In Terra, I Have No Books to Read

"How does the mental world of the Seaborn feel?"

Amaya didn't reply. Her expression was vacant, her eyes and neck turning stiffly as she hesitantly observed her surroundings. Then, tears streamed from her eyes. As the restraints were released, she slid to the ground like a puppet with no support.

'The human world is truly captivating.'

She knelt on the ground and began to cry, crying for herself, crying with great sadness. Theresica didn't disturb her, standing quietly to the side, waiting for her tears to stop.

"Let's go for a walk."

Theresica took Amaya to the market in Kazdel. Amidst the crowd, Amaya noticed a scene that surprised her: in front of a bakery, an old Sarkaz woman was distributing food to infected children from other races.

This was extremely rare in other countries!

"They are all children who migrated here from Ursus,"

Theresica said. "You say the administrators promote dedication for their own benefit. But I haven't been in power for long, and I haven't had time to promote such things. The Sarkaz have always been in the midst of war, and they've only just had a year of rest. We haven't promoted anything about dedication, though we've spoken of fighting bravely many times."

"Why do you think this old woman would do such a thing?"

Theresica looked at Amaya. "Is it her own will? Since people can voluntarily act with dedication, why then must we journey to the hollow and void mental world of the Seaborn?"

"There are too few people like this, who are truly kind."

"No, not too few," Theresica countered. "Instead of thinking about how people can be a little kinder, it's better to understand why people are selfish."

"Can you give me the correct answer?"

"I can try to answer, but you must judge whether it is correct yourself."

Theresica said, "All the means by which humans observe the outside world originate from themselves. They find something unsightly, they dislike it, or they are very hungry. But all of this has degrees. If you are only a little hungry, you won't mind eating a little less. But if you are very hungry and still give food to others, that is very difficult."

"The collision of reason and emotion is our beautiful and cruel fairy tale. But once the needs of reason are met, will acts of emotional dedication increase?"

Theresica looked at the old woman. "The Kazdel Planning Committee uniformly allocates the needs of everyone in Kazdel. Everyone here has a fixed ration. That old grandmother actually has a poor digestive system. She can't eat the single-day food standard set by the Planning Committee, so she gives the extra portion to these thin children, letting them eat more."

"The Planning Committee?" Amaya looked confused. She had never seen such a term in any book.

"Yes, it's currently unique on Terra. It prevents people from hoarding resources in the middle and enjoying large quantities."

"Can I learn more about this organization?"

"Of course."

Theresica smiled. "You don't like the current Terra, and neither do I. But we don't need to place our hopes for change on the Seaborn. We ourselves can determine what the future will look like."

"I won't expect others to reform Kazdel; I will do it myself. But I also need helpers. Are you willing to stay in Kazdel for a few years?"

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Chapter 46: Declaration of Kazimierz

"Oppose war!"

"Reduce military spending!"

In the Grand Knight Territory, shops were closed, workshops were shut down, and even many schools suspended their classes. Everyone gathered in the streets, converging in front of the Council building, surrounding it completely.

"The Knight Lords fight wars and gain military merits, but what do we get? Nothing!"

"That's right! Not only do we get nothing, but we also have to pay their military expenses and risk our lives for them!"

In front of the main gate, watching the citizens who were constantly hurling insults at them, a patrolling Knight Errant couldn't help but step forward and shout.

"We are fighting for the country's territory! How dare you curse us like this!"

"Bah!"

A stone flew from the crowd, hitting his brand-new armor. A figure, whose face couldn't be seen, shouted.

"We need to eat!"

"We need to rest!"

The shouts grew louder, and even those inside the Council building could clearly hear every word. Some high-ranking Knights Errant who were working put down their tasks and looked down from behind the curtain wall.

"This is getting out of hand. How dare they cause such a commotion before!"

"What can we do? Can you make money?"

A colleague patted his shoulder and sighed. "After fighting with Ursus for so long, I feel that even the territories they haven't occupied are no longer ours; they've all been taken by these managing Squires."

"Yes, I entrusted my estate to a Squire to manage. Although he made quite a bit of money, when I asked him for money this month, he actually accused me of spending too much!"

"My Squire is the same. It's as if these industries are his own..."

The topic was brought up, and these Knights Errant gathered together, discussing animatedly. However, on the floor above, in the conference room, the Grand Knight Captain of Kazimierz, Iolanta Russell, along with the family heads of various Knight Errant families, were also gathered. Facing them was a group of well-dressed individuals.

