People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

And Miss Theresa, whom I haven't seen for a very long time.

Theresa occasionally visits Rhodes Island. The landship looks quite different from what she remembers. The rooms that were once used for military purposes have now been converted into dormitories for the operators. The departments that used to be called "Combat Information Department," "Recruit Training Area," and "Intelligence Reconnaissance Department" have all had their old signs removed and have new names and uses.

If there's anything that hasn't changed amidst all this change, it's probably the familiar [Medical Department].

It still has the same name, the same layout, and even the innermost Kal'tsit office is just a little more crowded than before. Other than that, nothing has changed.

The space where Theresa is now is the former Speaker's Room.

The floor had been cleaned and repainted, and the smell of blood and the corpses on display had long been cleaned up. From the outside, the room looked completely unrelated to the past.

Theresa was extremely pleased about this.

At least, this means that Kal'tsit is still moving forward; she has never stayed in the past.

But Theresa also noticed Amiya's somewhat downcast expression. She bent down, gently cupped Amiya's cheeks, and smiled as warmly as ever:

"Amiya, what's wrong? You seem to have something on your mind?"

Miss Theresa

Amiya pouted; her comfortable living conditions had made her a little plumper, and her face had become chubby.

“Miss Theresa, I was just afraid you would be unhappy.”

This used to be your room, but now...

Theresa shook her head slightly and smiled:

"No, Amiya, how could I not be happy?"

“The Tower of Babel is a thing of the past. Rhodes Island is your name now, and you don’t need to reserve a room for someone who has already left.”

She took Amiya's hand, straightened up, and spoke earnestly:

"Amiya, in this age of accelerated forgetting, anything that needs to be reminded is destined to be forgotten. And what we deliberately avoid is always deeply rooted in our hearts."

“Kal'tsit may not have left a room for Theresa on Rhodes Island, but she never forgot our original ideals. Seeing her, Amiya, and Rhodes Island continue to uphold these ideals makes me happier than anyone else.”

Rhode Island's ideal?

Amiya nodded, seemingly understanding.

She wasn't sure if her wishes—"to make life better for more people," "to make the world a little fairer," and "to allow more people to sleep peacefully"—could be considered lofty ideals.

But I firmly believe that this is the right thing to do.

Since it's the right thing to do, then go ahead and do it without hesitation!

Amiya looked up at Theresa beside her, as if she had finally mustered up her courage. She suddenly tugged at Theresa's hand, met her gentle pink eyes, and asked:

"Miss Theresa, would you like to return to Rhodes Island?"

Amiya's voice was firm, and her eyes were full of expectation:

"I miss you so much, and so do many of Rhodes Island's operators! Dr. Kal'tsit misses you too, and so does Miss Ascarine!"

"Did you know? The Doctor is back too, the Doctor..."

Amiya paused, but still met Theresa's gaze and said...

"The doctor also really wants to meet you!"

“I know that many unpleasant things happened between you two. The Doctor lost his memory, and you both had your own reasons for leaving. But, Miss Theresa…”

"I've always thought this way: if two people have good intentions, why do they have to fight each other? Why can't we work together?"

Theresa listened quietly to Amiya's request.

To be honest, for a fleeting moment, she did feel a genuine urge to return to Rhodes Island.

But reason quickly prevailed over this impulse.

Amiya is too young; there are many truths that are obvious to someone her age that she doesn't yet understand.

For example, a conflict between two people who share the same goal of world peace but clash over their respective paths may be even more relentless than a conflict between simple enemies.

Back then, weren't she and Theresis also working for the revival of the Sarkaz and for the Sarkaz to have a home?

But what was the final result?

Didn't the Doctor want to help the Terra civilization back then, and want to believe in Terra's "hope"?

But what choice did he make on that day?

To work together and then decide the winner in the end is a luxury. It's like two people striving for world peace: one chooses to unite everyone and achieve universal harmony, while the other chooses to kill everyone and achieve absolute dominance.

These two people were never meant to be together from the very beginning.

Different paths lead to the same destination—what a luxurious phrase! Different methods may lead to the same result, but not everyone can accept it willingly, can they?

Admittedly, she and Rhodes Island did not have such a huge ideological conflict. In fact, it could be said that Rhodes Island's current ideology was inherited and developed from her.

