"Good job."
Lola heard the praise, her face remaining calm.
"This is my duty, it does not merit Your Highness's praise."
As she spoke, she moved to a position slightly below Luo Li, with the small cart full of various books right behind her.
"Lola, are you feeling alright now?"
Looking at the fatigue on Lola's face, Luo Li felt a bit guilty about making her continue working.
But just as Lola had said, she had already skimmed through all these books once; with her explanations, they could decide on future plans much faster.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I am fine. Although time was short, I did manage to sleep for a little while."
"That is good. In that case, tell me about the current status and position of slaves."
Lola pushed up her glasses, turned back to pick up a notebook, opened it, and began to read.
"According to the Slave Regulations, Chapter 1, Section 1, Section 7, and Section 13; Chapter 3, Section 15; and Chapter 7, Section 2, the status of a slave is that of a noble's private property. Their status is equivalent to an object. The owner may dispose of the slave's life or death at will; afterwards, they only need to report it and pay a small fine to settle the matter."
"Slaves must wear a fixed magic collar. The collar is customized by the owner. Any slave who escapes is considered a capital criminal. Anyone who catches an escaped slave and turns them over to the authorities can receive a certain monetary reward."
"Slaves may not resist or harm their owners. Anyone found doing so will be executed immediately."
"When danger approaches, a slave must face the danger in place of their master. Those who flee will be executed immediately."
Following Lola's reading, the Temple fell into a dead silence.
Luo Li listened quietly to this series of laws regarding slaves. To put it simply, the status of a slave was not even equal to that of a pet.
"Then how are the children of slaves handled?"
"A female slave's offspring may be handled according to the owner's whim; they can be exempted from slave status or continue as slaves."
"Offspring born between two slaves are directly categorized as slaves. If a slave and a noble have offspring, the child is a noble. If a slave and a commoner have offspring, the child is a commoner."
Lola's explanation was thorough and realistically reflected the status hierarchy of slaves throughout the entire Kingdom of the Moon.
Luo Li lowered her head in thought for a moment, then looked up at Hilda.
"Hilda, what do you think? If I wanted to change the system, where should I start?"
"Your Highness... this..."
Hilda was stunned by the question and did not know how to answer for a moment.
Seeing her like this, Luo Li understood well enough.
Even though Hilda detested the system of slavery, she had never thought about changing it.
Perhaps it was because her family were beneficiaries of the system, or perhaps because she had simply never considered the question.
Understanding Hilda's thoughts, Luo Li now had a better idea of the situation.
The current nobility were not unaware of the flaws in the slave system; she could see that much for herself.
In that case, if things were to change... she could first look for a way to limit the nobility's persecution of slaves within that series of legal articles.
Rubbing her index finger and thumb together, the strands of hair at her fingertips spun back and forth with her friction, soon twisting into a small braid.
"Lola, who usually makes the slave collars?"
"Replying to Your Highness, they are generally crafted by the dwarves and then enchanted by mages before use."
This entire Slave Code and its various details were part of a massive network; moving one part affected the whole. Shaking this system was not the work of a single day.
There had to be a catalyst.
The image of that figure roaring at her suddenly flashed through her mind.
Cyrus... his resentment was not fake!
That was a true anger and powerlessness toward human society, which eventually transformed into hatred.
Reform of the slave system was already imminent.
Such a thing must never happen again!
Having made up her mind, Luo Li closed her eyes and only opened them again after a long while.
"Nara, Ella, starting today, I want the two of you to screen all the nuns. Any nun with a slave background must undergo a re-baptism."
Her Temple could not harbor even the slightest bit of danger. This was her headquarters and her current foundation; there could be no mistakes!
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Hilda, notify the three Guardian Knights, Nar, Cain, and Yuna. From today onward, re-verify the identities of all knights. Any knight with relatives who are slaves must undergo a re-baptism."
The knight corps was the sword in her hand; she must never let the blade point toward herself!
"As you command, Your Highness."
Hilda nodded, her brow filled with seriousness.
"Lola, gather the dwarf craftsmen and mages in the city. I have matters to discuss with them."
To reform the slave system and fundamentally prevent a second situation like this from occurring, the interests of certain people would inevitably be affected.
And among them, the Cavendish family... might become the target this time.
"Your Highness, if I may speak frankly, it will likely be very difficult if you wish to move against the slave system."
Lola pushed up her glasses, a rare look of severity appearing on her face.
"I know. That is why we cannot use only deterrence; we must also use incentives. You may go now; I need to consider this further."
She watched the Three-La trio and Hilda leave after receiving their orders.
Her heart could not remain calm for a long time.
She wanted to move against the slave system, yet she could not abolish it entirely.
Then the only way was to bring all slaves under the name of the Temple, dispatching them as leased or free laborers.
Aside from slaves who flowed into the Kingdom of the Moon from other countries, the internal slaves of the Kingdom of the Moon were all criminals sold by the authorities.
She walked down from the statue to the small cart and picked up Lola's notebook.
It was densely packed with records concerning the details of the slave system.
"Lola really is a good secretary."
As she flipped through the detailed information recorded in the notebook, a general outline of the slave trade gradually emerged in her mind.
"Is the Cavendish family the largest slave merchant in the entire Kingdom of the Moon?"
"Someone, come here."
"Your Highness, what are your instructions?"
"Is the Cavendish family very famous in the Kingdom of the Moon?"
She looked back at the little nun; the girl was only about thirteen or fourteen years old. This was a choice Luo Li had made intentionally, as children of this age were easier to control.
"Replying to Your Highness, yes."
"Have you ever seen a man named Fulong?"
The little nun went silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.
"Replying to Your Highness, I saw him a few times during the baptism ceremony."
The girl nodded.
"Then what kind of person is he?"
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