Divine Kingship

Chapter 654 Talk later

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Five years have passed.

The war is finally over.

All the states were redistributed according to their contributions.

Rand also officially became the co-chair of the Torch Church and the Church of the Goddess of Harvest and Health.

And, to become the king of kings, the emperor of the Moon Phase Empire.

Today marks the official coronation of His Majesty the Emperor of Rand.

The magnificent gates opened for Rand, and the sun, moon, and stars were merely embellishments to Rand, the center of the world.

When Rand declared himself emperor of all humans, elves, and all other races, cheers resounded throughout the heavens and the depths of hell, and even the dark minotaurs beneath the earth chanted Rand's name.

Once the coronation was over, Rand was finally able to give himself a complete rest for a while.

He planned to visit an old friend first.

The first one, naturally, is the Marquis of Black Brown.

Rand's old boss.

The tombstone of the old Black-Brown Marquis is located in the frigid North.

Rand and the new Blackbrown Marquis could not find the old Blackbrown Marquis's remains, so they erected a tombstone in the frigid land where the orcs had retreated.

Rand poured the liquor on the old, dark-brown marquis's tombstone: "Long time no see."

Then pour the rest into a glass, shake it, and drink it all in one gulp.

The new Black-Brown Marquis, who was following behind Rand, had also grown up and looked quite like his father. The new Black-Brown Marquis then placed a bouquet of flowers in front of the tombstone.

After the slightly oppressive and nostalgic atmosphere passed, Rand left with the new Black-Brown Marquis: "How is your work now, Minister of Military Affairs of the Frostmoon Kingdom? Are you adapting well?"

“Your Majesty, please don’t tease me. Things are indeed quite busy, but I believe I can do this job well.” The new Black-Brown Marquis, now a young and middle-aged man, smiled at Rand.

"Marcus got you a lot of jobs?" Rand laughed.

“Yes, His Majesty Marcus is a great king, but he is really good at delegating tasks to others.” The new Marquis of Black Brown was quite respectful of Marcus, clearly not yet aware of Marcus’s “evil” nature.

Even if he has already figured it out, let's still maintain our respect for him.

After all, Marcus was indeed a great king.

“What’s Marcus up to these days? It’s been a while since I’ve seen him,” Rand asked.

“His Majesty Marcus is preparing to abdicate,” the new Marquis of Black Brown replied. “He intends to pass the throne to his aunt, Lady Eleanor.”

Eleanor is Marcus's aunt, and she almost married Rand.

Eleanor's abilities are already quite remarkable. If Marcus really doesn't intend for the Thorn family to become the royal family of Frostmoon Kingdom, then it would indeed be more appropriate for Eleanor to temporarily serve as the next king.

Eleanor is a top-tier professional, in good health, and highly capable, making her a perfect choice for Marcus, who urgently needs to retire.

As for what comes next, it depends on whether Eleanor's grand-nephew Adrian, the next patriarch of House Thorns, is interested in the throne.

Marcus had no interest in the position, but he didn't intend to interfere too much with his junior's choice.

"It seems that this shameless old man is planning to fully retire. I heard the other day that his adventurer party has been upgraded to a level 4 adventurer party, and he even invited me to join. It seems that this king is really enjoying his retirement," Rand grumbled.

The new Marquis of Black and Brown did not respond. His Majesty Rand could criticize His Majesty Marcus's laziness, but his subjects could not discuss such matters.

In fact, Rand was somewhat interested in joining Marcus's adventurer party.

Although he was already the emperor, it can only be said that his ability to slack off was on par with Marcus's.

The orcs in the North are now almost extinct, but Rand still formed a cleanup squad, trying to kill every single orc.

Rand didn't actually have much hatred for the orcs, nor was he a complete racist; in fact, he even respected some of the stronger orcs.

But it is precisely because of his respect and importance that Rand has no intention of letting any orc go.

After parting ways with the new Black-Brown Marquis, Rand's next stop was naturally the capital of the White Kingdom.

Ellie and Berlan were both there.

Ellie is now pregnant, and Rand's first child is expected to be born by the end of this year.

