Chapter 32

Gongsun Murong hoped that Nalasha would influence Lucia as much as possible during their interactions.

The people who truly care about the slums are the poor themselves. They know what their daily lives are like and what they hope for.

The upper class is busy with political struggles, considering the taxes of the middle class and above, and their attention is on various fiefs, with their thoughts drifting to the borders.

No one really cares about the poor at their feet. They don’t provide much in taxes and always have various public security issues, so it’s not worth putting effort into them.

If that’s the case, why not let Lucia gradually change things as if it were a game.

The people in the slums are usually lacking in creativity and have low resistance, but they are obedient and hardworking.

The slums cover more than 400 square kilometers. How many families is that?

By the simplest idea, organizing the men who support their families for training, for their wives, parents, and children, how strong would their military formation be?

As long as they see the benefits given to their families, they will advance in formation on the battlefield. This strength does not lie in how high their battle aura is, but in what they are protecting.

To counter such a military formation, you need a similar formation.

To break through the formation, you can only use adventurers struggling for survival at the border.

Moxi and Kellyser, among others, are candid; they are unwilling to face such an enemy formation, which cannot be defeated.

For the sake of their loved ones, they care about nothing else.

So, even if they don’t form a military formation, they can still work hard and be obedient.

In other words, the common people are the foundation of the country.

Those who treat the common people well will secure their position as king.

Gongsun Murong and Nalasha already know that Duke Gels is adjusting the border generals and nobles, trying to repel the enemy from the outside.

It’s unclear about other places, but Qishui City has been very successful.

However, just focusing on external military matters is not enough; there must also be an economic foundation internally.

This theory is easy to talk about, but few can think of and implement it.

Duke Gels is making efforts, and there are already public squares and shelters.

Gongsun Murong and Nalasha decided to give it another push. If the duchy develops well, they can study and gain status in peace.

Now is the best time to guide Princess Lucia. They will set an example first, and then Princess Lucia can follow the same rules.

The only problem is the issue of the executors. After killing some who benefit too much, the others will be more obedient, provided they are given certain benefits based on their performance.

Gongsun Murong naturally put himself in the position of a ruler.

The noble children don’t know Gongsun Murong’s intentions; they just think he and Nalasha are very strong and generally don’t compromise. It’s best not to provoke them.

Additionally, they found that spicy hot pot is really delicious.

So some nobles had other ideas and approached Gongsun Murong to buy the recipe.

“No sale,” Gongsun Murong firmly refused.

After a pause, he added, “We can cooperate.”

“Cooperation is a good idea,” Bobo, who had just been beaten, suddenly spoke up.

The other nobles were startled.

Shouldn’t you, Bobo, be harboring resentment and planning revenge?

Are you beaten to the point of foolishness? Or are you trying to麻痹 the other side?

Or are you trying to earn money to heal your inner wounds?

Gongsun Murong nodded calmly, “If someone is willing to cooperate, they can discuss it with our steward. Nalasha and I are going to register at the academy.”

With that, he left.

As for the twenty households that didn’t want to move, they would likely reconsider.

“Nalasha, don’t leave your good friend behind. To keep you from feeling lonely, I’m willing to go to the academy with you. Lucia also needs to go to school.”

Lucia held Nalasha’s hand, looking like a good friend.

Then she asked, “Is it still Murong brother cooking tonight?”

“I invite you to eat with us,” Nalasha cooperated.

“Yes! Good friends should share happiness.” Lucia considered eating Gongsun Murong’s cooking a joy.

******

More than two hours after Gongsun Murong and Nalasha left, they returned to the entrance of Celeste Academy.

They stood outside the comprehensive examination area again.

In front of them was a long queue.

The academy’s admission process lasts three days, day and night.

One reason is to accommodate people coming from far away, and the other is to showcase the first academy of the duchy’s teacher ethics and strength.

The teachers take turns to conduct the exams.

Academic law students come out at night to provide lighting, rather than using crystal cores to power the lighting system.

There are fire and light mages.

Even water mages, who create a water curtain.

When there is a moon, it forms various angles, gathering a large area of moonlight to illuminate below.

By the time there were twenty people in front of Gongsun Murong and Nalasha, it was already evening.

Nalasha watched the mages’ spells with shining eyes.

She found it amazing, with water mages creating ice mirrors to refract light balls, making the entire area bright.

Others used water as a cover for fireballs, making the light softer.

Nalasha had never learned these techniques. She relied on instinct, using whatever came to mind.

