Resolution

The first thing I did after waking up was task Lola with investigating Ligeia and keeping an ear out for the movements of the nobility.

Unfortunately, not enough time had passed, and the nobles were likely still formulating their plans.

The third son of the Rowan family was still being held at the Alvin family estate.

In the Campbell and Howard families—two minor houses under the Garnet and Dressas banners—negative rumors about me were still circulating.

To my surprise, however, many of the commoners didn't believe them.

The reason was simple: I had led five thousand knights and twenty thousand soldiers to sweep through a hundred thousand elite demon troops despite being outnumbered.

In this era where magic existed, news traveled far faster than it did in a typical feudal society.

Once the word spread across the land, those unfavorable rumors suddenly seemed ridiculous.

Think about it.

How could a Saintess capable of leading twenty-five thousand men to crush a demon army of a hundred thousand be so easily seduced or controlled by those same demons?

While there wasn't much logic to be argued, the negative news regarding the Saintess had been suppressed to its lowest point among the lower classes.

No wonder the great powers of my old world always liked to use military victories to divert attention from internal conflicts.

A brilliant victory could indeed bring confidence to a nation's people.

At the same time, it could mitigate many negative influences.

In the territories of the Campbell and Howard families, the local people stopped believing the slander as soon as the news of the victory arrived.

As long as my political performance remained solid in the short term, this positive influence would last for a long time.

On the other hand, even though the Rowan family's favorite third son was being detained by the Alvin family, there had been no movement or specific information from them lately.

It felt like the silence before a storm.

Like a bowstring pulled taut, the apparent calm hid a surging tide beneath.

The Rowan family's counterattack would likely launch soon, and I wondered if the Cavendish family could withstand the blow.

As for Erak's death, there were still no clues.

The fact that the culprits dared to return Erak's body to his residence proved they were confident in their ability to hide their tracks.

Even if I poured every resource into the investigation, I might not find anything.

However, I still had to go through the motions.

I had to at least show that I was currently in a state of fury, desperate for an outlet to vent.

I assumed that was exactly what the enemy wanted to see.

What they didn't know was that I had directed Lola to shift the focus of the investigation from Erak back to Martha and Cyrus.

Rather than searching for clues from an insignificant person, it was better to watch these two individuals who were already in the spotlight.

No matter how well they hid, they were bound to leave some traces.

The knights scattered across the various territories were still on their way, and it would likely take at least a month or so for them all to gather.

"Lola, recruit some beggars and laborers to build two military camps twenty miles southeast and northeast of the city. Choose locations downstream of the Brilliant City waters. You calculate the wages. Each camp must be sufficient to house and feed five thousand knights and twenty-five thousand soldiers. Also, find a flat area west of the city to build a residential district for the families of ten thousand knights and fifty thousand soldiers."

"Is Your Highness preparing for the ten thousand knights and fifty thousand soldiers who are about to gather?"

"Yes. Keep the families and the barracks separate. In the future, these sixty thousand men will be stationed outside the city, rotating in shifts to handle city defense."

Furthermore, I wanted these two camps to act as towers, forming a pincer formation with Brilliant City. That way, even if the demon army invaded again, we could mount an effective counterattack.

"Your Highness, constructing such facilities will not be cheap. It will be difficult to establish even with ten thousand gold coins..."

"It doesn't matter. Spend whatever is necessary. By the way, do you know what asphalt is?"

If I wanted to pave solid roads, asphalt was indispensable.

"As...phalt? Is that a substance? Or something to eat?"

"Er... it's a building material. Black, viscous, and exceptionally durable."

"I apologize, Your Highness. I do not have any knowledge regarding that."

Lola pondered for a moment before shaking her head slightly, a hint of disappointment on her face as if not knowing the answer made her feel useless.

"It's fine. Have Camilla come over. She's an alchemist, so she might know about it."

"Understood."

Lola nodded and pushed up her glasses, her mind already racing to identify the substance I mentioned. Unfortunately, while she was well-versed in major affairs, she rarely encountered such specific materials.

"Have the knights and soldiers from the Kingdom of the Sun arrived today?"

