Man in the Ark: Revitalizing Kazdel

The day after the delegations from various countries arrived in the Holy City, the Papal Court announced that the first session of this Universal Conference would be held in the cathedral in the center of the Holy City.

The sincere and warm hospitality received yesterday allowed the delegates from various countries to deeply appreciate Lateran's sincerity and determination, which naturally sparked their keen interest in the conference's content.

The delegates entered in an orderly fashion, guided by messengers from all nations. Kazdel and Ursus were assigned seats in the same row.

With some time before the meeting began, Roy and the Ursus representative spoke in hushed tones. To prevent others from overhearing their conversation, Theresa thoughtfully cast a soundproofing spell around them.

"Your Holiness, the shortwave broadcast equipment has been set up." The middle-aged priest, having completed the preparations, stepped down from the podium and approached the Pope, who was dressed in a pure white robe, to his side, and said respectfully.

"Thank you." The Pope nodded slightly to the middle-aged priest and slowly stepped onto the podium. The noisy conversation in the hall gradually subsided, and countless eyes fell on that pure white figure.

Facing the gazes of representatives from various countries, Lateran Pope Ivangelista XI took a deep breath and offered a brief prayer in his heart—may I not fail the saintly name I have inherited.

"Emissaries from the nations of Terra, Ivanjelista XI greets you." With thunderous applause echoing through the cathedral, the first session of the Conference of Nations officially began.

On the rooftop of the hotel, about one kilometer from the cathedral, the hotel manager, who was often kept in the dark, looked up at Remüan, who was perched high on the hotel signboard, and couldn't help but ask a curious question.

“Miss, my question may be a little offensive, but I’m really curious how you managed to get that thing up there.” The hotel manager pointed to Remian’s wheelchair, his face full of confusion.

“There’s always a way.” Remian, who was on a security mission, kept her eyes glued to her scope and answered the hotel manager’s question casually.

"Oh..." The hotel manager saw that Remi'an was too busy to answer him, so he stopped bothering her and silently turned to leave the rooftop.

More than ten minutes later, she returned with a pair of binoculars, forming a double frame with Remienne.

"Miss, don't you have to go to work?" Remy, who was sniping from a high vantage point, noticed the hotel manager returning and suddenly asked.

"Didn't I tell you? I'm on vacation today, so I'll accompany you to take a look." The hotel manager looked up and smiled, raising his binoculars to observe the surroundings.

......

"Everyone whose thoughts no longer linger on the past and who cares about the future of this land should consider these questions: How can our civilization be sustained?"

"How many people are the challenges to peace? Does the security of one country mean the security of many other countries?"

"On this land, survival depends on civilization. Peace cannot be enjoyed by me alone unless it extends to others."

"I call for the establishment of such an agreement entity, based on common understanding, with the aim of providing mutual guarantees of security to all nations."

"The calamities foretold in Lateran’s revelation are imminent; the black snow on the Sami Ice Sheet, the fissures in the sky above Letania, and even the raging tides crashing against the coast all foreshadow its inevitable arrival."

"Our interests and safety are far more intertwined than many people realize. For the survival of civilization, the nations of Terra should stand together to the very end."

Pope Ivangelist XI's address ended, and a brief silence fell over the cathedral. Everyone pondered the peace initiative proposed by the Pope; no one raised any questions, nor did anyone express support.

The silence was broken when Victoria's representative stood up first.

"Your Holiness, with your brilliant and excellent speech, you have presented us all with an incomparably beautiful and peaceful future."

"However, the development status of various countries is different now, and the gap in strength is huge. Which countries should take the lead in this peace agreement entity in order to win the sincere acceptance of other countries and maintain the stability of the entire agreement?"

The question raised by Victoria's representative voiced the thoughts of many present. For some weaker, developing countries, the peace agreement proposed by the Pope is undoubtedly advantageous, allowing them to gain a brief period of peace and development.

However, for powerful nations like Great Yan, Ursus, and Victoria, joining the peace agreement is like putting on a shackle, which, even if they can break free at any time, still imposes certain restrictions.

“Victoria will not agree to join unless she can gain a dominant position in the agreement.” Seeing that the Pope did not respond for a long time, Victoria’s representative stated her position and then sat down.

“Victoria’s question is excellent. If anyone has any further questions, please feel free to ask. Let’s pool the wisdom of everyone here and come up with a practical solution.”

Faced with the strong stance of Victoria's representative, the Pope seemed to have anticipated it, and after a slight smile, he turned to seek the opinions of the other representatives.

"Like Victoria, Kazdel aspires to become the leading country in the agreement. As a gesture of goodwill, we are willing to provide assistance to member states of the agreement related to urban disaster preparedness."

Roy stood up forcefully, making his stance clear while offering sufficiently attractive benefits to entice some hesitant countries to his side.

The Ursus representative followed suit, also willing to concede some benefits in exchange for the dominant position.

With Kazdel and Ursus taking the lead, representatives from other countries followed suit, striving to secure their own interests as much as possible.

After summarizing the demands of all participating countries, the Pope announced that the conference was temporarily adjourned. It would reconvene three days later to discuss how to establish the entity to which the agreement would be implemented.

......

"Dong dong dong..." The melodious chimes reached his ears, and the Doctor stopped his work and turned to look at Precys beside him.

"Prescythe, the Conference of Nations has begun. Shall we go into the city for a stroll?" The Doctor unusually extended an invitation, showing her great interest in this holy city founded by angels. If given the chance, she would also like to see the things left behind by Ed up close.

When she first woke up, the Doctor had traveled to many places in Terra. Laterano and Great Flame were places she had never been before.

“Sure, since it’s your invitation, let’s go now.” Precyth nodded readily, took off his sterile gloves, and extended his hand to the doctor.