Chapter 10: The Making of a New World Order

Louria Kingdom, Jin-Haag, 5:24 PM

Following the fall of Louria, Solstice forces spent several hours liberating slaves held captive in various cities. Christine, stationed in Louria, observed the proceedings from the deck of the Dreadnought, flanked by Dominus, who was prepared for combat should anyone attempt a surprise attack.

From her vantage point, she could see the city teeming with activity and the public execution of many slavers, some of whom were being flayed alive. Watching her people mete out justice without mercy, she found herself surprisingly unperturbed. 'Is it because of my past as an assassin?' she wondered.

Her thoughts were interrupted by an alert from her communicator. Activating it, a hologram appeared. "Lucas, what's the situation?" she inquired.

"Nothing adverse, Your Majesty. I'm here to update you on the progress of the slave rescue mission across all cities," he replied.

Eager to hear the news, she commanded, "Proceed with your report."

"Understood, Your Majesty. The mission was successful. We rescued approximately 520,469 slaves. Upon rescue, they were found covered in wounds, which Jonath confirmed were from whips. And almost half of them required immediate medical attention due to a disease called Thrall's Throe," he reported. "Fortunately, we were able to treat it without any issues."

"Excellent. Ensure they are segregated based on their nationality," she instructed.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I will relay the instructions immediately," he assured.

"Anything else to report?" she asked.

"No further updates, Your Majesty," he confirmed.

"Very well. Inform Jonath to dispatch troops here to maintain order. My marines will remain here until they arrive, after which they will return to the Empire," she ordered. "Also, close the Lourian border and maritime territory temporarily. No merchants or tourists should be allowed to enter or leave." With that, she deactivated the holographic communication device.

Once communication was severed, she commanded, "Let's return home." Shortly after, the ship began its journey eastward towards Solstice.

On the ground, in the former capital of the Lourian Kingdom, Jin-Haag, a Palpadian observer was hiding in an inn as Solstice forces conducted door-to-door searches for slavers.

He attempted to peek outside, only to be met with the sight of numerous corpses of Lourian soldiers and familiar slavers. Suddenly, his door was shattered, startling him. "Who are you, and why are you in my room!?" he demanded, feigning ignorance. However, they knew his true identity thanks to the shadow demons.

"We're here to take you with us," one of the Solstice soldiers declared as they apprehended and handcuffed him.

"Do you know who you're dealing with!?" he protested.

"Yes, we do. You're a Palpadian lapdog, serving a country that thrives on exploiting others," the soldier retorted, angering the Palpadian.

He struggled to loosen the cuffs, which were made using tier magic, which he was unfamiliar with this magic. Without further delay, they seized his legs and dragged him away like a sack.

As he was hauled outside, the innocent civilians watched the Solstice forces purge the slavers. They were shocked to see a Palpadian being treated in such a manner, knowing Palpadia to be a superpower. They realized then that the Solstice forces didn't care about a person's affiliation to a superpower.

Houses belonging to slavers or slave owners were set ablaze, and their wealth was confiscated and later distributed to the former slaves. Some slavers attempted to resist but were swiftly decapitated by Solstice Marines. As the purge continued, resistance dwindled due to the extermination of all slavers, including some nobles who were still in the capital and owned slaves.

Qua-Toyne, Capital, January 21, 7:32 AM

Prime Minister Kanata, engrossed in a document that had just arrived, was taken aback by the news that the Solstice had defeated Louria in a single day upon setting foot on Lourian soil. The captured King of Louria was to be put on trial in the Solstice Empire.

As he continued reading, he found it hard to believe the speed at which the war had unfolded once the Solstice Empire had intervened. He and King Quila had also been invited to the trial as witnesses. "I hope allying with them was the right decision," he mused, contemplating the possibility of the Solstice turning their weapons on them one day.

A minute later, he instructed his maids to prepare his attire for his journey to the Solstice once their vessel arrived. As the maids presented him with his clothes and began to dress him, the swift defeat of Louria left him with no time to convene a meeting to discuss the matter with his officials.

