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

The messenger of Khuttok Khan asked questions with neither arrogance nor servility, while Teresa sat upright on her throne. Although she appeared calm and composed, the nun was actually inwardly seething with excitement.

This seems to be the first time in all her years of studying political work that she has to conduct diplomatic work with foreigners in a setting where Yang Hao and Fen have left... What should she do?

Teresa recalled every aspect of Yang Hao, and after a moment, she smiled sweetly.

Chapter 8: Theresa's Efforts, Favors, and the Beginning of War (8K)

"I have indeed received the Great Khan's request."

"That's what Bayer Zion's Barcelina said."

“We naturally do not intend to refuse the Khutto Khanate’s landing on that floating island. After all, it is not the territory of the United Nations in essence. Naturally, the Khutto Khanate has the legitimacy to land on the island by its own strength.”

Her words pleased the envoy of the Khutto Khan, but before he could express his gratitude, Baselisa, under the strange gazes of the others, abruptly changed the subject and chose to refuse.

"However, this does not mean that the United Nations will assist the soldiers of the Huttok Khanate in landing on the floating islands—after all, even if Isugard has sent people up, their diplomat, Miss Nia, flew up there by her own efforts rather than using the United Nations' teleportation magic to land."

Therefore, naturally, we will not assist Khuttod Khan's army in landing. You must find your own way up, understand?

Theresa's words stunned the envoy of Hutot Khan. The reason was simple: apart from his harpy army, Hutot Khan had no way to land on that floating continent alone.

Visually, the bottom of the floating continent is an inverted cone shape that is almost impossible to climb—no one can climb a rock wall at this angle. Even if one successfully passes through the inverted cone-shaped rock wall at the bottom, there are still hundreds of meters or even more than several kilometers of high mountain walls to climb above...

Not to mention the soldiers also had to carry their own heavy equipment! Under these circumstances, it was impossible for the Khutto Khan's army to climb up alone, simply impossible!

Even if the plan was to let the harpies land first and then lower the ropes and such...

Although they discovered a canyon closest to the ground, and it was indeed possible to lower the ropes down into it—the canyon was actually a dried-up riverbed. Even if they reached that riverbed, they would face sheer cliffs from which they could neither advance nor retreat...

Not to mention climbing with ropes... who knows how long it would take them to reach the bottom of the floating continent before they could even consider climbing upwards. By the time they actually make it to the top, it'll be too late, and what chance will they have then?

After much thought, it seems that although the United Nations did not intend to restrict the Hutto Khanate from landing on the floating islands, in reality, they did not give the Hutto Khanate the opportunity to land at all!

They even used Issugard, which joined the alliance earlier than the Khuttod Khanate, as an excuse?! But it must be admitted that if even Issugard had to rely on its own efforts to land, then the Khuttod Khanate would have to find its own way...

Thinking of this, a few drops of cold sweat trickled down the face of the envoy of Hutot Khan, and he hurriedly lowered his head and said:

"Your Majesty Empress Bayern! Our relations with the United Nations are normal, why can't you give us a ride?"

"As I've already explained, Issugard, as our ally, didn't ask us for a ride, so naturally, the Khuttok Khanate, as a member of the alliance that joined later than Issugard, shouldn't have the same need."

"But Ysgard has the help of the black dragons, we—"

"Doesn't the Huttot Khanate have harpies? And surely there are more harpies than the lonely black dragon lady of the Isgard colonial army? If the harpies can't do what Miss Nia did, then there's nothing we can do to help them—after all, we also have to consider the feelings of another ally, don't we?"

The Empress of Constantinople's smile silenced the Khan's envoy. Indeed, the Khuttokhanate had to admit one thing: this was no longer a trivial matter that could be resolved with the approval of the united nations.

After all, besides the United Nations and the Hutto Khanate, Issugard and the Roman Empire must also have great ambitions for that continent that fell from the sky, not to mention the pirates known as Aresei.

Leaving aside the Roman Empire and the Kingdom of Aleser, which are currently at war, if Hutot Khan were to force the United Nations to provide assistance, given that Issugard has chosen to let the Black Dragon take to the skies alone, the consequences would be unimaginable.

The animosity from the allied nations is unavoidable. Isugard, in particular, will resent the Khutut Khanate for its barbaric practices. The Khutut Khanate will then be caught in the middle, alienated from all sides, and worse, the Empress seems to have relinquished decision-making power to them...

...This was no longer something the envoy could handle. He could only reluctantly say that he needed time to report to the Great Khan before leaving.

Because the Hutto Khanate had very few priests skilled in using the element of wind, the envoy did not have the authority to stay at the priest's residence for an extended period. Fortunately, due to the importance of the matter, a priest was on standby at the envoy's residence.

"Immediately inform Father Khan that the Allied Nations will not help us land on that floating continent, nor will they assist Isugard in landing, and they have even handed the decision-making power over to us—we need Father Khan to make a decision. Hurry."

Urged by the messenger, the priest calmly used magic to send an urgent message to the Khan, who was waging war across the Roman Empire. Upon receiving the urgent message, the Khan glanced irritably at the undead crowd that had swarmed the main road leading to the heart of the Roman Empire, and then returned to his tent.

