Cao Cao spoke with a friendly smile, but the sultan knew better. It was a political smile, the kind used at negotiation tables. Nevertheless, the sultan returned it with a warm smile of his own, though he didn't believe a word of what Cao Cao was saying.
He knew this was just a power play by New Atlantis, cutting off the phone call the mont they sensed the other party was trying to gauge their position. They made it clear that, in their view, the Sultanate of Aqaba wasn't of great importance, a stark contrast to other powers vying for influence due to Aqaba's rich oil resources and rare earth minerals.
The sultan couldn't be sure if this was New Atlantis' true stance or simply an act. Even if it was just a show, it had been incredibly effective. He was aware that the Sultanate of Aqaba had little choice in the matter, even if it was all part of New Atlantis' strategy.
With that single move by Gua Jia, New Atlantis had forced him, the Sultan of Aqaba, to co to their turf, where they had the upper hand. He knew this was a standard political tactic—to secure as much advantage as possible before negotiations. Yet, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of resentnt toward New Atlantis for maneuvering him into this position.
As the sultan mulled over these thoughts, he noticed that the VTOL had already taken flight. Its technology was remarkable—so advanced that the engine noise was even quieter than that of his private jet.
"My lord, are you sure we should bring him there?" Cao Cao asked Daniel, who was observing the hologram displaying the ziggurat's current activity.
"Yes, why not? Sooner or later, Oceanos will no longer be a secret," Daniel replied calmly. "Besides, I still have plenty of trump cards. Revealing Oceanos doesn't an I'm showing all my cards. And honestly, it's difficult to keep sothing like Oceanos concealed. I'd rather reveal it on my own terms than have so paparazzi stumble upon it and turn it into a global sensation."
"I understand, my lord," Cao Cao nodded and sat back down, continuing to work alongside Gua Jia, conversing in Han and pointing at the hologram from ti to ti.
[Oceanos? What's that?] The sultan thought, feeling puzzled. Shouldn't they be discussing an alliance or at least negotiating permission to access Aqaba's waters?
As he pondered, the VTOL began to descend. Curious, the sultan walked over to the window and saw they were above the open sea. Does New Atlantis have an aircraft carrier? He wondered. Well, it's possible. New Atlantis is so advanced, maybe their carrier is sothing futuristic—like sothing out of a sci-fi movie.
When the VTOL finally touched down, the sultan saw that they had landed on a flat surface. However, it didn't resemble the deck of an aircraft carrier. Instead, it looked more like a landing pad specifically designed for helicopters or this VTOL.
He then realized the ground was lowering—not the VTOL itself, but the landing pad it had touched down on. As the platform descended, he noticed Daniel, Cao Cao, and the others in the VTOL starting to move, drawing his attention to them.
"Your majesty, we've arrived. Please follow ," Daniel said, leading the sultan out of the VTOL.
Following Daniel, the sultan found himself in what appeared to be a massive hangar. He saw nurous VTOLs of varying sizes, along with interceptors, bombers, and even the Atlantean Carryall—the enormous aircraft used during the North Arican campaign, which had amazed the world with its carrying capacity and stealth capabilities.
The hangar was enormous, roughly the size of three or four football fields, and it even had a runway. From the look of it, the runway could likely be raised, allowing planes to take off, just like the landing pad the VTOL had used to descend.
Daniel continued leading the sultan toward what looked like a rail system. Judging by its sleek design, it was a maglev train. The sultan and his confidante followed Daniel into one of the train's cabins.
After a mont, the sultan felt the train levitate slightly before it began to accelerate. It exited the tunnel into an imnse space, shaped like a vast, elongated tube. No, wait… this isn't just a tube. Could we be inside a submarine? he thought, startled. Ah, co on, even New Atlantis, the most advanced country on Earth, can't be this advanced.
A super submarine the size of an island? How old do they think I am? Eight? That's impossible! he thought. Even if New Atlantis sohow had the technological capability to build such a thing, where would they find the materials to construct sothing this massive?
Look at all this tal—it must be so rare earth elent or slted using techniques we don't even know about!
Building sothing like this would cost a fortune and take an imnse amount of ti. Even if they had enough materials, it's impossible to create without anyone noticing! If they can do it, then I also can eat spaghetti through my nose! He scoffed at the absurdity of his own thoughts. This has to be so kind of secret base for New Atlantis.
As the sultan pondered, the maglev train arrived at its destination. It took about five minutes—not too short nor too long. The sultan suspected they had deliberately slowed the train to give him ti to marvel at their base, and indeed, it worked. He was in awe, much like a country bumpkin stepping into a bustling city for the first ti.
"Welco to Oceanos, Your Majesty," Daniel said, snapping the sultan out of his thoughts.
What the sultan saw was a vast command center, several stories high, with many people seated, monitoring data. He now stood behind the main commander's seat, where Daniel walked over and sat down.
Beyond that, he saw a 180-degree panoramic screen displaying a half-spherical view. One half showed an underwater scene, while the other showed they were in the middle of the sea.
"Wait… don't tell … this is too crazy," the sultan muttered, staring at the screens.
At that mont, Daniel picked up the mic on his console and spoke. "Begin subrging. Full speed ahead toward the coast of the Sultanate of Aqaba."
With that command, the sultan heard the engine's low hum reverberating throughout the base. The screen began to show their descent into the sea.
This… this is insane! A super submarine, a colossal structure! How did they solve the problem of shallow water? And there are so many obstacles under the sea—staying still is one thing, but diving and moving? How is that even possible? The sultan's thoughts raced, and cold sweat began forming on his forehead.
His question was soon answered when one of the officers' voices ca through the speaker, "Start phasing! 30% phasing… 60% phasing… complete!"
With that, the sultan watched in disbelief as the submarine moved through the water, passing directly through the shallow seabed as if it wasn't even there.
"This… this is… God..." Both the sultan and his confidante were struck with the sa awe, disbelief slowly giving way to stunned acceptance of the reality before them.
Suddenly, the sultan slapped his confidante, Shahid, across the face.
"Ouch! Your Majesty, why did you slap ?" Shahid protested, rubbing his cheek.
"I wanted to see if I was dreaming," the sultan replied.
If you wanted to check, why didn't you slap yourself!!? Why slap !? Shahid thought but didn't dare say out loud.
"Mr. Emberweave," the sultan spoke, drawing Daniel's attention. "Is this... really a submarine?"
Hearing this, Daniel tilted his head slightly, as if the answer should be obvious. "Yes, Your Majesty. We are indeed inside a submarine," Daniel replied.
"Where did you find the resources to build sothing like this? I don't think all the resources in Southeast Asia would be enough, and even if you bought the materials, no one would sell you this much," the sultan asked, his curiosity piqued.
This was sothing he truly wanted to understand. It might even reveal Daniel's intentions toward his own country, which was rich in oil and rare earth tals. Perhaps Daniel had deliberately brought him here to negotiate for his country's resources, or worse, planned to take them over, having exhausted his own after building this colossal vessel.
Upon hearing the question, Daniel flashed a mysterious smile. Cao Cao did the sa, as though he knew exactly what the sultan was thinking. And who could bla the sultan? If Cao Cao didn't know Daniel better, he would likely think the sa.
"You probably already know that 71% of the Earth is covered by oceans, and less than 5% of the ocean floor has been explored. The unexplored areas are often rich in minerals, just waiting for soone with advanced enough technology to claim them. Most of the materials used to build Oceanos ca from underwater mines we've been operating," Daniel explained.
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