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

Snowflakes began to crystallize on the screen. Elena frowned, and after controlling the magical machinery through the magic network to fly a little further upward, she had to nod in agreement that the cold surrounding the Ice Calamity had become even more dangerous.

If she initially thought the magical dolls could enter and move within the "domain" of the Ice Calamity, it now seems there's no possibility of that happening at all.

it's too cold.

It gets so cold that most metals become brittle, so cold that all life loses consciousness, and even so cold that the passage of time slows down accordingly.

The magical doll's body is made of precision metal and machinery. Even if the magical runes on it aren't affected by the low temperature, the intricate components inside are still...

...

Elena shook her head. In a sense, it's similar to the concept of a "weapon."

Sometimes, in extreme circumstances, all magic and sophisticated killing machines are no match for a simple stick.

Clearly, the magical puppets are not simple sticks—they are too intricate to enter the realm of the Ice Calamity, which is an undeniable fact.

Is there any way to solve this problem? No... rather, before that, can we find a way to break through the [domain]?

Elena glanced at Yang Hao subconsciously, while Yang Hao continued to sit in his seat, deep in thought.

After a while.

“We know that the Sirens can create ‘gaps’ at the edge of the Demon Realm using their flesh magic.”

He said that since the Sirens could break through the barrier of the Roman Magic Domain, they could naturally use it to break through the [domain] of the Ice Calamity—the only problem was that they needed to find a way to make the Sirens' flesh magic work properly from a safe distance.

obviously.

The United Nations has this capability.

"The enchanting magic of the elves should be able to store and release the flesh magic of the sirens—just like our current factories."

"Similarly, we can enchant flesh magic onto a ranged weapon and then use that weapon to remotely blast the area surrounding the Ice Calamity."

"But this means we need to develop weapons that are large enough and have a long enough range... Howitzers won't do; their shells are too small. We need to create a gap the size of the gates of Constantinople to send the constructs, envisioned as rivals to the Ice Calamity, through..."

The United Nations currently has three major industries.

Elven enchanting magic can record the workings of all magic, then imprint them onto certain tools, allowing those tools to "release" the imprinted magic.

Although Bayerzans' war machine industry is still under reconstruction and those small golems are not yet of use, if all they want to do is assemble a machine that can launch giant cannonballs, it is only a minor problem that will cause them a slight headache.

The Kingdom of Eden possesses the most advanced and powerful technology combined within the United Nations. They should have the ability to create constructs to combat the Ice Calamity—in other words, as long as the United Nations remains united, combating the Ice Calamity is not a pipe dream.

However, this comes with a prerequisite.

"If the Sirens' flesh magic cannot be effectively inscribed... our plan will be ruined, won't it?"

The petite elf rested one hand on the armrest of the chair, then used her palm to support her cheek and shook her head.

She rocked the chair beneath her, making it creak and groan. Each rocking motion was more intense than the last, until Lalumia used her meager divine power to stop her agitated movements. Only then did she purse her lips and sigh:

"All our current plans are based on two points—"

The Sirens' flesh magic is incredibly effective against the frozen earth surrounding the Ice Calamity, creating an opening for our surprise attack.

Furthermore, the enchanting magic of elves must be able to complete the inscription of flesh magic with the help of sirens.

The absence of either will lead to ultimate failure... Are we really going to put all our bets on this?

Indeed, as the elf said, putting all your bets on one thing is not necessarily a good thing.

She hoped Yang Hao could offer more alternative plans. Yang Hao didn't disappoint her; after pondering for a long time, he shrugged and said:

"If we could create a flame that could burn normally even in extremely low temperatures... perhaps we could threaten the Ice Calamity with fire—but, Finn, you know."

"Isn't researching magic perhaps more effective than our current plans?"

"But it's better than putting all your eggs in one basket, right? Okay, since you have a backup plan, then I have no objection."

"...Ugh."

The elf had no objections and sat obediently in his seat, waiting for everyone's judgment.

Meanwhile, Theresa, after careful consideration, posed a new question to Yang Hao:

"Do we need to evacuate civilians now? After all, there are quite a few demons living in the Demon Forest, not to mention elves. But rumors are a problem."

Although the Demon Forest is not strictly speaking part of the United Nations, the demons are still willing to hand over their rule to Yang Hao and his group.

Power also means responsibility. To avoid casualties among the demons in the upcoming battles, Theresa hopes to evacuate as many civilians as possible before launching any military operations.

However, evacuating civilians takes time, and most importantly, it can easily lead to the spread of rumors—sometimes what a country fears most is not the possibility of defeat, but the rumors that spread throughout the rear before the battle even begins.

Rumors can cause fluctuations in morale, destabilize public sentiment, and consequently cause some problems in the overall military operation... However, Yang Hao felt that the United Nations was not yet at a point where it needed to worry about these things.

"After all, our people have just emerged victorious from two wars, their morale is high, and they possess an extremely strong will to defend their homeland... Moreover, as long as the demons don't cause chaos, our core strength consists of the Bayerzens, elves, and magical puppets. As long as our core strength isn't significantly affected, then there shouldn't be a major problem."

Yang Hao shrugged, adding in his mind: Besides, most people have nowhere to run even if they wanted to.

Even if you want to escape the continent of Elusia, you can only wander within one continent. As long as you remain on this continent, for the fleeing people, it's like they can only dodge the first day of the month, not the fifteenth...

So in a sense, Theresa's worries were unnecessary... but it's good that she had them.

"Then, I'll have the ministers prepare the plan later, okay?"

"Okay. That's settled then."

