She no longer lived in Kazdel, but she was still a member of the Sarkaz. The appearance of a new king meant that the Sarkaz had reached another critical juncture, and she had to see it with her own eyes.
The square before the palace was packed with Sarkaz, filling every available gap. The sentinels had completed their patrol and returned to the center of the square, guarding the flags in their hands.
The flags bore special patterns. Once unfurled under special circumstances, they could grant the Sarkaz powerful strength for battle.
As the royal family ruling the Sarkaz, whoever was confirmed as the new king through the ceremony could directly awaken these symbols.
Thus, everyone stared intently at the flags in the sentinels' hands. Even the sentinels themselves were no exception.
The dull wait dragged on endlessly, yet the sudden change lasted only an instant.
The flags broke free of their restraints, and every Sarkaz sensed the presence of a superior being.
The new king was crowned at that very moment. Cheers resounded throughout Kazdel.
Record: May 1, 1070, Terra calendar. Theresica inherited the throne of Kazdel.2
Sankta
The next day, on the highlands outside Kazdel, Theresica raised a telescope and looked down over the battlefield.
Two groups collided in a chaotic rush across the desert. These so-called bandits were mostly Ursus and Siracusan people. They beat on miscellaneous objects to make noise while howling and charging toward the Sarkaz soldiers.
But if not for the Sarkaz flag on their side, he really could not have told which were the bandits and which were the soldiers.
"Those are the bandits you mentioned?"
Theresica stared at the King of the Scavengers in disbelief. He could not believe they were bandits, nor could he believe that the people before him were Sarkaz soldiers.
In this battle, the Sarkaz soldiers only had the advantage in numbers! The bandits actually had the better equipment. This completely overturned his understanding of the words "soldier" and "bandit."
"Your Majesty, please do not worry. We have a large number of archers..."
"I can see that! Otherwise, the line would already have been breached."
Theresica cut Manfred off. He looked away and stopped watching the battlefield. "End this farce as quickly as possible."
"Yes."
The Banshee took action with a gesture, and the casters began constructing Originium Arts. Spells bombarded the bandits' ranks without pause, and the balance of the stalemated battle immediately tipped toward their side.
Cheers for victory soon rang out, but there was no smile on Theresica's face.
They had won, but before they began using spells, the casualties on both sides had been roughly equal.
When he approached the formation of soldiers waiting for inspection, he discovered that, apart from a tiny number of elite troops, the regular Sarkaz soldiers were actually more malnourished than the bandits! The bandits also had a set of battered armor, while the Sarkaz pikemen on his side had only a crude spear and wore ordinary clothes!
The deeper Theresica went into the camp, the uglier his expression became.
He saw no cooks. The soldiers were eating the food they had brought with them, and the contents of their mess tins were a chaotic mess. He also saw almost no battlefield medics; most of the wounded were bandaging themselves. No one maintained the weapons, either. If one still worked, they made do with it. If not, they checked whether they could find a replacement on an enemy corpse.
"I'm supposed to be a king? I look more like the chief of a huge bandit camp."
Theresica laughed self-deprecatingly. Apart from the casters, who were somewhat presentable, dragging this group into war against foreign countries for over a century... Sister and Cousin had really had a hard time.
Suddenly, someone blocked his path. She was a Sankta from his sister's side.
Theresica bowed to her. She seemed a little surprised, but then removed her hat and inclined her head to him.
"This is the first time I've received a bow from an unfamiliar Sarkaz. Let me give you a warning, child. It would be best not to go inside."
Her voice unexpectedly carried a certain warmth. He glanced inside, then asked in confusion, "May I ask why?"
"They are all infected."
Following the direction of her finger, Theresica noticed that the people gathered separately all had black stones of various sizes growing on their bodies.
He remembered. Terra had no petroleum, but it had a resource of equal importance: Originium ore. It was highly efficient to use, but prolonged exposure caused those who came into contact with it to contract Oripathy.
Originium gradually eroded the human body and formed Originium crystals. The energy contained within it was also unstable, so advanced-stage infected people were essentially bombs that could explode at any moment. The Originium fragments left behind by an explosion would also affect the surrounding area. Anyone within its range had an extremely high chance of becoming infected.
"Are there any infected people in the critical stage inside?"
"No."
Upon hearing that, Theresica immediately walked in. She let out a small gasp. "What a brave child."
