"There are. There are nearly a thousand slaves who have not yet been auctioned."
"Stop all auctions immediately. I have a use for them."
"But Your Highness..."
"Enough. Say no more. I will find a way to resolve the funding issue."
Luo Li shook her head. Auctioning slaves was likely one of the methods used in this old era to accumulate wealth.
However, rather than auctioning them off, it would be better to manage them herself.
As for entertainment houses or brothels, she could easily find a few merchants to handle secret transactions.
Simply selling them off like this was far too wasteful.
"Understood, Your Highness."
Seeing that the Saintess was not listening to her advice, Lola thought for a moment but did not continue her protest.
Perhaps Her Highness had her own plans?
Lola realized that since yesterday, the Saintess had become very different. Perhaps it was as she said; these changes occurred because she had heard the teachings of God.
Could God be wrong?
In other places, Lola wasn't sure, but at least within the Eight Nations of the Holy Church, the answer was a definitive no!
God... was absolute justice and the ultimate standard!
"Lola, are there any others with serious injuries?"
Luo Li glanced at her attribute points. Throughout this series of treatments, in order to heal as quickly as possible, she had allocated almost all of her free attribute points into Recovery and Mana.
Her current stats were:
Strength: 9
Agility: 11
Endurance: 11
Recovery: 20
Mana: 43
With the increase in Recovery, the speed at which her mana and stamina replenished had significantly improved.
After using her skills this much, Luo Li had come to understand the function of each attribute.
Strength represented the maximum force a person could exert.
Agility was related to dexterity and overall speed.
Endurance determined the length of the stamina bar.
Mana was the unified value for both the mana pool and spell intensity.
Finally, there was Recovery, which was directly linked to the regeneration of the stamina and mana bars.
The increase in Mana allowed her to use her skills more effectively, while the larger mana pool meant she could cast them more frequently.
All in all, her current level remained at level 6, and her experience points were no longer increasing.
Luo Li speculated that this was either because the distance was too great and she was outside her teammates' range, or because she had been out of combat for too long to continue sharing experience.
Whichever it was, it proved one thing.
If she didn't participate in battle, it would be difficult to gain experience through kills alone.
According to Hilda, training was also a way to improve one's strength.
In that case, she would have to add training to her schedule in the future.
She had to at least stay consistent.
Even if she lacked direct combat skills, she absolutely could not remain a healer who only stayed behind the scenes, otherwise, she would be far too easy to target.
"There are no more people with serious injuries. The rest are recovering with the help of the Alchemists' Association."
Lola looked at her notes and reported the results of the morning's work.
"Good. That is well... Let us head back first."
Luo Li looked at the bloodstains covering her body. The thick blood on her hands had already dried, forming crusts that stuck to her skin, which felt incredibly uncomfortable.
However, she took comfort in the fact that not a single person among the critically injured had died once they were brought before her!
This was entirely thanks to her unique absolute healing.
"Yes, Your Highness."
As Lola spoke, she hurried out of the large tent and gave an order to the Praetorian Knight at the entrance.
All the knights who maintained the Temple were different from the city defense knights; they were known as Praetorian Knights and were under Luo Li's direct command.
Strictly speaking, they were equivalent to the imperial guards of ancient times, serving as the ruler's private army.
Soon, the red carpet was laid out again, and the knights stood at intervals, completely sealing off the path.
Should any accident occur, they would use their own bodies to protect the Saintess!
Luo Li was still not quite used to this level of ceremony, but she could only brace herself and walk out.
But the moment she stepped out of the tent, a shout suddenly rang in her ears!
"Long live the Saintess!!!"
Luo Li was startled and nearly stumbled, saved only by Lola's support.
She quickly looked back to see a man covered in blood and filth kneeling on the ground, his eyes filled with a burning gaze as he stared at Luo Li.
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
Turning her head further, she saw the mother from before. The child who had been limp in her arms was now standing beside her.
"Quick, kneel down! Thank the Saintess for saving your life!"
The child looked at Luo Li blankly, a hint of wonder flashing in his eyes, but he obediently knelt on the ground and thanked her in a tender voice.
"Thank you for saving me, Saintess~"
Nearby, groups of commoners heard the commotion and began to gather, everyone shouting in unison.
The crowd surged, and the knights began to block them with some unease, yet shouts of "Thank you, Your Highness" and "Long live Your Highness" continued to ring out from the masses.
Luo Li composed herself. For now, she didn't need to do anything.
Her goal had been achieved.
At the very least, from this moment on, these rescued people were entirely her subjects.
She did not respond, simply keeping a smile on her face as she continued down the red carpet.
The excited shouts of the people echoed in her ears.
Everything was going exactly as she had expected.
Upon returning to the Saint's Carriage, the knights mounted their horses and surrounded the vehicle, keeping the crowd at bay. Despite this, the carriage moved very slowly.
The knights at the front could not use their spears to drive the people away, so they could only shout to clear the path.
They slowly carved a way forward for the Saint's Carriage.
Luo Li took a deep breath, but her gaze did not linger on the cheering crowds. Instead, she looked toward those who had lost their loved ones—those with hollow eyes kneeling in the ruins or wandering aimlessly through the wreckage.
All of this had been orchestrated by her.
And yet, these people had truly lost their families.
"Lola."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Send nuns to comfort those who have lost their families. Repair all the nearby houses as quickly as possible and distribute supplies and funds to support their lives for the time being. I do not want to see a single person commit suicide because they lost a loved one."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Lola nodded earnestly. In this moment, the Saintess before her seemed to grow in stature.
Even though Her Highness had not rested for a day and a night and was so exhausted she could barely stand, she was still thinking of the people.
This filled Lola's heart with reverence!
Perhaps it was because the Saintess possessed such noble character that she was favored by God.
In this moment, even if the Saintess ordered her to die, she would carry it out without hesitation!
The carriage returned to the Temple amidst the cheers of the people lining the streets.
The first thing Luo Li did upon reaching the Temple was take a bath.
She washed away the blood and changed into her third Saintess's robe.
The previous two were already dirty and had been sent for cleaning, leaving Luo Li with only this one robe.
But what troubled her the most was...
"Why does this Saintess... have to be barefoot?"
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