After I died, my personal maid rebelled.

Mechanical, corrosive...

The name of a new god was born, and Archbishop John of the Papacy hoped it was a lie Oswald used to deceive him.

John knew about the Mechanicus, but he didn't know if the Mechanicus existed before the time rewind. If, as Oswald said, the new gods found fertile ground for birth after the curse erupted, why didn't the goddess bestow any divine pronouncements upon them?

And the God of Corruption that the demons have come into contact with—could it be that the demons have already begun their operation?

John's confusion grew so much that he lit up a cigarette, which he hadn't smoked for years. No one in the room spoke.

The Goddess of Life created four races, and as created beings, they naturally hoped that the goddess who held the power of life would continue to exist.

Because no one knows how the next god will view these beings!

Of all these gods and ghosts, existence is the most real issue!

John coughed, focusing on the accuracy of the information. "Who in the kingdom possesses memories of their past life?"

"Aside from the four owners of the Wishing Star and Elene on my side, I suspect that every single one of those who praise the hero for saving the world is hiding some kind of secret."

Now that they had been completely open with each other, John didn't bother with any more formalities. He took a puff of his cigar and looked up.

"You mean, that great sage?"

Oswald nodded. "Yes, we must not ignore his presence, and the Mage's Guild is also very determined to protect the hero. I'm very worried that they will chase us to the Northern Territory."

After a long pause, John sighed. Old schemers are the worst kind of schemers. Among these powerful old guys, apart from Medivh, who lived an honest and upright life, the others weren't exactly good people.

He lived his life on thin ice, carefully maintaining the independence of the Papacy, fearing that one day he would be overthrown and the entire Papacy would be divided up like a cake.

After all, such examples are common throughout history.

Well, we can only take it one step at a time. Betting on Oswald might not be a bad option.

"Oswald, you can go out now. Let me speak with this nun alone."

……

After several days of negotiations, Janet officially became the new saint of the Holy See.

Military cooperation between the Northern Territory and the Central District was also finalized at the same time. Luna was in charge of the entire process, since she was the one who signed the agreement with the King.

Leia found it hard to believe; she hadn't expected Luna to be so powerful that she could interfere in military command.

In January of the following year, Luna will lead 800 personal guards and the entire Second Regiment to join the Central Army in the campaign against the Southern Territory.

Leia couldn't understand their constant warfare; today they might be enemies, and tomorrow they might form an alliance to attack a third party...

As for how much cooperation they secretly achieved, only they themselves know the truth.

Jane needs to go with the Papacy to the capital and return next spring. Once she has secured her position as Saintess, the Papacy's influence will gradually shift to the northern territory.

Before the delegation departed, Janet finally took off her old nun's habit and put on a gorgeous saint's dress.

Beneath her long, emerald-green hair, her expression remained calm, and her gaze toward Oswald even held a hint of displeasure.

Numerous medical projects, including training nuns and doctors, procuring herbs before winter, and verifying the elven medical books, had to be put aside.

She didn't want to leave the Northern Territory, nor did she want to leave...

"Life is truly unpredictable, Jenny," Oswald smiled at her as he came to see her off. "In your previous life, you were sent back to the Northern Territory by the Central Army. This time, the Papacy and the residents of the Royal City are eagerly anticipating your arrival."

Jenny frowned. What do you mean? What did I do in my past life?

"Don't be so unhappy. Take this, consider it an early reward. You never know when you might need it."

Oswald stepped forward, took out the Rain Witch's bracelet from his system space, and gently placed it in her palm.

"Be careful, and don't forget what I said."

Jenny gripped the bracelet tightly and bowed her head, saying, "Yes, Your Grace."

The sound of horses' hooves rang out as the delegation set off south, bidding farewell to John and the others. Watching the carriage gradually disappear into the distance, Oswald could only console himself that this was a step that had to be taken.

Life is already difficult enough, so why suffer so much? In this struggle, he cannot look back or back down.

After composing himself up to the sadness of parting, Oswald took out the marriage certificate that John had returned to him. Finally, he could openly replace the mistress of the Northern Territory.

Feudal ethics are too oppressive. If this had existed in her previous life, Elena wouldn't have needed to rebel, and Annie wouldn't have had a chance later on.

In his opinion, Annie was also a scoundrel. She was used by her father in the first half of her life and by the heroes in the second half. No matter how inhuman or abstract Oswald was, he only targeted the Marquis's property and eventually gave her freedom.

Alas, we must imagine that Annie's fifth concubine's life was happy.

"Brother, let me handle this."

