An old man with a white beard and snow-white hair was leaning on a cane, wiping his forehead with a handkerchief, his trembling legs shaking from time to time.
Sweat the size of beans slid down his forehead like rain.
It seemed he had reached his limit and was completely exhausted.
"Your servant... Audis Von, greets Your Highness the Saintess. I pray for your sacred well-being."
"Marquess Audis, there is no need for such formality. Please, rise quickly. Someone, bring a chair for Marquess Audis and serve tea."
As she spoke, Luo Li Saint Sariel arrived at the divine platform. She had entered from the back door of the Temple, which led directly to the platform.
Audis, meanwhile, had been waiting below the divine platform the entire time.
"Quickly, fetch some recovery potions. Honestly, you all... Marquess Audis is elderly; how could you let him overexert himself like this? Didn't anyone think to bring him a chair?"
The small nuns on either side were so frightened by her words that they all knelt on the ground, their bodies trembling.
The current Saintess was majestic. Although her reputation had not yet spread far outside, every word and action within the Temple carried a weight that shook people's hearts.
"Your Highness, we... we did bring a chair for Lord Audis, but he insisted on not sitting. I... we..." a small nun explained, her voice shaking.
As she spoke, the small nun's eyes turned red.
"Your Highness, please do not blame the nuns. It was I who refused to sit. I am a subject, and Your Highness is the sovereign. When the sovereign has not arrived, how could a subject possibly sit?"
"Marquess Audis, it was my oversight that made you wait so long. I apologize to you."
She bowed as she spoke, but before her waist could bend fully, Audis jumped up from the chair like he had been struck by lightning. His agile movements were not at all what one would expect from a seventy-year-old man.
"Your Highness, you must not! I am a subject; how can I allow the sovereign to bow?" Audis looked panicked, his knee already bending as he prepared to kneel.
Seeing this, she knew her apology wouldn't be accepted.
To avoid placing further strain on the old man's body, she weighed her options and straightened her back.
"In that case, you need not kneel. Rise, quickly."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Audis stood up with difficulty, and Yuna quickly moved to support him.
Seeing the look of surprise on Yuna's face, it was clear she hadn't expected her grandfather's acting skills to be so exquisite—so flawless that she couldn't see a single crack in the performance.
Looking down at Audis, Luo Li could be certain of one thing since they met: his performance was impeccable.
Whether it was etiquette or attitude, everything was perfectly executed.
Even toward a Saintess whose control over the outside world was minimal, Audis maintained the etiquette of a subject so strictly that he was even more rigorous than the head of the Cavendish family.
As the saying goes, the older the man, the more cunning he becomes.
While she didn't know his true thoughts, at the very least, his behavior left no room for criticism.
"Marquess Audis, there is no need to rush. Please take the recovery potion."
"Thank you for your generosity, Your Highness."
Even though the price of a recovery potion in the outside world was only about one silver coin—and even the highest-grade physical recovery potion sold directly by the Temple was only five silver coins, with the effect of only restoring a portion of one's stamina—Audis still respectfully took it from the small nun with both hands. His aged face was filled with gratitude as he drank it in one gulp.
As a faint glow emanated from Audis's skin, his complexion gradually returned to normal.
Such a minor potion was common everywhere; Audis's expression and movements seemed a bit excessive.
However, it was still impossible to tell whether he truly respected her or was using his superb acting as a cover.
After a moment of thought, seeing that Audis had mostly recovered, she finally spoke.
"Marquess Audis, do you have some urgent matter for coming today?"
"Your Highness."
Audis was drinking tea, but upon hearing the Saintess's inquiry, he quickly set down his cup and shifted forward, preparing to stand and respond.
"Marquess Audis, there is no need to stand. You may remain seated while you speak."
"Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness. This old servant is aged, and my health is indeed no longer what it used to be."
He gave a bitter smile, then his expression tightened as he looked up at Luo Li.
"Your Highness, I have heard that you intend to recall the knights and soldiers scattered across various regions, but you are concerned that those regions will lack sufficient defenses. Is that correct?"
"It is. I assume... Knight Yuna told you this?"
