The heavy rain outside showed no signs of stopping, which made me start to worry about whether it would affect the residents' normal lives.
However, Lola's words put me at ease quite a bit.
This kind of monsoon season happened every year. Since the vast majority of buildings in Brilliant City were made of stone, there was no need to worry too much.
On the other hand, the refugees outside were having a hard time.
But that was not for me to worry about. With Augus keeping an eye on them, it should not be a major problem.
"Lola, assign a few people from our staff to Augus so he can handle the refugee issues."
"Yes, Your Highness."
From Hilda's detailed explanation earlier, I could basically understand the evaluation standards and the expenses involved.
Based on the final calculations, entry would be at age six, with the first stage at ten and the second at thirteen.
No, according to a normal person's progress, the third stage usually would not be reached until they were seventeen or eighteen.
Hilda herself was exceptionally talented, so she progressed faster than the average person, and her expenses were slightly higher as well.
Starting at age six was considered the entry level, refining at twelve, and graduating at sixteen.
Including food, clothing, housing, travel, and the wear and tear of equipment, the average total cost per person was roughly three hundred to five hundred gold coins.
You had to realize that, based on the income of an average person in this era, being able to save two or three gold coins a year was something to be incredibly grateful for.
This kind of high-investment training was something ordinary people absolutely could not afford.
In other words, opening a knight academy would require a massive investment.
The entire process spanned ten years, requiring at least fifty gold coins per person each year.
This did not even include the cost of faculty and the normal maintenance of the school.
If everything was included, it would average out to about seventy or eighty gold coins per student.
However, with my current assets, this was not much of a problem.
Although the Kingdom of Sand used airships to replace gold coins in transactions, they still provided thirty million gold coins.
The other nations also provided various materials to replace money, but with the six nations combined, there were two hundred million gold coins, of which I had already spent one hundred million.
Naturally, I gave that to the Dragon King in exchange for those two thousand skysoar dragons and the subsequent breeding permits.
Generally speaking, since the skysoar dragons arrived here, the Kingdom of the Moon possessed the 【Dragon Rearing License】 and the 【Dragon Breeding License】, which the Dragon King himself had granted.
In other words, as long as I raised them well and increased those two thousand skysoar dragons to twenty thousand, I would not need to pay any more money.
Those thirty million gold coins would not be given to the Dragon King for the time being. It would be soon enough to give them to him once the rest of the gold coins arrived.
At worst, I would just add a bit of interest. It was no big deal.
The most important thing at this stage was to lay a foundation for the Kingdom of the Moon.
I learned from Hilda's detailed explanation.
The evaluation of a knight's potential mainly depended on the examiner's eye and the strength displayed by the candidate at the time.
Long-distance running was to see the limit of physical endurance, sprinting was to see the limit of explosive power, catching balls was to see hand-eye-body coordination, and flexibility was mainly tested by performing difficult movements.
In most cases, six-year-olds had not yet fully developed their bones, so their flexibility basically did not need to be considered.
As for the other three, they could only be achieved by those who were naturally gifted.
"Lola, calculate how much it would cost per year if we recruit three thousand knight apprentices every year for ten years."
"In response to Your Highness, based on normal calculations, each class would require about one hundred and fifty thousand gold coins per year. The amount would increase annually until the final year, reaching a peak maintenance cost of at least one point six to two million gold coins per year."
Ten years... that meant if every class reached full capacity, I could have a reserve of thirty thousand knights.
And the cost for this was around two million.
Currently, the Kingdom of the Moon had a total of fifty thousand knights, and the money spent on them annually was about four point four million.
On average, every ten thousand knights cost about eight hundred and eighty thousand gold coins.
"Hmm. Lola, there are many plains to the south of Brilliant City, right?"
Lola nodded.
"Does Your Highness intend to build an academy?"
I shook my head.
"Not just an academy, but... an Academy City!"
"A city?"
"Yes. This city will include a knight academy, a mage academy, an alchemist academy, a noble academy, and a craftsman academy. It will be a massive city encompassing academies for all professions."
"This... Your Highness, by that calculation, I am afraid the initial investment alone will require at least several million gold coins."
I nodded. I was well aware of this.
Building just a knight academy would cost at least several hundred thousand gold coins for teaching buildings, dormitories, and various practice grounds.
"Lola, work a bit harder and go to the Mage Association to find that... what was his name again?"
"Leonard Oz. He is currently the acting head of the Mage Association."
"Right, find him and have him look for some experienced and mature mages to prepare for the opening of a mage school. The same goes for Camilla's side."
