Divine Kingship

Chapter 631 The First Costume Showcase Competition in the Sanctuary, and Karin's True Face
Before our allies arrive at the resort.

Everything in Crescent Moon City, the capital of the Lunar Kingdom, was proceeding as usual.

However, there is a special program today.

The First Costume Competition of the Moon Phase Kingdom.

“You’ve arrived quite early,” Rand said to Marcus.

“I’m already traumatized by the plague, and you even told me that this plague is suspected to be the work of God, so I rushed over here in a panic.” Marcus stroked his beard.

"But it seems that other important figures haven't arrived yet?" Marcus asked.

“Yes, so would you like to enjoy a special program now?” Rand asked.

"A fashion competition? I've heard about it, but I don't know much about fashion, and..." Marcus looked at Rand suspiciously.

"Is this fashion competition something like the cooking competition that requires judges to make sacrifices?" Marcus knew very well what the cooking competition in the Sanctuary was like.

Back then, the Sanctuary was still called a "nest" (or "outpost").

“Of course not. The fashion competition is very safe, and it doesn’t require much expertise in judging clothing,” Rand smiled.

"Because this isn't a fashion competition, it's a fashion show competition."

“What’s the difference?” Marcus asked.

Marcus was actually quite interested in all the strange and unusual events that Rand organized.

For example, in the previous cooking competition, although the early stages looked very dangerous, in the final stage, the dishes made by truly talented chefs brought a lot of novelty to Marcus.

Other, more normal events, such as trade fairs, also often feature many interesting and rare items.

Marcus now has some understanding of Rand's governing philosophy.

Rand loves to make changes to life; before, the cooking competition was about food, but now it's obviously about clothing.

These are naturally luxurious events that only the most powerful nobles could afford to spend vast sums of money to host.

Now that Rand is king, holding such an event is not considered extravagant. Moreover, there is something very strange about it: it seems that Rand doesn't lose much money by holding such an event.

“Of course there’s a difference,” Rand laughed. “A fashion competition only has clothes, while a fashion show has people.”

Marcus quickly understood what Rand meant: "So that's how it is, people will come out dressed up and show off?"

“Yes, that’s right. Just like you have to taste food to know if it’s delicious or not, how can you know if clothes look good or not if you don’t wear them?” Rand smiled.

Marcus is now somewhat looking forward to it.

The fashion show competition will begin soon.

The stadium was already packed with people.

This fashion competition, of course, requires a fee for admission.

Of course, this fee is only symbolic and is not intended to restrict certain individuals.

Rand didn't want this kind of event to turn into an aristocratic activity because people couldn't afford tickets.

The paid admission was merely a way for Rand to set the tone and emphasize the meticulous preparation for the fashion show.

The event started quickly.

The clerk Olena made tea for both Rand and Marcus.

Rand gestured for Olena to sit down and watch with him.

Olena was always in the habit of taking care of Rand, such as making tea for him or tidying his clothes.

Even though Rand arranged for maids to do chores, it couldn't stop Olena's habit of doing these things.

This habit of taking care of others probably started when she was taking care of young Ellie; now she's taking care of Rand, the adult, more often.

The first thing on display was casual everyday wear. The first person to walk out from the back of the event was a man and a woman wearing light blue shirts and casual cropped trousers.

The models are all selected, and they are people who meet the requirements in terms of appearance and demeanor.

A beautiful model walking the runway in the latest, best-designed clothing is certainly very eye-catching.

"How is it?" Rand asked.

“You’re a genius,” Marcus remarked.

Rand was very satisfied with the scene, and soon, a second outfit appeared on the platform.

This time, the style is more practical, consisting of durable workwear. While it may not look as aesthetically pleasing as casual wear, there is still a demand for this type of practical clothing that is slightly more attractive.

Next up is the new Adventurer Set. This design has always been inspired by Queen Ellie, combining beauty and practicality, and it has become the most frequently worn set by adventurers.

