"The Temple is mine, and I am the Saintess. Don't use your kingly rhetoric on me; it won't work! If I want to tear it down, I'll tear it down. I'll tear it down and then rebuild it!"
"Fine, fine. The Temple is yours, and you are the Saintess. You're rich, and you can rebuild it. I know..."
Hugh felt both helpless and amused as he watched Aisha’s reproachful yet slightly coquettish tantrum.
Seeing Hugh sit down on the steps of the Temple, Aisha looked at the porcelain in her hand, curled her lip, and set it aside.
She took a few steps and sat down on the steps as well.
It was currently midday, and the Temple of Sand faced the west. A beam of intense sunlight shone through the half-open gates into the hall, perfectly dividing the Temple in two.
It was as if a natural chasm had fallen between them, splitting the two into light and shadow.
Though they were not far apart, it felt as if they were separated by two different worlds.
Neither of them spoke. They simply sat quietly in the hall, listening to the whistling wind outside as a strange atmosphere gradually filled the air.
It felt like warmth, and it felt like reliance.
Neither spoke. A smile remained on Hugh's face, a genuinely relaxed expression.
In the darkness, Aisha pouted like an angry young wife, but the ease in her brow betrayed her current mood.
For a long time, as if unwilling to disturb this atmosphere, neither of them said a word.
However, this atmosphere was fleeting.
"What did you come here for?"
After about half an hour of silence, perhaps because her anger had faded, Aisha finally asked.
"I knew you would be angry and feared you would tear the Temple down. Does that count as a reason?"
"...It counts."
Aisha curled her lip and turned her gaze to the other side, though she secretly stole a glance back at Hugh.
Hugh looked out toward the lush green oasis beyond the Temple and asked with a smile.
"Does the deal with the Saintess of the Moon still stand?"
"Why wouldn't it? If it didn't, wouldn't we be outdone by the other five nations?"
"Heh... I thought you would refuse this trade."
"Who do you take me for? I am the Saintess! I may throw a tantrum, but this is a good thing for the country and the people. Do you think I would let my personal feelings get in the way?"
Hugh looked back at the pouting Aisha, a doting smile flashing across his face.
"Then... should we play any tricks?"
"No!"
"Are you really willing to swallow your pride? It has been a thousand years since the first Pope, who could contract a document tablet, appeared. You swore before the god to never marry for the sake of these document tablets, didn't you? Now you're watching someone else take them. Can you really stand it? I don't believe you."
"I am the Saintess of Sand! I'll say it again, Hugh. As the Saintess, I must think of the people of the Kingdom of Sand. No matter how much I might envy talent, I will not play tricks on something like this."
At this point, a smile suddenly played across Aisha's lips.
"However... the trade will proceed normally, but this Saintess of the Moon has so blatantly left the Pope hanging. I imagine His Holiness is already smashing things by now, isn't he?"
Hugh couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this.
"Aren't you doing the same?"
"It's not the same!! I'm just throwing a tantrum, but that Pope will definitely not let this matter go so easily. Tell me, if I suggest that the Saintess of the Moon deliver the document tablets to the Holy See, how do you think His Holiness would handle it?"
Hugh looked at his Saintess, whose lips were curled in a devious smile, and understood that she was already plotting something.
"Do as you wish. I won't get involved in that, but if you need it, the eighty million citizens of the Kingdom of Sand will always stand behind you. You only need to remember that."
Hugh stood up with a smile and patted his royal robe, which was embroidered with gold thread.
"What are you doing?"
Aisha suddenly turned and stared at Hugh, asking nervously.
"I just came to confirm if the Temple had been torn down. Now that I see you've calmed down, I naturally have to return to handle administrative affairs. I am not like a certain Saintess who is so idle. I have many matters waiting for my personal attention."
As he spoke, Hugh prepared to walk out.
"Wait a moment! Sit... sit with me for a while longer!"
Hugh's footsteps paused. With a doting smile, he sat back down in his original spot.
"Alright."
