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

He still doubts whether the sun in the sky is real—but he is certainly trying to accept it.

After all, he had never seen the elves of Gaparia before. No matter how powerful the demons were, they couldn't possibly present such beautiful and handsome people in an illusion, could they?

maybe.

"But then again... this is the first time I've ever farmed under someone else's guidance. Growing crops on the ground doesn't seem as easy as growing mushrooms; it requires planting, irrigation, regular pest control and fertilization, and weeding from time to time..."

In my opinion, growing mushrooms underground is much simpler... but the mushrooms don't taste very good.

“After all, mushrooms can’t be used to make bread or fried beans—although they can be used to brew wine, the problem is we can’t possibly use them to brew wine, can we?” Morin shrugged. “So your job as farmers is much easier…but strictly speaking, my job hasn’t changed much since I came up from underground.”

"What else can guards do besides watch the gate?"

"Patrol!"

During his time underground, Morin was a guard responsible for watching over the gates of Constantinople—he was present during the final battle, lost an arm, and was then taken back by the elves.

From that moment on, Morin felt he was in love. He wanted to marry an elf and settle down. But ultimately, he felt his past job as a guard was no longer enough to support his ideals. So after rising to the surface in Constantinople, he tried to find a better job, but in the end, he could only remain a guard.

However, compared to simply guarding the city gates during the underground period, the work of the guards on the surface is significantly busier.

Strictly speaking, this is actually a member of the current police system in Constantinople. Morin not only patrols the surrounding streets with his companions, mediating disputes among residents, but also periodically takes over the defense of the city gates, and assists the Purple-Robed Royal Family with various tasks when necessary...

Ultimately, it was similar to what Morin did underground—the only difference being that his salary wasn't more food rations but real money. He no longer had to face the danger of demonic invasions while working, and instead had a more stable environment to consider his future.

"So—I'm actually doing pretty much the same thing as before... unlike you, who's gone from cultivating mushrooms to cultivating wheat!"

"Actually, you're doing pretty well now, aren't you?"

"It sounds good... but can you really get married as a guard? I've heard that being a guard on the ground isn't exactly a respectable job?"

"Bah! Compared to literate accountants or shop owners, you're certainly not respectable—but for us lower classes, you're respectable enough, aren't you? And if you hadn't insisted on finding an elven wife, you'd probably be married with children by now, wouldn't you? Don't forget our population is so sparse that His Majesty Caesar had to enact polygamy..."

Baron's disdain made Morin smile awkwardly. But to be honest, the decrees issued by the two emperors had indeed had a significant impact on Bayern now.

On the one hand, single young men, who were already highly sought after, have become even more precious. On the other hand, married men who were previously overlooked are now being pursued by countless young women.

It can be said that the non-mandatory polygamy system has, in a sense, given some women hope of remarrying—after all, with a current male-to-female ratio of 1:5, a normal couple means four women will remain single... Is this healthy? It's definitely not healthy!

So, people are actually willing to accept that a man can selectively marry multiple wives under such circumstances... But then again, not everyone is qualified to marry multiple wives, especially an elf wife, right?

Barron and Morin recalled the poor man they had seen on the road being dragged home by his two wives by the ears. They shuddered involuntarily, and after taking a few more sips of their drinks, they decided to leave the matter aside for the time being.

"But speaking of which...it seems our Caesar is also preparing to marry another wife, isn't he?"

They decided to talk about the current owner of Bayer Nuggets, Kaiser Yang.

As the husband of the Purple-Clad Princess, the regent of both Gaparia and Bayezid, and the true commander-in-chief of the united nation, His Majesty Yang Hao's every move naturally stirred the already restless hearts of the people of both countries.

People were curious about where Emperor Yang Hao would lead this newly formed nation, and what they cared about most was naturally the events that occurred at the Purple-Clad Princess's wedding, where the elven queen proposed to her in public...

In a sense, this was practically a declaration of intent to abduct the princess in front of her—if His Majesty Caesar hadn't previously issued a decree prohibiting polygamy, who knows how things would have ended up like this...

Baron and Maureen had different opinions on Finn's actions. Baron believed that Finn should have at least reached an agreement privately before bringing it to the public eye—otherwise, this unexpected dilemma, where everyone was unsure whether to accept it but also unable to refuse, was truly disgusting...

Morin, on the other hand, admired the elves' courage and spontaneity. In his eyes, the elves' impulsiveness in pursuing their emotions without regard for anything else was, in a sense, a scene that the Bayerzens rarely encountered yet found novel.

"While Her Majesty Finn was certainly bold at the time, ultimately, His Majesty Caesar really needs to lead by example... Otherwise, that law is just lip service now, isn't it? How many people only truly accepted that law after His Majesty accepted Finn's proposal..."

"Even so, His Majesty Finn is far too audacious... If it were me, I certainly couldn't accept it. After all, this is an unexpected event that occurred without my consultation... If it were you, would you be willing to accept it?"

