"By the way, what is the content of this tape?"
Yang Hao looked over and over the tape in his hand. There was a rough description in the text introduction of the tape.
This seems to be a fantasy battle love story in which a paladin and a vampire fight each other, and finally they get married under the stimulation of strong values.
The people of Isgard even have the concept of "movies"... It's really scary that a unified empire has enough energy to develop in the direction of "entertainment".
Yang Hao was sighing with emotion. After putting the tapes into a box and packing them up, he took out a pen and paper and carefully wrote down his ideas while Theresa was preparing dinner.
There is no doubt that as a country that has enough resources to develop entertainment, Isgard is a country worth making friends with.
Not only can Ishugard sell goods to Caparia, but the elves should also be able to sell goods to Ishugard in return.
What are the advantages of the elves? They are "enchantments" and "artworks". On the other hand, in terms of entertainment products and overall technology, the elves are still at a disadvantage...
Um…
"Let's discuss with Finn tonight about selling some enchanted items to the caravans in Ishgard. By the way, in this way, we can also consider developing [scrolls that can perform one-time enchantments]..."
Yang Hao muttered thoughtfully. At this moment, Theresa, who was busy in the kitchen, finally came out.
Tonight's dinner was buttered bread and roasted venison, as well as some fresh fruits and vegetables from the Elf Forest. Theresa prepared five servings, because if nothing unexpected happened, Naruga and Arthur would also come over.
Dr. Joseph and his family were free to make their own arrangements. He said he wanted to celebrate his daughter's birthday and go to the beautiful countryside nearby, so Yang Hao generously gave him a month-long vacation.
But then again, he didn't order Dr. Joseph to do anything. He was on vacation anyway, so wouldn't it be unnecessary for him to do this
Yang Hao laughed twice, and then Theresa, who was cleaning the table, rolled her eyes and slammed her head:
"Don't work while you're preparing dinner! If you have to work, do it tonight!"
"I just want to make use of my time..."
"I don't want you to call my name and write on it with a pen and paper when you lie on me at night! In order to prevent you from only thinking about work in the future, I have to watch you now."
The unreasonable little nun has become particularly beautiful recently because of the rich food.
She sat arrogantly on Yang Hao's lap, as if Yang Hao was her seat - Yang Hao was no longer surprised by this kind of superior aura.
He simply pinched Theresa's belly with his hands very skillfully, and then, amid her screams, the Regent added expressionlessly:
"I've gained weight..."
"ha?!"
"I say, you've gotten fatter than when we were in the Monster Forest. Back then, you didn't feel heavy when you sat on my lap, but now I seem to need to use both hands to hold you up."
"Why don't you say that you've been feeling weak lately... wuwu... you've really gained weight..."
The nun was stroking her belly with tears in her eyes. Yang Hao smiled and rested his chin on her shoulder, watching her and whispering about her weight loss plan.
They seemed to be getting closer and closer to the life they dreamed of - Yang Hao planned to rescue the little queen and the chief court president by the middle of next year, and by then he could step down and rest.
They can have a home, watch the little queen grow up peacefully after her physical injuries are healed, and then grow old in the little house with children and grandchildren around.
By then, he will finally be worthy of his sworn brother and sister-in-law, and will finally be able to stand in front of them with his head held high when he passes away.
It's just...
The parish won't even spare the dead bodies...
The tombs of my brother-in-law and sister-in-law... must also be moved here.
The Regent was thinking while holding his lover in his arms.
They enjoyed the tranquility of the moment, hiding some of their own thoughts from each other.
…
And everywhere in the Roman Empire.
However, the Romans discovered that noisy sounds were coming from some dusty passages leading underground.
They were concerned that it might be rats that were multiplying in the sewers, or that there might be some monsters living in the sewage area.
They added countless bricks and stones to block the passage, and the survivors behind the passage simply gave up the useless action after noticing that there was no hope of opening the door.
The moment the Pillar of Light appeared at dawn, the tower keeper of the Bayezid Empire and his children rushed back to the underground Constantinople as fast as possible.
There, the last survivors were greatly encouraged. They formed expeditionary forces one after another, and informed the citizens in other underground cities who were still fighting against the devils of this exciting news through the most primitive underground marches and the remaining underground portal network.
In addition, an expedition team, under the order of the Senate, climbed onto the ground through a tiny crack and crawled towards the surface with difficulty between the cliffs.
They will go to where the light appears, they will find the last purple princess in the prophecy, and tell her that the empire is waiting for her return like lightning.
Chapter 1: In-depth communication with Isgard and the Eagle Flag 8K on the border
On December 5, Nia was actually very surprised that Isgard's products were so popular in Caparia. Without any publicity, the products in the store were sold out in less than two days.
She originally thought that the elves who wore artistically-made clothes would dislike those expensive, but relatively unattractive stockings...
