Chapter 53: An Alliance with Isugard, Sister Teresa’s Proposal (part 1)

At the border between the forest and the plains, Isugard’s advance team was nervously setting up the site for an important meeting. The fully recovered black dragon, Nia, was restlessly pacing around in a black dress and high heels. Today, if all went well, she would meet Yang Hao for the second time.

In many ways, Yang Hao could truly be considered Nia’s confidant.

As the physically strongest black dragon, Nia neither chose to join the military as an elite unit’s ace dragon nor settled down in her homeland for decades-long slumbers. Instead, she opted to become a researcher. It was a role remarkably challenging for a brute dragon, and she had been in this position for over ten years.

As a researcher, Nia constantly pondered how to make Isugard better.

Nia and the President were old acquaintances. She knew that this vampire was tirelessly striving for Isugard’s betterment even to the point of vomiting blood.

As her friend, Nia naturally wouldn’t lose in this endeavor. However, industry and politics were two entirely different yet interrelated paths. 

The President had led Isugard to strength in politics and national policies, but the very thing dragging the country’s development now was its most powerful yet outdated industry.

Nia was the head of the Industrial Research Institute. Because of this, she clearly recognized that with technological advancements reaching a temporary plateau and insufficient resources to further expand industry, Isugard’s industrial progress had hit a ceiling. Without external stimulation, it could only crawl forward at a snail’s pace.

However, this was not the main reason Nia considered Yang Hao her kindred spirit.

The real reason was that they both perceived the threat posed by the country across the sea to their own homeland.

Yang Hao had been deeply shocked by Isugard’s ironclad ships at the time. 

Similarly, Nia had been equally astonished by the thriving state of the Roman Empire back then.

A country that was just a barbarian tribe before its founding had managed to build a grand port and even had a genius regent.

Yang Hao worried that Isugard’s industrial prowess would one day lead to a devastating colonial assault on the Roman Empire. Meanwhile, Nia feared that under his leadership, the Roman Empire would become Isugard’s strongest adversary.

Everyone believed that Isugard was immensely powerful now, but anyone with insight knew that a country’s industrialization required a massive amount of resources.

Isugard was located on the continent of Olros, a region notoriously poor in natural resources.

Although it had plains favorable for agriculture and numerous natural ports, Olros had only a slightly elevated mountain range.

The lack of mountains meant a scarcity of mineral resources. A scarcity of mineral resources meant that the vast appetite of industry could not be satisfied.

To feed the voracious industrial demands and have the industry provide more essential goods for the nation, Isugard had to establish colonies overseas that could supply them with abundant resources. 

The resource-rich Roman Empire was their best option.

Originally, Nia thought that if the Roman Empire still had its regent, Isugard would likely fall into internal chaos due to a prolonged war. The country would eventually be forced to sign a humiliating defeat treaty because of resource shortages and seek peaceful development.

But now…

“The Roman Empire has exiled its own regent. Now, the Roman Empire is like a veiled virgin, while our Isugard is a vigorous young man. Its resources will be at our disposal, not only helping Isugard get through the most dangerous transition period but also giving us a chance to further develop our industry,” the black dragon Niya muttered to herself. 

Her expression became more troubled as she spoke, “But the contradiction lies in that regent has left the Roman Empire, only to join a stronger country. If we don’t want the regent to pose a future threat to our colonies, then as she suggested, at the very least, we need to sign a peace agreement.”

Elves were a formidable race, and Nia had experienced this firsthand. They even had the ability to heal a nearly magic-immune black dragon through their magic.

Moreover, it wasn’t just the mage. Even the accompanying archers radiated intense magical power.

This implied that the elves came from a nation even more terrifying than the Roman Empire. If their population were as large as the Roman Empire’s, their military strength would rival Isugard’s.

Fortunately, this nation still seemed quite primitive.

Nia recalled the longbows in the elves’ hands. Although they appeared perfect, they were… just that.

Compared to cannons and rifles, longbows were outdated equipment that would likely only be remembered for covert operations requiring silent weapons.

Although they had traded two new rifles for replication, Nia still optimistically judged that they wouldn’t be able to produce usable copies in the short term, at least not in large quantities.

‘After all, we can’t mass-produce the new rifles in our own country. Besides, the caravan from Drake Port should have set off by now, and who knows when our spies in the Roman Empire will be able to uncover their domestic situation and locate their secret factories.’

She sighed. 

At that moment, a guard approached and informed her that the site was read. And that she should take a seat while waiting for the elven guests to arrive.

“The president has sent you a message. Please read it immediately.”

“I understand. I’ll go now.”

Nia entered the tent, walked across the luxurious carpet made in Isugard, and passed the fine tables and chairs also produced in Isugard before taking her seat at the head of the table.

She glanced at the message left on the table. This message, transmitted from afar via a magic mirror, contained only one line from the president.

“Do whatever it takes to establish good relations… huh? Oh dear…”

Nia let out a heavy sigh. She understood the need to establish good relations at any cost, but how exactly to achieve that was another question.

Isugard knew nothing about the regent’s preferences. They didn’t even know what Yang Hao liked to eat, let alone how to present him with gifts that would suit his tastes.

It could be said that Nia was the person who knew Yang Hao best. Because of this, all the pressure was now on her.

The pressure suffocated this black dragon, forcing her to consider every possible plan.

Everyone knew that after experiencing the tragedy of being exiled, the regent was bound to be averse to any form of coercion or force .

Nia felt very fortunate that the president had not agreed to her initial plan of directly kidnapping Yang Hao. If the regent were uncooperative, no amount of coercion or enchantment would help.

