Test

When she returned to the Temple, Camilla was already waiting at the entrance.

Luo Li knew exactly what this elf, who had always been lusting after her body, truly wanted.

Even so, Camilla certainly fit her aesthetic standards.

With her fiery red hair, pointed ears, and watery eyes, her impressive figure and the peaks that seemed ready to burst forth were enough to make anyone drool.

So far, Luo Li had met three elves in total.

There was the hot and curvy Camilla, who radiated a mature, older-sister vibe.

Then there was the green-haired Ligeia, who felt more like a refined and cultured girl.

Finally, there was the elven princess, Vera.

She gave off the impression of a lively and adorable young girl.

Unfortunately... she had already been taken away.

The Verdant Strike had also been reclaimed by the Elven Queen.

The reason was simple.

She was the princess of the elves, after all.

If Luo Li dared to forcibly keep her, she would be inviting a war between the two races!

So, no matter what, Vera could not stay.

If she suffered any injury or if the Verdant Strike was damaged, the blame would fall squarely on Luo Li's head.

Luo Li could not afford to shoulder such a massive accusation.

However, by the time Vera left, Luo Li hadn't even returned to the continent yet.

As a result, the two never even met.

It was a bit of a shame that she didn't get to meet the Elven Queen in person.

She did some calculations.

She had now established a certain level of friendship with both the dragons and the beastmen.

Regardless of the circumstances, as long as she wasn't completely ostracized by the human race, the Dragon King and the Beast Sovereign could lend a hand to some extent.

They might not help with major affairs, but they could resolve specific problems that were otherwise unsolvable.

Of course, she also had no doubt that if the human race ever left her with no place to belong, those two would be the first to fight over ownership of her.

At that point, she truly wouldn't be in control of her own fate.

She looked down at the people gathered in the great hall.

In just one morning, she had resolved the issue of chaos in the military camp.

She had brought back five people, including Dean.

There were also three survivors from the factory explosion who had regained consciousness after their damaged brains were repaired, as well as Anton and Camilla.

It seemed like a lot of people, but in this cavernous Temple, they appeared quite insignificant.

Behind Luo Li stood that same massive Statue of the Angel.

Sariel.

He held a hammer in his left hand and a sickle in his right, with six wings on his back, a sash draped over his body, and bare feet.

His eyes were tightly shut, his white hair was short, and his expression was cold and handsome, devoid of any emotion.

Glancing at the hammer behind her, Luo Li couldn't help but feel that... it was literally just a damn hammer.

Though she wasn't well-versed in mythological lore, in this world, Sariel's duty was to impart knowledge.

The hammer served as a symbol of tools—tools that could only be used once one possessed knowledge.

The sickle in his right hand was the symbol of the force he used to protect souls.

His eyes were closed because of the Evil Eye ability required for that protection.

"Anton, explain the engine problem to Camilla. I have some other minor matters to attend to, and we will discuss this further in a moment."

Anton nodded, while Camilla looked on with a face full of uncertainty.

The power of the recent explosion had caused the ground to shake even as far away as the South District.

She had wanted to go and see for herself at the time.

This was Brilliant City, the territory of her little Luo Li; who would dare to act so recklessly here?

Did they have a death wish?

However, she soon received word that the Saintess herself had arrived and resolved the issue.

Since she still had some potions to finish brewing, she went back to work.

She had come now not because she was finished, but because little Luo Li had summoned her.

Ever since little Luo Li found out she was a lesbian, the girl had been finding ways to avoid her, sometimes making it impossible to even see her.

Now that the girl had practically delivered herself, how could she not come?

At that thought, Camilla's eyes couldn't help but sweep over the figure sitting on the sacred bed.

Silver hair and crimson eyes; although her face still held the slight innocence of a young girl, she was focused on handling administrative affairs with a serious and solemn expression.

No matter how one looked at her, the girl before her was so exquisite, like a masterpiece meticulously crafted by a god.

She was truly mouth-watering.

However... she also knew that the focus right now wasn't on little Luo Li.

If she failed to do what little Luo Li requested, her chances of meeting her next time would likely be even slimmer.