"It's hard to say... After all, you know, I'm the kind of person who likes surprises in life... What's a surprise that makes me happy might not be the same for you..."

"Sigh... I just can't stand it."

The two friends, who were not close friends, sighed together at their differing opinions.

But in the end, they raised their almost empty glasses, popped the last few beans into their mouths, and said in unison:

"To His Majesty, to Bayern and the United Nations—cheers!"

Two friends with differing opinions but the same core purpose drank their beer in one gulp.

And it was at this moment that they overheard people at the next table chatting and saying this:

"Have you heard? Lately, the Queen of Eden on that floating island seems to be inviting our Caesar out for walks more and more often... Really, does she even know that our Caesar is a married man?"

"Don't even mention it! We live in a polygamous country now. No matter if a man is already married, even if he has three wives, there are still girls who might want to pursue our Emperor..."

"But won't our Baselle get angry?"

"Leaving aside Baselle's thoughts for now, I do think..."

twitter.

As the remarks at the next table became increasingly outrageous.

The two men, who were about to gulp down their beer, felt the beer stuck in their throats and almost spat it out.

After Barron and Morin finally forced down the strong beer.

They stared at each other in silence, only to realize that their emperor was truly formidable.

...........

Meanwhile, inside the Purple Palace, Emperor Yang Hao, finally having a full day off, was taking care of his child.

As a small compensation for neglecting Anna's feelings for so long—Yang Hao gently stroked Anna's hair as she nestled in his arms. Noticing that the child was getting sleepy from playing, he picked her up.

"Anna, let's go back—it's almost time for dinner."

"Um..."

Anna nodded vaguely, yawned several times, and then fell asleep clutching Yang Hao's clothes.

Recently, the child has been diligently studying court etiquette and administration... Yang Hao wasn't sure if this was good or bad for Anna, but if Anna hoped he could be of help in the future instead of just being a little princess, then Yang Hao was willing to do everything in his power to help her grow.

But then again, isn't this a bit too much for a child?

The Regent, carrying little Anna as he left the courtyard, looked somewhat troubled. Just then, Natalia, who had just returned from outside, came forward and took Anna from Yang Hao's arms. The Chief Justice, who had just finished her day's work, revealed a contented smile:

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty… this was originally my job.”

Natalia patted Anna's back and nodded slightly to Yang Hao. They walked side by side down the corridor leading into the Purple Palace, where maids and servants along the way watched and bowed to them.

Because today was Yang Hao's holiday, when Elena and Nia came over this morning under the pretext of "business," they were greeted by Theresa and Finn instead of Yang Hao. Under these circumstances, neither the black dragon nor the synthetic doll were able to see Yang Hao even once today, and naturally they could only leave disappointed, hoping for a better tomorrow.

However, none of this mattered much to Yang Hao—even though Elena hadn't given up and was still dealing with Theresa and the others, Yang Hao, who was on vacation, felt only that "it's so great to slack off!"

He felt very relaxed and refreshed, especially after receiving guidance from Lalumia that day.

(I never imagined that a good rest could make my body so healthy... but I don't know if Lalumia used her powers to do something.)

Yang Hao muttered to himself. Just then, Natalia, standing beside him, suddenly spoke:

"...Your Majesty Yang Hao? What should we do next?"

"What should I do?"

"It's about... the future development of our country. We'll soon be launching an attack on the Roman Empire, right? How should we deal with the Romans there, and how should we deal with those we all know?"

The presiding judge's questioning left Yang Hao silent for a long while.

His previously relaxed mind began to work again, and the image of the Roman Empire reappeared in his hazy mind, filled with Anna's happy smile.

After much thought, and realizing he had indeed rested long enough, Yang Hao gave his answer after pondering for a long time on the way to the restaurant with Natalia.

For the United Nations, the Roman Empire has only three valuable locations. We just need to conquer the Shkur and Kagard territories to obtain iron mines, and then conquer St. Petersburg to reclaim the holy city. That should be enough.

After all, the United Nations did not have enough population to adapt to such a vast territory, nor did they have the size and capacity to manage the entire Roman Empire—not to mention, they had an alliance with Issugard and Khuttod Khan based on mutual benefits.

"So all we need to do is occupy these three places. Then we just need to make sure there are no Romans in our occupied territories—as for what Isugad and Khutto Khan will do, who knows?"

He reached out and pinched the soft cheek of the drowsy little Anna in Natalia's arms. Inadvertently, the man also noticed Natalia's beautiful curves—she seemed to have dressed up deliberately today, and there was a subtle feeling that she was standing a little too close to him.

Is this the behavior of a law-abiding court president? Yang Hao felt something was strange, and a sense of inexplicable breakdown regarding Natalia arose spontaneously—but upon careful consideration of the relationship between Natalia and Anna, Yang Hao could only say in his heart: if this is what Anna and Natalia would have wanted.