Isugard needed him to provide development plans for the entire country. If he bore any resentment, he could outwardly lead Isugard towards prosperity while secretly guiding it into a quagmire or even an abyss that could spell its doom.

Therefore, even if they wished to bring him to Isugard, they had to use means other than force and coercion—commonly known as inducements. But how exactly to achieve this?

The black dragon Nia was in turmoil, but then she suddenly remembered something.

Had the regent ever publicized his great achievements?

***

Meanwhile, under the protection of elven guards, Yang Hao arrived at the meeting site on a swift deer.

Considering the importance of this meeting with Isugard and not wanting to reveal too many of his own cards, Yang Hao did not have his official guards carry the Capa 1404 rifles.

However, he did have the archery master—now a rifle master—accompanied by two riflemen, ready in the forest.

If the Isugardians intended to kidnap him, the riflemen in the forest could easily take down anyone except the black dragon and find a way to rescue him. But of course, with a dragon involved, Yang Hao hoped to avoid conflict if possible.

‘A black dragon is a formidable creature. It’s said that a single dragon can destroy a small country. Who knows how many dragons Isugard actually has.’

The most worrying thing was the mystery surrounding Isugard’s true national power.

With these thoughts in mind, Yang Hao dismounted from the swift deer amidst the warm welcome from the Isugardians.

They had chosen a good location. It was close to the forest and far from the coast, making it difficult for even a black dragon to quickly transport someone to their ship.

The Isugardians showed the appropriate respect, which made Yang Hao both pleased and cautious.

It’s not the straightforward opponents that one fears, but the cunning and treacherous enemies like a viper.

Black Dragon Nia—upon first meeting her, Yang Hao knew she was a formidable enemy.

A shrewd humanoid black dragon, knowledgeable in countless industrial sciences—by the standards of this world, she could be considered an advanced genius.

More importantly, dragons had long lifespans.

As one of the commonly known four long-lived races—dragons, vampires, elves, and the legendary sirens—they all had lifespans spanning thousands of years.

A lifespan of thousands of years combined with foresight and advanced knowledge… This made her one of the most formidable enemies Yang Hao had encountered.

“Let’s get straight to the point,” he said.

Upon entering the meeting tent, Yang Hao nodded slightly in greeting. Then, under the protection of the elves, he took a seat opposite the woman with long horns and a long tail, who was dressed in a black dress.

He observed the woman’s long black hair, and after glancing at her black and red eyes for a few moments, he lightly tapped the table with his fingers.

“Hehe. It has been a long time since that occasion,” Black Dragon Nia said politely, gesturing for her attendants to place the prepared materials on the table. “We talked all night in a secret room until you had to leave because of a request from your country. I must admit, Mr. Yang Hao, you provided us with substantial assistance.”

“Oh?” Yang Hao responded.

“If you hadn’t jokingly mentioned whether our metal warships had large-caliber main guns that don’t need to be reloaded, we might still be stuck in the mindset of using small-caliber muzzle-loading cannons. You made us realize the futility of small-caliber artillery against armor in future naval battles. Back then, we were still thinking in terms of traditional sailing ship warfare when planning to defeat enemy fleets.”

The black dragon casually laid out the development progress within Isugard as if discussing everyday matters.

“Similarly, if you hadn’t mentioned the aerial forces at sea and the idea of developing unarmed warships, our country might not have thought of building a completely unarmed and unarmored ship—an aircraft carrier. On this carrier, we raised griffin knights along with their griffins, sending them out to sea for reconnaissance on clear days. This expanded our reconnaissance radius while allowing them to inflict deadly damage on wooden warships with oil pots. You must know how much effort it took to convince our domestic scientists and naval officers. But once we produced results, even the most stubborn sailing ship captains had to admit that under the attack of an aircraft carrier, wooden ships had entirely lost their ability to operate at sea. At least in the face of the Isugard Navy, they have no chance of escaping the attack range alive. None.”

“Oh.”

Not only did she lay everything out plainly, but she also emphasized Yang Hao’s achievements.

This complicated things. While Yang Hao reflected on how much information he had revealed back then, both the elves and the Isugard soldiers looked at him differently.

If initially, they had been like a lone wolf eyeing a piece of succulent meat, now they were a pack of starving wolves eyeing a feast.

Originally, the elves were already considering how to get the great Fen to find every possible way to keep Yang Hao in Caparia. After the black dragon’s provocation, the Isugard advance team members were even more eager.

After all, the Isugard advance team was essentially beneficiaries of recent industrial reforms. They yearned for industrial progress just as much as men longed for young and beautiful women.

Yang Hao, faced with the black dragon’s flattery, simply shook his head. “So, what’s the main topic?”

Yang Hao was impervious to flattery and long past caring about these empty accolades.

He had seen through it all. When he wasn’t needed, even the most loyal subordinates would choose silence. When he was needed, those who had once hated him would not hesitate to heap praises.

What good were these empty accolades?

Rather than these empty honors, it was far more practical to discuss with Teresa tonight about their wedding plans, whether they preferred spicy or sweet food for their meals, and who would cook on which days.

At least those things truly made him happy.

He mused silently, while the black dragon, facing the failure of her initial plan, briefly showed a stiff expression.

However, she quickly recovered. Opening the documents on the table, she handed one of them to Yang Hao:

“Then, let’s get to the main topic. Regent Yang Hao, our Isugard is willing to form a commercial alliance and a mutual alliance with Caparia, the Elven Kingdom, as long as you stay there. Moreover, we are eager to engage in deeper technical exchanges and cooperation with you. What do you think?”