"Hilda, on your end, pick out some Brave Knights and Fidelity Knights who are older and have steady, mature personalities."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Lola, you also need to make a trip to see Anton. Finally, there is the noble academy... we will discuss that in a couple of days after gathering the current nobles."
Lola nodded and pondered for a moment.
"Your Highness, given the current situation, if we build a city from scratch, I am afraid it will not be a small sum."
I shook my head.
"It does not matter. Labor is very cheap right now. If we lack people, find them in the refugee camps. If we lack materials, have the Cromwell family cooperate."
The Cromwell family had caused a huge disaster this time, but at least they were eager to make amends.
A noble's range of influence was vast, especially for such an established noble family. With them, most issues could be resolved.
"I understand."
"By the way, future officials will also be selected from here. For now, I am considering eighty percent from the nobility and twenty percent from the commoners. We will work out the details later."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Thinking of this, I suddenly remembered something and asked.
"Lola, how much money is currently in the national treasury?"
"In response to Your Highness, there are the thirty million gold coins brought from the Kingdom of Sand, one million gold coins from seizing the Garnet family's assets, one million gold coins in compensation from the Cromwell family, and the money and materials recently sent by various other families. Combined with the original amount, the total is approximately forty-two million gold coins."
The purchasing power of ten thousand gold coins was equivalent to one hundred million yuan.
So, Brilliant City alone now had four hundred and twenty billion.
It was enough to splurge for a while.
The long-suffering daughter-in-law has finally become the mother-in-law. I can finally see the light!
At the very least, I do not have to worry about money now.
Compared to when I first arrived here, the difference was astronomical.
Back then, there were only about a hundred thousand gold coins in the entire national treasury.
In just over a month, it had increased forty-fold.
Tsk tsk... setting everything else aside, who could compete with me when it came to amassing wealth?
"Lola, get ready. Once the weather clears in a few days, we will formally select officials and implement the Cabinet and Six Ministries system. The current Chancellor and Finance Minister can be dismissed. They are just figureheads anyway."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Lola nodded.
I had already discussed the rough plan for the Cabinet and Six Ministries system with Lola in detail.
After basically finalizing most of the details, we were ready to proceed.
Essentially, we would only form the Cabinet, the outer cabinet, and the Six Ministries.
Simplifying it to this level was basically enough.
I had been considering the official system of this world since a month ago.
Other kingdoms with royal families notwithstanding, the official system in the Kingdom of the Moon, which lacked a royal family, was extremely complex. Moreover, due to the enfeoffment system, the only area truly under the Saintess's jurisdiction was Brilliant City.
What I needed to do next was naturally to select capable officials and use Brilliant City as a pilot site.
Then, I would gradually roll it out to other areas.
As the reforms rolled out, I would begin to bring other fiefs completely under my jurisdiction.
The general strategy was: first centralized reform, then decentralized management.
And what needed to be done at this stage was the pilot work.
"Have the candidates been selected? Let me see the list first."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Lola always carried her small notebook with her, so she handed it over.
Basically, at this stage, there were no 'Main Ministers', only 'Deputy Ministers'.
These people would temporarily hold the powers of a Main Minister, and whoever performed well would be promoted later.
After reforming step by step like this and ensuring everything was stable, we would move to the next phase.
"Hmm, not bad. These will do."
Among them, Weber was assigned to the Ministry of Infrastructure, and Rodney was assigned to the Ministry of Revenue.
I had not heard of the other four people, but since Lola had selected them, they should be trustworthy. I would get to know them slowly later.
In any case, this was all pilot work for now. Once everything was stable and running smoothly, I probably would not need to be so picky about the candidates.
"Your Highness, you need to personally appoint the Cabinet Ministers."
"Hmm. Lola, you will be one. Then there is Kevin, along with Augus and the eight Guardian Knights. Camilla and Ligeia will also be included. As for the others, we will select them slowly."
"Yes, Your Highness."
There were indeed very few civil officials in Brilliant City at this stage. It could not be helped. After all, it was a nation on the front lines and leaned more toward the military.
Therefore, the eight Guardian Knights and the Heavenly Punishment Knight definitely had to be included in this list.
Lola and Hilda both left, both with thoughtful expressions on their faces.
Once this team was completely stable, I would finally be able to relax.
With these people, I would not need to use my brain most of the time. I would only need to make the decisions.
Putting these issues aside, I felt a sense of relief.
Regardless, the entirety of Brilliant City was finally starting to get on track.
Next... I would just wait for things to develop.
...