But what's past is past.

"Amiya, I'm sorry."

Her eyes were lowered, and she spoke softly.

"But I have failed in my struggle for my ideals. Now, I must fight for the interests of the Tikkaz. I am the Demon King of the Tikkaz."

"But didn't Lady Nastie say that Tikkaz no longer needs the Demon King's rule?"

Amiya's voice sounded somewhat urgent.

"Taking responsibility does not mean that you must be needed by others."

Theresa said,

"Amiya, freedom is free, but enjoying it requires a huge sum of money. The Tikkaz have finally managed to enjoy this precious freedom, so who will pay for it?"

"It's Ms. Nastie, everyone on the city management committee, and Mr. Ernst."

“Amiya, I cannot rejoin Rhodes Island. Mr. Ernst has high hopes for Rhodes Island. You have a brighter future ahead of you, and there should be no more Demon Lords within your ranks.”

"However, that doesn't mean I can't help you. Just like Mr. Ernst can always help you, although I am no longer a part of Rhodes Island, I still consider this landship my home. If you need anything, or if Rhodes Island needs anything, I will do everything I can to help you."

So gently rubbed Amiya's head; the girl from Carter's ears had soft downy hair that felt exceptionally comfortable to the touch.

"Amiya, if you believe that people who share the same ideal will eventually understand each other and come together in the end, then you don't need to care about my departure. I am also working hard for this ideal in my own way."

"Perhaps one day in the future, I will stand by your side again."

"I will look forward to that day with Amiya."

Amiya lowered her head and nodded slightly.

"Me too, Miss Theresa."

Theresa knew it would take some time for her to understand all of this.

This was also her responsibility. If she hadn't chosen a child to inherit that small black crown, this heavy fate wouldn't have weighed on Amiya's shoulders.

So she didn't urge her, but simply stayed quietly by Amiya's side, answering all her questions.

Until that somewhat unfamiliar beeping sound rang out.

Theresa took out the communication terminal that the Kazdelnia government officials had been newly equipped with from her white long dress.

She was just a figurehead with no real job, but Nasti still gave her one. She didn't treat Theresia as a goddess, but she also didn't deliberately belittle or belittle this demon king who had once fought for the Sarkaz and this land.

The call was connected, and Fremont's voice came from the other end.

The old lich got straight to the point:

"Princess Theresa, where are you?"

"Mr. Ernst has written to us, asking for our help. I'm afraid only you can do this."

Theresa blinked, somewhat puzzled:

"What's the deal?"

"He wants to study the Demon King's Black Crown."

Chapter 1069 A city, lifted up by countless wishes

As the setting sun gilded the clouds, Nasti leaned against the steel railing at the top of the tower and looked out. Ten hexagonal plots of land were slowly adjusting their angles with the sound of machinery, and steam billowing from the steel joints floated among the buildings like fragments of mica, refracting a golden halo.

That was the assembly of the tenth moving plot of the floating city of Kazdelnia.

Nasti remembered the day the first floating city rose. Three hundred Sarkaz craftsmen gathered around the core power reactor, watching as Mr. Balrog, the Balrog, used a chisel engraved with Sarkaz sorcery runes to embed the final Originium into the energy hub. The powerful amplification device activated instantly, and the power reactor, a mixture of Originium energy and Balrog flames, instantly injected the energy that would sustain the city into the veins already embedded in its "limbs and bones." As the buzzing sound of the levitation field tearing through the mist of Tukarim, she heard someone begin to sob.

—These exiles, who had once hunched over in mines around the world, touched the sky that truly belonged to them for the first time.

Now, time flies, a year has passed, and Kazdelnia has changed so much.

Sparks from welding flickered at the edge of the sixth plot, where the Originium Engineering Academy was under construction. Nasti was dedicated to training more technical talent for Ticauz. The technology of the Gravity Defiance Mechanism was the core of the entire Kazdelnia system, but she had no intention of claiming it for herself. She knew that Ticauz's future was hers now, but not in the future.

For Kazdelnia to truly develop, highly skilled personnel are essential.

