Important meeting

Dion had arrived at the palace—riding a flying royal carriage.
The gate guards opened the entrance for him. Inside, many people were already waiting. William was among them, as were several individuals wearing crowns, and one man bearing the insignia of royalty.
They were all seated around a long table.
Dion surveyed the group. A blond-haired man with sea-blue eyes—he recognized him as Geordy Winarion, king of the Winarion Kingdom, and also one of the Shadow Existers.
Next to him was a dark-skinned man with black hair, wearing a crown—Uves Venure, king of the Venure Kingdom, another Shadow Exister.
Then, a pale-skinned man with almost-blond brown hair—Donov Raschgud, king of the Raschgud Kingdom, also a Shadow Exister.
A young man with fiery red hair and a prince’s insignia: a golden eagle clutching the sun. Dion immediately deduced—Prince Dein, crown prince of the Rosmer Kingdom.
And lastly, a white-haired man wearing a crown—King Balang Dwisetra, king of the Dwisetra Kingdom.
The rest were territorial nobles.
Dion took a seat in the only remaining chair.
“Why didn’t you invite all the kingdoms to this meeting, Sudirja?” Dion asked.
“There are about 7,089 countries in this world—how could this room possibly fit all the kings?” Sudirja replied flatly.
“But wasn’t it internationally agreed that the symbol of a sun with two crossed swords indicates a global emergency?” Dion continued.
“That’s true—but that symbol is only used for small continental-level threats,” Sudirja explained.
“We are in a small continent—so why not invite the 508 nations that share this continent with us?” Dion pressed further.
“This room still wouldn’t be enough,” Sudirja said calmly.
“Even so, those not present are aware of what’s discussed in this meeting,” Prince Dein added.
“How is that possible?” Dion asked.
Sudirja took out an object—black, crystal-like in structure, with what seemed to be cables. He placed it in the middle of the table.
Dion examined the device closely, puzzled.
“What does this thing do?” Dion asked.
“You’ll see once the meeting begins,” Sudirja answered.
A young girl entered the room—Princess Ruma Aryapanggulu, the youngest daughter of the Aryapanggulu Kingdom. Her face was round, her eyes slightly almond-shaped like a plum, and her flowing blue hair shimmered.
She carried an assortment of rings—not made of metal, but of vines and flowers woven into rings.
Dion immediately noticed something: vines the color of dead leaves, decorated with tiny sapphire-blue and amethyst-purple flowers. One plant came to mind—Redulon, a parasitic flower known to induce hallucinations.
“Will this explain the function of that device, Sudirja?” Dion asked while examining the ring.
“Just put it on already,” Sudirja replied curtly.
Not wanting to disrupt the meeting, Princess Ruma exited the room.
Once everyone wore the rings, Sudirja drew a magic circle. The design was simple: a circle with a spiderweb symbol, glowing deep ocean blue.
"Kan sukmo dadi nyoto lan nyambung roso," Sudirja chanted.
The device lit up—but only those wearing the rings could perceive the change. The room around them transformed, though it was only a hallucination.
Still, its purpose was clear: to gather the presence of those who weren’t physically in the room.
All the kings from the same continent appeared—none were absent.
“What a useful artifact,” remarked King Sutomo Triulut, a long-haired, brown-haired king of the Triulut Kingdom, as he looked around at the illusory hall.
“Let’s begin the meeting,” Sudirja declared.
“What’s the topic today, King Sudirja Aryapanggulu?” asked King Donov.
“We’re facing a serious situation,” Sudirja said. “A magic catastrophe.”
“According to my father’s investigation, the affected area is small—but the impact could be enormous,” added Prince Dein.
“Is that why King Eldwäs Rosmer couldn’t attend?” King Donov asked.
Prince Dein nodded in response.
“I’m still not familiar with this world’s systems—could someone explain what a magic catastrophe is?” William asked.
“I’ve lived here for 80 years,” Dion added. “Isn’t magic part of natural micro-interactions—quantum interactions in this world?”
“That’s true,” Dein said, “but this phenomenon is too pure.”
That explanation helped William understand a bit more.
“Sounds like weak nuclear radiation from our world, doesn't it—Shadow Exister original world,” William remarked.
“Yes, similar to weak nuclear radiation,” Sudirja agreed. “But this is far too structured to be a natural occurrence.”
“What do you mean?” William tilted his head.
“Most natural magic phenomena are advanced-level or majestic-tier,” Prince Dein explained.
“Which is why it’s suspicious—too refined to be random,” Sudirja added.
“Then can’t we develop technology to counter the disaster?” William asked.
“Impossible. This magic originates from elementary particles called Manneon—ruler-class particles. Equivalent to bosons in our world,” Sudirja explained.
“But we have countermeasures against nuclear radiation in our world—don’t we?” William pressed.
“Is there any technology that prevents radioactive decay itself in our world?” Sudirja replied, challenging him.
“I’ve read King Sudirja’s books—only materialist-class particles have known counteragents,” King Sutomo said.
“Then how do we deal with this magic catastrophe?” William asked.
“There’s only one way: prepare magic equal to or stronger than the phenomenon itself,” Sudirja answered.
“So we need to form an alliance to face this magic catastrophe?” King Uvez asked.
“An alliance alone won’t suffice,” King Geordy interjected. “We need joint training for knights and mages.”
“I’ll lend Arjuna and Arga as instructors,” Sudirja offered.
“Next, we must choose a location for this joint training,” said King Pandu Wirata, the long-haired blond king of the Wirata Kingdom.
“How about Aryapanggulu?” King Donov suggested.
“I don’t want it to seem like I’m monopolizing this alliance—please give your reasoning,” Sudirja requested.
“Most ‘technology-artifacts’ originate from Aryapanggulu. There might be one that can heal,” King Donov explained.
“That’s not enough,” Sudirja countered.
“There’s an artifact that nullifies gravity—but it hasn’t been mass-produced yet, has it?” King Donov argued.
“Then that’s the first item we need?” King Sutomo asked.
“Considering its function, we definitely need such artifacts for field investigation,” Prince Dein added.
“Very well, that’s a valid reason,” Sudirja acknowledged. “And I’ve been considering another idea related to this disaster.”
“What is it?” King Uvez asked.
“Portable magic technology,” Sudirja said.
“You mean artifacts that let us use magic without manual casting?” King Pandu asked.
Sudirja nodded in response.