I had a long, relaxing sleep that night. When I woke up the next morning, I received Kevin's expedition notice.
Of course, I gave it my approval with a broad stroke of my pen.
Soon after, seven thousand knights, twenty thousand infantry, and the ten thousand-strong Dragon Knight Corps set out from Brilliant City in a grand procession.
In reality, there were not many battles where the infantry could participate. Victories were usually decided by the knights. Therefore, the infantry's role was more about transport, construction, and other miscellaneous tasks.
This included building camps and transporting supplies. These were all handled by the infantry.
The infantry's own combat power was not high. Most of them used heavy crossbows or siege weapons to compensate.
This also significantly lowered the risks for the infantry.
All in all, Kevin's departure was a major event, but I did not go to see them off.
Regardless, the Saintess of the Moon was still a Saintess, and there were only seven such people in the Eight Nations of the Holy Church.
My status was too high. It would not be appropriate for me to see them off at a time like this.
I only needed to sit quietly in the Temple and wait for news of victory.
There was nothing much to do today, but it was still pouring rain outside. Early in the morning, Augus sent someone to ask for help.
In response, I dispatched the remaining few thousand infantry to help those million refugees get through this monsoon season.
The wild winds were still howling outside. The heavy rain had been falling for two full days and nights, yet it showed no signs of stopping.
Kevin's army was also marching through the rain. I just did not know if it would affect their morale.
But there was no time to consider any impact now. It was better to let them go as soon as possible.
I sat on the sacred bed, staring blankly. The stormy weather outside made it impossible for me to go out.
Although this Saintess's robe had self-cleaning and waterproof functions, others did not.
If I went out like this, everyone else would certainly end up like drowned rats.
Furthermore, even if I went out now, I would not be able to see the lives of ordinary people. I would only see a lot of useless things.
"Next, what should I do? Should I... go take a look at Dragon City?"
I thought about it but ultimately shook my head.
"Your Highness, if you are bored, why not read a book?"
"I have been reading for so many days already~"
I rolled over on the bed and looked at Nara, who was standing by the window.
"And..." I rubbed my tummy. "It is so annoying."
I could feel these emotional fluctuations very clearly. At this moment, my ability to control my emotions was starting to decline.
This was probably caused by hormonal fluctuations, right?
No wonder people always said girls were in a bad mood during these days. It really was unpleasant.
I could clearly feel that my ability to manage my emotions had dropped significantly.
Currently, I did not need to manage the affairs outside. With Kevin, Lola, and Augus around, I basically did not need to intervene.
Lola handled all the administrative affairs alone.
Augus could resolve the refugee issues.
Kevin handled the foreign wars, Hilda guarded Brilliant City, and Ligeia oversaw the construction of Dragon City.
None of these required my interference.
So now... after being busy for over a month, I suddenly realized.
I actually have nothing to do?
In the beginning, to stay alive, I ran around every day. To save my own life, I practically wracked my brain and used every means at my disposal.
But now that I have suddenly become idle, I feel a bit restless from the boredom.
"Is there really nothing for me to do?"
The restlessness made me so bored that I rolled back and forth on the bed. This bed was massive, about four meters by four meters. Even if four or five people climbed on, it would not feel crowded.
When I was alone on the bed, I could roll around as much as I wanted without worrying about falling off, because except for the front of the sacred bed, the other sides had solid wood railings.
Nara watched me rolling around on the bed with a frustrated expression that said 'I want to find something to do, I am so bored,' and she could not help but chuckle into her hand.
She had seen and remembered her Highness's hard work over the past month. Such a good Saintess was probably the first in hundreds of years.
Yet such a Saintess was rolling all over her bed because she had nothing to do.
"Your Highness, how about... going to pray?"
"No! I am not going! I am the Saintess, and even more so, the Queen! I want to do something! Find me something to do!"
Nara smiled helplessly.
"Your Highness, everything that can be done has been done. How about... I teach you how to embroider?"
Em... embroider?
Do you really take me for some noble lady waiting to be married?
What use is there in learning that?
Am I supposed to embroider for the enemy on the battlefield?
Just as I was about to blurt out a few complaints, a knight suddenly walked in, knelt on one knee, and reported loudly.
"Report! Your Highness, someone has arrived at the palace in response to the Recruitment Order notice."
Hearing this, my legs were no longer sore, my back no longer ached, and even my period seemed to bother me less. I leaped up from the bed in a single motion.
I looked toward the door with excitement!
Augus alone surprised me to this extent. What kind of person will it be this time?
Rate on N.U.
