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

In the parish, atonement texts are purchased with money. They are essentially worthless; the poorest atonement texts may only contain a few handwritten sentences, nothing more.

But Stephen's ingenious idea combined the parish's "Demon Fighting" industry with the doctrine of atonement, creating a perfectly legitimate explanation that the Holy Maiden would find absolutely no problem with:

Is it wrong for believers to buy atonement prayers for their own blessings? Of course not. They are buying for themselves and their families; it's a legitimate expenditure, isn't it?

So, is it wrong for believers to use words of atonement to "fight demons" with each other? Of course not. After all, demons are not human, but livestock, and believers don't use currency for transactions. What could be more beautiful than believers exchanging words of atonement that are important to each other in a fun way?

So, what about the parish?

Of course, no problem.

After all, believers pay for the atonement prayers themselves.

And then again...

At that time, they will buy the Demon Clan's Atonement Words, which can be exchanged among themselves, and price them at 10 silver coins.

Conversely, if atonement vows were exchanged for cash, a 9% tax could be levied, meaning believers could only exchange one atonement vow for nine silver coins...

From this perspective, it's not just that there are no problems for the parish; in fact, the leader of the Church of England would love to see more and more of these windfalls of money coming his way!

The bishops applauded Bishop Stephen's wit.

Meanwhile, in the capital of Gaparia, the Hanging Gardens of Fingel.

Yang Hao and the others, who had already returned, did not rest, but instead discussed other possibilities for the [Elf-themed Industry] in the emerald green courtyard.

The reason was that on the way back, Yang Hao asked Arthur to organize the core design blueprints of the [weakened version of the steam factory]. Then, Yang Hao suddenly thought: If possible, why not try to combine the steam factory with the oak factory?

Yang Hao believed this was a plan with a certain degree of risk but extremely high feasibility. Meanwhile, Arthur, while being affectionate with his wife Viya whom he had just met, greeted a dozen or so green-eyed elven women who were waiting for him not far away in front of his wife, and then quickly returned to Yang Hao's side to say: No way.

At the time, Yang Hao wasn't sure if Arthur had simply used work as an excuse to follow them today to avoid women, or if he genuinely had ulterior motives. In any case, they argued all the way, and were still arguing when they arrived at the Green Courtyard, their argument both heated and harmonious.

Left with no other choice, he had to borrow a meeting room in his capacity as regent: "Since you want to argue, then I'll argue with you until we reach a conclusion."

Then, under Naruja's hesitant words and the nun's deadpan gaze, the superior and subordinate argued from dinner time until late at night. Both sides presented their own opinions, each with its own advantages and disadvantages; all were, for the sake of argument, "useful" yet conflicting plans.

To explain it in simple terms, it's like comparing savory tofu pudding to sweet tofu pudding.

Yang Hao's idea was that if the steam factory could be combined with the oak factory, the industrial output of the Elf Kingdom would be upgraded several levels, providing crucial productivity for the upcoming social changes of the elves and better preparing them for the pressure of the upcoming war.

The downside is that the oak trees themselves might wither faster due to the damage caused by the steam plant—but Yang Hao felt this was an understandable and necessary sacrifice. That's precisely where Arthur's objection lay.

As an outsider who had lived in the Elf Kingdom for quite some time, Arthur understood the importance of the Oak Tree to the elves better than Yang Hao.

Now he knew he could no longer argue with Yang Hao about which method would bring more productivity. After all, it was undeniable that the combined productivity of the steam factory and the oak trees was definitely greater than that of the oak factory alone.

So he chose another breakthrough: the closer relationship between elves and the Elf Forest than that between a human fetus and a human mother.

"Your Majesty, this is like asking a woman to castrate her own father who is over fifty years old, or to castrate her own child who is only two days old."

Arthur speaks bluntly, and only Yang Hao can tolerate his words.

"The elves value oak trees very, very, very, very much! I repeat, they value oak trees very much! I understand that you are still thinking from a human perspective, but to be honest, a leap in productivity is not important to the elves. What they care more about is whether they can coexist harmoniously with the Elven Forest, my lord."

"...But what about the war that follows? Arthur, let's be frank—the Elf Kingdom needs to withstand the parish's attack to protect the Elf Forest! Making some sacrifices to protect the Elf Forest should be understandable, right?"

