A black train, its exterior mottled and stained with blood, roared into the imperial city of the Northern Continent United Empire.
Even in the dead of night, the emperors who had just fallen asleep awoke from their dreams and quickly gathered at the train station located at the edge of the palace.
Since the crown princes of various empires were sent to the Northern Continent thirty years ago, the entire Northern Continent has been embroiled in mutual attacks and development for the sake of land.
The indigenous people were massacred and plundered because of their low level of technology. In just ten years, they seized half of the indigenous people's territory and successively established their own empires.
It must be said that the crown princes of various countries are all extremely capable.
However, after the founding of the nation, border frictions and the back-and-forth offensives between the two sides prevented their strength from expanding further; instead, it began to shrink amidst the increasing frictions.
Such an outcome does not satisfy the interests of the royal families of various countries, nor does it satisfy the interests of the people who migrated from the Southern Continent.
They didn't want to destroy themselves through internal strife before that Pale God even arrived.
There was no other way; fifteen years ago, they signed a UN agreement to transfer all frictions and problems from the battlefield to the written word, thereby coordinating their contradictions and establishing a nominal empire for coordination and control.
This method is extremely useful, but new problems also arise.
As they stole technological advancements from the Southern Continent and monitored the Pale God and the Southern Continent, they discovered that the extraordinary power of the Southern Continent was rapidly recovering. In just a few years, the extraordinary was no longer just a legend, but something closely related to people, even something that was right beside them.
The frequent emergence of extraordinary beings, rapid technological development, coupled with an already massive population, and the Pale God— the enemy of all empires whose true strength remains unknown to this day—have placed immense pressure on the royal families of various nations. This has forced them to genuinely discuss and unite in order to develop together and gain the qualifications to confront the Pale God.
Thus, ten years ago, the Northern Continent Gothic United Kingdom was officially established.
This kingdom is somewhat similar in form to the European Union, but it is far more intimate than the European Union.
The entire kingdom maintained its rule through a political structure unprecedented in human history: one government and four royal families. The entire Gothic United Kingdom was governed by a government composed of four royal families, which enabled it to prosper and develop.
To further strengthen their ties, these four royal families, already related, continued to intermarry, thus deepening their union.
Thus, the political foundation of the Northern Continent Gothic Kingdom was completely established, and it subsequently ushered in a period of rapid development.
However, technological advancements cannot bring them true security.
That Pale God was boundless and majestic; his very existence spurred the birth of an entire extraordinary system. He alone could suppress the Southern Continent to the point that it could not even raise its head. Although modern technology has made some progress compared to the past, it is still extremely powerless.
Left with no other choice, they had to look for some unexpected solutions.
A group of emperors, led by Miles XIV, arrived late at night and secretly gathered in a hidden parking area underground at the Imperial City Railway Station.
Soldiers dressed in uniform black stood guard around the perimeter, their hooded black clothing resembling the attire of some cult members rather than the uniforms of an imperial army.
Even those accompanying the emperors of various countries included priests dressed in hooded robes, resembling priests.
Furthermore, all of these priests wore a bronze ornament resembling an eye around their necks.
The Eternal Life Society!
Over the past thirty years, not only have the Northern Continent grown stronger, but so has this association, which has remained hidden from the beginning until now.
Having fled the Southern Continent where Pale God resided, they are now finally able to openly display their presence on the Northern Continent, and have even made some achievements within the Gothic Empire.
Aside from the emperors of various countries, nearly 90% of the population within the Gothic United Kingdom has converted to the Eternal Life Society.
With such immense control, royal families around the world had no choice but to comply, lest they become isolated.
Of course, besides that, the Eternal Life Society was indeed quite powerful, at least giving them real hope of confronting that Pale God.
"How did the hunt go?" Miles XIV's slightly aged voice rang out in the now-silent underground train station. He and the other three emperors had all gathered there, their eyes fixed intently on the leader who was disembarking from the steel train.
"As Your Majesty has hoped, this hunting operation has been a complete success. The Werewolf and Vampire tribes have been wiped out on a large scale, with only one-tenth remaining. Moreover, the spirit storage jar can capture the souls of Werewolf and Vampire. Just as Priest Duoxia guessed, their souls have not been corrupted and can be used to make ' War Machine '!" the general replied respectfully.
Damn, Duoxia is really good at climbing the social ladder; he's already a veteran of four reigns!
As he answered, the sound of a steam engine echoed through the underground train station.
"Pfft!" With a burst of white steam, the steel mechs inside the steel train, covered in blood and scratches, were reawakened.
"Buzz!"
With the operation of the steam engine and internal bearings, the steel mechs slowly stepped out from inside the steel train.
"Bang, bang, bang..." Heavy footsteps, accompanied by the deafening sound of bearings grinding and rubbing, echoed through the underground station.
Every time a steel machine is unloaded from a train, the train itself trembles from the weight it carries, demonstrating just how massive and heavy it is.
As their figures came into view under the lights, it became apparent that behind these mechs was not only a small steam engine, but also a steel structure resembling a lantern.
At this moment, under the light, the lantern-shaped steel structure clearly revealed a considerable amount of gray mist inside, seemingly alive and constantly darting about, even faintly emitting some mournful roars.
These ever-blowing gray mists are what they call the souls of Werewolf and Vampire.
The so-called War Machine is created by using the methods of the Eternal Life Society to incorporate the soul into a steam engine, thus forming an entity similar to the Warhammer Dreadnought.
However, these machines contain no biological tissue whatsoever, only steel material driven by souls, in order to escape the oppression of that Pale God's Existence Level!
As for why they can now see these spirits, it is thanks to a mysterious and somewhat eerie pattern painted on the surrounding walls.
The Eternal Life Society believes in Jonah, Jonah is the god of death, and therefore, he can naturally also govern souls.
"In the past, the Pale God waved his hand and his nine million-strong army was completely routed. The sublime Pressure of his flesh and blood was unmatched in Garden of Eden! Only by using a pure soul can one escape the oppression of his flesh Existence Level and have a chance to fight him!"
Your Majesty, I am willing to lead five hundred War Machine to the Southern Continent to conduct an experiment.
"If that Pale God is truly as I suspect, a Existence Level of pure flesh and blood, then perhaps there is a glimmer of hope in sealing him away!" Duoxia, wearing a hood, stepped out from the procession of priests.
His skeletal face was filled with piety and urgency.
Although the use, observation, and collection of souls are all methods employed by the Eternal Life Society, the fact that the Pale God was merely a flesh-and-blood supreme being, deduced from Norton's various traces in the ancient mythological era and the manuscripts of Yalian XIII, is thanks to Duoxia.
Throughout his life, Duoxia devoted his research solely to the Pale God, and thus his ideas gained immense trust after being reported to Emperor Miles XIV and his contemporaries.
After all, the history of the past was delivered by this Vampire. Perhaps he wanted to kill the Pale God and take his place, or perhaps he had other ideas, but he would never lie about dealing with the Pale God.
This is also why he has been able to rise to the position of priest of the Eternal Life Society.