The victory of a religion in another world is so easy?

This land now recognizes his rule over the current four hundred households of Crescent Moon Territory.

The losses in Crescent Moon Territory were less than expected, possibly because it was a large territory from the start. With 400 households, the population was estimated to be around 1,500 to 1,600, which is still a pretty good number.

At this time, as one of the few literate and arithmetic-savvy people in the hideout, Taran was sent to the town as the temporary prime minister. However, this left the third hideout without anyone, so they had to be allowed to govern themselves temporarily.

For the first time, Rand felt so acutely the scarcity of education in this era that there was no one available to teach him.

It seems that we need to put the popularization of education for believers on the agenda. In the future, if someone doesn't do well in math or can't read, they will be kicked out of the sect!

At this moment, Ellie and Olena sat on either side of Rand, helping him process the documents.

At this time, due to the rapid expansion of the stronghold's strength, there were many more things to deal with in all aspects.

Tanl was also not at the hideout at this time. Because of his excellent riding skills, he had been assigned as a messenger to deliver messages between various villages.

When it was lunchtime, Ellie stretched and realized for the first time that literacy and arithmetic, which she had previously thought were nothing special, could actually be quite useful.

Olena picked out the processed documents one by one and piled them together, then piled the unprocessed documents on the other side in the same way. Afterwards, she made herself, Rand, and Ellie a cup of leaf juice that could be called tea.

Rand's gaze fell upon the graceful Olena. As a top-tier swordswoman, her figure was perfect. When she was quietly processing documents earlier, she exuded a contrasting quiet beauty.

A perfect secretary, but unfortunately I can only use her temporarily for now.

Lunch consisted of bread, fruit juice, and fried meat.

The bread-fermentation technology of that era was appallingly poor; the bread that was barely fluffy was filled with the smell of alcohol.

The fruit pulp was fine because it was very fresh.

The fried meat was very pungent, and perhaps due to the lack of spices, the fried meat with only salt was still below the standard of being edible.

However, over this period of time, Rand has gradually become more skilled and can eat without changing his expression. He has made a vow for the ten thousandth time to spend time properly developing the food processing techniques.

Ellie and Olena were originally well-off, but when they went on an adventure, they were not so picky and could eat the ordinary food at their hideout.

No conversation took place during the meal; Rand skillfully finished all the food.

Rand glanced at Ellie, who had finished eating and was wiping her mouth, and brought up the old topic again: "So, are you planning to cooperate?"

“You’re almost in control of this place now, so we can actually cooperate right now. There’s no need to wait.” Rand had previously asked for six months, hoping that she and Olena could find a sufficiently complete team before cooperating, but now it seems that starting right away is not a bad idea. It seems that the Frostmoon Kingdom has no intention of taking over this place.

Rand took the handkerchief Olena handed him, wiped his mouth, and said, "Why are you in such a hurry?"

Ellie nodded, making no attempt to hide her anxiety.

Rand glanced at Olena, who then left her seat and took a parchment from the sacrificial chamber.

“This is military intelligence gathered from the Baron,” Rand explained.

Ellie took the document, glanced at it quickly, and her expression turned serious: "The King and the First Prince of Frostmoon Kingdom are both dead in battle?"

Rand nodded: "Now that the second and third princes have each gathered a group of people to fight each other, even without a civil war, the domestic situation will remain unstable for a long time."

Ellie felt a bit absurd; she was actually in a remote mountain valley discussing national affairs with a cultist's messenger, who seemed to know quite a bit about the Frostmoon Kingdom.

Scratching her head, Ellie carefully recalled the international affairs course her sister had forced her to study, and after thinking for a while, she said, "Are you planning to take advantage of this chaos to obtain noble status?"

“Yes,” Rand said. “It’s almost impossible to establish a new orthodox sect now, so I plan to join them first.”

Ellie rolled her eyes. She discovered that Rand was planning to promote his so-called Goddess of Abundance Cult. However, the cult's philosophy was indeed worth learning, and she had memorized that thin page of doctrine during this time.

