You were made to farm, and now you're the emperor of an empire?

Chapter 387 The Alliance of the Two Kings
She was less reputable than a prostitute.

Prostitutes have a lowly status, but human society needs this profession, so they have always existed and it is considered a very ancient occupation.

But if a witch is exposed, there's no room for negotiation; she must be burned at the stake. Even someone as lowly as a prostitute wouldn't speak up for her.

Asking Shasta to sympathize with prostitutes now? That's asking too much.

In Roman's view, everyone in this era is persecuting each other.

He had no interest in prostitutes, yet he knew of their tragic fate.

In the Middle Ages, nominally, men were considered adults at age 15, while women were considered adults at age 13.

That being said, people of this age are far from being able to shoulder the burden of family, and the traditional marriage age is usually postponed by a few years.

But in that cage, Roman saw child prostitutes, some girls under the age of 13.

This is a phenomenon that he deeply abhors!
Roman values ​​minors highly, believing that education should start from childhood. He strives to brainwash every sapling that has not yet grown up, so that they can become towering trees.

But his influence was confined to a small area, and many things still happened in other places.

Roman said, "This land eats people."

Shasta said, "It's used to eating it; you're just making a fuss over nothing."

"But its cannibalism was too slow, so slavery was something that had to be overthrown! It was too backward and should be replaced by a more sophisticated method."

She often saw the arrogance on her master's face, his disdain for all existing rules and order, as if they were utterly worthless.

"What do you mean by a more sophisticated approach?"

"Rescind their status as slaves, because slaves don't want to serve customers—if a slave can only serve five customers a day, tell her that the money from the sixth customer is hers, and once she saves enough money, she can buy her freedom..."

Shasta listened attentively, but didn't understand. However, she showed a thoughtful expression and said...

"Your Highness, if you tell this method to the merchants earlier, they will be overjoyed."

"They're already in hell."

"I mean before he died."

Roman clenched his fists and uttered a harsh threat. "If they dare to do this while they're alive! Their execution won't be beheading, it will be slow slicing!"

Shasta pursed her lips, unsure how to speak to Roman to his satisfaction. She was actually a bit slow on the uptake, not good at reading people's expressions, and not good at pleasing others.

Every communication with Roman was filled with frustration.

'This is terrible, let it be destroyed,' the Nightmare Witch muttered to herself.

Roman looked at her and said, "Shasta, whether it's backward or sophisticated, what I want to destroy is the industry itself. In the land I rule, I will not allow prostitutes to exist. I will never allow it!"

"I understand that." Shasta tilted his head slightly, looking away. "Why didn't you say that earlier?"

Roman didn't speak to Shasta, but he didn't think much of it. He and Shasta didn't really have anything in common; she was even less like Tashina.

In a sense, Shasta was also her sex slave.

Roman appears to respect them, but he doesn't actually respect them that much.

Because they couldn't refuse him, just as slaves couldn't refuse their masters; they were his guests. Even if Roman ordered them to kneel down and act like dogs, they would still bark. It's just that the witches' living conditions were extremely good, so their situation didn't seem so tragic.

Putting everything else aside, if the witch had a choice, why would she listen to his orders?

Roman never trusted humans, nor did the witches.

He doesn't talk about feelings with others, only about shared interests.

Compared to all other forces, they were the only ones on their side. All they could do was follow him—to go and join everyone outside the olive branch.

……

It was raining continuously, and the air humidity was quite high.

Roman made his way back to Rich Castle with difficulty, his horse's hooves, knees, and rump covered in mud.

These days are not a good time to travel.

Roman was soaked, but not completely wet. His inner clothes clung to his skin, as if they could be wrung out of water. He felt terrible and everything was difficult for him.

He first took a hot shower and changed into dry, comfortable clothes, only then did he feel like he had escaped the damp world.

Gweil is also in the castle; she will be staying here for a while and has things to do.

However, Roman was going to inspect the progress of the work of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Residents, so he didn't have much time to spend with her.

For dinner: a large bowl of seasonal vegetable salad, stewed hen with mushrooms, cured pork and old duck soup, and fried pork chops.

Although there weren't many side dishes, the portions were very generous, and everything was served in large bowls.

Tashina and Enya gradually got used to the food in the City of Abundance.

These dishes may not have aristocratic flair, but they are truly delicious and full of flavor!
Roman scooped a spoonful of mushrooms and chicken and gently placed it in Gweil's bowl. He then said, "Your Highness, Marshal Enya, we have won this battle, but this is only the beginning. You will be staying here for a long time."

Roman admitted that without the help of White Steel Princess and Oak, he did not win the battle so easily.

"Lord Roman, please rest assured. We won't leave until they retreat," Enya said indistinctly. He gently tore at the fried pork chop with his teeth. The dish was absolutely delicious, made from the tenderest tenderloin, coated in batter and deep-fried, with absolutely no fishy or gamey smell.

Millie was also serving Tashina her meal. The extraordinary knights were all big eaters, capable of consuming three to five pounds of meat in a single meal.

White Steel moved gracefully and ate swiftly. She said, "You'll have to worry about more than just Blackburg now. I received news today that Pirate King Alex has allied with the King of Iceland, forming a dragon alliance, and will soon make a big move."

Princess White Steel was better informed than him; the alliance between the two kings had far-reaching consequences.

In the past, pirates were forced to retreat to the north due to pressure from the Papacy knights, but now they have the means to launch an attack.

Roman thought for a moment. "Your Highness, what do you think the pirates' next move will be?"

“They might seek an alliance with you,” Tashina said frankly. “In the entire Black Iron Lands, only you and Alex are still fighting against the world of the gods. But the pirate forces are far stronger than you. There are tens of thousands of pirates on the northern front alone. They are all outlaws, even more formidable than mercenaries. Moreover, dragons pose a far greater threat to the army than pirates. No conscripted army can deal with dragons. When mortals see the behemoths in the sky, they only resent their parents for not giving them more legs.”

“But my army is not a conscription army.” Roman said somberly.
His army could fight against the dragons, but the sacrifices would be too great.

One dragon could be exchanged for at least six hundred of his professional soldiers!

Dragons are few in number, but their soldiers are not easily found either. Each professional soldier must undergo at least two years of training, and recruits are extremely difficult to find.

The pirates came to him seeking an alliance, but Roman never considered his allies as his own people, only as potential enemies.

The reason the two sides formed an alliance was that the pressure from the world of gods was too great, forcing them to band together for mutual support.

Let alone future pirates, even Tashina and Enya are like that now.

There is no doubt about that.

Suppose they join forces to destroy the world of gods, then their future targets will be each other—to put it bluntly, once the pressure eases, conflicts of interest could cause these seemingly stable allies to turn against each other.

Therefore, Roman initially viewed the entire world as his hypothetical enemy!
Forewarned is forearmed, without prejudging the waste.

We need to make follow-up plans...

We need to come up with some backup plans!
(End of this chapter)