A Person on Terra, With No Books to Read

Father Agniel chuckled softly. "I am an outcast from Sankta, here to figure out what I want to do. Though... if Sankta and Sarkaz could truly achieve peace, that would be quite good. It's also been a long time since I visited Laterano and tasted its flavors."

"Thank you very much."

Theresica was about to pick up his pen to write a letter, but Father Agniel waved him to stop.

"I will convey this conversation to the Pope; it will be more effective than a letter. But do you truly wish to take this step? The beginning is quite indescribable, and certainly not a pleasant taste."

"I know, but I want to try."

"Is that so? Then I shall return and see."

The trip to Siracusa was complete. Now Kazdel finally had the necessary medicine and a large amount of grain.

Upon returning to Kazdel, Theresica immediately rushed to the production facility set up in the military camp, surprising Zeppelin, who hurried out to greet him.

"Your Majesty."

"Zeppelin, are your people adjusting well here?"

Theresica surveyed the operating machinery and the young Sarkaz operating them. Several individuals were already working independently nearby, but more were practicing under the supervision of veteran craftsmen.

"Your Majesty, these people are from the army and have a certain aptitude for hands-on work. They are obedient and learn diligently. Some learn quickly and are adept, but many still struggle. They can't even read, so I have to teach them literacy before they can understand the instructions."

Theresica stood beside one of the workers, observing quietly for a moment before asking, "How is production going here now?"

"Your Majesty, the armor and swords are not prone to complete damage from wear. Through our efforts in repairing existing equipment and producing new armor and swords, the entire army is steadily being resupplied. We still don't have many people proficient in producing individual crossbows. It's mainly me and a few old-timers producing the easily worn parts, but we have a substantial inventory, so there's no need to worry. Only the arrowheads are a bit troublesome."

"Why is that?"

"Your Majesty, observe."

Zeppelin brought over two crossbow bolts. One looked neat and tidy, while the other appeared rough and crude.

"The components of an arrow are small, and even a slight error can significantly affect the final accuracy. The trainees are just starting, and processing these is quite difficult. We can currently only meet the demand for arrowheads for shooter training."

Theresica took a trainee-processed arrow and examined it for a while, then walked around the area where arrowheads were being produced. Zeppelin, unsure of what he was doing, could only follow closely behind.

"This method of production is unacceptable."

"Ah? Your Majesty, are we going to war?"

Zeppelin was greatly alarmed. Fortunately, the noise from the machines was considerable, and no one nearby noticed.

"No war. I want to export weapons to exchange for grain," Theresica said. "Your production volume here is too low. We need to find a way to increase output."

"But this is already the limit. With 12-hour workdays, this is the output. To increase it, we would have to extend working hours."

"No need to extend. I have a way," Theresica said confidently. At this moment, he was truly glad he had worked a summer job at an electronics factory.

At Zeppelin's facility, for instance, a chest plate required the operator to first stamp the raw material into a rough shape, then cut the outline, and finally polish the edges. This meant one person needed to learn multiple processing techniques, significantly increasing the difficulty of training.

"Uh... take this crossbow bolt, for example. It consists of a head, a shaft, and fletching. If one person has to learn three things to make this, why don't we establish a standard style for arrowheads, and have one person specialize in producing one part, then assemble them all?"

"Ah! This way, the trainees won't have to learn so much, and they'll become proficient much faster!"

Hearing Theresica's explanation, Zeppelin's face lit up with surprise. "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"With this production method, the standard style is very important. You'll have to put in a lot of effort on this."

"I will certainly handle it! Please rest assured."

"Good."

Theresica nodded and added, "Later, organize people who can independently operate specific component production processes into groups. Each week, the group that produces the most and best will each receive two jin of beast meat!"

"As you command!"

PS: Please vote for me!!!!

Chapter 24: Obsession

After handling the production matters and handing over the various daily necessities purchased from Siracusa to Zeppelin for him to see if Kazdel could replicate them and replace the century-old dilapidated items, Theresica rushed to find Warfarin.

