Theus had no choice but to assign a group of people specifically to coordinate matters between the alliance members. Fortunately, all parties understood the stakes and were fairly cooperative.
Theus dragged Yami back from the Northern Territory. His talent for mathematics was simply too astonishing, and Theus no longer had time to let him develop freely. He directly established an Academy of Sciences spanning the entire alliance, bringing in a group of cutting-edge researchers from Moth Chasing Flame, Grand Mechanist Hela, and a large number of research-related scholars from Angelita's side.
This time, science truly knew no borders. Pollution industry, mechanical prosthetics, the Machine Soul system, dreams and systems—the most advanced technologies of the major factions were all integrated together. Though it had only just been established, anyone could sense its importance.
This newly founded Academy of Sciences was placed in Gem Bay. It was some distance from every major power. Although it had previously been under Castel's rule, it had only seen limited development and was not part of any traditional sphere of influence.
Theus designated the place a neutral zone. All factions could enter and leave freely, while the soldiers responsible for security were jointly dispatched by the four sides.
Each of the four factions had its own strengths. Castel focused mainly on its navy, and its ironclad warships had no rivals on the Storm Ocean. Though its army had proven its combat strength, it was limited by population and was not on the same scale as the other factions.
The Empire, meanwhile, had the largest population. With the aid of the former Mechanical Cathedral, now the Steel Gospel, its combat strength was fairly decent, but the sheer number of its troops was enough to give even Castel a headache.
Isabella's Duchy of Tis appeared weak, but it