"This is indeed a massive sum."
Lola looked at the Saintess before her, whose eyes were practically sparkling with the light of stars, and her mind began to race.
What could this money be used for?
Infrastructure?
Pensions and social welfare?
Or perhaps military rearmament?
On the other hand, although she had long known how wealthy the Eight Nations of the Holy Church were, seeing it firsthand was still an immense shock.
"Lola, excluding the cash, what is the total value of the physical resources?"
Luo Li's excitement came and went quickly. Although she was happy, she placed more importance on the actual materials.
Compared to 'money', which was a somewhat abstract value, she cared more about these tangible assets.
"Excluding the gold, the total resources are worth approximately three hundred million gold coins. The most significant items include rare minerals from Snow Country, airship technology and wyvern hatchlings from the Kingdom of Sand, armaments and weapons from the Kingdom of War, tax exemption policies from the Kingdom of the Sea, fine crafts and mage tools from the Kingdom of Flame, and finally, warships and a portion of maritime territory from the Kingdom of the Sun."
Lola was like a living calculator. She simply pushed up her glasses and, after a brief ten-second pause, recited every single resource that had been glossed over earlier as if she were counting her own family treasures, even providing the equivalent value for most of them.
With just those sixty-three document tablets, they had acquired resources and money worth a total of five trillion!
The sheer scale of this wealth left Luo Li's mind blank for a moment.
They were... truly rich.
She had been struggling to manage an annual national tax of fifty billion, yet the other six nations could casually pull together something worth over five trillion!
This wasn't just a lead; it was a total landslide!
As expected, the Kingdom of the Moon had been poor for far too long.
But now that they had money, some of the plans she had previously considered should be put into motion.
Suddenly remembering something, she couldn't help but ask a question.
"Lola, regarding what I asked you to calculate last time... if the nobles didn't interfere with the fiefs, what would our country's normal annual tax revenue be?"
"...Your Highness, are you sure you want to hear it?"
Lola pushed her glasses up, suspecting that her answer might cause the money-hungry Saintess to go berserk.
"Of course!"
At a time like this, Luo Li was naturally not joking. Everything concerning the Kingdom of the Moon had to be handled with extreme caution. This was a country already rotten to its core, currently facing both internal strife and external threats, with its strongest ally potentially turning on them at any moment.
Therefore, every step she took had to be carefully considered!
Lola frowned slightly, a rare sight, and carefully reported the information she had gathered from Baker.
"Your Highness, if those nobles did not interfere, our country's annual tax revenue should be approximately... eighty million gold coins."
"How... how much?"
Doubting whether there was something wrong with her ears, Luo Li looked up at Lola in a daze.
"Eighty million... gold coins."
Eighty million... gold coins?!
That was eight hundred billion?
"Yes. Furthermore, this does not include additional income from certain commercial sectors and the slave trade."
Lola's voice turned slightly somber.
"The territory of our Kingdom of the Moon ranks among the best within the Eight Nations of the Holy Church, second only to the Kingdom of Sand and the Kingdom of the Sun. However, unlike those two, the vast majority of our land is suitable for habitation. Our southern region has a developed grain industry, the north is rich in natural resources, the west has a flourishing mining industry, and the east is strong in fishing."
"Your Highness, please look. This is a map of the Eight Nations of the Holy Church."
Lola seemed to have prepared the map long ago. With a flick of her sleeve, she pulled out a scroll and spread it out before Luo Li.
Based on different markers, the map showed eight nations occupying the eastern region of the continent, with the rest left unmarked.
Lola pointed to a spot in the lower right of the map, her finger tracing the border of the Holy See and extending outward. The Kingdom of the Sun did not occupy much land on the continent; it was like a finger sliding to the coastline and then extending across the ocean to a point about three hundred kilometers away.
There was a massive island there, even larger than the territory of the Kingdom of the Moon.
Calling it an island was an understatement—it was practically a continent, though it was divided into four parts.
"The four islands of the Kingdom of the Sun are here. However, most of the land there is unsuitable for farming. While their mining is advanced, they must purchase large quantities of grain and vegetables from the Kingdom of Flame and our country every year. Their population is also quite sparse, with only about one hundred and fifty million people."
The reason the Kingdom of the Sun was considered to be in the southeast relative to the Kingdom of the Moon was that its capital was overseas, while the Kingdom of the Moon occupied two vast regions to the east and northeast of the Holy See.
