1 month before the 11th Country Conference
Holy Milishial Empire, Runepolis
Milishial VIII Office
Currently, the leader of HME, Milishial VIII, is holding a meeting to discuss the preparations for the 11-Country Conference that will be held in the port city of Cartaplas. The meeting was attended by the prime minister, defense minister, and foreign minister of HME.
"Report the latest situation regarding the preparation of the 11 Country Report." Milishial VIII said.
"Report, sire. All meeting participants have confirmed their arrival at Cartaplas." The foreign minister said.
"Good, now how do we protect them? This is because we have received a lot of information about Gra Valkas' increased military activity. We don't want any problems to occur at the conference involving Gra Valkas." Milishial VIII said.
"Report, sire, we have stationed quite a number of our fighters at the airfields around Cartaplas. We have also reinforced the fleet in Cartaplas with the Zeroth Fleet that will patrol near the city of Cartaplas." The prime minister said.
"Yes, sire, we have also reinforced some of our security posts on several islands around Cartaplas with fighter planes and also some warships." The defense minister said.
"Good, at least we can guarantee the safety of our guests. What about security on land?" asked Mishial VIII.
"We have deployed 2 divisions around Cartaplas and also increased the number of police by 3000 personnel taken from other regions." The prime minister said.
"I think that's enough to defend Cartaplas in case anything goes wrong." Milishial VIII said. "Have the invited countries told us what they are coming with?"
"As usual, no sire. No country has announced what they will bring to Cartaplas. Most likely, as usual, they will bring the best ships they have." The foreign minister said.
"Hmm, I wonder what the Myto Empire and Gra Valkas Empire are bringing. We must have gotten a surprise from those two countries." Milishial VIII said.
"Right, sir, we know that they are very advanced, but we don't know their military composition yet." The defense minister said. "But what we do know is that the Annorial Empire will still bring ancient ships to deceive us."
"Hmmm, right. What about the Annorial Empire? Can we find out how strong their military is?" asked Milishial VIII.
"We have confirmed that they have at least five Pal Chimeras that are fully operational. Also, from the photos in the port area, they have both Adamant-Class and Orichalcum-Class magic battleships. We do not know the number they have yet, but at least there are 8 Adamants and 5 Orichalcums we can observe through the photos provided by the Myto Empire." The prime minister said.
Milishial VIII sighed hearing those words.
"Does that mean they can be stronger than us?" asked Milishial VIII.
"Under normal conditions, yes, sire. But as you know, we started using the electronic devices we imported from the Myto Empire to replace many of the main magic components in Orichalcum so that we are able to produce far more Orichalcum-Class Magic Battleships." The prime minister said.
"It is true that in quantity we have far more warships, including the Mithril-Class Magic Battleship that we are mass producing." The defense minister said.
"What about the Adamant-Class Magic Battleship? Can we operate it?" asked Milishial VIII.
"We are already able to operate them, sire, thanks to the electronic devices from Myto Empire, we can replace the magic components that we do not understand with electronic devices so that we can run the Magic Battleship." The Minister of Defense said.
"Good, very good. That's really good news. In your opinion, how does our strength compare to the Annorial Empire?" Milishial VIII said this to the HME prime minister.
"The Annorial people are the ones who have ties to the Revernal Empire. It is fitting that they are the ones who know the most about the technology and magic used by the Revernal Empire. I suspect, especially for magic related to the Revernal Empire, they are more advanced than HME. But for other types of magic, of course, HME is more advanced. For military power, if we don't get goods from the Myto Empire, then it seems that they will have at least the same military capability as us. But with the import of electronics from the Myto Empire, even though they are very primitive even compared to the Mu Empire's, we can substantially increase our military capability. We have an advantage over the Annorial Empire which still uses pure magic devices." The prime minister said.
"In other words, the use of technology over pure magic provides a much greater advantage, right?" said Milishial VIII.
"Unfortunately, that is true. For example, using a magic detector requires magic materials whose price is very high. Whereas if we use the radar whose design we managed to get from Mu Empire, the price is very cheap. Even our fighter planes can be equipped with cheap radar equipment, which is why we can currently produce more fighter planes than when we used pure magic equipment. Also, the jet engine design we got in the books purchased in Myto Empire allows us to make centrifugal jet engines powered by a combination of fuel oil and magic stones as a booster. The operating cost is much cheaper. We have already mass-produced the Alpha 3A aircraft, which is a modification of the Alpha 3 aircraft using centrifugal jet engines." The prime minister said.