"Warfarin, collect all the common symptoms of diseases in Kazdel, then create standardized prescriptions based on these drugs from Siracusa. Organize them into a booklet and distribute them to suitable individuals."

"Huh? Why would you do that?"

Warfarin, who was studying an Originium bug, looked up in confusion. "Symptoms cannot accurately reflect diseases. Without experience, misdiagnosis is inevitable if one only looks at symptoms!"

"Misdiagnosis is misdiagnosis. It's better than not being able to treat even minor ailments," Theresica added. "Also, add a treatment duration to these prescriptions. If there's no effect after this period, send them here. I want to rebuild Sarkaz's health department."

"You want me to treat them? I'm too busy!"

Warfarin's eyes widened. It wasn't that she was lazy; she genuinely lacked the capacity!

"Besides, this requires at least basic literacy. Where am I supposed to find so many literate people?"

"I'll find a way to get the people. You start organizing them."

Theresica patted Warfarin's shoulder. "After raising you blood demons for so many years, it's time to put you to good use."

"But I promised to find someone, where am I supposed to get them?"

"The Absolvers have many literate individuals, but they're also busy with research. I don't know if I can pull a few over to help."

As he pondered, Warfarin suddenly spoke, "Why don't you try to get Kal'tsit back?"

Kal'tsit's medical skills were exquisite. Even her cousin, who disliked her immensely, grudgingly admitted her mastery in medicine. Furthermore, she had a group of students following her, all of whom were skilled physicians. However, if she were to stay here, it would have happened long ago. Why would she go to Leithanien?

"I can't possibly kill the Bloodfiend Grand Duke, the Absolvers, and Manfred just to get Kal'tsit to come back."

Theresica sighed helplessly. Forcing her to work alongside a group of adversaries, he felt too embarrassed to even ask.

Warfarin's face immediately fell. It seemed like she would have to handle all this work herself.

The collection of common ailments began with the schools. These children were physically weak and had teachers as centralized managers, making them very convenient to organize. Then there were the newborns; any minor ailment could be a significant challenge for infants.

Kazdel's central plaza was once again overcrowded. After the sentinels announced the news of free medical treatment for infants throughout Kazdel, almost all the women brought their children here.

Warfarin, along with several Absolvers and Banshees, even brought a few Blood Demons and Corpse Eaters, keeping her extremely busy.

"You're the one who made me do this, and you only give me this few people? How is that enough?! You and Shining are both literate, so come over here!!!"

Looking at the numerous patients before her, she was so overwhelmed that she even called Theresica over. He and Shining were both at the medicine distribution area, dispensing prescriptions.

"Here's your prescription. Go get your medicine over there. See that Sarkaz who hasn't grown their horns yet? Go find him!"

The female Sarkaz, holding her child, widened her eyes.

The days of working overtime with Warfarin ended after a few days, halted by a letter. It was delivered by a Siracusan messenger, with its packaging originating from Laterano, adorned with exquisite patterns and carrying a strong Sankta cultural charm.

"Your Majesty, you've corresponded with Sankta?"

In the palace's council hall, all the clan leaders of the Kazdel royal court were gathered. They couldn't understand why such a letter had suddenly appeared.

"Are you going to war with Laterano?"

"No, it's to mend relations and restore peace."

As Theresica finished speaking, the Bloodfiend Grand Duke was the first to object.

"Absolutely not! I cannot tolerate the existence of Sankta!"

"Then can you defeat them?!"

The same retort came, but the speaker was not Theresica, but the Banshee.

"Restoring peace with Sankta would be greatly beneficial to us. I support Your Majesty!"

"Then can the enmity we've held for a hundred years disappear with a single word?"

"We need to consider the present Sarkaz, not dwell on the past."

"I will erase the existence of Sankta from Terra!"

