Ming Dynasty and New Rome and Infinite Magic Machine

Chapter 1565 Negotiation
“Your Majesty Victoria.” Karin gave Victoria a knightly salute.

She wasn't actually very close to Victoria, because she had only been Victoria's subject for a short period of time, and had spent most of her time serving Irodias.

Although it wasn't her intention, but rather a result of being controlled, the elf didn't actually strip her of her independent thought; she was merely made to be paranoid, allowing her to act in a way that benefited the elf while retaining her independent thinking—all elves are paranoid. As long as one is paranoid enough, one can become sufficiently like an elf.

So during that period, she was actually acting out of rationality, using obsession as the shortest decision-making path, and personally executed many of Irodiasa's elven enemies.

Even now, after leaving the royal court, she still has a clear memory of this way of thinking.

The sudden appearance of a new king before her made her feel somewhat uneasy.

However, she still observed basic etiquette.

The Karin family belonged to the Roman Equites. Although nobles, they were low-ranking nobles without seats in the Senate. Of the 600 seats in the Senate, 20 were reserved for the equites' treasurers.

As a feudal state, Rome also had its own etiquette. Etiquette itself was used to express submission.

“Hmm.” Victoria nodded. She knew the person’s background—if it were Karin here, she wouldn’t have said any of this.

"We've been observing you for a long time, half-elf. How does it feel to be back in human society?"

"Boring. Ah, I'm not saying it's bad. Boredom is a good thing. I can spend my personal time being bored, something I never dared to imagine before. Because my life never belonged to me before, so naturally I didn't have any personal time. Looking back now, I was more like a machine in a factory, running non-stop. That's not the life a person should have."

"I am satisfied with your answer—although I didn't meet you at the time, and it's a bit late to say this now. However, I still want to say: Welcome home."

"..." Karin paused for a moment, then bowed deeply. "Thank you."

"Since you put it that way, I can confidently entrust you with an important task. Shangluo, shall you speak or shall I?"

“I’ll do it, after all, it was my order,” Shang Luo took over. “Kalin, we hope you can assassinate the Elf King Oberon.”

"Oh???" Karin was taken aback. "You want me to kill who?"

“Oberon the Elf King, the bastard son of Caesar.”

Karin covered her forehead: "This request is a bit outrageous, but I will seriously consider it."

“I need you to think about this now; it’s very important. We really need you to do this.”

“I’m not used to social niceties. But when I say ‘I’m seriously considering it,’ I’m not refusing; I’m genuinely considering whether or not to do it.”

Although Karin has been a human for a long time, her time as a human is still too short compared to the years that have passed. The elven mindset still influences her, making her unaccustomed to speaking in riddles and circumlocutions.

“Kalin,” Shangluo looked at her, “the very mindset you possess is the reason we chose you. If we sent just any assassin, we would probably be quickly rejected by the elves.”

This is important. Because communication between elves isn't just about language, but also about spiritual connection. If you, as an outsider, connect with the elves, you'll likely be discovered very quickly.

"Gentlemen, this is exactly what I'm worried about—if I infiltrate undetected, it proves I've completely succumbed to the elves' madness. And if I've fallen into the elves' madness, how can I guarantee I can carry out my mission?"

“We’ve already made preparations for this.” Shangluo took out a pocket watch. “This is a weapon-grade Vulcan core with powerful synchronization and coordination capabilities. It can be used as shipboard equipment to stabilize the navigation of an entire submarine in the Spirit Realm. If you go on a mission, this will be your mission tool.”

Shangluo actually had several similar items—these were the Roman Empire's reserve military supplies.

The Roman Empire was already fallen, and these previously highly classified reserves were now completely open to Shangluo. These weapons-grade Vulcan cores could have formed another submarine fleet. But in the end, these Vulcan cores were left behind, intended for more effective use.

Now, these Vulcan cores will come in handy.

Karin took the pocket watch. She opened the flip cover and saw the dial inside—the Vulcan Core did indeed have the function of displaying time. Moreover, in a sense, the Vulcan Core was essentially a pocket watch. However, compared to ordinary pocket watches, its mainspring and gears contained powerful magic, not only serving as a perpetual motion machine but also maintaining the user's integrity amidst the turbulent currents of the spirit world.

This thing is actually very powerful, and it will have even more powerful uses in the future. However, for now, it's more like a talisman, helping to maintain the user's stable existence.

Karin thought for a moment, then grasped the Vulcan Core: "After this is over, I hope to move my hometown to Cybernia."

“Sure,” Victoria nodded. “We’ll create custom models for you—in fact, the Empire has always had the idea of ​​replicating some unique landscapes in Cybernia. These landscapes won’t use the generic model; they’ll be modeled separately. Since you’ve requested it, I’ll give you a spot. I think it’s a fair exchange.”

“I accept.” Karin raised her head. “You will receive Oberon’s head. I guarantee it.”

"Wait a minute." Shang Luo raised his hand. "So, do you have any plans? We'd like to cooperate with you."

"Actually, there's no need to make a separate plan. Irodiasa already has a plan to assassinate Oberon, so I just need to execute the original plan."

"Huh? Is there such a thing?"

"Elven politics has always been like this. I'm not the first one to carry out the plan."

“If those who have carried out the plan before have failed, why do you think you can succeed?” “Because of this.” Karin held up the Vulcan Core in her hand. “Basically, in the past, every assassination mission faced the same problem—how do you send an ant into another ant colony to assassinate the queen? This is actually quite difficult, especially among ants of similar species. Not to mention whether ants can execute complex commands. Ants, like elves, have limited individual perception of their environment; the pheromones that constitute the collective consciousness are the key.”

