After being forced to step down, the once-annoying nun eloped with me.

"In other words, if we can cut the materials of the [demon] into suitable shapes and process them, we can extract the magic power and store it for later use when the magic power on the ground is restored."

Theoretically, that magical energy would be depleted during storage, but just like how we Bayrjans store surplus food for emergencies, this stored magical energy can also serve various purposes like reserve food. More importantly, it can be transported.

"Transportation? Short-distance or long-distance transportation?"

"Either is fine. However, magic leakage will inevitably occur during transportation and storage, and considering the shelf life of demon materials... at most, they'll be stored for about ten years before the magic inside naturally dissipates. Moreover, larvae and larvae can only store a very limited amount of magic; only the corpses of high-ranking demons can store enough magic..."

The more Kate explained, the happier Yang Hao and Theresa became.

This means that the research on [Magic Reserves], previously proposed at the Gaparia meeting, has finally made a leap forward! More importantly, the Bayrzens Empire has finally confirmed that there is indeed a gold mine buried right under its nose!

Yang Hao immediately ordered the archmages to cool down the underground space and strictly commanded all Bayer Zans to wear sufficiently thick, warm clothing before going underground.

He then immediately instructed another elven mage to notify Fen, who was sulking in the Hanging Gardens, to bring Naruja along.

That afternoon, Finn and Naruja arrived as promised. Yang Hao and Teresa personally led her to the underground and explained to Finn the value and importance of those demonic materials.

Naturally, Finn was especially pleased: because it meant that the elves could unleash their spellbooks with the same impunity in this age of limited magic, just as they had in the past. But this still presented a significant problem.

“My dear Regent, even if you want to establish a stable trade channel between Gaparia and the current Bayerzans, have you forgotten that Gaparia doesn’t have much gold reserves?”

Fen's words, which left everyone speechless, both amused and exasperated.

Yes. Strictly speaking, Gaparia doesn't have much gold reserves. Although Finn is willing to wholeheartedly help him because he will be her man in the future, the problem is, if there isn't enough gold, she can't just make the elves conjure gold out of thin air, can she?

While the oak mines do produce gold, it's simply not enough to establish a stable commercial channel between Gaparia and Bayez... not to mention that while the elves have plenty of materials for storing magic, their population is only 120,000!

Even if each of these 120,000 elves helped consume some of the demon's mineral resources, the sheer volume of materials would eventually force Gaparia to close the trade routes. And that would mean the collapse of the commerce that the Bayrzans Empire had painstakingly built up...

What should we do? These things aren't food or luxury items that can circulate among the people, and the quantity is so large that the elves can't possibly consume them all in a short time. There are also no suitable traders around... What should we do?

These materials represent savings that have been impossible to liquidate for a long time! Just like a fixed-term savings account in a bank for fifty years, how can this money, which cannot be withdrawn, be used for an urgent mortgage payment?

Everyone looked at each other, and finally Naruja muttered, "Why don't we just turn them into golems?" But everyone refused.

"Naruja, these things are very valuable, aren't they?"

It was Theresa who said this; she simply considered the value of these demonic materials and naturally refused to use gold as if it were stone.

"Naruja, these things are also excellent anti-magic materials. You might not be able to make golem from them, you know?"

It was Fern who said this; considering the demon's resistance to magic, she naturally held a pessimistic attitude.

It was at this moment that Yang Hao also raised his objection—but the difference was that Yang Hao's objection was because he had thought of how to make use of these gold mines that could not be completely digested by Gaparia and Bayerzans for the time being.

"Besides keeping the remains of high-ranking demons for our own use, have we all forgotten that on another continent where magic is scarce, the people there also need magic to cast spells?"

Yang Hao gestured with his hands, and everyone naturally understood who he meant by "a certain continent."

"Based on my understanding of Ysgard, the continent that lacks magic power is precisely because of the lack of magic power that magicians have declined. In other words, the relatively abundant [magic power] here is the best commodity!"

At that time, Constantinople will mine demon materials, and Gaparia will use these materials to process them into magical storage items. Then, we'll fill these items with magic and sell them to the people of Ysgard, while simultaneously establishing commercial relations between Bayrzan and Ysgard...