For example, when bathing with Lucia, she used four spells, the last one being offensive.

She directly used an ice seal to solve everything.

But who had she specifically learned from?

She first thought of protecting herself and Lucia, wasting a lot of time, even though her speed was fast.

Even in the desert battles, if she was nervous, even a first-level beast would make her throw a series of covering spells, successfully defeating the opponent.

In simple terms, it was overwhelming, with enough momentum.

“Those who can go to school are truly fortunate. Casting spells doesn’t waste mental energy,” Nalasha said enviously.

Moxi and the other guards were speechless.

They knew that what Miss called mental energy was spirit energy, which is one of the criteria for evaluating mages, along with proficiency and experience.

Miss, are you envious of others?

Do you know why they are like this?

Don’t they also want to cast large spells like you?

Indeed, everyone’s happiness is different.

Gongsun Murong was also very excited. He believed that every process of teaching and learning was sacred.

His intelligent steward was a sacred member.

Without the steward’s care, he would have died.

If the intelligent steward had taught him nothing, he would not have survived long.

It’s hard to imagine what he would be like without anyone to guide him.

As Gongsun Murong faced Celeste Academy with reverence, the people in front of him had already finished their exams.

Some were happy, some were disappointed, and some looked mentally drained, making it hard to tell if they had passed or failed.

The comprehensive exam was divided into four groups, with four people being tested at a time.

Nalasha was afraid and insisted on following her Murong brother into the exam room, with Lucia happily following.

“Two lovely little princesses, please follow the rules, okay? There are seats in the adjacent exam room, or you can wait outside,” said the three main examiners in the room.

Two attractive and curvaceous female teachers and one stern, strong male teacher.

They gave a sense of warmth and safety.

This combination was likely chosen by the academy after careful consideration.

The female teacher who spoke was wearing a red dress and sitting diagonally in front.

There was no one directly in front.

The three teachers were not far from the door, even though the room was large.

This layout did not make people feel oppressed.

Lucia smiled sweetly and said, “I love the first academy. Grandpa said that those who come to take the exam are all children, and good examiners don’t use their aura to oppress children, because the first test is not the psychological state of the examinee. A teacher who wants to scare a child is not a good teacher.”

“Your grandfather must be a wise elder, but unfortunately, you and the other little princess still need to wait outside,” the female teacher who spoke earlier nodded with a smile.

“No, I want to stay with Murong brother. Murong brother will take the exam first, and then I and Lucia will take it. As the ninth princess, shouldn’t I have privileges?”

At this moment, Nalasha knew how to use her advantages.

The three teachers stood up simultaneously, carefully examining Lucia, looking at each other, and the female teacher said, “Ninth Princess, if you really want to pass the exam and enter the academy, the mage section is your best choice. Or I can call the teachers from that section, as this little girl said, you have privileges.”

“We are wasting time. There are still people waiting outside, don’t you think, Teacher Aileen?” Lucia shrugged and blinked her big eyes.

“Oh, the Ninth Princess knows me. I am honored,” the female teacher named Aileen was delighted.

“I am proud to remember your beautiful face. So… can we start?”

The three teachers looked at each other again, and Aileen spoke, “As you wish. Ninth Princess, you are admitted. What about the other two? Do they have anything different from others, or do they do something better?”

“I’ll go first, I’ll go first,” Nalasha said, leaning on Gongsun Murong.

She tilted her head, thought for a moment, and stretched out her hand. A water ball appeared on her fingertips, then began to change shape, becoming a sand beast, a red-feathered eagle, a sand thorn fruit, a blood sand leopard, and so on.

After transforming all the sand beasts and plants she had seen, she suddenly looked troubled and asked, “Should I go to the mage exam section? But I want to stay here in the comprehensive section!”

She lowered her head, sighed, and hopefully asked, “Does dancing count? Nalasha can dance.”

“Don’t be in a hurry, Nalasha, right? What a lovely name, unforgettable. We really like the little animals you created. So, I declare, you are admitted.”

Teacher Aileen reacted quickly, or rather, recovered quickly from her shock, and quickly comforted the little girl in front of her.

She understood why the Ninth Princess followed and was so close to the little girl named Nalasha.

Because they were the same kind of existence, they could play together.

As friends, you can ignore background, but ability is an unbridgeable gap, otherwise it’s just one side giving.

“Yay!” Nalasha jumped up and down, waving her fists, “Murong brother, it’s your turn.”

Gongsun Murong took a deep breath and asked, “Does cooking count?”