With that in mind, Camilla looked down at the dwarf Anton, who barely reached her waist.

As the head of the Alchemists' Association, she knew exactly who this Anton was.

After all, the Alchemists' Association did not discriminate by race.

There were branches of the association in every country across the entire continent.

It was a massive organization that spanned the land.

While its overall cohesion wasn't high, no one dared to underestimate it.

Because it was so widespread, its information network was quite efficient.

"Mr. Anton, what exactly happened? Even little Luo Li..."

"Hmm?" Hearing the name 'little Luo Li,' Anton was stunned and instinctively looked up.

He caught a flash of embarrassment on the elven woman's face before it vanished.

"Ahem... please tell me plainly, Mr. Anton, why exactly did Her Highness summon me?"

Anton blinked. While he was dedicated to his craft, as a representative of the dwarves in Brilliant City, he had a decent understanding of the city's affairs.

He more or less understood what was on this woman's mind.

However, that was the Saintess's private business; besides, it wasn't as if there weren't Saintesses in history who enjoyed a bit of intimacy with women.

Just as the queens of some small nations might swing both ways, it didn't really matter.

"Actually, it's like this..."

Luo Li glanced over at Anton and Camilla, who were discussing the events that had just occurred.

It seemed Camilla was in deep thought, likely having found a lead.

But for now, she would leave her to it.

She turned back to look at Dean and the four men standing beside him.

This five-man group was certainly full of character.

One was tall and burly, one was tall and lanky, one was short and stout, and the last was short and thin.

What was this, a grand exhibition of peculiar human physiques?

The girl toyed with a strand of her silver hair and looked at Dean with curiosity.

How did this guy manage to gather these four oddities around him?

Suppressing her curiosity, Luo Li cleared her throat and asked the first question.

"Dean, what does your family do?"

Dean and the other four had followed Luo Li to the Temple in a daze.

Even now, the five of them didn't seem to understand what was about to happen.

In fact, anyone's reaction would likely be the same.

For many years, the Kingdom of the Moon had used nobles or people of high reputation as officials.

It was virtually impossible for children from humble backgrounds to even come into contact with official ranks.

This class system was deeply ingrained in everyone's hearts.

So even though they were in the Temple, Dean hadn't thought about what would happen to him.

He only felt that something was about to occur.

But whether it was good or bad... he was truly at a loss.

Dean froze for a moment, looked up at Luo Li, and then quickly lowered his head again.

The Saintess was the most unique and noble existence in the Kingdom of the Moon, a fact that had been drummed into his ears since childhood.

"To answer Your Highness, my family are farmers."

In the current Kingdom of the Moon, commoners were generally divided into three categories: farmers, artisans, and merchants.

Those were the main three; the rest were basically those with titles or from the noble class.

Among them, farmers were considered the lowliest of the three.

"I see. Are your parents still alive? Is there anyone else in your household?"

If she wanted to use him, she had to understand him clearly. Furthermore, what she heard from his own mouth versus what she would see in the records later were two entirely different things.

"To answer Your Highness, my parents are still alive, as are my grandparents. I also have two younger brothers and a younger sister."

In this era, population meant labor, so every household would have many children.

For a farming family, as long as there was land to till, a twelve-year-old child could already work the fields.

Children as young as seven or eight could help with manageable household chores.

"Are you married?"

"Not... not yet."

Luo Li nodded. At that moment, Lola approached with a stack of documents and handed them to her.

This was the benefit of having an information network.

In just half a day, every detail about this man's family had been collected.

She took the documents and scanned them from top to bottom.

Dean's family had been farmers for generations, though his great-grandfather was actually an artisan before switching back to farming.

The whole family lived in a small village outside the North Gate of Brilliant City, near the Moonlight River.

They had twenty acres of land and were close to the river.

Between farming and fishing, they were self-sufficient.

While they weren't wealthy, they didn't lack food or clothing.

A situation like this was unlikely to produce someone full of bitter resentment toward the world.

Overall... she was quite satisfied.

Luo Li nodded inwardly and looked him over again. He wasn't exactly a striking beauty, but he was decent enough.

