Magic Industrial Age.

Chapter 475-473: Pre-Battle Speech (Bonus Chapter 15)

After a while,
Old Freud closed the magic mirror, leaving only Loy and Grand Duchess Afra to talk face-to-face.

If the previous conversation was between the heads of two families, then this is now a discussion between a mother and son.

The mother and son looked at each other in silence, neither saying a word.

After a moment, it was Grand Duchess Afra who spoke first: "Loy, I hope you can understand that this choice was made because of the heavy burden I was carrying."

Behind us are our respective families; we have no right to be willful.

Luo Yi nodded: "I understand!"

Grand Duchess Afra's face darkened, but she still mustered her spirits and asked, "How confident are you in this battle?"

"How can we know if we haven't actually fought a war?"

Luo Yi finally shook off her emotions and said with a smile, "The three great empires have joined forces, and your choice is correct. However, my Flower Territory has become the fattest fish on the chopping block."

If we don't make a name for ourselves in this battle, who knows how many people will be eyeing us in the future.

"So, it's best not to try to persuade her."

"If you've made up your mind, then just do it. What else can a mother do for you?"

Luo Yi was about to refuse, but then seemed to remember something and abruptly asked, "I've heard that the Norman family has a legendary expert?"

Grand Duchess Afra hesitated for only a moment before nodding and saying, "Yes! This is the foundation of the duchy."

"Can I get in touch?"

"Can try."

"If possible, I hope my mother can help me make contact and tell him that I want to ask him to do a mission."

"That might not be easy. Legendary experts aren't so..."

"One million gold tiers!"

"cough!"

"The commission is one million gold tiers, and he doesn't need to fight to the death. He just needs to show up at a crucial moment to intimidate any potential legendary powerhouses of the same level."

Even Grand Duchess Afra was momentarily stunned when she heard the word "one million gold tiers".

This appearance fee is enough, even for a legend!

Back then, Earl Karl Raymond asked the Empire for help in developing the magic industry. All the projects combined cost only 500,000 gold tiers.

But now, what Luo Yi casually pulls out is a million gold tills.

Grand Duchess Afra could not ignore this number. She paused for a moment, then said, "Shall I ask for you?"

"it is good!"

When the conversation ended, the magic mirror went out and became a mirror, reflecting only Luo Yi's image.

After a long silence, a smile appeared on his lips, tinged with a hint of sarcasm, a touch of helplessness, a dash of self-mockery, but mostly a sense of nonchalance!
In this era, and after preparing for so long, wasn't this the day he was all for?

Although he dared not say he was certain of victory, he was confident that whoever came would break a tooth.

With renewed spirits, Luo Yi stepped out of the secret room, stepped onto the magic carpet, and went down to the first floor. He then strode out again.

His silhouette initially appeared somewhat dejected, bleak, and uneasy, but with each step he took, it became firm, imposing, and fearless.

Fear is a human instinct, which is beyond reproach; therefore, courage is the true hymn to humanity!
At this moment, even without activating [Lion King], his soaring fighting spirit completely dispelled the gloom in his heart.

The direction he headed was none other than the council hall.

……

The council hall was packed with people, the atmosphere somewhat oppressive, yet within that oppression lay a restless heart.

Since the news of Luo Yi's poisoning spread, the powerful figures and managers stationed in various places were the first to become restless.

They know better than anyone how outrageous the benefits of the flower-themed schemes are.

As part of their interests, they absolutely do not want this big tree to fall.

Almost as soon as they received the news, they sent a letter to Lion Manor. The only thing that reassured them was that the lord's manor replied quite promptly.

They didn't even give them empty words about staying put; instead, they were given orders to settle their affairs before returning to Lion Manor.

Then, almost everyone chose to put aside what they were doing and return to Brussels as quickly as possible.

However, they did not see Luo Yi immediately, but were instead given accommodation and told to wait patiently.

To be honest, this kind of ambiguous attitude is most likely to arouse suspicion, and countless people are secretly uneasy.

Some people are trying to find out more information; some are seeking connections to uncover the truth; and some are even already considering their options.

Especially those newly recruited superhumans and those affected by natural disasters, under the circumstances, have the most thoughts, behave in all sorts of strange ways, and react in different ways.

As the saying goes, the human heart is most vulnerable to testing, and Luo Yi never intended to test people's hearts.

Tread!

Tap tap! Footsteps suddenly echoed in the quiet council hall. They weren't heavy, but they were clear and attracted everyone's attention.

Even the most oblivious person could feel at this moment an overwhelming and terrifying aura rising and permeating the entire large council hall.
This aura also made everyone feel the irresistible solemnity, majesty, and immense radiance.

Luo Yi entered through the main entrance of the council hall. He walked forward step by step, with benches on both sides, all of which were already full of people.