"So who do you plan to support? The second prince? The third prince? Or the fourth prince?" Ellie's good memory allowed her to quickly recall the situation in the Frostmoon Kingdom.

Rand blinked and realized that Ellie, whom he had only thought was slightly more intelligent, was far more knowledgeable than he had imagined. Sending such a person on an adventure would be a waste of talent; she should be used as a staff officer.

Now that Ellie is in my hands for the time being, it's time to learn from her knowledge.

And then there's Olena. I really want a secretary like her—reliable, gentle, and powerful—that would make so many things much easier. Unfortunately, they are currently both loyal subjects of the White King.

Rand's knowledge of the Frostmoon Kingdom was limited to some vague memories. It seemed to be the player's first faction quest, with many players choosing a faction to join and then fighting fiercely.

In the end, the winner was none other than the fourth prince, who appeared out of nowhere.

At the time, most players were unaware of the existence of the Fourth Prince, and the same is true for Rand now. If it weren't for the general trend being known, no one would pay attention to the Fourth Prince.

The reason is simple: the fourth prince was an illegitimate child, and his maternal lineage had virtually no influence.

But Rand was still hesitant about betting on the fourth prince; it was too strange for a powerless illegitimate son to ultimately claim the throne.

What did he rely on to win? Personal charisma? That's ridiculous.

However, Ellie noticed the Fourth Prince at this moment, which surprised Rand.

Chapter 33 Trust, Beautification, and the Upcoming Project

Rand learned a great deal about the internal situation of the Frostmoon Kingdom from Ellie, and also learned a lot about the current situation from the letters between Ellie and her blood relative, the White King.

If Ellie and the White King couldn't still communicate through letters, he probably would have sent someone to look for her long ago.

The current ruler of this crescent barony was originally the Earl of Blackbrown, who supported the second prince.

The Frostmoon Kingdom was weaker than the Kingdom of Lunsa, and as a member of the Northern Alliance, it had to defend against monsters from the extreme cold, with nearly half of its military force stationed in the far north fortress complex year-round.

Therefore, when the Kingdom of Lensa attacked, the Kingdom of Frostmoon had difficulty organizing a sufficient defense in time.

The old king, for reasons unknown, led his eldest son on a personal expedition, which resulted in the complete annihilation of his army.

The routed troops were unable to continue organizing resistance; some were killed, some were captured, and some went missing.

If the Kingdom of Lunsa hadn't felt it wasn't worth it, the capital of the Frostmoon Kingdom might very well have been captured.

If we only consider the invasion of the Frostmoon Kingdom, then the strategic choice of the Kingdom of Lunsa was quite correct.

Although the capital city had the greatest wealth, all the nobles had retreated into their castles.

Choosing to plunder the countryside can also bring in a fortune, as exemplified by the former Baron of Crescent Lands.

Unfortunately, this person will never be able to take the wealth with them.

However, the continued progress of the Kingdom of Lensa resulted in significant losses overall, perhaps because they did not anticipate that the Mist Duchy would be so difficult to conquer.

Rand blushed slightly as he looked at Ellie praising him in her letter to the White King.

Ellie and Olena, who was standing next to her, also blushed. It was quite strange that the three of them, who were not good at lying, were making up stories and looking at each other.

According to the White King, she originally planned to come and take Ellie home herself, but due to some unknown matter (actually, Ellie was blocking the view), she decided to let her have some fun outside for a while.

In Ellie's description, aside from the basic reassurance that she was safe (which, given the dark history she's been exposed to, doesn't really mean she was safe), she talked about Qualand, this young and promising hero.

Rand is described as a kind-hearted outlaw who, along with his young men, helps the people of Crescent Lands escape the exploitation of the evil baron. Now, he is beloved by the villagers and his strength is growing day by day.

Upon seeing Ellie's writing this, Rand finally couldn't help but ask, "What exactly are you trying to do? There's no need to praise me like this."

As Ellie wrote the letter with a quill, she muttered, "Your plan is too slow, and I'm getting impatient, so I'm going to use the White King's influence to give you a hand."

As she spoke, she tilted her head and glanced at Rand. Because they were sitting very close, her brown hair brushed against Rand's face.

