Chapter 403 | Reborn as a Saint in a Rotten World, I Refuse to Submit

"Since you've come at this hour, I assume there is something important?"

Lola could see her whenever she wanted, so there was no need for such a formal visit.

This meant the person who truly needed to see her was not Lola, but Audis.

Lola had simply come along with him for official business.

In that case, she could just ask Audis directly.

Audis nodded, a flicker of thought passing through his aged eyes.

"Your Highness is truly perceptive. Indeed, I have a matter to report to you."

"Go ahead, then."

"Your Highness, the money is gone."

As those words left his mouth, Luo Li was momentarily stunned and instinctively turned to look at Lola.

Lola, however, calmly pushed up her gold-rimmed glasses.

"This year, Your Highness used the document tablet to exchange for a total of two hundred million gold coins. This includes the renovations for New City, Dragon City, Knight City, and Family City. Additionally, there were no gains from the recent expedition, yet we had to cover compensation for the soldiers, the purchase of new warhorses, and the refitting of equipment, including the Dragon Knight Corps."

"Then we began the construction and planning for the trains. Your Highness, at this moment... the vault is empty."

Was the money being spent that quickly?

Audis gave a bitter smile.

"What remains in the vault is only a few hundred thousand gold coins. Your Highness, if we do not find a way to secure more funds, I fear the country will not be able to sustain itself."

Luo Li frowned.

"I see. Lola, get in touch with the Dragon King and tell him to deliver the money he owes as soon as possible."

Lola pushed up her glasses and nodded.

"Understood."

"Furthermore... those projects cannot be stopped. Let's do this: New City will eventually have many houses. Lola, compile a list and sell off a portion of the South District in New City at market price to handle the immediate crisis."

"Also, the seizure of the Garnet family assets hasn't been fully completed yet, has it? Tally up what remains, give me a figure, and sell off all the valuables to see how much we can raise."

"Most cities in the northeast region were never completely pillaged by the demon army, so there should still be many good things there. Tell the two knights in the northeast, Clo and Robert, to search the cities. See how many valuables they can find that can be sold. Check how much is left in the local vaults and bring it all out. Leave half for the local area and transport the other half to Brilliant City. This should be enough to solve our urgent needs."

"If it's truly desperate, send an airship to Moonrise City to ask Izzy for some funds. A few million should be easy for him."

Almost the entire population of the northeast had fled, with less than three million remaining out of the original nine million.

With such a large population, they would naturally leave behind a vast amount of practical supplies, and some cities might still have money in their vaults.

They would collect all of that, along with valuables and other assets.

Combined with the remaining assets of the Garnet family, raising ten or twenty million gold coins wouldn't be a problem.

After that, they would just have to wait for the Dragon King to send the fifty million gold coins.

When that time came, the current financial strain on the Kingdom of the Moon would be eased.

However, since these were large-scale reforms, they naturally brought about a massive demand for capital.

They would inevitably need a lot of money later to fill these holes.

This was indeed a difficult problem.

Getting money was not an easy task.

In this era, almost all resources were controlled by the nobility.

Although the three and a half provinces she held were rich in resources, places like the northeast or Seaview City wouldn't be able to generate money for a while.

The only places that could provide funds were Brilliant City and Moonrise City.

But half of Moonrise City belonged to the Stuart family, while the other half only belonged to the current Viscount Izzy in terms of commerce.

After Izzy had come to the rescue, Luo Li had naturally given him the corresponding credit.

Additionally, there was the management of assets belonging to other families in Moonrise City.

Moonrise City itself was a major agricultural city, with highly developed fruit, grain, and fishing industries.

While most of these were primary industries, it was still considered a fairly wealthy province in this era.

People might starve in other provinces, but in this one, it was virtually impossible.

One could simply go into the mountains and pick some fruit to avoid starving.

But this still wasn't enough; these were all foundational goods.

To get real money, they had to look elsewhere.

The most critical issue was how to quickly bring the other provinces under her command.

"You two handle the rest."

