RM Vol 3: For a World without Boundary – Chapter 50: Ah yes, hindsight is 20-20

    "... And that will be it for this press conference. As I had said prior, I have a limited time slot. If you want to be a reporter worth your salt, you may want to do some prep before heading over to Stockholm."

    "Marshal, may we assume that the Stockholm Conference is set in stone?"

    "While there''s no exact timetable, Stockholm has been chosen by the leaders of the world as a conference. It will be where major nations will be drafting, or at the very least, negotiating for a humanitarian accord. That''s all coming from me, dismiss."

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    I watch as the floor flickers before the scenery changes from the conference room to an overhead view of Berlin. Despite the overcast caused by volcanic ashes, the city below is still bustling with activity. Reconstruction effort is in full swing, with those who lost their homes relocated to military housings with full amenities. The housings are made from general-purpose military tents or containers, providing the displaced citizens with warm shelter until their homes are deemed safe and secured. The process isn''t long though, with the reconstruction period finishing up soon. And even with some parts of the city being partially useable, it doesn''t affect the overall liveliness of Berlin.

    Berlin has grown into a mighty capital, going as far as expanding beyond its old city walls in the middle of the Months of Demons. A new wall segment is built ten kilometers away from the former city walls. The new area encompasses the smaller settlements and suburbs, with city development designating the area suitable for economic expansion. Land is a rarity in this day and age, hence apartment complexes are constructed daily, with citizens being given incentives if they relocate their family into one. With many people flocking into the new establishments, their old lands are bought up by the government to be converted into further city amenities or industrial complexes. Sometimes, a prime real estate is snagged to be rebuilt into a military installation.

    In short, Berlin is changing, day by day, uncaring of the damage it incurred by natural disasters. Speaking of natural disasters...

    I glare to my front, where a certain Will of the Planet is chilling and sipping on her wine glass. The effect of my disgruntled gaze would have been more pronounced, had I not been cuddled and pet like a housecat.

    The one being glared at, Gaia, has taken on the form of a refined young lady with short blonde hair and ruby-red eyes. Gaia revels in my annoyed gaze and smugly gestures. "Go on, say it."

    I nearly bristle at that if it weren''t for Yggdra patting me on my hair a few times, saying. "There, there..." Her head pats have a surprisingly calming effect. That''s the literal Mother of Nature for you, though Yggdra ranks way higher than a mere Gaia. That''s beside the point, however.

    Hearing the explanation, I sigh while directing my gaze upward. "Seriously?" I did not just pout, truly.

    Yggdra giggles sonorously before one of her fingers starts poking my cheek. "Honestly? While I can understand while you have been biding your time, keeping our military might under a veil of shadow... What''s the gamer word again...?"

    Gaia perks up. "Tech-ing up?"

    "Yeah, that one~!" Yggdra said, looking down into my eyes. " I truly don''t see the need for you to keep building up your tech when you''re already leagues ahead of our nearest competitor, which is the Japanese Empire. Until what point would you deem it''s enough to roll over the entire world? With the revised V2 plan, you just need a tiny bit of your attention in the short term before you can subvert the minor nations. Placing some movers and shakers here and there before you can influence the medium ones. All the while your military can contest with your enemy openly and swiftly. Other superpowers, well, let them fight among themselves. Once the rest of the world realizes the true extent of your reach, there would have been so few allies left on the board for them to band around. Thus, with a final move on the board, you can checkmate the rest of the dissidents."

    I just gaze into her beautiful orbs, mulling about her honest thoughts. She... Is not wrong. I have been taking my sweet, sweet time here. My thought was to nation hopping, one superpower at a time with absolute technological advantage at my behest. It would have taken some time, well, a lot of time, but it will be a foolproof plan. Once countries like Japan, China, Rusviet, and the USA are out of the picture. A new world order will be made with Belka as the sole superpower, other nations would have to either fold or risk isolation, stagnation, and total collapse.

    The revised V2 plan has the same end goal, just different execution methods... I guess I was just peeved because my former plan was flipped on its head, more so than the actual loss of innocent lives that weren''t from our nation. I have caused so much destruction in my two lives combined that I honestly, don''t really care about the deaths caused by Gaia.

    Sighing, I relent. "Fine, fine! I can see your point, though it will be a pain to manage everything but I will follow it through. I will just chalk this up as my punishment for letting Lyssa run amok."

    Gaia raises an eyebrow at my wording before looking over to Yggdra. "Did she truly not realize?"

    It''s not Yggdra turns to sigh and smiles wryly. "Yup. That she did." Yggdra then start ruffling my hair. "Silly girl, you still haven''t realized that your old V2 plan hadn''t accounted for the fact that you now have your temporal clones? With the clones, you can literally be everywhere, anytime, doing everything, all at once. That''s a major reason why we even pushed up the schedule in the first place?"

    It''s at this moment that my collective brainpower grinds to a halt, with myself and every single one of my clones saying. "Well, fuck me!" How the Hell did I not notice that!?

    "Gladly!" Yggdra chirped. "But only later~!"

    I have the decency to blush at that.