The three-person group, who had been secretly following Oswald, quickly approached him after the delegation's carriage left.

"Is it for you?"

Luna nodded quickly, her expression resolute. She was determined to get her brother's marriage certificate today, even if it meant risking three gold coins!

"Yes, elder brother, have you forgotten that I am currently the only female member of the family? According to the rules, I should be in charge of these kinds of marriage certificates."

Oswald slapped the marriage certificate on Luna's head. He understood her intentions perfectly well and just chuckled softly.

"Do a good job, don't let me down."

"Yes, elder brother."

Luna and Lisa left happily, leaving Paul behind. Oswald walked back with his cane, and Paul quickly followed.

The two remained silent for a long time. Since he didn't speak, Oswald had no choice but to stop and take the initiative to speak.

"Are you worried, or do you want revenge?"

Paul straightened his back and said seriously.

"I have no great hatred for the Archbishop, nor do I wish to jeopardize the Duke's important affairs for my own selfish reasons. But, my lord, we have already offended the King and many nobles in the Central District."

"Lady Jane is your confidante, sir. Even if they can tolerate the actions of the Northern Territory for the time being, they cannot stand idly by and watch Lady Jane ascend to the position of saintess..."

It must be said that Paul had a very clear understanding of these things. After listening, Oswald first nodded in approval, and then invited him to sit down on the steps in front of the Duke's mansion.

Looking at the blue sky and white clouds, Oswald, whose vision had faded, spoke softly.

"Indeed, as you said, the trip to the royal city was extremely dangerous. But first, you overlooked the influence of the archbishop. Those in high positions, apart from hereditary nobles, are rarely simple people."

"Secondly, you underestimated Jenny." Oswald's tone changed, and he said in a deep voice, "In this life, her first battle after following me was facing the Undying Serpent. Although she was physically weak, she and her cavalry were still able to launch countless charges among tens of thousands of undead."

"Not to mention our previous life, the three of us supported each other and survived through piles of corpses and seas of blood. The demons and monsters in the royal city were no match for her."

Oswald wanted to say that this was nothing compared to Sister Janet's journey south, when she was the only one who directly confronted the King...

Who can understand the sense of redemption she felt when tens of thousands of soldiers escorted her back to the Northern Territory? Even Oswald himself was completely bewildered at the time.

Upon hearing this, Paul looked bitter; he truly had no idea that Janice had such a legendary past.

"Everyone is helping the Duke, but I... I'm falling behind..."

The two sat on the steps, letting the wind blow gently. Oswald knew that Paul was a restless man, but the Northern Territory needed him as a powerful force that could be mobilized at any time.

Oswald placed his hand on Paul's shoulder; the two, originally supporting characters in the story, never imagined they would one day unite together.

"Merit is not ranked by order, nor is it measured by size. On the battlefield, none of the Northern Territory, the Demon Clan, or the Central District can annihilate the other. Paul, all we can do is sharpen our swords, and when they are unsheathed, we will make the whole world tremble."

……

In November, the gates of Green Canyon City were once again tightly shut.

Nearly 450,000 people were relocated to the Northern Territory. Temperatures dropped rapidly, but the Northern Territory was bustling with activity.

After the busy farming season, the annual recruitment drive in the Northern Territory began again. Elena rushed to Ice City almost without stopping to take over the development plan left by the Duke.

Several days after the Duke left for Kuogu City, everyone in the manor finally welcomed Elene's arrival.

Pushing open the door, Elena, now dressed as a maid, strode past the waiting crowd on either side and took her seat in the Duke's seat.

"I've read the plan." Elena frowned and got straight to the point: "Of the 450,000 people, 50,000 will remain in the south. I've already handed over the resettlement of them to Commander Kate."

"Take over 20,000 troops around Ice City, Red. Organize them and have them assist you in transporting supplies and provisions."

After not seeing her for several months, Red stopped cursing Elena as a treacherous traitor in his heart and quickly responded.

"Yes."

"The Duke will be in charge of sending 300,000 people to Kuogu City; the eastern route is longer, and 50,000 people will migrate there this time. Jacob, you will go with them. As for the remaining 30,000, Mofi, you will take them to the Earl's territory."

The two men stepped forward and bowed simultaneously, saying, "Yes."

After assigning tasks, Elena slowly swept her gaze across the group and coldly reminded everyone.

"This time, I'm in charge of allocating resources and recruiting construction teams. Everyone should make a list in advance of how much they need. As I said before, if someone starves to death or freezes to death this winter, whoever is responsible will take the blame."