Magic Industrial Age.

Chapter 528, Section 526: Negotiation and Intimidation (Please Subscribe)

Lion Manor, second floor, study.

Loy hosted Grand Duke Carlisle here.

In the sofa area, the two sat facing each other, dismissing those around them, and conducted a relatively frank negotiation.

The relationship between the two is quite peculiar. They are not exactly friends, but they have some mutual respect; they are enemies, but they are not mortal enemies, and they have even reconciled several times.

Undeniably, they have a deep understanding and familiarity with each other, so they don't need to be too roundabout when dealing with each other.

Grand Duke Carlisle made it clear that he had come for two purposes.

First, we must fully restore previous trade cooperation, and even help them jump the queue, giving them priority access to various magical weapons, shells, meditation potions, processing machinery, and so on...

Without the supplies from the Flower Territory, their previously stored ammunition and weapons had been largely depleted during the war.

Currently, ammunition is in short supply on the front lines, so the ammunition they produce themselves must be prioritized.

While it can alleviate the situation to some extent, production capacity is limited and falls far short of the needs of the war effort.

Therefore, the soldiers on the front lines have been issued ammunition, with sharpshooters receiving more and ordinary soldiers receiving a fixed amount.

On the fierce battlefield, however, it is really not easy to make a difference and kill someone with just a few bullets.

Therefore, the Allied forces basically relied on the extensive trenches to wait until the Imperial soldiers were close before rushing out for close-quarters combat.

The empire was forced to establish the Flame Soldiers because of these tunnel warfare tactics.

A streak of flame will burn past, let's see if you can still hide.
It is said that war is the best catalyst; the back-and-forth, with human lives at stake, is the best display of human wisdom.

His words piqued Roy's interest, and he asked Grand Duke Carlisle about the state of the magical energy industry in the three allied nations.

Grand Duke Carlisle hesitated only for a moment before choosing to tell the whole story.

It should be said that the reserves and foundation of the Old World overlords are quite impressive, especially after countless years of accumulation, they have a large number of high-end mages.

Although these mages are not specialized mechanical mages, they can learn quite quickly as long as they have teaching materials and a foundation of knowledge.

The Habsburg Empire has always adopted an open attitude towards mechanical knowledge, and most of the information, except for cutting-edge research materials, can be obtained.

On the allied side, they solved the talent problem for the first batch by relying on the large number of high-end mages and the conversion of mages.

Then, using some of the technology, production lines, and processing machinery provided by the flower company, reverse engineering was carried out.

The results must have been quite remarkable; with the support of these high-level magicians, they managed to establish their own industrial park.

The bullet production line is in place, although it is unstable and the product quality is relatively poor, it is still usable.

They can also forge magic-powered cannons, and in terms of quality, they're no worse than the Empire's; it's just that production volume is limited.
Because they lack high-quality steel!

The three leaders of the coalition attacked Flower Territory, but what they really wanted was not anything else, but the magic-powered steel furnace.

Their desire for such large-scale magical energy equipment, capable of rapidly and reliably producing refined steel, was beyond imagination.

It is worth mentioning that, based on the information revealed by Carlisle, Roy could roughly guess that this reverse engineering should be shared by the three leaders of the coalition.

The three giants each dispatched their magicians to gather together for learning, growth, and research, with all necessary resources provided by the three organizations.

The final results will also be shared by all three parties!

Luo Yi even speculated that the Church of the Sun God might also be involved, especially the mechanical catastrophe with unwavering faith, who might be the mastermind behind it all.

However, while talent is essential for the development of Magic Energy Machinery, it is not enough to just have talent.

From technology to production implementation and cost reduction, there is still a long way to go.

Of the three great powers, the Bonaparte Empire went the furthest. There was no way around it; it suffered the most severe defeats and faced the least domestic resistance.

It is said that a large industrial park has been built within the Bonaparte Empire, the exact location of which is unknown. Many talented people have been selected to work in it, and the resources consumed are countless.

The result is that production capacity cannot be increased, costs remain high, and they are even much more expensive than buying from flower shops.

The reason they lack now is not just technology, but a large number of workers who are familiar with the technology, have a deep understanding of meditation, and possess magical abilities.

And the supporting industrial chain.

The Habsburg Empire's decades-long continuous investment in education has demonstrated its enormous superiority in these countries that aspire to catch up.

As for the Kingdom of Sardinia, their development was slightly less advanced, but they had their own focus.

They care most about the navy, not the army.

The weapons they need most are not rifles or heavy machine guns, but magic cannons and naval guns.

They actually invested the most in ironclad warships.

In order to maintain their naval superiority, they even concentrated their superior forces to blockade the Silver Sea, determined to destroy the Empire's ironclad warships.

On one hand, it gathered countless magicians and shipwrights, who tried and stole technology at the same time.

It is said that the shipyards on the Empire's side have captured countless spies.

As for the Slavic Empire, it was the worst off. His Majesty the Tsar was very tough and domineering, but the nobles within the country were even tougher.

In particular, the Slavic Empire did not feel a strong sense of crisis, given that its overall losses were not significant.

The desire to liberate serfs, spread knowledge, and cultivate more learned mechanical mages threatened the interests of the nobility.

