be seen.

With a slight bow and a smile, he took a few steps forward and, like a jester, handed over the tea.

"Count Loy, please have some tea!"

"Don't drink!"

"Would you like a snack?"

"Don't eat!"

"How about a cigar? Mine was imported from Cuba. It's absolutely the best cigar in the world, bar none."

"Don't smoke!"

Loy finally looked up, glancing sideways at Grand Duke Carlisle, and said, "Grand Duke Carlisle, I still prefer your unruly self from back then!"

Grand Duke Carlisle's smile grew even brighter: "In life, one must know when to bow one's head; I understand that rule!"

Seeing his meek and submissive demeanor, Luo Yi wanted to say something, but couldn't help but sigh and say, "There are some things, it's not that I don't agree, it's that I can't agree!"

"Our deal, though known only to you, me, and some high-ranking officials in the empire, is ultimately something that cannot be openly discussed."

"But what about you? You actually want to form a group and come here for some kind of inspection?"

"What the hell? Aren't you feudal lords? What kind of business is it to examine my magical machinery?"

"Am I lacking your cannons or firearms? Why don't you go and inspect the Empire?" Loy's resentment was understandable; inspection?

I wonder which brilliant person came up with this idea?

Isn't this just self-destruction?

"Would you believe me if I said I was forced into this situation?"

"I believe you! But you were forced into it, what does that have to do with me?"

Loy continued her tirade: "Grand Duke Carlisle, you need to understand one thing: the Empire and the Alliance are enemies, and they are still at war!"
"If you come here to conduct research, and word gets out, what will the citizens of the Empire think?"

"Will they tolerate this act of aiding the enemy? If the opposition is too strong, are you sure you can still get guns and cannons from me?"

"Can you bear the consequences, or can I?"

"Calm down, calm down first!"

Grand Duke Carlisle had never felt so humiliated as he was today, being berated and left looking disheveled, yet forced to force a smile.

This was not the way the Carlisle family operated. Even he himself was cursing the Allied forces to the bone in his heart.

But there's no other way; things still have to be done!

Taking another deep breath to suppress the surging emotions in his heart, Grand Duke Carlisle plopped down on the ground.

He organized his thoughts before saying, "Luo Yi, are you aware of the four-party meeting a few days ago?"

"do not know!"

"It's okay if you don't know, but there are some things you've probably heard about."

The Empire used magical weapons to destroy our defenses, which also garnered a large following for magical machinery within the Empire.

After a pause, Grand Duke Carlisle continued, "Actually, we've had these supporters before, mainly merchants, students, sailors, and mechanical mages."

They were severely suppressed before, and had no say in anything!

"This time, the defeat in the war gave them an opportunity, and they strongly advocated that the development of magic energy industry was necessary to save the country and its people."

Their conflict with conservatives is now escalating.

Luo Yi picked up the conversation, saying, "That alone might not be enough, right? If you say there's no one supporting us, I simply won't believe it!"

"That's right, there is someone supporting him, and it's the highest-ranking one at that."

Actually, we see clearly that some things are unstoppable, but even if change is to be made, that person can't do it all by themselves; someone has to step up.

"The result is what we have now. Find a successful place, take a look, learn from it, have a goal, and then work hard."

And then, it gets to you.

This was the first time Luo Yi had heard the whole story, and it made sense, but he still said, "The problem is, no matter how eloquently you describe it, I have no way to make it happen!"

"Couldn't you have come sneakily? Or at least cover it up?"

"You probably don't know how many people from the Empire are here with me; there's no way I can fool you."
Therefore, sneaking around is impossible, unless…

At this point, Luo Yi paused, as if she had thought of something, but then shook her head to herself.

Grand Duke Carlisle quickly said, "Unless what? Loy, just tell me what you think is best."

"Unless the Empire agrees!"

"is it possible?"

"It's difficult and quite troublesome, so let's just forget about it."

"do not!"

Grand Duke Carlisle immediately said, "Loy, why don't you hear what we can offer first?"

What can you offer?

"Firstly, regarding the fourth-tier awakening potion, which you previously intended to exchange for, this time we can arrange for a potion master to specially refine it."

And three bottles at that!

"What about the second?"

"Secondly, didn't you want secret knowledge last time?"

The three imperial families will each provide a batch of books from their collections for you to copy, thereby enhancing the Raymond family's prestige.

"This is good, but it's still not enough!"

"Sacred techniques, secret sacred techniques. We heard you're looking for this. We'll make a list."

These are the complete versions of secret sacred techniques that the three great empires can offer; you can choose three!

This time, Luo Yi was truly tempted. He narrowed his eyes slightly before saying, "You really know exactly what I need. You've given me exactly what I want."

"Then you agreed?"

"Answer me one more question!"

"you say?"

"I've heard people say that I'm quite famous these days. Is that true?"

"real!"

"Then tell me, which bastard helped me become famous? I'll beat him to a pulp!"

　Second update!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)