Starting with the defeated female knight

But considering what they had seen and heard in Dawn City over the past few days, thinking about those strange devices, what they had seen yesterday that they couldn't understand, and looking at the neatly arranged muskets in front of them, although they still couldn't fully understand what was going on, they just felt that the things Green showed them were different from what they felt from the Empire.

It is more profound, more unknown, and more... dangerous.

Meanwhile, Elise, who was standing to the side, seemed to have thought of something, and her expression became even more complicated.

Faith constrains behavior, and behavior cultivates discipline.

Discipline restrains force, and force supports faith.

The four elements cycle and none can be missing. Although it seems simple, only Elise, who has actually practiced it, knows how difficult it is to do so.

"Is this what you mean by 'let them be themselves'?"

【more than】

The tentacle shook its head slightly.

If that were all, I could keep pushing things forward on my own without needing anyone's help.

But now I've summoned you all and shown you around, explaining all these things... Why do you think that is?

Okay, I'll stop keeping you in suspense.

The tentacle coiled up a musket, held it up in front of a nobleman, made him hold it, and then swung it around.

[Exert force]

The nobleman, not understanding what was going on, glanced at Elise and, after receiving her permission, exerted a little force.

crunch--

The neatly cleaved musket was cleaved into a ball, and when it was released, it turned into musket fragments scattered all over the ground.

The nobleman's hand, however, was not injured at all, not even bearing a mark.

Haha, I knew it!

The tentacle shook its head.

I must say, these current actions are the best solutions I can think of.

Even so, I still know that this is only the best solution I can think of, not the truly optimal solution.

Firearms, industry, technology—these are things Green knows. While they are indeed useful and powerful, he knows that what he understands may not necessarily be suitable for this world, much less the optimal solution.

The reason is simple: in his original understanding, there was no such thing as a physical education student who could casually fire a firearm with his bare hands, a priest who could create half a sky barrier with a wave of his hand, a magician who didn't know what kind of ruthless skills he was hiding, or that strange and unpredictable giant ancient god whose slightest movement could cause the earth to shake.

His tactics, technology, and war equipment were all designed for the world he originally knew. If he remained stuck in his ways and simply followed the path he remembered, he might have achieved considerable success in the end.

But in that case, is the so-called technology truly technology, or... another kind of miracle or magic?

This is not the same world anymore, and the path we have to take is different.

If we don't encourage them to be themselves and forge their own path, but instead just blindly follow the old ways, they might fall into a pit someday, and they'll still be smugly pleased with themselves, thinking there's no problem.

Therefore, he wanted to engage with the world and explore the unknown.

Technology and industry must continue, of course, as they are the foundation of Dawn City's current existence, and there's no reason not to use them when there's a cheat code.

But besides all that, he also knew that he was not an omniscient and omnipotent god, and that his past experiences could not be completely applied to this unfamiliar world.

Therefore, he needs the help of the investigation team.

Not only for Dawn City, but also for himself.

Go and understand, go and learn, go and think, not only about technology and industry, but also about miracles, magic, and even bloodlines.

Perhaps the empires of this world are indeed somewhat barbaric and backward, and perhaps the tide of industrialization and technology will eventually engulf them, but as a native civilization, the empires are by no means useless. Even setting aside miracles and magic, their bloodlines alone can serve as an enlightenment and reference for the development of their technology.

We should analyze specific problems in specific ways, be realistic, and start from reality, rather than stubbornly sticking to only one path.

Only after gaining a comprehensive understanding and comparing different perspectives can one truly grasp their own situation and then, based on the actual circumstances, gradually explore and discover a path that suits them best.

Only then can one truly become oneself, rather than a poor imitator of others.

In fact, it wasn't just the people of Dawn City who needed this; he himself did too.

However, these meanings were far too complex, and even with the help of a translator, the group was still completely confused, and in the end, they only roughly understood a few sentences.

I am neither a god nor omniscient or omnipotent.

Firearms are one form of power, but not the whole of it; they still require much improvement and adjustment.

There are still many problems in Dawn City. Some I've noticed but can't change for the time being, and others I can change but haven't noticed yet.

While the Dawn City Guard's training is acceptable, I'm not entirely sure if it's suitable enough, and there's room for optimization and improvement.

[There are also bloodlines, miracles, magic, and so on...]

I'm not asking you to reveal all your abilities, nor am I asking you to teach them anything.

What I want is for you to offer your perspectives on what you've seen and heard so far, and what you think are problematic or areas for improvement.

Of course, it's not free.

[Aside from the previously promised cooperation, if you do raise any questions or offer valuable suggestions]

[Dawn City and I will also offer additional rewards based on the quality of the questions and suggestions received.]

Of course, if you'd like to engage in other types of transactions, such as those involving technology or knowledge, I'd also be very welcome.