Soon, Lola's fingertip moved to the upper left corner of the map.
"The Kingdom of Sand is located here. The vast majority of it is desert, with only a few fixed oases suitable for human habitation. Among the Eight Nations of the Holy Church, the Kingdom of Sand has the smallest population, with only about eighty million people. However, its commerce is extremely developed, earning it the title of the Desert Commercial Capital. To its southeast is the Holy See, to its south is the Kingdom of the Highlands, to its northeast is Snow Country, to its north is the Beastmen Empire, to its west is the Gnome Kingdom, and to its northwest is the Dwarven Kingdom. Its transportation network is exceptionally well-developed."
"The Kingdom of the Highlands is located directly west of the Holy See. Because it is constantly in conflict with the dwarves, both its agriculture and commerce are relatively backward, but its livestock industry is very developed. Its people are bellicose, serving as the Holy See's western fortress."
Recalling Lina, the Saintess of War, it seemed the Kingdom of the Highlands was indeed a very martial nation.
Lola then pointed to the north of the map.
"This area is a stretch of continuous mountains. Using the mountains as a dividing line, to the north is Snow Country, and to the northeast is our Kingdom of the Moon. There is only a narrow frozen corridor connecting the two countries. Snow Country is covered in ice and snow year-round, making its livestock and farming industries very poor. However, its mineral resources are excellent, most of which are underground. It also borders the Beastmen Empire further north, so it frequently engages in trade with them to buy grain and meat."
"The Kingdom of the Sea is located northwest of the Holy See. Similar to the Kingdom of the Sun, almost all of its territory is on the ocean. However, it is not composed of large islands but rather many small islands connected to one other. Furthermore, the Kingdom of the Sea is the only nation bordering the elven forest. The sea race also frequently trades with them. It is said that their merchant ships have already sailed to overseas lands, making them the undisputed Maritime Commercial Capital."
"The Kingdom of Flame is located directly south of the Holy See, adjacent to the Kingdom of the Sun to the southeast and the Kingdom of the Sea to the northwest. Most of its regions are extremely hot with complex rainforest terrain. It has a large population and is very suitable for farming."
Lola seemed to have come prepared, wanting Luo Li to understand more about the Eight Nations of the Holy Church. Even though Luo Li hadn't asked, she provided a detailed introduction to the geographical locations, specialties, and characteristics of the eight nations.
It appeared that each of the Eight Nations of the Holy Church was more unique than the last, and every country had its own specialties and strengths.
Sensing Luo Li's thoughts, Lola pushed up her glasses.
"Perhaps Your Highness feels that each of the Eight Nations of the Holy Church is so unique that they are difficult to rival, but you still underestimate our Kingdom of the Moon."
Lola's next sentence was filled with pride.
"Our Kingdom of the Moon occupies the most fertile region of the continent. While other nations have many areas unsuitable for habitation, over ninety percent of the Kingdom of the Moon is habitable. Furthermore, our resources are incredibly abundant. Your Highness... as long as you can focus on administrative affairs, I believe that sooner or later, our Kingdom of the Moon will truly become the Kingdom of Brilliance!"
It was just as she had thought before; the Kingdom of the Moon was indeed a country with an excellent geographical location. Not only was its territory large, but it was also situated perfectly in the habitable zone with distinct seasons and a pleasant climate. Natural disasters like ocean storms rarely made landfall, and it was rich in resources with a simple, honest populace.
One could say that among the Eight Nations of the Holy Church, no country had a better foundation than the Kingdom of the Moon.
Even the Holy See fell far short of the Kingdom of the Moon's territorial advantages.
"But... with such a good territory, why was it all placed within the borders of the Kingdom of the Moon?"
Studying the map with doubt, she had to admit that the Moon Kingdom's foundation was almost too good to be true. How had the original Holy See divided the territories of the various nations back then?
"Your Highness, the reason the first Pope divided the territory this way was primarily because our Kingdom of the Moon is the region directly facing the brunt of the demon race's assaults. To ensure the Kingdom of the Moon had enough national strength to resist the demons, it was not only given the best land but is also the only one among the seven nations whose tribute is the lowest and fixed."
"What... what does that mean?"
"Your Highness, the first Pope signed a contract using a document tablet, stipulating that taxes would never be increased for the Kingdom of the Moon. Therefore, our country's annual tribute to the Holy See is only three hundred thousand gold coins."
