The Recruitment Order

"Hey, have you heard!"

"Heard what?"

"The Recruitment Order! Don't tell me you haven't heard of it?"

"The... what?"

"Recruitment! It is for those with outstanding talent. They say that in Brilliant City, regardless of race, gender, or status, as long as you have a skill, you can go and register."

"You guys are still far too naive. Am I talking about the Recruitment Order? I am talking about the document tablets! They say the new Saintess of the Moon has received God's favor and already possesses twenty-one original document tablets across three types of the seventh rank."

"What!?"

"Document tablets!?"

Twin-Wing City, one of the ten major cities of the Kingdom of the Moon.

Located on the shores of the vast Lake of Angel's Tears, it was a quite prosperous city in the southwest of the Kingdom of the Moon.

Not only was it rich in minerals, but it also had dense forests and complex terrain where demonized beasts frequently appeared, making it a paradise for adventurers.

Many precious ores could be found there.

Inside a bar in Twin-Wing City, people were discussing this very matter.

It could be said that since the news of the Recruitment Order and the document tablets broke, there was nowhere in the entire Kingdom of the Moon that was not talking about it.

This also stirred the hearts of countless ambitious people!

As the group at the table talked excitedly, a person suddenly walked up and asked:

"Is what you say true?"

The group turned to look at the newcomer, sizing him up.

His attire was somewhat strange. Despite the pleasant climate by the Lake of Angel's Tears, he wore a heavy long robe.

On his back was a giant cross, the size of which was significantly taller than the man himself.

Standing at least 1.8 meters tall, the cross reached a height of at least 2.5 meters.

It was thick and heavy, looking like a massive stone slab.

The exterior was encased in an unknown metal, resembling a box, yet it was filled with cracks everywhere.

"Of course it is true."

They exchanged glances and realized almost instantly that this man was not to be trifled with.

The giant cross on his back had to weigh at least several hundred pounds, yet he carried it without the slightest sign of strain, revealing his extraordinary strength at a glance.

Those who survived in this era often had keen eyes and strong abilities. Seeing the man was formidable, they naturally did not respond with hostility.

However... there were always those with poor judgment.

With a 'bang,' the two doors of the bar were kicked open, and a group of people swarmed in.

The leader spotted the eye-catching cross immediately.

"That's him! Damn it! You dared to interrupt my move on that girl! Beat him!!"

With a wave of his hand, the dozens of men he brought rushed forward at once.

The sound of bones snapping and constant screams echoed through the bar.

The chaos lasted for about three minutes.

When the last person was kicked out of the bar just as violently as they had entered, the commotion... finally settled.

The man walked out the door, holding the giant cross case with one hand, looking expressionlessly at the man wailing in pain on the ground.

The man on the ground clutched his stomach and pointed a finger at him.

"You... who the hell are you? Dare you tell me your name? I'll make sure you never leave Twin-Wing City!"

"You don't even have the qualification to make me draw my sword. Trash doesn't deserve to know my name."

The man calmly slung the iron cross case back onto his shoulders and tossed a silver coin behind him.

"For the drinks."

With those words, his figure headed toward the end of the street.

He disappeared into the vast crowd.

Meanwhile, in Double Moon City, known as the granary of the Kingdom of the Moon located in the south-central region.

A woman holding a longbow smiled and looked toward the north.

"It seems Brilliant City might have something interesting after all. Might as well go and take a look."

Similar situations were occurring all across the country.

Countless experts, ambitious individuals, those with special skills, or those simply wanting to see the spectacle.

They all set out, heading toward Brilliant City, the capital of the Kingdom of the Moon.

...

"Your Highness, Count Simmons's casket has been placed in the square."

"Understood."

After three full days of work, the rebellion was finally completely suppressed.

The small fries hiding in the shadows had all been thrown into prison, making the jails of Brilliant City rather crowded.

Just as I was preparing to lead my troops south to suppress the defiant territories, a piece of news arrived, interrupting my plans.

The body of the border's highest commander, Count Simmons, a first-class Count, had finally arrived in Brilliant City after a long journey.

I had already prepared to personally escort the casket, and now that it had arrived, I would not break my word.

In addition to the knights who fell this time, there were also those who had sacrificed themselves during the campaign against the demon army.

Hundreds of caskets were laid out in the square.

Facing the rows of caskets, some wailed loudly while others were consumed by grief.