This was pure acting, as she was the one who had instructed Yuna to relay the message.
"Indeed, Your Highness. I have a method that might resolve this pressing issue."
"I wonder what brilliant plan you have, Marquess?"
"Your Highness, administrative power in various regions is currently held by the local nobles of those fiefs. They have sufficient resources to build armies. Why not let them each form their own forces to maintain local order? That way, the knights who are currently occupied can be recalled."
"That... might be inappropriate, wouldn't it? The right to maintain order is currently in the hands of the knights. If we just hand it over like that..."
At this point, Audis seemed to understand perfectly. The wrinkles on his aged face folded into a smile.
"I have heard that this year's harvest is poor, and tax revenues across the land will likely decrease significantly. Furthermore, Your Highness intends to build the heroic spirit monument. I propose we do this instead..."
He paused slightly.
"In the name of the Von family, I will purchase the conscription register from Your Highness. For each soldier, I will pay two gold coins to purchase the local public security rights. Thereafter, I will pay one gold coin per soldier annually to continue purchasing these rights. What do you think?"
"This..."
The old man was truly a good actor. Although she wanted to agree immediately, this matter couldn't reach a conclusion too quickly. She still had to observe the long-term effects and the reactions of other nobles.
"But if purchasing a soldier grants the right to maintain order, what should I do then?"
"Your Highness need not worry. Why not set limits based on the size of the fief and the family's influence? For instance, my Von family is one of the thirty-three minor noble families in the Kingdom of the Moon, with about eleven small cities under our name. Let us allocate a fixed quota of twenty thousand soldiers."
"Do you mean, Marquess Audis, that to obtain public security rights, one must have exactly twenty thousand soldiers, no more and no less?"
"Exactly. Your Highness is indeed brilliant; you understand perfectly. As for the thirteen great families, perhaps we could calculate it based on forty thousand soldiers. In this way, the treasury will be full, and public security will be smoother, as the nobles will be the ones governing their own lands."
It was as if he were brainwashing the Saintess, Audis continued to speak his mind.
If an uninformed person were standing here, they would certainly think that Audis Von was deceiving the Saintess because he wanted the security rights for his family's territory.
As long as he successfully obtained this title, his family's private army would instantly become government soldiers. At that point, whatever he did would be perfectly legitimate!
In this era where honor was paramount, titles and legitimacy... were things no one could ignore.
If one acted without a proper cause, they would always be criticized.
"This... Marquess Audis, I still need to consider this matter for a while."
Even though she knew this was her own scheme, she had to appear as though she were deep in thought.
Only then would the other nobles feel at ease enough to purchase these public security rights.
Hmm, the term Audis used was quite good.
Public security rights.
It was a purchase, not a buyout.
In other words, once this template was established, even if she wanted to reclaim these rights in the future, she wouldn't need the nobles' consent at all.
While the nobles certainly wouldn't agree in private, they wouldn't be able to say anything on the surface.
Cunning, truly cunning. When people get old, they really do become quite shrewd.
However... from this, it was also clear that Audis was definitely on her side; otherwise, he wouldn't have used those specific words.
"Your Highness need not consider it further. I have already brought the money."
When four large crates were carried in from outside by forty men, she had to admit she was stunned.
Based on the purchasing power of ten thousand yuan per gold coin, this was... a full four hundred million!
"Your Highness, do not hesitate. I have prepared everything."
The meaning behind those words was somewhat ambiguous.
However, since Audis Von had gone this far, she had no reason to hesitate any longer.
"In that case... Lola, draft an agreement."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Lola quickly pulled a pre-drafted agreement from her sleeve, which had already been copied into two versions, and placed them before Luo Li and Audis.
Under Audis's "just as I thought" gaze and the Saintess's "you've unlocked a new skill" stare, Lola stood calmly to the side, as if everything happening had nothing to do with her.
Audis looked down at the agreement, a sharp light flashing in his aged eyes. When he looked up at the Saintess again, a trace of relief crossed his weathered face.
This expression passed too quickly, so fast that Luo Li wondered if it had been an illusion.
