Negotiations with Yan were essential.
Felix could not fight alone.
He was uncertain whether he could win over Columbia and Leithanien. Both nations had their own ambitions and agendas. They sought territorial expansion, though in their own strategic and calculated ways rather than through reckless aggression.
As for Siracusa, although the envoy sent by Signora Sicily had already arrived in Laterano, Felix had no intention of meeting them. Compared with the two great powers mentioned earlier, the internal factions of Siracusa were still locked in endless struggles for power and profit. In Felix's eyes, Siracusa was not a suitable ally.
Iberia did possess certain ancient technologies that predated the current civilization. However, its governing system was still rooted in the Inquisition. Its overall technological level remained relatively low, something clearly reflected in its extremely limited number of battleships.
The nation was sparsely populated, and the people's overall happiness was not high. On top of that, the Deep Sea Church continued to stir trouble internally. Iberia could barely manage its own problems.
At present, aside from Victoria and Tara, whose future alliance Felix could already confirm, the only remaining reliable partner was the Yan Empire.
Felix explained his thoughts to Anthony and suggested that he continue building rapport with Liang Xun. Since both nations would ultimately stand on the same side, even if they did not completely trust each other yet, they could at least exchange useful intelligence.
During the following two days, Felix met with special envoys from Victoria, Tara, and New Tara.
The envoy from Victoria turned out to be none other than Vina herself. Alongside her were Congresswoman Allerdale Cumberland and Clovisia. As for the affairs back home, they had been temporarily entrusted to Horn, Morgan, and several others.
Victoria's situation in this timeline was entirely different from what Felix remembered.
Some people who had once died were now alive, while others who should have survived had already perished.
Horn and Bagpipe had both joined Tomorrow's Development. But Horn continued to serve under Vina's command, which Felix found slightly regrettable, though he still respected her unwavering Victorian military spirit.
As for Bagpipe, after the Tempest Platoon was disbanded, she devoted herself to various projects within Tomorrow's Development. Several former members of the Tempest Platoon, grateful for the organization's actions, had also chosen to join alongside her.
Two days later, Felix officially represented Kazdel at the Laterano Summit of Nations.
Seated in Kazdel's designated place, he looked toward the Pope standing on the central podium.
Today, the Pope seemed… different.
Perhaps it was simply the lighting, or perhaps it was only Felix's imagination. But the old man appeared more like a pope than ever before.
Although Felix had no intention of worshipping him, he still prepared himself to listen carefully to the speech.
In his previous life, he had learned through conversations with NPCs that Andoain had infiltrated Laterano during this meeting, and that the traitor Oren had likely been one of his accomplices.
But things were different now.
Andoain had already been driven away, and Oren was currently as obedient as a mouse in front of a cat. It seemed unlikely that anything would go wrong.
"Today, revelation has arrived," Pope Yvangelista XI declared solemnly, wisdom glinting in his eyes.
"My hope is that the process of peace-building, once begun, will be carefully examined, and that secret agreements forged by only a few will be rejected by the nations of Terra."
"Every person who no longer dwells solely on the past, every person who truly cares about the future of this land, should ask themselves the following questions."
"How can our civilization continue?"
"How many people suffer when peace itself is challenged?"
"Does the security of one nation truly guarantee the security of others?"
"On this land, survival depends on civilization. Peace cannot belong to one nation alone unless it extends to all."
"I therefore call for the establishment of an international agreement, founded upon mutual understanding, with the goal of guaranteeing security for every nation."
"Our interests and our safety are far more intertwined than many realize."
"Terra must stand together and fight side by side until the very end."
In the end, the Pope still did not reveal the truth.
If he were to stand here and tell everyone that Terra had only three years left, urging them to set aside all grievances, chaos would erupt immediately.
At least half the envoys present would probably think the old man had lost his mind.
Still, peace and cooperation between nations were indeed necessary.
As Felix listened, he quickly noticed that many envoys were glancing in his direction.
His fists clenched slightly.
He wasn't some warmonger, so why were they all acting as if he might suddenly lead a fleet to bombard someone?
Theresa, seated nearby, simply smiled gently.
This was exactly why bringing Kazdel into the conference had been necessary.
Some of the envoys who had initially expected Laterano's invitation to Kazdel to cause trouble had quietly relaxed after seeing Felix's calm demeanor.
