The task itself was simple: different responsibilities would be assigned according to the strength of each nation and faction. This was not the time to save face, nor was it the time for anyone to challenge the results of such judgments.
For example, Lady Sicily showed some dissatisfaction with Felix's assignment. She claimed that the Bocca al Lupo alone could kill a hundred demons, so why had Felix assigned them to supply work and support alongside the battleships? They, too, wanted to go to the very front lines and fight!
But no one here would act that stupidly.
Leaving aside the fact that everyone present was a major leader who understood their own strength and would not recklessly make fools of themselves, it was also natural that some national leaders wished to conceal a portion of their true strength.
Felix simply did not care.
He truly did not care what hidden motives these leaders might have. The fact that they had come at all was already a great gesture of support. If they wished to preserve part of their strength, then so be it.
Kazdel was still the strongest.
"Kazimierz, your infantry will move to the northern border of Ursus and hold back the demons there. I will also assign three battleships to support you." Felix was in the middle of explaining the military arrangements when he pointed at a canyon on the map. "Ursus has fought here for many years. I will not say much more, but I will deploy mechanical units here to support a defensive counteroffensive. We must not allow the demons to break through this canyon."
The Emperor of Ursus gave a slight nod, acknowledging Felix's approach. He had been worried that Felix might be overly concerned with appearances between great powers, acting as the leader of the alliance in name while sending no real troops in practice.
Yes, he had been thinking of Yan.
The emperor had heard of the combat power of the three battleships, but had never personally seen them in action.
Moreover, he had already obtained battleship blueprints from Felix. Given Ursus's industrial capabilities, it was estimated that one battleship could be completed in two or three weeks. Under those circumstances, the ground front could be left entirely to the Knights of Kazimierz.
"We hope you will arrive at the front line on schedule."
"You do not need to remind me."
The Emperor and Lady Russell exchanged glances. The Emperor gave a cold sneer and said nothing more.
The north of Ursus was its northern frontier, a region directly bordering demon territory. That meant he would be fighting on his own soil. The number of the Emperor's Blades elite troops was limited and could not cover every point along the border. At a time like this, multinational forces from other countries were absolutely necessary.
With Kazdel's battleships added to the field, the emperor was already calculating how many troops he himself ought to commit.
Aside from Ursus, which bordered the North, both Yan and Higashi also had direct contact with the demons. Yan could remain self-sufficient while still aiding other fronts, but Higashi could not.
This time, Higashi's representative in Kazdel was a woman of the same race as Suzuran, a nine-tailed fox. Judging by her attire, she appeared to be a shrine maiden. Compared with the prosperous and stable Ursus and Yan, Higashi was in a much weaker position, so Felix did not place high expectations on them. Instead, he expanded the frontline in a way that could accommodate Higashi's limitations.
As for the other countries, Felix assigned them different roles as well. Every nation would be sent to the front, but the proportion of forces committed would vary according to each nation's actual strength.
Here, no one dared openly challenge Felix.
What was rather amusing was the way everyone kept glancing toward Siesta. Their looks were strange... or rather, openly mocking, as if they were saying, What level are you even on? What gives you the right to sit at this table with us?
Herman's expression did not change.
Among all the invited nations, he was indeed the weakest. Yet among the smaller powers, he still controlled a certain amount of military force, even if most of those soldiers were little more than mercenaries who had defected to him. Although Siesta had almost nothing to contribute to the main battlefield, Herman had no intention of slacking off. From a businessman's point of view, he accepted Felix's arrangements without complaint.
Deep down, however, he felt a trace of regret over having refused Felix's earlier invitation. Kazdel had now become the center of Terra, and after this war, Felix might very well become the King of Terra. With weapons of such overwhelming strength, even if Felix himself had no desire to conquer the world, could the same really be said of all his subordinates?
Ah. He had missed the perfect chance to offer help at just the right moment.
Herman admitted to himself that he was, in truth, an ambitious man. And now he genuinely felt that he had missed an extraordinary opportunity, especially after hearing that Kazdel was building its own inland-sea tourism city.
