Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

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Lionel was now visibly anxious, showing none of the composure expected of the Chief Civil Servant of the Federated Provinces Republic.

"So, what is the real reason you've gone to such lengths to come to Sea Blue?"

"The reason is complex, but I'll keep it short." Lionel leaned towards Antonio and said, "I can no longer suppress the young faction within the Provincial Army. As soon as you send troops to Tanilia, the Provincial Army will use it as a pretext to move against Vineta."

"On what grounds?"

The Secretary of State was almost frantic: "What reason do those mad dogs need? The Provincial Army has always wanted to turn the Alliance into a real state, aren't you aware of that? And aren't pretexts easy to come by? The diplomatic rights of the republics have been handed over to the Alliance government, Vineta doesn't even have the power to declare war! You've already violated the 'Sovereignty Charter'!"

"Please, hold on." With a leisurely demeanor, Earl Narzia said, "Based on my understanding of your Alliance, whether the member states have the power to declare war is a matter of dispute, and the 'Sovereignty Charter' does not stipulate in detail..."

"A dispute is enough!" Lionel rudely interrupted the other party.

With a smile, Earl Narzia spread his hands and shifted into a more comfortable sitting position.

The Secretary of State hastily added, "Furthermore, Tanilia is now divided into several factions, with one of them being very close to the Provincial Army. What would you do if, after your intervention, the Tanilia Islands became the eighth province of the Federated Provinces? Could the Vineta Executive Committee tolerate that? By then, the situation would be uncontrollable."

Antonio frowned and said, "The idea of a Greater Senas Nation was originally Marshal Ned's, the Provincial Army certainly inherited this concept, but they wouldn't go mad enough to start a fight with Vineta over it."

"Naive! Don't you know what the Provincial Army is like? A state within a state! There are indeed rational factions within the Provincial Army, but the greater the friction between Vineta and the Provinces, the weaker the voice of the rational faction becomes, and the louder the voice of the war faction. Therefore, Vineta needs to give us rationalists some room to maneuver. If Vineta goes to war with Tanilia, the rational voices in the Provincial Army will vanish completely," Lionel said excitedly.

"But what's the point of telling me this? Unlike the Provincial Army, the command of the Vineta Army lies with the chief executive. You should go to Governor Debela."

"That's precisely the problem! The war faction in the Provinces is in the army, but your Vineta's war faction is in the government! The Provinces have people who want to turn the Alliance into a centralized state; don't you think there are people in Vineta who want to split from the Alliance and make the Vineta Republic independent?" Lionel launched into a passionate oration with the eloquence of a Secretary of State, "There are people in both our countries who want to solve problems through civil war, and what's more dangerous, they all think they have a good chance of winning!"

Once again, with his unhurried manner, Earl Narzia interjected, "I think the Secretary of State is very right. In fact, without the military pressure from your king, there would probably have already been fighting within the Alliance. Now that we are tied up by the Normans to the north, some see it as the perfect opportunity."

Antonio bluntly asked Lionel, "Secretary of State, what exactly is your purpose in coming to me?"

"To avoid a civil war!" Lionel answered unequivocally.

"I'm afraid that's beyond my power."

"You can."

"How could I possibly do that?"

Lionel's next words were shocking, "The best course of action would be for you to lead a military coup, strip Governor Debela of her powers, dissolve the assembly, and establish a temporary military government. Your legion is the only force near Sea Blue City; no one can stop you."

Antonio stood up abruptly: "What madness are you talking about!"

"There's a second way," said Lionel, his eyes bloodshot, his emotion verging on hysteria, "Vineta sends troops to purge the Provincial Army, restructure the army's command, and take back command power to the Provincial Assembly. With my support, the pro-war faction in the army won't be able to stir up any trouble; you could wipe them out in one fell swoop! To cut off the risk permanently."

"The more you talk, the more outrageous it gets! Isn't that just civil war?"

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"Better a moment of pain than a lifetime of suffering, better a minor civil war than a major one, better to shed some blood today than rivers of it later!"

Antonio grabbed the arm of the secretary of state and led him out, "Please leave, I don't want to hear this madness anymore, I'll pretend you never came today."

However, nobody expected that Lionel, the secretary of state, a man even taller than Antonio, suddenly began to cry out loud. Even the count of Narzia, who had been watching as if it were a play, was stunned, to say nothing of Antonio and Winters, who was behind a secret door.

"I have no other choice! Do you understand? I have no choice! I'm watching the Republics drown in a sea of blood, and I'm powerless! The Senas Alliance is doomed! The Federated Provinces are doomed! You Vineta are doomed too! If there were another way, why would I seek help from the lapdog of the Pretender Emperor!" Lionel hysterically pointed at the count of Narzia: "I hid in the ship's cabin and smuggled myself from Guidao City to Sea Blue City to see Debela, because there's still a glimmer of hope in Vineta. But it's too late, after Haidong Port was burned, it's all too late! Done! It's all over!"

This chief civil servant of the Federated Provinces collapsed on the ground, his face covered in tears, crying helplessly.

Winters, who had been watching everything from behind the secret door, suddenly felt pity for him, but also thought he was a madman.

"Mr. Serviati, what happened in the study?" Kosha's voice came from the door of the study, apparently the earlier commotion had disturbed her.

"Nothing." Antonio replied: "Tell the servants to go home, and have Miss Ella and Miss Sofia called upstairs."

Kosha did not ask any further, simply responding softly, "Okay."

After exchanging glances for a moment, Antonio and the count of Narzia watched as Lionel suddenly stopped crying. Shortly after, he stood up, appearing to have become another person.

The excitement and madness had disappeared from his face; as the secretary of state, he now showed no emotion, as if he were a cold stone statue.

The contrast from moments before was so striking that one couldn't help but wonder whether someone had extracted his original soul and inserted a new one.

Lionel looked emotionlessly at Antonio and said in a stern tone, "Major General Serviati, you are a qualified soldier, but you lack the resolve to sacrifice everything to change the course of history, nor do you have the courage and determination to drive change, and you lack the wisdom to see through fate.

I met with the Governor Debela yesterday, and with you today. You and Debela are of the same kind, driven by public opinion and you by duty. I knew what kind of person you are, so I knew what the outcome would be before I came to see you. Still, I came, because if you can remember what I said today, maybe the destruction can come a little later."

If it were any other situation and someone spoke to Antonio like this, he would surely want a duel. But there was no hint of attack or insult in the secretary's tone now.

No sooner had the words been spoken, regardless of whether Antonio understood them or not, Lionel put on his hood again and walked straight toward the door of the study.

As he reached the door, he suddenly turned back and said calmly and steadily to Antonio, "My assistant and dear friend, Mr. Mara, came to Vineta as my secret envoy to see Governor Debela, but has vanished without a trace, obviously dead. When you find him, please send his ashes to me."

After saying that, without turning back, he opened the study door and walked out, leaving Antonio and the count of Narzia bewildered. After a moment of confusion, the count nodded apologetically at Antonio and followed out.

Only after the two of them had gone far did Winters emerge from the secret door.

"That man is the secretary of state of the Federated Provinces?" Winters asked incredulously.

Antonio nodded silently.

"Isn't he just a madman?"

Antonio was silent for a moment before he replied, "Perhaps..."