A Person on Terra, With No Books to Read

She doesn't live in Kazdel now, but she is still one of the Sarkaz. The appearance of a new king meant that the Sarkaz had once again reached a critical juncture, and she had to see it for herself.

In the plaza before the palace, the Sarkaz filled every available space. The sentinels had completed their patrols and returned to the center of the plaza, holding their banners.

These banners depicted special patterns that, when unfurled under specific circumstances, could grant the Sarkaz immense power for combat.

As for the royal family that ruled the Sarkaz, as long as they were confirmed as the new king through a ritual, they could directly awaken these symbols.

Thus, everyone stared intently at the banners in the sentinels' hands, and the sentinels themselves were no exception.

The tedious wait felt so long, yet the sudden change happened in just an instant.

The banners broke free from their restraints, and all the Sarkaz felt the presence of a superior being.

The new king was crowned at this very moment. Cheers resounded throughout Kazdel.

Record: May 1st, 1070, Terra. Theresica inherited the throne of Kazdel.

Chapter 5: Sankta

The next day, on the high ground outside Kazdel city, Theresica raised her telescope to survey the battlefield.

Two groups of people collided head-on in the desert. These so-called bandits were mostly composed of Ursus and Siracusa people. They banged on miscellaneous objects to make noise, all while shouting and charging towards the Sarkaz soldiers.

However, if it weren't for the Sarkaz banners on their side, he truly wouldn't have been able to distinguish the bandits from the soldiers.

"These are the bandits you were talking about?"

Theresica looked at the King of the Scavengers in disbelief. He couldn't believe these were bandits, nor could he believe that the soldiers he was seeing were Sarkaz.

In this battle, the Sarkaz soldiers only held an advantage in numbers! The bandits were better equipped, which completely overturned his understanding of the terms "soldier" and "bandit."

"Your Majesty, please do not worry, we have a large number of archers..."

"I can see that! Otherwise, the front line would have already been breached."

Theresica interrupted Manfred's words and averted his gaze from the battlefield. "End this farce as soon as possible."

"Yes."

The Banshee gestured, and the Arts Masters began to construct Originium Arts. Spells continuously bombarded the bandit crowds, and the war's stalemate immediately tilted in their favor.

Cheers of victory soon erupted, but Theresica's face showed no smile.

They had won the fight, but before the Arts began, the casualties on both sides were roughly equal.

As he approached the queue of soldiers awaiting inspection, he discovered that, apart from a very small number of elite troops, the regular Sarkaz soldiers appeared malnourished compared to the bandits! At the same time, those bandits wore tattered armor, while his own Sarkaz spearmen only had a crude spear and wore their everyday clothes!

The deeper he went into the camp, the uglier Theresica's expression became.

He saw no cooks; the soldiers were eating their own provisions, and the contents of their mess kits were a mess. He also didn't see many field medics; most of the wounded soldiers were bandaging their own wounds. No one was inspecting the weapons either; if they could still be used, they were used, and if not, they'd see if they could find replacements on the enemy corpses.

"I'm not like a king here, more like the leader of a large bandit gathering."

Theresica chuckled self-deprecatingly. Apart from the Arts Masters, who looked somewhat presentable, it must have been hard on his sister and cousin to lead such a group to fight foreigners for over a hundred years.

Suddenly, his forward progress was blocked. It was a Sankta from his sister's side.

Theresica bowed to her. She seemed a bit surprised, but then she took off her hat and nodded in greeting.

"It's the first time I've received a bow from a stranger Sarkaz. Let me give you a piece of advice, child: it's best not to go in there."

Her voice sounded surprisingly gentle. He looked inside and then asked, puzzled, "May I ask why?"

"They are all Infected."

Following the direction of her hand, Theresica noticed that the people gathered separately all had black stones of various sizes on them.

He remembered that Terra had no oil, but it had a resource of equal importance: Originium ore. Its efficiency of use was extremely high, but prolonged contact would cause those who came into contact with it to become Infected with Oripathy.

Originium would gradually erode the body, forming Originium crystals, and the energy contained within it was unstable. Therefore, late-stage Infected individuals were essentially bombs that could explode at any moment. At the same time, the Originium fragments left behind by the explosion would affect the surroundings, and if anyone was within range, they would have a very high chance of becoming a new Infected.

"Are there any Infected in their critical stage in there?"

"No."

Upon hearing this, Theresica immediately walked in, causing her to let out a small gasp. "Brave child."