Kazdel was on the verge of becoming the center of the world, while Siesta's only real advantages were its inland sea and the Obsidian Music Festival. Even Dossoles could replicate that model and attract a massive number of tourists, so why could Kazdel not do the same?
This was not simply a case of one mistake leading to another.
In Herman's original calculations, Kazdel was never supposed to develop this quickly.
Of course, he had no way of knowing that Felix had long since begun cheating, and cheating on an absolutely outrageous scale.
Otherwise, from Herman's point of view, he could have used this opportunity to send his daughter into Tomorrow's Developments much earlier, while also looking for a chance to marry her to Felix.
Arranged marriage.
That was the thought lingering in the minds of nearly everyone in power present. As they listened to Felix explain the tactics in detail, all of them were entertaining the same idea. Kazdel had risen rapidly by riding this tide of war, and the remaining nations and powers that already had good relations with Kazdel naturally wanted to preserve and deepen those ties.
For example, the Emperor of Yan was already wondering whether there were any girls of true lung blood still listed within the imperial family. Those whose relations with Kazdel were only ordinary, meanwhile, wanted to curry favor with power. The Twin Empresses of Leithanien, for instance, were also considering which noble families close to them had daughters of suitable age.
As for those with no presentable candidates... well, Lady Sicily was in a rather awkward position. Her subordinates were all gangsters, whose status was far beneath that of noble ladies and lung-blooded daughters. Status was only the lesser problem. The real issue was whether they were presentable at all.
There were certainly beautiful daughters in the mafia families, and Lappland and Texas were indeed beautiful, though they had long since left Siracusa, but it was difficult to imagine them surpassing other women in terms of upbringing, knowledge, or family background.
The Liberation King had never wanted a pretty face alone.
"We Iberians will fight alongside the warriors of Yan."
Saint Carmen raised his hand and made his stance clear. With the Seaborn, their natural enemies, no longer standing against them, the Inquisition could only redirect its hatred toward the demons. Still, everyone understood that the Inquisition, having lost its original target, had little future left. After this battle, it might well cease to exist altogether.
"Very good. I will assign you two escort ships to protect Yan's battleships as they advance."
Felix turned his gaze toward the Emperor of Yan, and the middle-aged man gave Saint Carmen a slight nod.
Iberia's actions could also be seen as an attempt to curry favor with a great power, one second only to Kazdel and Laterano. Yan's industrial capacity was not weak, and with the research of the Tianshi, the blueprints had been quickly deciphered and put into actual production. Yan had also become the second country after Laterano to possess its own battleships.
The captain was Felix's brother-in-law, Chongyue. After completing the required courses at Kazdel's Imperial Naval Academy, he had returned to Yumen and fought his first battle commanding a fleet, which had been a complete success.
The remaining weaker nations all requested to operate in coordination with the stronger powers.
As for those forces with almost no strength, or no troops at all, they were assigned to transportation and logistics.
The meeting lasted four hours, during which everyone was given some time to rest. They began exchanging messages with their attendants and quickly sending firsthand information back to their homelands through messengers.
In truth, what remained afterward were only some extremely minor task assignments. Felix handed that responsibility over to Admiral Ulšulah of Kazdel. After graduating from the Imperial Naval Academy with a perfect score, Felix had directly appointed this Sarkaz lady, whose loyalty was absolute and who also shared a certain intimate connection with him, to the position of admiral.
"The focus of this battle is not us, but the Seaborn," Ulšulah said, presenting her view. "From our exchanges with the Seaborn, we have learned that they are capable of purifying demons, the matter they produce, and the essence of collapse. That makes them an effective means of suppression. The demons are, in theory, endless, because they are a phenomenon born from external laws. We can use artillery to contest territory with them, but if we want to truly eradicate the demons, we still need the Seaborn's help."
"Therefore, the Seaborn will be deployed on every front. Through their shared memory, they will launch assaults at the most suitable moments, using the fungal carpet to purify the land devoured and corrupted by the demons, and to completely erase the collapse. Due to the special nature of the Seaborn, command of this special force will temporarily be entrusted to you. We hope you will cooperate with the Seaborn and drive the demons out."
