Magic Industrial Age.

Chapter 575-573: The Turning Point of the War (Please Subscribe)

Having dealt with the Eye of the Demon King, Fero Farnsworth, Roy couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, because the most important piece of his plan had finally been completed.

Actually, when he first heard about Magic Eye Networks, the first thing that came to his mind was the word 'satellite navigation'.

I vaguely sensed that this was a significant boost to the development of magic energy technology.

He had considered developing it independently, but after gaining a deeper understanding of the combination of the Magic Eye and the Magic Mirror, he realized that it was not an easy task.

Ordinary magic eyes and magic mirrors are at most like hanging a drone in mid-air, which is far from being a 'satellite'.

Therefore, he tried every means to contact the King of the Demon Eye through various channels.

For this meeting, he even had Deep Blue prepare several negotiation plans.

They put a lot of effort into aspects such as technological applications, future prospects, ethical high ground, and promotion and development, and even prepared several PowerPoint presentations, all in order to convince this King of the Magic Eye.

Fortunately, although this was a powerful mage, he was still within the normal range, and Loy's strategy worked.

In the end, the two parties also completed a 'cross-shareholding' agreement, which can be considered as binding their interests together.

Of course, this was only a general agreement; they also had in-depth discussions on the details and finally signed a contract.

The contract stipulates that the Eye of the Void, Fello Farnsworth, will grant Loy secondary access to the Eye of the Void network, granting him control second only to Fello.

It allows for any action except for the continental conquest battle.

Lloyd helped Ferro Farnsworth launch, expand, and refine his use of the Magic Eye Network.

Both parties formed a defensive alliance through a contract, and neither party was allowed to harm the other in any way.

This is a simplified version; a real contract would be much more rigorous, like a legal document.

On Loy's side, they invited many magicians, including the legendary mage Venus and His Majesty Cicero Griffith, to meticulously revise the text.

His Majesty Fero Farnsworth, the King of the Magic Eyes, also scrutinized and discussed the matter word by word.

In the magical world, contracts can even be considered a discipline, and it is knowledge that high-level mages must master, making it extremely rigorous.

After repeated revisions, it took a full seven or eight days before both parties finally signed their names, leaving their mark on each other's souls.

Clearly, both Ferro Farnsworth and Roy breathed a sigh of relief after the contract was actually signed.

While there are contractual obligations, it's not impossible to go back on one's word. However, unless the benefits are excessively large, no one wants to challenge the fair rules of the multidimensional consciousness.

That can kill people!

Of course, this is just the beginning.

There is still a huge gap between the Magic Eye Network and the 'satellite' that Roy needs. Therefore, the Ninth Mage Tower, also known as the Ferro Mage Tower, has to start various new research projects.

For example, a comprehensive topographical scan can be performed and then converted into latitude and longitude data to facilitate positioning.

For example, improving the speed of information dissemination and reducing delays and unexpected interference.

For example, increasing data storage and information processing efficiency can prevent overload when there is too much content later on.

There are also improvements in positioning accuracy, overcoming interference from clouds and magnetic fields, increasing detection efficiency, and human-computer interaction, among many others...

In short, to complete so many projects with Magic Eye Network, you must continuously improve!
promote!

Improve again!
Therefore, for a long time, Ferro Farnsworth had to stay in the Ferro Mage Tower in the 'Holy Dragon Demiplane'.

He also has his own laboratory, located in his own demiplane.

However, to match the many projects in Flower Territory, he had to set up a laboratory nearby and bring all his assistants over.

Only in this way can we facilitate communication and experiments!

It must be said that the addition of this person has led to a surge in the number of high-level mages in the Flower Territory.

Technical matters were naturally handled by Ferro Farnsworth.

Luo Yi, on the other hand, focused on his own business plan. Don't be fooled by his flowery words and seemingly achievable goals; what is the reality?
A PowerPoint presentation is just a PowerPoint presentation; putting it into practice is not so easy.

Putting aside other issues, the promotion of film and television culture alone faces numerous challenges.

For example, we need to enrich the programming, shoot videos, develop inexpensive smart mirrors, and find a profitable business model...

These things cannot be accomplished overnight.

Luo Yi thought about it for many days before deciding to take a three-step approach.

The first step is filming the movie.

He plans to find some familiar myths and heroic stories from the long history of the Old World, and then find a reliable team to film them.

The space vacated in the relocated industrial area can be converted into a photography studio.

In the beginning, everyone's threshold was very low, so it didn't matter if it was simple or crude, it could still attract people.

