After being forced to step down, the once-annoying nun eloped with me.

It sounds very restrictive. But those who yearn for freedom under the law are mostly people with dirty pasts—those people are just waiting for the day when the president will overturn her mistakes and step down from power. But unfortunately, the president is an immortal vampire, and there are many more immortal aliens around her.

In this context, Ysgard used ten years of bloody turmoil to firmly establish its subsequent stability. As for the Roman Empire...

Piss put down his wine, pondered for a moment, and then shook his head:

"If the president's daughter had been born in this country, the best outcome would probably have been exile, just like His Majesty the Regent."

This is a mess that can't be salvaged no matter what you do. It's like the filth you're about to expel after eating a herring burger from Walmart—it can never be turned back into the original ingredients. The roots of this country are completely rotten.

All attempts to save the Roman Empire have only prolonged its waning life. The Roman Empire needs no salvation, for it is already a dead man lying in the morgue, his nerves twitching.

The only thing he deserves is complete cremation, and then we'll see if a few chosen ones emerge from the ashes. Only when these people are in unbearable pain will they face their own stupidity and ignorance, instead of continuing to be so ignorant.

But now, do the Romans have that opportunity?

Piss thought to himself – No. After expelling the Regent, Roman no longer had that chance. Because Isgard wouldn't let them go, and neither would Alesser.

The regent at the time must have been in great pain. He had no time for enlightenment, no loyal subordinates willing to fully support him in completing the reforms, and even his closest comrades seemed to have died unexpectedly. Faced with the choice between immediate demise and taking a gamble, he chose the latter, and was subsequently overthrown by his own people.

It's hopeless. This country. Maybe it could be saved if given fifty years, but Ysgard can only give it five at most.

So, that's it.

Piss sighed, and after gulping down the last drop of wine, he uttered one last exclamation:

"A fine wine that has absorbed countless amounts of the people's hard-earned money—after this period of colonialism, we probably won't be able to drink it again."

After all, Isogade wouldn't waste resources like the Romans did; this kind of wine, which is estimated to consume half the yield of a vineyard, will definitely not be available again in the future.

...........

Meanwhile, outside the occupied territory of Issugard, the Romans, who were not forced into curfews or restricted movement by the colonial army, were gathering in their city squares and whispering amongst themselves.

The Roman soldiers who fled the front lines and concealed their identities were subjected to insults, while the soldiers also insulted the people here, saying that they did not understand the power of Isgard, the sophistication of the current Roman Empire's weapons, or how important the demolished steam factory was to the army.

"If you hadn't dismantled the steam factory, would we be in this state now?!"

The deserters brandished their weapons and angrily berated the townspeople and craftsmen in front of them, while glaring at the townspeople around them with gritted teeth.

"If you hadn't kept saying that the Roman Empire wouldn't have any problems without the steam factories, would the bigwigs have chosen to demolish them?! Now look what's happened! They're all fucking finished! You'll all end up like the nobles General Dreschka killed, suffering the late emperor's torment even in hell!"

The craftsmen, their faces contorted with rage as they were berated by the deserters, retorted angrily: "Wasn't it you who first said there weren't any steam rifles that caused our commotion?! If you hadn't insisted that we craftsmen make weapons by hand, would the higher-ups have chosen to dismantle them?!"

"We never fucking said that weapons had to be made by hand by you craftsmen! The ones who demand that you make tools by hand are the fucking farmers and those artisans!"

"So you don't deny that back then, the thing you despised most was those steam rifles, right?! Now look what's happened! The Aleseans treat them like treasures, and only a bunch of you bastards are complaining about them, saying that all your martial arts skills are useless against a single pipe..."

"you...!"

The deserters and craftsmen argued and quarreled, while the ignorant farmers and townspeople surrounded the city. In the distance, the city's remaining two hundred or so garrison soldiers didn't dare to intervene in the commotion.