His Majesty Berlan still showed no intention of getting married, which only made the people of the White Kingdom look forward to the birth of Ellie's child even more.

This will be their new king.

He should also be the emperor of the Lunar Empire.

In fact, Rand had also thought about having more children and then letting each of them inherit a kingdom.

But Rand later abandoned the idea.

Because if Rand ascends to godhood and no longer holds power over the Moon Phase Empire forever, then the history books of the previous life have already written out how everything will develop, and the killing of brothers and sisters is inevitable.

If Rand can avoid being driven away from the world, then as the king of mankind, Rand can do even more. Rand is still very curious about whether there are stars and seas beyond this world.

Soon, Rand arrived in the capital of the White Kingdom, where he was warmly welcomed.

Rand had long been recognized as the husband of the prince of the White Kingdom, and later Rand led humanity in fighting against natural disasters and struggles, and his reputation had long since risen to the level of being admired by all.

Rand arrived at the royal residence, where Ellie and Berlan were both present.

Berlan was looking at books on prenatal care, while Ellie didn't seem to care much, thinking she should eat, drink, and exercise as usual.

"So you're planning to be a 'man' for the rest of your life?" Rand asked, looking at Berlan, who was intently staring at a book about pregnancy care.

"Well, there's nothing wrong with that." Berlan didn't care about her status at all. In any case, she had already gotten the man she was meant to have and the life she wanted.

Berlan is very satisfied with his current life.

Moreover, if she regains her identity, there won't be any problem with the sisters sharing a husband, but the former prestige of the White King will probably collapse.

So let's leave something for the people of the White Kingdom, and for the people of the world, to remember.

In contrast, Karin was less concerned.

Although she has regained her position as a saintess of the Torch Church, since the main power has been handed over to the great Emperor Rand, she doesn't have any problems spending her days in Crescent Moon City.

Moreover, there is no problem with the saintess appearing together with the main seat.

Karin also helps manage church affairs, whether it's the Torch Church or the Church of the Goddess of Harvest and Health.

Karin stayed in the Holy City, which meant she saw Rand much more often.

“My next stop is the Dwarf Kingdom. Do you want to come along?” Rand asked Berlan and Ellie.

Both royal ladies from the White Kingdom accepted Rand's invitation.

Ministers have already been assigned to handle this matter, so the presence or absence of the White King is no longer of great importance unless there are serious matters requiring decision-making.

Of course, it may become more similar to Marcus's governance model.

Marcus and Berlan were not actually absentee rulers; they were simply wise monarchs who were adept at recognizing and appointing capable people.

Although one cannot always avoid the toil of one's own labor.

Marcus was exhausted from these years of fighting against natural disasters and the god of struggle.

……

Rand and the two ladies of Calant set off from the port of the White Kingdom, sailing south along the coastline, passing through some of the Northern United Nations, all the way to the Frostmoon Kingdom and the Moon Phase Kingdom.

Going further south would take a long time, until you reach the Kingdom of Champs-Élysées. The Kingdom of Lenza is not a coastal kingdom, so you won't encounter it there.

Then, crossing the ocean, they arrived at the mountain kingdom of the dwarves.

Further south of the dwarves' mountain kingdom lies a desolate desert and some desert tribes. These tribes had shown signs of developing and posing a threat, but due to the Scourge's indiscriminate treatment of all, they have now been almost wiped out.

The dwarves weren't particularly badly affected by Rand's warning, but they still lost at least 30% of their population.

Upon the arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Rand, the old dwarf king extended a warm welcome. The old dwarf king had always held a good impression of the Moon Phase Kingdom and Rand, and had also maintained technical cooperation with the Moon Phase Kingdom.

Later, when Land ascended the throne, the Dwarf Kingdom also joined the Empire and became a member of it.

Now, Rand is considered the "crown" of the dwarf king.

The Dwarf King warmly welcomed His Majesty Land's arrival, but his eldest son, the Dwarf Prince, looked at Land with a resentful gaze, like a woman confined to her chambers in sorrow. Clearly, the various affairs of the Dwarf Kingdom had troubled him greatly since his return.

Rand simply smiled at this.