In this way, our rudimentary commercial framework will be established! The revenue will then be split equally between the two nations. We can not only use those gold coins to build a stable commercial system within Constantinople, but also trade directly with Isgard... Moreover, Isgard needs more than just magic; they need top-quality minerals!

The bones of low-level demons are, in a sense, a valuable type of mineral... Why not just sell some of the bones to Ysgard and have them buy them for us? After all, the best materials are for our own use. Even if Ysgard wanted to dump them on us later, they wouldn't have the raw materials there...

In short, Yang Hao's idea was very simple: he was completely focused on the death line of Ysgard.

Ysgard needs minerals and magic, and what they need right now, Bayerzans and Gaparia happen to have it! Moreover, in a sense, Bayerzans and Gaparia completely monopolize the magic transportation business.

In this situation, if Isgard wants to trade magic, it must do so with the elves or the Bayerns. The Bayerns can then negotiate and adjust the price according to their needs, while Isgard, lacking the necessary raw materials domestically, can only accept this arrangement while sending over its own currency and resources...

In this situation, a triangular trade route, though not particularly stable, would be established! At that point, Bayerzan and Gaparia would be like brothers, sharing both profits and hardships, and Isgard... even if they were to leave later, by then Bayerzan would probably be able to conduct its own internal trade circulation, right?

This is a great idea no matter how you look at it!

No one could see the problem at first, but in the end they all smiled and nodded in agreement.

But then again...

Ysgard also happens to have a great need for demon materials...

When that city rose from the ground, Nia the Black Dragon secretly went out to investigate it herself.

Although not exactly vibrant, Nia felt her homeland needed the experience from this region, and more importantly, the demonic materials it provided for research, as it was a nation that had survived and even defeated the demons during the millennium-long calamity.

On the other hand, His Majesty the Regent is now almost certainly the Regent of both Gaparia and Bayezid.

With this status, this real power, this importance, is Issugard truly only fit for a non-aggression pact and a commercial alliance? Can't we find a way to go further?

Black Dragon spoke with the President of Issugard for a long time, and in the end, the President had to admit Black Dragon's idea: Yes, Issugard must find a way to sign a more favorable treaty with these two powerful countries, even if it means giving them some concessions...

"And don't forget..."

"I know. Sigh... I'll try harder. But then again, what about our army?"

"They're already on their way—but as you know, a fleet of over 20,000 people, along with their supplies and escorting ironclad warships, is no ordinary journey."

“I understand... I’ll expedite the construction of the secret port. I’ll try to get troops from Gaparia and Bayern, but don’t get your hopes up too high.”

"I see."

After hanging up the call, Nia looked in the mirror and sighed.

The army finally set off, but with only 2 men... they could only occupy the coast.

I hope everything goes well.

Chapter Two: Even the Fat Sheep of Ysgard Should Not Be Underestimated (8K)

......

1 month 5 day.

When Yang Hao, representing both Gaparia and Bayerz, received Black Dragon Nia in the reception room of the Green Courtyard, Black Dragon Nia felt a heavy pressure on her.

After all, things are different from before. If in the past Ysgard only regarded Yang Hao as the regent of Gaparia, then this time Ysgard must regard him as the regent of both countries.

Needless to say, the industrial power of the Elves is terrifying, and they also have a large number of mineral veins in their country. A batch of merchant ships have already left fully loaded with Japarian metal ingots—they are commercial allies that Isgard must value. So just considering the weight of Japarian ingots, Yang Hao's title of [Regent] will only become more weighty.

Not to mention Yang Hao's ambiguous relationship with the elf Fin... If you told me he were to actually become the prince of Gaparia one day, Nia would probably believe it now.

(Not to mention...)

Not to mention, this man is also the regent of the country that rose from the ground, called Bayezid.

Although Nia wasn't quite sure just how advanced the technology that allowed a city to rise or fall freely above the ground was.

But she was certain that any nation that possessed such technology and had returned victorious from the war against demons must be incredibly powerful.

In other words, with the support of two powerful nations, Yang Hao's influence as regent is growing significantly.

Nia needs to be very careful about everything related to Yang Hao. But then again...