She nodded to Lola, stood up, and left.

Lola and Audis quickly rose to see her off.

Only after Luo Li had left the side hall did the sounds of the two talking reach her.

They were likely discussing how to settle the Garnet family's inheritance first before moving on to other matters.

Regardless, there wouldn't be a major financial gap in the short term.

But in the long run, rebuilding the northeast and Seaview City would require a massive amount of capital.

The only way to obtain funds quickly was to sweep through the other provinces.

She needed to bring all provinces under her direct jurisdiction.

She would unify the imperial power and abolish the enfeoffment system.

Only this way could she collect more money in a short period of time.

Using the strength of the entire nation to rebuild the northeast and Seaview City, and then using those two regions to drive the economy of other areas.

The problem was that the nobles didn't seem to be giving her any leverage right now.

If she had a pretext, she could even lead the army herself.

She walked back to her room, head lowered in deep thought.

Checking the time, it was already past eight o'clock, and Nara was nearby offering comfort.

"Your Highness, there seems to be nothing else today. Why don't you rest early?"

Luo Li rubbed her forehead and let out a long sigh.

"Sigh, let's go to sleep."

She couldn't figure it out right now, and continuing to think would just be a waste of time. It was better to sleep early and solve the problem tomorrow morning when her mind was clear.

These nobles had been a bit too quiet lately; she had to find a way to make them more aggressive.

That way, she would have an opportunity to take action.

Previously, she had thought about how to let the Kingdom of the Moon develop steadily and slowly suppress the other provinces.

But now, with so many things piled up in front of her, she was starting to grow impatient.

"These nobles are truly stumbling blocks on the path of development!"

She muttered crossly, though it was merely a moment of powerless frustration.

She lay on the bed and fell into a deep sleep before long.

She didn't know how much time had passed.

She felt the bed shaking slightly in a daze.

Luo Li opened her eyes groggily, and before she could react, a strange cry came from the distance.

It actually pierced through the magic array and echoed into her room.

'Aung—!'

Accompanied by that bizarre roar that seemed to come from a deep valley, her door was pushed open with a bang.

Before Luo Li could see who it was, the person had already reached her bedside, holding her Saintess's robe.

"Your Highness! Your Highness, please wake up, quickly..."

Nara's forehead was covered in sweat, and she kept glancing out the window, her eyes filled with a mix of terror and panic.

"Nara, what's happening?"

Luo Li went to get out of bed, but when she reached out, she touched cold dragon scales.

Turning her head sharply, she found that Astrid had woken up at some point.

Moreover, the dragon's eyes were fixed intently on the direction outside the window.

The scales on its back were bristling, and the feathers covering its ears were pressed tightly against its sides.

It was clearly in a state of extreme tension.

'Roar—!'

Another earth-shaking roar followed, accompanied by the trembling of the ground. It sounded as if some ancient giants were fighting in the distance.

"Your Highness, outside the city... a monster has arrived! Miss Shalin is currently fighting it!"

When did a monster arrive?

Where did this monster come from?

Just as Luo Li was still confused, Lola appeared at the door.

"Your Highness, please dress quickly!"

Luo Li didn't care about anything else and quickly threw on her Saintess's robe. She even grabbed her crown in her hand as she stepped out of the room.

The moment she stepped outside, the roars became even clearer.

At the same time, there were massive sounds coming from the east of Brilliant City.

She walked out of the hall and looked toward the eastern part of the city.

On the other side of the high city walls, under the moonlight, she could faintly see a giant creature swinging several tails.

The one locked in combat with it was the frost dragon, Shalin.

"Where is the Dragon Knight Corps!"

Lola quickly replied, "Your Highness, the Dragon Knight Corps will be here shortly. Please take shelter first. This magical beast arrived too quickly; we were completely unprepared."

Luo Li's brow furrowed slightly. Instead of leaving, she took a step forward.

"Where did it come from? What kind of magical beast is it? How could it suddenly approach Brilliant City? Was there no warning at all?"

Lola shook her head.