"Dean."

Setting the documents aside, Luo Li looked at him with a serious expression.

"This humble subject is here."

Dean's body couldn't help but tremble slightly at her call.

He didn't know what was coming next, but based on Her Highness's attitude, she seemed to have made a decision.

Even though he hadn't feared death moments ago, his heart was currently filled with immense tension.

Fearing death and desiring life was the natural instinct of any living being.

What made humans human was their willingness to sacrifice themselves for things other than survival.

Of course, if one could avoid dying, who would choose death?

"Dean, do you know what the consequences would be for what you did in the military camp if handled according to military law?"

His answer was brief.

"Inciting a riot. Under military law, the punishment is public execution by beheading."

The girl nodded in satisfaction.

"Correct. Then do you know why I did not punish you?"

Dean was stunned again. His mind raced as he hesitated before speaking.

"Is... is it because I exposed the crimes?"

Luo Li shook her head. She wanted to see Dean's level of perception.

Having an upright character and the courage to face death wasn't enough; to deal with greedy people, one had to be smarter than them.

If corrupt officials were smart, you had to be smarter, or they would simply play you to death.

"Dean, you only have two chances to answer. You have already used one."

Luo Li watched Dean's reaction with interest.

Dean's expression darkened, and a look of serious contemplation finally appeared on his face.

Good!

Knowing how to think was much better than being reckless.

Now, it remained to be seen how he would respond.

The time he spent thinking seemed long, but in reality, it was less than thirty seconds.

Dean suddenly raised his head and looked at Luo Li.

"Your Highness, it is because I did not fear death, dared to expose crimes, and dared to take responsibility... that is why you did not punish me."

Oho!

He actually guessed it?

Not bad at all.

He had quick wits, knew how to think, and could remain calm even in her presence.

He also had the courage to take responsibility.

In every aspect, he was qualified.

"Correct. Very good."

Luo Li praised him softly, looking him over once more.

"Then do you know now why I brought you back?"

Dean hesitated for a moment.

"Is it for... a reward?"

Luo Li shook her head slightly.

Dean froze and lowered his head, a look of intense internal conflict appearing on his face.

"This... please forgive this humble subject, but I do not dare to think further."

This kid was quite honest.

Hearing this, she finally didn't need to keep a straight face.

A smile curled at the corners of her lips.

"Stand up. The four behind you can stand up as well."

The five men stood up. The four behind Dean appeared quite constrained.

After all, this was the highest administrative office in the Kingdom of the Moon.

Just coming here once was enough for them to brag about for a year or two.

"Dean, it's not that you don't dare to think it; it's that you don't dare to say it, right?"

Once the five were standing, Luo Li spoke with a hint of playfulness.

Dean's whole body trembled. He took a deep breath and nodded.

"To answer Your Highness, you are wise. This humble subject... indeed does not dare to say it."

"Excellent. Honesty is one of the qualities I desire. Congratulations, Dean. From today onward, you no longer need to be a soldier."

Saying this, Luo Li looked at the four men behind him.

"In the future, these four will be your personal guards. I will also arrange other hidden guards for you later."

Upon hearing this, Dean quickly dropped to one knee.

"Your Highness, what... what exactly do you want me to do? Please speak plainly."

The girl's delicate hand lightly brushed her cheek as she propped up her chin, gazing at Dean below.

"Since you want to hear it clearly, then I shall tell you."

"From this day forth, you are the Inspection Team Leader, with the authority to investigate and report findings. For now... I can only give you this much power. Any more, and I fear you wouldn't be able to digest it in such a short time."

Initially, Luo Li had thought about giving Dean a significant official position right away.

For instance, something like the Censor-in-Chief.

But on second thought, Dean was currently just a commoner. Giving him too much power all at once would be like pulling up seedlings to help them grow.

It might show results in the short term, but in the long run, it would ruin his potential.

"Starting today, you will work under Cardinal Lola. Your duty is to inspect and report. Whenever you discover bribery, corruption, negligence, laziness, or abuse of power, you are to report it directly."