Furthermore, we can communicate the details of the transaction beforehand, and only proceed with the transaction once both parties are satisfied.

Its tentacles swayed slightly, its gaze sweeping over the crowd before it, its eyes remaining silent.

What do you think of this 'assistance content'?

Is it possible?

silence.

The members of the investigation team looked at each other and saw the same emotion in each other's eyes.

—Is this still an ancient god?

But just as they were still reeling from the immense shock Green had brought them, a small hand suddenly shot up.

"111, is trading really a technical skill? I feel like I..."

Before Wuli could finish speaking, a cold voice suddenly rang out.

"I agree to your deal, and I can offer my suggestions right now."

Elise glanced at the muskets, then spoke calmly.

"Your physical training for those people is very crude and unreasonable, and it needs to be adjusted from head to toe."

"Secondly, I don't understand the technology of firearms, but what we have now is clearly only a 'toy'. If you are still trying to improve it, then I may be able to offer some suggestions."

“Even more.”

She paused.

"Of course, just like you said, I won't provide these for free; I want to make a deal with you."

Sure, what do you want? Technology? Resources? Or something else?

As long as you provide sufficient feedback and suggestions, and your requests aren't too unreasonable, I can agree to them.

Iris shook her head at the slight sway of the tentacles.

No, that's not what I want.

"What I want in compensation is to 'manage the city,' or even just be responsible for a part of the management."

"If you agree to this request, I am willing to help you."

"how?"

Volume 1: Author's Note on Launching the Book

RT, it will be available tomorrow. We're all old-timers, so I won't say anything unnecessary.

I'll work hard on writing today and try to do a big update tomorrow. I'd also like to ask for your first subscription.

And I wish you all a smooth life, academic success, career advancement, endless romantic opportunities, and all your wishes come true.

Thank you all for reading and supporting this book. I am truly grateful.

that's all.

Thanks for the repeater.

Book 1: Chapter 49: Yves' Bride

Early morning, a corner of Dawn City.

With a series of strange 'gurgling' sounds, the petite girl slowly opened her eyes on the soft bed.

A few strands of drool still clung to her sleepy little face.

Yves, that's her name.

As for her exact age, she wasn't quite sure. But judging from her petite figure and the budding flowers that were just beginning to develop, even considering the developmental delays caused by malnutrition, she shouldn't be too old.

She had no family; her father died of a cold at a young age, leaving only her mother and herself to depend on each other. After struggling for a few years, they encountered the demonic tide.

Thanks to Cecilia's efforts, her village learned of the demonic tide in advance and was able to relocate.

However, the transfer process did not go smoothly.

Although Cecilia sent the information to the capital in advance, and even single-handedly blocked the demonic tide for two days.

However, due to past experience and the most reliable 'magic tide monitoring system' from the Mage Association at the time, although a warning was issued, the capital city and even the surrounding areas did not take it seriously.

"Hey, it's just a demonic tide, right? It's not like it's the first time. Just wait for it to go away on its own."

As for refugees?

Please, who cares about the lives of those border barbarians who don't even know if they're even considered imperial?

So, let alone helping them, some of the more astute people even sensed a business opportunity among these refugees fleeing from the border.

Although the border barbarians usually don't have the empire's currency, because they are located on the border and have more contact with the outside world, they usually have some rare items that are not available in the empire.

By selling grain at high prices, they can acquire rare items from them at the lowest possible value, or simply buy servants. Isn't that incredibly cost-effective?

They even deliberately ostracize and make things difficult for refugees, artificially creating numerous obstacles in order to further drive down prices.

Or, simply rob them outright.

This sounds bad, and it actually is.

But even such blatant malice is only the least of the problems for the refugees on their escape route.

Roaming bandits, ferocious wild beasts, lurking poisonous insects, and even the watchful eyes of other refugee groups struggling for food...

Even now, even after a long time has passed, Eve still trembles with fear whenever she recalls the scene.

The good news is that this wave of demons is far larger than ever before.

Although their situation became even worse as a result, and they were even affected by some of the marginal demonic tides, those things that had previously troubled them also joined their ranks, making their situation even more dire.

Eve's mother died in the aftermath of a demonic surge, but not directly; she was injured while protecting Eve.

The injuries weren't very serious, but due to the exhaustion from running for several days, as well as the lack of medicine and food, she could only watch helplessly as her mother's injuries continued to worsen, her body grew thinner and thinner, and she eventually remained there forever.

Shortly after her mother's death, news came that the demonic tide had subsided.

Eve was still a little sad at the time, thinking that her mother had collapsed before dawn and that she could have held on for just a little longer.

But what no one expected was that after the demonic tide ended, what awaited them was not hope, but a deeper despair.

The corpses began to rot, and the brewing plague continued to spread.