"Other regions don't seem to have been disturbed. Based on the situation, it's likely a magical beast that came down from the Eastern Mountains. Judging by the timing, it should be a creature with dragon blood that has gone berserk."

Dragon Calamity!

Those two words instantly pierced her heart like a thorn.

This thing had lasted for a thousand years like a natural disaster, and no one knew the cause.

Now that such a massive magical beast had appeared, this Dragon Calamity was clearly different from the ones in the past.

After all, she had never heard of high-level magical beasts being affected before.

But judging by its massive size, this creature was definitely not a low-level magical beast.

"Notify the citizens of the East Gate to begin evacuating. Mobilize the entire infantry. Also, have Yuna take full control of the New City; we must ensure there are no mass casualties."

"Your Highness, the people in the New City have already started moving. I have also ordered knights Cain and Nar to head to the East Gate. I believe there won't be any issues. What's important now is for Your Highness to immediately head to the West Gate to take shelter."

Lola added, her eyes reflecting the girl's image.

Although she had already guessed what Luo Li might do, as a Bishop and as the Saintess's right hand, Lola had to stop her.

Her Highness was a person of supreme importance. If she were to be harmed on such a battlefield for no reason, it would be a devastating blow to the Kingdom of the Moon and all the races of the world.

"Astrid!!"

However, before Lola could react, Luo Li placed the crown on her head and flipped herself onto the white dragon's back.

In the next second, the six-meter wingspan unfurled violently.

'Roar!!!'

With a fierce roar, the holy white dragon soared into the sky.

Following it was a final command.

"Lola, stay in the city to stabilize the situation. Order all knights to prepare for battle at the East Gate!! Everyone else, follow the orders to evacuate!"

"Your Highness!!"

Lola was stunned. By the time she looked up to stop her, the holy white dragon had already flown over a hundred meters away.

If she wanted to chase her, she would need to be able to ride a dragon herself; otherwise, it was all in vain.

Nara was also completely bewildered, but her confusion was quickly replaced by anxiety.

"Lola! You have to talk sense into Her Highness! Charging out like that, isn't she..."

"I would like to, but do I have the chance?"

Lola sighed helplessly.

Just then, a voice suddenly came from behind the two of them.

"Don't worry, I will protect her."

Lola and Nara were startled and turned around to see a head of long black hair.

And those clear, bottomless black eyes that rarely opened.

"Lady Momoka! Please help us, convince our Saintess to come back!"

Upon seeing Momoka, Nara acted as if she had found a savior and rushed forward.

But Momoka shook her head.

"Don't even think about it. As a Saintess, protecting the people is her responsibility. She will not run away."

"But don't worry. As long as I am still alive, nothing will happen to her."

Having said that, Momoka gave a soft shout.

"Izumi, follow Lady Luo Li. At the critical moment, you must ensure her safety!"

In the next second, a figure slowly emerged from the shadow behind Momoka.

It was the Guardian Knight, Izumi.

"By your command!"

'Swoosh!'

As soon as the words were spoken, the short-haired girl's figure vanished instantly.

A figure flashed across the distant rooftops.

Meanwhile, Momoka had already grabbed her naginata and shouldered the Wind and Thunder God Bow. She leaped up, bypassing the main gate and clearing the wall directly.

Lola stood calmly in place.

Nara, beside her, was as anxious as an ant on a hot griddle.

This was the situation inside the city.

At the very least, that giant monster was being held firmly outside the city by the ice dragon, Shalin.

For the time being, the flames of war would not reach the interior of the city.

Luo Li sat on Astrid's back as the holy white dragon soared high. In the blink of an eye, they were hundreds of meters above the ground.

If a normal person were to ascend at such a speed, they would have surely lost consciousness.

Fortunately, her constitution had already reached a level far stronger than that of an average person.

The girl looked down at the city beneath her feet.

Inside the city, everything was in a state of chaos.

Screams and cries almost drowned out half the city.

The direction of the East Gate was the area where the chaos was most intense.