Through the priest's words, he learned of the difficulties the envoy faced. He subconsciously marveled at the diplomatic skills of the united nations, and even more so at how sharp the warnings emanating from the Queen's gentle tone truly were.

"Let the United Nations, as the host, stay out of it and give us the choice to either do nothing or offend both allies at the same time... Heh, not only that, as the host who guarded the key routes, they can even cut off all supplies to the troops landing on the floating islands at any time."

That's ruthless, absolutely ruthless—but if I were in his shoes, I would definitely have done the same. After all, not only did Ysgard give them the opportunity, but more importantly, a continent fell from the sky... the wealth it contained was simply too immense. Even if one isn't a "chosen one," even if one hasn't dreamt of the vast knowledge contained within the paradise called "Eden"... a continent in itself is an unparalleled treasure.

So what should we do?

The Khan murmured to himself in his tent, pacing back and forth on the carpet. He pondered many things, but the most important questions were undoubtedly: Was the floating island truly safe? And was it worth risking annihilation to land on it?

[Is the floating island safe?] — Definitely not. Khan knew very well that if that floating island was indeed the one he dreamt of being invaded by demons, then it would be teeming with demons right now. Even if some native inhabitants survived, the entire floating island would be in an extremely dangerous situation, likely requiring more than a decade to rebuild.

Therefore, the problem was quickly resolved: the Khan could only send his scholars and respected elders into the floating island to search for important knowledge, provided the island's safety was ensured. He would not risk sending his research talents up there until any remaining demons were completely eradicated.

The second question becomes easier to answer once the first is resolved—the Khan has absolutely no need to risk his own annihilation by forcibly landing on that floating island.

"After all, our most important task right now is to acquire a place in the heart of the Roman Empire where we can develop... We need cities, land to grow barley and wheat, pastures to raise horses and livestock, and enough people to train soldiers. Dimension doesn't need to risk its life to land on an unknown continent right now."

The Khan murmured, making up his mind not to get involved.

"So let's leave that island to the United Nations and Isgard—they don't want us to go there at all, so we might as well do them a favor. Later, when relations are better, we can consider the possibility of buying the technology directly with money... That's all for now."

Thus, the Khan's words were transmitted once again to the ears of the messengers in Constantinople through the sacrificial rites.

After the envoy re-entered the audience hall and explained to Theresa that their side had abandoned the plan to land on the floating island, the matter was finally settled.

moment.

During rest time, in the lounge belonging to the purple-clad royal family.

As Natalia prepared relaxing iced drinks and desserts for Theresa, she asked curiously:

"Is that all?"

“Okay. That should solve the problem.” Theresa nodded in relief. “You can take little Anna for a stroll later. The matter of the Hutto Khanate has been the most important task during this period. Now that it’s resolved, all that’s left is to wait for good news from the Kingdom of Eden.”

"But wouldn't the Khutto Khanate harbor resentment towards the United Nations because of this?"

"So what if it exists? Natalia, as the former Chief Justice of the Roman Empire, you must know about it, right?"

Once the authority strikes, no matter how much resentment there is, everything is settled in public—the Khutto Khanate may resent us, but at most they can only act in secret.

But we're not afraid of that, you know? Once they make their move, we can rightfully close the western pasture routes... At that point, you can imagine the losses the Khuttok Khan's army, cut off from both the front and rear, will suffer, don't I?

Theresa's explanation made Natalia nod thoughtfully.

She almost forgot that the Khuttod Khanate was in a very awkward position. Their army hadn't captured a single usable city at the front, and all their supplies were heavily reliant on transport from the rear. So, in a sense, the Khuttod Khanate's lifeline had been completely strangled by the United Nations.

In such circumstances, even the most averse to humans would know to tuck their tails between their legs and act obediently... let alone the obviously intelligent Khutuktu Khan himself.

They are unlikely to attack the United Nations—at least not until they acquire sufficient land and power.

After the judge, dressed as a maid, poured Her Majesty Theresa a glass of iced juice and handed it to her, Natalia spoke again:

"Then, what about His Majesty Yang Hao and His Majesty Fen? Doing this without prior consultation...wouldn't that easily anger them?"

"No. I'll explain to them what happened later—frankly, we know how to handle these kinds of family matters."

"...This relationship would be truly incomprehensible in other countries."

“After all, other countries aren’t as strange as us—on one side are the stubborn elves who have been stuck for thousands of years, and on the other side are the ancient people who have been buried underground for thousands of years. When two strange things are combined, wouldn’t they only become an even stranger existence? Alright, alright. I know you really want to go and be with little Anna right now, so just go now. The other maids will take good care of me.”

"...Um. Thank you."

"But you also need to take care of your own job—otherwise, if Yang Hao has to worry about things he doesn't normally have to worry about, I'll get angry too, okay? Go ahead, go ahead."

At Theresa's urging, Natalia nodded, put down her work, and left the small break room.

