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

Ugh!

Elena sighed one last time.

It was at this moment, having learned the whole story, that Lalumia chuckled dryly, thinking, "Why does Elena seem more and more pitiful?" But at the same time, she felt a sense of disappointment, thinking: "If Nia hadn't gotten involved, do you really think you and Naruja would have had any chance of getting involved?"

of course not!

Fen's protection of Yang Hao has now reached an extremely harsh level... But Naruja is a good girl, and Elena is a good girl. It's really pitiful that they are being ostracized like this, isn't it?

Besides, Theresa tacitly approved of this—perhaps she didn't say it herself, but as her faith, how could Lalumia not know what her believer was thinking?

Moreover, with Theresa's tacit approval, breaking down Finn's barrier would require a powerful outsider to increase the pressure... Only then would Finn be willing to loosen his grip slightly, giving Elena and Naruja a chance to join the game!

After all, what's that saying again?

If you want to open a window, it's best to first tell people you want to tear down the roof; that way, people will agree to let you open the window.

Ok.

Lalumia believed that his idea was completely correct.

This is even more true if we ignore the fact that she deliberately concealed her location.

So after thinking it over, she openly stroked Elena's hair, and as the synthetic doll comfortably closed its eyes, Lalumia smiled and explained:

"But, Elena, you have to see the bright side."

"...Confusion: The good side?"

The synthetic doll tilted its head blankly.

"Yes, the good side—although it's true that Nia has designs on my child, it's true that she will act on him, and it's true that she plans to do whatever she wants while my child is on his way to Ysgard."

On the other hand, facing such a formidable foe, Finn and Theresa, who already bear heavy responsibilities, can't possibly multitask, can they? Even if Finn goes to Isgard with Yang Hao, she can't possibly watch over Yang Hao 24 hours a day, can she?

In this situation, even the most possessive Pokémon would have to loosen its grip a bit and allow a close outsider to get involved... This also means that Elena, you and Yang Hao can then have a relationship that's "more than friends," right?

Lalumia's statement caused the synthetic doll to crash.

This was a path she had never imagined.

For the synthetic doll, having a friend like Yang Hao who understands her is already an immense blessing in this life.

But just as he was worrying about whether his only friend would be harmed.

This deity, who sees herself as a "mother," tells me... that I can take advantage of my friend's misfortune to... take things a step further? To make our relationship even better?

Am I... am I that kind of person?!

Originally, Elena wanted to loudly rebuke Lalumia for insulting and tempting her.

but--

Facing Lalumia's unwavering gaze, facing the gentle, unmalicious look in her golden eyes, facing the words Lalumia uttered—

Do you really want to just be friends?

The inquiry.

Elena finally turned her head stiffly to the side, then muttered softly:

No, I deny it...

"That's more like it, isn't it? Besides, there's no point in you worrying about this, Elena—after all, Yang Hao won't abandon his promise just because you're worried. So you can just calmly wait and see how things develop, right?"

"Confused, bewildered: Is this... really okay...?"

"It's alright, it's alright. Besides, Yang Hao wouldn't hold a grudge against you or have any other thoughts about you over something so trivial—so don't worry about it, okay?"

"Um..."

Elena was persuaded.

She obediently lowered her head in front of Lalumia. And at that very moment, Lalumia's smile widened.

The deity gently stroked the synthetic doll's cheek, thinking that he should try to have a better relationship with Elena in order to gain her support for future matters.

On the other side...

In the Demon Forest, the migrating demons are more concerned with their new lives than with the Regent's family affairs.

With their own belongings, the diverse group of people left their original village. Guided by the elves, they soon found themselves on a makeshift dirt road and began their journey toward Constantinople.

The elves originally planned to carve out another road to Fingal—but then they thought that if the next operation failed, Fingal might also have to be relocated. So they had no choice but to confirm the only safe route, simply because they knew that the demons were not elves.

"After all, we elves can ensure an orderly evacuation even in the face of one disaster after another... If demons and humans suffer one disaster after another, and have to continue evacuating after just landing and not even having a few days to rest, then a collapse in morale is a minor matter."

The elves chattered amongst themselves, while the people they were talking about discussed how their new lives would unfold on the dirt road.

For most of the demons, Constantinople was a distant land that existed only in rural newspapers or in the oral traditions of elves.

It is said that there are towering stone walls, wheat fields about to be harvested, delicious food that one could never have imagined, and countless jobs to be found there.

Not all demons want to spend their peaceful but boring lives hiding at home. For the young demons, especially those who have experienced the church invasion, they are eager to learn about the new world outside, because only in this way can they better protect their homeland.

Now, the best opportunity to learn about the new world has arrived—their families will also come with them to the big city, so they won't have to worry about the elderly, women, and children in the village, and can find jobs where they can use their skills after arriving in the city!

However... not all demons were so engrossed in their excitement that they couldn't pull themselves away.

Some of the older demons were contemplating the impending calamity in the north.

This was no secret for a long time; when the large-scale migration of people began, the officials and soldiers of the United Nations made the Ice Calamity public.

The effect was surprisingly good—to the domestic population, it was yet another mortal enemy threatening to destroy their new lives. To the demons, it was an invader forcing them to leave their homeland.

They were all willing to take up arms to fight this powerful invader, but their emperor said that professional matters should be handled by professionals—so the demons were naturally very confused and could not understand how different the [Cataclysm of Ice] was from the opponents they had faced before.

"If you ask me, don't demons all have heads? They'll just die if you cut off their heads, why go through all this trouble!"

