Fangzhou Xier, starting with failing the art exam

"Show me the same drive you had when you were poaching from our competitors. I want everyone to see that knowledge is truly priceless in Letania."

Mecklen's eyes lit up instantly, and he rubbed his hands together, saying, "I guarantee they'll be satisfied, Your Majesty!"

……

Three days later, the Workers' Daily published this "Letter to Wise Men of the World," written by Lacey himself, on its front page in large print.

At the same time, every radio station in the empire was repeatedly broadcasting the recruitment notice.

This order caused a huge uproar throughout Terra.

Many engineers, scientists, artists, and even some highly skilled craftsmen and martial artists who were frustrated under the old aristocratic system turned their attention to the land that was undergoing dramatic changes.

A country that doesn't care about background or origin, but only values ​​ability and talent?

An empire led by a people's emperor, promising a stage for all?

This sounds like a utopian dream.

But what happened in Letania made it all seem incredibly real.

A week later, the first group of talented individuals who responded to the call for talent arrived in Trilintelme through a secret channel laid out by Gertrude.

Among them were mechanical engineers from Colombia, scientists from Victoria, architects from Minos, and even an agronomist from Yan who researched crop improvement.

With mixed feelings of trepidation, curiosity, and anticipation, they entered the Petronas Towers.

In the throne room that once belonged to the Gemini Queens, Lacey personally received them.

He was dressed in casual clothes similar to theirs, shook hands with each of them, and inquired about their expertise and aspirations.

"...So, Mr. Drummond, you think the Royal Victorian Academy of Sciences is going in the wrong direction in materials research?" Lacey listened with great interest to the middle-aged scientist's complaints.

“It’s more than a mistake, Your Majesty! It’s downright stupid!” Drummond exclaimed, his face flushed with emotion.

"They only care about how to make more vibrant dyes and more luxurious fabrics, but they are blind to the enormous industrial and military potential of this material!"

"I submitted seventeen reports, and they were all rejected by those idiots whose minds are filled with nothing but afternoon tea and dances!"

Lacey smiled.

He turned to the Minister of Industry beside him and said, "Did you hear that? Establish a materials research institute immediately, with Mr. Drummond as its director."

"Budget, personnel, equipment—whatever he needs, we'll provide."

Drummond was stunned; his mouth hung open, and he couldn't utter a word for a long time.

So... you agree?

Lacey then looked at the architect from Minos.

"Ms. Parati, you said in your letter that you wanted to design a stadium that could hold 100,000 people?"

“Yes, Your Majesty.” The young female architect nervously adjusted her glasses.

“An arena that belongs to the people, not a gladiatorial cage for nobles to show off.”

"It should be full of sunshine, with simple lines, symbolizing strength and peace..."

"Great idea."

Lacey walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and pointed to an open space in the distance: "That's your ideal place."

"I hope that on the tenth anniversary of the founding of the Third Reich, I can be there with the people to watch our own games."

Parati's eyes instantly lit up with an incredulous light.

Lacey didn't say anything more.

He knew that for these true geniuses, no verbal promise was as powerful as giving them a chance to realize their dreams.

Try to understand them, and help them.

When these scholars and craftsmen emerged from the Twin Towers, the trepidation and doubts they had felt upon entering had long since vanished.

Instead, there is a sense of mission, a feeling of being recognized and entrusted with responsibilities.

They knew they had come to the right place.

……

Holy Leitanian Empire: Chapter 90: The Pride of the Mace

Trillintelme.

The plaza beneath the Twin Towers was temporarily converted into several reception and assessment areas.

In the written examination area, Werner von Hochberg personally presided over the test, examining both knowledge and character.

The industrial and technical zone will be overseen by the newly appointed Minister of Industry to test candidates' true abilities and skills.

The most eye-catching area was undoubtedly the martial arts testing zone in the center of the square, which was overseen by Taylor.

At this moment, a tall but somewhat slender girl was standing quietly in the center of the field.

She had long, golden hair, with a few strands falling across her forehead, partially obscuring her vision.

She was dressed in a worn-out but faded outfit, with weapons wrapped in strips of cloth on her back.

Her face was expressionless; her golden eyes showed neither the tension of facing an assessment nor the joy of defeating an opponent.

At her feet lay more than thirty burly men lying haphazardly.

They were all mercenaries, knights, or gladiators who responded to the call for talent; each was strong and experienced in battle.

However, in the recently concluded battle of attrition, they couldn't even get the girl named "Jian" to back down even half a step.