And it was only after Natalia left that Theresa stretched and sighed:

"Sigh... Even though that's what I say, I was still really nervous doing this kind of diplomatic work in front of foreigners all by myself for the first time..."

I wonder how their negotiations are going? Hopefully, everything goes smoothly.

The little nun lay on the recliner, muttering to herself.

Inside the Great Library of Eden, the conversation between Yang Hao and the others and Elena had only just begun.

............

Yang Hao noticed that Elena had been carefully observing Narudya's condition for what felt like the umpteenth time. Rather than a normal, appreciative look between people, it was more like a comprehensive analysis unique to mechanical lifeforms—a thorough analysis from the outside in, as if she wanted to dissect Narudya completely and devour her from the inside out.

Naruja felt nervous and uneasy under that strange gaze, and Yang Hao had no choice but to cough to calm the synthetic doll girl down.

"Miss Elena? So, may we begin?"

Elena paused for a moment, then looked at Yang Hao with her ruby-like, sparkling eyes, and nodded:

"Definitely. But I'm curious about the surface—this ancestor of the Listeners is undoubtedly our creation. Puzzling: her body seems to have undergone many unexplained evolutions, especially her magical organs, which have evolved into unknown forms..."

"Ahem. For now, that's not our topic—after the peace, Miss Elena, I think you'll have plenty of time for normal observation, but for now, let's get to the topic of 'how to fight the demons'."

"affim."

Elena's curiosity about Naruja and the surface society is certainly a good thing. But no matter how good it is, they still need to prioritize, don't they?

Just like how people need to know whether the other person is male or female before going to bed together, how can you get into the act without even knowing where the other person is?

In other words, for the current United Nations and the Kingdom of Eden, the most important issues are how to resist the demon invasion and restart the artificial magic reactor. Only after accomplishing these two major tasks will Elena have the opportunity to observe the current Ling people.

So Elena had no choice but to suppress her curiosity and instead seriously discuss the next steps with Yang Hao and the others.

With the United Nations having already transported over ten thousand troops and a large amount of building materials to the floating continent, the United Nations is now nervously preparing its defenses, while the demons in the distance seem to be breeding more offspring in preparation for the upcoming war.

After careful calculations, Elena concluded that simply stopping the demons' attack should be relatively easy. However, if the demons understood the structural principles of the United Nations' current weapons and used that as a basis to [evolve] their own new weapons, the pressure on the defensive line would be greatly increased.

"Do demons still have the ability to evolve [weapons]?" Yang Hao was very interested in this, while Fen beside him frowned, seemingly recalling the elves' past records about demons. "Strictly speaking, our research on demons isn't very in-depth... so we're very curious about the overall ecology of demons—after all, as far as we can see, as creatures that have invaded from another world, there are still too many mysteries surrounding them."

"...Understood. The Kingdom of Eden has been keeping long-term records of the demons' ecology—but overall, the ecological structure of demons is mainly related to [racial evolution]. They are a kind of alien species where [the stronger the race as a whole is, the stronger the individuals are].

"Like a mushroom?"

“Agreed. Their race as a whole is like a mushroom, and the individuals are like the mycelium that makes up the mushroom—they evolve according to different existing environments, and they evolve very quickly. It’s nerve-wracking. So we are very worried that the demons will learn the technology of the United Nations and evolve more individuals.”

Demons, in long-term research in the Kingdom of Eden, have been proven to be extremely anomalous creatures.

Unlike normal life forms, the individual demon is completely bound to the collective. There are no examples of "I am white, and I can still thrive after leaving my white community." They are all in the same boat, sharing both glory and ruin; they are truly beings who will never betray their race and community.

In this context, each individual demon strives for the evolution of the entire species. The evolution of the demon species not only grants each demon greater power but also instills in them a stronger desire for further evolution.

The strength of each individual demon leads to the strength of the demon horde. The stronger the demon horde, the stronger the individual demons become. In a sense, they are indeed formidable enemies, almost like natural disasters. However, if we understand their pre-evolutionary "upper limit," then demons are actually relatively easy opponents to fight.

Take the present as an example—the demons can only choose one of the two attributes they need to emphasize.

If you want to deal damage, you can't defend yourself; if you want to fight physical attacks, you can't evolve armor to resist magic; if you want to be stronger, you're more likely to lose your mind.

In short, it's impossible to say like an adult, "I want it all."

If the demons could achieve a complete evolution, they certainly wouldn't need to make this choice. But what can they do when they haven't gathered enough resources for evolution during their thousand-year invasion of Eden?

"Statement: The current demon horde is unable to evolve resistance to two types of damage simultaneously. They can only resist one type of damage at a time. If we attack the demons with both physical and magical attacks, they will quickly suffer a fatal blow due to their weakness in damage resistance, leading to their complete demise."

Joy: In other words, as long as we can ensure a 1:1 or even 1:5 ratio of physical to magical firepower on the United Nations' front lines, then resisting the invasion of the Primal Demons will be an extremely easy task.

Concern: But on the other hand, if some demons abandon all defenses and choose to evolve offensively, or even imitate the structure of the weapons at the hands of the United Nations... then they could inflict massive damage on the United Nations' positions.