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

Could it be that the backward compatibility part of their "textbooks" also requires complicated methods to implement? That doesn't seem likely.

The little nun muttered, finding it somewhat outrageous.

The elf beside her frowned and pondered for a moment before offering a thoughtful conclusion:

"...It should be a [generational gap] similar to that of elves."

"Date discontinuity?"

Everyone except the elf was stunned. Naruja, however, seemed thoughtful amidst her daze, adding in her usual absent-mindedness:

"They're similar to our Ling clan, aren't they...?"

Naruja is a member of the Listening Clan, who were once creations of the Edenians. But how many members of the Listening Clan know this fact now? How many members of the Listening Clan understand their past creations?

Although Naruja herself couldn't explain what was going on, if we use the Ling tribe as a substitute, we can at least figure out one thing:

So, the Sirens are also part of the "dynastic extinction"—similar to the Listeners. However, while the Listeners forgot their once-advanced technology and knowledge, the Sirens forgot their backward compatibility. But... that shouldn't be the case, right?

When you were young, you could walk, and when you were stronger, you could run. Now you're telling me you can only run and can't walk anymore? That's impossible, isn't it?

Faced with everyone's confusion, the elf simply shook his head and said: "For a race that relies on magic to survive, this is a very normal thing."

"After all, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Siren's flesh magic requires training and adaptation... Have you all forgotten? The continent of Orros is a continent where magic is scarce. Not every Siren can afford to squander magic at will to practice magic. So I suspect that's the key reason why they can't be backward compatible."

Having no experience in controlling the release of magic in their childhood, and instead learning more advanced magic as adults to avoid waste... Under these circumstances, the skills that most Sirens possess are castles in the air—they know how to fire a gun, but not how to load bullets; they know how to make pastries, but not how to knead dough... Although they can indeed produce results, their foundation is absolutely terrible.

However, this doesn't mean much to us. After all, our continent has abundant magical reserves, and with the artificial magical reactor in the Kingdom of Eden... the new Sirens born within our borders are unlikely to follow in their parents' footsteps, so there's no need for us to worry.

More important than that is... since the Sirens' flesh magic is an industrialized product, possessing standardized casting procedures and flexibility... then this means that inscribing flesh magic onto enchantment spells is feasible.

At this point, Fen paused for a moment and then shook her head:

"However, this is just speculation—depending on the difficulty level, we elves also need time to prepare..."

As everyone knows, carving a scroll on wood is different from carving it on a diamond, and the time required is also different—but ultimately, in theory, we elves can indeed perform flesh magic enchantments. We just need time.”

“What we lack most is time.” Theresa pursed her lips, then turned to look at Elena: “So Elena, I need the Edenians to assist Finn in this great undertaking... In addition, we need the Edenians to prepare for the construction of the Colossus Weapon—but only the preparation for construction.”

"Confusion: Why not just build it directly?"

Elena looked at Theresa with a puzzled expression, while Theresa gestured towards Yang Hao with her chin. Yang Hao, meanwhile, shrugged, stroking Naruja's antlers, which had somehow ended up on his lap.

"After all, if possible, I'd like to try mounting the Colossus weapon on a mobile platform to see if it can be sent into the Ice Calamity's domain... But that's just a concept; we need to consider the details further. And in terms of cost, we need to concentrate our resources and use them wisely right now."

"understand."

The synthetic doll nodded obediently. Noticing Naruja's actions, she also used the excuse of "needing to continue adjusting the projection" to walk over and sit down next to Yang Hao.

For a moment, this created the odd situation where Naruja and Elena sat on either side of Yang Hao, while Theresa and Finn sat opposite them... but everyone was sensible enough to understand the bigger picture. Although the two wives were somewhat displeased, upon considering the current situation within the United Nations, their dissatisfaction mostly transformed into other meanings...

For Teresa, Yang Hao was the person she loved most, but politically, she also knew that Yang Hao was someone she had to share... the best glue that held the country together.

As long as it doesn't involve her life, safety, or dignity, she's willing to make concessions with Yang Hao's consent. Therefore, although she feels somewhat helpless, she has long been mentally prepared to grow into the true Basellis.

(After all, you can't expect desserts not to attract bugs... Besides, this is the only top-grade dessert placed on the most luxurious table... Although I would like to enjoy it alone, for the sake of the bigger picture, I can't really keep it all to myself...)

The nun pursed her lips, deep in thought.

The elf, however, harbored a completely different yet equally helpless feeling.