But judging from the enthusiasm of the twenty-odd elf women for them, perhaps she needs to adjust her strategy and ship more "silk fabrics" from the country
Maybe. Although Nia had this idea, she obviously had more important things to do today.
Today was the important day when Nia communicated with the "King" of Caparia for the first time in the true sense of the word as an "Isgard diplomat".
She was ready for a tough battle and was even thinking about how to compete with the petite "Fen" verbally to gain the most benefits for her motherland.
But what she didn't expect was that on such an important occasion, the person who came was not the King of Elves, but the Regent of Elves.
"Hello, Miss Nia, nice to see you again."
"Hello, Mr. Yang Hao... Um, are you the senior person representing Caparia in the negotiations with Isgard?"
Although she had thought that after Yang Hao became the regent in the Elf Kingdom, he would have unparalleled power - but Nia believed that Yang Hao's life in Caparia should be similar to that of a "mercenary".
The elves would give him the power to reform and treat him as an honored guest, but they wouldn't really accept him as one of their own, right
After all, they are elves! It took Ishgard a hundred years to fully reach the stage of multi-racial integration!
How could the elves be willing to accept a human into their kingdom in less than a hundred years? This is impossible, right?!
But looking at Yang Hao, who was sitting in front of her as if nothing had happened, with two Japarian elf guards protecting him, Nia's doubts were stuck in her throat:
Gaparia not only treated Yang Hao as a distinguished guest, but also treated him as a superior of the same level as "Fen".
They seemed to not only accept Yang Hao as the regent of the elves as a "human", but also recognized Yang Hao's status in the elven society from the bottom of their hearts.
This is... really outrageous.
Nia took a sip of water, then stared at Yang Hao's face and said:
"I thought 'Fen' would come over - her name is a bit long, forgive me..."
"It doesn't matter. We call her "Fen" here too - she has something to deal with today, so I am here in her place. At the same time, you can also assume that I am now representing the entire Japaria."
"I see... Haha, Mr. Yang Hao, it seems that your life here is much happier than in the Roman Empire?"
Nia emphasized the word "happy".
Yang Hao did not disappoint her. He just nodded slightly to show his agreement, and then he did not forget to blurt out:
"Yes. Much better than in the Roman Empire."
Perhaps His Majesty the Regent heard Nia's hint, perhaps he just gave an answer subconsciously, or perhaps he didn't care at all about how Isgard viewed his current life - in short, the Regent acknowledged his position in Caparia.
When he said "better", it meant that at least in the "power structure", he maintained extremely high power in Caparia, a power that was even much higher than when he was the regent of the Roman Empire, so that he could handle all diplomatic affairs with full authority while gaining the recognition of the elves.
This means that Nia must immediately adjust her future foreign policy.
Yang Hao's power in the Elf Kingdom has already made the black dragon nervous.
If she hadn't come wearing a long skirt this time, perhaps the dragon's tail swinging restlessly would have become a bargaining chip for the elves to raise the price.
Fortunately, Nia calmed down quickly. She took another sip of water, pretended to be calm and flipped through the small book in her hand, then she said:
"In that case, let's get to the point first - Your Majesty Yang Hao, regarding the further cooperation between Isgard and Caparia... I think we need to be open and honest.
We congratulate Gapparia on their success in acquiring new standard weapons... Of course, I also hope to reach a further deal with Gapparia.
We hope to allow the factory in Caparia to produce some of Isugard's technical products by "granting production rights". Of course, we will pay for the drawings and costs, but Isugard must be given priority. "
Originally, this was the excuse she should have used in front of Fen, but now Nia can only use it in front of Yang Hao.
Some people who have not seen the world might be immediately intimidated by the olive branch of "technology and drawings" thrown by Ishgard, but Nia is sure that Yang Hao is not one of those who will be scared.
On the one hand, if Yang Hao is willing to accept this industrial gift, it will provide Isgard with an important channel to directly understand the progress of Caparia's industrial development.
They can range from low to high, from conventional standard batons to the artillery of the Strider-class ironclad warship.
From screws that can be made by anyone to high-precision screws that require elite technicians to make.
From the step dolls that children can pinch, to the high-end Siren custom-made love dolls—
Ishgard can determine the current industrial level of Caparia by the priority he gives to technical drawings, and then make corresponding adjustments.
If Caparia's industry can not only produce standard batons, but also mass-produce ironclad warship artillery, it means that Caparia's industrial strength is comparable to that of Ishugard. Naturally, Ishugard also needs to adjust its foreign policy and try to win over Caparia from a "potential enemy" to a "friend who makes money together."
If the industry of Caparia could easily produce something like the love dolls of Siren that imitated biological organisms and that Siren herself had to spend decades of her youth to create, then it would be a shame.