As the most knowledgeable businessman in the town, who had witnessed the dismantling of the steam factory, Bobby gazed at the night sky in deep thought while smoking a cigarette made of grass and wood chips.

How ridiculous! Bobby shook his head with a cold laugh. Back when the steam factory was being demolished, Bobby knew perfectly well that the two factions now arguing were actually the ones who supported the demolition back then—the more pleased they were with the demolition, the better they were at shirking responsibility now.

No one wanted to bear the responsibility of that time, but everyone carried the heaviest burden—and now, it's all too late.

With the factories gone, the soldiers' swords and weapons were outdated, and they weren't even equipped with armor. Naturally, they couldn't withstand the powerful invasion of Ysgard, nor could they make up for the losses in weapons and equipment since the start of the war.

With steam rifles gone, the soldiers are now forced to fight Ysgard's wondrous pipe weapons with melee arms—resulting in heavy casualties, and without urban warfare and surprise attacks, they can barely kill any Ysgards...

Hmph... The soldiers were wrong, the craftsmen were wrong, but were those even more ignorant peasants also innocent?

Merchants know best... those peasants were also the most resistant to the regent at the time—although this was indeed influenced by the opinions of the nobility, ultimately, the peasants of the Roman Empire were just lowly creatures who couldn't stand seeing others do well.

Bobby knew this all too well—when he became wealthy, the villagers outwardly welcomed him, but secretly they hoped he'd be run over by a horse-drawn carriage. They couldn't stand seeing others prosper, and naturally, they couldn't stand anyone making others' lives better...

...A bunch of beasts.

Bobby sighed heavily. Soon, the arguing in the square seemed to have stopped. Bobby thought he could finally go set up his stall, but when he turned around, he saw that it seemed to be an elder from some village who had stopped the argument.

Just as Bobby was pondering this, he overheard an unbelievable scene: an old man he had never met before, who was said to have once been a great worshipper of the God of Light.

"Family members, soldiers... Although the mistakes we made are certainly irreparable, why don't we try to bring the Regent back now and have him save Roman from this crisis? He definitely has a way to restore Roman to its former glory. Therefore, we must bring His Majesty the Regent back and make him our emperor. Only in this way can Roman become a stronger Roman!"

The elder spoke with conviction, clutching something resembling a cross made of rusty iron pieces—though a distance away, Bobby, his face ashen, had a feeling those pieces had probably been dug up from the ground...

Because there were still traces of soil on it, and in this area, the iron stuck to the soil... was either farm tools, or... iron pieces from a heating pipe buried deep underground...

What the hell are you doing digging those things up?!

Bobby's eyes widened, but what stunned him even more was the elder's confident assertion that if the [Invocation Ritual] he had learned from the priest of the God of Light was slightly modified, and if items related to His Majesty the Regent were placed within the array during the ritual, then perhaps the still-living Regent would hear the cries and pleas of his people, return from the distant north, and lead them back to prosperity and victory?

"What the hell are you guys doing... fucking—"

Before Bobby could even utter his string of profanities, he saw the deserters, craftsmen, and surrounding villagers exchange glances and then devoutly follow the elder's instructions, searching the surrounding area for anything related to His Majesty the Regent.

They dug through the soil at the former construction site, dismantling underground pipes. They wandered around the ruins of the former Red Cross and night school, digging out rotten wooden floors even if they couldn't find anything suitable.

Under Bobby's astonished gaze, these chaotic and ignorant people, in their most desperate moment, regarded the regent whom they had personally driven away, despised, and even humiliated as their savior and god.

Not only that, they also had to build a temporary church and perform a ritual to invoke the gods for the regent...

Are you guys crazy?!

Bobby was speechless. But at this point, he had no power to stop it.

All he could see was that group of ignorant people turning a vital resource that they might need again soon into a burning bonfire, and watching them kneel on the ground calling out the regent's name.

He felt that everyone here might be crazy. Or perhaps, he was the one who was crazy in their eyes.

...........

In Constantinople, Yang Hao was naturally unaware of the dire straits the Roman Empire had now been forced into.