(I've never been this intimate with anyone because of my status... and do they even respect us?! Sigh... all these men are watching us, and even if we wanted to chase them away, we could only think about it... it's so frustrating, isn't it?)

Elves are a free-spirited race by nature—if it weren't for the pressure from Yang Hao, or for the overall interests of the United Nations, Finn would have already shown her elven nature and started secretly [sending them on journeys for decades].

Of course—Naruja is a pet, so she wouldn't care. Elena is a synthetic doll that is, in a sense, immortal, so she can't do anything about her either. That thieving dragon is a powerful being that is almost immune to magic, and she finds it troublesome but helpless.

So all she could do was talk about it, venting her jealousy and dissatisfaction through fantasy. Then she could only sigh helplessly and say, "That's all I can do."

Thus, during this meeting, Yang Hao and the others confirmed the various tasks for the next ten days. They needed to use the confidential information sent by Nia to enchant the Sirens' flesh magic; they needed to evacuate the civilians surrounding the Monster Forest; and they needed to research better and newer weapons to prepare for the Ice Calamity's large-scale attack.

Meanwhile, in the United Nations, where everything was proceeding smoothly and tensely, Nia, a diplomat who was finally free from work today, was sitting on her sofa in her room, communicating with her close friend in Isgard. She was also wondering if her sweetheart had received her hints.

While Yang Hao's identity certainly prevents him from going out alone, it should be feasible to [chat privately] when he's on business trips in Isgard in the future, right? I just don't know what he's thinking...

Black Dragon was unaware that his inner thoughts had already surfaced, and even less aware that the president, now transformed into a mature woman in the mirror, was helpless against him.

"Nia...so, can we talk about work-related matters properly first?"

"Huh? Ah—okay."

Reminded by the Miss President, the black dragon, who looked like a little girl, paused for a moment, then finally refocused on her work. She coughed twice and began to explain her arrangements for the time being to Margarita.

For example, the sorting out of the belongings of the Isgard soldiers who were shot after their mutation and the compensation for their relatives; the condition of the Sirens; and the various issues surrounding welcoming Yang Hao to Isgard.

Of all the things Nia was most worried about, it was the situation back home. If nothing unexpected happened, Yang Hao would visit Isgard after resolving the [Cataclysm of Ice]. During this two-year political crisis, she needed Margarita to prepare things back home, ensuring that everyone was not hostile towards Yang Hao's arrival.

To this, Margarita simply shrugged:

"It's easy to make my confidants feel no hostility towards the Regent's arrival, or even to feel good about it. But the prerequisite for doing so is that our people can see the results he brings to us."

"I think my experience with demons is enough, right?"

"It's enough for us. But for the neutrals, it's far from enough."

There is no longer any voice opposing Margarita in Issugard—at least not openly. The capitalists who dared to speak out have all died in the civil war and coup in Issugard, their bodies still not removed from the cages.

But in secret, many people felt indifferent or even hostile towards Margarita's rule. This was partly because these people were self-interested individuals who didn't care much about the country's future, and partly because many felt that while Margarita bestowed favors upon the vast majority of ordinary people, she hadn't done so for her own class.

These groups, who have not betrayed Ysgard but have contributed to Ysgard while also posing a threat to her rule, are Margarita's biggest worry right now.

She decided to entrust this matter to the future Yang Hao, because in this way, whether it was to allow Yang Hao to legitimately gain the favor of the Isgard people, or to clear obstacles for her future rule while avoiding public opinion against her, she could achieve good results.

Moreover... this was also a test Margarita was giving Yang Hao.

She hoped that Yang Hao could find a new and better policy—after all, whether it was expelling or killing people from that class, the vacancies left behind would need to be filled, but the question was, who would fill those vacancies?

Margarita was curious about this, and her statement only made the black dragon shrug:

"Although I know His Majesty Yang Hao quite well, I still can't figure out how he would solve this problem..."

"Aren't you worried that he won't be able to handle the [Cataclysm of Ice]?"

"After all, to put it bluntly, rescuing our main force, which is trapped in an encirclement, would be much more difficult, right? Rescuing more than half of our elite soldiers... saving people is much harder than killing them, isn't it?"

"You're right... Saving lives is always harder than killing, and governing a country is always harder than destroying it. Sigh."

They were silent for a moment.

After a while, Margarita finally couldn't help but speak:

“And Nia… are you serious? I mean… I understand you might marry a man you hate for political reasons… but now you’re telling me you seem to genuinely like the Regent? Are you… serious?”

