Change / Kristen Wright

"That's an excellent proposal. It's time for the two races to make some changes."

The Pope handed over a scroll. Once opened, it contained only one very brief demand: that the Sarkaz abandon the construction of mobile cities. From then on, the Sankta and Sarkaz would cease their hostility and restore peace.

"This is the condition collectively decided upon by the Laterano clergy. What do you think?"

"This... Please allow me to speak frankly. Building a mobile city isn't the only way to obtain one."

Theresica was incredulous. This condition was practically the same as having no conditions at all. How could the Sarkaz build a mobile city in their current state? And if she wasn't allowed to build one, was she unable to use other means?

"How the Sarkaz acquire a mobile city is the Sarkaz's business. What we're discussing here is that the Sarkaz may not build a mobile city themselves."

"Then... the agreement is reached."

The melodious tolling of bells spread throughout Laterano City at that moment.

Record: On July 23, 1070, of the Terra Calendar, King Theresica of Kazdel and Pope Evangelista XI of Laterano signed the Eden Accord. The two races ended their hostile state and restored peace.

P.S. Yesterday's chapter wasn't well written. That was my fault. My writing technique still isn't up to par, but that was the meaning I intended to convey.

Let me explain some of yesterday's problems. These are some of my thoughts.

The characters are independent of one another. The Pope represented Laterano. The Sarkaz and Sankta had never gotten along, and with one side strong and the other weak, he naturally had to make that clear for everyone to see. As an envoy, Mostima could only act that way in public as well. But after entering the conference hall with the protagonist, where there were only the two of them, the situation changed. She no longer had to deal with the public, but with a leader whose dignity she had wounded. If she didn't vent her anger quickly, then even with Laterano backing her, her own safety would be extremely difficult to guarantee.

Mostima: How much does the Pope pay me a month? Is this really worth risking my life over?

1

As for the protagonist, this is indeed how things are for now. But the next chapter will be a new beginning. This is where the current storyline ends.

Chapter 27: Change

"A country may be small without occupying a lowly position, and its strength may be weak without fearing the strong—but it may still perish."

But what would achieving those things accomplish? In the face of a disparity in strength, did one even have the ability to choose whether to perish?

On the journey back to Kazdel, Theresica kept thinking about this question. Yet there was only one answer to changing this situation: she had to make herself great and strong.

But how was she supposed to do that?

There was no answer. He only knew that what he had done wasn't enough. With such tiny changes, the Sarkaz would still have no way out.

As soon as he returned to Kazdel, Theresica headed straight for the royal palace and ordered all the clan chiefs and the Military Committee to assemble. However, only the Confessor, the Banshee, the Shapeshifter, the King of the Scavengers, and the members of the committee came.

"Where's the Bloodfiend Grand Duke? Why didn't he come?"

He gave a direct order. "Confessor, go find him. I want to see him."

The Confessor accepted the order and left. After waiting for quite some time, she finally returned with the Bloodfiend Grand Duke.

"The peace treaty has been signed. During my trip to Laterano, I discovered that we truly can't defeat the Sankta."

Theresica looked at the clan chiefs before him. "The gap between us and the Sankta isn't simply that we would lose battles. We have no way to protect the Sarkaz race from an attack by Laterano. If we clash with the Sankta, all we'll have is countless casualties and rivers of blood. Then the Sarkaz will be buried directly in Terra's dust."

"I don't want that to happen. Not at all. At least while I'm sitting here, I'll do everything I can to prevent such a scene. The Sarkaz are too backward. Everyone has to work toward the same goal before we have any chance of catching up with the other nations. We don't have much time."

Theresica rose to his feet. Standing on the steps, he was taller than everyone else, and he declared loudly, "You said before that I was interfering in the affairs of the other races. Then I'm telling you now: I'm going to interfere even more! I need to implement authority over the entire Sarkaz race to accomplish what I've described. If you think I can do it, give me that authority. If you don't trust me, I'll go back to playing games. Dealing with this mess is exhausting! As for the throne, go find Mudrock."

Heh. Other transmigrators had to fight political battles and use all sorts of schemes to centralize power. He, on the other hand, was simply taking advantage of the Sarkaz's racial characteristics and asking for it outright.

Looking at the silent clan chiefs, Theresica wasn't in a hurry. If they gave him the authority, he would continue doing the job. If they didn't, he would be perfectly happy to return to playing games and then find a chance to visit another country. That way, even if the Sarkaz lost a battle in the future, he wouldn't be blamed for it.