After all, if Kazdel had not been invited, who knew when the Liberation King might suddenly lose his temper and lead his adventurers straight to the walls of their mobile cities for a "Freedom campaign"?
That would be extremely troublesome.
They couldn't defeat him.
Running away would be their only option.
As for the Liberation King himself… what a terrifying existence.
Even the legendary Teekaz described in ancient records from a thousand years ago did not seem to possess such overwhelming strength.
The power he displayed in Londinium had been comparable to the Feranmuts once slain in the history of Yan.
If one day the Liberation King personally led an expedition…
There would be no point in resisting.
Better to surrender immediately.
The major powers had long been wary of Kazdel's military strength. That was precisely why, a century ago, a multinational allied coalition had launched an attack against it.
Both the Royal Court and the Sarkaz themselves possessed combat strength comparable to Feranmuts.
When the envoys saw Felix sign the agreement, they collectively breathed a sigh of relief. Afterwards, they exchanged glances, as if silently confirming the same thought, and could only shake their heads helplessly.
One of their primary objectives at this conference had been to see Felix place his signature on the document. Knowing that Kazdel would stand as an ally in the future made many of them feel as though a heavy burden had finally been lifted.
Still, Felix understood clearly that this was far from enough.
Alliances were temporary. The moment greater interests appeared, any written agreement could easily be torn apart.
Before leaving Laterano, Felix arranged a meeting with Vina.
Naturally, it was to exchange information.
Given their identities, it was difficult for them to meet freely across Terra. Even when attending diplomatic events, they were constantly under the watchful eyes of countless observers, leaving no room for carelessness.
This international conference provided the perfect opportunity. There were no Columbian journalists here, and with so many delegations present, attention was spread thin.
Without the delegations of Victoria or Kazdel constantly guarding against unexpected incidents, the Sankta displayed their usual curiosity. However, there were far too many visitors drawing their attention.
Vina was simply one among many.
After lunch, Vina arrived at the business meeting room Felix had reserved. When their eyes met, both of them smiled.
"I heard the Columbian envoy has been eager to meet with you," Felix said.
"Yes. They've set their sights on Victoria's mineral resources and are trying every possible way to sign a trade agreement with us."
After entering the room, Vina removed her coat and set it aside before sitting casually on the sofa.
"I've already asked Allerdale to investigate the situation," she continued. "But there's a high chance we'll refuse. Victoria's industrial strength is deeply tied to its mining industry."
"A wise decision," Felix replied with a smile. "How is the war progressing?"
"Victoria's greatest rival right now is still the Kingdom of Tara." Vina shook her head. "Their attacks are fierce. The County Hillock along Victoria's border has become the main battlefield."
She sighed softly.
"It's difficult to imagine that a nation with such limited territory can sustain a prolonged war like this."
"Adventurers from New Tara are also trying to seize the estates of several Victorian nobles," she added. "According to them, those nobles have been exploiting the people."
Felix chuckled.
Vina immediately shot him a glare, though there was no real anger in her eyes. Instead, there was a faint hint of playful reproach.
"Victoria has already secured the allegiance of some nobles from the former Gaul territories," she said. "The rest have been drawn to New Tara. At the moment, Victoria faces enemies from both the north and the south."
She fixed him with a meaningful look.
"And the vast majority of this situation is because of you, Your Highness."
"But hasn't it also brought unprecedented unity to Victoria?" Felix replied calmly.
Feeling Vina's sharp gaze, he simply smiled and looked out the window toward the Holy City.
Vina shrugged.
He wasn't wrong.
In the face of war, especially now that Queen Victoria had returned, the entire nation had rallied together to strengthen Victoria once more.
Although reports described fierce fighting along the front lines, what truly troubled the Victorian soldiers was something else entirely.
Opportunities to reach the battlefield were rare.
The adventurers repeatedly insisted that they didn't need reinforcements. They simply wanted to fight the enemy for three hundred rounds themselves.
No manpower required. Just supplies.
To Vina, the entire war sometimes felt almost like a child's game.
However, she was already considered a veteran within Tomorrow's Development. Understanding the unique nature of adventurers, she devoted nearly all of her time to her duties.
Yet during quiet nights, when everything fell silent, she would occasionally remember the powerful man she had once met.
The man who had appeared like an angel, dispelling the darkness in people's hearts.
She sometimes wondered whether he was still doing well.
"Miss Vina?"