Next up are some particularly creative designs, such as a color-changing nylon leather iridescent set, or a nature-inspired weed woven set.

These are purely eye-catching designs with no practical use, but their vibrant colors and unusual styles still drew cheers from the audience.

Finally, there are aristocratic garments, which are suitable for wealthy nobles to purchase and use, such as upgrading some of today's aristocratic ceremonial or combat outfits.

After the fashion show, it was time for the scoring.

Since the first competition did not set any fixed style restrictions and did not have any experienced judges, the scoring was more inclined to personal tastes than strict standards.

"You're a judge too, why don't you give a score?" Rand asked with a smile.

“Then I’d give the casual wear a perfect score,” Marcus laughed.

While the judges were scoring, Rand went to look at the photo crystal.

This fashion show competition was naturally driven by Rand's business considerations. Nowadays, nobles frequently dine in the resort's restaurant area. In an era where most commoners were not qualified to move between territories, nobles and adventurers were the main customers of the resort's tourism industry.

If a fashion show competition wants to maximize its commercial success, it would be best to invite all the nobles in the vicinity who are interested in buying the new clothes to come and watch the competition.

But at this time, Rand intends to devote more of his energy to dealing with the plague in the South.

Therefore, the troublesome matter of summoning a large number of nobles to visit was no longer a consideration.

Now, instead of recording a video, it is distributed to churches in nearby noble territories and then played.

That's not bad either. It can at least help spread the fashion competition more widely, and maybe the clothing sales business of the Holy Domain forces will be developed from there.
The scoring results came out quickly. Surprisingly, the Adventurer's Set revamp received the highest score.

It seems that Queen Ellie's designs are as tasteful as ever.

"So, can the clothing start selling now?" Marcus seemed very interested in casual wear.

“Of course, Your Majesty Marcus.”

"Then I'll order a few sets and try them on when I get back." Marcus was already planning to try on these clothes, which were completely different from the style of aristocratic clothing in the past.

……

Just a few days after the fashion design competition came to a close.

RAND's allies arrived one after another to attend the meeting.

Rand led everyone to a small conference room in the upper sanctuary. Unlike the central conference rooms of other kingdoms, this one had a more minimalist style.

However, it cannot be described as shabby or dilapidated; it has simply transformed from a classic and exquisite style into a simple, fast, and efficient business style.

This was, of course, Rand's quirky sense of humor. Rand didn't dislike those classically styled conference rooms; it was just that these specially modified business-style conference rooms reminded him of his past life.

In his previous life, Rand used this style of meeting room when holding student club meetings during his university years.

“I have already shown you all the information. My opinion is that, starting today, we should strictly govern the region according to the health doctrine of the Church of the Goddess of Harvest and Health, and begin preparations for war, to fight the inevitable army of the dead,” Rand said.

“We are not doubting your judgment, nor are we underestimating the seriousness of the matter, but making such a decision would come at a huge cost to both of us, so we would like to confirm some details again,” said the bearded pirate from the Ice Sea Kingdom wearing a horned helmet solemnly.

It's extremely rare for such a savage pirate to be willing to sit down and talk. Coming here is already a great honor for Rand. Moreover, he's right; for a country to make such a serious war preparation policy, more details must be confirmed.

"We actually captured some infected individuals and brought them to the Sanctuary. Would anyone mind coming over to watch? Of course, we will take all necessary precautions for everyone."

Everyone nodded.

Rand then led his allies to a closed area.

This place is strictly isolated from the outside world.

And these are infected people.

Arresting infected individuals for observation is inhumane, but fortunately, these arrested infected individuals are all confirmed to be heinous criminals, so there is no need to show them any pity.

Everyone has taken protective measures according to the health scriptures and has also received the blessings of the Torch Church.

