There is a lot of things that is going on, in the world black market, from drugs trading, even a newly discovered drugs can be found as well, rare and forbidden materials can also be found in a plenty in the black market. In short by having our pinky in this dark pond, we were able to obtain just about everything that we wanted and all of them were obtained by us without anyone even knowing that it was us.“.…How about the flower that we were selling in Visma Nation?…has they been doing well over there as well?..”.“The Flower….they are already flooding the entire nation by now…everyone were excited by it.”.(Special Agent Marisko)The Flower is a code name for a new addictive drugs that the A.C.I.A had made to do a lot of things, and one of it were to destabilized an entire country by making it’s population become addicted and thus plunged the entire nation into chaos. The Flower actually comes from a Yellow color flower, called the Dragon’s tongue, it has the same effect as cannabis,
“Visma Nation has been so jumpy and eager as of lately….although we controlled the immediate region next to Southern Alemia….the threat still stands…..The Flower should make them eased up a little bit…”.“Visma Nation…in my opinion, is a nation that can’t really be called a nation….it was just an amalgamation of a group of people that are craze with power…and then established themselves as lord…all of them were constantly on each others throat…..and dividing them up were as easy as taking a candy from a kid….given enough time, that nation will fall to crumble, and our Flower….would just hasten that process….”.(Special Agent Marisko)“I agree with you, Marisko…you certainly have a broad view on things…”.I smiled at Marisko conjecture, she really do have a quick uptakes on things that matters, Visma Nation is a target that would fall, with even the slightest of nudge, their monarchy were barely upholding, and with their nobility so strong in power, their king cannot even told his subje
“Enough about the Visma Nation for now….Selie, how is our army doing?….I know that Bina and Kolarova are ready to move out..whenever I would give them the order….I supposed Lucas would too…How is it for Eliza?…”.Lieutenant Colonel Selie took out her tablet PC, and scroll on some message, before she turned to me and answer.“General Eliza side, will have to take about another day before they are ready to mobilize, Sir…”.(Lieutenant Colonel Selie)“.…Is that so?..”.“Yes, although they took over the city and the region peacefully and without any fights….the city still need reconstructions and restructure….and thanks to the peaceful occupation…they also happened to missed the opportunity to eradicate the city corrupted and evil figure..so…the soldiers had to go around all over the place to capture all this problematic figure one by one….hence it was reasonable for their delay…”.(Lieutenant Colonel Selie)Understandable, after all except for the north, all other battle for ‘liberation’ d
“They can take one more day..just to be sure…at this point, we can afford more time…since we only got one more target to destroy…”.At this point of our campaign everyone can afford to take their time to make sure everything is in order and completed before we move on with something else. After all the enemy were already dancing in the palm of my hand, and they will only be waiting for my execution on them, that is their fates, they can’t do nothing but wait for me to come and end that battle of theirs and also their lives.“...By the way, Marisko…do you like movies?..”.“Hmm?…that is a rather peculiar question, sir…..hmmm…personally I like them…it was entertaining…and also quite a strong propaganda method…if we were able to make our own movie, we can put everything that we want in it….after all, the entertainment industry in this era..are so backwards…that if a movie were released to the masses…the people would just become so addicted to it…”.(Special Agent Marisko)Actually, movies
“Able to come to such deductions…you are really capable, Marisko….you know, I haven’t talk to anyone about this….but I think…it was about time we released our own movies…”.“Releasing our own movies?..”.(Special Agent Marisko)“Yes…with our own productions…with our own method and drive….naturally with a sprinkle of our very own ‘creativity’…”.Using an air quotes, I put an emphasis on the word creativity, for Marisko, I know that she would get what I meant by Creativity in a single take.“by putting our own twist and turns…..heh, that would surely makes the world crazy…heck….with the movies…we can even make Aeternum to become a sort of utopia……maybe we can even make a movie where our military be the most righteous army in the entire world….hohoho…. I kinda excited to see such things happening…”.Seeing her snickering and lips formed a rather devious smile, she were looking like a villain right now, even Selie were slowly taking a step back away from here. Marisko felt into her own ima
“Nevertheless…I think it was time that we brought an entertainment storm to this world…and I want you to be the icon that do it….can you do this?..”.“At this point…..I don’t think that there is nothing that I can say to deny this…..Sure, Sir…I’ll do it….”.(Special Agent Marisko)“Great….just a heads up….this new job…will bring you a lot of attentions….fame, and popularity….you will be standing before the public eyes…and perhaps even received an admiration from many of them….simply said…you might even lose your peaceful life for this path…”.“.…I think I can handle it…..you know, that I won’t lose my bearing for stuff like this…all that I do…I do it for our nation and for you, Sir….no matter how hectic things might be….I am confident..that I can turn it all just for the benefits for our nation…”.(Special Agent Marisko)“I am glad that you were accepting this new duty…..so…for your first duty..as Aeternum very own first Entertainment Producer….You will become the President of Aeternum
Meanwhile, in Central Alemia, the Capital City, the tension of the civil war were getting heighten and became much more brutal, The Crown Prince side were eager to enter the city at all cost, after all they had to march inside the city and head straight to the palace to conquer it. As for Queen Romella, her priority were to defend her city walls, and make sure that her son and his army did not makes it through, so that she can continue to stay on power. Naturally with the intensity and the frequency of the skirmish between the 2 are getting more and more often and harsh. Now both sides, can already be said, they have exhausted their manpower, but still neither side wanted to compromise or give up. Why, because now they know that Aeternum are on their heels.“Your Highness Crown Prince, you know that we cannot simply stop here….we need to have some sort of offering for Aeternum..if we want to survive..”.(Baron Louise)“an offering?…AN OFFERING?!!…how dare you muttered such things befo
Inside the crown prince faction command tent, as always the Crown Prince were still deep in his delusion, the adjutant, military leaders, commanders and the nobles in this faction, all of them were secretly blaming this man. Everyone thought that they can humor this man for a little bit and uses him as a tool later on, but no one ever thought that the Aeternum attacks, and everyone in this room has lost their land and territory while all of them stuck here. To make the matters even worse, all of them now had to rely on him, to survive, all of them had nothing anymore, they are all standing here empty, no land, no family and definitely no power, all that they have were their name and that was about it.They need this buffoon of a prince to win, in order to gain something, but right now the situation has become worse, Aeternum had them surrounded and yet, this buffoon think that the Aeternum isn’t a threat, and treat them like the Aeternum would bowed to him when he become a King, which
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.