Kingdom High Tarxa, New Tarxa, High Elven Ville, Tarxan Palace, Inside The Throne Room

1st Year of God, Tuesday, 1st Week, Month Of Jacob.

With the discovery of the inferiors spying against them, the Tarxans resorted to extreme measures into inscribing fear into them. They ruthlessly tortured the men and brutally forced women, even went to lengths which included massacring entire villages, with the men publicly executed in front of their families and the women utterly violated before being sold into the common market of Tarxa.

Even though such atrocities were a common thing, this time, however, they did it at a frequency that reached unprecedented levels, something never seen before in the nation's history. They did it all just to set an extreme example to the inferiors, a terrifying message that defiance would be crushed with unparalleled cruelty.

The reason the authorities did all this savagery is that, ironically, they too are in fear. The fear at the thought of an ancient prophecy foretold by the old prophet they had once ridiculed and executed from the olden times from coming true.

At first, they dismissed it as a joke and a senile old man making fictional fairy tales in a cult, but now they felt the ramblings of the old man had begun to feel ominously true.

Even if such things really happen, it would create massive chaos in the world. So as much as possible, the authorities vowed to exterminate and dealt with any slightest bit of sign of it happening to the fullest. Part of why this happened is also because Acheron was recently ascended to power, which drove much of this zeal.

Не fears the ideals of his sister and father, especially when he just got into power. He despised the notion that inferiors might one day be considered his equals. He slanders that idea, or more exactly it disgusts him.

How could they, the magically superior people, be put into the same table as those devoid of magic and strength to even defend themselves?

Such a repulsive idea should be burned into the furnace with its ashes sealed into a pot so that it would never touch the surface with its vile ideology ever again. Now that he's in power, he will do everything in his power to stop it from happening, even if it means annihilating the entire inferior population.

However, eliminating the entire population of the inferiors would cripple their labor-driven economy. The very industry that kept Tarxa and many other kingdoms functioning would collapse without the hard work of the subjugated.

Furthermore, how could they possibly let someone superior do the same hard labor that the inferiors do? It would spell the end of a magician's dignity and honor as a magician into an end. In the end, of all things, an inferior person would always be an inferior, and Acheron believes it to the fullest.

In fact, Acheron was not concerned if the entire population of inferiors in his kingdom were to be massacred. After all, he thinks it would even be beneficial for himself, as they could just buy enough slaves from the Slave Union to maximize the output of the economy.

Furthermore, the slaves would do anything just to serve their master, rather they had to follow their master without question, that is because if they disobeyed, it could mean only one thing, and that is an execution on the spot.

While the inferiors, or soon to be slaves as all the magically superior believes, still possess some freedom, they have to treat all magically superior people as their boss and they have to do anything the superior desires.

It is just basically that the inferiors have some freedom, while the slaves have all aspects of their lives controlled. Furthermore, the superior people really do not give a damn whether they aren't slaves yet or they are, they would take anything that caught their interest.

After all, power and power alone decide everything in this world. The law protects only those who have power.

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Kingdom of High Tarxa, New Tarxa, High Elven Ville, Somewhere in High Elven Ville, Near A Tarxan Military Barracks.

1st Year of God, Tuesday, 1st Week, Month Of Jacob.

An Elven man was stroding through the grand halls with his flamboyant military uniform as bold as his usual air of confidence. However, today that kind of confidence was ebbing away, instead was being replaced by simmering anger and irritation.

This was happening as he was receiving reports of what was happening on the front where they found the enemy that was suspected of using the inferiors to spy on them.

As he walked through the halls, another Elven officer fell into step beside him and delivered the latest update.

"Sir, we've received intelligence that the enemy is using repeating muskets," the officer began with unease in his voice. "But something's off. Our forces stated that they can't detect even the slightest trace of mana from them. We're suffering heavy losses, over a hundred casualties, and the enemy hasn’t lost a single soldier. Just a few injuries here and there."

The Elven commander glanced at the report and slowly heaved a sigh.

"Should we deploy more magicians to deal with this?" the officer asked.

