As a Saintess, Momoka's administrative abilities were certainly not lacking.
Furthermore, Izumi, who remained by her side, was a Guardian Knight.
At this moment, the lands of the Kingdom of the Sun had been heavily corrupted by demonic energy, making them unsuitable for human habitation in the short term.
The remaining population of the Kingdom of the Sun, numbering less than seventy million, needed to relocate to the mainland.
Their choices were essentially the Kingdom of Flame to the west or the Kingdom of the Moon to the north.
Given the current relationship between the Kingdom of the Sun and the Kingdom of the Moon, the probability of Momoka choosing the Kingdom of the Moon was far higher.
Allocating a single, separate region for seventy million people to inhabit was highly unlikely.
Doing so would mean displacing a massive number of local residents, which could easily trigger civil unrest.
Whether out of logic or political stance, Momoka would not force such a point.
Therefore, the only solution was to integrate and disperse the citizens of the Kingdom of the Sun throughout various parts of the Kingdom of the Moon.
In doing so, the people of the Kingdom of the Sun would become citizens of the Kingdom of the Moon, enjoying the same treatment as the locals.
This also meant that as long as Momoka cared for her people, she would have to contribute to the development of the Kingdom of the Moon.
And she would have to give it her all!
Any hesitation on her part could cause significant hardship for the immigrants from the Kingdom of the Sun.
Judging by her final stand at Kyushu Island, this was definitely something she would be unwilling to see.
This meant one thing!
She would work tirelessly for the sake of her people.
Naturally, her subordinate, Guardian Knight Izumi, would stay with her and work for the Kingdom of the Moon as well.
It was essentially free labor.
On the other hand, in an era that had yet to achieve mechanization, seventy million people represented a massive workforce.
It was a demographic dividend.
However, if handled poorly, this could also become a major problem.
Being outsiders, their impact on the local population was inevitable.
"Lady Momoka, though it may be a bit sudden, I believe now is the perfect time to discuss this."
Luo Li organized her thoughts.
"Lady Momoka, how do you plan to arrange for the seventy million citizens of the Kingdom of the Sun?"
The tiny sliver of territory the Kingdom of the Sun currently held on the mainland was smaller than a single province.
In this age of low productivity, such a small patch of land could not possibly sustain seventy million people.
Momoka's expression turned solemn as Luo Li brought this up.
She had been wondering how to broach the subject herself, and Luo Li mentioning it saved her the trouble.
"Lady Luo Li's question is precisely the reason for my visit."
As she spoke, Momoka tried to straighten her back to sit upright.
However, with only one arm, she couldn't stabilize her balance and could only barely prop herself up.
Momoka kept her eyes tightly closed, and her voice lost its earlier lightness, becoming formal and serious.
"Lady Luo Li, as the Saintess of the Sun, I have shown you a pathetic sight."
"Though I know this may be an excessive request, I implore you to agree to it."
"Please, speak, Lady Momoka."
At this moment, both had set aside their personal identities, speaking as Saintess to Saintess, sovereign to sovereign.
Luo Li also adopted a serious expression and listened intently.
"Lady Luo Li, I hope that the Kingdom of the Moon can accept the seventy million citizens of the Kingdom of the Sun. Otherwise, they will face a future of homelessness."
"I know this is a lot to ask, but please understand. I... I can no longer find a better way to settle them."
"You see the state I am in. If the timing weren't so critical, I likely would not have been able to leave the Holy See for the rest of my life."
Her meaning was simple. Had the devastation of the Kingdom of the Sun not been caused by the demon army, the Pope would have surely intervened to seize control.
And in such a situation, what could her broken body have done?
Furthermore, if Luo Li hadn't happened to have a Demon Marshal in her hands, it would have been nearly impossible to trade for her release.
Under these circumstances, she was powerless to change the outcome.
One must not forget that the Holy See possessed Sacred Knights.
As a Saintess, she could not resist by force even if she were whole, let alone in her current state.
"For that, I must thank you. But beyond that, I hope you will agree to let the people of the Sun Kingdom settle in the Moon Kingdom."
"In the future, once the demonic energy on the four islands of the Kingdom of the Sun has been completely purified, those who wish to return home may do so with me. Those who do not wish to leave may become permanent citizens of the Kingdom of the Moon."