Her current top choice is Mudrock. The Child of Earth and Stone possesses extraordinary aptitude for civil engineering, a aptitude that would put even this banshee to shame. After the Originium Engineering Academy is completed, she plans to have Mudrock take a position there and learn alongside her, who will be serving as the dean, instead of letting him waste his time on the construction site. Mudrock needs to truly understand the rapidly developing technology of Terra, rather than simply relying on his talent and bloodline.

As for the issue of children's education in Sarkaz, which Committee Member Hedley was very concerned about, she had also made preparations, even earlier than this training base for high-level talents.

Long before the third plot was assembled, she had already appointed Fremont (actually, the lich herself had requested it) and his faction of liches to begin planning the construction of the Kazdelnia Public Elementary School. Today, the school has over a thousand students.

Some might be surprised that the Sarkaz could actually gather a thousand children with names and surnames.

Who says only children can go to primary school?

Drawing on Ernst's experience at Spark Elementary School in Shelag, and considering the Sarkaz's own racial situation, along with the advice of several committee members, Nasti ultimately allocated special funds to build an adult classroom opposite the elementary school. Anyone who wanted to attend could enroll by paying a certain tuition fee. The teachers were all elementary school teachers who volunteered to tutor students after get off work.

It was truly voluntary.

At least Hadley was there voluntarily.

As many people have probably noticed, Kazdelnia's expenses over the past year or so have been considerable, far exceeding what Nasti can afford.

Freedom is free, but enjoying freedom requires a huge sum of money. Nasti built Kazdelnia, a land of freedom for the Sarkaz, so where did this huge sum of money come from?

It might seem unbelievable to those searching for the old "…Three Things", but apart from a portion being a loan from the International Bank, the rest of this huge sum was all donations.

From the surviving royal courts emptying their coffers to the ordinary Sarkaz donating their entire fortunes, Nasti received donations that even exceeded the sum of many foreign experts' assessments of the Sarkaz's "economic capacity"!

The Sarkaz are generally poor, and they risk their lives doing things, often taking huge risks.

Sometimes, the phrase "not knowing where the next meal will come from" doesn't mean there's no hope for the future, but rather that they themselves might be completely clueless about what to do before their next meal arrives.

Therefore, they generally don't like to save money. Instead, they spend as much as they can, enjoying what they can first. If they run out of money, they'll take a ride-hailing service on Didi Chuxing, risking their lives, and repeating this cycle over and over again.

However, this situation has changed somewhat since the founding of Kazdelnia.

Nasti had once met an ordinary Sarkaz mercenary in the small Sarkaz town on the outskirts of Shelag. He had just returned from the battlefield in Victoria and had previously worked for the logistics department of the Military Council.

After Theresis occupied Londinium, he started a business in the city, reselling captured goods for money. The tenfold price difference seemed daunting, but it was his only way to make money, and over time, he earned a large sum of Victorian gold pounds.

When Talulah liberated Lentinium, he offered no resistance and simply ran away with the money.

Where have you been?

They've arrived in Shelag.

Upon meeting Nasti, he donated all his money without saying a word, asking for nothing in return.

Luncheng earns money and spends it all!

He made it clear that he was just a nobody, but in Kazdel at the time, someone like him with no status or background could only make a living by following Theresis, so he was led to Londinium. He knew that the money he had was not cleanly obtained, and if Nasti refused to accept it, he could go to the old men in the Scar Market to launder the money himself, but he would probably be charged a certain "handling fee," which was really not worth it, so he decided to ask Nasti's opinion first.

He didn't ask for anything in return; it seemed he only had one wish.

I hope that in the future, people like me who want to live a simple life won't have to engage in this kind of speculative business on the battlefield.

Nasti was stunned for a long time before she came to her senses and promised him that she would do her best to fulfill his simple wish.

This is the first time a non-Demon Lord Sarkaz leader has promised "a wish" to a Sarkaz who is loyal to him.

Nasti made many more such promises in the days that followed.

Behind every wish lies the final expectation of an ordinary Sarkaz.

It was these ordinary wishes that lifted Kazdelnia into the sky.

Nastie felt that perhaps it was only at that moment that she finally understood what Ernst meant.

Don't thank me. My relationship with the Sarkaz was merely a matter of mutual benefit. I alone cannot provide a happy life for the Sarkaz. The only ones who can make your country strong and your people happy are yourselves.

I've only done a small part. Creating a good life depends on you yourselves, and only on yourselves.