Invite Her Highness to the City

Momoka’s smile stiffened.

"Based on what you are saying, it really is not suitable for you to leave Brilliant City right now."

She paused, seemingly making up her mind.

"Luo Li, you should still go back first. Brilliant City cannot be without you. With you there, those knights will not dare to rebel."

Momoka’s hands did not stop their movement as she spoke.

"Leave the matters here to me. Do not worry. Even if I do not have much influence, I am still a Saintess. They will not dare to do anything."

Luo Li did not look back, merely waving her hand.

"No. Since they dare to plot a rebellion, they must have made thorough preparations. You cannot suppress them alone. They do not care how many of the seventy million people die; they only care about their own interests."

In this situation, if Momoka were left alone, she might be forcibly placed under control.

Furthermore, as a Saintess from another country, if she were to use force locally, the nobles would certainly threaten her directly.

While these nobles were no match for the thirty thousand knights, they could still strike at those seventy million people.

Now, it had reached a point where there was no room for retreat, neither for the nobles nor for Luo Li.

If Luo Li retreated, her position as a Saintess would be forfeit.

Not only would her position be lost, but it was highly likely her purity would be at risk as well.

She had not forgotten the image she saw before the Statue of the Angel; even the humans wanted to grind her into the dirt!

Damn it, why did I choose 'very easy' back then?

This choice had instantly cranked the difficulty up to hell level.

"But what about Brilliant City..."

"With Augus and Lola there, nothing too chaotic should happen."

At this, the silver haired girl paused slightly, her eyes opening just a crack.

"But if they truly dare to take action, I will no longer be polite."

Until now, for the sake of the Kingdom of the Moon’s stability and to secure time for peaceful development, Luo Li had avoided taking ruthless measures against the nobles.

Although she had been gradually encroaching on their rights, the pace of that erosion was not fast.

However, she had not expected that merely touching the 'slave' issue would provoke such a massive reaction from the entire noble circle.

Or rather, someone among the nobles had realized what was happening.

Shumir Alvin.

Ever since transmigrating into this world, Luo Li had never stopped her efforts to understand the nobility.

While taking immediate action was unrealistic, as the saying goes: know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.

Since she had intended to erase the nobility from the Kingdom of the Moon from the start, she naturally sought to learn more about this enemy.

However, while she had studied the others, this man had possessed almost no presence from the beginning.

Thinking of this, some information about the man surfaced in her mind.

Though it was all surface level, she could at least compare it to the current situation to deduce more about him.

Shumir Alvin.

Forty-three years old.

He had five sons and seven daughters.

Thirteen wives and concubines.

He lived permanently in Brilliant City. Although he frequently attended noble banquets, he rarely expressed any opinions.

He was kind and open to suggestions. In the fifteen years since he took his position, he had achieved nothing of note.

The entire Alvin family seemed to have undergone no changes at all since he took charge.

They continued to develop and survive by following established routines.

Previously, she had assumed he lacked talent and thus had no suggestions for the family's development.

But now, it seemed that was not the case.

The reason he did not change the Alvin family was likely because he judged their current development trend to be excellent.

That was why he left it as it was.

Given his status, the number of his wives and concubines was actually quite low.

After all, this was one of the four major noble families of the Kingdom of the Moon, a prominent clan that had occupied the country for a thousand years.

However, his wives and concubines were all exceptionally beautiful.

Furthermore, his primary wife was a member of the Cromwell family, Kevin’s half-sister.

If she was not mistaken, the person who met with Kevin that day was likely him.

This man’s hobbies were fishing and reading.

From that perspective, he seemed to have the appearance of a refined gentleman.

But those two hobbies, while having positive connotations, also possessed a darker side.

Fishing is a recreational activity.

However, fishing itself is an aggressive leisure activity.

Pitting one's wits against the weather and the fish.

One must be skilled at observing weather and terrain, and adept at handling sudden changes.

These are the prerequisites for a master fisherman.

Reading showed his love for culture, but it also reflected his intellectual capacity.

Previously, she had not made a detailed judgment of this man.

Now, she could deduce his character from this information.

Such a person was skilled at utilizing weather and terrain, possessed vast knowledge, and acted only after careful planning.

He was adept at sitting in a high position to control the overall situation, and his reaction to emergencies would be incredibly swift.

He had enough patience to remain rational in any situation.

From every angle, this was a very dangerous individual.

She had been careless to have no defenses against him before.

After all, his previous life had been far too ordinary. Aside from fishing and attending banquets, he stayed home to read.

Looking at it now, all of that was just him biding his time!

He was waiting for an opportunity—one that could bring immense profit to the nobles.

By constantly attending banquets, he allowed his influence to permeate the high levels of every noble family.

Then, he patiently waited for the right moment.

So, was he acting now because he believed the 'moment had arrived'?

That was likely not the case.

He was acting suddenly not because the 'moment had arrived,' but because the 'moment was running out.'

Luo Li now controlled three and a half cities.

She commanded the strongest army in the Kingdom of the Moon.

She had a wealth of talent under her: Vincent of the Mage Association, Camilla of the Alchemists' Association, Ligeia the wizard, Bishop Lola, and Augus, the Cabinet Minister.

Furthermore, she had the support of the Cavendish family, the Von family, and the Stuart family.

The current Saintess already possessed formidable power.

Although she only occupied one-third of the cities in the Kingdom of the Moon, her personal strength was already sufficient to oppose the entire noble circle.

If she were allowed to continue developing and fully secure those three cities, she would eventually take Moonrise City from the Stuart family.

With four cities in hand, tens of thousands of knights at her command, and the friendship of the dragons and beastmen, her power would be enough to change everything.

In other words, if the nobles did not act now, it would truly be too late.

If they waited until this lady sat firmly in her position, the nobles would never have another chance to rise again.