Tranquility returned to the hall as the man and woman sat on opposite sides of the steps below the divine statue, enjoying a rare moment of peace.
...
In the neighboring Snow Country—within the Frozen City.
The bitter wind howled across the land. The capital of the Snow Country, covered in eternal snow, remained as unchanged as ever.
"I never expected the one chosen after a thousand years would be the Saintess of the Moon. Truly... interesting."
Broderick Swifteve, the King of the Snow Country, sat upon his throne, looking over all the information he held regarding the Saintess of the Moon, Luo Li Saint Sariel.
It even included some rather private details.
"Yes... no one would have thought that a girl of only sixteen, who has been a Saintess for only a year, would be chosen by the god."
Elizabeth Saint Raguel, wearing a heavy white Saintess's robe, sat beside the throne.
The two sat side by side in nearly equal positions.
"Elizabeth, how do you think we should face the Kingdom of the Moon from now on?"
"In my opinion, we should naturally offer full support. However, you must still make the final decision. After all... you are the King of this nation."
"You have a better grasp of these matters than I do. Since you say so, we shall do it. Should we open up some tax-exempt supplies now? That would surely strengthen our ties with the Kingdom of the Moon."
"Let's not make any moves just yet."
Elizabeth shook her head.
As a Saintess, she could choose to marry or not. No nation could control a Saintess's marriage.
In the Snow Country, the marriage between the King and the Saintess had almost become a tradition over the last thousand years.
The two had been married for twenty years already.
Broderick's face appeared slightly pale. As if feeling the cold, he pulled his heavy robe tighter around himself.
"Your Majesty, it is time for your medicine..."
Elizabeth looked at her husband with heartache. The severe wound he had received over a decade ago had now become a shadow looming over the Snow Country.
The Snow Country bordered the Beastmen Empire, and the previous Emperor of the Beastmen Empire was just as ambitious as the current Pope.
He had even gone as far as starting a war, and the first nation to endure that war was the Snow Country.
Years ago, Broderick had taken to the field himself to face the Beastmen Emperor. Although he had heavily wounded the Emperor, he himself had been afflicted by the Curse of the God of War.
"I'm sorry... for making you worry."
Broderick pulled his lips into a smile. The Curse of the God of War caused his physical condition to deteriorate day by day. It was minor at first, but as time passed, his body had weakened significantly.
His strength, which could once rival a Guardian Knight, was now inferior to even a Fidelity Knight.
"As Your Majesty's Queen and the Saintess of the Snow Country, what is there for me to be sorry about when I worry for you?"
Elizabeth gently picked up the medicine bowl and fed Broderick.
Broderick did not refuse his wife's service. After drinking the medicine, he looked back at the detailed information on the Saintess of the Moon.
One entry suddenly caught his attention.
"This Saintess of the Moon... can actually regenerate severed limbs?"
"Regenerate severed limbs? How is that possible?"
Elizabeth was stunned. She quickly took the documents from Broderick's hand and examined them carefully, her face full of disbelief.
As her eyes swept over the data, Elizabeth's expression gradually became grave.
"Someone, come! Prepare the carriage for the communication room. I must speak with the Saintess of the Moon immediately!"
Suddenly, Elizabeth put down the documents, a flash of urgency appearing on her face.
"Elizabeth, you couldn't be thinking..."
"Your Majesty, things are already like this. Whatever can be tried, must be tried!"
"Alright... since you insist, there is no harm in trying. However, it is already night. Why not wait until tomorrow? I imagine the Saintess of the Moon has already retired for the evening."
"You need not worry about this."
Elizabeth remained firm in her resolve.
Broderick could only smile helplessly, letting his wife do as she pleased.
...
Unaware that she was being thought of by so many people, Luo Li sat expressionless on her divine bed, facing Lola.
Opposite Luo Li, Lola pushed up her glasses, staring back at the Saintess with an equally expressionless gaze.
The two stared at each other for a long time until suddenly...
"Ah! I'm done playing! You're cheating! You're wearing glasses, so your eyes don't get dry at all!"