As the number and variety of films increase, the pursuit of excellence will naturally follow.

Of course, a movie, at most two or three hours long, is not enough to fill the program's needs.

Therefore, the second step was for Loy to send people to negotiate with those large song and dance troupes and opera houses to purchase broadcasting rights for a certain amount of money.

It can be recorded with a photo stone and then projected and performed through the Magic Eye Network!
This can also expand the audience of song and dance troupes and operas, so it can be considered a win-win situation.

The third step is to pay to watch.

Roy naturally had no right to touch Fellowes's previous battlefield livestream, nor would he.

However, the new programs that are launched later will form a new channel, which Luo Yi named the Flower Crown Channel, with a roaring lion as its logo.

This place broadcasts programs for twelve hours a day, ranging from movies and musicals to music, science programs, history, and geography.

Loy initially agreed to a monthly fee of about ten gold tiers per month.

Of course, this is just the initial stage. As the Magic Mirror becomes more widespread and has a richer program library, he will reduce the cost, or even make it free.

At that time, we can transition to a new phase where revenue is primarily generated from advertising.

However, those who can obtain the Magic Mirror from Ferro Farnsworth are all legendary powerhouses, and their numbers are extremely limited.

Although they have money, it's not much, so their income is naturally limited.

At this stage, there is a high probability that Luo Yi will even lose money.

Therefore, Luo Yi will open cinemas in various places to increase revenue through box office receipts.

In each movie theater, he would also open a free flower-giving channel to attract viewers and set up a magic mirror vending station to conduct promotional activities.

In short, the only way to make money is to expand and grow the film and television culture industry.

He knew better than anyone that, as a new type of entertainment industry, audiovisual feasts were a huge market, and there was no shortage of money to be made.

It's worth mentioning that Loy helped solve the problem of finding the source of the behemoth's eyeballs, the raw material for the Magic Eyes that was most troublesome for Ferro Farnsworth.

Giant beasts on land are relatively rare, and even if they exist, they are hidden deep in the mountains and forests and in dangerous places.

The truly numerous ones are found in the endless ocean. But even Ferro Farnsworth couldn't possibly go to the seabed and slaughter those deep-sea monsters in large numbers.

The sea tribe is not without strong individuals, and they would never allow him to act so recklessly.

However, this won't work for Fero Farnsworth; if the sea creatures slaughter each other, no one will care.

Loy contacted Alexius, the Siren King, and Eros, the Naga Prince, to purchase the eyeballs of the sea monsters from them.

Leaving aside the Siren tribe, the Naga Empire itself specializes in raising giant sea monsters as mounts and food, with a complete industrial chain.

Obtaining the eyes of giant beasts brimming with magical power from them would naturally be the most convenient method.
For both parties, it's simply adding a new trade item.

……

Meanwhile, Luo Yi was busy developing demiplanes and making leaps and bounds in the iterative updates of magic energy technology.

Meanwhile, the war between the Empire and the Alliance has finally reached its most important turning point.

First, at the Battle of Verdun, the Empire used almost every means at its disposal.

Fighter jets, bombers, flamethrowers, poison gas bombs, magic tanks, super-heavy field artillery, extraordinary assault squads...

In fact, in order to destroy Verdun, they followed the example of the Allied Forces and initiated a blood sacrifice, summoning the Abyss and the Legion of Hell!

To increase the soldiers' combat effectiveness and survival rate, they dared to use all sorts of magical drugs with extremely severe side effects directly, in large doses.

The allied forces, on the other hand, truly fought with all their might in order to hold out.

Third-tier transcendent beings have become consumables, and countless families have fallen because of this.

The death toll from a fourth-order natural disaster is also calculated on a daily basis!

It's not about counting which day there are natural disasters that cause death, but rather counting which day there aren't!
As for legends, since Roy started it, the number of named legends who died on the Verdun battlefield has exceeded five fingers.

Even resurrection spells are useless!

It can be said that the reason why the allied forces were able to hold out was largely because these strongmen were sent to the battlefield.

With the widespread availability of 'Loki's Potion' and the ample armaments provided by the Glorious Empire, the allied forces finally closed the gap on the mortal battlefield.

With enough field artillery, we could engage the Empire in a fierce battle, firing round after round, turning the battlefield into a bloody wasteland.

Enough soldiers, armed with magical weapons, launched repeated charges in an attempt to seize or retake positions.

Human life is the cheapest consumable here!