"I heard you've developed the latest mining equipment?" Rand asked. "Yes," the Dwarf Kingdom said proudly, stroking his handsome, brave, domineering, and dashing beard. "Please come with me, let me show you."

When I first learned about Rand, he was just an insignificant count in the human world. Now, however, he is the emperor of the Lunar Empire.

Previously, Rand had to show great respect to the Dwarf King, but now the Dwarf King has completely adapted to the change in status and addresses Rand as "you" (formal).

However, Rand didn't really care.

Maintaining the emperor's dignity is necessary, but Rand doesn't feel that everything should be restricted or that he should be too harsh on himself and others.

Then Rand saw the drilling rig and the mining mule.

Of course, it wasn't the kind of tunnel boring machine and its accompanying cargo trucks that Rand had seen in his previous life.

The drilling rig is a machine that is fixed in place and powered by human power. It can only drill vertically or horizontally. It has a rough structure and a brutal shape, but it is made of fine steel and infused with magical metals. It can split gold and break rocks, and is invincible.

Later, the dwarf king also mentioned that he wanted to learn from the water-powered forging hammer developed by Rand and use water power to provide kinetic energy for the drilling machine. The dwarfs' mountainous country was not lacking in flowing rivers.

As for the mining mule, it is a technology derived from the ruins.

The body structures of those constructed creatures were studied and then applied here.

These mining mules have excellent load-bearing capacity and can adapt to various terrains, allowing mining teams to venture deeper into the mines for easier mining.

The only problem is energy; current technology simply cannot produce a stable, safe, and sufficiently abundant portable energy source.

Crude oil exists in the world, but with current technology, it cannot be utilized. Rand couldn't understand internal combustion engines at all; he was a farmer, not a mechanic, so he could only order the alchemy workshop to continue its research.

The energy from the magical side can only power low-energy devices like the image crystal. The energy from constructs is relatively more advanced, but unfortunately, Rand doesn't have the ability to create them. When asked, Ryza said she didn't fully understand it either.

In short, the current energy source needs to be changed frequently, or the mage can simply keep injecting energy.

It is currently in the early stages of research and development.

Although mine cable cars and minecart tracks will still be built later, during the early drilling period, mutins can play an excellent supporting role. They can even be equipped with weapons to assist in combat when dealing with monsters deep in the mine.

This made Rand's eyes light up, and he quickly had an idea.

"That's a really great design. I'd like to borrow your technology to hold a competition, what do you say?"

"What do you want to do?" The dwarf king didn't mind sharing the technology with Rand at all.

Both sides have been exchanging technology and have learned a lot from each other. If Rand can improve the mule technology, then the Dwarf Kingdom will naturally have a period of profit without loss.

As for Rand, ..., Rand is now very adept at using competitions to boost the surrounding economy and enrich the lives of its citizens.

If the competition goes smoothly, it might even advance technological development.

In short, it's the World Mining Mule Modification Competition, where participants can modify existing mining mules and then compete in terms of durability, load capacity, and speed.

Of course, there will also be exciting, unrestricted matches where players can mount weapons.

Rand is very interested in this kind of competition, and he is now preparing to attract investment.

I think Marcus would be very interested too.

The dwarf king before them should also be very interested.

When Rand described his idea for the World Mine Mule Modification Competition, the Dwarf King immediately stated that they, the Dwarves, would not only invest but also send a team to participate.

Rand readily agreed.

Afterwards, Rand took the two ladies of Calant on a tour of the Dwarf Kingdom for a while before heading to their next destination, the Endless Sea in the south.

The Southern Endless Sea was originally the domain of the Azure King. After losing the Azure King's control, the Endless Sea, which was originally just a dark and treacherous place, became chaotic and full of pirates, smugglers, and the ruins of "warships".

Rand and his group did not encounter any pirate attacks. After all, when Nicholas's flag was flying at sea, no one dared to risk destruction to offend him.

Moreover, Rand's southward fleet was quite large, well-equipped, and its sailors and accompanying knights were all highly capable in combat.