Luo Li nodded slightly after hearing this.
"To be honest, Lady Momoka, I have already considered what you've said from the very beginning."
"I am certainly willing to accept the refugees from the Kingdom of the Sun. However, the sheer volume of work involved may bring some trouble. If possible, I would like to ask for your help in completing these tasks."
A look of joy appeared on Momoka's face upon hearing this.
"Is what Lady Luo Li says true?"
"Of course. A sovereign's word is law."
Momoka seemed to let out a sigh of relief, her entire body relaxing significantly.
"In that case, from this day forward, both Izumi and I will do our utmost to assist the Kingdom of the Moon until the demonic energy on the four islands is cleansed."
Laborers x2, acquired!
The little version of Luo Li inside her mind pumped her fist in triumph.
"Then, the deal is struck."
Without letting her joy show, Luo Li gave a gentle nod, officially acknowledging the agreement.
It was easy to say they would leave now, but when the time actually came, it wouldn't be so simple!
Luo Li didn't have any grand ambitions for world conquest.
However, no tiger refuses meat, and no cat turns down a treat.
A Saintess had been placed right in front of her, and the Kingdom of the Sun was laid out before her eyes.
Even if she hadn't started with any greed, her position dictated otherwise.
Holding such status naturally gave her a larger appetite.
To say she didn't want to swallow the Kingdom of the Sun would be a lie.
But as for how to swallow it, she had to take it slow.
The first step was to have Momoka, this Saintess, help develop the Kingdom of the Moon.
When Momoka saw with her own eyes the nation that had flourished through her own hands, she would naturally develop an emotional attachment to it.
Cleansing the demonic energy from the Kingdom of the Sun would take twenty or thirty years at the very least.
If she could make the Kingdom of the Moon's development completely eclipse other nations within those decades, would Momoka's people still want to return to the Kingdom of the Sun?
And could the Kingdom of the Sun even remain a nation without its people?
If it was no longer a nation, wouldn't that territory naturally be incorporated into the Kingdom of the Moon?
Of course, all of this required gradual guidance; it couldn't be achieved overnight.
For now, the most important thing was to restore Momoka's body.
As for what came after, she would do what could be done and leave the rest to fate.
Even greed had to have its limits.
The carriage soon returned to the Temple. They encountered Lola on the way and picked her up as well.
"Lady Momoka! Welcome to Brilliant City!"
As they reached the Temple entrance, Lina's energetic voice rang out.
"Lady Lina? You... why are you here too?"
"Hmm? I've been here the whole time."
Lina walked down the steps to the front of the wheelchair and glanced down at Momoka's missing arm.
"Don't worry, with Luo Li here, you'll be fixed! I've seen her healing arts with my own eyes! They're absolutely miraculous."
"That... Lady Lina, that's not what I meant. Of course, I believe in Lady Luo Li's abilities, but... as the Saintess of War, why haven't you returned to the Kingdom of the Highlands? Hasn't the war already ended?"
"I..."
A look of conflict appeared on Lina's face, as if she were in a difficult position.
Seeing this, Luo Li quickly stepped forward.
"Alright, Lady Momoka, don't make things difficult for Lina. She... well, she had a fight with her Grandpa Scott, and now she's too embarrassed to go back."
Momoka was stunned once again.
"But... can't family reconcile with a simple apology? Lady Lina, can't you just apologize first?"
"I... I!"
Lina opened her mouth, but she couldn't get another word out.
Her face was a picture of embarrassment, and a deep crimson flush uncontrollably crept up her cheeks.
"If she were capable of an honest apology, she wouldn't have stayed in Brilliant City for over two months."
Perhaps because she had never argued with Scott in her entire life, the effect of this single argument was incredibly intense.
It resulted in Lina being unable to bring herself to apologize.
This had led her to stay in the Kingdom of the Moon for more than two months now.
Even the Black Armored Knights under her command had already returned to the Kingdom of the Highlands to regroup.
After all, the families and equipment of the Black Armored Knights needed to be reallocated.
Even the size of the units had to be reselected.
The population losses in this war were simply too great.
Setting aside the hundreds of millions in the Kingdom of the Sun, Seaview City and its surrounding areas alone saw millions of deaths.