Anyway, according to Grand Duke Carlisle, it was a complete mess! Sure enough, official criticism is the most lethal; only insiders know their own business. When Grand Duke Carlisle started criticizing, he really didn't hold back.

Getting back to the main point, Loy agreed to Grand Duke Carlisle's request, but not entirely.

Resuming trade is certainly an option; after all, it's foolish not to make money when it's available.

Moreover, this is precisely the time for industrial expansion, and Luo Yi will never throw the baby out with the bathwater.

However, it's impossible to increase the priority. Orders from Flower Kingdom are arranged in order, and the next ones are either needed by the Habsburg Empire or have received deposits from other countries.

Are you trying to cut in line?

We'll have to ask them if they agree first!
However, Loy promised that most of the expanded production capacity from the newly built seventh industrial zone could be allocated to them.

Of course, because of past regrets, all the price discounts and other perks are gone.

Furthermore, a deposit must be paid in advance, and the balance must be settled after delivery, without delay or arrears; otherwise, subsequent orders will be cancelled.

As for Carlisle's second objective for this trip, he wanted the complete manufacturing technology for magic tanks!
Loy looked at Grand Duke Carlisle as if he were an idiot, and replied with three words: "Eat a loud fart!"
Grand Duke Carlisle swallowed his pride and then compromised, demanding only a complete propulsion system, control system, and weapon system.

They're practically blatantly scheming against Luo Yi. If they give him these three systems, what's the difference between that and giving him manufacturing technology directly?
Therefore, Luo Yi didn't even bother to refuse, and simply rolled her eyes.

Seeing that negotiations were truly impossible, Grand Duke Carlisle had no choice but to compromise further, demanding a complete set of internal parameters, preferably accompanied by combat data on the tanks.

Loy knew perfectly well that they were looking for the weaknesses of the magic tanks.

First, gain a thorough understanding, then address the root cause!
You have to admit that the reason why the Magic Tank has achieved its current results is largely because it has just been released and everyone's understanding of it is superficial.

Because of ignorance, there is no way to solve it.

However, if they obtain the internal parameters, make targeted arrangements, and use the diverse forms of magic to find a way to counter it, it's not impossible.

Luo Yi was fully aware of Luo Yi's 'wolf's ambitions,' but he agreed without hesitation.

He even offered to sell three complete versions of the Magic Tank if the coalition was willing to pay a sufficient price.

Of course, the flower shop will not admit it, much less take responsibility for after-sales service.

He treated it as if the Allied forces had captured it from the battlefield, but he ignored whether they used it for testing, dismantling, or copying.

Upon hearing this, even Grand Duke Carlisle thought he must have misheard, his face filled with disbelief.

The reason he makes some unrealistic demands is, frankly, to bargain. He raises his psychological price and then lowers his demands, making them more acceptable to others.

This negotiation tactic is still old-fashioned, but as long as it works, that's fine.

However, the promises made by Roy were beyond his imagination; in fact, it could be said that if he took these conditions back, Bonaparte III would treat him as a hero.

As for the so-called 'sufficient price', it's not a big deal at all!
They've already given me a divine artifact, but that's just as a greeting gift. There's something even more precious than this.

However, Grand Duke Carlisle still felt uneasy. After hesitating for a moment, he finally asked the question that had been bothering him.

"Your Excellency, are you really not afraid that we will develop a weapon or cause trouble to deal with the magic tank?"

"Hehe, come on, I'll show you something."

Inside the Mechanical Mage Tower's laboratory, a magic-powered tank roared as its tracks spun on rollers, accelerating faster and faster.

This was the first time that Grand Duke Carlisle had come into close contact with such a steel creation, and he couldn't help but take a few steps forward.

He only felt a little embarrassed when Luo Yi stopped him.

Kroy didn't care, he just pointed and Grand Duke Carlisle looked in the direction he was pointing, and was stunned after just one glance.

Because, as far as the eye could see, magical energy gathered, forming a diamond-shaped rotating magical defensive field outside the tank.

As the tanks accelerated, they even produced a whistling sound as they cut through the air.

"This? This is a magic shield? But why haven't we seen tanks using it on the battlefield?"

"Of course, the first generation of the King of Land Warfare was not equipped with it."

"The first generation didn't have this feature, so what is it?"

"What you see before you is the second-generation Land Warfare King of Flower Territory, which has already begun to be deployed."

Loy's voice seemed distant and unfathomable to Grand Duke Carlisle.

"What you perceive as a weakness is only yesterday's weakness, not today's!"

"The greatest charm of magic-powered machinery is not its unchanging nature, but our ability to identify and solve problems."
Then, the design is optimized during this process.

"So, I can give you the tank, and you can also take it to study and imitate it."

But when you foolishly appear on the battlefield to challenge me, do you know what kind of magical weapon I'll bring out?

Loy's words were clearly soft, but Grand Duke Carlisle felt a chill run down his spine.

At that moment, a thought popped into his mind: from now on, he would never stand against Luo Yi.

Looking at the distraught Grand Duke Carlisle, Luo Yi's lips twitched slightly before falling back down.

He patted Grand Duke Carlisle on the shoulder and said, "Let's go!"
"Let's go back and talk about it again, about the price you'll have to pay if you want these good things!"

(End of this chapter)