One year later.

In the capital of Visea King Dannik was getting stressed. He had ordered his son, Zerrin, to agree to the Persian Emperor's deal but it has turned out bad for him. One year after the meeting the Great Depression was still bringing misery to almost everyone across the continent. Even the countries that didn't sign the agreement were hit by the depression as prices skyrocketed meaning that expenses rose as did the national budget of a country like the Kingdom of Thaphia. The only countries that managed to avoid the calamity was Sparta, Ankyut and of course the German Empire. The latter which annoyed Dannik to his core.

His own, useless, son. He had forged a entire country all from a town that was not his. He was arrogant though, Dannik could've sent in his army and overwhelm his small kingdom but he didn't. He realised the threat of Wilhelm too late and before Dannik knew it Wilhelm was corninated and was recognised by many countries across the continent. The least he could was send Zerrin to at least show Visea's presence. But Germany wouldn't be worth going to war over. As much as Dannik hated to admit it he would probably lose in a fair fight compared to Germany's advanced technology.

And now only a few months before the Gathering at Omesos Germany had both snubbed the hero's party and the church. The party that was chosen by God to defeat the Demon Queen. The New Kaiser had extrodited both members of the Church and the Hero's Party. Both Hunter and the Archbishop had complained to the King but there was nothing he could do. Germany had signed a law which banned the church and forced adventurers to have an adventurers permit in order to carry weapons around in public.

Germany had snubbed Visea but Dannik had his own problems to deal with. While he hated Wilhelm it wasn't like he liked any of his children. Max was a brute, Valker was a smartass and Zerrin was too obsessed with his mother and eldest brother. Ever since Zerrin went to Germany for Wilhelm's coronation he became freindlier to him, and also started to prefer his mother's attention over him. Which was fine, less hassle for Dannik. But Max was impatient and entitled, it looked like he would challenge the leadership and start either a coup or a revolution.

But it wasn't like Dannik was any better, without his wife's knowledge, he has his men take women from the brothel in order to pleasure him. Dannik though ill of his wife, too many children. And Raidance didn't like him either. The door to the throneroom opened and Max came through. And once again began to argue with his father.

Raidance and Zerrin stood by the doorway and listened in. Zerrin had taken Wilhelm's advice and had grown more close with his mother. While Dannik didn't much care about what was happening on the streets but Zerrin and Raidance did. After all it was Zerrin who attended the meeting that cause all of this . Since Dannik did not care for his subject at all he hoarded wealth and food for himself causing alot of people to get angry with him. There were a few riots but they were brutally suppressed.

"No Max! You are a fool to think that our army could even stand a chance against the bloody Germans!" Dannik shouted.

"We have 80,000 men! Put me in charge and I will reach Berlin within a week!" Max retorted.

"NO! I do not want to lose my kingdom over your petty brother. At least he's smart enough to realise that you can't go to war over such petty things! They have over 100,000 men!" Dannik explained agrily. "I refuse to even put a single soldier over the border." Max grunted and went off in a huff. Zerrin and Raidance returned to a nearby room.

Raidance was the fearful wife of King Dannik, she tried to love Dannik but he did not care for him. All Dannik wanted was power and satisfaction in the displeasure of others. She had showed affection for Zerrin as he had come to know his mother more after reuniting with Wilhelm. But Valker and Max did not care for their mother and wanted nothing to do with her.

"Have you heard from Wilhelm lately?" Zerrin asked Raidance as he sat down.

"I had a letter from him last week. He wished me well, and then told me about some of the things he has been up too." Raidance stated.

"Such as..." Zerrin prompted.

"He told me about his navy that he was building. In his letter he mentioned that he was building a large warship called a 'battlecruiser'. He also said that it was not the biggest or the last ship he had planned for his navy."

"Very impressive." Zerrin complemented. "Not even Valker can match Germany's shipbuilding skills."

"He also went on to mention that his airforce was numbering at three hundred operation aircraft." Raidance informed.

"I see. Well, my big brother was always ambitious. Ashame father sent him away, then he could be king of Visea." Zerrin stated. "But now that father has disowned Wilhelm, Max is next in line to the throne. But it's not like Dannik is going to kick the bucket anytime soon."

"I know it's a sin to hate someone, and we should not do it, but I cannot help hating them." Raidance said in frustration, referring to Max and Dannik.

"I understand." Zerrin said.

"You yourself have gotten pretty popular these past few months." Raidaince commented.

"Have I. Oh, that's good. I think?" Zerrin question and Raidance chuckled in response.

"I hear you've become quite the celebrity amongst the people." Raidance said.

"You and Wilhelm have made me soft." Zerin joked and Raidance laughed heartily. "Indeed. I wonder what Wilhelm is doing at the moment." Raidance pondered.

As Zerrin thought the same, he could think of a multitude of things that Wilhelm could be up to: signing an important document, having a meeting with his cabinet, inspecting a Wehrmacht base or attending a public gathering.

In actual fact, Wilhelm was doing something quite different. He was just about to smash a wine bottle on the bow of the Kreigsmarine's latest ship, and the biggest naval vessel in the world. The Battlecruiser: SMS Gneisenau.

The Gneisenau class battlecruisers weighed about 32,000 tonnes, and had a length of 235 meters. The main arnament of the battlecruiser consisted of nine eleven inch guns organised in three tripple turrets. The crew complement of the massive warship stood at 1,669 men including 56 officers.

The design was heavily based of the Scharnhorst battlecruisers used by Germany in WW2, back in Wilhelm's old world.

"It is my sincere pleasure to announce the launch of the biggest ship in the world!" Cheers and applause errupted from the crowds that surrounded the Wilhelmshaven drydocks.