"Oh, I got the report a few months ago. How are the test results?" asked Milishial VIII.
"Very good, sire. The centrifugal jet engine produces much more thrust than the magic compressed air discharge engine. That caused the Alpha 3A fighter's performance to increase considerably." The defense minister said. "I would like your permission to produce Alpha 3A in large quantities."
"Hmm, well, I give permission to produce the fighter to replace the Alpha 3 that we have been producing. The price is also cheaper, right?" said Milishial VIII.
"Yes, almost 40% cheaper than the standard Alpha 3." The prime minister said.
"Alright, produce large quantities immediately. Also, design a new fighter to replace the Alpha 3 using the hybrid technology we already possess." Milishial VIII ordered.
"Yes sire." The prime minister replied.
"Oh, yes, sire. Report, we received information from the Myto Empire that the Gra Valkas have ships that can dive underwater. They attack using a weapon called a torpedo, a cylinder driven by a propeller and filled with explosives." The Prime Minister said.
"Oh, how can we detect ships sailing underwater?" said Mushial VIII, who was feeling rather panicked.
"We can listen to it. We use a microphone that is placed in the water. We can easily build one. But to destroy it is the problem. We are still developing a kind of explosive that will explode in the water according to the depth of the enemy ship. But that's still under development. What we have started to add is only the underwater microphone." The prime minister said.
"Well, at least we can detect them. Maybe we can attack them with magic." Milishial VIII said.
They talked about it long enough that, in the end, Milishial VIII was quite confident that the 11-country conference could go well. Also, the improvement of HME's combat capability can be done because of the threat from the Annorial Empire.
---oOo---
Myto Empire
Terminus Island, Jakarta
Governor Ira's meeting room.
Governor Ira held a meeting to prepare for the 11 Contry Conference that will be held in HME.
Participants in the meeting are:
- General Quimby Hurr, head of the Elysia Armed Forces.
- Director Trazi Kimla, head of the Myto diplomatic corps.
- Kandar Hina, head of industry from Myto
Chairman of the Meeting: Governor Ira Ishil
After the meeting was opened, Governor Ira immediately asked about the readiness for the 11-Country Conference.
"Are we diplomatically prepared to attend the conference?" Ira asked.
"We are prepared, we will send a diplomatic team led by Ambassador Gravit to represent us." Trazi said.
"Is it necessary for me to attend the conference?" asked Ira.
"Too complicated, Governor. It will lead to unwanted excesses. This is due to the fact that all nations only send senior diplomats to lead diplomatic teams." Trazi said.
"Alright, but if needed, I can attend." Ira said.
"We'll keep that in mind, but it's best not to. Another issue is what we are going to the conference for, because it is being used as a venue for gunboat diplomacy." Trazi said.
"Moff Trevat has told us that we will send the best military naval vessels we have. I am thinking of sending a small fleet consisting of 1 Fleet Carrier, 1 Yamato Battleship, 4 Mardut Destroyers, 2 submarines, and 1 amphibious assault ship." Ira said.
"Isn't that too much overkill?" asked Trazi.
"Moff Trevat emphasized that we must assert ourselves as the best in Elysia." Ira said.
"But that's too much, what if we reduce it by not sending amphibious assault ships, changing the Fleet Carrier to a light carrier, and reducing the destroyers to 3?" asked Trazi. "We don't want any diplomatic incidents."
"I don't agree with replacing the Fleet Carrier. It's our largest ship, by displaying it we show our superiority." General Quimby said.
"I agree with General Quimby. But I've also been thinking. Whether if we bring the Fleet Carrier, it will be too overkill. Firstly, because the Fleet Carrier is so large, it has a deep draft. I doubt the harbor has enough depth for the Fleet Carrier to dock. If the Fleet Carrier is put on the high seas, then it is useless in terms of being a tool of gunboat diplomacy." Ira said.
"Hmm, that's right. If we can't carry a Fleet Carrier, then it's also useless to carry a Light Carrier, because with only airspeeders carried by ships other than carriers, it is enough to dominate the air. Also, HME has a carrier that is larger than our Light Carrier, so it doesn't cause a 'wow' effect." Quimby said.