"I'm not brave, I just heard some related knowledge from Kal'tsit. As long as there's no broken skin contact, one won't get Oripathy."

These were miners from the vicinity of Kazdel. To deal with today's battle, they had been gathered as militiamen to cover the flank of the main force.

He approached an injured Infected and found that the medical personnel were only bandaging the person's external wounds and had not provided any medication related to the disease.

"My name is Outcast."

As if sensing his confusion, Outcast introduced himself and said, "Sarkaz are naturally highly compatible with Originium. This has brought the Sarkaz immense power in Arts, but it also makes the Sarkaz very susceptible to Oripathy."

"Oripathy exists throughout Terra, and everyone hates it, along with a hatred for the Sarkaz. Lady Theresia wishes to cure Oripathy. As long as the Sarkaz are no longer dangerous Infected, and Terra no longer has Infected, then Terra will not reject the Sarkaz."

But contradictions change rather than disappear; will this truly succeed?

Theresica thought to himself, but he didn't voice it, as the words sounded like a rebuttal. He merely asked, "Your sister is gone, what are your plans? If you continue to stay with the Sarkaz..."

He tried to retain these people who were close to his sister, but Outcast waved his hand. "Kal'tsit has already gone to Leithanien, and we will join her after some time. We plan to establish a pharmaceutical research and development company to continue fulfilling Lady Theresia's wish."

"Is that so? I wish you success."

Theresica smiled helplessly. He could only accept his failure to recruit them due to his lack of eloquence and try his best to leave a good impression.

At that moment, Shining suddenly appeared, informing him that a Royal Court meeting required his attendance. Theresica could only bid farewell to Outcast and asked her to convey a greeting to Kal'tsit.

Rushing back to the palace in Kazdel, Theresica saw that the Bloodfiend Grand Duke, the Shapeshifter Patriarch, the King of the Scavengers, and others were already present in the council hall. Even the Banshee Patriarch was seated there.

Before he could speak, the Bloodfiend Grand Duke stepped forward first.

"Your Majesty, please prepare for war."

"War? With whom?"

Theresica looked bewildered. He didn't recall any Sarkaz currently at war with any foreign race.

"The Sankta of Laterano."

After hearing the Bloodfiend Grand Duke's words, he paused for a moment before asking, "That Outcast?"

"Yes."

The Bloodfiend Grand Duke moved to the map and pointed a few times between Laterano and Kazdel. "We control many key nodes, which can ensure the safe arrival of our troops to the outskirts of Laterano, and then launch a surprise attack on the Sankta."

Theresica pondered for a while, not answering. He reached out and pointed to his waist. "What is that Sarkaz called Outcast wearing here?"

"A pistol."

He nodded. A pistol sounded like it was no different from a gun.

"Does Laterano have many of these weapons?"

"They have one for every person," the Bloodfiend Grand Duke answered dismissively. But this made Theresica's eyes widen in shock.

"What gives you the confidence to wage war against such a nation?! What kind of equipment do we have?! Are you sending the Sarkaz to their deaths?! What has Kazdel become, that you're still thinking about war?!"

Chapter 6: Originium Exports

Heavens! Are all my cousin's subordinates war fanatics?

Theresica lifted the thick curtains and pointed towards the dilapidated city. "Kazdel has already become like this. What's the point of fighting a war! Will it allow the Sarkaz to have a full meal?"

"If you join the army, you can receive rations."

"And then be thrown into war with Laterano?"

He looked at the Bloodfiend Grand Duke incredulously. "This is slaughter! Slaughtering your own people!"

"If we don't do this, they will die in hunger, filled with the rage of hatred," the Bloodfiend Grand Duke said calmly. These were facts. Kazdel, built on a desert, had harsh environmental conditions and no agricultural capacity. Moreover, the Sarkaz were driven here. If they declared war with revenge as their slogan, they could declare war on almost all of Terra.

For the Sarkaz in dire straits, dying on the path of revenge might truly be easier than waiting to die in a daze.

But this wouldn't do.

"This has no future. If the Sarkaz initiate war, they will once again face a coalition of multiple nations. In that case, the Sarkaz will sooner or later perish in this desert."

Theresica shook his head. "Five years, at least five years of peace. Kazdel needs to be rebuilt, and the Sarkaz need to rest. To have a full meal, to sleep soundly, and to heal their wounds."

"A good idea."

The King of the Scavengers, who had been silent all along, finally spoke, his voice carrying a faint hint of a smile. "But all of this requires funds. The civil wars of these years have depleted Kazdel's treasury."

