Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 72 Similar
"So, they just became nobles out of nowhere?"

Amidst the insincere applause of the nobles, Rean returned to the audience, still feeling as if he were in a dream.

Looking at the knight's badge on his chest, Rean still felt rather uneasy.

The rank of Third Class Knight is the lowest noble title, which cannot be inherited, does not grant fiefdoms or franchises, but still allows one to enter the upper echelons of the kingdom.

"This should be a good thing?"

After that, Rean will have far fewer troubles with what he does.

For example, personal tax exemptions, easier access to government services, and greater convenience when dealing with people.

You can open a small shop to make some money, and you can also reduce your tax income without worrying about trouble coming your way.

Even today, with the decline of the monarchy and the inevitable distributing of titles, a noble title is not so easy to obtain, let alone...
"This is Princess Dania's first knighthood, isn't it?"

"As expected, Rean and his men are the princess's people. No wonder Viscount Sudar is so protective of him."

The surrounding nobles were talking amongst themselves, and they made no attempt to hide it.

From the moment Rean stormed the slave market, received support from Suliman, and announced his marriage, he was regarded as a princess.

But accepting the medals and ranks now is tantamount to completely locking in politically. Your Highness is actually being a bit unfair, acting first and reporting later. What about our side then?

Rean glanced at the little girl who was still speaking confidently above him, seemingly completely unaware of the possibility that this "commoner" would refuse the title of knight on the spot, leaving him in an embarrassing situation.

Ordinary civilians would naturally not refuse, and Talia on the side clearly showed a smile, as she would have more options afterward. But it was hard to say about the transmigrator Li Ensu; he might very well refuse to give her any face at all.

"Sigh." What else can we do but forgive her? She's just so cute.

In any case, Rean has to choose a side, and it seems that the royal faction is indeed the only option at present.

"Pfft! I'm working for my daughter! What justice! It's all gone!" Kuku was still gloating.

"Shut up." Rean seemed a little embarrassed and angry.

After the medal ceremony, it was time to commend those who had made contributions to the operation. Various officials and soldiers, some of whom Rean knew about and some he didn't, came up, and the applause was much more enthusiastic, even though those below probably didn't know what they had done.

But this was just the beginning. When the time came, Dania personally went on stage and gave her first public speech.

"Our kingdom has always been in turmoil, but this crisis may also be an opportunity."

Dania specially arranged a ceremony to meet face-to-face with the city's nobles, not just to award medals to a few commoner heroes. They were not qualified, nor did they deserve such a grand occasion.

This was tantamount to a formal meeting between Dania, the royal family, and the high-ranking officials of Radiant City; it could even be described as direct interference by the royal family in the internal affairs of Radiant City.

Many nobles came to show their support, but actually they were just waiting to see the spectacle. However, it seems that something is not quite right now.

"Pastor Kahn has come too."

"Isn't that Solodar, the vice president of the Explorers' Guild? He's retired, so why is he supporting the princess?"

Behind the princess stood many important figures, including many bosses of multinational organizations.

While Rean was busy, Dania didn't actually rest for a moment.

Given her position, she has to consider far more complex issues, and every action she takes could be targeted by anti-royal factions.

She's really starting to act; it has to be swift and decisive.
"As for those cultists, we will slaughter them without exception. If they are in noble mansions, strip them of their titles and burn down their estates; if they are hiding in temples, strip them of their teaching positions and hang them; if they are in basements, drag them out into the sunlight and let them die."

The most important thing is probably the attitude of relentlessly pursuing the Beast Order; at least the official stance of the kingdom needs to be clear.

Most international organizations share the same attitude towards the Beast Order: kill them on sight, anywhere they are found. The princess was simply quoting a famous saying from a powerful figure.

With these words spoken and powerful figures backing them up, it's as if, starting tomorrow, the Order of the Beasts will truly become the kingdom's mortal enemy, hunted down relentlessly on every level.

But even that alone isn't enough to justify making such a big fuss.

This time, nearly half of the high-ranking officials and nobles of Radiant City were invited, so naturally, there would be a grand feast.