Then Ishugard will have to abandon his pride, half-kneel devoutly in front of Japaria, shouting "Dad" and begging Japaria to provide them with technical support at a cheaper price.
In the game between nations, face is not a consideration. Perhaps the Roman Empire would think it is shameful that a great nation like Ishgard would call a kingdom with a small population "Dad", but if Ishgard could gain technological progress that might not bear fruit in 30 years by calling it "Dad", then it would be a shame.
Anyway, the people who die the fastest on the battlefield are those who care about face - and whether it is Nia or the president's daughter Margarita, the important experience they have gained after living for many years as long-lived people is: face is completely useless.
Therefore, Nia not only did not feel any shame about her thoughts, but she felt that it was natural.
But even so, Nia subconsciously judged that the industrial conditions in Caparia should not be as severe as she had imagined.
The industry of Caparia seems to be used only in the "military". They have no light bulbs, no generators, no batteries, and even no Coke - although the entire social form looks advanced, the people's livelihood is quite traditional.
The people of Isgard today simply cannot imagine how they would spend the night without light bulbs.
In Caparia, although every elf has a luminous gem for lighting, they are destined to be unable to imagine the power brought by "electricity" because they rely on luminous gems.
Although Ishgard's research on "electricity" has only just begun.
But generally speaking, Caparia's industry should have just started not long ago, and is still in a stage where it is heavily focused on the "military".
Nia muttered to herself, waiting patiently for Yang Hao to give her an accurate response.
But surprisingly, Yang Hao did not give the response Nia expected. He just smiled and looked at Nia's dark red eyes. After a moment, he spread his hands and said, "It's not good for you and me to waste time testing each other, so how about we just speak frankly?"
"Isgard wants to confirm our industrial level. I know very well that I will not reveal this core information to you now, just like you will not reveal the design drawings of those ironclad ships to us anyway.
So I can only give you one answer, [Gaparia's industry is developing rapidly], as long as Ishgard is willing to contact us as an "ally", then Gaparia will naturally not mind having a deeper exchange with you. "
"Your Majesty Yang Hao, what you mean is—"
"Let's get straight to the topic of 'what to exchange'. We are willing to accept mutual exchanges in industry and commerce, but if Ishgard wishes to obtain resources such as 'rare minerals', it must exchange them with us for things that are equally rare in Ishgard."
Yang Hao's words left Nia silent.
Black Dragon stared at the Regent's eyes. She took a deep breath, as if she wanted to deny Ishugard's emphasis on minerals. Unexpectedly, Yang Hao added lightly:
"The elves have collected a lot of intelligence from merchants around Drake Port. They said that you are willing to cross the entire ocean to trade with the Roman Empire not for expensive and rare specialties, but for boxes of refined iron and steel ingots, as well as a large number of silver and gold ingots.
I personally have no comment on the fact that the Roman Empire is currently supplying you with a large amount of its national foundation. I just want to say that I am also a person who knows a lot about industry.
You certainly wouldn't mint a large amount of gold and silver into coins and then put them on the market, but if you simply wanted to expand the treasury, you certainly wouldn't buy the common "metal ingots" while purchasing gold and silver.
Those things are so heavy, they are worthless compared to gold and silver—
But the development of industry cannot be separated from the cheap goods in our eyes. Not only that, gold and silver also have their own uses in industry and can meet the needs of the luxury goods industry, but most importantly, in the core design of the "steam factory" I gave you, some core components require "gold and silver" to make.
I think that as a country focused on industrial development, Ishugard should not be without mineral materials to build factories in its own country.
But you still chose to purchase a large amount of mineral materials from the Roman Empire, and not just once or twice, but all the times since we met have been related to mineral materials.
Because of the famine in Roman, they had to purchase grain from you in the name of "brewing wine".
And because of your demand for minerals, you have to try every possible means to plunder the Roman Empire's minerals.
Considering the above reasons... the minerals in Isugard are almost exhausted. Even if it is good, it is still on the edge of the danger line, so they have to stockpile a large amount of metal. Am I right?"
Having said that, the Regent took a sip of juice and took a break.
Nia's face was dull, and she looked at the Regent's eyes with extreme surprise, as if his eyes had the magic power to read minds. It was terrifying, but it also made Nia completely understand how to get along and do business with this straightforward man.
After all, his guess was not wrong at all—the Isurgard mines were almost exhausted, so in the transaction between Isurgard and the Roman Empire, regardless of what was sold, what was bought back were basically mineral-related goods.
Various metal ingots, various gold and silver products that can be melted into gold and silver ingots, and even asking merchants to only accept the Roman Empire's offer of payment in hard currency such as gold and silver...
Everything was done to satisfy Ishgard's growing appetite. Everything was done to allow Ishgard to stockpile more metal resources in the ten-year countdown to mineral depletion in order to prepare for the next invasion and colonial war.