"What does the Seaborn's mental world feel like?"
Amaya did not answer. Her expression was vacant as her eyes and neck turned stiffly. She hesitantly examined her surroundings, then tears began streaming from her eyes. As her restraints came loose, she slid to the ground like a puppet with no support.
The human world is truly fascinating.
She knelt on the ground and began to cry, crying for herself, crying bitterly. Theresica did not disturb her. She simply stood to the side and waited until Amaya stopped shedding tears.
"Come out for a walk."
Theresica brought Amaya to the market in Kazdel. Amid the crowd, Amaya noticed a scene that shocked her: in front of a bakery, an elderly Sarkaz woman was distributing food to a group of infected children from other races.
That was extremely rare in other countries!
"They're children who migrated here from Ursus."
Theresica said, "You said the administrator promotes self-sacrifice for personal gain. But I haven't been in power for long, and I haven't had time to promote any of that. The Sarkaz have been caught in war for so long that they've only just had a year of rest. We haven't promoted self-sacrifice either. We've talked about fighting bravely and killing enemies many times, though."
"Why do you think this old woman did something like this?"
Theresica looked at Amaya. "It was her own will. Since people can willingly perform acts of self-sacrifice, why should they go to the Seaborn's hollow, empty mental world?"
"There are too few truly kind people like that."
"No, there aren't." Theresica argued back, "Rather than thinking about how people can become kinder, it would be better to understand why people are selfish."
"Can you give me the correct answer?"
"I can try to answer. You can decide for yourself whether it's correct."
Theresica said, "All the ways people observe the outside world begin with themselves. They think something looks bad, they dislike it, or they're very hungry. But all of these things have degrees. If you're only a little hungry, you won't mind eating a little less. But if you're extremely hungry and still give your food to someone else, that's very difficult."
"The collision between reason and emotion is our beautiful yet cruel fairy tale. But once the needs of reason are satisfied, will emotional self-sacrifice become more common?"
Theresica looked toward the old woman. "The Kazdel Planning Committee coordinates the needs of everyone throughout Kazdel. Everyone here has a fixed ration. That old woman actually has a weak stomach and can't eat the daily food standard set by the Planning Committee. So she gives the excess to these thin children, allowing them to eat a little more."
"The Planning Committee?" Amaya looked puzzled. She had never seen such a term in any book.
"Yes. It may be unique to Terra at present. It prevents someone in the middle from monopolizing vast quantities of resources."
"Can I learn more about this institution?"
"Of course."
Theresica smiled. "You don't like Terra as it is now, and neither do I. But we don't need to place our hopes for change on the Seaborn. We have to do it ourselves if we want to determine what the future will look like."
"I won't expect others to reform Kazdel. I'll do it myself, but I also need helpers. Would you be willing to stay in Kazdel for a few years?"
P.S. Give me some votes!!!!
Chapter 46: Kazimierz's Declaration
"Oppose the war!"
"Cut military spending!"
Within the Grand Knight Territory, shops had closed, workshops had stopped operating, and even many schools had suspended classes. Everyone had gathered in the streets and converged before the Monitor's Council building, surrounding it so completely that not even a drop of water could pass through.
"The knights go to war and earn military merit. What do we get? Nothing!"
"That's right! Not only do we get nothing, we have to fund their military expenses and sell our lives for them!"
In front of the gates, a Knight Errant on guard duty could not help stepping forward and shouting at the citizens who continued to insult them.
"We're fighting for the country's territory! How dare you insult us like this!"
"Bah!"
A stone flew from the crowd and struck his brand-new armor. An indistinct figure shouted,
"We want food!"
"We want rest!"
The shouts grew louder and louder. Even the people inside the Monitor's Council building could clearly hear every word. Several high-ranking Knight Errants who had been working could not help setting down what they were doing and looking down from behind the curtain wall.
"This is getting more and more outrageous. How did they dare cause such a commotion before?"
"What can you do about it? Can you make money?"
A colleague beside him patted his shoulder and sighed. "We've been fighting Ursus for so long. I feel that even the territories they haven't occupied no longer belong to us. The stewards have taken all of them."
"Exactly. I handed my estate over to a steward to manage. He did make quite a lot of money, but when I asked him for money this month, he actually accused me of spending too much!"
"The steward at my home is the same. He acts as though all those industries belong to him..."
The topic had been opened, and the Knight Errants gathered together, discussing it noisily. However, in the meeting room just one floor above, Iolanta Russell, Grand Knight Captain of Kazimierz, had gathered with the heads of the various Knight Errant families. Opposite them sat a group of elegantly dressed people.
One side represented the Knight Errants, while the other consisted of stewards who managed the Knight Errants' industries and provided them with funds. They were all Kazimierz citizens, yet the atmosphere between them was extremely tense.