Soon, both parties signed the two agreements. The Saintess made the decision on the spot, ordering that all knights and soldiers in the territories under the Von family's control be recalled.
The "public security rights" were handed over.
When Audis walked out of the Temple gates, the satisfied smile on his face could not be hidden from anyone.
This matter took only a single day to spread to the ears of every noble, large and small, throughout the Kingdom of the Moon.
But that was for later.
Once Audis had boarded his carriage with Yuna's help, the triumphant smile on his face suddenly shifted into something resembling a kind, gentle grin.
He couldn't help but nod as he looked back at the Temple.
"Good, very good. It seems those secret rumors might actually be true."
"Grandfather, what's so good?"
Audis turned to look at his granddaughter, a kind smile on his face.
"Heh, you'll find out later. Remember, serve Her Highness faithfully from now on. Whether our Von family can reach the peak of the continent depends on you."
Yuna's face was filled with confusion.
Although she didn't know what little secret her grandfather had discovered, she could at least tell that this conversation had left him—a veteran actor worthy of an Oscar—very satisfied.
After a slight hesitation, Yuna didn't dwell on the topic and instead asked, "Grandfather, why didn't you buy military power? Why buy public security rights? I feel like there's something strange about it."
"You don't understand. Public security rights are one thing, and military power is another. If the term 'military power' were used, those nobles would essentially become kings of their fiefs. But public security rights are different. At most, it gives these 'kings' a reason to manage local security. But in the end, those aren't armies; they're security teams."
At this point, a mysterious smile appeared on Audis's face.
"This Saintess is not simple..."
"How is she not simple?"
As a good supporting act, Yuna quickly pressed for more.
"She hasn't been simple from the start. This Saintess left me waiting for a full hour and a half. Do you really think it was just a simple oversight?"
"Was it... not?"
Yuna blinked, her face full of curiosity.
"Of course not."
Audis explained to his granddaughter with full confidence.
"Her Highness was killing three birds with one stone!"
"Which three birds? I... I didn't see it. Didn't Her Highness just wake up late?"
Audis shook his head, looking a bit disappointed.
"You're still just a girl, too young..."
"Grandfather~~"
Yuna pouted and shook Audis's arm, bringing a helpless yet kind smile to the old man's face.
"Fine, fine, I'll tell you. But you mustn't tell anyone else."
"Mhm, mhm!" The little tail behind Yuna wagged back and forth like an excited puppy.
"The first bird was the attitude of our Von family—specifically mine, as the current head of the family. If I had barged in, the Saintess likely wouldn't have continued to place us in important roles."
"And... the second bird?"
"The second bird was, of course, to make an example of me to warn others. She wanted the nobles to see that her divine majesty is not to be trifled with. Those knights were clearly fresh from the battlefield. If I had trespassed, I'm afraid I would have been invited to drink tea in a prison cell the next second, rather than chatting with Her Highness in the Temple."
"Is that really how it was?" Yuna covered her mouth in shock, recalling the guards. They truly did exude a murderous aura.
"Hehe, you're still green. You have much to learn."
"Then... Grandfather, what was the third bird?"
"The third bird was, naturally, to show her attitude toward the nobles. After I had waited for so long, she immediately arranged a chair, tea, and even a recovery potion for me. Do you think that was just a simple gift to help me recover my strength?"
"Was it not?"
"Of course not. It was to express the Saintess's attitude toward the nobles. As long as they are obedient, there will be good things. But if they are not..."
Audis couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
"The Saintess of this generation is truly beyond the reach of ordinary people. With such calculation, I'm afraid even His Eminence the Pope might not be able to match her. Yuna, you must serve Her Highness well. You must, must bring honor to our Von family!"
"Yes, Grandfather! I will definitely serve Her Highness well and bring the Von family to new heights!"
"Good, good."
While the grandfather and granddaughter were having their secret conversation in the carriage, Luo Li, sitting before the statue in the Temple, was being scolded by Lola.
"Your Highness, you clearly instructed Marquess Audis to come yesterday, yet you overslept this morning. This is simply improper!"
"I... I was wrong QAQ"
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