Chapter 450: Duke Charlot Mecklenburg

Charlot ascended to the highest deck of the Dolmabahçe, gazing into the distance at Black Phoenix City. After a moment, he spoke:

“I’ll rename this city ‘City of Fate’ and construct a…”

“No, I’ll build nine grand temples instead!”

Initially, Charlot had intended to build a grand temple for the Serpent of Fate. However, recalling the ancient wisdom of China, he quickly corrected himself, deciding instead to construct nine temples. He even had a rough outline of the plan forming in his mind.

Charlot’s primary motive for this project, besides hoping to appease the gods, was to erase the traces of Black Phoenix. Furthermore, in the renamed City of Fate, he planned to promote the Farsian language—not through force, but by implementing full-Farsian instruction in universities and offering free literacy classes in Farsian to the lower classes.

He even intended to incorporate the Beast God Transformation technique into the literacy programs for the lower classes, just as he had done in the Giant Whale Sea region.

A Farsian-dominant region, with Ingriman as a secondary language, widespread mastery of the Beast God Transformation, and a unifying culture—this was the vision Charlot held for the Mecklenburg domain.

Charlot firmly believed he could achieve this vision.

While indulging in thoughts of the post-war future, he felt a slight warmth in his arms. Retrieving his Diary, he turned to Agmirlas Labyrinth. Although only the title page had remained before, a new page had now appeared. As he read, an influx of information surged into his mind:

Charlot Mecklenburg has mocked Agmirlas fifteen times, summoned Him, shattered His aura, and become an enemy of the Labyrinth God of the Aggras Sea. He has completed the construction of ninety-nine labyrinths and has gained mastery over their designs. He now possesses the true map of Agmirlas’s Labyrinth!

Proceed immediately to the Aggras Sea to challenge Agmirlas. If you fail to arrive within 28 days, 3 hours, 19 minutes, and 17 seconds, you will be forcibly thrown into the Evil God’s Arena.

Charlot was slightly startled, flipping through the newly appeared page. The true Agmirlas Labyrinth was not a flat plane but a ninety-nine-layer three-dimensional labyrinth with countless temporal corridors, making it a bewildering and disorienting puzzle. Even with the map in hand, Charlot felt his head spinning. For an ordinary person, merely gazing upon the map would have been enough to draw their soul into it.

“Only 28 days left?” Charlot muttered softly.

Since his transmigration, he had carried the Evil God’s Descent debuff, which remained unresolved to this day.

Despite his efforts, he had only grown stronger in his mastery of the Evil God’s Power, without eliminating the underlying crisis.

The Karnstein Descent, on the other hand, had been delayed as Blood Glory progressed. Yet, the descent of the Labyrinth God Agmirlas remained unpredictable. Although Charlot had met all the requirements of Agmirlas Labyrinth, he now had no more opportunities for delay.

Just as he was about to put the Diary away, Charlot felt a sudden urge to open the Radiant Holy Kingdom’s Logbook. There, he found a message from Amon. Though the timestamp was indeterminate, the note carried a lonely, forlorn tone.

Charlot frowned at the title “Father,” his expression wary. “Amon is my son, and Eumibella my wife? Since when did I have such an unsettling family?”

“What mistake could have caused Amon to develop such a delusion?”

Charlot decided to release the Radiant Holy Kingdom in due time and investigate the truth of the matter. But for now, he pushed the matter aside. Being able to enjoy some leisure on the Dolmabahçe was already a rare reprieve; soon, he would have to preside over the Four-Nation Alliance Conference.

He promptly appointed Flame Combat Energy Knight Viggo as captain of the Dolmabahçe, a gesture that overwhelmed the only Saint-rank of South Seraph with gratitude.

Although he was highly esteemed in South Seraph, Viggo had never imagined he would one day command a legendary warship.

Charlot did not entrust his entire fleet to Viggo, instead assigning the rest to the Black Dragon. His Saint-rank subordinates were not professionally trained naval officers, making them unsuitable for captaining magical alchemical warships. Recognizing that navigation required expertise and experience, Charlot planned to recruit captains from the Farsian Navy, which would also allow him to expand his influence.

In the Dolmabahçe’s banquet hall, Charlot hosted a modest reception, inviting only his Saint-rank subordinates and key military officers. After the banquet, he returned to Black Phoenix City.

Despite its outward calm, Black Phoenix City was abuzz with activity. Delegates, representatives, and nobles—some of the highest-ranking from the Four Nations, including members of royalty—exchanged a constant flurry of documents, fiercely debating matters of interest. Heated arguments erupted daily, occasionally escalating into violent disputes when tempers flared.

Even Antonio had participated in two duels: one against Viscount Constantine, the other against Count Lamorak.

Fortunately, these duels were kept within the bounds of sparring. Although the battles raged for half a day, both ended amicably.

Charlot observed all of this with detached neutrality, careful to avoid personal intervention. He could discern that these duels were thinly veiled attempts by the nations to test each other’s strength.