Felix noticed her strange expression. For a moment, she looked like a lioness that had just spotted its prey.
"Your Highness, I've thought of something."
"What is it?"
Vina stood up as she spoke. She removed her coat completely and strode toward Felix.
Looking down at him with a faint smile, she said,
"I remember that Your Highness and Miss Loughshinny are a couple, correct?"
Felix nodded. There was no reason to deny it.
Vina's smile deepened. She bent slightly and began removing her trousers.
"So that means you will become the king of New Tara?"
Felix's eyebrows twitched.
Seeing Vina's expression, he instinctively leaned back in his chair, adopting a cautious posture.
He had never intended to involve himself in political conflicts between nations outside of Kazdel.
"Hehe." Vina laughed softly. "But in the future, you will also become the husband of the new Queen of Tara… and the husband of me, Queen Victoria."
Vina sat on Felix's lap and gently licked her lips. She had originally intended to maintain a strong and confident image, but now she was so shy that she didn't know where to place her hands or feet.
"Um… please be gentle with me, my husband."
___
Felix, who had somehow become Queen Victoria's man, was currently looking through the battle data uploaded by Clever. While he studied the information sent back by the players, Vina had already fought with him for two hours before collapsing from exhaustion. After sleeping for half an hour, she finally woke up.
Her stamina was still better than Mostima's. After all, she was a trained fighter. Mostima and the others… well… they spent most of their time studying Originium staffs and firearms, so their physical endurance naturally wasn't as strong.
At this moment, Vina no longer resembled a lioness at all. She was as docile as a house cat.
She leaned softly against Felix's shoulder, purring and asked quietly, "What are you looking at?"
"The combat data sent back by the adventurers. It's worth studying, since it may affect future wars…" Felix rubbed his forehead and sighed.
Originally, he had planned to use this meeting to have a serious discussion with Vina about the crisis Terra would face in the coming years. Instead, Vina had only wanted to sleep with him.
"Mm…"
Vina stretched lazily, rubbed her eyes, and slowly got up. After putting her clothes back on, she seemed to remember something and smiled.
"My messenger heard some very interesting news from the Kingdom of Tara."
"Oh? What kind of news?"
"Eblana apparently said that only the purest bloodline deserves to bear Draco's offspring," Vina said with a playful smile. "And it sounds like she might be talking about you."
"Perhaps," Felix replied calmly. "But for the Kingdom of Tara, dealing with the nobility is a much bigger problem than continuing the bloodline, isn't it?"
Vina pouted slightly and snorted.
However, when Felix suddenly took out two documents with a serious expression, Vina quickly set aside her playful mood. She focused and began listening carefully as Felix explained the crisis Terra would soon face.
Three hours later, after they finished dinner, the two shook hands in front of their respective delegations and went their separate ways, each returning to their own side.
Felix then boarded the aircraft heading back to Kazdel.
When Vina first heard about the coming disaster, her immediate reaction was that all the current conflicts across Terra suddenly felt meaningless.
Which was understandable.
Her second reaction was to begin considering how to develop a sky fleet capable of breaking through the limits of Terra's atmosphere.
Victoria might not possess many famous scientists, but it certainly had enough wealth to attract Columbian researchers to assist with development and construction.
Time was running out.
Only three years remained.
If Victoria did not possess such a powerful industrial foundation, Vina might have felt that the kingdom had no choice but to simply wait for the end.
After returning to Kazdel, the first thing Felix did was order the members of the delegation to disperse and rest.
The second task was to begin preparations for welcoming the upcoming delegation from Yan.
The Grand Tutor and his entourage first needed to return home to report everything to the Emperor before traveling to Kazdel.
Shortly after returning, Felix once again received a request to meet with Gladiia.
This time, however, Gladiia had come mainly to deliver a message before departing.
A large number of marine creatures had begun reappearing along the Iberian coastline. As a Abyssal Hunters, Gladiia felt it was her responsibility to return and assist.
At the same time, she extended an invitation. She hoped Felix and his companions would visit the deep-sea kingdom of Aegir to discuss possible future cooperation between their nations.
Felix agreed without hesitation.
He vaguely remembered that a major storyline was about to unfold along the Iberian coast that year. Thinking about this, he replied that they would meet again soon.
Gladiia and Specter were stunned by his response.
Meanwhile, Skadi revealed a relieved expression.