It is said that the secret treasure of the Azure King is now circulating in the endless sea of ​​the south, and that whoever obtains it can become the Pirate King. This has led to an increase in the number of pirates. Rand plans to unite with the southern coastal kingdoms to exercise some restraint, at least to prevent his trade routes from being affected.

After landing at the Endless Sea in the south, head north, crossing towering mountains and great rivers, and you will arrive at the Elf Forest.

Before entering the Elf Forest, Rand encountered an unexpected old friend: the knight who smelled of sulfur and had cooperated with them during Project Sunrise.

They stole the sacred fire from the new holy city of the Torch Church, and later gave some to Rand, even though Rand could have easily obtained the sacred fire through the old knight commander.

But Rand remembered their story. He had been trying to help them deal with the infernal curse that the Holy Flame could not dispel, but unfortunately, he could only alleviate their pain, not solve it.

"How are things going for you?" Rand asked.

"Thanks to your help, the pain has been somewhat relieved, but the connection with Purgatory has not been severed. Demons or the flames of Purgatory will always come after us," the sulfur-smelling knight said helplessly.

Rand looked at their skin, cracked from their connection with purgatory: "Does it need treatment?"

All the knights with the aura of purgatory took a half step back; they clearly knew what was going on with Rand's healing.

Seeing their fear, Rand didn't take it to heart, and simply said, "If you need help, you can go to the Sanctuary at any time to reveal your identities. The Sanctuary will always maintain its friendship with you."

The knights, radiating an aura of purgatory, nodded and then resumed their journey to resolve their conflict with the aura of purgatory.

Rand watched them leave.

maybe.

When Rand has accumulated enough strength to launch a great expedition to counterattack Purgatory, perhaps the problem of these knights can be solved.

The Purgatory Plane is filled with burning flames—sulfur, oil, magma, coal, and various rare materials and precious metals.

That's all wealth, and it will become the cornerstone of technological development.

One day, Rand will plunder Purgatory, and then Grand Duke Vladimir will be left trembling in his coffin.

……

The Elf Forest has undergone tremendous changes.

Due to policy changes, the elves began to trade with the outside world, and the construction of transportation infrastructure allowed elven travelers to set foot on lands they were visiting for the first time in their lives.

And those elves who were the first to turn their gaze beyond the Elf Forest also began to accept some changes that had never come before.

For example, they discovered that orcs did not seem to exist in the world, even though they were mentioned in the cultural history of the elves.

Rand soon saw the vanilla.

Queen Vanilla is the lord of the elves. Recently, Vanilla has been preparing to establish an elven ocean trading company. She intends to intervene in the disputes of the Southern Endless Sea, and Rand supports her.

After leaving the Elf Forest, head north.

That is the Kingdom of Lunsa, and then Crescent City, which is the capital of the Moon Phase Empire.

Rand returned to his palace, where the tall, metal knightly armor stood guard beside his throne as always.

The high-ranking officials of the Holy Land had been waiting there for quite some time.

“There are some countries in both the south and the north that want to make some small moves. Not all countries are willing to accept the ruling model you proposed,” Olena reported.

RAND had met many people, but at least when RAND himself arrived, no country dared to refuse to welcome him.

"So what are your opinions?" Rand asked.

“How about inviting them to participate in the event? Every few years, we can hold a grand event that even the kings of distant countries must attend, and those who don’t will be considered disrespectful to His Majesty Rand,” Olena suggested, offering a rather constructive suggestion.

Rand then looked at the other high-ranking members of the Holy Land.

They didn't have any objections.

Rand then decided on this project.

Then, Rand looked at everyone and said, "There is one more project for you to visit."

The group was somewhat puzzled. As Rand's right-hand women, they usually knew about any special projects.

So what is it?

Rand led the beautiful high-ranking members of the Sanctuary to a newly built palace in the back mountains.

After bringing everyone here, Rand coughed lightly and said, "It's been a long time since we last met, so I've prepared a special project."

With that, Rand closed the palace doors.

Suddenly, as if some mechanism had been activated in the palace, the sound of the mechanism locking could be heard.

"Ahem, in short, the special project is a room where you can't leave without doing X."

(End of this chapter)