That was because they had just reached an agreement.
The Monitor's Council would order the Knight Errants to stop their war of revenge against Ursus and reduce military taxes by 25%. In return, the stewards would stop inciting shop closures and demonstrations. They would also formally establish an organization called the Commercial Union, responsible for uniformly managing all commercial activities within Kazimierz so that it could better "serve" the Knight Errants.
The senior stewards left, but the knights in the meeting room did not move at all. Their faces were grim enough to frighten anyone, as if they might draw the blades beside them at any moment. Yet the blades remained peacefully in their sheaths.
"Grand Knight Captain, are we really going to yield like this?"
One family head asked the question, but Russell did not answer. Her hand gripped the hilt of her sword so tightly that her knuckles had turned white.
Ever since Kazimierz went to war with the powerful empire of Ursus, its knights had lacked the energy to handle any trivial matters outside the war. As a result, the management of their territories had been handed over to the stewards.
Some stewards were indeed very good at it. The territories' profits rose dramatically, so more and more Knight Errants handed their lands over to their stewards, leaving themselves only responsible for collecting taxes from them.
As the wars with Ursus continued, Kazimierz's military expenses also grew higher and higher. The Knight Errants who did not know how to manage their lands became increasingly dependent on their stewards to earn money for them. By today, the Knight Errants could no longer do without their stewards. The stewards, meanwhile, were no longer satisfied with the rewards given by the knights. They wanted to put the money they earned into their own pockets.
Naturally, the Knight Errants disagreed. But the stewards had already seized their soft spot: money. The knights' swords could no longer swing freely against stewards who refused to obey.
"You understand what will happen without military funding, don't you?"
Russell looked at him. "Money is the foundation of power. The reason the Knight Errants' armies can rapidly rebuild after Ursus strikes them so fiercely again and again is because they have vast amounts of money."
At that moment, several people exchanged glances, and someone stepped out from the corner.
He bowed. "Grand Knight Captain, while I was fighting in Ursus territory, I killed an Ursus messenger. He was carrying a letter addressed to Kazdel."
"Kazdel? That's the settlement of the demons, isn't it? What have they done?"
Russell told him to speak directly. She had no interest in dealing with whatever had happened in some distant minor region.
"The Sarkaz asked Ursus for aid, saying that Seaborn had appeared along their coastal region. They were expanding their territory onto the land, and it was very difficult to deal with them."
"The Seaborn?!"
Russell raised her head. Many of the family heads also turned their gazes toward him.
"Are they really Seaborn?"
"Yes. The name used in the letter was indeed Seaborn."
The meeting room immediately became unsettled, with whispers rising all around. They were nobles, educated Kuranta, and they had all read a Kazimierz knight novel called The Last Knight.
It recorded the story of a knight who battled a giant wave, ultimately gaining the power of the sea and defeating death and time.Ordinary people treated it as a story, but they knew it had actually existed. One of the family heads stood before Russell.
"Grand Knight Captain, Kazdel has happened to request aid from outside. Let's go take a look. Perhaps we can gain power as unexpected as the Inquisitors did."
Most of the knights present looked at Russell eagerly. If they could obtain the power of the sea, they would no longer be controlled by the stewards.
After Carmen returned to Iberia, she immediately began fulfilling the agreement with Kazdel. One large transport ship and two small high-speed transport ships arrived in Kazdel as gifts. They carried a large number of blueprints and many skilled technicians, though most of them were Aegir who had left the sea.
Theresica then established Meyer Shipyard and a shipbuilding training school. She selected a group of quick-witted young craftsmen from among the Sarkaz and sent them there as the first students.
After receiving two rounds of technological support from Ursus and Iberia, the Sarkaz gained many things they had never possessed before. But none of it could be seen yet. They still needed several years of incubation. Only after completing a series of processes, including personnel training, technical development, production, and assembly, would the Sarkaz truly become powerful.
Keeping the vision of the future buried in her heart, Theresica departed with the World Messenger. She first went to meet Lady Sicilia, who had arrived in Kazdel earlier, and Weirdleaf, the Laterano Pope's personal guard, to view the Seaborn remains.
"Please don't touch the Seaborn's bodily tissue directly. It will corrode the human body and assimilate us into Seaborn, after which we'll attack nearby non-Seaborn lifeforms, causing damage even more severe than the spread of Oripathy."
Theresica recited the dangers of the Seaborn as described by Gladiia. "To prevent anyone from being injured, we had no choice but to deal with all the lightly and seriously wounded. Even soldiers who participated in the battle without suffering injuries were isolated for observation."