Theresica fell silent. When he was alone, he didn't have to worry about money. But now, he wasn't just worrying about himself.

Maintaining the operation of a city required a large amount of funds. But where would this money come from...

"Your Majesty, here is a document that you might find interesting."

An Absolver brought over a dossier, which contained a contract for the trade of high-purity Originium between Kazdel and Victoria.

When Originium ore was mined, it was in its crude, unusable form and had to be refined before use. Thanks to their innate affinity with Originium, the Sarkaz had extremely high efficiency in refining it.

However, in his impression, Victoria was the industrial powerhouse of Terra. Why would they import refined Originium from the Sarkaz? Furthermore, the refinement level indicated in this document had reached the level of military-grade high-energy materials.

And as he flipped further, Theresica noticed that this wasn't just one agreement, but several. There were several Dukes, and a leader from Terra whose identity was unknown.

Who exactly were they doing business with?

"Your Majesty, these are agreements signed by Lord Theresis with the Victorians. They are all prepared and just haven't been executed yet," the Shapeshifter began to explain before Theresica could voice his question.

"The Lion King who rules Victoria is implementing new tax policies, which seem to differ from many people's ideas. Therefore, the Grand Dukes want to smuggle refined Originium from us to see if there's a chance to replace him with a suitable person. As for the Terra people... they just want independence."

After hearing the Shapeshifter's explanation, Theresica felt a surge of shock. Victoria occupied the central region of Terra, not only a vast plain but also possessing rich resources and strong industrial capabilities. How could such a powerful nation have so many hidden dangers and contradictions within it?

He looked at the commercial agreements before him with a conflicted heart. It should have been a happy occasion for people from the same country to repeatedly sign the same purchase contract with him.

However, mining ore would cause miners to contract Oripathy, for which there was no cure. Thus, the money earned would truly be blood money.

Theresica felt the pen in his hand was very heavy. With a slight stroke, he could affect the lives of many people. Yet, he had no choice but to do so, otherwise, it would lead to even greater losses.

Exhaling a long breath, he signed his name on the paper and handed it to the Absolver.

"Let's proceed with this matter as planned and begin as soon as possible. But I have two more tasks for you."

"Please instruct us."

The Absolver bowed and took the dossier.

"First, register all Sarkaz from every tribe. I need to know how many Sarkaz there are in each age group, what they know, and what they have done. Second, gather all capable educators in Kazdel. I want to rebuild the education system and ensure that all children between the ages of six and twelve receive unified education."

As the words fell, the expressions on the faces of the tribal leaders present grew somewhat strange. The patriarch of the Shapeshifter tribe stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, this sort of thing has never happened before. Are you perhaps overstepping your bounds by interfering in the affairs of other tribes?"

"And what if I am? These two matters can be handled together. This is my command for today."

Theresica emphasized the last two words, "How many of you know the current population of Kazdel? And how many of them are young and strong?"

The two simple questions plunged the council hall into silence. A hint of surprise flickered across the face hidden by the King of the Scavengers.

Several of their tribal leaders were stumped by a child.

"I said the Sarkaz need five years of rest, but the outbreak of war won't consider whether you're tired. We must be prepared. After a universal population registry, we will know how many people in Kazdel are truly capable of fighting, and how many elderly and weak will need evacuation during wartime to avoid needless sacrifices."

Theresica looked at everyone and said, "I know you are all very strong. Kazdel's books also record your powers. But the outcome of war cannot be completely reversed by individual strength. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been driven to this desert. We can only learn from Ursus, Victoria, and Leithanien, to establish unified management like them, integrating all tribes to form a powerful nation. Only then can we contend with them in the future."

The council hall fell silent once more, but soon, the King of the Scavengers was the first to lower his head.

"I accept your will."

"I have no objections."

The Bloodfiend Grand Duke responded second, he strongly agreed with one of the functions of this order: to ascertain how many people in Kazdel were eligible for military service.

Seeing this, the other patriarchs also lowered their heads in agreement. This was the new king's first command, but it was unlike any previous royal decree.

Record: May 2nd, 1070, Terra. King of Kazdel, Theresica, announced the first Kazdel population census.

Chapter 7: A Piece of Cloth on My Head, Richest in the World

Dawn arrived as usual. This time, the streets of Kazdel finally saw pedestrians again. Although sentinels moved through the crowds, they were not reading conscription orders, but rather notifying everyone.

"By order of His Majesty, all citizens are to proceed to the central plaza for information registration. Upon completion, you will receive one kilogram of bread."