Taylor stood on the platform, his brow furrowed.

He had never seen a martial artist like this before.

Her fighting style cannot be called a "skill"; it is more like a killing instinct that exists purely for efficiency.

There were no superfluous movements, no fancy moves; every sword strike and every mace attack was aimed at the opponent's most vulnerable joints and vital points.

Her opponents were either instantly disarmed or temporarily paralyzed by nerve damage. No one was truly seriously injured, but all of them were defeated decisively and without any suspense.

"next."

"I am expressionless," Jian said.

Below the platform, the officer in charge of registration wiped the sweat from his brow and whispered to Taylor, "Minister, she beat up everyone who signed up."

Taylor's lips twitched slightly.

He leaped down from the platform, his heavy military boots landing on the stone slab with a dull thud.

He walked step by step toward the mace, his imposing figure exuding an immense sense of oppression.

"Your name is Jian?" Taylor asked with what he thought was a friendly expression.

The girl nodded, and her golden eyes finally showed a flicker of emotion.

She sized up the man in front of her, seemingly assessing his threat level.

“You’re very strong,” Taylor said bluntly.

"But your moves only contain killing intent, lacking any method or strategy. Who is your teacher?"

“There is no teacher.” Jian’s answer was equally concise.

"In the slums, if you want to survive, you have to know how to fight."

Taylor fell silent.

He changed the subject: "Why did you come here?"

“I heard that you can get a full meal here.” Jian raised his head, looking Taylor directly in the eyes for the first time.

Just then, a gentle voice came from behind the crowd.

"You're right."

The crowd parted automatically to make way, and Lacey, accompanied by Serafina and several guards, walked in slowly.

He wasn't wearing the emperor's ceremonial robes today, just a simple navy blue casual outfit, with his usual smile on his face.

Everyone bowed and shouted "Your Majesty".

Only the mace stood quietly, watching the legendary new emperor.

Lacey walked up to the mace, her gaze not lingering on her astonishing battle record, but rather on her hands covered by the weapon.

Her hands were covered with thick calluses and tiny scars, and her knuckles were somewhat large due to long-term exertion, which seemed out of place for her young age.

“Your hands look a lot like those of a blacksmith I used to know,” Lacey said casually, as if she were chatting with a friend.

"He always said that every callus on his hands is a mark of tempering."

Jian paused for a moment, instinctively wanting to hide his hands behind his back, but then restrained himself.

“What do you want?” Lacey asked.

This problem caught Jian somewhat off guard.

She came here simply because the recruitment notice said that as long as you have talent, you will be respected and rewarded.

She longed for a stable salary, a place to live that would shelter her from the wind and rain, or simply to have hot bread to eat every day.

But when Lacey asked her that question, what came to mind were the dark alleyways of the slums and the orphans like her struggling to survive in the mud.

She remained silent for a long time before saying in a very low voice, "I...I want to protect some people."

"Protecting whom?"

"People like me."

Lacey smiled.

He turned to look at Taylor.

"Taylor, my personal guard is still missing a captain."

Taylor was taken aback at first, but then he understood what Lacey meant.

The emperor's personal guards not only needed absolute loyalty, but also extraordinary martial prowess.

The girl in front of me is undoubtedly a good candidate.

Moreover, having someone from such a humble background by one's side has far greater political significance than any other.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Taylor replied in a deep voice.

A low gasp of surprise erupted from the surrounding crowd.

A girl from the slums of unknown origin rises to become the emperor's personal guard captain in one fell swoop?

This was something that would have been unimaginable in the old days.

Even Jian himself was completely stunned.

She looked at Lacey, and for the first time, she showed an emotion called "confusion".

She couldn't understand why this high and mighty emperor would so easily entrust a position of life and death to a complete stranger like herself.

"May I see your weapon?" Lacey didn't explain, but pointed to the cloth bag on her back.

After hesitating for a moment, he still took off the cloth bag, revealing the weapon inside.

A black longsword and a pair of maces are both deadly weapons designed for practical combat.

Lacey reached out and gently stroked the blade.

"A fine sword," he said.

"But it has no sheath."

The mace remained silent. (V-shaped garment, two layers, three layers, eight skirts.) Chat.

“A sword without a sheath will either hurt others or hurt itself.” Lacey withdrew her hand and looked into her eyes.

"From today onwards, I will be your scabbard."

"Your strength will be used to defend this country and our shared ideals."

"Do you want to?"

Sunlight shone through the clouds, falling on the square and on the girl's face.