The meeting was nearing its end. After all, no matter how much they discussed, if they couldn't produce results, they wouldn't be able to continue the study and discussion.

Just as the meeting was about to adjourn, a knock on the door outside the meeting room once again drew everyone's attention.

A guard entered, carrying an envelope. He explained that it was a letter of thanks from the people of Isgard, intended for the Regent, but judging from the thickness of the envelope, it was clearly more than just a simple expression of gratitude.

Yang Hao took the envelope, opened it, and took out the letters one by one.

General Piss's letter of thanks and commitment.

The letter of thanks from the on-site commander of the main force at the time, along with some of his own promises.

I don't know where the thank-you letter came from—it looks like it's from the Drake Port area.

Yang Hao muttered to himself, "It's just some words of thanks and empty promises, there's no need to go to such lengths, is there?"

But just as he was feeling confused, his hand happened to grasp the thickest letter.

"..."

Looking at the elegant Gothic script that didn't seem like something Miss Nia could write, Yang Hao's face showed a strange expression.

But just as Yang Hao was debating whether or not to put Nia's letter on the table for everyone to see—

"Ara? I remember Miss Nia said she would tell us some of the Sirens' secrets?"

The deity who had appeared behind Yang Hao without him noticing was smiling. This sudden betrayal caught Yang Hao off guard and also caused his two wives to reveal their sharp eyes.

Chapter Two: The Demons of Ysgard - 8K

"Ara? I remember Miss Nia said she would tell us some of the Sirens' secrets?"

Lalumia's ambiguous, half-smiling words not only made everyone subconsciously overlook when she had casually appeared behind Yang Hao, but also made everyone realize that Lalumia's reason for sticking close to Yang Hao's back was not just to touch him, but also because she seemed to really know something.

The fact that she blurted out was the most attention-grabbing thing.

After all, that was... a handwritten letter from Miss Nia to Yang Hao—their point was that while the Sirens' secrets were indeed important, Miss Nia's writing itself implied quite a few issues... right?

"..."

"..."

Under the girls' silent gaze, Yang Hao chuckled dryly and placed Nia's letter on the table. Then, Elena, her face calm, walked over, and with Yang Hao's permission, opened the envelope and read aloud its contents:

"statement:

Your Majesty Yang Hao, thank you for everything you did for us back then. As agreed, I have recorded the confidential information about the Sirens at the end of this letter. Please read it carefully and then use your own judgment.

Besides, if there's time—"

Elena paused. She blinked, her bright red, jewel-like eyes fixed on a particular word in the letter.

Not far away, the elf and the nun, who were resting their hands on the table, exchanged a glance and then puffed up their cheeks because of what they had imagined.

Narudya, that silly girl, remained slumped over the table as usual. After waiting a long time without hearing Elena speak, she finally groggily raised her head and said:

"Um... what's next?"

These words acted like a clockwork mechanism, starting Elena's stiff body.

However, Elena did not answer. After thinking for a while, she stiffly handed the letter to Yang Hao, who was covered in sweat.

"Explanation: The following content pertains to...private matters. Yang Hao, you...decide for yourself...?"

The synthetic doll knew that whether it refused to state its contents or simply revealed the letter's contents, it would ultimately face the choice of either offending Yang Hao or offending the two most powerful women in Yang Hao's family...

Rather than letting myself suffer misfortune and potentially lose the chance to get close to Yang Hao...why not just let Yang Hao decide all the choices?

Therefore, Elena handed the letter to Yang Hao. At the same time, she successfully diverted the attention of the fierce woman in her household to Yang Hao.

Meeting his wife's "you decide" gaze, and feeling Fen's glare that said "if you don't give me an answer, I'll make you regret it tonight," the fearless man lowered his head and fell into deep thought as he looked at the contents of the letter in his hand.

Without a doubt, Miss Nia did intend to invite Yang Hao out for dinner alone—but it seemed more like a joke. After all, someone of Yang Hao's status would need a dozen or so guards to accompany him even if he wanted to go out for a meal alone; even if he really wanted to go for a walk by himself, he would be secretly protected by a large number of guards...

In a sense, Nia understood this perfectly well. Therefore, she couldn't possibly intend to take advantage of their time alone together to do anything...

So after realizing that Nia was just joking, Yang Hao breathed a sigh of relief and said:

“She was just joking—now we’re getting down to business. It’s about the Sirens.”

Yang Hao placed the letter on the table, signaling Elena to project the image onto each screen. He muttered, "That was close," while glancing back at the innocent-looking Lalumia with a hint of reproach.

Lalumia simply smiled and patted Yang Hao's hair in response to his complaints. Then, as if remembering something, she said, "I need to go check on Anna and the others," and left the room.

It was only after Lalumia left that everyone temporarily put aside their prejudices against Nia and began to carefully verify the various events concerning the Sirens.

It must be said that the secrets Nia handed over were indeed very valuable.

After all, Ysgard's research on Siren flesh magic is far more in-depth than that of the United Nations, so it naturally possesses some information that the United Nations cannot obtain.

For example...

"The Siren's flesh magic follows certain rules... and in the Siren's teachings, their magic is a product of industrialization? It's just that due to the flaws of most [New Siren] or the lack of a certain key step in the textbooks, the Siren cannot control their power, causing the higher-level individuals to only be able to use high-level flesh magic, unable to be backward compatible? What the hell is this...?"

Theresa stared blankly at the contents of the letter on the screen—after all, in her mind, whether it was divine magic or magic, as a high-ranking person, it shouldn't be difficult to cast lower-level magic, right?

To put it simply, a chef who can cook royal dishes can surely also cook simple country dishes, right? So why can't he do it with the sirens?