The rugged young bear-man boasted about his past combat experience, while the older demons pondered the differences among the demons.

The results came quickly—just as there are weak individuals among the bear-men, there must also be weak beings among the demons. If there were no unforeseen circumstances, they had been fighting against a weak demon.

Naturally, the demon that appeared this time may have been too powerful, to the point that even the demon race itself had become a burden.

However, these wise elderly people, who were aware of the seriousness of the problem, did not try to stop the young people.

For young people, being energetic, confident, and having the drive to take action is a good thing.

Besides, with the emperor backing them up, they don't need to worry that these young people will actually be dragged onto the battlefield and used as mere stepping stones or expendable resources...

After much thought, the elderly people's final reflection was to appropriately shift the topic to "life".

They said life is getting better and better, but they also said that if young people don't work hard in the city, they will probably soon be unable to find jobs and go hungry due to competition.

After all, cities are not like forests. While forests can sustain themselves by finding fruits and vegetables, in cities, a decent and stable job is the most important foundation for survival.

Upon hearing this, the young man, who had been talking about going into battle, changed his mind and started asking how to find a job.

The young bear-men said they were strong and could carry things.

The werewolf touched his nose, shrugged, and said they might have to put in some effort.

Other, more delicate but agile demons suggested that they might need to seek help from officials.

The procession moved forward in disarray on the dirt road, but ultimately, they were full of confidence in the United Nations and in their future lives.

However, in front of the rhomboid fortress in northwest Constantinople, amidst the refugee caravan of the Khuttos Khanate, a completely different scene unfolded.

Their father had not achieved the best results in the Roman Empire. Their homeland had been invaded by the Ice Calamity and was now in ruins. They fled with a large amount of property and livestock, hoping to find a stable and prosperous life in unfamiliar lands.

But for the vast majority of people, all of this was uncertain. After all, the source of confidence was results—but Hutod Khan did not bring them the results they deserved.

Especially for herders who bring their families and all their livestock, their possessions have now become something they must relinquish—a situation that has left them deeply saddened. But they also know that once they leave the pastures, their herds will not find enough grazing land.

“But what can we do... If we give these livestock away to others for free, not only will we not get a single penny, but we won’t even have the capital to start over after we settle down... What can we do?”

The herders gathered together, their faces filled with worry. After all, they were to cross the border tomorrow and continue their journey south.

They urgently needed to find a solution for dealing with their herds—some might ask, why don't you just sell all the livestock to the United Nations?

But the problem is they don't dare to sell.

In the Khuttod Khanate, livestock trade with foreign countries is now state-run.

To explain this using a simple, easy-to-understand example from Earth, it would be like the state-run iron and salt monopolies of ancient times. Under such circumstances, herders could be held accountable by officials for privately selling even small quantities of livestock, let alone herds of tens of thousands of animals.

If these livestock were directly dumped into the United Kingdom, the trade of the Hutto Khanate would be in dire straits. But if no way was found to deal with these livestock, the fleeing herders would perish.

what can we do about it?

The herders couldn't think of a solution and could only sit on the grass and lament.

But just then, a weary traveler arrived on his centaur friend, having traveled a great distance.

They were servants of the Khutuktu Khan, not only because of their attire, but also because they carried the Khutuktu Khan's banner aloft.

The waiters ran up to the group of refugees, looked around for a while, and then approached the herdsman who was sitting on the ground, not knowing what to do.

"Arise, rise quickly—! Father Khan has not neglected the feelings of his people! Therefore, we bring Father Khan's blessings to our nomadic people!"

"After the livestock of all herders are accounted for, apart from the portion that they can take with them and take care of themselves, the rest of the livestock will be purchased by Father Khan at 80% of the price!"

During this period, the herders will not have to spend a single penny on livestock fodder! Your expenses for passing through the pass, as well as the travel costs to the Roman Empire, will be borne by Father Khan!

But you must swear that once things are stable, you will live in peace and prosperity, and will not use your status as subjects of Hutod Khan to harass the normal lives of the local people! If you break this oath, your father's warriors will behead you—but this does not force you to make a decision now!

"You have three days to think about where you are going. Three days—Father Khan is only giving you three days! You must think it over carefully!"

The waiter repeated the words three times, and then the centaur waiter repeated them three more times.

Upon hearing this, the despair in the herders' eyes was gradually replaced by hope—although it was only 80% of the price, it was still better than the herds starving to death on the arid land, unable to move!

Moreover, the Khan promised to cover all expenses for passing through the pass and the journey, and he wouldn't even have to pay for the herds' fodder...

In an instant, praise for Khuttod Khan echoed across the steppe in front of the rhombus-shaped bunker, while the Bayrjan soldiers standing guard atop the bunker simply shrugged.

"Upon closer inspection, it turns out that the nomadic king actually made a profit... He bought the herds for 80% of the price, but sold them to us for a full 100%!"

"But this is better than letting the herders starve, isn't it? It's also better than them just refusing to leave... And frankly, the Khuttod Khanate still needs to find a way to deal with its tens of thousands of livestock. At least until they're certain the northern lands can return to normal, they need to find a solution..."

"So we'll be able to eat cheap beef and lamb from now on? That's awesome!"

"Sigh...aren't you worried about things up north?"

The soldier paused for a moment, then thought seriously for a while before shrugging:

"What's there to be afraid of? We have Basilica and Caesar, the elves are our brothers, and the floating islands in the sky are Caesar's friends—we can win. So what are we worried about?"