As the situation in both Riverside and Pearl City Prison had been sufficiently handled and on it’s way to be dealt with carefully for any further same situation. The same progress also happened at the Western Region of Alemia Nation, namely, the Gust Family territory, of which by now are already had become apart of Aeternum governance. But unlike the other 2 region of where the structure and also the administration had to be done from the ground up. Here in the region that had already embraced the Aeternum Government, everything had fallen to become much more simpler, The Gust Territory has already have a functional Military and also a Governor, hence the process were much more easier.“So, you were saying that we will be implementing these trial and judgement system for the Prisoners of war here?…and these motion has been approved by the President and the Cabinet just now?..”.(Governor Duke Oliver Gust)“Yes, Sir Governor…it was an implementation that were taken by the President hims
As the situation in both Riverside and Pearl City Prison had been sufficiently handled and on it’s way to be dealt with carefully for any further same situation. The same progress also happened at the Western Region of Alemia Nation, namely, the Gust Family territory, of which by now are already had become apart of Aeternum governance. But unlike the other 2 region of where the structure and also the administration had to be done from the ground up. Here in the region that had already embraced the Aeternum Government, everything had fallen to become much more simpler, The Gust Territory has already have a functional Military and also a Governor, hence the process were much more easier.“So, you were saying that we will be implementing these trial and judgement system for the Prisoners of war here?…and these motion has been approved by the President and the Cabinet just now?..”.(Governor Duke Oliver Gust)“Yes, Sir Governor…it was an implementation that were taken by the President hims
“…hey guys, what’s happening here?..what are you guys were talking about?..”.(General Lucas)Whilst the 2 were sitting inside the Governor office in the Gust City administration office, General Lucas who is in charged of the Aeternum military operation here, come inside the office with a wide smile on his face. Governor Duke Oliver and General Lucas has become a good friends ever since they know each others and for them such sudden appearance and coming into each other office without a warning has been a rather normal situation, that no one can stopped it.“Nothing much…just talking about the new approach from the President that come in just now…”.(Governor Duke Oliver Gust)“Oh…about that prison stuff?..”.(General Lucas)The conversation between the 2 of them surely not at all looked like a 2 high government official talking about something major but rather like a 2 close friend bantering with one and another. Casually, Lucas pour himself with a liquor from the Govern
When General Lucas said this, saying that the president seems to frown upon his recent decision. Governor Duke Oliver, were a bit taken aback and slightly worried, as a lot of people knows that such occasion were very rare and usually such situations do have a significant stories behind."Why is that so, Lucas?".(Governor Duke Oliver Gust)"Well...he hated treated people like that...in fact all this time he had been fighting, and making a lot of effort to free and helped people all the time....and now... he had to decide and come to this...".(General Lucas)"I see...well, that is kinda disheartening to hear..".(Governor Duke Oliver Gust)Before their conversation were full of positivity, but now a gloomy topic has been touched. It is kinda bummed the mood inside the room a little bit, no one wanted to dismissed the mood upfront, as they all know, it was a bit insensitive to do so. And naturally as the one that bringing up the downcast mood, General Lucas were also the one that lifted
“Well…he not entirely against it…he just disliked the idea of it…so he tried to avoid it if possible..but if he can’t then he would be just fine with it…..”.(Major Cohen)Unlike the 2 of them, who can be considered just recently get to know the President in person and served under him faithfully for just now a brief amount of them, naturally they do not dared at all to talked in regards of his liking at all. But for General Lucas, he can just blabbered on his own, after all compared to many he is considered in the first generation of leaders that is close to the President and he deserved the credit to even be friendly to the President and no one can even say a single thing about it.“Anyway…I think in a few days….the war is going to be intensifies…I just got off call with the Grand General before I come here….and according to her….soon enough…the Central Region of Alemia Nation will be stormed by our attacks….so above all…we need to get ready and prepared for everything…”.(General Luc
“Well….Oliver….Grand General, the President and the Cabinet has approved the plan of attack for the Central Region…..and…their plans….were to bomb the entire place…”.(General Lucas)“Wait…they were going to Bomb the enemies?…wow…that is certainly a fearsome tactics to use…”.(Major Cohen)“Bomb?…what is that?…”.(Governor Duke Oliver)So far not many in Aeternum knows about the terms ‘Bomb’ in the military sense. As until now, there were only a few people that knows about Aeternum military capability, even in the Aeternum itself, Governor Duke Oliver naturally were still clueless about it as he didn’t know about it, and the only reason as to why Major Cohen knows about it, it is because he is a military judge who happened to be, apart of the highest position in the Aeternum Military.“Well…it meant that, the Crown Prince and Queen Romella…now have a very low chance to stay alive after the attacks begin…in fact, perhaps….the entire enemy army might just burn into ashes…Like I said before