Although many already knew of their achievements, I still had to preside over the ceremony.

I stood atop the temporary high platform.

I looked down at the crowd below.

"Everyone, thank you for coming to see them off. Lying before us are the heroes of my Kingdom of the Moon."

"With their selfless and fearless spirit, their sacrifice for righteousness, they have left behind a radiance that lights our path forward."

"First-class Count, Simmons. He held the border firmly. Even when isolated and without reinforcements, he did not abandon his responsibility to oppose the demon army, sacrificing everything for our peace."

"Knight, Jones Cres. Jamie Eddie. Martin Adams..."

A long string of names flowed from my mouth. If it weren't for Ligeia using the wind to whisper each name to me, I could never have memorized so many. I spent half an hour just reading the names.

"They did not fear danger, sacrificing themselves heroically..."

The series of eulogies were prepared in advance, but I couldn't guarantee I would remember all of them. I could only have Ligeia relay them to me, hoping she didn't get any wrong.

In any case, the process went smoothly from start to finish without any incidents. I personally escorted the caskets, seeing off these hundreds of fallen warriors.

Their tombstones had already been prepared on a hillside to the north, just outside Brilliant City.

This place would become the Martyrs' Cemetery.

Although there were some I had never even spoken to, they had undoubtedly died for me.

It didn't matter if I couldn't remember every name; at the very least, I would ensure their names were passed down forever.

In front of the cemetery, a massive stone monument was slowly erected.

Three large words were prominently carved at the top of the monument.

【Cenotaph】

Initially, I thought about placing these cenotaphs in the square, but then I realized that as the capital of the Kingdom of the Moon, its most prosperous area, and the main entrance to the Temple, it wouldn't be appropriate to have so many monuments there as more people would inevitably fall in the future.

So, I could only place the Cenotaph here.

I did not kneel. As both the Saintess and the ruler, I could not kneel here.

However, I still bowed my head deeply.

Behind me, countless knights and the citizens who had followed us all fell to their knees.

The families of the fallen martyrs wept bitterly.

For a time, the entire cemetery was filled with the lingering sounds of grief and crying.

I spent most of the day on these seemingly meaningless tasks, but I knew that after this display, the reputation of the Saintess of the Moon as a wise and virtuous ruler would spread far and wide.

No one could be indifferent to this.

As the ancients said: A man will die for the one who recognizes his worth.

For a ruler, a Saintess, to personally see them off was a supreme honor for the people of this era!

"Her Highness the Saintess's new law—the Martyrs' Law—is officially in effect as of today. Anyone who insults or bullies the families of martyrs will be held accountable. Those who embezzle the martyrs' compensation will be held accountable. Direct family members of martyrs whose fixed income falls below the level required for normal security will receive a monthly relief fund."

Though it was better than nothing, it wasn't an immense amount. However, with the large lump sum given at the time of sacrifice and a subsequent monthly subsidy ranging from fifty copper coins to two silver coins, a normal family should be able to maintain a standard life.

Even if it wasn't enough, I could find ways to help these people find suitable jobs.

Watching Bishop Lola announce this new law to the people in the square, countless citizens were moved to tears.

I had to admit, even a small favor could move them beyond words, as long as they knew that I and this country would remember them.

By the time everything was finished, it was already past four in the afternoon.

Returning to the Temple, although my body wasn't that exhausted, my spirit was drained.

"Your Highness, it seems the new law has been accepted by the people. However, as a result, the funds in the national treasury will become even more strained."

"It doesn't matter. Once the centralization of power is complete, this money will be nothing."

With the current income of the Kingdom of the Moon, it was indeed not enough. A mere five million gold coins was barely enough to maintain the army.

But according to statistics, the normal annual income of the Kingdom of the Moon should be eighty million gold coins.

Ten thousand gold coins were roughly equal to a purchasing power of one hundred million.

In other words, if all the taxes of the Kingdom of the Moon could be normally collected into the national treasury, the Kingdom of the Moon would have an annual income of at least eight hundred billion.

Even if only half of that, four hundred billion, could operate normally, it would be enough for me to pay for these things.

No matter how many families of martyrs there were, it was impossible for them to cost more than the current military maintenance.

At that time, even if I allocated half of the national treasury's tax revenue to military readiness, the remaining half—two hundred billion—would be enough for me to develop the Kingdom of the Moon.

"Lola, is there any news from Mr. Anton?"