Once they were done, a knock echoed from the door. One of the maids opened it to reveal a Qua-Toyne Soldier. "Prime Minister, the Solstice Iron Vessel has arrived and is awaiting you at the harbor," he informed.

"I see. Send them a message that I will be there shortly," Kanata instructed. The soldier then departed, tasked with informing the Solstice waiting at Maihark Harbor.

Kanata also left a few moments later, riding in a car he had been permitted to purchase. The car sped along at 50 km/h, which would get them to Maihark in about 10 to 12 minutes. As they neared Maihark, he immediately noticed a large vessel docked at their harbor, flying the flag of the Solstice.

Upon his arrival, he was escorted to the vessel and shown to his room. After a few hours, the ship set sail, heading east towards the Solstice.

During his tour, he was greeted by someone. "Good morning, Mr. Prime Minister. I am Elenion Ancalima, the captain of this super ferry. Please enjoy your journey," he said.

"I appreciate your hospitality in advance. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Kanata, the Prime Minister of Qua-Toyne," Kanata replied.

"Yes, I am aware of who you are, Mr. Prime Minister. There's no need for thanks. I will now take my leave and return to the control room. I am here merely to ensure everything is in order," he said.

Before Elenion Ancalima could leave, Kanata felt something was amiss. "Excuse me, may I ask a question?"

"What would you like to ask?" he inquired.

"According to the document, King Quila was also invited. So why isn't he here?" Kanata asked.

"That's because a separate ship was dispatched to fetch him from Quila," he explained.

"I see. That makes sense. How long will it take us to reach the Solstice?" Kanata asked.

"We should arrive at Sunspire City Aginite Harbor within 8 hours at our current speed. Please make yourself comfortable. There will be a buffet later," he informed him before departing.

Kanata was intrigued by the mention of a buffet, but he wanted to rest in his room first due to the paperwork he had to sign. He made his way to his room and immediately collapsed onto his bed.

The bed was so comfortable that it could be likened to sleeping on clouds, causing him to drift off to sleep instantly.

Palpadia Empire, Capital Esthirant, Imperial Strategy Bureau, 11:42 AM

Inos was scrutinizing the outcome of the failed reunification of the Louria Kingdom, which had drawn their attention towards the newly formed Solstice Empire that had established diplomatic ties with both Qua-Toyne and Quila Kingdom.

The abrupt emergence of the Solstice Empire and their immediate involvement in the war led to a swift defeat of the Lourians, a development they found hard to comprehend given the speed of events.

"All the aid we extended to Louria in hopes of gaining a significant puppet state has been squandered," Inos lamented. "This matter must remain confined to this room, for if this news reaches his highness, we will undoubtedly face punishment for tarnishing our empire's reputation," he added.

"Now, do we have any intelligence on their army, this country called Solstice Empire?" He queried.

"No, we lack any information about them. We attempted to gather intelligence, but for some reason, we lost contact with our spies through our Mana coms," Parso reported.

Inos, hearing the reports, assumed that it was merely a casualty of the battle that had inadvertently involved them. He was oblivious to the fact that the Solstice was the one disrupting their communication, exploiting the mana coms which the Solstice found easy to jam, as the mana coms functioned similarly to a radio, but with magic.

"Odd, perhaps they were caught up in some conflict during the battle and perished," Inos speculated, "But we should be able to glean some information from the civilians."

"Yes, we should be able to gather information from Lourian merchants who docked at our ports, but all of them remained silent and seemed oblivious to the Solstice's weaponry," Parso explained, attributing this to the sudden defeat of Louria. The Lourian Merchants were unaware of the events back in their homeland, as they had set sail for Palpadia before the Solstice even arrived.

"So, we lack information about them," Inos concluded.

Inos was somewhat frustrated that all their efforts had been wasted in just a few days, and the Solstice Empire was to blame. "Then try to dispatch other spies under the guise of merchants," he instructed.

"Understood, sir!" Parso responded enthusiastically.

"But before that, we should incinerate all the documents pertaining to our aid towards the Louria Kingdom. Ensure no trace of our involvement remains, for the sake of our family," Inos directed.