Theresica did not simply speak. She also produced a copy of the observation report left behind by Saint Carmen of Iberia. She had prepared it long ago. Although some parts differed from the actual circumstances, its account of the Seaborn's dangers was entirely genuine.
After reading the observation report, Lady Sicilia looked solemn. To show her sincerity, she announced that Siracusa would export an additional batch of discounted grain to Kazdel every year.
Weirdleaf, the Laterano Pope's personal guard, said nothing. She merely expressed that if Kazdel encountered any difficulties in the future, it could try communicating with Laterano.
However, at that moment, a Kazimierz envoy happened to arrive. He paid no attention to the Seaborn and instead held his head high as he declared,
"The Knight Country hereby declares to the Sarkaz: leave this region immediately. Kazimierz will take over this place and safeguard Terra's security!"
Theresica: "???"
Lady Sicilia: "???"
Weirdleaf: "???"
P.S. Please give me some votes!!!
Chapter 47: Russell: I'm Tired
After the envoy finished speaking, he left immediately. Theresica had someone bring her a map and used her own eyes to confirm the positions of Kazimierz and Kazdel once more.
Yep. Their straight-line distance was nearly one-third of Terra. You're coming to attack me from that far away? Are you insane?
Whatever the reason, it could not conceal the fact that a war was about to break out. Weirdleaf swiftly sent people to Siracusa and used the communication station to contact the Pope, explaining what she had just witnessed with her own eyes.
The Sarkaz had finally decided to stop causing trouble and settle down to live properly. They were even working hard to hold back the Seaborn. Why had a Kazimierz suddenly appeared to make things difficult for them at such a critical moment?!
After hearing this, the Laterano Pope immediately dispatched executors from the Laterano Notarial Hall, along with a diplomatic delegation consisting of two World Messengers, to Kazimierz. He also ordered Weirdleaf to appease the Sarkaz and do everything possible to prevent the war from breaking out.
The outcome in Kazimierz was still unknown, but Weirdleaf was helpless regarding the situation here. The Sarkaz truly had reason on their side this time!
Theresica had already begun negotiating with Lady Sicilia, purchasing an additional batch of medicines and medical equipment from Siracusa at a high price, while also asking whether Siracusa could remain neutral during the war. She had also ordered Kazdel's World Messengers to go to Ursus and ask whether they could receive assistance. Otherwise, Kazdel's exports of civilian products and Originium would both be affected.
"Laterano guarantees that Siracusa will not suffer any attacks or threats, as long as Siracusa remains neutral."
Weirdleaf interrupted Theresica and Lady Sicilia's conversation. Forcing herself to speak, she said, "Laterano hopes that Kazdel will refrain from displaying... overly forceful attitudes and actions for the time being. Laterano will do its best to mediate."
"But Miss Weirdleaf, what happens if mediation fails?"
Theresica countered, "Kazimierz has prepared for war, while the Sarkaz have done nothing. Wouldn't that mean waiting to die?"
"We'll do our best. I guarantee Siracusa's neutrality here. This is Laterano's position."
Weirdleaf said earnestly, "The Sarkaz population cannot bear the losses of war right now."
"...You're right. I'll wait for a while."
After a moment of silence, Theresica spoke. Weirdleaf let out a sigh of relief. "The Sarkaz are very fortunate to have a rational administrator like you."
"Really? I only hope that my decision at this moment won't push the Sarkaz into an abyss."
Theresica stared intently at Weirdleaf. After seeing the two of them off from Kazdel, she immediately summoned a full assembly and explained Kazimierz's actions.
When they heard what had happened, everyone in the council chamber wore a different expression, but not one of them spoke. In the end, the Sinmaker spoke.
"Your Majesty, what have you decided?"
"Everything continues as usual, but the military factories must begin full-scale production and stockpile military supplies and weapons. After the students finish their daily lessons, all their remaining time will be changed to physical training."
Theresica asked, "Send someone to contact Hedley, as well as the other Sarkaz tribes outside Kazdel, and ask whether they can return."
"But didn't you promise Laterano that we wouldn't take any forceful action for the time being?"
"I also didn't sign any treaties with them. They won't suffer any losses either way, but we're facing immense danger."
Theresica glanced at the Banshee, then looked toward the Bloodfiend Grand Duke.
"You're the strongest fighter here. I have an extremely important task for you."
"Please tell me what it is."
"I want you to watch Kazdel's coastline."
Theresica said solemnly, "Our strongest individual is still guarding Terra's safety under these circumstances. As long as we demonstrate that attitude, no matter how the battle turns out, it will be difficult for other countries to take advantage of us."
"That's a good idea."
The King of the Scavengers praised the suggestion. The Bloodfiend Grand Duke looked somewhat disappointed, but he still nodded.
"I will obey your command."
Before you continue