"As for the other six nations, the one with the lowest tribute is the Kingdom of the Highlands, but even they must provide at least ten million gold coins and five million gold coins worth of various resources every year."
Holy crap!
No wonder Pope Diocletian was so generous, claiming that all the military supplies, consumption, and rewards for this expedition would come from his pocket.
It turned out he was that rich?
From just one nation, the annual tribute exceeded fifteen million, and that was the lowest one.
That meant... even if the Holy See did nothing and its citizens didn't work, the tributes from the other nations alone were enough to support the entire Holy See!
Meanwhile, the Kingdom of the Moon only had to pay three hundred thousand gold coins a year, which wasn't even as much as the spare change from the other nations.
"If the Pope goes back on his word and tries to increase the tribute of the Kingdom of the Moon, the Pope's document tablet will shatter. When that happens... the title of Pope will be stripped away."
Luo Li had learned that Titles in this world were the most difficult things to obtain. The reason they were so rare was that very few people could form a contract with a document tablet; one might not appear for centuries.
Since the first Pope who established the Eight Nations of the Holy Church and contracted the document tablets, she was the second person to do so in nearly a thousand years!
The empowerment of a Title could increase a person's total attributes and various skill effects by several times, or even dozens of times!
At the same level, a person with a Title could crush someone without one!
It was a literal difference in the size of one's fist.
Once a Title vanished, it meant the Pope would no longer have the strength to stay at the top.
Even a level sixty Saintess with a Title could face a level seventy Pope without one in a direct confrontation.
Before the founding of the Holy See, many document tablets had been destroyed due to the demon race's rampages.
Those that remained were mostly fragmented and could not exert their full effects.
Not to mention systematic Titles.
These systematic Titles provided attribute-stacking effects from the bottom up. Although the stack was small each time, the cumulative effect at the top was terrifying.
For example, the Diligent Knight Title only boosted one's attributes by about ten percent.
However, the next Title, Hope Knight, provided a thirty percent boost to one's attributes.
If the person who obtained the Hope Knight Title had previously served as a Diligent Knight and the Title had not been revoked...
Then the attributes of that Title would stack, reaching forty percent!
By the time one reached Fidelity Knight, the attribute bonus was fifty percent. Adding the previous Titles that hadn't been stripped, the bonus instantly doubled to ninety percent!
After crossing the level thirty watershed of Fidelity Knight, the Brave Knight Title increased attributes by one hundred percent, and skill effects began to show unique characteristics.
The Guardian Knight's attribute increase was two hundred percent. When stacked with the ten percent from Diligent Knight, thirty percent from Hope Knight, fifty percent from Fidelity Knight, and one hundred percent from Brave Knight...
The total attributes increased by three hundred and ninety percent, and skill effects underwent significant changes.
If there was no such stacking, then even a Guardian Knight would only have a two hundred percent increase. Compared to the stacked three hundred and ninety percent, the difference was nearly double!
From what she currently understood...
A level ten Title added ten percent.
A level twenty Title added thirty percent.
A level thirty Title added fifty percent.
A level forty Title added one hundred percent.
A level fifty Title added two hundred percent.
A level sixty Title added three hundred percent.
A level seventy Title added seven hundred percent.
In other words, if a person upgraded all the way from the lowest Diligent Knight to the highest Sacred Knight...
Their attributes would be their base attributes plus (10+30+50+100+200+300+700 = 1390) percent.
It essentially increased their attributes by fifteen times!
In contrast, a top-tier Sacred Knight without these systematic stacking Titles would only have their base attributes plus a seven hundred percent increase, which was only eight times.
No wonder... no wonder Zuka was crushed when facing the Sacred Knight Julius. Even though their levels were similar—and the level of Hilda, whom Julius was possessing, was even lower—Julius still possessed overwhelming strength.
With so many attributes stacked together, there was simply no chance for a comeback.
Such terrifying attribute stacking, accumulating from small amounts, was enough to form a crushing advantage.
From this perspective, it was clear why Sacred Knights were called the strongest of humanity.
A level seventy top-tier powerhouse with fifteen times their base attributes and skill effects enhanced several times over...
Who could withstand that?
She just didn't know what kind of effects the Titles would have on her.
Logically, the Saintess Title couldn't be stacked because it didn't change.
Even at level seventy, the Titles would still be Saintess of the Moon and Saintess of Brilliance.
However, all of that would have to wait until she reached level ten.
And now, it was time to consider... spending money~
Rate on N.U.