Finally, the commander spoke in a measured but thoughtful tone. "If they’re relying on muskets, they’re bound to run out of ammunition soon. And if they're using mana to power these weapons, their reserves won’t last much longer, unless, of course, we’re dealing with high-level magicians or, worse, a Transcendent. In that case, they could keep firing endlessly without tiring. But this is the first I’ve heard of a 'repeating musket.' I believe only the dwarves of the Iron Kingdom are known to possess such technology."

He paused as his brow furrowed in deep thought. "From what I’ve heard, their muskets merely have faster reload times and use less mana. Still, we can’t take chances. We should investigate the dwarves, but carefully. No need to provoke them unnecessarily."

"Understood, commander!" the officer replied.

After listening to the report of the Elven executive, the Elven commander continued down the hall and eventually entered a briefing room where several military officials were gathered. They rose to greet him, each ready with their own reports on the situation at hand.

"Commander," one of them began, "received different reports of the enemy appearing to be using a different kind of magic, unlike anything we've seen before. It’s not the typical light, explosion, or wind magic. Our scouts reported the use of some sort of smoke device, and they also described what seemed like a bomb. But instead of a normal explosion, it detonated into a blinding light, disorienting our forces and allowing the enemy to escape. We’re currently searching the entire forest, but they couldn’t have gone far."

Upon hearing the report, the Elven commander with his flamboyant military attire contrasting with the sudden seriousness in his expression, lowered his gaze and went deep in thought. After a moment, he looked up with a hardened face.

"Where was the enemy heading before we lost sight of them?" he asked sharply.

The military officials shuffled through scattered reports and murmured among themselves in confusion. Finally, one of them spoke up.

"Commander, we believe they were heading toward a beachhead. But they seemed to change direction after using some kind of fog to cover their tracks. We also don't believe they escaped to the sea, as there are no reports of an unidentified ship breaching our maritime defenses."

The commander’s eyes flashed with impatience. "Are you serious? They obviously used Teleportation Magic to escape!"

The room fell silent, feeling the weight of his words sinking in.

"Teleportation magic is extremely rare in the Third Civilization Zone," the commander continued with a biting tone. "If they really changed course, why bother heading for a beachhead in the first place? No. That fog was a diversion to throw our forces into disarray. They used a light spell to blind us, making it impossible for our troops to see where they actually went. And let’s not forget, the maritime defense line is far from impenetrable. It isn't perfect and has a lot of loopholes, as we all know that our navy is still crippled after that bitch Melian took half of it to the ocean depths. I want a thorough search of that beachhead immediately!"

The realization hit the military officials like a wave as their shocked expressions slowly transformed into understanding.

"At once, commander!" they responded in unison before scattering to carry out his orders.

An hour later, one of the officers rushed back into the room, breathless with urgency.

"Commander! You were right, there were signs of heavy movement at the beachhead. We found numerous footprints!"

A slow smile crept across the commander's face. "Excellent. Order the navy to begin searching the maritime zones immediately. I'll report this directly to the king."

With a nod of approval, the commander turned on his heel, already planning his next move. The hunt had begun.

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An Elven man sat regally upon his throne with his cold gaze wandering around and calculating as he looked down at the commander before him. After a brief pause, he spoke with a commanding yet composed tone.

"What brings you here, Commander Azuth Uther?"

The commander named Azuth Uther straightened himself after bowing deeply to his king, Acheron, before recounting the latest events in detail from the enemy’s movements, their use of strange magic, and the potential involvement of the Iron Kingdom.

Acheron listened intently with his face betraying no emotion until the report was finished. "I see. You've done well, Karl. Continue the search for the enemy. They can't have gotten far."

"At your will, Your Majesty," Azuth replied with a firm and resolute voice.

The King glanced at him once more and spoke with his tone carrying the weight of authority. "You will be rewarded for your diligence, Azuth. And as you’ve suspected, the Iron Kingdom may indeed be behind this. I’ll summon their diplomat for questioning. We need answers."

With a final bow, Azuth bid farewell to Acheron and moved out of the throne room. A moment later, a smirk played across the elf’s lips, growing wider to the fullest his mouth could handle with each step.