"Yes, Your Highness. According to the latest reports, the reinforcements consisting of thirty thousand knights and a hundred thousand infantry entered our borders early this morning. They are heading toward Brilliant City and are expected to arrive in about a month. The naval forces are expected to reach Moon Port in ten days."

"Which noble's territory did they enter through?"

"The Garnet family's territory, Your Highness."

"Good. Instruct the Garnet family that they must not mistreat the soldiers of the Kingdom of the Sun. All expenses will be covered by Brilliant City."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Oh, and I want to speak with the commander of the Kingdom of the Sun's forces. Arrange that for me."

"As you command."

"The slave registry is in your hands now. Has the money from the Cavendish family arrived? What is the current market price for slaves in Brilliant City?"

The registry I held recorded approximately twenty million slaves.

If I took a five percent commission, I needed to know the market price to see how much I would make.

"Your Highness, the price for an adult male is twenty silver coins. The price for adult females varies greatly, ranging from ten silver coins to one gold coin. Some special slaves can cost even more. As far as I know, the largest transaction this year involved the princess of the Sillman Kingdom, a small southern nation that was destroyed. She was sold in Brilliant City with a starting bid of one hundred gold coins and a final price of... I believe it was seven thousand three hundred gold coins. However, on average, a slave goes for about fifteen silver coins."

Seven... seven thousand three hundred?

In terms of purchasing power, that was seventy-three million!

For just one woman?

Did these nobles really have so much money that they didn't know how to spend it?

If I took the commission I mentioned, that would be three hundred and sixty-five gold coins—three point sixty-five million in purchasing power!

This... this was truly an explosive business model.

From the looks of it, this harvest wouldn't be small at all.

Wait, an average of fifteen silver coins per slave means about one thousand five hundred per person.

A five percent tax would be about seventy-five.

The issue was... there were over twenty million slaves in total!

Twenty million times seventy-five!

That was one point five billion!

In other words, one hundred and fifty thousand gold coins?

And that was from less than a quarter of the slaves, not even counting the income from the slave collars.

If everything was tallied, the total value would likely exceed two billion, making the total price at least eight billion!

A mere five percent commission on the slave trade would bring in eight hundred thousand gold coins.

How much profit were the people actually buying and selling these slaves making?

"Lola... do you know the approximate cost of a slave?"

I asked, somewhat incredulous, because I felt there was a massive profit margin involved.

"Your Highness, slaves who sell themselves generally aren't that cheap. Even if they are cheaper than the market rate, the difference isn't huge. However, war slaves are different. Generally, a captured soldier costs only about one silver coin."

Holy crap!

So it really was a business with virtually no overhead and infinite profit?

Buying a soldier for one silver and selling him for twenty!

A twenty-fold profit... no wonder so many families built their fortunes on this industry.

However, I felt like I had heard something very important.

"Wait a moment, Lola. You just said... sell themselves?"

"Yes, Your Highness. In our country and other nations of the Holy Church, some people who can no longer survive due to extreme poverty will sell themselves. Most, however, sell their children. Generally, a child around fourteen years old sells for about ten silver coins."

What the hell... what was this?

You can sell a child for a thousand bucks?

Is this what life in a real feudal society is like?

A thousand dollars!

Selling a child!!

In my old world, this was something almost unimaginable!

But I could tell from Lola's expression that she wasn't lying. She spoke as if it were a perfectly normal occurrence.

"Lola... does this happen in my Brilliant City as well?"

"...Your Highness, though I know you do not wish to hear such news, I must tell you that it does happen in Brilliant City. And..."

"And what!?"

"The numbers are not small."

I... I had a sudden urge to smash everything to pieces!

Are these people crazy?

Selling their own children for a thousand bucks?

Horrifying!

Absolutely horrifying!!!

"Why... why is it like this?"

I stumbled back a step and collapsed onto my divine bed.

In this glamorous and bright Brilliant City, such things were actually happening!

It felt like a heavy hammer had slammed into my chest, making it hard to breathe for a moment.