Although Antonio was a twenty-fourth-rank Saint, armed with the Dark Spearmanship technique and the Knight’s Lance, he was still considered the weakest among the peak Saints.

Even among Saint-ranks and those of the twenty-fourth tier, disparities in power were evident.

These tests by the two Counts were probing Antonio’s limits. If his strength were found wanting, negotiations at the conference table would certainly become more aggressive.

However, Antonio’s extensive battle experience, especially his recent fight against Yannis Hadrian, bolstered his reputation. Though he had fought alongside Cresto, the experience still earned him the respect of the veteran peak Saints.

The Fars Empire thus entered the Four-Nation Alliance Conference with a considerable advantage.

The turning point began when the Four-Nation Alliance was defeated by Georgia Hadrian, but Charlot Mecklenburg launched a surprise attack on Black Phoenix City. In a single stroke, he captured eleven out of the twelve core prefectures of the Black Phoenix Dynasty and even managed to "repel" Georgia Hadrian in direct combat.

This made Charlot's reputation take a peculiar turn. Although it was well known that he had not yet reached the Saint rank, the nobles of various nations tacitly recognized him as one of the top military commanders of the Old Continent.

Meanwhile, Antonio’s rise to power and his breakthrough to the 24th rank added another strategic card to the Fars Empire’s hand.

Byron, despite persuading Viscount Constantine to defect, remained distrustful of this outsider. Moreover, Byron had recently suffered a defeat at the hands of Georgia Hadrian in a duel, a blow that severely tarnished the reputation of the former strongest warrior of the Black Phoenix Dynasty.

Count Lamorak's proposal to fairly divide the twelve prefectures lacked sufficient persuasiveness. Additionally, the other two empires harbored their own intentions, and their support for Count Lamorak was lukewarm at best.

During the ascension of the Bretagne Emperor, Count D’Artagnan, who had contributed nothing at the time, demonstrated sophisticated diplomatic skills at the current conference. His adept maneuvering and strategic alliances achieved remarkable results.

When negotiations reached a deadlock, Count Lamorak, recognizing his limitations, finally conceded. He sent a formal request to bring in Ingrima’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Count Soumet, to Black Phoenix City and handed over the leadership of the negotiations to the professionals.

Byron, in turn, summoned his own foreign minister after Ingrima’s envoy arrived. However, the Lionheart Empire remained unmoved, with Crown Prince Brunel Asa still leading their delegation.

The arrival of two foreign ministers in Black Phoenix City accelerated the pace of the negotiations.

The prolonged war had drained the economies of Fars and Byron to their limits, while Ingrima was in a slightly better position, which allowed them to maintain a superior stance at the negotiating table. The Lionheart Empire, having initially stayed out of the conflict and later joining the alliance with minimal resources, suffered the least losses among the four nations. Consequently, Crown Prince Brunel Asa maintained the most conciliatory attitude.

After more than ten days of intense debate among the representatives, a breakthrough was finally reached. Fars was allotted nine of the twelve core prefectures of the Black Phoenix Dynasty, while the remaining three were divided among the other three empires.

The rest of the Black Phoenix territory was distributed based on actual zones of occupation, with mutual land exchanges encouraged to avoid creating isolated enclaves.

Fars made concessions regarding other territories, and the Bretagne Emperor personally extended an invitation to Crown Prince Brunel Asa to visit Strasbourg, forming a secret agreement with the Lionheart Empire.

Soon after, Ingrima also announced its approval of the new plan but demanded additional military compensation from Fars, which Emperor Bretagne took under advisement.

Byron did not emerge empty-handed. The Duchess Mesu retained control over the northern territories, an area comprising more than half of the Black Phoenix Dynasty’s landmass. However, the Duchess, though nominally a Byron noble, maintained significant autonomy.

With three nations inclined to stop the quarrels, Byron did its best to secure a few more benefits and eventually agreed to the latest proposal.

The representatives of the four empires, including three foreign ministers and Crown Prince Brunel Asa, convened aboard the Dolmabahçe to sign a series of critical agreements, such as the Four-Nation Alliance Pact and the Territorial Division Agreement. This officially marked the partition of the Black Phoenix Dynasty.

Although the allied forces had yet to occupy the entirety of the Black Phoenix Dynasty, and resistance remained in many regions, these matters were no longer of significant concern to the four empires.

Dividing the Black Phoenix Dynasty and absorbing its former territory provided Fars, Byron, and Ingrima with much-needed relief from the war’s economic toll, while the Lionheart Empire gained momentum for its national development.

Following the formation of the Four-Nation Alliance, Emperor Bretagne announced aboard the Dolmabahçe the elevation of Charlot Mecklenburg to the rank of Duke, formally naming him Duke Mecklenburg. As per prior agreements, the lands Charlot had seized, along with the former South Seraph territories, were incorporated into the Mecklenburg Duchy.

From that moment, Charlot Mecklenburg secured a permanent place in the annals of history, stepping onto the grand stage with a seat among the elite.

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