They also found a way to counter the magic tanks that were the biggest headache for the coalition forces.

Tank versus tank was obviously impossible; it wasn't that the coalition forces didn't form a research team, but rather that there wasn't enough time.

Therefore, they chose to take a different approach and developed an anti-tank explosive projectile!
This is a combination of magic-powered projectiles and magic; it has the shape of a projectile but is filled with a sufficient number of linked magic scrolls inside.

Upon launch, it generates immense heat and shockwaves, capable of melting and incinerating even the thickest armored magic tanks.

However, after the actual test firing, the coalition forces discovered that although the power was enough to destroy tanks, it was only effective if the target was hit.

Given the tank's weight and armor, even if it explodes nearby, it can still operate at full power and escape immediately.

The cost of producing such anti-tank explosives is extremely high; it can be said that each one requires a great deal of resources.

It's obviously impossible to create a barrage of fire like a regular artillery shell.

So, this anti-tank explosive round is useful, but it doesn't seem that useful!
Until the coalition developed a second use: human bombs!

That is, a soldier would hug the anti-tank explosive grenade, crawl under the tank, pull the fuse, and die together with it.

This was a crazy tactic, but it was precisely this madness that halted the Empire's advance.

As the saying goes, one can make great efforts, then fail again, and three times, he will be exhausted!

After months of unsuccessful sieges, morale on the Empire's side inevitably plummeted. Finally, on October 21, 316 of the New Divine Calendar, the allied forces launched a major counter-offensive.

This time, they gathered more elite warriors, more field artillery, and more troops, launching a desperate counter-offensive.

This was the first large-scale counterattack organized by the Allied forces since the Battle of Verdun.

On the Empire's side, caught off guard, the defensive lines they had already captured were lost one after another.

Even later on, when they launched a counterattack and regained control, engaging in repeated back-and-forth battles, it was clear that they were gradually losing their advantage.

On December 18, 316 of the New Divine Calendar, the allied forces finally recaptured all five defensive lines of Verdun and pushed the battlefield back to the original lines.

At this point, the Empire was no longer able to organize a large-scale war on the Verdun battlefield.

The Battle of Verdun became the longest war of attrition since the start of the conflict.

The Allied forces deployed nearly 66 divisions, while the Empire deployed 46 divisions, with more than two million troops thrown into the battlefield. Nearly one-third of the casualties were lost, totaling 70.

This battle, later known as the "Verdun Meat Grinder" by scholars, is also widely recognized as the turning point of this world war.

Thus, the empire reached its zenith and began its decline.

As for the other battle, the Battle of the Somme ended even earlier, on November 18th of the New Divine Calendar 316, when the outcome was already decided.

The allied forces were victorious in this battle.

After a sustained battle and investment of numerous powerful individuals, they finally recovered 180 square kilometers of territory.

This was the first time since the start of the war, and it greatly boosted the morale of the Allied forces.

Of course, both sides suffered heavy losses!
Furthermore, this was the main battlefield where the Kingdom of Sardinia provided aid, and there was even a single day that saw a horrific number of casualties, reaching 5.7.

It can be said that although the army of the Kingdom of Sardinia was weak, it truly bled to its last drop here.

Furthermore, because so many people died, it was impossible to keep track of the deaths after the war, and the data provided by the Empire and the Allied Forces were distorted.

Only one scholar, based on data such as the area of ​​the battlefield and the thickness of the corpses, gave a seemingly plausible but ultimately flawed conclusion.

In this battle, the three sides combined suffered at least 130 million casualties, making it even more devastating than the Battle of Verdun!

At this point, Luo Yi had already taken over some of the permissions of the Magic Eye Network. With some curiosity, he actually scanned the battlefield from his vantage point.

Then, what he saw was corpses littering the ground, and all the buildings reduced to ruins.

The Somme River was littered with severed limbs and broken bodies, and the flowing water was entirely crimson.

This scene was like hell!

In just one glance, Luo Yi seemed to see the wails of countless dead souls filling the entire sky.
The ferryman on the River Styx seemed to have crashed; he was simply too busy to handle everything.

On the tributaries of the River Styx, countless souls floated, their hands outstretched, souls pressing against each other, uttering hysterical screams.

At this moment, Loy even felt that this might be Netheril's goal.

What does an invasion from the abyss and hell matter?
There is no horror more terrifying than the infighting among humans!
At this moment, Luo Yi even felt immense sorrow.

PS: After sorting out my thoughts, I suddenly realized that this book has entered its very late stages.

(End of this chapter)