“That is right, You Know….even for me, I have yet seen the truth with my own eyes….but I have read the reports about the Bombing actions…what it is capable of and what it can do….and let’s just say, Governor…..when that happened…it will surely changed everything…”.(Major Cohen)“I see…that is quite a shocker..”.(Governor Duke Oliver Gust)“It is mostly great for us….but for the enemy….not so much….all that I can describe is….it kinda looks like…you just hit destroys on everything you hated…you see…The Navy used these a lot…one of their favourite thing to use is..Missile….and that thing can kill up to Tier 6 Sea Monsters like it was nothing…heck, when the explosion happened…it just vanished everything that are around it…and that was on the sea…so…imagine that..”.(General Lucas)“Wow..that is just scary…then, if we were to just use these..then it would be a game changer…”.(Governor Duke Oliver Gust)The atmosphere inside the room, silent a little bit, as General Lucas just told Duke Oli
“It is…on the terms of power and strength…when that missile hit…well, we might as well become the strongest nation on the land….perhaps…even the Battle Star empire would be wary of us….”.(General Lucas)“No, Lucas….if this goes how you said it would supposed to go….those at the empire would be scared of us and certainly back away from us in a hurry….these I guaranteed you…”(Governor Duke Oliver Gust)“Oh, I believe you…You see, ever since our name has been spread all over the place…those Empire guys…has started to moved against us…”.(General Lucas)“Really?..”.(Governor Duke Oliver Gust)Now this is a piece of news that not many knows about, even some in the Cabinet can even barely heard about this, after all, this is a state secret, but not that top of a secret that no one were allowed to talk about it. Lucas naturally knew about it, and sharing it with Duke Oliver Gust and Major Cohen, as they were a member of upper echelon of Aeternum government, so these secret is something that t
The project would take time—perhaps years—but its impact would begin in weeks.“Once the roads are in place,” Merrica said, entering her chamber with a report in hand, “we’ll be able to move goods faster, respond to crises quicker, and prepare for the second phase: economic zone development.”Helen took the report with a tired, but satisfied smile. “This… this they will see. This they will believe.”“And when they do,” Merrica said, “they’ll follow.”Late that night, as the wind howled against the palace windows, Helen stood in her private study, gazing out at the flickering torches lining the city streets. In her hand was a smooth, curved stone from the first road pile—just a plain stone, but to her, it was the beginning of a foundation.Her fingers closed around it as she whispered to herself, “Let this road lead us to a better kingdom.” And with that, the first steps into a new Hallerus had begun.The throne room had seen war plans, council betrayals, and royal declarations. But on
The ministers eagerly pointed out their favorite places from their student years.“Over there—that café served synthetic ice cream you have to try.”“That’s the district where I first saw a holographic opera.”“This is where I spent hours in the central library—eight floors of pure knowledge.”Helen listened with quiet amusement and growing wonder. These weren’t just stories. This was the future.They stopped first at a shopping promenade, where modern boutiques lined the plaza. Aeternum fashion—streamlined, elegant, tailored for form and comfort—was on full display.Helen tried on a pale blue dress lined with iridescent threads that shifted color slightly under different lighting. She admired herself in the mirror. Regal, yet free. She hadn’t felt this light in years.Merrica chuckled as she twirled slightly. “Careful. You’ll make the palace tailors obsolete.”Next came the Aeternum cuisine district. The aroma of spices, imported meats, baked delicacies and exotic fruit blends filled
Meerkat sipped from his flask; eyes gleaming. “Monster cores alone could offset our collective energy reliance on Aeternum’s hybrid reactors. If those dungeons are stabilized and regulated under UNA protocols, we’re looking at a resource boom.”Angela arched an eyebrow. “All that assumes stability. A kingdom can’t regulate dungeons if they can’t regulate their own court.”“Well,” Meerkat said with a shrug, “that’s what Merrica’s for, isn’t it?”They all laughed lightly—because it was true. The man’s reputation preceded him. Hallerus may have signed with a queen, but Merrica had built the bridge.Kaneda leaned forward. “It’s risky, but it’s a calculated risk. We’re not signing blind loyalty here. We’re watching. Evaluating. But make no mistake—if this works, Hallerus becomes the keystone of continental connectivity.”Redwall drummed his fingers on his knee. “I suppose that’s why we’re here. Not to clap at the signing. But to see if the queen is truly changed.”“She is,” Angela said qui
