The First Magic World War

The title of the Holy Light Divine Kingdom reappeared outside Black Phoenix City, and Anne couldn't help but say, "I want to ascend to the Sacred level too."

Krel Brittany knew all too well about his cousin's Transcendent talent and mused to himself, "Although Anne works very hard, with her talent, it would be difficult to even touch the edge of the Sacred level without upwards of thirty years of effort. Even if she trains diligently for decades, whether she can achieve the Sacred level is still an uncertainty…"

He glanced at Ebner Sumei, and Ebner just shrugged his shoulders. They certainly weren't going to spoil the mood or speak such sobering truths; let Charles deal with that headache!

Charles leaped up and soared into the sky. He still took great pleasure in riding the wind, mastering the void, and stepping on the air. As soon as Charles set off, more than twenty individuals at the Sacred level followed him into the air, creating an impressive sight that made even Duchess Meisu involuntary remark, "Charles really does have the presence of a founding Emperor now!"

Although this statement was presumptuous, it wasn't exaggerated. Charles had four Legendary Warships, and if he had not given a batch of Magical Alchemy Warships to Sophia Garanord and Menilman, his fleet's strength would have been even more formidable, capable of rivaling the navy of any Empire. And this was without the return of his Ghost Fleet, with a portion left in the New Continent and another still on its way. Should these more than a thousand Ghost Ships appear, the Mecklen Family's fleet would be enough to sweep any power across the Seven Seas.

The Four Great Empires might have far more individuals at the Sacred level than Charles, but they were dispersed across various powerful families. The Emperor could genuinely control only about ten to twenty Sacred-level individuals, and at most, command thirty to forty people.

If Julius Axel VI could have commanded the Sacred levels of the major noble families and had managed to make Earl Brittany take action, the Royal Family wouldn't have exhausted its Sacred levels in the battle against Zimmerman, which led to the inability to resist when Redmir rebelled.

Anne was the first to throw herself into Charles's arms, and this time she didn't forget to pass candy to Emilia. Emilia bared her teeth and whispered to Gareth, who was squatting nearby, "It looks like we're going to have an extra mom!"

Gareth remained silent—he wasn't a child of Omibella, after all!

But he didn't dare oppose Emilia either; he had just enjoyed some of her "snacks"...

Charles scanned the battlements and only saw Duchess Meisu and sister Adossa remaining, which made him breathe a sigh of relief. The great saint then declared, "From this day forth, this city shall be renamed Mecklenburg! Its guardian deity is the magnificent Serpent of Destiny, and henceforth, you may also refer to Mecklenburg as the City of Destiny."

Although Charles had received his official investiture and not only won the recognition of Fars but also that of the Four Great Empires for the Mecklen Duchy, he left in haste with many matters still pending and had even yet to formally declare himself the lord of this land.

Leveraging the defeat of the New World Conference's armies and riding the momentum of a great victory, when Charles announced the renaming of Black Phoenix City to Mecklenburg, the entire city erupted in cheers, even the old Black Phoenix People did not object.

Charles began overseeing the restructuring work, and efficiency quickly improved.

After securing her spoils of victory, Duchess Meisu left with her daughter and subordinates.

This time, according to the alliance with Charles, the Duchess Meisu came to aid the Duchy of Mecklen and not only gained a friendship with Charles but also acquired an entire fleet. Charles even transferred a hundred ships entirely intact, loaded with wealth from the New Continent, sufficient for the Mesu Family to recover its vitality and even return to its peak before the exploration of the Berserk Sea. This made the Duchess Meisu believe that she had made the right choice, and that there must be an even closer connection between the two great families in the future.

Indeed, after betraying Fars, what Duchess Meisu feared most was being isolated and unsupported, especially since her relationship with Byron was not close, and she had no allies in the political arena. Charles, as a powerful ally, was extremely important to the Mesu Family.

Charles took over his Westwind Knights once again, and his army set off to recover territories.

The three speakers of the New World Conference, having failed at the siege of Black Phoenix City, discouraged the New Worlders who occupied these lands from resisting; they abandoned the lands and fled one after another.

Charles quickly recovered eight of the thirteen major regions of the Duchy of Mecklen and more than sixty noble territories before encountering some resistance.

Charles did not personally lead the troops into battle. He received news that although there was resistance, his commanders remained at an advantage. Knowing that he couldn't lead every campaign, whether to expand territories or encircle them, he depended on his commanders. Therefore, he only mobilized sufficient resources and arranged support for the troops, while he himself remained in Mecklenburg.

The renamed Mecklenburg, naturally the capital of the Duchy of Mecklen, was the first place Charles soothed after his return, prioritizing the recovery of the city's economy which had declined due to the war.

At the same time, Charles didn't forget to build temples for the Serpent of Destiny and other True Gods, but he had an even more important task: rebuilding the three universities of the former Black Phoenix Dynasty.

A university is fundamental to any country, for only through universities can top talents be continually nurtured. The private education of the nobility had too low a success rate and was merely a supplement to the university education in the Old Continent.

The three universities of the Black Phoenix Dynasty were known as: Black Phoenix University, Royal Wilma University, and Westminster University of Thunder and Storm!

Black Phoenix University was under the protection of Lady Black Moon, while the Royal Wilma University and Westminster University of Thunder and Storm were protected by The Lord of Radiance and the God of Thunder and Storm.

Of course, Charles would not desecrate the deities!

So, from these three universities, he drew a portion of teachers and students to establish two new universities: Mecklen University and Brittany University. The former's main building was the newly constructed, largest Temple of the Serpent of Destiny in Mecklenburg, and the latter was necessary because Anne had graduated from the University of Georgia, but Mecklenburg lacked a university venerating the Elf God.

Originally, Charles thought about changing the name of Black Phoenix University, but he quickly abandoned the idea. The original three universities bore the history and culture of the city. He could change many things, but history and culture need not be changed, for history is eternal, and culture should be inclusive, not exclusive.

As time went on, the Westwind Knights reclaimed another major region, but the upcoming battles became very tough. The people of the New World, having left their homeland to come to the Old Continent, only hoped for a place to live and work in peace, so they had no retreat and fought bravely.