As the two argued, Theresica had witnessed the Bloodfiend Grand Duke's temper before, but this was the first time he had seen the Banshee so agitated. The others in the council hall, the Absolvers and the King of the Scavengers, remained silent, while the Shapeshifter watched as if it were a spectator.

"Alright, we're not at war with Laterano right now. What's wrong with restoring peace?"

Theresica wanted to stop their argument. A small nation that does not know its place, or a weak entity that does not fear the strong, will not fare well.

"Your Majesty, are you sure you want to restore peace with Sankta?"

"Then can you defeat them? Can Sarkaz trade one for one and eliminate all of Sankta? Can Sarkaz withstand another multi-national coalition after the war begins?"

Theresica retorted. The Bloodfiend Grand Duke immediately stood up and walked out. "Your Majesty, you have thrown the dignity of Sarkaz into the dirty mud."

A person fights for a breath of pride. For the Bloodfiend Grand Duke, who had lived for a hundred years, this was perhaps his obsession.

Theresica understood, but he had to do it.

"What about the rest of you? Does anyone have any objections?"

In the council hall, no one spoke.

"Then it's settled."

The Siracusan messenger left Kazdel, now carrying a letter from Sarkaz. He presented it to Father Agniel, who then personally delivered it to Laterano.

Walking on the marble street, Agniel gazed at the familiar sights before him.

"Although I don't particularly like it here, Laterano's architecture is what I'm more accustomed to."

Sankta, with light wings on their backs and halos above their heads, as the most peculiar species on Terra, were often called angels by others.

This race truly lived up to their name; religion permeated every aspect of Sankta life. In Laterano, churches were classrooms, and priests were teachers. Siracusa did not have such a strong religious atmosphere.

Upon arriving at the Papal Palace to meet the Pope, Agniel encountered an unexpected figure.

"I didn't expect you to be called back."

"Oh? It's Father Agniel. How did you return from Siracusa?"

The other person was also full of surprise. She asked with a grin, "Did the Pope summon you? Father, do you know why the Pope summoned me?"

"No, I can't speak of such things."

Father Agniel shook his head, though he had already guessed some of it. It seemed the Pope also wanted a change.

PS: Please vote!!!!

Chapter 25: Mostima

"Excuse me, coming through!"

"Sorry!"

A burly man, clutching a cloth bundle, ran swiftly through the streets of Kazdel. He excitedly burst into a civilian house, but before a small bed, his nearly reckless demeanor vanished completely.

He squatted down gently, rubbing his fingers several times on the inside of his clothes before carefully reaching out to caress the sleeping infant before him.

Noticing his wife, who had deliberately lightened her footsteps behind him, he quickly asked in a hushed, surprised tone, "The child's complexion has improved so much, and she's not coughing anymore. How did you do it?"

"His Majesty brought the medicine. The sentinels specifically came to call today, saying His Majesty wants all infants and young children in Kazdel with physical discomfort to go to the central plaza for medical treatment. His Majesty even handed the medicine to me personally!"

"Really! Thank His Majesty!"

With his young daughter's condition improving, the robust man's hanging heart finally settled. He smiled and took out the cloth bundle. "My production team had the highest output at the factory this week! Master Carter rewarded each of us in our group with two jin of beast meat according to His Majesty's regulations! What about our son? Didn't he always want to eat meat?"

"Our son went to school," the woman said with a smile. "The school provides meals for the entire day, and they have meat twice every two days there. The child isn't craving it anymore."

"It's fine, we'll make sure he eats more tonight. I heard the school has physical training classes, so he needs to eat more."

The man smiled foolishly. Life suddenly felt different from before; he was still a little unaccustomed to it.

Suddenly, the infant cried out, and the man panicked, not knowing what to do. His wife calmly went to close the window.

"The baby just got woken up, look how scared you are. But why is it so noisy outside... Good heavens! Come quickly and look!"

The wife pulled the man to the window, and he followed her gaze, his eyes widening as well.

"What's going on?! Kazdel, why are there Sarkaz here?!"