"Alright then, we will bring 1 Yamato Class battleship escorted by an amphibious assault ship, 2 Mardut Class destroyers, and 2 submarines." Ira said
"Very well, I accept your decision, Governor." Trazi said
"Oh yes, what about the condition of the Mu Empire? As we've discussed, Gra Valkas has made long preparations for war, and the first party to face them is the Mu Empire." asked Governor Ira.
"From the data we have obtained, the military capabilities of the Mu Empire have developed very rapidly. Currently, in terms of military capability, the Mu Empire's strength has already surpassed HME. Its weakness is somewhat similar to ours, the number of military equipment is still small, later causing difficulties in projecting their military power." Director Trazi said.
"How does it compare to Gra Valkas? We hope not to be directly involved in the conflict with Gra Valkas." Ira asked.
"Unfortunately, the Gra Valkas have very large military assets, though they are far below those of the Mu Empire in quality. This will cause the Mu Empire to fight a defensive war." General Armeda said.
"How many ships do they have now?" asked Ira.
"8 North Star Class Battleships, 6 La Kasami class Battlecruisers, 20 Otenheit class Cruisers, 22 refitted various class Mu Cruisers, 260 Victory Class Destroyers, 224 refitted Mu Empire Destroyers (various classes), 140 Smart class missile corvettes, 85 Voyage class submarines, 14 Essex Class Carriers, 16 Strong Class Escort Carriers, and 220 Law Class Patrol ships. We will still have to send 4 ships of Strong Class escort carriers that they ordered in 2 weeks." Kandar said.
"Hmm, that's quite a lot, but compared to the nearly 2000 ships we detected owned by Gra Valkas, the number is still small. But the missile systems we provide will be a decisive factor in the Mu Empire's victory." Ira said. "What about the air force?"
"They already have more than 4,000 F1 fighters, more than 1,000 F2s, nearly 2,000 F3s, 500 B1s, 300 HC-1s and 500 C-1s. In addition, they still have 600 Marin aircraft. That's not counting the aircraft on their aircraft carriers. I think the numbers are enough to deal with Gra Valkas." Kandar said.
"For ground forces, it's also pretty good. They already have more than 5,000 Ta-1 tanks, 3,000 IF-1s, and almost 9,000 K-1s. It seems they chose to make more K-1s because the K-1 canon is enough to deal with Gra Valkas tanks, and the price is much cheaper. For air defense, they already have 300 AA missile batteries and more than 500 AA canon batteries, plus they already produce self propelled AA canons with 20 mm canons of almost 1,000 pieces." Trazi said
"The only question is, is that enough to deal with Gra Valkas without our intervention?" Ira asked.
"To fight a defensive war, that force is more than enough. But for an offensive war, it doesn't seem to be enough. However, the Mu Empire's economic condition is much better than the Gra Valkas, so a long war would be more favorable for the Mu Empire. Of course, the casualties will be quite large." General Quimby said.
"Hmm, do we need to help by building more ships, F2s, and ammunition?" Ira asked. "Will that demand strain our production capacity for our own needs?"
"For the second answer, the impact is not big enough. If we just produce at the same rate as now, then we don't need to ask Moff Trevat for additional capacity." Kandar said.
"For the first answer, we should just wait for the request. In case we also need production capacity, we should take a passive position in the conflict with Gra Valkas." Quimby said.
"Well, we have helped their industry anyway. They are currently capable of producing nearly all the military equipment we sell, right?" Ira said.
"That's right, governor. Currently, most of the air and ground military equipment is produced by them, not us. Their industry has grown rapidly in the past year. Currently, they are still making many ships, fighters, and various combat vehicles at a fairly fast speed, exceeding our initial prediction. Only for the sea ones, their speed is still slower than our prediction." Kandar said.
"Is there any way to increase their shipbuilding speed?" Ira asked.
"We have provided as much assistance as possible. The problem is in the quality of their human resources, who are still unable to operate modern production equipment properly. But that will naturally improve over time. Actually, they are now much faster than six months ago. It's only a difference of less than 10% from what we thought, after all, they use a lot of docks to make ships, so in the end, the production output is very large, even exceeding our prediction." Kandar replied.
"Alright, then for the time being, we take a passive position towards the Mu Empire and the Gra Valkas war." Ira said.
With that decision, the meeting was finally adjourned by Governor Ira.
---oOo---
Gra Valkas Empire
Ragna, Imperial Palace.
Emperor Gralux Office
Emperor Gralux held a meeting to prepare for the 11-Country Conference. In addition, with the progress of the invasion in Leifor and the surrounding countries, a military conquest plan to conquer all of Elysia must be decided.