Upon receiving the order, Parso promptly gathered all the documents from the table and tossed them into the hearth, ensuring they were completely burned.

Sios Kingdom, Capital Goma, 1145 AM

News from the neighboring former Louria Kingdom had rapidly spread, reaching Sios, the third closest country to Louria. The king was enjoying a leisurely stroll from his palace when Siosan, the Prime Minister of Sios, hurriedly approached him.

"Your Majesty! I've been searching for you. I have urgent news to share!" Siosan exclaimed.

King Sios turned towards him. "What is this news you speak of?" King Sios inquired.

"Our most significant trading partner, the Louria kingdom, has been defeated in the war," Siosan revealed, causing the king, who was still somewhat drowsy, to take a moment to process this information.

"What? The Louria Kingdom was defeated!! But that's impossible. Among all external civilizations, Louria was deemed the strongest nation. How were they vanquished!?" King Sios exclaimed.

Siosan, who shared the king's initial reaction, understood his disbelief. "I comprehend that you find this news unbelievable and preposterous, but it is the truth. According to the reports, the emerging country known as the Solstice Empire intervened, leading to the loss of all of Louria's wyverns and warships," Siosan explained.

The king still found it hard to believe due to the absurdity of the situation. "That still seems implausible," King Sios remarked.

"You see, Your Majesty, the influence of the Solstice Empire continues to expand daily on the Rodenous continent. I am confident that following the defeat of Louria, their influence will only continue to grow in other countries as well. Therefore, I believe it would be in our best interest to establish diplomatic relations with them, given their demonstrated power in defeating Louria," Siosan suggested.

"I understand, but if we attempt to contact the Solstice without a strategic plan, it might provoke the Palpadia," King Sios cautioned.

"We could seek assistance from Qua-Toyne for a meeting with the Solstice. That way, Palpadia would remain oblivious," Siosan proposed.

"Very well, ensure that this remains confidential," King Sios instructed.

Solstice Empire, Sunspire, Aginite Harbor, 3:51 PM

Prime Minister Kanata, aboard the Super Ferry, was taking in the view from the deck when he spotted another Super Ferry heading in the same direction. He surmised that it must be carrying Quila.

After a few more minutes, they arrived at the harbor, a sight he recognized from his previous visit to finalize documents. Once both Super Ferries docked, he saw Quila descending via gravitational elevators.

Upon landing, they were greeted by Reginald. "Greetings, I trust you enjoyed the ride. Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Reginald Hopsworth, please follow me," he said.

Both Kanata and Quila followed Reginald. Upon reaching the road, they were greeted by a more luxurious vehicle waiting for them. Quila was somewhat taken aback, having never visited Solstice except for their envoy, who had described all the wonders the Solstice had to offer. Having never seen it firsthand, he had assumed that the envoy was exaggerating. But upon seeing the ship, harbor, and now a horseless carriage, he was astounded.

"This will be our transport to the capital. Please, get in," Reginald said as he opened the door for them. As they got in, Quila was still in a state of shock, while Kanata, having visited Solstice once, was also shocked but somewhat accustomed to it.

The car then started moving smoothly. Reginald also offered them a few drinks to refresh themselves. It took them an hour to reach the capital. Once they reached the palace where they would be meeting the Empress, Quila was astounded to see that the Palace was located on a floating island. The car suddenly flew up, taking Quila by surprise.

Upon landing on the Island, they were met by numerous Imperial guards and maids. One of them opened the car door. "Welcome to the Palace, esteemed guests," said one of the maids, as both Quila and Kanata exited the car along with Reginald.

"Her Majesty is awaiting you. Please follow me," a maid said. Quila and Kanata both followed her, escorted by six imperial guards. Once they reached the room, Quila was somewhat confused as to why they were using an office instead of the throne room.

"Excuse me, miss. Shouldn't we be in the Throne room?" Quila asked.

"Dear guest, you must be referring to an old custom. No, we are not supposed to be in the throne room. The throne room is only for special occasions, according to Her Majesty," said the maid, as she knocked on the door, "Your Majesty, the guests have arrived," said the maid.