The promise of a reward and the prospect of a promotion filled him with satisfaction. After all, who wouldn’t be pleased at the thought of rising even further in the ranks?

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Austronesia Empire, Imperial Maharlika, Metro Manila, Malacanang Palace, Conference Room

1st Year of God, Wednesday, 1st Week, Month Of Jacob.

Upon receiving word that the special operations soldiers had been compromised, Emperor Maximo immediately ordered the entire Liberation Army to be on full alert.

It is expected that this mission wouldn't last for long until the alert is put into a much lower to moderate level. However, the speed at which the team had been compromised was alarming.

For now, the Emperor awaited a detailed report on the mission in High Tarxa, which was expected to arrive shortly.

The Emperor will make sure to thoroughly read the entire report, and from there decide on what's going to happen next. The report hasn't arrived yet as the special operations unit wer3 still aboard a nuclear submarine, which they could only use the radio for limited communication, but unable to transmit sensitive information.

Which is why Maximo had to wait for the soldiers to make landfall and recover from their injuries before they could debrief him in better shape.

In the meantime, the Emperor was having a meeting with key military and political officials.

"Your Majesty, the civilian industry is now running at nominal levels," one politician remarked with relief. "Your actions have greatly benefited the people. The workers and citizens are singing praises for you and our government! It's good that we’ve honored all our promises to the people, rather than exploiting them, being lazy, or being senile… or arresting people over something as trivial as an 'Offensive' post on Social Media. I wonder if other nations, perhaps in our world or an alternate one, have fallen to such foolishness."

The room murmured in agreement. Such behavior would indeed be very dumb.

"Anyways, if this progress continues, we’ll be back to our pre-crisis levels of industrial output within a few months," another official added. "The resources discovered beneath our great People's Empire have been of great help. With rising demands for steel and other precious materials, we’ve managed to keep up the supply of such resources, thanks to the newly uncovered ore deposits."

The politicians and military officials were brimming with pride as they discussed how much the industry was able to recover in such a short amount of time, by using the rich minerals from Mana Crystals, Mithril, and others unearthed by the transmigration that had transformed their nation’s underground wealth.

However, the Emperor kept a straight face and quickly dampened the excitement of his officials.

"We cannot afford to become complacent of cour situation," he said gravely. "Remember, one of our special operations squads was compromised in High Tarxa, our closest neighboring nation. While our civilian industry has made impressive progress, because after all, “Austronesians come first”, this recovery has come at the cost of our military industry. Though I had hoped to delay further military investment until our civilian sector was strong enough to support our growing might, circumstances have changed. We must now channel more resources into the military. For the time being, we should prioritize manufacturing older equipment, as it's faster to produce than the cutting-edge technology we currently have."

The room fell silent as the officials absorbed the Emperor’s words. Some disagreed initially, but they soon realized his logic was undeniable. Whether or not they liked it, the Emperor was right. They need to invest soon enough into the recovery of their Military Industry, because no matter how advanced their technology, without sufficient military strength, they risked being overwhelmed by sheer enemy numbers. They may be technologically advanced, but this advantage would diminish once your ammunition would run out long before their technological advantage could make a difference.

Breaking the tense quiet, a military official stood to offer a suggestion. "Since we are shifting focus to the military, I propose we prioritize the navy over the army."

Upon stating his opinion, he unintentionally sparked immediate backlash from the army officials present in the room.

"Your Majesty," one of them protested, "We in the army believe that we must focus on the army more, as we are the vanguard of our citizens. What good is a navy if we can’t defend our land?"

The navy admirals groaned in frustration. "It seems someone has forgotten that our People's Empire is a collection of thousands of islands. How are we going to supply resources in those distant locations if it weren't for the navy protecting our waters?"

The debate grew heated, with both sides locked in a battle for resources. For nearly an hour, the argument raged, leaving the politicians in the room visibly uncomfortable as they lacked the expertise to relate to what the military was speaking about, and many wished they could retreat from the escalating tension.