This was not the best time for him to act, but it was the last chance he had to act at all.

"Our lady’s speed of ascent is a bit too fast."

Shumir sat in his living room, fiddling with a hand warmer.

The hand warmer was crafted from pure gold. The magic array embedded inside allowed a fire magic stone to emit steady heat to keep one's hands warm.

A luxury item like this could easily last for decades.

But only nobles could afford such a luxury.

Where would a commoner get the money to afford a hand warmer like that?

Before him was a massive, oval long table.

On the table in front of each seat sat a communication stone.

These communication stones were specially processed so they did not require a communication room relay station.

This way, they would not be restricted by the communication rooms of individual cities.

However, the cost of this exceeded that of a normal communication room.

The purpose of the communication room relay stations was to lower the cost of communication and make it convenient for ordinary people.

This method of communication was generally reserved for special military situations.

Not only was the cost high, but the success rate of producing such stones was very low.

In the time it took to speak that one sentence, he had likely spent several gold coins.

However, to the various nobles, this amount of money was truly insignificant.

It was not even enough to be considered a minor annoyance.

"Indeed, Lord Shumir. Our lady is indeed flying too fast and too high."

The one speaking was the lord of another minor noble family.

While the foundation of these minor nobles was not as strong as that of the great families, anyone who could become a family head naturally possessed a sufficient overview of the situation and broad knowledge.

"Lord Shumir’s reaction was very timely. If Lord Shumir had not gathered us, I fear we would not have even had the chance to resist in the end."

Another noble lord could not help but voice his agreement.

Shumir nodded and gently placed the hand warmer on the table.

"As for the current situation, we have already secured half of Brilliant City. The East Gate and West Gate have both been taken. The North Gate... there seems to be a slight issue there, but it is not a major problem."

As he spoke, he looked up at the others.

"How is the situation on your ends? Have you secured control?"

Contemptuous smiles appeared on the faces of the other lords.

"Now that our lady has withdrawn all the troops, there is basically nothing for us to control. Aside from restricting the nuns and priests of the Temple, there is nothing else we need to do."

Another noble lord said.

The voices of the noble lords appearing in this hall represented almost all the nobility.

Aside from the Cavendish, Von, and Stuart families, every other family was present.

There was no other choice; faced with the current Saintess, they could no longer resist without this combined force.

"Very well. Let us end the conversation here for now. I will have the latest intelligence sent to everyone shortly."

Saying that, Shumir looked up at another person.

"Lord Harriet, Twin-Wing City depends on you. No matter what, you must get that lady under control. If you truly cannot do it... then none of us will have a future."

"I understand."

Harriet nodded with a grave expression.

"On my end, I have already prepared three limit-breakers. There are at least a hundred Guardian-level experts, and nearly two thousand other fighters. This is already my limit."

Shumir nodded.

"It cannot be helped; time waits for no one. Otherwise, we could have arranged for more experts, but this is all we can do for now. By the way, if you truly cannot control her, then change your approach. Do not hand over the grain. When there is no other choice... you understand."

"I understand, Shumir. I do not need you to remind me of such things."

Harriet nodded. Clearly, his relationship with Shumir was good enough that they could address each other by name.

"Then I will leave it to you. I will not ask about the rest. If there are any accidents, contact me again."

He glanced at the images of the other lords.

"The same goes for the other lords."

"Very well."

"Let it be so."

"This time, victory is ours."

Some sang songs of triumph while others nodded with dark expressions.

After all, not everyone held much hope for this matter.

Some lords did not believe in their chances at all.

But since they had already been pulled onto this ship, they could only follow it to the end.

Even if there was an endless abyss ahead, they could only sink into the sea along with the ship.

But if they won, they would be entitled to share in everything gained on this ship.

This was the coexistence of profit and risk.

Now, no one could leave.

After hanging up the communication, Harriet sat in his room with a heavy face.

The current situation required no further explanation. His only thought was to find a way to get that lady under control.

Thinking of this, he looked up at the servant before him.

"Tell the knights outside that my health is poor and it is inconvenient for me to leave the city. I invite Her Highness to enter the city for a discussion."

In this situation, if he could lure that lady into the city, then there would be no need to say anything more.

However, Harriet knew very well that this lady would likely not be easily fooled.

So, how could he lure her into the city?

After thinking for a moment, Harriet hesitated.

"Tell the lady outside that we have gathered twenty million catties of grain, but we lack sufficient manpower to transport it out. Please invite Her Highness into the city to discuss the details."

"Yes, sir."

The servant nodded, turned, and left.

Harriet remained in the living room, constantly pondering the events that might follow.

The worst-case scenario was the enemy besieging the city.

However, at this moment, there were still three limit-breakers inside Twin-Wing City.

Once the level sixty limit is broken, one's strength is not so easily crushed.

Even if the opponent truly possessed a level sixty Saintess, taking the city would not be simple.

Once the siege was delayed, countless people outside would starve to death.

Therefore, the trump card he held now was the grain.

As long as the lady did not enter the city, he would not give the grain.

This way, as long as she still wanted to save those seventy million subjects, she would have to enter the city regardless.

As for what would happen after she entered, there was no need to say more.

Soon, the news spread.

Regarding this matter, every knight had their own judgment.

No one was a fool.

This sudden obstruction caused a surge of resentment in the hearts of these knights from the Kingdom of the Sun.

Although these knights were also sons of nobles, the families had been branched off for many years.

They were essentially no different from strangers.

Compared to these families, their sense of belonging to the nation was stronger.

Because of this, these knights had no favorable feelings toward the current Anjou family.

"Reporting to Your Highness, the message has arrived. Lord Harriet Anjou invites Your Highness to enter the city for a discussion regarding the grain and other related matters."