"Please come in," a voice could be heard from inside. The maid then opened the door for both Quila and Kanata to enter. Once the door was opened, "Welcome Mr Prime Minister and King Quila," Christine said.

"Thank you for inviting us, Your Majesty," Kanata said.

"It is my pleasure to finally meet you, Empress Christine," Quila said.

"Please come in and take a seat," she told them, as both of them entered and took their seats.

"Now that you are here, let us begin our discussion. Now, Mr Prime Minister and King Quila, I see that the world is much less advanced, so the stronger countries were taking advantage of the weak. So I have decided to allow both Quila Kingdom and Qua-Toyne to advance to the late modern period or in other words the Victoria Era," she said.

"So you are allowing us to advance, so what would you receive if we did agree to advance?" King Quila asked.

"The Solstice wouldn't receive anything except a strong allied country. However, with advancement comes new challenges. As we progress, we become a bigger target for those who wish to exploit our technology. That's why I propose the Visa System," she said.

Kanata was a bit confused about what this Visa is "A Visa System? Could you elaborate?"

"Absolutely. A visa is a conditional authorization granted by a territory to a foreigner, allowing them to enter, remain within, or leave that territory. It acts as a pre-check of individuals before they enter our lands."

"But wouldn't that restrict the free movement of people?" Kanata asked

"We would need to establish a dedicated department to handle visa applications and enforcement. This department would be responsible for processing applications, conducting background checks, and issuing visas. We could also consider different types of visas based on the purpose of visit, such as tourism, business, study, or work," she replied.

"I see, so this should also allow us to identify who was going inside of our country, that's a good idea, and that way it would also make it harder for other countries to send a spy," Quila said.

"Yes indeed, with this thing you called Visa, it means that spies should decrease a little bit due to them requiring to have a visa, but still," Kanata said.

"So Mr. Prime Minister and King Quila do you two agree on my proposal about the Visa System?" She asked.

"Yes, I will agree to this system," King Quila said.

"I have to discuss this with the others back on Qua-Toyne first, but I will make sure to send a quick response," Kanata said.

"Now that we've discussed the Visa System, let's move on to another crucial issue - the safety of our merchants. As we advance and expand our trade, the risk of piracy increases. Our merchants, who are the backbone of our economy, face threats every day on the high seas," she said.

"Indeed, piracy is a growing concern. But what can we do about it?" Quila asked.

"I propose we form an alliance called the Eastern United Nations, or EUN for short. This alliance would be dedicated to maritime security operations. All member countries could participate and contribute to these operations," Christine said.

"How would this alliance work?" Kanata asked.

"Each member country would contribute resources - ships, personnel, intelligence - to a shared pool. This pool would then be used to patrol trade routes, respond to piracy threats, and ensure the safety of our merchants. By working together, we can provide a level of security that no single country could achieve on its own," she said, not revealing the full truth that the Solstice Empire alone could provide complete security to the whole continent of Philades.

"That sounds like a promising idea. We'll need to discuss it further, of course, but it's a good starting point," Kanata said.

"I'm glad to hear that. I believe that the Eastern United Nations could be a significant step forward in ensuring the safety of our merchants and the prosperity of our economies. Therefore, once the Visa System is established, I will open the Solstice Border, allowing tourists from my country to enter," she said.

As the discussion continued discussing about all the technology they could acquire as well as the pros and cons of the System. After a few more minutes they now came to the last discussion which was about the Trial of King Haag. "So about the King of Louria Trial, when would the trial going to be held?" Kanata asked.

"The Trial would be held once King Haag regained his consciousness, to my assumption it would take him maybe, a day or two before he would regain consciousness," she said.

"I see," Kanata said.

"So while we're waiting, you could do some detours within my Empire, we would be covering all of your expenses during your stay," she said.

"Thank you, Empress Christine," both Quila and Kanata said in unison unintentionally.

With that, the two of them, finally leave the Office. Christine is now all alone at her office. She now resumed reviewing some more documents about the Palpadia Empire's conquest of the continent of Philades, conquering.