“And now, a major announcement: With the signing complete, Hallerus Kingdom is formally inducted into the United Nation Alliance as its thirty-first member. This marks a turning point—not only for Hallerus, but for the entire Central Continent.”“The UNA, now composed of thirty-one sovereign nations, officially becomes the largest unified alliance in the world’s history—its reach, economic power, and strategic cooperation unmatched by any prior coalition.”“Following this event, Aeternum has confirmed it will begin a nationwide rollout of its Super Stores, factories, and humanitarian infrastructure in Hallerus territory. In exchange, Hallerus will provide critical resources and cultural integration into the alliance structure.”“Public reaction is already beginning to surface—here in New City, spontaneous celebrations have begun in the multicultural districts where former Hallerians live. Meanwhile, markets across the UNA are surging in response to the stability this alliance signifie
“I don’t forget betrayal easily,” I said. “And Aeternum doesn’t forget pain lightly. What happened between us—it scarred people. People who trusted Hallerus. Soldiers who bled for your freedom. Civilians who saw us pulled out overnight.”“I know,” Helen said. “And I accept the cost.”“But,” I said, letting the word hang before softening my tone, “I do respect accountability.”Her eyes met mine. “Then we start again?”“We do,” I said, extending a hand.She took it. Her grip was firm.“We bury the hatchet,” I added. “But let’s be clear—this is not a return to old friendship. This is a new foundation. One built on lessons learned.”Helen nodded. “Agreed.”Merrica exhaled, satisfied. “It’s what both sides need.”I looked at Helen, voice calm. “You have a second chance now. Few leaders get that. Don’t waste it.”She nodded again, quietly this time. “I won’t.”“Good,” I said. “Because your people need you more than ever. Rule wisely. Rule well. Let this alliance be your legacy.”For the fir
“We’ll export more to Hallerus—especially food. You’ll need it. In return, we’ll import more raw ore and minerals. Your mining sector’s still decent, right?”“It is.”“Then let’s grow that. More volume, more jobs, more imports on both sides.”He beamed. “Thank you, my friend.”I smiled back. “You’ll find I don’t just use the whip.”“A carrot, then?”“Always. A balanced hand is how you keep control. Too much punishment, and you push people away. Too much reward, and they forget who they owe.”Merrica nodded slowly. “You’ve become a real ruler.”I stood, offering my hand again. “I became what this world needed.”He shook it. “And I’ll make sure Hallerus becomes what Aeternum can trust.”We stood in silence for a moment longer. The sound of cheering still floated in faintly from the streets below. Somewhere out there, Queen Helen was being paraded through New City—through a modern marvel built from vision and precision. Through a world she couldn’t have imagined a year ago.And now, she’
“They’re… happy to see us?” she asked, disbelief in her voice.Duke Merrica gave her a half-smile. “Some of them, yes. The others are watching. Judging. As they should.”One young woman in the crowd, her hair wrapped in Aeternum’s signature style, waved a small Hallerus flag and called out, “Welcome back! My family’s from Archenport—we’re with you!”Helen felt a warmth rise in her chest. Her lips curled, hesitant, but sincere. She lifted a gloved hand and waved back.Her ministers behind her smiled with relief. The people hadn’t forgotten them. Or maybe… maybe Aeternum’s citizens were willing to forgive, even if their leaders were not.Still, with each new marvel the city revealed, her pride took another small wound.Digital traffic signs shifted in real-time. Elevated walkways moved gently above the streets. Tall towers bore solar glass and climate control systems beyond her comprehension. Everything was clean. Efficient. Vibrant.Hallerus, by contrast, was still struggling to clear
“But that’s not all,” he said. “We’re not just building stores. We’re buying land.”Elijah’s eyes narrowed. “Land?”Andrea arched a brow. “Personal Aeternum-controlled territory?”“Exactly,” Mies said. “We’ll negotiate the purchase and designation of sovereign Aeternum land within Hallerus. Locations where we will build permanent structures—embassies, farms, factories. Property they can’t touch. Not legally. Not politically.”Andrea crossed her arms. “You want to turn this alliance into territorial leverage.”“I want security,” Mies said. “We trusted them once. And they betrayed us. This time, we own the pieces on the board. If they want access to food and prosperity, they give us something real in return. Soil.”Elijah nodded. “No oversight from their monarchy. No interference. Full extraterritorial jurisdiction.”Mies smiled. “Exactly. We build an Aeternum that lives inside their walls. One they can’t tear down without declaring war.”Andrea added, “And when we build those farms and
“We’re proud Aeternians now,” said one local organizer. “But we remember where we came from. If we can help fix the old home while serving the new one, why not?”In university lecture halls, students debated passionately.“Strategically, re-integrating Hallerus into Aeternum’s economic sphere is a no-brainer,” one economics major argued. “We’ll be able to shape their policies from within.”“But trust is a currency too,” another replied. “If we spend it on the wrong partner again, we might pay more than we think.”In a small park in the east district, a group of Aeternum veterans sat on a bench, medals on their coats, eyes on the screens showing news footage of Andrea’s visit.“You remember that street?” one said, pointing.“I remember clearing it house by house,” another replied. “They cheered us one day. Chased us out the next.”The youngest of them, silent until now, finally spoke.“We gave them peace once. Maybe it’s time to give them a future.”Silence followed. No one disagreed.