"I know! But the problem is, isn't it, the elves' emotional stubbornness... their deep affection for the oak tree..."

"hiss."

When it comes to the stubbornness of elves, when it comes to the emotions of elves...

The two men were completely at a loss; at this moment, they were both deflated.

They exchanged a weary glance, and finally, Yang Hao took out a pen and crossed out his proposal for a "Steam Oak Factory." He then said bitterly:

"Then we'll have to win by sheer numbers. But do you think we can grow that many oak factories in such a short time?"

Arthur shook his head bitterly as well:

"That probably won't work. But I think... sometimes we don't need the factory to produce the highest quality consumables, right? After all, they're just consumables, like safety equipment. You can't just use them and then take them back to wash and dry them before using them again..."

"No, you can lower the quality of recreational items, but we absolutely cannot neglect the quality of military supplies..."

"So in that case..."

Chirp, chirp, chirp.

Mother Teresa glanced at the door that had been opened at some point and found that the two men were so engrossed in their heated work debate that they hadn't even noticed Finn's arrival.

She sighed, stood up under Naruja's gaze, and then stood directly behind Yang Hao, casting a Tranquility spell on him.

After a moment of silence, she dispelled the spell, pressing Yang Hao's head down while making him turn to look at Fen, who was still smiling outside the door.

"For now, shouldn't men be mindful of what's going on outside while they're working?"

Mother Teresa's gritted teeth only allowed Yang Hao to calmly exchange a few greetings in a daze.

Mr. Arthur was much more surprised and quickly bowed in greeting.

Finn had no complaints about them. She simply walked over and sat down on the chair to Yang Hao's right, which infuriated Teresa, who had chosen to sit in the back so as not to disturb the men's work. At the same time, she brought two important pieces of news to everyone.

Firstly, the goods from Isgard's first trade are being transported overnight at top speed. If all goes well, the new rifles, muzzle-loading guns, and their accompanying ammunition will arrive in Fingal tomorrow.

“Those items seem very delicate, which may be a misjudgment on our part. To avoid damage, we had no choice but to transport them by land.”

Finn smiled as she watched Theresa angrily pull a chair over to sit on Yang Hao's left, while also pulling the bewildered Ling Clan chief to her left.

"I will have elven scholars assist you in your work. However, Your Majesty, there is a matter that is rather urgent for you concerning the elven council."

"Oh?"

"Some of the old elves hope that you can present concrete evidence at the meeting that will convince everyone. Please believe that they have no ill intentions. These old men who experienced the Demonic War simply... still miss our former allies with whom we formed a brotherhood."

Simply put, some of the old elves actually doubted whether Yang Hao really had that ability—which was understandable and commonplace for Yang Hao.

Just like when a Cantonese chef goes to a Sichuan restaurant to be the head chef, the local Sichuan chefs will doubt whether this Cantonese chef can actually make Mapo Tofu well—Yang Hao is the regent of the Roman Empire, he is very capable, but that doesn’t mean that his abilities are applicable to the land of the elves.

Therefore, they hoped that Yang Hao could demonstrate abilities applicable to the Elven lands and provide evidence—in essence, it was like a group of stubborn old people expecting their junior to bring a surprise with a stern attitude.

As long as Yang Hao can produce evidence that can make the elves better and better, these old fogies will do their best to cooperate and contribute, instead of being like Roman's Round Table Council, which only verbally agreed but was already torn apart internally.

"So, are you really confident that you can produce the most valuable and impactful [real evidence] at the meeting? That is... with those [rifles]?"

Fen was curious about Yang Hao's confidence.

"Can those weapons you call 'guns' truly bring about change for the elves? Please forgive my ignorance, but I have never actually seen a weapon called a 'gun'..."

Faced with Finn's confusion, the two men present exchanged glances and gave the same answer in unison: "That is destined to be a world-shaking impact, and it will definitely bring countless changes to the world of elves."

This is a confident conclusion that can only be drawn after a thorough understanding of the common weapons used by elves.

Whether it was Arthur or Yang Hao, they both knew that when elves used longbows, what they valued most was not the rate of fire, but the range and power, as well as carrying as much ammunition as possible.

This is actually quite easy to understand. Compared to shortbows, which have a faster rate of fire but a very short range, elves prefer longbows, which can shoot farther and more accurately.