Ulšulah then pulled up several images.
"These are photographs sent back by Magallan from Rhine Lab's research department. Although much of the view is obscured by wind and snow, we can still make out the strange structure hidden beneath the snow. According to the Kazdel Research Department, it is believed to be a peculiar teleportation device. It is through this mobile device that the laws of evil are continuously transmitted into Terra."
"This teleportation device has been designated a Stargate by Rhine Lab. Our task is to push our forces up to the vicinity of the Stargate. Whether we destroy it, or instead order troops to pass through it, will have to be decided based on the situation at that time."
Felix flipped through the images Magallan had sent back.
A Stargate?
So it really did exist on Terra itself.
No matter what, exploring the Stargate was necessary. What lay on the other side? What was hidden there? These were all things Felix wanted to know. It was highly possible that the Observer was behind the Stargate, though it was also possible that the Stargate was nothing more than a simple teleportation device.
Before stepping out into the universe, Felix first had to find a way to save Terra.
Because as far as he understood it, this low-dimensional universe was already beyond saving.
Or rather, Terra was likely the only living planet left in the whole of this low-dimensional universe.
Therefore, exploring the Stargate was something they were determined to accomplish.
The day-long meeting finally came to an end. The afternoon session had naturally become a time for the leaders to exchange views and build connections, which of course included its share of flattery and polite insincerity, but that was only to be expected.
The following day, the war conference, which lasted less than a week in total, officially concluded. It left the people of Terra with only one path forward:
War.
After returning to their respective territories, the leaders immediately began issuing orders and making military preparations according to the decisions reached at the conference.
The players who remained among the four factions, Old Victoria, New Tara, the Kingdom of Tara, and the Rangers' Guild, quickly took action.
Or rather, they were forced to.
Queen Vina, Queen Loughshinny, and Queen Eblana all issued declarations of ceasefire within a single day, announcing that they would devote all military strength and attention to the demons in the North.
In Victoria, New Tara, and the Rangers' Guild, these orders were accepted without much resistance. They were fighting for the future of their nations, and Terra itself now stood on the edge of destruction. If Terra were destroyed, their nations would have no future at all.
Within the Kingdom of Tara, however, the majority of the nobles refused to obey.
They believed the demon crisis was nothing but nonsense. Even though the video had been shown to them again and again as undeniable evidence, they still insisted that it was merely a conspiracy by Kazdel, an excuse to lure every force in Terra northward and then conquer them one by one.
Together, they openly declared that they would not send troops to the North. At the same time, they urged Queen Eblana to seize the opportunity instead, arguing that while Victoria and New Tara were sending all their soldiers north, this would be the perfect moment to strike at their undefended territories and take their capitals in one blow.
Eblana said nothing.
And because she said nothing, the nobles assumed their words had been heard and approved, just as they would have been back when Earl Warwick still held power. After all, the nobles were the Kingdom of Tara's main military force, and in their minds, Eblana could not possibly afford to abandon them.
The next day, soldiers cloaked in purple ghostfire surrounded the mansions of the nobles.
These long-dead warriors still retained the combat skills they had possessed in life, and they had also sworn eternal loyalty to Eblana.
The noble troops were butchered like livestock. Blood flooded the noble estates. Those nobles who had always acted without fear finally understood terror when they saw the violet flames cleave the gates in two.
So Eblana truly did not mind tearing away the mask of civility.
They pleaded. They knelt and begged for forgiveness. They offered up all their wealth in exchange for their lives.
What they received in return was only the edge of a blade.
They were no longer useful.
Or rather, the moment they chose to turn their backs on Eblana, they had already chosen their own deaths.
Dozens of nobles were killed, including former Victorian nobles and a number of high-ranking Tara nobles. The Duke of Wellington was also among those who had resisted the order, but Eblana, taking into account both his status and the value of his military forces, merely placed him under permanent house arrest.
On a grand scale, the players began leaving the era of the Three Kingdoms in waves. Faced with war missions of this magnitude, the main storyline was simply too compelling to ignore.
They... had to save Terra.