It was very clean and odorless, which meant that Ellie must have taken frequent baths. However, the hideout did not have proper bathing facilities at the time, which means that she must have secretly gone to the nearby river to wash herself at some point at night.

A person who is extremely clean is unlike most people in this era.

This means that Lysa, Ellie, and Olena are all quite clean, a habit that only upper-class nobles might have.

Even nobles in some countries, like commoners, advocated not bathing.

He understood Ellie and Olena, but Lysa? Did Lysa's identity mean that besides her noble lineage, she also had a very high social status?

Or perhaps elves are all clean?

Clearing his mind, Rand understood Ellie's thoughts.

According to the "Relics Development Plan", Rand needs to promote the relics here vigorously when it has enough strength to attract a large number of adventurers to come and explore, and then arrange for them to go down into the relics.

The first step of promotion here is the most difficult. Rand spent most of his six-month period with Ellie here, after all, it's about an unknown cult leader promoting a relic in a remote mountain village.

Otherwise, no matter how big the gimmick, the effect won't be very good.

Once the first step is completed, Rand can gain a large amount of wealth and population from this project. Moreover, after becoming familiar with it, he can also use the public resources for private purposes, arranging for adventurers to do some private work.

Now, if the White King is willing to help, the plan can be launched ahead of schedule.

"Is the White King really willing to help?" Rand's implication was that he was merely a messenger of a cult, and if things were exposed later, wouldn't it damage the White King's reputation?

Ellie rolled her eyes and said, "Why didn't you think about this when you were recording us? Personally, I think that with your shamelessness, it would be quite easy for you to avoid being exposed by the Torch Church."

Rand scratched his face, indicating that it was all Lysa's fault.

If it weren't for Lysa, he wouldn't have come up with such a shameless idea. It's definitely not that he's shameless!

Ellie didn't dwell on the matter, but continued, "Starting the project early will also help you get into the situation in the Frostmoon Kingdom more easily. How about it? Shall we cooperate?"

Rand looked at Ellie, staring at her intently for a moment, his expression shifting from relaxed to serious: "You must tell me how you can survive against the Iron Golem."

The temptation to start the plan ahead of schedule is indeed very strong, but nothing is as important as Ellie's safety.

As long as Ellie remains within Crescent Territory, Ellie's life is equal to the life of the hideout, and Ellie's health bar is equal to the health bar of the hideout.

This is almost a tacit agreement; if Ellie dies, the enraged White King will certainly not listen to Rand's explanation.

The hideout will be destroyed by the White King's forces in a very short time, with no chance of escape.

Ellie was silent for a moment. She and Olena had recently followed Lysa through all the villages in Crescent Territory, and she could understand Rand's concerns very well.

The villagers here had barely escaped the baron's exploitation, and if something happened to her, Ellie was certain that her sister was a rational and reasonably kind person.

But Ellie is the only living blood relative of the White King, and Rand's hideout is still a cult.

She wasn't sure what her sister would do if something really happened to her.

However, once Rand's concerns were understood, everything became much easier, since she truly did have ways to save her life.

She removed the necklace from beneath her snow-white neck, and as her clothes tugged, Rand caught a fleeting glimpse of her sexy collarbone.

At the top of the necklace is an orange-yellow gemstone, which appears to have an intricate mechanical structure inside, emitting a warm glow.

Ellie explained, "This ancient gem can emit shockwaves that interfere with the energy cores of most constructs, causing them to temporarily stagnate. Constructs like the Iron Demon are no exception."

Fearing that Rand wouldn't believe her, Ellie continued to explain, "This thing can recharge itself. If you don't believe me, I can demonstrate it for you first."

Rand nodded. This kind of thing couldn't be taken lightly. Since it could be reused, it would be more convenient to verify it.

"After I've dealt with the matter at the hideout, I'll take you to see the ruins."

Now that Ellie has revealed a key point about killing the Iron Golem, there's no need for Rand to keep the location of the ruins a secret.

Now that Rand and Ellie have established a basic level of trust, it feels like there's no need to keep the image crystal after a while. It's just a bit of a shame that he hasn't seen it yet.