The First Magic World War

Charles took advantage of the manageable intensity of the war to make a trip back to Duoviliat Port.

Roweireto's faith in the Flame Evil God Anurulu had turned the area surrounding this port city into a volcanic region, which would have been a headache for any lord from the Old Continent, but for Charles, it was a great opportunity.

He surveyed the terrain around Duoviliat Port and chose the volcano closest to it. Following the pattern of hot spring hotels on Earth, he constructed hundreds of hot spring villas with private baths from the mountain top to the foothills, facing the sea or Duoviliat Port. He built seven or eight vacation towns and nearly a hundred large public baths that could accommodate hundreds of people, as well as various entertainment facilities, assigning a group of over a thousand Great Act Devils to serve as waitstaff.

Charles had enough of his officers having a blast on the Holy Light Divine State Title!

If it were just him alone, it might have been bearable, but with Anne in his life, such things were no longer tolerable.

Although Anne didn't say anything, Charles felt it was necessary to shift this entertainment industry, and the best relocation target was Duoviliat Port.

Hot springs were vacation destinations in any country and any era; if there were also types of entertainment allowed—or not allowed—in some countries on Earth, one could say they were immensely popular. It wasn't an exaggeration, but rather an understatement.

Charles mobilized a part of his Transcendent workforce and a group of Ghost Crew, starting construction from the holiday town at the foot of the mountain. Once construction was completed, he sent a group of migrants from the New Continent there. These New Continent migrants, having not yet formed any opinions about settling and living there, were thrilled by the influx of Great Act Devils, feeling as though they were living in "paradise," as if it were akin to the realm of the gods themselves.

As the construction project progressed, entertainment amenities from the Holy Light Divine State Title were relocated one by one. Not just Charles's subordinates, but even the migrants from the Southseraph region were sneaking over, and Limate's guard turned a blind eye to these people, letting them come and go as they pleased, as Charles wasn't worried about spies.

The construction of Hot Spring Mountain in Duoviliat Port quickly caught the attention of Romios. He also learned that some members of parliament-level attendees from the New World Conference were sneaking off there to indulge themselves. Hearing this news, Romios could not help but feel a mix of amusement and frustration. After several battles against Charles, he had come to understand the disposition and methods of his adversary. Charles was no warmonger; he was not only kind to the people within his territory but also remarkably skilled in economic matters. Solely in the Southseraph region, he had left a substantial economic foundation. Had Anne not evacuated almost all the people and had the war with Charles not severed nearly all trade, this place would have been more prosperous than most parts of the New Continent.

Romios even thought that if the sides were not enemies and the New Continent migrants were occupying elsewhere, Charles would likely be the first lord to recognize the nation-state of the New Continent migrants and would have been eager to engage in mutual trade. Unfortunately, the New Continent migrants had occupied the land of the Mecklen Duchy, and Charles would definitely not accept this situation, nor would he relinquish the Southseraph region.

Charles stayed in Duoviliat Port for a few months, and when the construction of Hot Spring Mountain was nearly complete, with only minor decorative work remaining, he allotted the villas on the mountain top to his commanders based on their merits. Upon returning to Arcadia Port, he received a document from the Emperor of Brittany, who was also his prospective father-in-law, ordering him to return to Strasbourg to suppress a rebellion.

The remnants of the Axel Clan conspired with several rebellious royals and had already taken over Strasbourg.

Upon receiving this news, Charles was completely shocked. He truly had not expected the Axel royals to be capable of causing such a huge disturbance.

After some consideration, Charles left the Black Dragon to command the fleet in his stead, and asked Ysamiel to stay back to oversee the naval operations. He didn't even bring the Holy Light Divine State Title or the Emilia Vessel, taking only Anne, Kreel Brittany, Ebner Sumei, and Andreas. They secretly left the fleet using the Labyrinth passage and first arrived at Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu was the first city Charles had turned into a labyrinth, and it was also the largest goods transfer station in the trade system he had built himself. Usually, Taoles would be in charge here, and nominally it was still under Taoles' jurisdiction; however, Taoles seldom stayed in Machu Picchu now, leaving her assistant in charge. Charles did not recognize Taoles' assistant, knowing only that she was a junior from Taoles' academia, and very capable and intelligent.

Arriving in Machu Picchu, Charles did not immediately head to Strasbourg because he was waiting for Antonio. The old Emperor of Brittany had not only summoned his son-in-law to suppress the rebellion but also sent his own son back. Charles dared not bring Ysamiel back because he feared that if the New World Conference learned of the situation, they might seize the opportunity to counterattack and destroy his fleet. Yet, without a Peak Holy Order, retaking Strasbourg would be nearly impossible.

Charles waited several days, obtaining some intelligence about Strasbourg. This time, the rebellion also involved the former Imperial Chancellor, Wood Brandon, who was said to have masterminded the strategy and even personally approached the royals remaining in Strasbourg.

Charles knew little about the Imperial Chancellor; by the time he had arrived, the chancellor had already retired and vanished from Fars' political scene.

He only knew that the former Imperial Chancellor had masterminded the major event of a six Sacred Level ambush on Zimmerman. Although they captured Zimmerman, it resulted in severe injuries to five Sacred Level masters of the Axel Clan, forcing them into hiding to recover. Furthermore, this incident even served as the catalyst for Prince Redmir's rebellion.

Despite Charles' reservations about the chancellor's intelligence, he knew not to underestimate an enemy, especially Wood Brandon, who was skilled in both letters and arms and held great renown. Even once holding more influence than Earl Brittany in the Fars Empire, an occasional failure in his plans did not warrant dismissing the former chancellor as useless.

Given that his first move was to choose the perfect timing and secure Strasbourg, claiming a valid cause, it was evident that this man was no easy opponent.

The old Emperor of Brittany had only recently ascended to the throne, and his control over Fars was not yet stable. Although he had gained recognition from most of the Imperial Nobility, they had only recognized the legality of Brittany's imperial status without offering their loyalty. If the Axel Clan were to promote another emperor, some nobles loyal to the Axel Clan might defect, worsening the situation the longer the rebels occupied Strasbourg.

Even Charles himself could not conceive a better timing, a more ingenious angle, or a more suitable method than this.

Indeed, Charles was not really a qualified politician.