One side represented the Knights Errant, while the other side represented the Squires who managed the properties and finances for the Knights Errant. Although they were all Kazimierz citizens, the atmosphere between them was extremely tense.

This was because an agreement had just been reached between them.

The Council would order the Knights Errant to cease their war of revenge against Ursus and reduce military tax revenue by 25%. In return, the Squires would no longer instigate business closures and protests. Furthermore, they would formally establish an organization called the Commercial Union, responsible for uniformly managing all commercial activities within Kazimierz to better 'serve' the Knights Errant.

The Grand Squires left, but the knights in the conference room didn't move. Their expressions were terrifyingly grim, as if they could draw their swords at any moment, but the swords remained peacefully in their sheaths.

"Grand Knight Captain, are we just going to concede like this?"

A family head knight asked, but Russell didn't answer him. Her hand was tightly gripping the hilt of her sword, her knuckles white.

Since going to war with the powerful empire of Ursus, the knights of Kazimierz have had no energy left to deal with other matters outside of war. Thus, the management of their territories was handed over to their squires.

Some squires were indeed very good at this, and the territory's revenue increased significantly. As a result, more and more Knights Errant handed over their territories to their squires, only needing to collect taxes from them.

With each war against Ursus, Kazimierz's military expenses grew higher and higher. The Knights Errant who couldn't manage their territories became increasingly reliant on their squires to earn money for them. Today, the Knights Errant can no longer do without their squires, and the squires are no longer satisfied with the rewards given by the knights. They want the money they earn to go into their own pockets.

The Knights Errant naturally disagreed, but the squires had firmly grasped the weakness known as money. The knights' swords could no longer be swung freely at disobedient squires.

"You should know what the consequences would be without military funding."

Russell looked at him and said, "Money is the foundation of power. The reason why the Knights Errant's legions could quickly rebuild after repeated fierce attacks from Ursus relied on a large amount of money."

At this moment, after exchanging glances, a person stepped out from the corner.

He saluted and said, "Grand Knight Captain, when I was fighting within Ursus, I killed an Ursus messenger. He had a letter addressed to Kazdel."

"Kazdel? Isn't that the settlement of the Fiends? What did they do?"

Russell told him to speak directly. She didn't have the mood to care about what had happened in some small region a thousand miles away.

"The Sarkaz asked Ursus for reinforcements, saying that Seaborn appeared in their coastal areas and were expanding their territory towards the land, making it very difficult to handle."

"Seaborn?!"

Russell looked up. Not only she, but also many long-term knights from other families, turned their gaze towards them.

"Are they really Seaborn?"

"Yes, the name used in the letter is indeed Seaborn."

The conference room was no longer quiet, with rustling sounds everywhere. They were all nobles, educated Kuranta, and they had all read a Kazimierz knight novel called "The Last Knight."

It recorded the story of a knight fighting against giant waves and finally gaining the power of the ocean, conquering death and time.

Most ordinary people took it as a story, but they knew it was actually true. A long-term knight stood before Russell.

"Grand Knight Captain, since Kazdel is asking for help, let's go and see. Perhaps we can also obtain unexpected power, like the Inner Guard, just like Ursus did."

The vast majority of knights present looked at Russell with eager eyes. If they could obtain the power of the sea, they would no longer be controlled by their current squires.

After Carmen returned to Iberia, she immediately began to fulfill the agreement with Kazdel. A large transport ship and two small high-speed transport ships arrived in Kazdel as gifts, carrying a large number of blueprints and many technical workers, though most of them were Laterano people who had left the sea.

Theresica immediately established the Meyer Shipyard and a shipbuilding training school, selecting a group of agile young craftsmen from the existing Sarkaz artisans as the first batch of students.

After receiving two rounds of technical supplements from Ursus and Iberia, Kazdel gained many things it had never possessed before. However, none of it was visible yet; it would require several years of incubation time to connect the entire chain of personnel training, technical processes, and production assembly before Kazdel could truly become powerful.

Suppressing the future prospects in his heart, Theresica led the messenger and departed. The first to arrive in Kazdel were Lady Sicilia and Weirdleaf, the personal bodyguard of the Laterano Pope, to view the remains of the Seaborn.

"Please do not directly touch the Seaborn's body tissues. It will erode the human body, assimilate us into Seaborn, and then attack surrounding non-Seaborn life forms, causing more severe harm than the spread of Originium infection."

Theresica recited the dangers of Seaborn told by Gladiia, "To prevent injuries, we had to treat all seriously and lightly injured personnel. Even soldiers who participated in the battle but were not injured were quarantined for observation."