The president's question made Black Dragon raise an eyebrow—then relax.

After all, it's normal for Margarita to worry about herself. Black Dragon muttered to herself, finding it hard to imagine that she could have genuinely fallen for a man because of some event. But who could blame her when Yang Hao truly became the final heavy blow in her heart, shattering her defenses into pieces?

She admitted that in the past, she had always craved Yang Hao's body for political or economic reasons! She also felt that having a few dragon eggs with him through a political marriage was a trivial matter that was acceptable...

But she also had to admit that Yang Hao's willingness to save his country's soldiers without compensation, his willingness to risk his life to get surrounded, and his willingness to cover the rear for his wounded soldiers... truly touched her heart.

For Nia.

This was the first time she had ever seen a foreigner with such a broad mind; it was the first time she had ever seen a former enemy, with whom she had secretly clashed, consider things from her perspective...

...Dragons inherently revere the strong. Whether they are physically strong, magically strong, or intellectually strong.

On this basis, Yang Hao further demonstrated a personal charm that Nia found irresistible.

Therefore, from the moment he successfully brought back the main force of Issugard, Nia could no longer view Yang Hao with the same perspective as before.

Even now, when she accidentally bumps into Yang Hao, she doesn't even dare to look him in the eye. She can only pretend to be looking at the scenery, laugh, say hello, and then leave in a hurry.

after all...

"After all, I'm a little worried about my own situation... This is the first time I've realized that genuinely liking someone can make me act so strangely? So lately I've been trying to minimize my work-related meetings with His Majesty Yang Hao..."

"why?"

"Because I'm afraid that if we make eye contact, I won't be able to resist and just have sex with him right there. Sigh. I guess I understand why animals in heat will mate with any female they see..."

"...But you're not male either?!"

“Margarita, have you forgotten? Dragons are a matriarchal society.”

"..."

President Blood Demon hesitated for a moment, then finally succumbed to defeat.

Looking at her close friend in the mirror, who seemed both self-assured and subtly pleased, Margarita could only say, "Whatever makes you happy, but don't ruin the relationship between our two countries for your own sake... After all, His Majesty Yang Hao is a married man."

To be frank, Margarita knew that Nia probably wouldn't be able to resist.

After all, the dragon race is a matriarchal society. In dragon society, the status of female dragons is slightly higher than that of male dragons, and naturally, matters such as reproduction are also dominated by female dragons.

This is one of the reasons why the perception of male dragons in the underground society of Isgard is so different from what people think of them... Many women who are fortunate enough to marry dragons are surprised by their husbands' passivity at night, but they don't know that in dragon society, male passivity is the most normal thing.

After all, the female dragon is larger and stronger than the male, and it is the female dragon that keeps the male dragon in the nest for two years – this fully proves the male dragon's status in the family and confirms Margarita's speculation that "Nia will definitely not be able to resist in the end".

Ugh.

Hopefully, His Majesty the Regent will be able to board the ship bound for Ysgard before Nia completely loses her temper... But speaking of ships...

...

"Nia, wipe your drool. Putting aside what you want to do for now, regarding the Regent's journey to Isgard, do you have any ideas about the sea route?"

"Sea route...? The Alessars? Ah, the Alessars are no longer a threat. They have no intention of going to sea anymore. All their troops are concentrated on defending the island?"

"...Why?"

"Because their ships can't beat ours. I mean, both in terms of quality and quantity."

Margarita worried that the Alessands would cause disturbances while the Regent was at sea.

But she didn't expect that the Alese people were so desperate that they couldn't even leave the archipelago.

On the one hand, Margarita overestimated the industrial strength of the Ares—although the Ares possessed a complete steam plant core, frankly speaking, even if the Ares were trying to imitate and expand their factories, the land limitations of their island still forced them to have only a very limited industrial capacity.

With limited industrial capacity, aside from the production of civilian consumer goods and army ammunition and firearms, very little of that capacity could ultimately be used for steam warships.

According to Nia's analogy, by the time the Alessars were producing a single well-equipped ironclad warship, Issugard could already launch five of its most advanced ironclads. Outmatched in both quality and quantity, the Alessars naturally had no choice but to defend the archipelago, relying on its coastal artillery superiority to resist the Issugard navy's attacks.

Besides the issue of industrial capacity.

On the other hand, the most important issue is...

The Alese people have probably run out of minerals.