The Saintesses each had their own responsibilities.
Most of them were stationed abroad to guard specific regions. However, some remained in the Holy Land. For instance, the Saint of Generosity, Melissa, stayed in the Holy Land to temporarily manage the financial power of the Seven Regents.
The seven of them arrived at a side hall next to the main temple.
Previously, Aililan had been a minor and had not yet governed a territory, so she had not been qualified to attend these meetings.
The side hall was surrounded by the white flags of the Church, with heavy infantry stationed every 3 steps as part of a multi-layered guard. Several Bishops, and even high-ranking Archbishops who served as regional governors, waited outside for orders.
Inside the side hall, besides the divine statues, stood a long rectangular table. The gold-inlaid, carved chairs beneath it were exceptionally large and spaced far apart, with at least 2 or 3 meters between each person.
The Saintesses took their seats according to their rank and seniority.
The first to speak were the Saint of Tolerance and the Saint of Humility.
The Saint of Tolerance, in particular, was scathing toward her rival nations, speaking bluntly about their shamelessness and ambition.
“The three countries of Kathy, Yiwen, and Xilier were originally formed from the split of a single powerful empire. Now, the Kingdom of Kathy is attempting to launch a war of unification to reclaim the former glory of the empire. This is something we cannot tolerate.”
“If all goes as expected, I will ally with the Kingdoms of Yiwen and Xilier next year to launch a War of National Extinction against the Kingdom of Kathy. At that time, we can consider whether to support a proxy regime or simply incorporate it into the Church’s territory.”
A War of National Extinction.
Those four words carried immense weight, yet she spoke them with total nonchalance.
Afterward, the other Saintesses spoke in turn, mostly reporting on the affairs within their respective territories.
The Saint of Temperance, Lizberu, listened while taking notes.
Like the Saint of Generosity, she was a designated future member of the Seven Regents. She was set to inherit the position of Elder of Records, responsible for managing the Doctrine, ancient texts, and the authority to interpret history. For now, she acted as a scribe for her sisters.
Finally, everyone’s gaze fell upon Aililan, who had remained silent throughout the session.
“Virginity?”
Aililan took a deep breath, walked to the table, and said, “My problems… well, there aren’t many, but they aren’t few either.”
Cutting straight to the point, she unfurled a map of the Atester border and a distribution map of the surrounding hostile forces.
“Let us start with the results.”
“Under my governance, the current situation in Atester is quite good. If there is no threat from external enemies, I am confident that I can make Atester the most prosperous city in the entire Fifth Wing Region within 3 years.”
“But the problems we face are also obvious.”
“My greatest threat remains the Orc Army, which could march south in force at any time. When that happens, the intensity of the war will likely exceed the War of National Extinction that the Saint of Tolerance is planning.”
“That will not be a struggle over a single city or territory; it will be a racial war between humans and Orcs.”
Pausing for a moment, Aililan continued.
“Therefore, what I need most is time to develop.”
“To that end, I have opened a Mutual Market and taken control of two Orc tribes. I intend to support them in establishing nations in the southern part of the Beastman Plains.”
“I know some people will surely file complaints against me for this move.”
“But the benefits are equally obvious.”
“The two newly established Orc kingdoms will create a Three-Way Balance with the Orcs of the northern plains, restraining each other and draining their respective national strengths.”
“In the short term, they will serve as the first barrier against the northern Orcs marching south.”
“In the long term, as long as we maintain a firm grip on the southern Orcs and I am given a few more years to develop, it is not impossible to sweep through the entire Beastman Plains in the future.”
As Aililan finished speaking, the meeting room fell silent.
It was true that the Saintesses present doted on Aililan. Their original expectation for her was merely that she could hold Atester; doing so would have been considered a massive achievement.
Yet, she was saying…
She wanted to wipe out the Orcs?
The Saint of Temperance closed her ledger and asked with a furrowed brow, “Two questions.”
“First, how do you ensure you can control the southern Orcs?”
“Second, on what grounds do you claim you can sweep the entire Beastman Plains?”
