Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 642 Ocean Exploration
In this era, there was no concept of sovereignty over territorial waters, which are non-land borders. The royal families and nobles of secular kingdoms often did not regard isolated islands and reefs at sea as their own territory. Only important maritime trade routes would be given relative importance and troops would be stationed there.

The vast southern seas are actually an open area tacitly approved by all nations, where everyone enjoys the right to freedom of navigation... as long as they are careful to guard against pirates and raging storms.

The thousand-year covenant signed by the various races of the Southern Territory after the War of the Dragons clearly stated that all oceans beyond the land belonged to the sea creatures, allowing them to thrive on the islands and reefs and obtain what they needed from the abundant resources of the ocean.

Therefore, for sea creatures, the ocean has no concept of national borders or territory... wherever their coral shuttles go, they can consider it their territory.

The coral reefs where the tribesmen live are the most densely populated. The so-called deep-sea minerals and migratory fish have actually been gradually depleted by nearly a thousand years of continuous mining and fishing. Otherwise, they would not have used the sacrificial tradition of worshipping the gods to send the tribesmen priests and warriors to dive into the abyss to retrieve the sacred stone and use its properties to lure fish to migrate there.

"Your Majesty, forgive my bluntness... but the area from Coral Holy City to the sacrificial sea has long been depleted by our clan, whether it be crystallized coral or aquamarine. Fishing is not a very profitable business either. Apart from some islands near the Holy City that do have natural deep-water harbors, I don't think there is anything else worth your investment."

When Zaka and Upton saw that the emperor's attitude was not arrogant, but rather like that of a very honest businessman, patiently discussing cooperation with them and truthfully telling them about the purchase of ironclad ships and subsequent investments, they felt flattered.

Faced with the emperor's outlandish idea of ​​"exploring the open seas," they were naturally unwilling for him to invest too much and end up losing everything. They quickly told him what they knew, trying to dissuade Harvey from this somewhat ridiculous idea.

"Even the most scarce spellcasting materials in the magic world have almost stopped being produced in the Coral Sea in recent years. To capture sea monsters or collect magic potion plants that grow in the deep sea, even we need to travel to the edge of the territory of the Abyss Sea Clan and venture out into the most turbulent seas."

Upton, with an air of elegance, straightened the hem of his robes, carefully concealing his thick, long, and smooth wrists and feet. He bowed and proposed to Harvey, "Of course... if Your Majesty wishes to cultivate a large number of elemental spellcasters, you will indeed need a large quantity of spellcasting materials and magical plant extracts from the deep sea. However, there is no need to travel to the southern seas to build ports and garrison troops. Our two clans still have brave warriors available for Your Majesty's command. If... if we can gain Your Majesty's favor, we are willing to offer the kingdom a portion of rare materials each year as fuel for the subsequent purchase of ironclad ships."

This Squidward is quite the "respectable person" who understands the art of exchanging favors and possesses considerable political savvy...

Harvey chuckled inwardly and slowly shook his head, saying, "To be honest, those so-called magical beasts or materials are not my main purpose; at most, they can only be considered incidental gains. What I am truly interested in... is actually the ancient ruins hidden in the deep sea."

He paused, then emphasized, "But rest assured, I will absolutely not destroy the sacred sacrificial grounds of the sea race. I will only explore them... and I will definitely take your experience and suggestions into account. I will never damage the friendly relations between our two sides."

As for building naval ports, on the one hand, it is of course to protect and assist in ocean exploration. On the other hand, it can also mediate the internal conflicts between the Coral Clan and the Abyss Clan, and use military force to deter the tribes of all sizes living on thousands of islands and reefs in advance, acting as a peacemaker who "patrols with a knife".

When faced with the previous invasions of gregarious sea monsters, His Majesty was able to step in and drive them away and eliminate them. Compared to having his people fight to the death with those ferocious sea monsters in shuttles made of hollow coral... His Majesty could indeed be described as both generous and benevolent. Of course, all of this was based on the fact that these simple-minded and weak sea creatures had no understanding of the hegemonic concepts of "colonies" and "overseas garrisons." Otherwise, they would have immediately turned hostile when Harvey brought it up.

Tempted by such generous terms, Zaka and Upton felt as if they were in a dream... This audience and plea not only resulted in them receiving five free ironclad ships directly from the Emperor, but also spared them the trouble of airlifting fuel and providing maintenance and research support. They even inexplicably acquired a group of fully armed "bodyguards" nearby...

They had witnessed the strength and weaponry of the Northern Navy firsthand. With them stationed in Coral Holy City, at least the hundreds of tribes around them would no longer have to worry about attacks from sea monsters or harassment from pirates.

"The Coral Sea Clan and the Abyss Sea Clan thank Your Majesty for your generosity and benevolence... We are willing to sign an alliance with the Kingdom to jointly explore and develop the surrounding seas."

Seeing that the two had finally relented, Harvey smiled with satisfaction and said gently, "Very good... In that case, I will have my ministers discuss the specifics and terms of the alliance with you in detail. There's no need to rush... Stay in Starfire City a little longer and enjoy the northern scenery that is different from that at sea."

Upon hearing this, Zaka and Upton bowed deeply in thanks, then hesitated for a moment before cautiously asking, "Your Majesty, when...when can we...the ironclad ships..."

Harvey suddenly smiled and said, "Oh, soon... If you are really impatient, there are quite a few old ships in Triangle Town for you to choose from, but I personally suggest that you be patient and wait for the Kingdom Shipbuilding Center in Grizzly Bear Keep to manufacture the new civilian type, which will not only be faster but also consume less magic fuel."

“We are willing to wait for the new ship to be built!” Zaka and Upton quickly replied in unison.

After agreeing on the cooperation, Harvey casually inquired about some strange and interesting stories that had occurred in the Southern Seas, and then raised his hand to signal that the two could leave.

Upton walked to the study door, seemingly unable to contain his curiosity any longer, and turned around to say, “Your Majesty… please forgive my rudeness… I really want to know what precious things are in those ancient ruins located in the deep sea that would make you so concerned even in the North, and willing to send troops to investigate.”

Those underwater ruins are often inhabited by extremely powerful sea beasts, and the raging waves and the ruins beneath the sea surface can easily cause ships to run aground and sink. Merchant ships would rather stay far away from them, and even pirates would not want to hide among them.

Harvey chuckled lightly and said casually, "Aren't there always rumors of treasures hidden in many underwater ruins? Exploring ancient sites and archaeological excavations... are just my personal interests, barely qualifying as a special hobby."

(End of this chapter)