Good grief, the more she tried to clear it up, the worse it sounded.
"Enough nonsense. Tell me, what is the production cost of a slave collar that only controls life and provides paralysis? And how long does it take to make?"
Luo Li cleared her throat with a blush, breaking the awkward atmosphere.
"The cost is low—ten copper coins. We sell them for fifteen. It takes about half an hour for one."
The dwarves were the first to respond.
On the mages' side, they looked down and calculated for a moment before answering.
"The materials for the magic engravings cost about twenty copper coins. We sell them for around twenty-eight or twenty-nine. It takes about an hour each."
"Very well. From this day forward, you are no longer to accept private work. All slave collars must be manufactured only with official authorization. Dwarven craftsmen, for a slave collar costing ten copper coins, I will pay you thirty. mages, for an engraving costing twenty copper coins, I will pay you forty. All engraved slave collars will be inspected by our people, and payment will be issued by the officials on a monthly basis per piece. Does anyone... have any concerns?"
"This..."
The dwarf who had spoken first hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward, looking up at her, and bowed slightly with his right hand over his chest.
"If I may ask, Your Highness Saintess, what should we do if someone wants a private commission? The orders of the noble lords are not something craftsmen like us can refuse."
"What is your name?"
This dwarf appeared to be quite old, his beard already graying, and his face was full of the marks of time. Most striking was a scar at the corner of his mouth, hinting at a remarkable past.
The other dwarven craftsmen followed his lead; he seemed to hold considerable prestige among the dwarves in Brilliant City.
"Reporting to Your Highness, my name is Anton."
The young girl nodded and glanced back at Lola. Lola quickly understood her meaning, gave a slight nod, and began taking notes.
"Very well. Anton, your question is exactly what I intended to address next. If nobles ask for private commissions, you may refuse or accept. However, if any noble dares to make things difficult for you, you can report it to the Temple. For every confirmed case, you will be rewarded with ten silver coins."
"You are speaking of refusing them. But what if we agree to do the work?"
"You do not need to do anything special. You only need to report the person who requested the commission to the Temple."
"This..."
Anton's expression turned somewhat grim.
As a craftsman, he knew all too well that the private commissions from the noble lords usually involved special functions—either to satisfy personal desires or for some other specific purpose. In such cases, the nobles would invariably demand that the dwarves never reveal their names.
But now, they were caught in a dilemma.
On one side were the nobles, and on the other was the Temple.
If they reported to the Temple, they would certainly be targeted by the nobles, who would inevitably suppress them and make it impossible to survive.
If they did not report to the Temple, the Saintess before them... likely would not let them off easily.
Anton did not know what to do for a moment.
He had only come to Brilliant City to make a living, not to die.
At this moment, he began to have second thoughts.
The Saintess before him clearly held a grudge against the nobility. Based on his past experiences, he could infer that Brilliant City was bound to undergo a massive upheaval!
Either the nobles would unite to seize the Saintess's power and turn her into a figurehead.
Or the Saintess would completely suppress the nobility.
Seeing a part of the pattern, the experienced Anton had already begun to guess the Saintess's plan.
Anton himself... found it difficult to decide, and his own past experiences couldn't help but flood his mind.
Originally the top craftsman of the Dwarven Kingdom in the West Continent, he had fled because of a coup. Both the First Prince and the Third Prince had wanted to win him over. He did not want to be caught in the middle, nor did he want his wife and daughter to suffer because of it, so he had traveled across the entire Central Lands to reach the Eight Nations of the Holy Church in the far east.
Having arrived here, he lived under an assumed name, leading a quiet life. Without much ambition, Anton had lived a peaceful existence.
But now, another monumental change was about to descend right before his eyes.
Just as he was considering whether to leave this country again and head for the fertile regions in the south, the Saintess beneath the statue above suddenly spoke of something else.
"By the way, you dwarven craftsmen and other dwarves are scattered throughout various corners of Brilliant City. This must cause some inconvenience in your daily lives, doesn't it? How about this: I will set aside a plot of land to build a Dwarven District for you. This will make things easier for both you and everyone else. What do you think?"
"A Dwarven District?"
Anton was stunned. Such a thing was truly unprecedented. In this human kingdom, no one had ever valued other races; the focus was always on humans themselves.
He subconsciously looked up at the high-and-mighty Saintess. In that moment... he suddenly realized he could not quite see through her.
"Your Highness... I am grateful that you would think this way, but your idea will be very difficult to implement."
After a moment's thought, Anton voiced his true concerns.
Even if not for himself, he had to speak up for the compatriots standing behind him.
"Why?"
Luo Li looked at Anton in surprise. Was the Temple not enough to give him a sense of security?
"Your Highness, we cannot afford to offend the noble lords, nor can we afford to offend the Temple. If we are forced to choose, we would rather leave than get involved."
Looking at the indifferent expression on Anton's face, she could roughly understand his underlying meaning.
'The internal struggles of the human race have nothing to do with us dwarves.'
It seemed that recruiting these dwarves would not be something achieved overnight.
Luo Li turned to look at the other mages.
"Do you all feel the same way?"
"Your Highness, as the Saintess and ruler of the Kingdom of the Moon, you indeed have the right to command us to do anything. However, as mages, we are welcomed with open arms wherever we go. If we follow your orders, we will certainly be suppressed by the nobility. We cannot accept such a situation and would have no choice but to leave."
Luo Li nodded. This situation was within her expectations.
"What is your name? Do you hold a title in the Kingdom of the Moon?"
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