As the Flower Territory has grown, the number of powerful individuals above the extraordinary level and managers at all levels has increased significantly, filling the council hall to capacity and making it somewhat crowded.

Even so, a quick glance reveals a clear distinction between them.

For example, to Luo Yi's left, there were mainly third-tier extraordinary beings, while those sitting further forward were all elderly people with flower collars.

Led by Vincent Ackerman, Thor Dean (who failed to break through), the magic captain Walter, and Leon Vasquez, there were also more than ten others, including Cole Isaac and Tanya.

The next group consisted of more than ten people recruited by Roy, but they had no real connections and were mostly united around the current police chief, Sid Francis, and the successful Ekto Hunter.

To Luo Yi's right were mostly civil officials, mainly divided into four groups.

The finance department, headed by Mira Greenman, includes members recruited by the Empire as well as some of the original scholars from the Raymond family.

The Magic Energy Factory Department, headed by Maruna, is in charge of the production of various magical machinery. Its members include those transferred from the Royfitz Magic Energy Group and talents cultivated later.

Then there's the construction department, headed by Lord Hick Cruz, who completed almost all the railways and mines.

His main personnel were still natives of the Flower Territory, but those in high positions were mostly professionals dispatched by the Empire.

However, they were not suited to come to such an occasion, which is why Hick had the fewest men under his command, and they all looked the oldest.

This old man is someone who is focused on getting things done and doesn't crave power.

Finally, the new town construction department, headed by Julius Martin, was in charge of the construction of the two new towns and was a veritable money-devouring entity.

His team is primarily composed of his classmates, friends, and recruited professionals.
Many of them were poached from under other famous designers. After all, famous designers are not short of money, but the people under them are a different story.

The real work is often done by those below.

In fact, Loy had two other groups under his command: one was the intelligence department led by Ang, the Axe Gang.

Another group, led by Hoover, involved many traditional industries.

However, they all considered themselves servants of the Raymond family and were unwilling to fight for a place in such an occasion.

Further forward on the bench, closer to the head of the table, were the seats for fourth-tier Heavenly Calamity experts.

On the left are the traditional retainers of the Raymond family: the Guardian Oliveira, the Iron Knight Phil, the Flame Sword Saint Otto, the Water Mage Lady Palacios, and the newly promoted Tier 4 Alfonso Zeke.

They enjoyed Roy's deep trust, participated in many secret events, and owned shares in the Raymond Group. Their annual dividends alone were enough for them to cultivate their skills.

They are deeply intertwined with the flower-loving community!
On the right are the newly arrived Calamity warriors: the half-giant Bane, the faceless killer Ulysses, the snow hunter Jude Stephens, the mechanical monster Nehemiah von Braun, the great alchemist Benito Freud, and the raging king Silas.

They've just joined, haven't accomplished anything yet, and are most eager to prove themselves.

Even Silas, the King of Fury, dared not enter the forest as before, and then disappeared without a trace.

Upon receiving the news, he set off almost immediately, riding the griffin leader and flying straight back.

Perhaps it was the bond they had forged through fighting that made him so respectful of Luo Yi that he simply couldn't believe she could be poisoned, and he insisted on barging in despite the commotion.

Oliveira and his group were no match for him, and in the end, it was only after Roy intervened that he calmed down.

In just a few dozen steps, it seemed like Luo Yi had walked for a very long time. Wherever he went, everyone stood up in unison, their eyes following his movements.

Upon reaching the high platform, Luo Yi turned around, looked around, and met the eyes of everyone.

Then, his booming voice rang out: "I know you are confused. I can tell you frankly that I am poisoned by the Tears of Rhys, but this little poison is harmless to me."

"The reason I let the information spread and people panic was to see where my enemy was!"

Whether it's inside or outside.

"I am very satisfied with you all. There may be some concerns, but no one has done anything out of line!"

"Those people outside didn't disappoint me either; those who were going to jump out, jumped out."

With that, Luo Yi picked up the three challenge letters and said, "Since they want war, then I will grant them war!"

"I will use swords and cannonballs to tell them that the territory of the Lion King is not a place they can covet."

"I want to tell the whole world of Herka that the Flower Territory will never be bullied."

"There is boundless wealth here, but if you want to acquire it, you must abide by my rules."

"So tell me, are you capable of fighting?"

The last sentence was uttered by Luo Yi with a roar, the [Lion King] voice exploding and stirring the emotions of the entire council hall.

"War! War! War! War! War! War! War! War! War! War!"

The roars started off somewhat scattered, but later they became one, the booming sound waves sweeping across the area and even reaching outside the lord's mansion.

From this moment on, martial law was completely lifted at Lion Manor, followed by a vigorous military reorganization and preparation for war!
After preparing for so long, Luo Yi felt that the lion was finally going to show its fangs and claws.

(End of this chapter)