Luo Li collapsed onto the divine bed with a thud, rubbing her red and itchy eyes with a look of grievance.
Lola gently pushed up her glasses, blinking her slightly dry eyes.
"Since Your Highness has lost, you must stay in the Temple tomorrow. You are not allowed to go out. As the Saintess, a word spoken is a word kept. You cannot go back on your promise."
"I won't, I won't! Hmph! So what if I don't go out? I just won't go out..."
Looking at her aggrieved Saintess collapsed on the bed, Lola sighed helplessly.
It was the Saintess herself who had proposed the staring contest to decide whether she could go out tomorrow.
Now that she had lost, she actually felt wronged.
Lola suddenly felt that life was difficult.
"Your Highness, you are different from the other Saintesses. You are both a Saintess and a ruler. You cannot let everything be dictated by your whims. Although inspecting your territory is official business..."
Just as Lola said this, Luo Li jumped up from the bed like she had been electrocuted. Her bright eyes sparkled as she looked at Lola, like a little bird hoping to fly freely tomorrow.
"HOWEVER!"
Seeing her like this, Lola had to sharpen her tone to warn her Saintess not to act like a child.
As if anticipating the next words, the hopeful smile on the Saintess's face vanished instantly.
"Inspecting the territory is a task that can generally be handled by subordinates. You are a ruler, and naturally, you must sit upon your throne. You are a Saintess, and likewise, you must sit upon your divine bed. You cannot simply act on every impulse, otherwise, what future is there for the Kingdom of the Moon?"
"Fine, fine... I won't go out then."
She understood the logic, but how could a canary kept in a cage for years understand how much heartache lay behind the majestic power of an eagle that seemed to dominate the world?
"Your Highness, the issue of funding has been resolved. As for what to do next, it still requires your decision."
"The next step? I'd love to take the next step immediately, but there's no news from Anton, so there's nothing I can do. To develop further, the primary issue must be transportation."
Although the funding problem was solved, as the upcoming reinforcements from other nations would naturally bring enough funds and supplies to exchange for the document tablet replicas in her hands.
Money was in place, but if the technology wasn't there, it still wouldn't work.
She pondered for a moment and took a deep breath, suppressing the slight grievance in her heart.
When discussing official business, she had to think rationally.
Now they had money and land. The upcoming Decree of Distribution of Grace would naturally split the cohesion among the various nobles, breaking their unity from within.
These things were moving in the direction she wanted.
Power would gradually be consolidated. Even if those nobles resisted, they would be nothing more than a small wave in the face of the overwhelming tide, unable to cause any real trouble.
But even with everything in place, the only thing still missing was talent!
To solve the issue of talent, the five thousand years of history from Cathay naturally provided her with a unique method.
Soon, three words flashed through her mind.
Straightening her expression, she sat upright on the divine bed and looked down at Lola.
"Lola, issue a Recruitment Order to the world."
"A... Recruitment Order?"
Lola was stunned. She had never heard such a term before and didn't know what it meant for a moment.
Although she was exceptionally brilliant, she was still clueless about things that had never happened before.
"All who believe they possess talent may come to my Brilliant City. Any skill, so long as it serves the kingdom and its people, shall be rewarded with a Title, peerage, and an official position. Whether rich or poor, noble or base—from slaves and beggars to dukes and royalty—regardless of race or gender, all may register."
Lola couldn't help but show an expression of astonishment as she listened.
Throughout history, there had never been a similar Recruitment Order. This couldn't help but make Lola even more curious about the Saintess before her.
She even felt an urge to unscrew her Saintess's skull to see what was different inside.
How did this Saintess always come up with such whimsical yet perfectly reasonable ideas?
Lola understood that once this Recruitment Order was issued, the dukes and royalty might not take it too seriously, but the slaves, beggars, and ordinary craftsmen below would surely flock to them!
Furthermore, while the dukes and nobles might not care about peerage, official positions, wealth, or fame, there was one thing they could not refuse.
And that was a Title!
"Lola, begin the production of document tablets immediately. At least one thousand of them!"
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