"So this raises a crucial question—elves who leave their own royal court are easily assimilated by other royal courts. In particular, the Spring Court is very closely related to Oberon, making us very easy to assimilate. That's why previous assassination plans repeatedly failed, because elves close to Oberon couldn't maintain their original way of thinking. But now it's different."

She could approach the Elf King Oberon as an elf. And with the Vulcan Core in hand, she could ensure that she wouldn't be assimilated during this process.

Then, it was time to kill the Elf King.

“You seem to be a professional,” Shangluo nodded. “However, our advice is that you’d better not act now. Acting now would be much less effective. Because it’s during wartime, Oberon will definitely be heavily guarded. During this period, you just need to keep an eye on and monitor Oberon. Wait until the battle is over before you make your move.”

This was to ensure that the Elvenking Oberon would not flee to Britain—arguably the last stronghold of the Elves and the last land the Roman Empire had yet to conquer. For beyond the Wall lay the powerful British Elves.

“I see.” Karin nodded. “So you were on guard against Taranis.”

"Who is he?" Taranis, it was an unfamiliar name.

The name comes from Taranis, the king of the gods in Ireland.

But like many other beings in the spirit world, Taranis possesses immense power in his own realm. His divine race is known as the Danu, and they boast warrior heroes like Cú Chulainn and legendary artifacts such as the Gaeberg.

However, unlike the myths of many other places, the myth of the Danu people is a clearly non-human myth.

Irish mythology clearly states that humans were not the original inhabitants of Ireland; elves were.

Mythology records that humans were invaders of Ireland—or rather, Arryn (Ireland), which experienced at least five major invasions. Humans were also invaders of Ireland, and after the wars waged by humans, the gods chose to retreat into the Land of Shadows, entering a hidden world.

In this myth, invasions never end, and new invaders are always at hand. The world of the gods is often only related to the land itself, and has little to do with humans.

"The King of the British Elves, or rather, the King Beyond the Wall. His territory extends beyond Hadrian's Wall, to lands that the Roman Empire, including Ireland, had never set foot in. The elves there are extremely powerful, even able to distort the doctrines of the Orthodox Church. For example, the cross worshipped by the Irish Orthodox Church is actually a cross twisted from Celtic knots. The faith there cannot be brought to Rome; it can only be digested locally."

"Wait a minute." Shang Luo pondered for a moment, "Actually, the British elves and Oberon are mortal enemies, aren't they?"

"Yes. Another name for the British elves is 'Banshees of Death,' and they are divided into five branches, each corresponding to one of the five ancient Irish families—O'Neill, O'Brien, O'Connor, O'Gradys, and Kavanay. They have deep ties with the Celts of Ireland and weep for the passing of Irish kings. They also have an organization among humans."

"Just as Irodiasa has her own theater troupe, the bards share magic with the British elves. Their entire system is completely out of step with the European elves. It's hard to imagine that they would accept Oberon into Britain for refuge."

"But what if that actually happens?"

Karin pondered for a moment before speaking, "What I'm about to tell you is a rumor. This rumor has not been confirmed, but it's not entirely without source—the rumor is that the Banshee is not one of all the British elves."

"Oh?" Shangluo asked in surprise, "Then what are their true forms?"

"Legend has it that those banshees are merely messengers of the true Britannian Elves. The true Britannian Elves have hidden themselves beyond the world. They are called the 'Fairhill Elves.' Their leader is none other than Taranis himself. He is the Irish god of the sky and the thunder god, and he rules over all of this."

"Wait, what's the connection?" Shangluo asked. "So, have you met Taranis?"

"No. Precisely because we haven't seen them, we're unsure whether the Banshees we encountered represent the entirety of the British elves or just the tip of the iceberg. However, we can be certain that their leader is indeed Taranis."

"Hmm," he looked at Victoria, "what do you think?"

“Our decision was correct. If we let Oberon enter Britain, things could get out of control. If Britain joins forces with the elves of Europa, it will be very difficult for us to enter Britain again. Therefore, Karin’s job is crucial. We must ensure that Oberon stays in Europa so that this war can end as soon as possible.”

If this mission fails, and if an anti-Roman camp persists in Britain, things will become extremely difficult to manage. The islands are exceptionally resilient to invasion, and the Irish have accumulated considerable experience in such conflicts. The Romans had previously launched several conquests of Britain, all of which failed to achieve satisfactory results.

“I think it would be about the same if we attacked Britain now. So Karin, your job is really crucial.”

“I have a question,” Karin raised her hand. “What will happen if I fail?”

Shangluo replied, "You don't need to feel too much pressure. Our assassination of Oberon is saturation-style, and you are one of the targets. Of course, I hope you can succeed, but if you can't, there are others who can take over your mission."

“I understand.” Karin nodded. “I will try to complete this mission. But I need some funding.”

“Ah,” Victoria asked softly, “how much funding do you want? And what kind specifically?”

“I need 240 dragon teeth. I need to build my own dragon tooth army. Only with enough manpower can I gain Oberon’s trust.”

“Very good.” Shangluo nodded. “Then, we will wait for your triumphant return here.”

"I have a question—are you really going to die? If the plan goes smoothly, you can actually survive."

Shangluo shook his head: "I don't need it. Dead or alive, it's all the same to me. As long as I make sure it doesn't run away, that's enough."

(End of this chapter)