Hearing this, Luo Li felt it was time for her to make an appearance.
After all, everything regarding the ironclad warships and the cannons had been her own concepts.
Only she could best describe the existence of these two things.
However... before the girl could move, an elderly voice echoed from inside the room once more.
"Since no one knows for sure, it would be better to build a prototype ironclad warships first."
Audis?
Was that old man in there too?
It seemed this meeting in the room was a smaller follow-up session after the general assembly.
His voice seemed to catch everyone's attention, and Audis was an old fox who never suffered from stage fright.
He stood up with a smile and looked toward Anton.
"Since Minister Anton has already heard the Saintess's description, it shouldn't be difficult to build one, right?"
"I agree."
"I agree as well."
"We have sufficient funds; construction can begin."
"The closest location should be Moonrise City, so let us start construction there first."
"Izzy Capablanca of Moonrise City owns a dock. The construction of the naval base can be delayed; we should start with the ironclad warships first."
Lola summarized the discussion and turned to look at Anton.
"Minister Anton, regarding the ironclad warships, will you need to personally oversee the construction on-site?"
Anton nodded.
"Yes."
"What about the railway?"
"I no longer need to personally supervise the railway for the time being. My two apprentices are very familiar with the structure of the steam engine and can manufacture them independently without my intervention."
Lola slowly closed her eyes and pondered for a moment.
Everyone's gaze fell upon her.
After a few breaths, Lola opened her eyes and habitually pushed up her gold-rimmed glasses.
"Then the plan will be executed accordingly. Minister Anton, I must trouble you to make the trip. In three days, you will take an airship to Moonrise City to oversee the construction of the ironclad warships prototype."
She then turned back to look at Kevin.
"Sir Kevin, since we cannot currently determine the specific number of people each ship can carry, we will start recruiting for the navy with a minimum quota of ten thousand men. Subsequent selections will be made based on the capacity of the ironclad warships."
"The Saintess is very concerned about the naval base, and it is vital to the future stability of the Kingdom of the Moon. I ask all of you to do your utmost. I will also provide you with all the assistance I can."
Audis nodded from the side.
"In that case, I will first allocate five million gold coins as initial funding. Minister Anton, when you need follow-up funds, just let me know. There is no need to be polite."
Hearing this, Anton quickly responded with a smile.
"Then I shall have to trouble you, Lord Audis."
Kevin pondered for a moment and looked up at Audis.
"A navy of ten thousand men requires at least fifty thousand gold coins. I believe an allocation of eighty thousand will be sufficient."
The purchasing power of eighty thousand gold coins was equivalent to eight hundred million dollars. Using this amount to recruit ten thousand troops would make it easy to form an elite force.
The discussion in the room had clearly resolved the difficult problems.
Hearing this, Luo Li couldn't help but pause her steps.
After a moment of hesitation, she slightly shook her head and let out a light chuckle.
Indeed, everyone needed time to grow.
Interfering too much in some matters would instead hinder their ability to lead.
Although they were still somewhat inexperienced in their ways, it was better to let them solve some problems themselves.
With that thought, she did not go inside to disturb them. Instead, she sat in front of the door, gazing at the distant sky while waiting for the conversation inside to end.
The snow on the roof was already half a meter thick, and occasionally, some knights would climb up to sweep it off.
Perhaps because this year was a high tide period, the weather was colder than in previous years, and the snowfall was significantly heavier.
Behind her, Dominica and Nara remained by Luo Li's side.
The two of them had already changed into winter clothes a month ago.
Dominica was now wearing a full set of iron armor that completely enveloped her, with thick fur visible extending from the collar.
She was wrapped in a cloak, and one could faintly see through the gaps that her hand never left the hilt of her sword.
Nara's attire was much simpler.
She wore a black Saintess's robe with silver trim and a black veil on her head.
Unlike the black and white trim of other nuns, the silver trim on the black base proved her status as a personal nun.
As for Luo Li herself, she wore her usual Saintess's robe.
It still had the same wide sleeves and tight waist.
The robe accentuated her figure, complemented by a pair of white silk stockings.