"Over the next six months, the kingdom will undertake a comprehensive development of the underground ruins of Radiant City. We will encourage anyone to explore them and provide support and additional rewards." This is the real main storyline.

The other candidates for the Heroic Souls, knowing that the "beast" underground was about to awaken, did not regard it as the number one threat.

They would subconsciously feel that this was a matter for the kingdom's officials, and they would try more to leak the information to the authorities.

Princess Dania is the official one.

She didn't intend to delegate this responsibility; she decided to do it herself!

"This will not be solely the responsibility of the kingdom. Eleven pan-continental organizations, including the Explorers' Association, the Physicians' Association, the Pharmacists' Association, the Craftsmen's Association, the Magic Association, and the Magical Girls' Club, will be in charge, with the full support of six True God Churches, including the Shield of Light."

Uh, is there something strange about this?

While Rean and his group were outwitting and outmaneuvering the evil forces in the docklands, Dania was also on her own battlefield, outwitting and outmaneuvering the Church of the True God and international organizations.

To truly solve the underground problems, it is impossible to rely solely on the kingdoms that have already crumbled into pieces.

We must bring this matter out into the open and get all parties involved to intervene and work together.

Rather than letting the "beast" escape two years later, as a hardworking and competent politician, Dania's attempt to put it back in the fold ahead of time would be more responsible to the kingdom and its people.

But from another perspective, this might also be an opportunity for the kingdom's internal forces to regroup, and the princess did not hide the fact that it was an "opportunity".

Now, taking advantage of the opportunity to confer medals, we can summarize and define what happened before, elevating the battle against cultists to the level of the kingdom's siege of the "beasts." Ordinary people and even ordinary nobles may not understand this, but those true god churches and large organizations can.

They were aware of the beast's danger and did not want to see it escape and cause a world-class disaster.

But no one has any surplus grain. Crises are raging all over the continent. How much resources and capabilities can be contributed is something that needs to be discussed.

God knows how many companies Dania visited and how many meetings she held these days, but to be able to produce this list now, even if it's just nominal support from the signing organizations, is a huge victory for her.

Under these circumstances, she really didn't have much energy to pay attention to Rean.
In fact, even if Rean's squad is wiped out, it won't affect what she's going to do next, but winning would be even better, and could be seen as a good start.

From her perspective, personally awarding them medals and classifying them as members of the monarchical faction would also be a way to protect these "seeds of kingdom revival."

"This girl looks like she's had a tough time." Looking at the dark circles under the eyes of the little red dragon girl, which she was trying to cover with foundation, Rean was also a little moved.

The underground ruins are troublesome, but with so many parties intervening, at least there is a possibility of a solution.

Rean even guessed what would happen next; he figured his group would probably be recruited along the way.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Her Highness the Princess requests your presence. Please wait in the side hall for a moment." Sure enough, as soon as Rean and his party stepped down from the stage, a maid led them to the side hall.

However, Rean received unexpected guidance.

"Sir Rean, please wait a moment. Someone wants to see you. The princess knows you will be late."

The princess can wait? Who is this person? Rean had a vague idea; this was probably the important person who had specifically asked to see him.

In another small room specifically used for private conversations, Rean met her.

The overly ornate dress worn by the spellcaster, with its vibrant purple and red colors, created a hallucinatory visual experience, making it appear as if a "girl" not much older than Dania was smiling at her.

What attracts the most attention is probably her snake-scale-like hair clip and the large snake coiled around her staff.

Rean observed carefully, but it seemed as if he didn't see anything clearly, and couldn't even remember the girl's face. He just thought she must be very pretty and cute.

She seemed to be looking behind Rean.

"Indeed, it smells like a beast, but it is..."

The next instant, the girl was in front of him, and she smiled and gently sniffed Rean's neck.

This was not Talia's search, but rather an unknown gesture of goodwill.

"Hello, fellow snake." The woman smiled, revealing her teeth, her forked tongue particularly alluring.

(End of this chapter)