On the eve of the April planting season, he had managed to find some rare time to rest. He was now with his wife, his future wife, his trusted clan chief, his adopted daughter and the chief judge, and...

Arthur's family—a large group of elves including all possible relatives such as his father-in-law and mother-in-law, and his three children.

And Joseph's family—the three of them have been having a very pleasant time lately. I heard that Joseph's daughter has also found her sweetheart among the elves, which is truly a cause for celebration.

Finally, there were all the nobles and commoners from Bayezid and Gaparia who wanted to come.

Everyone gathered at the Purple Palace for a small standing feast. Because the banquet hall at the Purple Palace wasn't large enough, the feast even had to extend from the palace gates all the way to King's Square – ensuring that everyone, including the stationed troops, could enjoy this hard-won holiday.

The main purpose of this standing meal was to celebrate the upcoming planting season and to boost morale.

With Bayer Gems having few resources to squander, all the nobles and commoners attending the standing feast wore the simplest clothes.

The light bulbs and generators used for lighting were not expensive candles, but products from Isgard, imported from Gaparia. Although the elves still disliked these bright contraptions, the Bayrzans thoroughly enjoyed the brightness even at night.

Yang Hao wondered if he should order more light bulbs and generators from Nia in case of emergency—but then he remembered that Nia still owed him a lot, so he decided to have Miss Black Dragon hand over the design drawings and materials later.

The generator is a bit noisy though... Perhaps after localization improvements, it will still need to be replaced with a magic-powered one—after all, Elusia seems to be a country rich in magic, so we should take advantage of our geographical advantages.

With this thought in mind, Yang Hao, holding Anna in his arms, chuckled and took a bite of the simple pastry the little nun had personally fed him. He suddenly had the illusion that the United Nations could remain forever uninvolved...

Fortunately, he eventually snapped out of his reverie of tranquility. After happily enjoying the slightly sweet pieces of coarse bread, he heard Anna in his arms say in her childish voice:

"So...Dad? Will you still be very busy in the future?"

Anna's question silenced the initially cheerful people around Yang Hao. After all, what was coming next couldn't be simply described as "very busy," but rather an overwhelming amount of work.

When that time comes, Yang Hao will again have to rely on Natalia to take care of his youngest daughter. He's already wronged Anna once, and he really doesn't want to wrong her a second time—but his work is so important, which puts Yang Hao in a difficult position, and at the same time strengthens his resolve to establish a new bureaucratic system for the United Nations...

But ultimately, it's quite normal for Anna to have this kind of thought.

Anna will be ten years old after October 14th this year.

It's perfectly understandable for a little girl not even ten years old to want her father to spend more time with her. However, Yang Hao has been incredibly busy lately...

So before that, Yang Hao had only patted Anna on the back and said that he would be busy for a while and then he could take her for a walk. The little girl, whose wish was slightly fulfilled, let out a silly chuckle.

He didn't intend to discuss anything work-related today. He was also curious whether Natalia had experienced any inconvenience recently.

After all, Natalia was practically the only noblewoman besides Anna. She was used to a life of luxury, so could she really adapt to life in Bayern, where even royalty had to eat simple meals?

When Yang Hao asked in a low voice, Natalia gave a meaningful look to Naruja, who was drinking fruit wine in a daze, and then glanced at Theresa and Finn, who seemed to be arguing quietly. She then smiled, shook her head, and took Anna's body from Yang Hao's arms.

“At first, it was a little uncomfortable,” she said, “but… the thought that doing this would give me a place by your side, that I could be closer to you and Anna… I can endure any hardship. And I’ve always wanted to work in law—although the laws of Bayerzssee are still a bit unfamiliar to me, this kind of work really makes me happy.”

"...Then keep it up!"

Natalia's words left Yang Hao feeling somewhat helpless.

He probably knows why Natalia has feelings for him... This is probably the result of them being special to each other.

