Starting from Ainz Ooal Gown, simultaneously traveling through time

"Your Highness!!"

Kabu's voice trembled slightly with extreme shock as he stared at the unbelievable scene before him.

—Among the more than three thousand bodies covered in white cloth, more than two thousand people had their shrouds removed, breathing with a bewildered yet vibrant energy, and were tightly embraced by their ecstatic comrades.

resurrection!

It wasn't the legendary, costly, individual divine grace and miracle, but a miracle that pulled an army that was almost annihilated back from the brink of death!

After casting the spell, Leylin swayed slightly, and his face showed obvious signs of fatigue. Such a large-scale and high-intensity output of magic and mental control was an unprecedented burden for him.

He exhaled softly and said to Kabu, who was still in shock, "Those who can be resurrected are all here. As for the rest... their bodies were too badly damaged. I have cast a blessing of peace on them to ensure they rest in peace and will not breed undead. I'm going back to rest now."

He paused, then added, "Get me the updated list of the dead and the list of those who made meritorious contributions among the resurrected as soon as possible."

"Yes, Your Highness!" Kabu's voice was filled with unprecedented reverence.

Just as Leylin was about to leave, the deafening roar in the arena suddenly intensified. All the soldiers, whether newly resurrected or original guards, turned to him excitedly, shouting with all their might:

"Your Highness! We love and respect you!!"

"Your Highness! You are our sun!!"

"Your Highness's kindness is beyond repayment; we will never forget it!!"

The roar almost lifted the city walls. Looking at those fanatical and loyal faces, Leylin knew that any words would be pale and powerless at this moment.

He said no more, his body flashed with magic, the light of [Teleport] lit up, and his figure instantly disappeared from the spot.

Even so, the soldiers continued to shout in the direction he had disappeared, their voices even louder and more unified:

"We—will forever be loyal to Your Highness!!"

"loyalty!!!"

The roar echoed over the fortress for a long time.

..............................

Inside the meeting room, Lei Lin leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes to rest.

"We've resurrected over two thousand people... which has eased the pressure of compensation payments considerably." He rubbed his temples. "It's just that the expenditure... is indeed quite substantial."

Squeezing his magic power to near depletion in one go was a completely unfamiliar experience for him. The physical exhaustion and the slight discomfort caused by the depletion of his magic power reminded him of the enormous sacrifice he had made for his feat.

"No, this is actually a good thing." Leylin suddenly opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them.

"I must adapt to the state of near-exhaustion of magic as soon as possible. If I encounter enemies who are good at calculation and skilled in attrition warfare in the future, and I expose a weakness due to temporary discomfort, the price may be death."

He thought of those beings who viewed the world with a "player's mindset," who saw combat as a game and were skilled in data calculation, skill combinations, and rhythm control. To confront such opponents, he could not rely solely on instinct and strength.

"You have to prepare with a 'game' mindset... Unfortunately, I don't have a data panel like YGGDRASIL."

Leylin felt a little regretful that he couldn't see the level, attributes, and skill tree directly, which kept his assessment of his own strength a step away. He could only rely on practical experience and information from the original work to make inferences.

But this didn't stop him from defining his core goal: "Remember, we're not strong enough yet. We must become stronger."

He was already planning his next move.

Continue to deepen magical research, optimize potions, and... perhaps it's time to take the initiative to make contact with the undead organization "The Abyss" hidden in the shadows of history.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Kabu walked in.

He looked even more tired than Leylin, with heavy bags under his eyes. Clearly, while Leylin was resting, he had efficiently completed the arduous task of statistics and reassurance.

However, his eyes burned with an almost religious fervor, and his gaze toward Leylin was no different from that of someone revering a god.

"Your Highness, the list you requested has been revised." Kabu's voice was hoarse but unusually solemn as he presented two new silk scrolls with both hands.

Leylin took the list and examined it; the number of fallen soldiers had plummeted from over three thousand to less than one thousand.

This means that he just resurrected more than two thousand warriors in one fell swoop. The rest of them were all too badly mutilated, exceeding the limit of the fifth-tier resurrection magic.

"The expenditure on compensation can be significantly reduced, but the rewards for meritorious service still need to be calculated..." Leylin was only halfway through his sentence when Kabu suddenly stepped forward and interrupted him excitedly:

"Your Highness! Regarding rewards... the soldiers, especially those brave warriors who have distinguished themselves in battle, have unanimously decided—they do not want any rewards!"