Meanwhile, one thing became clear, and that the air force hadn't taken a side yet, which is why they became the target of both the army and navy seeking to win their support and align with them. However, the air force commanders remained strictly neutral and refused to be drawn into the dispute.

Having enough of the sides bickering, Emperor Maximo finally stood and intervened.

"Enough!" His voice cut through the tension. "We will focus on all branches of the military. As for the navy, we shall prioritize the production of lighter warships such as gunboats, destroyers, frigates, and cruisers. These can be produced more quickly than battleships or carriers, which normally take months to build. We will still construct battleships and carriers, but at a slower pace. The more ships we can turn out quickly, the better."

Hearing the Emperor’s reasonable explanation, the navy admirals nodded in agreement and accepted his decision without further argument.

"As for the army," he continued, "A suitable budget will be allocated to increase conscription and raise more personnel. While old old equipment may not be the most advanced, even outdated firearms are still effective, especially against enemies using magic. Our focus will shift to mechanized and armored vehicles to protect our soldiers on the ground." He paused briefly and scanned the room, seeing his judgment for the army was delivered just as firmly, "Regarding the newly invented magic-based technologies, we’ll leave those to the Science Department, Weapons Engineering, and Magic Research Institute to continue their independent projects as they have the resources and funding to produce Magic Rifles and MK-I armors independently without additional government aid."

The Emperor’s gaze sharpened. "These magical technologies will mainly be reserved for special operatives overseas, where deployment is both risky and time-consuming, while high-ranking military officers will receive their share as well within the Empire."

The army, pleased with this balance of resources and the Emperor’s attention to their needs, accepted his decision.

"Now last, but not least, the air force," Maximo said, turning to the waiting officials. "Your role will be crucial for scouting and providing air support on the front lines. We will also repurpose old military aircraft assets. I am afraid, given our current constraints, that’s all we can spare for now."

The air force officers calmly accepted this decision without protest, having expected such an outcome. Despite the dangers posed by magical anti-air threats and powerful beings like Transcendents, they knew that a skilled pilot could still make all the difference. In their hands, even an outdated aircraft could perform like a superior one.

It is like this, a bad aircraft in the hands of a good pilot becomes a good aircraft, and a good aircraft handed to a bad pilot becomes a bad aircraft. In a sense, it means that it is up to the skills of the pilot whether the advantage of superior technology would come to light or not.

The Emperor then addressed everyone once more. "Let us not forget that no single branch of the military can win a war alone. It is the essence of combined arms that allows us to function as one cohesive force. Without the navy, the army would struggle to reach distant islands. Without the air force, ground units would lack critical reconnaissance and support. It is the harmony of combined military forces that leads to victory, and we must work to together."

His words resonated deeply. The military officials, realizing the truth in his statement, stood up and bowed in unison, expressing their gratitude. They understood that hoarding resources for their respective branches would only weaken the entire military effort. Each branch was dependent on the others, like pieces of a larger puzzle.

The politicians, however, had been sitting quietly in the corner, thoroughly confused and out of their depth in the military discussion, which had gone well beyond their understanding, and now that the debate had finally ended, they sighed in relief while drenching in sweat from the tension.

With the meeting over, the officials departed, each returning to their respective duties across the People's Empire.

Emperor Maximo, meanwhile, headed back to his office, where stacks of paperwork awaited him. Despite the long day, there was still paperwork to complete, and he knew his responsibilities were far from over. As the leader of a recovering nation, he could not afford to rest while his citizens needed him, not only as a ruler but as a symbol of perseverance and responsibility.

Therefore, he couldn't just sit back, relax and do nothing, while the people were suffering. He had to remain their guiding figurehead and tireless role model.

And so, the work continued.

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Kingdom of High Tarxa, New Tarxa, High Elven Ville, Tarxan Palace, In A Meeting Room.

1st Year of God, Thursday, 1st Week, Month Of Jacob.

Dozens, if not hundreds, of inferior villages had been razed to the ground with their male populations slaughtered, while the women were either brutalized or sold into the common market. When word of the attack spread and news of the assailants' escape reached the authorities, the kingdom had no choice but to demand an explanation from the most likely suspect, a neighboring country.