Aililan nodded and continued.
“First, control through economics and trade.”
“I will gradually dismantle the independent economy of the southern Orcs, making them dependent on humans for their clothing, food, housing, and transportation. If they ever show signs of rebellion, we only need to impose economic sanctions. Food alone would be enough to plunge them into a crisis.”
“Furthermore, since we can support one kingdom, we can naturally support a second or a third.”
“As for sweeping the northern Orcs—”
“If two Orc kingdoms are not enough, then we add the human armies.”
“If that is still not enough, we add the Elves, who always sail with the wind.”
“And if even that is not enough…”
“Then we bring the Demons in as well.”
The Saint of Temperance’s expression changed. “Demons? Have you gone mad?”
Aililan shook her head, her tone serious.
“I know that is the Church’s bottom line. But what I mean is—”
“Humans, Elves, and Demons, along with the two southern Orc kingdoms, will divide the Great Plain among themselves.”
“This is not madness. This is the strategy of Horizontal and Vertical Alliances.”
“Besides, the Elves and Demons may not necessarily be interested in the land of the plains. After a period of looting and fighting, or after exchanging for certain interests, there is a high probability they will withdraw.”
“The remaining two Orc kingdoms can continue to be supported, or they can be gradually dismantled.”
“The Orcs consist of dozens or even hundreds of different races. When the time comes, we can grant titles to dozens or hundreds of Orc kingdoms. They will be unable to form a unified force for at least 100 years.”
“Once they are exhausted and extremely weak from constant civil wars and conquests—”
“We will exterminate them in one fell swoop.”
The more Aililan spoke, the colder the atmosphere in the room became.
Even the most cheerful one, the Diligence Saintess, found her palms sweating.
Chastity was clearly so cute, yet she was saying such ruthless things.
Aililan gradually noticed the atmosphere was off and quickly added, “Of course, mercy is always the philosophy of the Church.”
“It is not strictly necessary to completely exterminate the Orcs. If it comes to racial integration, I actually have a few ideas…”
She let out a dry laugh.
“Don’t look at me like that.”
“I am actually very kind. You all surely know that.”
The Saintesses remained silent.
“When I was a child, I would be sad for a long time if I accidentally stepped on an ant…”
Finally, the Saint of Temperance made the final decision.
“This matter is of great importance. I am afraid we cannot make the decision ourselves; we must first consult the Seven Regents.”
She paused, then added, “However, Chastity, if you have any other difficulties, you can tell us first.”
Aililan hesitated for a moment before saying, “There are definitely difficulties.”
“Specifically, the financial situation of Atester.”
“Your little sister… is truly too poor. It is one thing to not have funding allocated to Atester, but now I am actually expected to hand over revenue to the Holy Land.”
“Your sister is truly having a hard time.”
She paused and said cautiously, “How about… from now on, don’t make me hand over the finances of the Fifth Wing Region? Let me keep all of it?”
*Bang—*
The Saint of Generosity, who managed the finances, lightly tapped the table.
“Chastity, you little brat, are you trying to extort your sister now?”
Aililan smiled playfully. “Of course not.”
The Saint of Generosity pondered for a long time before finally saying, “The overall taxes of the Fifth Wing cannot be waived.”
“However, the taxes from Atester can be temporarily exempt from being handed over.”
Aililan’s eyes lit up. “For how long? I knew Sister Generosity was the best. Giving me an exemption for 50 years wouldn’t be too much, right?”
“How many? 50 years?”
The Saintess Melissa stood straight up from her chair and grabbed Aililan by the ear.
“Don’t think I don’t know that my dear sister is making a fortune every single day now.”
“I will give you one more chance to rephrase your request.”
Aililan quickly said, “Then… 20 years?”
“10 years. Not a single day more.”
“Deal!”
10 years was fine.
10 years—that was already enough time for her to make a killing.
Chapters List
Free
Emeralds
Is The Poor, Long-Suffering Saintess Getting Cling-Cling-Cling-Clung To By That Blond Brat Again?
150 