"I'm not brave. I've only heard some related information from Kal'tsit. Touching an intact body surface won't cause Oripathy."
These were miners from the mines around Kazdel. To prepare for today's battle, they had been gathered as militia to cover the main force's flank.
He approached an injured infected person and found that the medical personnel had only bandaged the person's external wounds, without providing any medicine related to the disease.
"My name is Outcast."
Apparently noticing his confusion, Outcast introduced herself and continued, "Sarkaz are naturally highly compatible with Originium. This gives the Sarkaz powerful spellcasting abilities, but it also makes us extremely susceptible to Oripathy."
"Everyone on Terra has Oripathy, and everyone hates it. By extension, they came to hate the Sarkaz as well. Lady Theresia wanted to cure Oripathy. If the Sarkaz were no longer dangerous infected people, and there were no infected people left on Terra, then Terra would no longer reject the Sarkaz."
But the contradiction had changed rather than disappeared. Would this really succeed?
Theresica wondered about it, but did not say so. It sounded too much like a rebuttal. He only asked, "Sister is gone. What are you planning to do? If you stay with the Sarkaz..."
He tried to persuade the people who had been at his sister's side to stay, but Outcast waved her hand. "Kal'tsit has already gone to Leithanien. We'll join her after some time. We plan to establish a pharmaceutical research and development company and continue fulfilling Lady Theresia's wish."
"Is that so? I wish you success."
Theresica smiled helplessly. He could only accept the fact that he had failed to recruit them and do his best to leave them with a good impression.
At that moment, Shining suddenly appeared and informed him that he had to attend a royal court meeting. Theresica could only say farewell to Outcast and ask her to pass a greeting on to Kal'tsit.
When he hurried back to the palace in Kazdel, Theresica saw that the Bloodfiend Grand Duke, the Patriarch of the Shapeshifters, the King of the Scavengers, and the others had already gathered in the council chamber. 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 utterly bewildered. He did not remember the Sarkaz currently being at war with any foreign race or country.
"The Sankta of Laterano."
Theresica froze for a moment after hearing the Bloodfiend Grand Duke, then asked, "That Outcast?"
"Yes."
The Bloodfiend Grand Duke went to the map and pointed several times between Laterano and Kazdel. "We control many key points and can ensure that our troops safely reach the outskirts of Laterano. Then we can launch a surprise attack against the Sankta."
Theresica pondered for a while without answering. He pointed at his waist. "What is that thing called a 'hand cannon' that Outcast was carrying here?"
"A hand cannon."
He nodded. A hand cannon sounded like it was probably no different from a gun.
"Are there many of these weapons in Laterano?"
"Everyone has one."
The Bloodfiend Grand Duke replied indifferently, but Theresica's eyes widened in shock.
"What gives you the confidence to wage war against a country like that?! What equipment do we have? Are you planning to send the Sarkaz to their deaths? Look at what Kazdel has become, and you're still thinking about war?!"
Chapter 6: Originium Exports
Good heavens! Were all the people under Cousin war maniacs?
Theresica pulled aside the thick curtains and pointed toward the ruined urban district. "Kazdel has already become like this. What good will fighting do? Can it give the Sarkaz a full meal?"
"Join the army, and you can receive military rations."
"And then be thrown into a war with Laterano?"
He looked at the Bloodfiend Grand Duke in disbelief. "That's slaughter! The slaughter of your own people!"
"If we do not, they will die amid hunger and the flames of hatred."
The Bloodfiend Grand Duke spoke calmly. These were all facts. Kazdel, built in the desert, had a harsh environment and no conditions for agriculture. Moreover, the Sarkaz had been driven here. If revenge became their declaration of war, they could practically declare war on all of Terra.
For the Sarkaz trapped in such dire circumstances, dying on the road of revenge might truly be easier than waiting mindlessly for death.
But this would not do.
"This leaves us no future. If the Sarkaz start a war, we will once again face a multinational coalition. Sooner or later, the Sarkaz will vanish 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. They need to eat a full meal, sleep properly, and heal the wounds on their bodies."8
"Not a bad idea."
The King of the Scavengers, who had remained silent, finally spoke. There seemed to be a trace of amusement in his voice. "But all of that requires funds. The civil wars of these years have exhausted Kazdel's treasury."9
Theresica fell silent. When he had been alone, he had never needed to worry about money. But now, he was not only responsible for himself.