Evidence and testimonies were swiftly gathered and presented to the Iron Kingdom of the dwarves.

The situation was grave for the Iron Kingdom, despite its status as one of the most powerful nations within the Third Civilization Zone. They knew they couldn’t stand against a coalition of dozens of nations if such accusations held weight. So with all their might, they fiercely denied High Tarxa’s claims that the Iron Kingdom had instigate the inferiors to spy and rebel against them.

At the same time, they could not afford to face international condemnation, especially given their role as a vanguard nation in the fight against the Orcs. An international outcry would lead to trade sanctions and embargoes, which would cripple their economy.

With these concerns in mind, the Iron Kingdom sent a diplomat to High Tarxa, fully expecting to face a series of unreasonable accusations. The dwarves believed that the Elf Kingdom’s claims would be exaggerated and designed to squeeze out trade concessions. Still, the diplomat was prepared to offer a slightly improved deal, one that would benefit the Iron Kingdom while giving just enough to the elves to maintain a favorable relationship.

Upon arriving in the Elf Kingdom, however, the diplomat noticed something unusual, which is that there were fewer inferiors in sight than in any other nation. He became curious and asked questions with the local inhabitants and was shocked by what he learned.

From what they had heard, certain devices had been found in the villages of the inferiors, devices apparently used to communicate with an unknown nation, likely the Iron Kingdom. Those discovered with these devices had been massacred, along with entire villages suspected of harboring them. Further details were tightly controlled by the Elf Kingdom, heightening the diplomat’s curiosity.

Now the dwarven diplomat was even more curious of the situation, especially the nature of the devices. Were they powered by magic?

As a member of the dwarven race, he knew well that his people specialized in magical technology. The dwarves were renowned for crafting high-quality equipment imbued with magical properties, either engraved by their own artisans or other magicians from distant lands and other Civilization Zones.

They were also the creators of the highly coveted Spatial Rings, and they had long been pioneers in combining science with magic, creating increasingly efficient devices that required only the smallest of magic to function.

Each new generation of their inventions demonstrated more ingenuity than the last.

Now, the question is that could these mysterious devices be of dwarven origin, or had someone else begun mastering the same powerful fusion of magic and technology? The diplomat needed answers, for the consequences could reshape the political landscape far beyond just the Iron Kingdom and High Tarxa.

Then, the Dwarven diplomat finally arrived at the grand High Tarxan Palace, greeted by towering elven architecture and the regal presence of his Elven counterpart. As was custom, the two diplomats exchanged a formal greeting, a carefully choreographed gesture unique to their nations, before sitting down for the tense talks that awaited them.

"On what grounds do you accuse the Iron Kingdom of espionage in your lands?" the Dwarven diplomat asked.

The Elven diplomat snickered at the words of the dwarven diplomat, clearly unimpressed by the question. "Oh, we have much to discuss, including the evidence of your dwarven technology."

The mention of dwarven technology attracted the Dwarven diplomat's interest. He leaned forward slightly, his curiosity now fully engaged. "Well, what are you waiting for? Show me this so-called 'evidence' you're so eager to parade around," he retorted, his words deliberately provocative.

Upon hearing such provocation, the Elven diplomat’s composure wavered as his eyes narrowed in irritation.

"Follow me," he said curtly, standing up to lead the way to where all the evidence was.

After a brief but silent walk through the palace's corridors, the two diplomats arrived at a heavily guarded room. Once inside, the Dwarven diplomat was met with an odd sight with rows of black boxes, each topped with large rods, and scattered around the room were crystals, glowing faintly.

"What is this?" the Dwarven diplomat exclaimed, his brow furrowing as he surveyed the room. "How could you spend such an absurd amount of truth crystals on such a trivial matter?"

The Elven diplomat gave a smug grin. "Why don’t we begin? Let us examine all the contents of the truth crystals and... as for this black box, we’ve had little success understanding it, but perhaps you will."