"After being infected with this plague, there is an incubation period of 1 to 7 days, after which symptoms will begin to appear, which are mostly manifested as chills, high fever, severe headache, and bleeding. When the condition becomes severe, black spots will also appear on the skin. It is difficult to cure and has a high mortality rate," Rand explained personally.

"This plague can be carried by humans, rats, and rat-men. I estimate that intelligent beings such as elves, dwarves, and gnomes will also be affected, but there are no cases yet. I currently predict that the transmission route is through droplets and fleas."

The allies who were invited to watch could only see the horrific state of the infected, but watching it directly did deepen their understanding of the severity of the situation.

“We also used a photo crystal to take photos of the areas with severe conditions.” Rand started the photo recording playback.

“This is the southern baronial territory, and this baronial territory has already…” Rand didn’t finish his sentence, because the scene had already explained everything.

Humans coughing up blood due to the plague, along with countless rats covered in festering sores, surged forth.

Under the influence of the power of death, creatures that fall due to plague, being eaten by rats, or for some other reason will rise again from the green flames that burn.

This scene is even more terrifying than when the Scourge sanctued in the City of the Dead in the past.

Because compared to that period when the undead needed to destroy humanity through war, the invisible plagues of today are much harder to resist.

Moreover, this plague is clearly more difficult to deal with than the Poison of the Dead in the later stages of the City of the Dead.

After watching the video, the important figures from various countries who came here all remained silent.

They had already learned about the seriousness of the problem from the information they had gathered, but looking at the images captured on these crystals, it was clear that the severity was beyond their imagination.

These key figures from Rand's allied nations discussed the matter briefly and quickly reached a consensus: "We will take immediate action, but... the Southern Kingdom doesn't seem to be making any significant moves at the moment."

Do they mean that Rand didn't hand over these materials to the people of the Southern Kingdom?

How could these countries be so unwilling to take immediate action when faced with such a severe epidemic?

Can't they see the danger behind them?
“The Lionheart Kingdom has already taken action.” Rand then looked at the envoys from the Champs-Élysées Kingdom and the Kingdom of Lunsa, two of the southern kingdoms that were willing to come to the meeting. The other southern kingdoms had not sent anyone.

"I imagine the Kingdom of Champs-Élysées and the Kingdom of Lenza will take immediate action as well," Rand sighed. "But..."

“The other southern kingdoms are unwilling to believe my words. As you all know, dealing with such a dangerous plague requires the full strength of the nation, and mobilizing the entire nation's resources is extremely difficult and requires a determined commitment and a willingness to pay a price.”

“In the early stages, before things become particularly dire, these countries tend to be complacent,” Rand continued. “It’s like telling an ordinary person that they need to spend their life savings to treat what is currently just a toothache, and then telling that the toothache will eventually kill them.”

Rand shrugged: "Obviously, most people wouldn't make a decision under these circumstances, and it's only because the countries behind you are willing to trust me that I'm willing to take immediate action."

The envoys or heads of state present quickly understood what Rand meant.

Even RAND's allies, who had already made up their minds to take action, harbored a sense of wishful thinking, hoping to resolve the crisis with minimal effort.

Not to mention those countries that don't believe RAND's arguments; making a decision that requires such a huge price when the entire nation isn't ruled by a single voice is truly...

“However,” Rand changed the subject.

Everyone stared at Rand.

“We are not entirely without ways to convince more people of the urgency of the situation,” Rand said slowly.

"What method?" everyone asked.

Rand stepped aside, and a blonde, red-eyed beauty appeared before everyone.

Everyone had some impression of this beauty.

She was a saint from the time before the Torch Church split, the Crimson Queen, the controller of flames, and the embodiment of the sun.

Karin Eldridge.

"I'm sure you've all recognized her. This is the Holy Maiden of the Torch Church. She will try to unite the strength of the new Holy City and the old Holy City, and then go to the south to persuade the Southern Kingdom to make up its mind to fight against the plague and evil."

This was completely unexpected; everyone thought the Crimson King was dead.

(End of this chapter)