"What?" Leylin was taken aback, wondering if he had misheard. "No reward? Why?"

Kabu straightened his back, his voice trembling slightly with excitement: "Because we are loyal to His Highness! Loyalty itself is our greatest honor, needing no other reward to tarnish this purity! Loyalty is the highest reward!"

"Loyalty!" he repeated as if making a vow.

Looking at Kabu's passionate and logically perplexing state, Leylin rubbed his temples with a headache.

"I am naturally pleased by your loyalty, but your 'wanting nothing' attitude is putting me in a difficult position."

Lei Lin tried to reason with them: "Those who don't know the situation might think that I, Lei Lin, am stingy and mean, unable to even reward meritorious soldiers."

"Your Highness! That's absolutely not what we meant!" Kabu panicked and tried desperately to explain.

"We simply... simply feel that to be able to fight for you, to witness today's miracle, to be alive and continue to serve you is an immeasurable blessing! Money and possessions are insignificant compared to this! We all, without exception, truly feel this way!"

Seeing Kabu's anxious expression, as if he wanted to tear his heart out to prove it, Leylin fell into a brief silence.

He certainly hadn't expected that a large-scale resurrection could inspire such pure, even excessive, collective loyalty.

But this won't do. Not rewarding merits and not punishing mistakes is not the way to manage an army. Pure passion is hard to sustain; reasonable interests and emotional bonds are equally important.

A moment later, a look of understanding flashed in Leylin's eyes as he came up with a compromise that could both respect this "purity" and provide practical support.

"I understand." He spoke slowly, his tone becoming steady and powerful. "The compensation must be paid in full to the families of the fallen. This cannot be changed."

He looked at Kabu and continued, "As for you living heroes, since you insist on not accepting monetary rewards... fine, I won't give you gold coins."

Just as Kabu was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Leylin abruptly changed the subject:

"However, I will prepare a special 'gift' for you."

"Your Highness, we don't need any gifts..." Kabu instinctively wanted to refuse.

"Let me finish." Leylin raised his hand to stop him, his tone leaving no room for argument. "This gift is not a reward, but a tool—a powerful instrument that will enable you to better uphold loyalty and defend your homeland in the future."

He stood up, walked to the window, his back to Kabu, and his voice clearly reached the latter's ears:

"I am moved by your willingness to forgo the rewards you deserve, but loyalty requires not only a burning heart, but also the strength to match it. I am giving you better weapons and equipment, not as a reward for your achievements, but to arm your loyalty."

He turned around, looking directly at Kabu: "With these, you will become stronger, more effective at eliminating enemies, and more capable of protecting the kingdom. And you will also be able to... more thoroughly fulfill the loyalty you swore. Do you understand what I mean?"

This long string of convoluted logic left Kabu's brain, already brimming with passion and exhaustion, somewhat bewildered. He stood there, mouth agape, stunned for a long while, his brow furrowed, trying to digest the deeper meaning in Leylin's words.

After a long while, the confusion in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a bright realization.

"I...I understand, Your Highness!" Kabu's voice became excited again, but this time it carried the excitement of understanding.

"Loyalty itself needs no material reward! But to carry this loyalty through to the end, we need greater power! You bestow weapons upon us not as a reward for past merits, but... as an investment in our future loyalty! So that we can better serve you and the kingdom!"

Leylin's face showed satisfaction, and he nodded slightly. He himself felt that his previous explanation was a bit convoluted, but the core objective had been achieved—

It both respected the soldiers' noble emotional choices and, under the guise of enhancing their execution capabilities, provided them with tangible improvements.

"I'm glad you understand." Leylin sat back down in his chair.

"Go and tell this principle to all the soldiers who have made meritorious contributions. Tell them: loyalty may not ask for anything in return, but a wise leader will always give the loyal a sharper sword and a stronger shield. This is not an exchange, but to allow that loyalty to shine even brighter in a wider world."

Kabu clasped his hands in a deep fist salute, his eyes shining even brighter: "Yes, Your Highness! I will certainly convey your profound meaning to every warrior!"

He turned and left, his steps more firm and powerful than when he arrived.

Leylin watched his departing figure and let out a soft sigh of relief.

"Rewards often require deception, which can be quite mentally taxing at times."