For the next month, Li Wei stayed in his Clock Tower, enjoying a rare stretch of peace and leisure.
Of course, taking it easy did not mean he forgot to follow the news and radio broadcasts to keep abreast of the world's current affairs.
Over the past year, the Empire had suffered a civil war, terrorist attacks, and a plague outbreak, making it look as though it was on its last legs. In truth, however, the other countries were not doing much better.
As steam-powered machinery spread, the other countries on the continent had begun implementing reforms as well. Naturally, their aim was to make their nations rich and powerful. But what came after that?
Settling old scores, of course!
One of the hottest political topics in the Empire at the moment was the Republic of Francis's unexpected proposal for an alliance. Anyone who was not blind could see why: the Republic of Francis still bitterly resented its defeat at the hands of the Kingdom of Kront and the territory it had been forced to cede.
The old Francisian monarchy had now been overthrown, and the nobles once blamed for the disaster had all made their appointments with the guillotine. As the new Francisian government, its leaders naturally wanted to reclaim the lands occupied by the Kingdom of Kront.
After all, that was the very slogan these revolutionaries had used to overthrow the nobility and seize power. If they could not deliver on it themselves, they might well be the next ones sent to the guillotine.
The Republic of Francis was therefore raring to take on the Kingdom of Kront and avenge its past humiliation.
The Kingdom of Kront naturally knew that its neighbor meant trouble, but it was no pushover either. It had signed an alliance treaty with the