Keeping a city running required a huge amount of money. So where was he supposed to get it...
"Your Majesty, here is a document you may be interested in."
The Confessor brought over a dossier. It contained an agreement for Kazdel to trade high-purity Originium with Victoria.
When Originium ore was mined, it was crude ore that could not be used. It had to be refined before use. Thanks to their innate compatibility with Originium, the Sarkaz were extremely efficient at refining it.
But in his impression, Victoria was Terra's industrial powerhouse. Why would it import refined Originium from the Sarkaz? Moreover, the level of refinement stated in the document had already reached the standard for high-energy military materials.
As he continued turning the pages, Theresica noticed that this was not a single agreement but several. There were several dukes, as well as an unknown Tara leader.
Who exactly were they doing business with?
"Your Majesty, these are agreements Lord Theresis signed with the Victorians. Everything has been prepared; they simply have not yet been carried out." Before he could voice his question, the Shapeshifter began explaining.
"The Lion King ruling Victoria is implementing new tax policies, which seem to differ from the wishes of many people. So the grand dukes want to smuggle refined Originium ore from us and see whether they can find an opportunity to replace him with someone suitable. As for the Tarans... they simply want independence."3
After hearing the Shapeshifter's explanation, Theresica was somewhat shocked. Victoria occupied Terra's central region. It had not only vast plains and abundant resources, but also powerful industrial strength. How could such a powerful country contain so many hidden troubles and conflicts?8
He looked conflicted as he stared at the commercial agreements. They were people from the same country, yet they had repeatedly signed the same purchase contracts with him. That should have been a happy thing.1
But mining ore caused miners to become infected, and there was no medicine to cure it. The money earned this way truly was blood money.6
Theresica felt that the pen in his hand was terribly heavy. With one light stroke, he could affect the lives of many people. Yet he had no choice but to do it, or the losses would be even greater.8
He exhaled a long breath of stale air, signed his name on the paper, and handed it to the Confessor.
"Proceed with this. Start as soon as possible. But I have two more tasks for you."
"Please give your orders."
The Confessor bent forward and accepted the dossier.
"First, register every Sarkaz from every tribe. I need to know how many Sarkaz there are in each age group, what they can do, and what they have done. Second, gather everyone in Kazdel capable of serving as an educator. I want to rebuild the education system and give every child over six and under twelve a unified education."67
After he finished speaking, the expressions of the tribal leaders present became strange. The patriarch of the Shapeshifters stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, nothing like this has ever been done before. Would this not be interfering too much in the affairs of the other tribes?"
"And what of it? These two matters can be completed together. This is my order today."
Theresica emphasized the final two words. "Does anyone here know how many people Kazdel has? How many of them are young and able-bodied?"
The two brief questions plunged the council chamber into silence. A trace of astonishment appeared on the hidden face of the King of the Scavengers.
Several of their patriarchs had actually been stumped by a child.
"I said that the Sarkaz should rest for five years, but the outbreak of war will not care whether you are tired. We must be prepared. After conducting a general population registration, we can learn how many people in Kazdel are truly capable of fighting, and how many elderly and weak people need to be evacuated during wartime to prevent needless sacrifices."
Theresica looked at everyone. "I know that all of you are powerful, and Kazdel's books record your strength. But the outcome of a war will not be completely reversed by one person's strength. Otherwise, we would not have been driven into this desert. We must learn from Ursus, Victoria, and Leithanien and establish unified administration, integrating all the tribes into a powerful nation. Only then can we contend with them in the future."9
The council chamber fell silent once more, but the King of the Scavengers soon lowered his head first.
"I accept your will."
"I have no objections."
The Bloodfiend Grand Duke was the second to respond. He strongly approved of one function of this order: finding out how many people in Kazdel could enlist and fight.
Seeing this, the other patriarchs also lowered their heads and expressed their agreement. This was the new king's first order, yet it differed from those of every royal ruler before him.
Record: May 2, 1070, Terra calendar. Theresica, King of Kazdel, announced the first census of Kazdel.17
Chapter 7: A Piece of Cloth Over My Head, Yet I'm the Richest in the World
Morning arrived as usual. At last, the streets of Kazdel were filled with pedestrians again. The sentinels moved through the crowds, but they were not reading out conscription orders. Instead, they were informing everyone:
"His Majesty has ordered everyone to go to the central square for information registration. After completing it, each person may receive one kilogram of bread."
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