"Please don't mind me. I'm just here to listen in."

"..."

Fen the Elf? Is it really okay for you to just come here as an eavesdropper?

Nia's eyes twitched. For a moment, she felt that she shouldn't have dressed so beautifully to come over... After all, the elf's gaze towards her was more than just scrutiny.

Ugh!

Why did the President ask me to do everything in my power to win over His Majesty the Regent's favor towards our country? So it's understandable that I dress up a little more nicely, right?

So, could you please stop looking at me like that, you vengeful elf...?

Nia chuckled dryly, unaware that Finn was scrutinizing her chest area.

The little elf was troubled, after all, she seemed to have realized His Majesty the Regent's true preferences...

At that moment, Yang Hao coughed twice, signaling everyone to sit down, and thus the second formal meeting with Isgard began.

First came the usual celebration. Although Miss Nia wasn't entirely clear on the exact situation of the city that had sprung up, she smiled and celebrated Yang Hao's power as the "Regent of Two Countries," and formally expressed her "envy."

Yang Hao, with a somewhat strange expression, said, "He's not the regent for Bayer Zans."

This surprised Nia: You're not the regent, so why are you representing Bayer Jahn?

"Because Basilica of Bayern is my future wife—simply put, the Empress of Bayern is my wife—so in a sense I came here as the [Emperor]. Is there a problem with that?"

"..."

Nia was stunned.

She never dreamed that the regent over there wasn't a regent at all, but a genuine emperor—but thinking back, their first meeting with that noble, white-haired woman was quite intimate...hmm...

Forget it.

Why think so much?

Nia sighed inwardly, then forced a dry laugh and said:

"I'm sorry, we don't know much about the system of that city that has sprung up, nor do we know much about your private life—after all, I imagine Your Majesty, you probably don't like us outsiders prying into your life so freely, do you?"

"It's great that Isgard thinks that way. So let's get straight to the point."

"of course."

Because this meeting was related to business exchanges, Yang Hao omitted many complicated phrases and went straight to the point, just like last time.

But unlike last time, this time Yang Hao [unintentionally] used many words to express his feelings about how [some things are really difficult to do]. He was profiting from Ysgard's assessment of him as a pragmatist, and clearly, the black dragon Nia had already fallen for his trap.

She didn't even care that the black and red soft scales on her chest were about to burst out from under her long dress! She listened intently, which made Yang Hao estimate the extent of Isugard's thirst for [magic], and also reminded him of what Fen had told them about the circulation mechanism of [magic] before they rested last night.

According to Fen, the continent's magical resources are a type of resource that can be recycled and regenerated. Based on her description, given the continent's overall size, magical energy operates like a biome, following its own inherent laws.

Normal organisms expand their populations when food is plentiful, and magic also expands under suitable conditions—in a sense, this is why the more primitive a place is, the more abundant its magic is. Conversely, the more artificial things a place is filled with, the lower its upper limit of magic gradually becomes.

Under normal circumstances, regardless of location, magic is a resource that can be regenerated over time—a fact that the elves have discovered after thousands of years of research.

However, this is under normal circumstances. In extremely special circumstances, such as during a war of magical calamities when both sides directly overdraw their magical power, magical power will revert from a renewable resource to a temporarily non-renewable resource, and the recovery speed will be abnormally slow.

Why do you say that?

"It's like having two hens that lay eggs at home. While the hens are still alive, you can harvest two eggs every day."

If one day you're so hungry you can't stand it anymore, you might kill one of the hens—and for a moment, you'll have plenty of food. But starting the next day, you'll only be able to eat one egg from one hen each day, instead of two eggs from both hens.

Magic works the same way. Before it's been used, its storage capacity is extremely high. Once it starts to be overdrawn, its capacity will surge rapidly in a short period, then drop quickly after a few days...

The maximum magic power in the continent of Elusia is probably related to the previous war of the demons. After all, when we elves used magic to cast spells, the demons would also consume the continent's magic power after exhausting their magic reserves. This ebb and flow has led to the current situation.

The maximum mana cap has been greatly reduced, but as long as we don't overdraw our mana, mana recovery will continue as usual.