"It is most pleasing to me that the Kreigsmarine should possess such a powerful defender of peace. And as such we have named it on honour of one of our best officers. Colonel von Gneisenau!"

Among the officers present including von Gneisenau was Captain Dressler, General von Aires, who was now in another new uniform, and had a warm greatcoat on to protect himself against the strong wind that was common due to the General's proximity to the sea. 

Colonel Camden, hero of the Prussian-Bavarian war and aide-de-camp to general von Aires was also present. Gneisenau's cousin, Major Scharnhorst was also attending. While not as skillful as his cousin Scharnhorst had met success in the Heer, managing to earn the knight's cross. The now Grand Admiral Strasser. Now having a sizeable fleet at her disposal Wilhelm promoted her to the top rank in order to make room in the naval hireachy. Her cousin, Air Marshall Weser, was also present. Baron Yauros, father of Serina, was also in attenddance along with some of the other lords and nobles in the area.

The design for the Gneisenau was dreamt up by Wilhelm a few years before constuction commenced. Karla and Wilhelm wanted to kick of the line battlecruisers with the Gneisenau class. She was also a very modern battleship consisting of new technology fresh out of the RAD ministry. She would be a fast ship compared to future classes of her size and the Gneisenau's guns were also smaller than what was planned for future designs. And Commodore Doenitz, commander of the 50 uboats that Germany had built.

After the battlecruiser's namesake did a short speech he smashed the bottle of wine on the bow of the massive ship. Afterwards the mammoth warship slid down into the bay of Wilhelmshaven as the numerous crowds errupted in applause and cheers. Now the new Battlecruiser would moor next to the harbour to recieve supplies, ammunition and more fuel in order to commence sea trials in the southern sea.

After the incredible event the group of officers, the Baron and the Kaiser went to a local restaurant for lunch. Since Wilhemshaven was a port city seafood was very popular. So everyone had purchased fish and chips and were eating them in the exterior eating area that overlooked the harbour and dockyards. Aswell as the SMS Gniesenau, now floating graciousley alongside the rest of the Grand Fleet.

Yauros was telling everyone an embarrassing story from Serina's childhood.

"And so, when she saw the cat in the garden, Serina just ran out on all fours and stated hissing at it!" Yauros explained and everyone started laughing while Serina laughed awkwardly. When the laughing subsided Serina counter-attacked with an embarrassing story of her own.

"When my dad had two much to drink and started to try and eat the carpet!" Everyone laughed and Yauros had been left embarassed too. As they were eating Commodore Doenitz asked the Kaiser a question.

"My Kaiser, I know it was quite a while ago, but was the Russian empire in attendance during the summit at Omesos?" The seawolf asked.

"No he was not. I was later informed that Tsar Nicholas did not want to even entertain the idea since he had more important matters to attend to: a Russian expansion northwards." Wilhelm explained. Doenitz nodded in understanding and continued to eat his food. 

"So cousin? What's next for the Kreigsmarine?" Conradine asked her cousin, as Karla finished her mouthfull she told her cousin of the situation. 

"Well, obviousley I want to continue building the Gneisenau class but also me and the Kaiser have designed another battlecruiser: the Kaiser class. Wilhelm has a wish for four of each type and once those have been completed he wants to start costruction of the first in the line of battleships. A class more armoured and with bigger guns, but much slower than battlecruisers. Wilhelm wants battlecruisers to be faster vessels with smaller guns, less armour and battleships to be more armoured, slower, but with much bigger guns. The Gneisenau has 283mm guns while the Bismarck and other battleships will have 300mm's or over." Karla explained.

"Going bigger! Goodness me, are you going to make the Kriegsmarine motto: 'Bigger is better'?" Weser joked.

"Tempting." Wilhelm said and both of the girls laughed. The merry band of officers and officials ate and joked but eventually the time came for the group to dispand and head back to their posts. While most would either be heading back to Berlin or staying in Wilhemshaven, at the naval office, Wilhelm would be heading to Palad. He was going to meet up with Queen Teila, whom he hadn't seen in quite a while. 

While in his car, surrounded by a motorcade, Wilhelm was reading a report sent by Felix. It was from his monthly gathering with the Bundesrat: German house of Lords. Under each King or Queen the land was divided up between Dukes who would run the territory and the nobles under them.

The report stated requests to improve road networks in Bavaria as motorcars were becoming cheaper and more frequent, the revenue funded the expansion to Wilhelmshaven's dockyards, the construction of Kiel's drydocks and Munich's submarine pens. And alot of other projects too. The Imperial treasury was overflowing in gold reserves thanks to the higher prices and reliance of trade from other nations such as Postella and Japan. 

Since Felix was busy Wilhelm offered to take Felix's place alongside Teila. This concerned the new German Adventurer's Guild; the Imperial Guild, as most people called it, was one of the most modern guilds in existence. While it had more restrictions to its members than the standard guild it has shortly become a very reputable guild. And as a result of its success was subsidised by the government and became, by law, the only guild in Germany. The guild was organised into the two provinces in Germany: you had the Imperial Prussian Adventurer's Guild and the Imperial Bavarian Adventurer's Guild. 

And that was what Wilhelm and Teila was going to inspect, nothing could be more effective than a royal inspection. When Wilhelm arrived he was greeted by Teila at the door to the Guild's headquaters: this was the main office while it's different branches had offices in both Berlin and Tautendorff. 

"Good afternoon your majesty." Teila greeted.

"Good afternoon Teila, shall we go in?" Wilhelm suggested.

"Of course."