To an outsider, her nimble toes could be clearly seen playfully wiggling up and down.
Nara brought over a chair, and Luo Li sat outside the door, listening to the conversation inside.
Most of it concerned minor details.
After listening for about half an hour, the meeting was still ongoing.
It seemed this topic would be discussed for quite a while.
Luo Li sat idly in the chair, dazed, with her legs crossed and one hand resting her chin on her knee.
Come to think of it, it had been nearly five months since she transmigrated.
The first day she arrived was June 15th, and today was November 10th.
To be honest, having been here for so long, she had almost forgotten her previous life.
Mainly because so many things had happened in these few months.
Whenever she thought of the past, she couldn't help but recall the moment before she died.
Remembering the image frozen on her computer screen and then looking at herself now, some adult-rated scenes would inevitably pop into her mind.
As she thought about it, her cheeks felt a bit warm, and a heat rose in her lower abdomen, accompanied by a slight tingling sensation.
She touched her belly and looked down at the snowy white skin of her chest.
'So... I really am a woman now.'
Even though five months had passed, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
To this day, she still didn't have much of a sense of reality, and in fact, that was true.
From the day she took on this form, she had been working hard just to survive.
Now that everything was gradually getting on the right track, she only needed to consider how to survive the dragon calamity.
After that, she could ensure the stable development of the Kingdom of the Moon.
But before that, she still needed to resolve the issue of the nobles.
As for how to solve it, she still needed to discuss it with Lola.
However, it looked like the small meeting in the room wouldn't be over anytime soon.
She looked back toward the Temple.
"Nara, what are Momoka and the others doing?"
Nara looked down at the mana stone in her hand and listened to it for a moment.
"Reporting to the Saintess, the two Saintesses are still communicating with the two dragon ladies, Aigie and Shalin. The scene seems quite pleasant."
"Is that so..." Luo Li murmured softly, looking toward the Temple.
After a moment of thought, she stood up.
"Let's go. We're going for a walk."
"Going out? Is the Saintess preparing to travel? I will have someone prepare immediately..."
Nara turned to make preparations, but Luo Li waved her hand.
"No need. We don't need to bring anything today. Just get me a cloak."
Dominica pondered for a moment from the side.
"Saintess, will it be dangerous to leave the Temple alone like this?"
"It's fine."
The nobles had all gone into hiding now, and what they wanted to do was likely to overturn the situation in one go.
But given the current circumstances, overturning everything at once was not so easy.
Until that moment arrived, the nobles would do nothing and would even be quite submissive to her.
Even if they knew she was out alone right now, they wouldn't do anything.
Furthermore, even if these nobles wanted to do something, they still couldn't pull it off within Brilliant City.
This was the power of her control.
Seeing the Saintess was persistent, Dominica did not try to dissuade her further.
She simply made a subtle gesture to a nearby knight.
The knight immediately understood the deeper meaning and left his post.
Nara also saw Dominica's small movement and caught her eye.
"Saintess, please wait a moment. I will go get a cloak."
"Mhm."
Luo Li didn't suspect anything and waited for a moment until Nara returned with a pure white cloak.
Once the cloak was draped over her, the Saintess's robe was completely hidden beneath it.
The long train at the back was also rolled up and secured.
At the end of the train were two rings made of pure gold.
After being folded three times, these rings could be fastened to the gold rings on her shoulders for ease of movement.
With the cloak on, Luo Li took off her Saintess's Crown, and she was ready.
"Let's go."
Dominica and Nara glanced at each other, understanding that trying to stop her now was useless.
They followed the silver-haired girl out.
However, just as the three reached the door, a valiant female knight was already waiting there.
When she saw the Guardian Knight kneeling before her, Luo Li knew that the two behind her must have secretly informed her.
"Guardian Knight Hilda Cromwell, here to escort you."
Luo Li could only shake her head with a helpless, bitter smile at their behavior.
"Rise. Since you wish to escort me, then follow along."
She glanced back at the two behind her, but Dominica showed no fear.
"For the Saintess's safety, I had no choice but to resort to this."
Nara also looked at her without flinching.
Luo Li felt a wave of helplessness.