"Since His Majesty has decided, then let us follow His Majesty's wishes."

The Confessor spoke first, followed by the Banshee. "I submit to your will."

"Agreed."

That was the King of the Scavengers.

"It doesn't matter to me. I don't manage these affairs anyway."

That was the Shapeshifter.

"Whatever."

That was the Bloodfiend Grand Duke.

Seeing that all the clan chiefs had spoken, the Military Committee hurriedly voiced its position as well. "We submit to the King's will."

"Good. Then I'll continue being king."

Theresica turned to the Banshee. "Launch a cultural education campaign throughout Kazdel, including in the military. As for those who don't recognize a single character, there's no need to teach them too much. Just make sure they can recognize words and read articles."

Banshee: "As you command."

Theresica brought out the military's general records. After looking through them for a while, he said, "The military currently has fifty thousand combat personnel. That's too many, Manfred. Arrange an assessment and cut five thousand people. But don't disband them. Keep them within the military system and provide them with cultural education."

Manfred wanted to object, but when he saw the indisputable look in Theresica's eyes, he still lowered his head. "As you command."

"Zeppelin, prepare to receive and teach those five thousand people. I want to expand Kazdel's military and civilian production capabilities."

"But our efficiency in copying Victoria's machine tools isn't very high, and we still haven't fully figured out Siracusa's daily-use machinery. Increasing the number of machine tools and educating skilled workers will both take time. It will be some time before we see any real improvement."

Zeppelin's expression was grim. The pressure on him was considerable.

"I know."

Theresica nodded. "You don't need to handle these matters personally anymore. I need you to do something else."

"Please give me your orders, Your Majesty."

"Individual crossbows. I want you to improve them. Having to draw the string and load a bolt after every shot is too slow. I want this process to be automated, like Laterano's firearms. The soldiers should only need to aim, fire, and change magazines."

Increasing firepower was the first thought that had come to him.

"This..." Zeppelin hesitated. "I'll do my best to try, but equipment like that will definitely require maintenance..."

"That's why I'm having the military launch a cultural education campaign as well."

Theresica said, "For now, find some soldiers and equip them experimentally. Produce and improve the weapons at the same time. Once the cultural education is complete, these individual crossbows must be distributed to all soldiers. There must be no delay in this entire process!"

"Yes!"

Zeppelin and the Banshee answered together.

After finishing with the affairs within Kazdel, Theresica turned to the Shapeshifter.

"I need you to send people to Victoria."

"What are they to do there, Your Majesty?"

"Victoria has many schools, including many military academies. I need you to send people to infiltrate them, secretly record their classes, and photograph the students' notes."

Theresica couldn't think of any other solution. His side couldn't cultivate its own talent, and it had no powerful allies. All he could do was secretly borrow someone else's chicken to lay eggs.

Whether the results were good or bad, imitating what he saw was still better than being unable to draw anything at all.

"It isn't an especially difficult mission, but maintaining it long-term will be... Forget it. As you command."

The Shapeshifter accepted the order.

"Confessor."

One clan chief after another had come forward, and now it was finally her turn. After thinking for a moment, Theresica spoke. "I need an Originium Art—or perhaps a device that can be used by others. Its function should be to conceal soldiers. Combined with a unit using improved individual crossbows, it should allow us to unleash considerable combat power in a surprise attack."

"The feasibility is very high. I'll complete it as soon as possible, Your Majesty."

Although it seemed that he had done a great deal in a single day, compared with the gap between the Sarkaz and Sankta, it was nowhere near enough.

He remembered a certain place. He sought out Mudrock, who was still in Kazdel, and then called for Big Bob.

"I heard you want to go to Columbia?"

"Yes. As long as you have money, you can live very well there. There are already Sarkaz living there."

The muffled voice came from beneath his full-cover helmet. Theresica looked at his sturdy body and spoke.

"You're Mudrock's partner, so I'll give you the money you want. But you have to do something for me."

"What do you want?"

"I want to go to Columbia too, but I need a clean identity as a Columbia Sarkaz, and I need to have some status. Can you arrange it?"

"It won't be difficult. There are already Sarkaz in Columbia, and the country is full of immigrants from elsewhere. You can make up any identity you want."

Big Bob's voice grew louder, sounding extremely confident.

"Excellent. Our agreement is hereby reached."

Theresica extended his hand and clasped it with Big Bob's palm.

P.S. Please vote!!!