But Yang Hao didn't know how to give Natalia an answer yet, and he wasn't sure if Theresa would accept it. So for now... he'd just let her try her best.

He stroked Natalia's long, slightly darker blonde hair than Finn's, then teased Anna a little before enjoying this rare peaceful life with everyone, gathering courage and determination to fight against the Great Khan's possible invasion.

Just then, someone by the window shouted that the aurora had appeared in the sky—and when everyone went over, they found that colorful lights had indeed appeared in the sky at an inopportune time.

The dark night sky twinkled with light that sometimes shone purple and sometimes shone azure, which was beautiful but also unsettling.

To avoid the public perceiving this as an ominous sign, Yang Hao waved his hand, and his adjutants Barney and Kate understood his meaning. Soon, a rumor spread throughout Constantinople that the aurora borealis was a sign of good fortune and a bountiful harvest. The people, who had been uneasy about it, immediately calmed down and accepted this unexpected phenomenon with even greater joy.

"Aren't you worried that the rumors won't come true?" Finn leaned against Yang Hao's left side, looking somewhat gloomy at Mother Teresa, who was leaning against the fence on Yang Hao's right side, her chest almost spilling out. "After all, those are 'auspicious omens' and 'harvests,' aren't they?"

“I don’t think the elves would just sit and watch me make a fool of myself. Besides, the land around here is so fertile that it’s hard to imagine it being barren, so how could it be impossible?” Yang Hao shrugged and gave a conclusion that made Theresa burst out laughing: “And the Roman Empire is on its last legs. If these two combined aren’t considered auspicious omens, then I really can’t think of anything that would be considered an auspicious omen.”

"Your understanding is correct... So, shouldn't we do something to celebrate the upcoming auspiciousness and bountiful harvest?"

"...Aren't you in too much of a hurry, Fen?"

"hehe."

Fen's hint made Yang Hao's lips twitch.

Meanwhile, in the sky, the culprit that caused the aurora phenomenon on the continent of Elusia was barely keeping half of the broken continent in an orbit that wouldn't fall to the ground, thanks to a buffer device.

Awakened by the strange phenomena in the northern part of the continent of Elusia, the demons are relentlessly attacking the artificial magical protective barrier created by the magical puppets in an oxygen-deficient environment. The camouflage system, which keeps the entire landmass in near-Earth orbit to avoid being discovered by surface demons, is facing the risk of collapsing due to insufficient power.

After much deliberation, faced with the terrible choice between "preventing the demon invasion" and "preventing the entire region from being discovered by surface demons," the local leader chose the latter, essentially trading a portion of the region for temporary stability.

"Priority assessment...Priority confirmed: The surface demons must absolutely not be allowed to discover and join forces with the demons of Eden. Assessment successful; defensive lines will be contracted in ten minutes..."

"...Confirmation number...017771. The Third Squadron of Magical Dolls has been annihilated. The personality restoration and body creation will now resume."

"Fountain Book Plaza, Magic Barrier is offline. Repeat, Fountain Book Plaza, Magic Barrier is offline."

"Please, [Magical Doll] units, immediately leave the area about to fall. The [Personality Upload] network in this area will be shut down, and the supply of artificial magic will be cut off. Please leave the area about to fall immediately! Repeat! Please leave the area about to fall immediately... This area has fallen. In two minutes, the defensive line will raise a barrier."

"【Corrosive Mist】has been deployed and is expected to delay the Titan Demon's activity for 40 minutes. Please immediately move away from the Titan Demon's attack area and take away all portable ancient technologies, books, and 【Ancestor Remains】. The area where the Titan Demon is located will be subjected to comprehensive bombardment. Please have the surrounding 【Disguised Dolls】 units immediately disguise the flashes emitted by the energy storage devices as the continental aurora."

"...The artificial magic reactor has entered a critical state. Repeat, the artificial magic reactor has entered a critical state—"

Accompanied by dazzling lights, the demonic offensive of the Kingdom of Eden was temporarily halted.