Turning my thoughts back, those were all future matters. The important thing now was to solve the immediate problems.

Building roads was a necessity. Commerce is like blood, and roads are like the vessels. Blood without vessels cannot circulate, and vessels without blood are just dead skin.

If the nation is compared to a person, then commerce is like the blood, constantly transporting the nutrients needed by the regions. And roads... are the vessels through which this blood flows. Without the support of vessels, the blood will find it difficult to move an inch.

Therefore, building roads remained the highest priority national policy.

As the saying goes: If you want to get rich, build roads first!

"Reporting to Your Highness, Mr. Anton is still recovering from his injuries."

"Ah?"

"During the rebellion three days ago, Mr. Anton led the dwarves to assist the knights. However, he was injured while suppressing the rebellion and is now recovering at home."

"How serious is the injury?"

"It's not severe, just a minor fracture of the wrist."

"Has it been treated?"

"A priest has already performed treatment, but he still needs a short period of recuperation at this stage to avoid any lasting effects."

"Go to Mr. Anton's house immediately. I will personally heal him."

Honestly, such an important matter should have been mentioned earlier.

Lola adjusted her glasses.

"Mr. Anton told me repeatedly not to disturb Your Highness, so..."

"Enough, say no more. To Mr. Anton's house at once. I will provide the treatment personally."

"Yes."

...

"I never imagined Your Highness would come in person. I am... overwhelmed."

As soon as I entered the door, Anton, who had already received the news, was waiting at the entrance.

"Mr. Anton, please rise. I thank you for lending a hand during Brilliant City's hour of crisis. But since you were injured, why didn't you inform me?"

A hint of bashfulness appeared on Anton's slightly aged face.

"Well... it's actually not that serious."

I looked back at Lola in confusion. She adjusted her glasses and leaned in to whisper in my ear.

"Mr. Anton's injury was caused by being overly excited during the suppression. He accidentally struck the wall while swinging his hammer."

Er... alright then.

I suddenly understood why Anton was so embarrassed.

I would be the same in his shoes.

Going to help with good intentions, only to end up injuring yourself.

"Very well, Mr. Anton. Regardless of how the injury happened, you contributed to my Kingdom of the Moon. As the Saintess, I am naturally grateful. Please, show me your hand."

Anton hesitated slightly, looking at the neighbors on the street who were all peering over curiously.

After all, a personal visit from the Saintess was truly an unprecedented event for an ordinary household.

"Your Highness, this isn't the place to talk. Why don't we step inside?"

"That sounds good."

I hadn't been to a dwarven house yet; it would be good to take a look.

However, I felt a bit of a headache as I walked in.

The average height of the dwarves was only about 1.1 or 1.2 meters. It was impossible for their houses to be built very tall.

This house was clearly designed to accommodate being in a human settlement, with the ceiling at about two meters.

But even so, it was still quite cramped for me.

In the Temple, the places I walked were at least three or four meters high, and every area was very spacious.

Unlike here, which was so crowded.

"Please have a seat, Your Highness. It's a small place; I apologize for the discomfort."

Anton very politely invited me to sit. The person who brought the chair was a dwarven woman, about 1.1 meters tall and slightly stout.

But she was clearly female.

"This is my wife, Harriet."

As he spoke, he pointed to a small girl inside. She looked to be only half of Anton's height but had the appearance of a young maiden.

She looked like a miniature version of a teenage girl.

"This is my daughter, Carrie."

Carrie seemed a bit shy, half-hiding behind the door and peeking out at me. When she saw me looking back, she actually ducked into the room.

Anton scratched his head apologetically.

"Please forgive her, Saintess. Carrie is a bit introverted. I hope you can overlook her lack of manners."

"It's fine. I am a guest here; I will follow the host's lead."

...

Soon, after some introductions and pleasantries, the conversation finally turned to the main topic.

After healing Anton, the first thing I asked about was the train.

The steam engine was absolutely the top priority right now!

There could be no mistakes.

"Regarding the steam engine, I already have some leads. Your Highness only needs to wait patiently."

"Very good. Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Anton. Additionally, I have one more thing I'd like to ask of you."

"Your Highness need not be so formal. Just give the order."

"Since you say so, I won't be polite. Mr. Anton, could you gather all the dwarves currently in Brilliant City?"

"Your Highness... what do you plan to do?"

"To forge new equipment for my dragon army."