Attending the meeting were:
- Xand Pastal, military leader of Gra Valkas.
- Kaisar, imperial navy eastern fleet commander
- Myrkaenes, army commander
- Kurtz, Secretary of the Office of the Sovereign
- Mobarl, Chief of the Foreign Affairs Bureau
- Gesta, Deputy Director of the Foreign Affairs Bureau
"What about the preparations for next month's 11-Country Conference?" asked Emperor Gralux.
"All preparations are ready, Your Majesty." Xand Pastal replied with a nod from the Kaiser and Myrkaenes.
"We have prepared our fleet to destroy all the ships in Cartalpas." Kaisar said.
"Are you sure the preparations are enough? I have information that the strongest fleet of HME will guard the conference." Emperor Gralux asked.
"We have anticipated that, sire." Myrkaenes said. "but we will use some old ships to test them with our outdated equipment. We anticipated moderate casualties, but it is necessary to test our military equipment."
"Very good. What about our preparations to attack the Mu Empire?" asked Emperor Gralux.
"We are doing so, sire. We are doing it slowly and without attracting attention so that we can make a surprise attack on the Mu Empire." Myrkaenes said.
"We will attack the Mu Empire primarily after our diplomats declare war at the 11-country conference." Xand Pastal said.
"With this plan, the native peoples... no, the entire world will be laid low at our feet," said Chief Mobarl from the Foreign Affairs Bureau with confidence.
"We're not behind in military power from the HME? They are the strongest in Elysia." Asked Emperor Gralux
"It's out of the question for us to fall behind any of these natives. Once you see their weapon design philosophy, you'll understand why that country's been headed in the wrong direction. Nothing in this world can stop us."
"I see. In that case, I approve of this endeavor. We're counting on you all!" said Emperor Gralux.
With that declaration, the short but very important meeting was over.
---oOo---
Holy Mirishial Empire, Port Town, Cartalpas.
A certain bar
The bar looked more organized this time. Several people in security uniforms could be seen inside the bar. Although the conversation remained low-key, there were no more drunks causing trouble in the bar. A few people were seen talking about it, but the bartender replied that all bars were currently guarded by security guards ahead of the 11th Country Conference.
"Huh, what a pain! I can't drink as much as usual." A drunk said.
"Hahaha, if you dare, try it. I guarantee, if you get drunk, you'll wake up in jail in the morning." The person next to him said.
"On the eve of the conference, all the guards in the city have been tightened up. I see the military has also stationed personnel in the city." Another person said.
"Not only that, a lot of war equipment is also stationed around the city. This includes a number of warships. If you look, there are many warships in the harbor. There are even more on patrol." The bartender said.
"My brother, who is a pilot, also said so. Several squadrons of fighter planes were moved to the airfields around this city. So we are very safe." Said a uniformed security guard who couldn't resist gossiping.
"It seems that we will have very large ships, for the past few days, I have seen dredging ships, dredging at the port. Deepening the harbor. From the amount of soil being dredged, it seems that significant dredging is being done." Said a fisherman who just came in for lunch.
"Hahaha, let's make a bet. Whose ship is the biggest?" said the drunkard.
"It could be the Mu Empire or the Gra Valkas. They have big ships besides the HME. Of course, HME doesn't count, because their ships will definitely not dock during the conference event, all on patrol." A merchant said.
"Did you forget the Myto Empire?" said the bartender.
"Although they are very advanced, their ships are not that big. Of course, tonnage doesn't necessarily trump quality. I think that even though their ships are small, they can sink the largest ships available." The merchant said. "But right now we are talking about tonnage, the size of the ship, not the quality of the armaments. If we look at the weaponry, it seems that we don't need to bet, the Myto Empire is definitely the best."
"Agreed, let's bet whose ship will be the biggest." The drunkard said.
"I bet on Gra Valkas. They have a big ship that destroyed Laifor." Another merchant said.
"Not necessarily, I bet the Mu Empire. They got shipbuilding help from the Myto Empire." Said a drunkard.
The bar became a riot of noise, with each person calling for one of the two countries as their bet. In the end, the bartender acted as the bookie, recording each bet and keeping the money witnessed by a security guard.
But one man in the back confidently shouted, "I bet the Myto Empire will bring the biggest battleship ever."
The bet was met with laughter from the rest of the bar, but the man confidently handed over the money to declare he was in on the bet...