Chapter 28: Kristen Wright

Columbia had originally been a colony of Victoria, but later gained independence with Gaul's assistance. Its own foundations were weak, however, so to strengthen itself, Columbia's governing institutions introduced a policy of westward expansion. This allowed them to expand their territory without creating political conflicts. At the same time, they strongly welcomed foreign capital, using it to obtain funds and revitalize every aspect of society.

Half a month after deciding to travel to Columbia, Theresica had already become the owner of a brewery in Columbia.

He had bought it from Sarkaz who had settled in Columbia. As payment for helping him arrange his identity, Big Bob became the manager of one of the brewery's hop-growing farms.

Hops were an important ingredient in brewing beer, and Big Bob was especially fond of the plant. Theresica was happy to help him fulfill that wish.

Perhaps I can help Kazdel cultivate a few people with farming skills.

After leaving everything at the brewery unchanged, Theresica went to Trimount City. It was a place Big Bob had recommended after the two of them discussed the matter.

He said it was the city with the most universities and technology companies in Columbia. Thus, Theresica spent money on an admission ticket to the Trimount Institute of Technology, because the largest institution of higher education in Trimount was holding an outstanding graduates' speech conference that day.

The speech conference was not only a place for outstanding graduates to present their research results, but also a good venue for companies with funds to find projects in which to invest.

"Would you like to change your clothes?"

After taking her seat in the lecture hall of the Trimount Institute of Technology, Shining looked at the Colombians around them, all dressed in suits, then glanced at their own casual clothes. She immediately grew somewhat worried.

"It's fine. We aren't here to apply for jobs. Besides, dressing casually will make it easier for us to chat with these graduates."

While waiting for the speeches to begin, Theresica lowered his head and examined the several resumes and academic reports in his hands. A group of graduates who lacked the qualifications to give speeches had stuffed them into his hands when he entered. Outside, they had introduced themselves and described their achievements and abilities to every company representative and investor who passed by. Their attitudes had been sincere, even humble.

Unfortunately, none of them were suitable. Either their technology couldn't be adapted, or they simply weren't working in the right fields. None of them were what Kazdel needed.

"Hopefully, we'll see something worthwhile during the speeches."

Theresica gazed boredly at the podium at the front. He didn't care what sort of research results the graduates of this institution would present, but as long as something related to the problems facing Kazdel appeared, he would provide funding, put on an image of a foolishly generous investor, and exchange contact information with the delighted graduates.

He didn't care about spending a little money. As long as he could cultivate the fruits of research, that was enough. As for what came afterward... The Shapeshifter warriors of the Sarkaz army would react much faster than Columbia's patent-protection laws, and Kazdel had no patent-protection laws either.

But if there was nothing at all... then he would leave it to the Confessor. She was an outstanding graduate, after all. Surely her mind wasn't filled entirely with useless material.

The speeches proceeded one after another. Theresica scattered money according to his plan. This shocked several company representatives nearby, who came to him during the intermissions, their words filled with suggestions of cooperation. Theresica rejected them all.

These were well-established companies. Carrying out any underhanded maneuvering with them might be troublesome.

The speeches gradually neared their end, and many satisfied companies and investors had already left early. To be honest, after listening to speeches that were practically like advanced mathematics lectures for an entire day, Theresica was mentally fatigued as well.

Just as he was looking around like a student preparing to skip class, a staff member's voice reached his ears.

"Today's final speaker is Kristen Wright. The topic is exploration of Terra's outer space."

Hmm?

Upon hearing that, Theresica sat back down. This was something he genuinely wanted to hear about.

The tall Pero spoke eloquently onstage. From air resistance to the kinetic energy of objects, she demonstrated a solid grasp of knowledge. However, the company representatives around them had little interest in it, because it lacked the key word they wanted—profit.

A project required an enormous amount of funding to complete. Could exploring the stars bring them returns, just like launching a product? They couldn't see how.

Fewer and fewer people remained in the lecture hall, but she didn't seem affected in the slightest. It appeared that she had never intended to attract investment with this speech. She was simply organizing her dream here.

A female Wyvern walked into the seating area. She lightly tapped the armrest beside her with one finger. "There's no one left. Aren't you leaving?"

"Ma'am, someone is still giving a speech."

Theresica replied without turning his head.

The Wyvern paused, glanced at Shining, and then sat down as well. The three of them listened together as Kristen delivered her final words.

"Thank you all for attending... I didn't expect that two people would actually stay and listen to the entire thing?"

Two people?

Theresica looked around in confusion, only to discover that everyone else had already left. The Wyvern rose and introduced herself. "Saria, her classmate."