"Fine, then it shall be the four of us. No more people."
The three nodded and did not reject the proposal.
After all, with a Guardian Knight and a Brave Knight, it would be enough to protect the Saintess for a short time even if something truly unexpected happened.
And so, the intended group of three became a group of four.
However, Luo Li couldn't really complain about it.
Ultimately, the three of them were doing it for her own good.
By the time they left the Temple, it was already afternoon.
Disaster relief efforts were continuing everywhere.
Soldiers were patrolling throughout the city, but the streets currently seemed a bit chaotic.
Particularly over by the East Market, where a large crowd seemed to have gathered.
Luo Li looked toward the East Market in surprise.
She couldn't see much from where she was, but she could hear a loud commotion.
She couldn't help but look back at Hilda.
"Hilda, that's the East Market, right? Has something happened? Why is it so much louder and more chaotic than usual?"
"Reporting to the Saintess, I believe it is likely due to panic buying of food."
Luo Li was slightly taken aback.
"You mean... panic buying?"
Hilda nodded with some helplessness.
"Yes. Many people are saying the recent earthquake is a precursor to the dragon calamity. Combined with the snow blocking the city and transportation being nearly cut off, many people are very anxious and have gone to the East Market to buy grain."
The East Market was the largest trading market in Brilliant City.
Located east of the city center, several main streets extended from the Central Square all the way to the three eastern city gates.
These streets were all markets where people from all walks of life in Brilliant City could be found.
It was the most prosperous area of Brilliant City.
Panic buying.
These two words flashed through Luo Li's mind.
At the same time, she thought of another possibility.
Although she didn't know who had spread the news that the earthquake was related to the dragon calamity, it was certain that someone had intentionally spread this information.
Otherwise, such a piece of news wouldn't have spread throughout all of Brilliant City in a single day.
How large was this city?
The city was ten kilometers long on each side, with an effective residential area exceeding ninety-five square kilometers.
Even walking from the West Gate to the East Gate would take most of the day.
If no one had intentionally spread the news, it would have been impossible for it to travel so fast given the current heavy snow in the city.
Inciting panic among the masses to drive up market prices and make a fortune—a simple operation, but very effective in this era.
The lack of information meant that many people had no time to receive more facts.
Furthermore, the public's level of trust in the Temple was not high enough.
Such panic was only natural.
To put it simply, the lack of public trust was the biggest problem.
However, what needed to be resolved now was who was spreading the information and who was taking the opportunity to profit.
"Let's go take a look."
Luo Li did not hesitate for a second. The thought of someone trying to profit from a national disaster made her as uncomfortable as if her own money had been stolen.
The money in the hands of the people was the circulating capital of the market.
This money was meant to improve the lives of the people and promote development, not for these merchants to hoard for themselves!
Hearing this, Hilda frowned slightly.
"Saintess, if I may speak frankly, are you planning to deal with these merchants?"
She seemed to have realized something and suddenly asked this question.
Luo Li turned back, her gaze dark and uncertain.
"Hilda, what are you trying to say?"
Hilda looked at the silver-haired girl with a solemn expression.
"Saintess, if you wish to deal with these merchants, I'm afraid you will need to mobilize some troops in advance."
"What? You're saying I need to mobilize troops just to deal with merchants?"
Hilda continued to explain: "Saintess, I have a general idea of what you're thinking. However, the merchants themselves have their own security forces. These merchants travel far and wide all year round, so they will certainly have some desperadoes under their command. If the Saintess goes there rashly, I fear it may cause trouble."
Hearing this, Luo Li's brow furrowed as she pondered for a moment, then she turned to look at Dominica.
"Dominica, take my token and head outside the city. Mobilize five hundred knights and ten thousand infantry to assemble at the East Gate and await my orders."
"Yes, Saintess."
Dominica took the order, accepted the Saintess's Token handed to her by Luo Li, and galloped away.
"Nara, inform Lola to arrive at the East Market in half an hour. Also, notify Lina and have her come as well."
"Yes, Saintess."
A cold smile curved at the corner of the girl's mouth as she gazed toward the East Market.
"Heh, merchants."
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