The dwarf explored the surroundings, but the thing that caught his interest the most was the strange black box. He walked over to inspect it, placing his hand on its surface and attempted to sense any traces of mana.

Nothing.

The complete absence of magical energy left him confused. If this were truly dwarven technology, there should have been some mana coursing through it, even if only a faint amount. But, this device was entirely inert.

“This doesn’t make sense,” he muttered under his breath as he examined the box more closely as fingers trailed along its intricate exterior. Impulsively, he reached for his tools to begin dismantling it.

"Stop! Don't tamper with it!" The Elven diplomat shouted in alarm. "Everyone who tried tampering with it has been blown to bits!"

The Dwarven diplomat froze mid-motion, looking at the Elven diplomat with a mixture of disbelief and frustration. Devices powered by mana could explode, yes, but this object had no mana. The very idea that it could be dangerous without any magical charge was absurd. Still, he reluctantly withdrew his tools, unwilling to risk his life on such an enigmatic device.

Shifting his attention to the truth crystals, the Dwarven diplomat knelt by one of the tables.

These crystals were known to be among the most sacred tools used by many nations. When activated, they could reveal whether someone was telling the truth during an interrogation. But one has to go through a ritual so that the truth crystal would be activated. Lying to a truth crystal would get the person being interrogated killed in an instant.

Nobody is safe when they are confronted with a truth crystal. The crystals not only confirmed honesty but also recorded everything said during the ritual, sometimes preserving the very history of an event.

He placed his hand gently on one of the crystals, pondering the implications. If the elves had gone so far as to use truth crystals to gather their evidence, this wasn’t just a political ploy, it was serious.

As he did that, the Dwarven diplomat was utterly astonished as he listened to the testimonies stored within the truth crystals. They recounted events that seemed nothing short of fantastical, manaless individuals wielding repeating muskets capable of firing over thirty rounds in mere seconds. The very idea was ludicrous, like something conjured in a fever dream. And yet, the truth crystals bore witness to it, which meant these outlandish claims were true.

More baffling were the reports of devices that bring out flashes of light and smoke, or worse, manaless objects that exploded upon mere contact with the ground. The dwarven diplomat began to question the sanity of the elves. But, since they used a truth crystal, he knew the testimonies could not be false and they were in fact to have really happened.

Still, the most preposterous detail was that these strange technologies, like the repeating muskets, were wielded by individuals without a trace of mana. This defied everything he knew about the limitations of technology, but he has no choice but to accept it, as it is really evidence.

"I’m sorry, but this technology doesn't have any relation to the Iron Kingdom," the Dwarven diplomat stated firmly.

The Elven diplomat, however, merely smirked in response. "Oh? And yet one thing remains clear, which is that your nation is the master of magic technology. Who’s to say you haven’t developed these things under the nose from the rest of the region without being caught?"

Hearing such cheap provocations, the Dwarven diplomat felt his patience slipping. The insinuation was absurd, and he could feel anger rising in his chest.

"Are you threatening us?" he growled.

The Elven diplomat leaned in, his voice turning menacingly soft as he spoke. "What do you think would happen if we shared these recordings with the rest of the Third Civilization Zone? A coalition of nations could turn their gaze upon the Iron Kingdom. Your reputation would be in tatters."

The Dwarven diplomat was now utterly pissed.

"Do you really think the Iron Kingdom will bow to the threats of an inferior nation like yours?" he roared. "Bring it on! We are one of the most powerful countries in the Third Civilization Zone! No matter how much you spread your baseless accusations, we will stand firm. For Rock and Stone! The dwarven people will never surrender to the likes of you!"

Without waiting for a response, the Dwarven diplomat stormed out, seething with rage. He marched back to the docks, boarded his ship, and set sail without so much as a backward glance.

As the Dwarven ship vanished over the horizon, the Elven diplomat stood in silence with a satisfied smile creeping onto his face. He turned toward a shadowy figure emerging from the corridor.

"Did you record everything?" the Elven diplomat asked coldly.

"Yes, my lord," the figure replied.

The Elven diplomat's smile widened. "Good. Very good.”