"Your Highness, although our country is relatively prosperous, most of the food the people buy must be imported. The price difference means many ordinary people can barely manage to stay fed. Selling children naturally becomes a way to survive."

Is that so?

Yes...

At least this way, the rest of the family could live.

To me, a thousand silver coins was nothing; I already had over eight hundred thousand gold coins in the vault.

But for an average family, living on one gold coin for a year was common knowledge.

Once the family income dropped, or if there was illness or disaster, a family already living on the edge would suddenly find their expenses exceeding their income.

Besides selling their children, what other way out was there?

"I understand... say no more."

If she continued, I doubted my mind could withstand the interrogation of my conscience.

In my own territory, in this very city, such things were still happening!

This also indirectly showed how massive the wealth gap was in this era.

The people at the bottom could barely stay fed and could not withstand any natural or man-made disasters.

The middle class was dripping with wealth.

And the upper class consisted of beings the lower class couldn't even dream of looking up to.

The middle class were like officials or those who served the nobility.

And the upper class, without a doubt, were the nobles.

Behind the vermilion gates, meat and wine rot, while on the road, the bones of the frozen lie cold.

At this moment, I clearly understood that this saying was not an exaggeration; the reality was even more cruel than the words!

Changing this situation wouldn't happen overnight.

But... if I could start building roads and use my money to buy grain for these people, as long as they worked, they would have food to eat and clothes to wear.

If I did that, the instances of people selling their children would surely decrease.

To bring these people back to life, I first had to bring Brilliant City back to life!

To bring Brilliant City back to life... road construction had to start immediately!

And road construction would allow them to live.

It was a virtuous cycle, and the start of this cycle was money!

"Lola, I want to see Camilla immediately. Also, urge Mr. Anton to develop the steam engine as quickly as possible. Furthermore, we already have the technology for airships, so start building the shipyards immediately. At the same time, buy ten airships from the Kingdom of Sand for transport. No matter what, I will completely eliminate this phenomenon!"

"Your Highness, I communicated with the Kingdom of Sand early this morning, and they are willing to sell ten airships at cost. Also, Mr. Anton had a research meeting with the Kingdom of the Sea this morning. I expect a finished steam engine will be presented to you very soon."

"I have already approved two hundred thousand gold coins for the shipyards to renovate the West District. Construction should be completed within three months."

"Approve another two hundred thousand. Hire more laborers. I want to see the shipyard's infrastructure completed within a month!"

"Yes, Your Highness."

Now that I had money, I wasn't afraid to spend it. Forty billion was nothing; I'd throw it away just to see a splash!

But... wait a minute!

Lola had already communicated with the Kingdom of Sand and the Kingdom of the Sea first thing this morning?

Does that mean everything I wanted to do had been anticipated by her?

No... it wasn't that she anticipated it. It was that she had deliberately guided me toward this path?

I glanced at Lola, seeing her expressionless face.

This person was too smart—so smart it was frightening.

"Lola, in the future, just report such things directly. Don't beat around the bush like this."

"Your Highness, some things are better said indirectly. At the very least, this way, it proves your wise decisiveness."

So your ideas are the wise ones, and I just have to follow them, huh?

"Fine. You know what to do from now on. Just report these things directly."

"I only wanted Your Highness to understand the current state of the people's livelihood."

"Yes, you did the right thing. Keep working hard, Lola. As long as your heart is with the Kingdom of the Moon and its people, I will tolerate whatever you do. Even if you make some decisions in advance, it won't be a problem. Do you understand?"

"...Thank you for your trust, Your Highness."

Lola was silent for a moment before kneeling on one knee.

"Rise."

Watching Lola stand up, Luo Li closed her eyes and leaned back against the divine bed to rest for a moment.

After a while, she finally recovered from the shock.

She stood up.

Livelihoods had to be restored, Brilliant City had to rise, the nobility had to be suppressed, and the demons had to be killed. But among all that, there was another very important matter.

That was her own strength... she couldn't let it stagnate!

It was also time to find a way to increase her level.

One day, I will make these tragic scenes disappear from my Kingdom of the Moon forever!