This is not only based on practical experience learned through actual combat that "the farther away you are, the safer you are," but also because elves, in a sparsely populated environment, must provide the best protection for their own lives.

No matter how much armor you wear, there will always be weak points that are easily penetrated by the enemy. However, if you can attack the enemy from outside their firing range, you can create maximum panic in the enemy by simply moving to a new position after each shot, while ensuring your own safety.

Under this tactical philosophy, even though it takes elves two minutes to prepare to draw their bows due to their limited arm strength, the elven longbow remains a favorite among every elf. With its long range and high accuracy, it's equipment perfectly crafted for elves, so perfect that there's no room for further improvement.

The [New Rifle] of Ysgard... is a completely new weapon that is destined to be wildly popular among the elves.

Based on Yang Hao's experience, this new type of firearm, which is more advanced than steam rifles and uses breech-loading, should be more accurate and have a longer range than the steam rifles of the Roman Empire back then—especially after carefully considering the fact that early bolt-action rifles could ensure lethality at a distance of 800 meters, he was even more confident in his conclusion.

Not to mention, elves are physically much stronger than humans. If existing caliber guns cannot meet the elves' range requirements, then increasing the caliber, increasing the propellant charge, or even simply enchanting the bullets are all ways to meet those requirements.

However, a definitive conclusion on the specific direction of development will have to wait until the rifles are delivered for precise disassembly and replication, and the elves experience them firsthand.

Furthermore, the production of bullets will inevitably require some localization—the Roman Empire's previous steam rifles fired steel ball bullets from high-pressure gas cylinders, while the elves might have to start with various magical minerals...

Um...

Seeing everyone getting lively again, and with Fen joining in, the enthusiasm was even greater than before.

But little Sister Teresa suddenly noticed Naruja's strange behavior beside her.

She seemed to have something to say, but in the end, she timidly stopped herself from uttering the words.

The scene was like a shy, tea-haired girl wanting to point out something her tutor had overlooked, but her introverted and timid nature left her speechless and hesitant. She could only watch helplessly, completely unable to muster the courage to squeeze in.

It seems that Naruja's identity here is indeed special—a demon, of tribal origin, illiterate, and having never encountered such a scene in her tribe before...

A girl like this expressing her thoughts in a place like this might only invite ridicule—Teresa felt a pang of sadness for Naruja, but then she thought, is Yang Hao the type to ridicule others at work?

The young nun trusted her man, so after thinking it over, she secretly moved her chair and whispered to Naruja:

'Naruja, is there something you want to say?'

Naruja paused for a moment, then quickly moved closer, seemingly intending to tell Theresa her thoughts, and then have Theresa relay them to others.

But the little nun was someone who disliked trouble. So all she did was cast a divine spell on Naruja.

Since the Light left her with her last bit of power, Theresa has gained the right to use two more divine spells.

One is the [Absorption Technique], specifically used to seize...reclaim the divine power of the Church of Light; the other is the [Courage Technique], used to boost morale.

Theresa cast a spell of courage: after all, this was Naruja's idea. She needed to muster the courage to express her views. This wasn't just for her own good, but more importantly, the Listening Clan should indeed actively fight for their rightful place...

But then again...

So many days have passed, and her man still hasn't touched her even once.

Or, how about we let him relieve this tonight?

The young nun fell into deep thought.

He was suddenly given a surge of courage by the [Courage Spell].

Unable to contain her excitement, Naruja stood up and stammered, "..."

"I, our golem, can also help!"

That's it. The naturally shy tribal chief instantly silenced the meeting room. Everyone except the nun was staring at her, making the tea-haired girl's heart leap into her throat, and making her realize that if she didn't act now, when would she?

She took a deep breath. Even though the nun had secretly dispelled the [Courage Spell], the Ling Clan Chief gained courage the moment she stepped forward.

"Golems...we, the Listeners, tried to make them act autonomously using their remaining magic back in Kargard..."

If, well, if... if the guns you mentioned, Yang Hao, are easy to operate, you could try making them bigger—even bigger than the elves, but the golems could still use them.

As long as they're easy to operate, and as long as... not too precise... well... I think it should be... that they can operate autonomously using magic and then attack enemies... Well, this might require the assistance of elven mages in our research... That's it...

that...

Was what I said a bit too ridiculous?