In the northeast region, out of a population of nine million, six million failed to escape. Of the three million who did, over a million died on the journey.
The vast majority of those who died were killed by the demon army, but many likely died of starvation.
A mere two hundred thousand demon elites had managed to empty the northeast region of its nine million inhabitants.
This showed just how miserable the northeast region had been.
There were very few guilds in that area.
In the northeast, the only major city was Final City, but it hadn't been considered a main city from the start.
Therefore, the northeast region lacked a central nervous system.
Once disaster struck, there was no way to mount an effective resistance.
The soldiers at the Great Wall couldn't be pulled away to defend the region.
And the demons who entered the northeast moved as if they were in an uninhabited land.
They pillaged and slaughtered at will.
As a result, the northeast region was still covered in corpses even now.
The exact number of demons that invaded Seaview City was temporarily unknown.
However, the death toll was at least around two million.
Those tortured, killed, eaten, or abducted by the demons.
Those who starved while fleeing, those killed by their own kin, and those killed by wild beasts.
The loss of life was staggering.
The reason for the demons' immense destructive power was that they required almost no sleep during combat.
They could slaughter and pillage day and night without pause.
And that was only over a short span of ten-odd days. Over a longer period, the population loss would be even greater.
Luo Li understood this deeply.
During her demonization, when that violent sensation surged in her heart, she could barely feel fatigue.
The more she killed, the more excited she became; the more she destroyed, the more exhilarated she felt.
It was as if every kill provided her with a sudden shot of adrenaline.
How such a race, which was essentially a collection of killing machines, came to exist was still unknown.
But their destructive power was already clear to see.
She had no doubt.
If the demon invasion of the mainland lasted more than a year, the total population of the continent would likely be cut in half.
As a pure demon, she could resist the destructive and carnal urges to some extent.
But it was very difficult for low-level demons to do so.
Their impulses were present almost every waking moment.
In other words, the total population loss for the Kingdom of the Moon alone was at least eight million.
How much destructive power did a demon army possess when they operated day and night, knew no fatigue, and never stopped eating and killing people?
Was the horror of this sight not clear enough?
There was also the matter of demonic energy corruption.
Demons were like biological entities carrying intense radiation.
Everywhere they went, whether it was the residue of their demonic energy or their waste, they polluted the local water and land.
Once contaminated, these things became highly toxic to other normal organisms.
By then, even finding a drink of water would be difficult.
What resistance could people who had been thirsty and hungry for days put up against the violent demon army?
It was obvious upon reflection.
Luo Li didn't dwell on the matter in front of the Temple. Lady Momoka gave a thin smile, accepting Lina's excuse.
She went to wash up, and Luo Li waited outside.
For these two, she had opened another two baptismal chambers in her inner palace.
As long as one was a Saintess, their bodily fluids would have the effect of Holy Water.
However, because each Saintess had a different constitution, the effects of their Holy Water varied.
For convenience, Luo Li had prepared a separate baptismal chamber for each of them.
The Holy Water they produced could be sold for money!
It couldn't be wasted.
If they washed together, they might contaminate each other's output, and the quality of the Holy Water would become a mess.
That would make it hard to sell!
Lina's face still held a trace of her earlier embarrassment.
She looked up toward the baptismal chambers, then glanced back at Luo Li, hesitating as if she wanted to say something.
Seeing Lina's inner conflict, Luo Li couldn't help but smile.
"Lina, if you have something to say, just say it. Seeing you so conflicted makes me feel awkward too."
The Lina before her might be a bit older, but her personality was like that of a child.
And the Holy Water she produced was very similar to her nature.
The holy elements within it were extremely active, but its texture was incredibly solid and exclusive, making it difficult to integrate with other elements.
Therefore, its functionality was low, and it couldn't be used to make potions.
However, it could be used as a material to enchant weapons with holy elements.
Furthermore, it provided a certain degree of protection for the weapons.
Luo Li had even seen a sword quenched in Lina's bathwater.
Its lethality against demons was truly astonishing.
With just a light stroke, it left a blood-red mark on Butcher Zuka that was difficult to heal.
And that was just an ordinary iron sword!
Luo Li hadn't expected that Holy Water would have so many different effects depending on individual constitutions.
Isn't this... simply wonderful!?
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