I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 289 Exam
Chris stood by the window, watching Arya's retreating figure, and shook his head.

He didn't like the Church of the Goddess of Agriculture, but compared to the fanatical Church of the Earth Mother, the former still had some merit. He needed the Goddess of Agriculture to counterbalance the Earth Mother.

If possible, Chris would actually prefer to promote a religionless society within Baghnia.

If Chris is willing to recruit more players and then issue them orders to carry out "witch hunts," given the players' motivation and the continuous rewards from Chris, he will surely be able to wipe out all the monsters and demons in Bagnia.

But... why would Chris do that?
A complete de-religious campaign would be too troublesome for Chris, and would have significant side effects.

Religion is like spiritual opium, a long-standing source of spiritual sustenance for the Baghnia people. For most, religion is not merely a belief, but a way of life, a source of solace.

Forcibly implementing a no-religion policy would not only cause social unrest but also lose public support, which would be extremely detrimental to Chris's rule.

To put it bluntly, even the Emperor in Warhammer 40K couldn't do this, so what makes Chris think he can?
The reason has been repeated many times: there is only one China, both ancient and modern, in the world. There has never been a second one on Earth, and there is certainly no second China on the Greek continent in another world.

Therefore, even though the Church of the Earth Mother was causing trouble, Chris did not intend to exterminate them. Instead, he wanted to use the Church of the Goddess of Agriculture to counterbalance and replace their current position.

Now that the game has progressed this far, Chris's mindset is no longer what it was like in Neymar. Back then, he just wanted to enjoy a leisurely retirement. But now, if you asked Chris to give up, he'd be a little reluctant.

Having come this far, giving up halfway is not a good habit.

……

After leaving, Arya quickly brought back what she had seen and heard, as well as the two documents that Chris had given to the Church of the Goddess of Agriculture.

The people of the Church of the Goddess of Agriculture in Vortradnoine were not fools either. They quickly figured out Chris's intentions and gladly accepted the arrangement of His Highness the Prince... no, King Bagnia.

This is absolutely fantastic news; it's something the Church of the Goddess of Agriculture has been pursuing for a long time in Vortradnoy.

As a result, the Church of the Goddess of Agriculture cooperated very well. The information about the old things that Chris wanted was not only delivered on the afternoon Arya returned, but five days later, the first church of the Goddess of Agriculture opened in Waltradnoine.

In addition, the priests of the goddess of agriculture also led people to travel across the King's Plain outside Votradnoi, providing free agricultural guidance and improved seeds to the farmers of Bagnia as winter passed, spring began, and the ice and snow melted.

These priests no longer wore magnificent white robes, but instead donned coarse cloth garments suitable for labor. They taught farmers how to rotate crops and fertilize, and even personally went into the fields to demonstrate, doing their utmost to ensure that barley could grow on land burned by fire.

Appropriate burning can make the land more fertile and suitable for crop growth, but excessively fierce fires can make the land barren and even uncultivable.

In King's Plain, many farmers' lands were destroyed in a massive fire caused by human error last winter.

The intense fires not only destroyed vegetation but also damaged the soil structure and fertility. In many places, the soil became compacted, its water retention capacity decreased, and even an impermeable layer formed, preventing rainwater from penetrating and causing it to run off directly.

It's certain that the grain harvest in King's Plains will be reduced this year. It's just that Chris can't say by how much. It could be 80%, or it could be more.

Chris didn't have many other tasks either. Besides mobilizing the Church of the Goddess of Agriculture and motivating the priests of the Church of the Earth Mother to do things, he was also conducting civil service exams to recruit people and build up the organizational structure of a national government.

Whatever Chris wants to do, he needs someone to carry out his orders.

……

"Line up, line up! Everyone, line up! Anyone who doesn't line up, get out of here immediately and be disqualified from the exam!!!"

Outside the examination hall in Waterladnoy, Peggy Yarlin roared, brandishing a black and white wooden stick and violently striking the candidates who tried to cut in line, making them cry out in pain. "Quiet! All of you, quiet!"

Peggy's voice was incredibly loud. His thin frame moved through the crowd, and the wooden stick in his hand danced with great force, drawing a sharp arc in the sunlight before striking precisely the hand of a nobleman's son who was trying to cut in line.

The young man cried out in pain, clutching his hand and staggering back several steps, knocking over several other equally well-dressed examinees behind him.

"What are you looking at!"

Peggy's eyes widened, and her still-haired face twisted into an especially ferocious expression.

"This is the Bagnia civil service exam venue, not your backyard! If you dare cut in line again, believe me, I'll throw you all into the moat to feed the fish!"

A burst of laughter erupted from the queue. The commoner candidates, dressed in coarse cloth, straightened their backs, while the few privileged young men who had tried to take advantage of their status slunk to the back of the line.

By now, anyone with a brain in Bagnia knows that the country's future rulers have a very bad attitude towards the current nobles and powerful people, even to the point of being hostile. If the judges find even the slightest flaw, the raised butcher's knife will fall.

As for why this happened, they knew very well. They were all old foxes; who wouldn't know what the murdered family had done in the past?

Fortunately, although Prince Chris was cold-blooded and acted more tyrannically than a tyrant, he was not an irrational madman. As long as they did not show any intention to betray the country or oppose Prince Chris's rule, and abide by the laws he set, the judges would not come to their door.

Even the so-called civil service exams conducted by Chris were open to everyone equally, without prohibiting former nobles, officials, or wealthy people from participating.

Although the reality of taking the exam alongside peasants made them feel humiliated and angry, they also understood that it was the best option at the moment.

At least, the exam is fair to everyone, and as long as they pass the exam, they still have a chance to board the boat piloted by Prince Chris.

Peggy looked disdainfully at the people in the line dressed in expensive clothes. He puffed out his chest, making the civil servant badge on his chest and the apricot uniform jacket on his body even more conspicuous in the sunlight.

Peggy's civil service job was also earned through examinations, but he had a huge advantage over ordinary people... that is, his grandfather had made great contributions in Oncandra, which gave him a higher starting point than others, and he easily became a mid-level civil servant under Prince Chris.

In this exam held in Waterladnoy, Peggy was one of the examiners. He strode back and forth in front of the line, rhythmically tapping his black and white wooden stick against his palm, displaying the authority of an examiner.

This was a technique that Old Peggy taught Peggy. Being too young, it was difficult for him to win people over. At this time, appropriately showing his toughness and ruthlessness could actually make some troublemakers back down and not cause trouble.

The exam started soon.

The examination was held in an opera house, a spacious venue that could accommodate more than 500 people at the same time. The exam papers were not difficult; there were three papers, one for mathematics and one for Chinese, both at the elementary school level, covering addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and simple words and pinyin. The exams were conducted in two sessions.

The exam paper itself wasn't difficult; the only challenge was that it was entirely written in Chinese, and without Chinese proficiency, you couldn't write the correct answers.

In this respect, everyone participating in the exam is treated fairly, because Chris Night School is now open to everyone for free, and beginner-level Chinese learning books can be obtained for free as long as you have proof of identity.

Before Chris even entered Waterloo, some clever people had already collected Chinese books and started learning Chinese on their own.

Therefore, today's junior civil service exam is highly anticipated and has attracted widespread attention.

(End of this chapter)