After all, they were among the most important women in Yang Hao's life. One was the child left behind by his sworn brother, and the other was the one who saved his life—if he were truly so ruthless as to disregard their feelings, perhaps Theresa would never have been so close to him in the first place.

...His Majesty the Regent withdrew his right hand, and under the somewhat pleased gaze of the Chief Justice, he ruffled her hair before entering the dining room with her.

Theresa and Finn were still dealing with Elena's work. Besides Yang Hao, Natalia, and Anna, the only other person in the restaurant was Naruja, the deer girl who seemed to have been lying in the restaurant for quite some time.

After enjoying a simple yet delicious meal, Yang Hao didn't go for a walk with them—after Natalia had stirred up his thoughts about work, he simply couldn't bring himself to relax while Theresa and the others were still working.

He returned to his office and began to consider countermeasures against the God of Light—this was likely the most important task for the United Nations for the remainder of the year.

"To fight against the God of Light, the most important thing is to make use of all the resources we have at our disposal right now."

Pacing back and forth in the office, writing and drawing on the blackboard hanging on the wall with chalk made of clay, Yang Hao quickly organized everything he owned, everything the God of Light owned, and all the external factors that might affect their duel.

Yang Hao's power is simple: a united state under his complete control, the Huttod Khanate as his political ally, and the Issugard colonial army. Each of these three is powerful and capable; any one of them could cripple or even destroy the current Roman Empire, making them major powers with a solid foundation of strength.

The God of Light possesses many more things—millions of ignorant believers who may still worship him within the Roman Empire, Protestants and Catholics fighting each other in their dioceses, and most importantly, corpses controlled by his [Corpse-Born Divine Art].

Yang Hao wasn't sure if there were any suitable corpses under St. Petersburg that would fall under the control of the God of Light, but he could imagine that at least His followers would become corpses that He could control after they died—this would be the biggest factor in the upcoming decisive battle.

In addition, the Roman Empire and the Kingdom of Alesser, as external factors, should not be underestimated. The progress of the Roman Empire's war will directly affect the actions of the demon servant, and the demon servant's actions will directly affect the activities of the Northern Ice Calamity—in a sense, Yang Hao's decisive battle with the God of Light is actually a race against the collapse of the Roman Empire.

If the Roman Empire falls before Yang Hao and the God of Light can settle their differences, then Yang Hao will have to adjust the Allied Nations' strategy and begin preparing to defend against the invasion of the Ice Calamity. Conversely, if Yang Hao can eliminate the God of Light before the Roman Empire falls, then he will have ample time to gradually build a better defense...

The impact of the Aresers is even simpler—if the Aresers had been more effective, perhaps the Roman Empire wouldn't have fallen so quickly. If the Aresers simply intended to make a quick profit and leave, then the Roman Empire probably wouldn't have lasted until June...

These factors combined made Yang Hao's next move particularly tricky... He decided to take a more conservative approach, which was—

"Send two political allies to find the body of the God of Light, am I right, child?"

"...Um."

He sought the assistance of the Huttod Khanate and the Issugard colonial army in his search for the body of the God of Light, or rather, clues to that body.

After all, to put it bluntly, as one of the greatest weaknesses of the gods, the God of Light would definitely try every means to hide his body.

In Russia, a deity named Kosiché in folklore hid his soul inside an eggshell. Elsewhere, there are even more instances of the saying "the most dangerous place is the safest place"—perhaps the god of light really does hide his body in some nameless cave or cemetery. If one truly wants to find clues like searching for a needle in a haystack, then the help of Isugard and the Khuttod Khanate is indispensable.

Yang Hao decided to use his political resources—for example, by opening up more trade or by engaging in deeper cooperation—to get his two allies to do some dirty work for him.

But then again... Lord Lalumia? Do you possess teleportation-like abilities? Why did you suddenly appear in my office?

Yang Hao turned around and looked suspiciously at the hooded nun holding the report. He took the report that Lalumia had already prepared, and after confirming several times that he had indeed locked the door, he sighed:

"Lalumia, please don't suddenly appear behind me like that next time, okay? It's really scary..."

"It's alright, it's alright. I did this precisely because I knew you wouldn't be frightened by it," Lalumia smiled, yawning lightly as she sat on Yang Hao's desk. She tentatively approved of Yang Hao's plan: "However... searching for a body like looking for a needle in a haystack is very effective work—but that's 'effective' relative to the near-immortal lifespan of a god. So perhaps you need to find other ways to compensate, child?"

“I know… so my plan is to search for a body while preparing for a full-scale attack on St. Petersburg… After all, the God of Light relies either on [divine magic] or on his [corpse] to fight. If we can sever either one, he will lose most of his power, as if half of his body has been removed… but I’m still considering how to do it.”

"Is that so? My personal suggestion is that if you really can't think of a solution, it would be better to communicate with everyone. Besides, some ideas won't appear in your mind until they have a real material basis, you know?"