Theresica didn't just speak; he also produced a copy of the observation report left by Saint Carmen of Iberia. This was something he had prepared long ago. Although some parts differed from the actual situation, the Seaborn dangers reported were real.

After reading the observation report, Lady Sicilia looked solemn. To show her goodwill, she announced that Siracusa would annually export an additional batch of special-priced grain to Kazdel.

Weirdleaf, the personal bodyguard of the Laterano Pope, said nothing but expressed that if they encountered any difficulties in the future, they could try to communicate with Laterano.

However, at this moment, an envoy from Kazimierz happened to arrive. But he paid no attention to the Seaborn and said with his head held high.

"The Knight's Kingdom declares to Kazdel: Leave this area immediately! Kazimierz will take over this region to maintain the safety of Terra!"

Theresica: "???"

Lady Sicilia: "???"

Weirdleaf: "???"

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Chapter 47: Russell: I'm tired

After the envoy finished speaking, he left immediately. Theresica had someone bring a map and reconfirmed the locations of Kazimierz and Kazdel with his own eyes.

Well, the straight-line distance between them was almost a third of Terra. You're coming to attack me from this far away, are you crazy!

Regardless of the reason, this could not hide the fact that war was about to break out. Weirdleaf quickly sent someone to Siracusa to contact the Pope through the communication base station, explaining what she had just witnessed.

Kazdel had finally decided to stop causing trouble and settle down to live a good life, and was even working hard to block the Seaborn. How could Kazimierz suddenly appear and disgust them at such a critical moment?!

Upon hearing this, the Laterano Pope immediately dispatched executors from the Laterano Notary Office and a diplomatic team composed of two World Messengers to Kazimierz. He also ordered Weirdleaf to appease the emotions of the Sarkaz and do her best to prevent the outbreak of this war.

The outcome of Kazimierz was still unknown, but Weirdleaf was helpless regarding the situation here. This time, the Sarkaz were indeed in the right!

Theresica had already begun to negotiate with Lady Sicilia, asking to purchase an additional batch of medicines and medical equipment at a high price, and inquiring if Siracusa could remain neutral during the war. He also ordered Kazdel's messengers to go to Ursus to ask for help, otherwise, the export of civilian products and Originium would be affected.

"Laterano will guarantee that Siracusa will not be subjected to any attacks or threats, as long as Siracusa maintains neutrality."

Weirdleaf interjected into the conversation between Theresica and Lady Sicilia, saying with a forced smile, "Laterano hopes that Kazdel can refrain from showing... too strong an attitude and actions in the near future. Laterano will do its best to mediate."

"But Miss Weirdleaf, what if the mediation fails?"

Theresica retorted, "Kazimierz is ready for war, and Kazdel has done nothing. Isn't that just waiting to die?"

"We will do our best. I guarantee Siracusa's neutrality here, and that is Laterano's attitude."

Weirdleaf said earnestly, "The current population of Kazdel cannot afford the losses of war."

"… You have a point. I will wait for a while."

After a moment of silence, Theresica said this, which made Weirdleaf breathe a sigh of relief. "It is very fortunate that the Sarkaz have a rational administrator like you."

"Really? I hope my decision right now will not push the Sarkaz into the abyss."

Theresica's gaze was fixed on Weirdleaf. After sending the two away from Kazdel, he immediately convened a full meeting and explained Kazimierz's actions.

Upon hearing that something like this had happened, the people in the council hall had various expressions on their faces, but no one spoke. Finally, the Absolver spoke.

"Your Majesty, how have you decided?"

"Everything will proceed as usual, but the factories must begin full production, stockpiling military supplies and combat equipment. After the students' daily education courses, all their time will be dedicated to physical training."

Theresica asked, "Send someone to contact Hedley, as well as other Sarkaz tribes not currently in Kazdel, and ask if they can return."

"Didn't you promise Laterano that you wouldn't take any drastic actions for now?"

"But I haven't signed any treaties with them. They won't suffer any losses no matter what, but we are facing immense danger."

Theresica glanced at the Banshee, then looked at the Bloodfiend Grand Duke.

"You are the strongest fighter. I have an extremely important mission for you."

"You may tell me."

"I want you to watch the coastline of Kazimierz."

Theresica said solemnly, "Our strongest individuals are still guarding Terra's safety in this situation. As long as we show this attitude, no matter how the battle goes, other countries will not be able to easily kick us while we're down."

"That's a good idea."

The King of the Scavengers praised it, though the Bloodfiend Grand Duke looked somewhat disappointed, he still nodded.

"I will obey your command."