The governors ruling the realm…
Elian could not help but be amazed.
Her sisters were far more powerful than she was. Elian felt that her own path was still very long; there were still many things to learn and do.
Lili Bell looked past the crowd and stared at Ibiss, saying, “I am not Elian. I am Lili Bell, the Saintess of Temperance of the Church of Praise. Am I qualified to question you now?”
Hearing these words, Ibiss’s heart went cold.
Everyone knew he was finished this time.
Lili Bell continued, “I heard you wanted to hang yourself before the Saintess of Purity? The Saintess of Purity cannot bear to see you die before her, but I shall overstep my authority this once and agree on her behalf.”
Ibiss was stunned. “No, no, no… I was just joking then! I didn’t really mean I would die!”
Lili Bell frowned and said, “Joking? So you were mocking the Saintess? That is an even greater crime!”
Ibiss fell to his knees with a thud and cried out for mercy, “Saintess of Temperance, please spare my life!”
Lili Bell sighed, her eyes growing colder with anger. “What are you waiting for? Do not make me repeat myself, or I will have your entire family die by your side.”
Hearing the words of the Saintess of Temperance, Lili Bell, Ibiss completely lost any thought of resistance.
A moment later, the servants brought a rope.
There was no need to go anywhere else; they tied the noose directly to the main beam of the courtroom.
One person dies, or the whole family dies.
Ibiss quickly made his choice. With a look of despair, he stepped onto the chair and ended his own life.
Cough…
Creak…
As the rope swayed, it made a terrifying sound.
After struggling for a while, Ibiss died completely upon that rope.
The courtroom quickly restored order, and the governors took their seats in an orderly fashion.
Only that dangling figure remained, swaying back and forth, telling them that from now on, the sky over Atast City had changed.
Elian sat in the chief’s seat and began her first act of governance.
She took out the letter given to her by the Beastmen and said loudly, “Ibiss colluded with the enemy and led the Jackal tribe south to invade. The evidence is conclusive. I have decided to strip Ibiss of his noble title and exile his family to the Ilisoya Mines to atone for their crimes.”
“We will now vote.”
As soon as Elian finished speaking, Galeas immediately raised his hand. “Agreed.”
He was so excited he could almost jump. He had made the right bet this time. As long as he followed the Saintess’s words, his future would be limitless!
Soon, more people voted.
[ Agreed. ]
[ Agreed. ]
[ Agreed. ]
Disagreeing was not an option.
“Very well. Now for the second resolution.”
“As the Finance Minister, Obien not only trafficked people but also sent craftsmen to the Beastmen. Chief of Justice Ibiyan, what should be the sentence for such treasonous acts?”
A man stood up from below.
[ Execution. ]
“Then let us vote.”
[ Agreed. ]
[ Agreed. ]
The vote had just passed, and despite Obien’s screams and pleas for mercy, he was quickly gagged by the courtroom guards and dragged outside to be hanged.
The members of that faction were almost entirely wiped out.
It was all about power.
Ruling by slaughter is tyrannical rule.
Ruling by reason is wise rule.
In truth, both results lead to the same end. The former takes power through turmoil and bloodshed, making people grow accustomed to it, while the latter conducts a smooth transfer of power that wins people over.
But Elian was a Saintess; she needed to maintain her virtues. Being a tyrannical saintess might feel good in the moment of killing, but her reputation would be ruined.
As one resolution after another passed, Elian also gradually released the evidence of Ibiss and the others’ crimes to the public.
Through the guidance of the gangs on the streets, she kept public opinion firmly in her grasp.
Especially the painting she commissioned of Ibiss crying for the Beastmen at the execution ground; it established the righteous cause of her rebellion and solidified the crime of colluding with the demi-humans.
Would a decent person paint a portrait for a Beastman?
Could someone who makes art for Beastmen be decent?
It was said that Ibiss’s body had just been taken down when, that very night, it was dug up by the resentful citizens for desecration.
Elian condemned this behavior, but she did not take any actual action.
Elian’s first acts of governance:
[ 1. Cancel the preferential treatment for Beastmen within the city. ]
[ 2. Emphasize that Atast City is a city of humans. ]
[ 3. Re-examine the judgments related to Beastmen and provide compensation to the victims. ]
Once these three major policies were announced, they were widely praised by the people of Atast. At least from this moment on, they accepted the Saintess’s rule.
Elian set the tone with this matter, and she had to give the people an explanation.
A few days later, in a bright and spacious office, five people stood before Elian.
They were:
Chief of Justice, Ibiyan.
Chief of Military, Galeas.
Chief of Finance, Grace.
Chief of Administration, Feliswol.
And the Priestess, Herivi.
The four chiefs and one priestess represented the highest executive officers of their respective departments.
Among them, the Chairman of the Administrative Council had already retired, and Erma of the Cathedral stayed home. These two old foxes had moved quickly, which could be considered a safe landing.
The affairs of the Cathedral were temporarily led by the Priestess Herivi. It was said she was expected to become the next Bishop, but that would depend on her performance under Elian.
Elian temporarily took over the position of Chairman.
Many problems still existed. The most troublesome among them was the financial issue.
The new Chief of Finance, Grace, spoke first. “Although we have inventoried the private assets of Obien and the others, the situation is still not optimistic. The main issue is that there are too many gray industries, and the relative financial income is stretched thin.”
What were gray industries?
Gray industries were those prohibited by law that did not enter the treasury or tax records.
The former Finance Minister, Obien, was a leader of gray industries. It was for this reason that he was extremely favorable and flattering toward the Beastmen; if his relationship with the Beastmen soured, his gray industry business would fail.
Elian thought for a moment and said, “I have an idea. Gray industries cannot be completely eradicated. It is better to bring them directly to the table.”
Grace asked doubtfully, “You mean…”
Elian pondered for a bit and said slowly, “I want to establish a mutual market on the border.”
The Chief of Justice shrunk her neck and whispered, “This… isn’t this aiding the enemy?”
“It is not aiding the enemy,” Elian said, revealing her plan. “Establishing a mutual market can instead stabilize the border.”
“With a stable life,”
“The Beastmen will not wander everywhere.”
“You can understand it this way: when the northern Beastmen want to fight, the southern Beastmen, whose lives are stable, will not want to fight. They will become our first line of defense.”
Chief of Justice Ibiyan advised, “Saintess, isn’t this a bit too idealistic? What if the Beastmen don’t fight internally but instead unite to go south? We cannot underestimate the Beastman Kingdom and the power of their faith.”
Elian nodded and said, “I agree with some of your points, but first, we cannot ignore that even if we do not establish a mutual market, various smuggling and gray industries will still flourish.”
Elian had one secret she didn’t mention.
That was her intention to support the Jackal tribe.
They were the ones Elian considered, in the strictest sense, the first line of defense to block the northern Beastmen from coming south, and even the vanguard for a counter-offensive against the Beastmen.
Elian put forward another point: “The long-standing significance of Atast City’s existence was to buy enough buffer time for the regions behind the Fifth Wing. Therefore, this border city was always engulfed in war and rebuilt afterward.”
“But this time is different.”
“The Saintess of Temperance once asked me what I saw on the Beastman Plains.”
“I told her that there are vast wildernesses there, and even richer lands.”
Elian stood up and revealed her ambition.
“Why must it always be the Beastmen coming south?”
“Why can’t it be us going north?”
Everyone looked at each other in shock.
This Saintess was far too bold.
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