Extraordinary Voyage-Chapter 716 - 616: Saint and Marquis

"Looks like I’ll need to build a bigger dock in the [Witchcraft Garden]."

Watching as the four armed merchant ships lined up on the shore offloaded a vast amount of goods onto the shore, like ants moving house with the help of the armored "Flesh Puppets";

The Level 3 Battleship that was incidentally thrown in here when the ghoul intelligence was obtained before the war; the Legendary Battleship [Crown of Miracles] and the wreck of the Legendary Battleship [Sea Soul] which was slowly self-repairing.

Standing on the highest level of Poseidya City, Aiven touched the [Hermit Crab Shell] in his arms and sighed helplessly:

"Ah, this might be... the troubles of the rich."

Retracting his gaze to the second layer of the city, looking at the group of men and women lined up in four queues under Mei’s guidance. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he fell into a slight contemplation about the disposition of this group of family members of the councilors, which requires careful consideration.

Their affairs are already significant, and they are involved in a fortune so vast that even the King would be envious, so it definitely cannot simply be thrown out like this. Whether to let them fend for themselves or fall into the hands of the Kingdom poses risks.

Besides, Aiven certainly isn’t some devil; he’s never liked killing people randomly.

After scanning the group of men and women, whose eyes appeared somewhat vacant due to witchcraft control, several times back and forth, Aiven’s eyes gleamed, and he had an idea.

They are close family members of the twenty-two core councilors of the Constitutional Assembly, totaling 116 people, with the majority being women, comprising two-thirds of the total.

Most of these people are standard elite figures of this era. Even the most dissolute among them are at least proficient in grammar, mathematics, and several bouts of swordsmanship.

Among them are talents no less than his top management talent Hawkins, even surpassing him in achievements.

If they were to be roughly detained and subjected to hard labor until death, it would be too much a waste.

Therefore, considering the current severe talent shortage in his territory.

Aiven decided to personally transform their appearance from the genetic level, and then let Olivia implant false memories from the spiritual level. On the premise of maintaining their self, turn them into loyal and capable subordinates.

Then.

Originally the Political Prisoners of the Alliance, the various councilors’ families would disappear from the face of existence. After their transformation, they would take on the identities of merchant descendants whose families had fallen on hard times, becoming Aiven’s high-end talent reserve.

Even the least among them could be sent out to serve as grammar teachers to the Atrean people, who are being steadily integrated due to the increasingly intense Spirit Tide, helping them integrate into the warm family of Georgia Territory.

Snap—

Aiven snapped his fingers lightly.

"No need to kill, yet accomplishing multiple things at once. The original accumulation and talent reserve are already in place, this big gift is truly considerate."

....

At this moment, the evening glow began to emanate a red light on the horizon.

And after enduring a great battle, both sides’ navies have all docked ashore.

After the Alliance Army handled the prisoners of war, they divided into dozens of small units. Under the command of a large number of grassroots officers, they advanced inland at the first opportunity, where they would first station in the capitals of the nearby counties.

Subsequently, the troop transport ships following from the Alliance would deliver a massive Alliance Army to Ilya, collaborating with them to completely eradicate the remnants of the capitalists’ forces.

The first city to be liberated from the capitalists’ "claws" is Hereford City beneath their feet.

The city’s civilians lined the streets, shouting:

"Long live the Alliance!"

"The warriors of the Goddess have come to rescue us!"

"We are still Tulip People, not slaves of the Ilya Republic!"

After enduring three months of devastation from the capitalists, the populace was practically offering food and drink to welcome the Royal Army, hardly remembering their bitter resentment and desire to annihilate the nobility and royal family from before, gnashing their teeth in rage?

Thus, happiness is indeed made by comparison.

During this period, they were not only slaves to industrialization, but also food for ghouls. Although life wasn’t great in the past either, compared to now, it was almost heavenly!

After the complete liberation and pacification of Hereford City, the Alliance Army advanced swiftly.

If the Alliance Army hadn’t followed Aiven’s strategic planning at the beginning, and instead rushed over immediately upon the third-tier people’s uprising, represented by the capitalists just having completed.

They would only be facing plebeians desperately resisting to safeguard their uprising gains, how could it be anything like the current ease and gratification?

This also proves once again that Aiven’s guiding ideology, which understood class conflict, was not wrong.

Therefore.

Once Aiven finished dealing with his spoils, he brought his sister and Olivia back to Hereford City, which had turned into a military camp. "Thunderbolt Halberd", who was presiding over the overall situation here, found him immediately.

"Master Galliot, is there anything you think the next strategic development of the Alliance needs to take note of?"

In front of Aiven, whose military rank was merely Major General, Augustus held no airs of a Titled Knight.

Understanding it clearly.

Despite being a Tier 4, he himself had no record of slaying a Tier 4, but this fierce person, who appeared scholarly, nearly achieved a dual Tier 4 kill as a Tier 3 High-Rank Wizard, and even dealing with his kind wouldn’t be tougher than Hawkins and Pickman.

As the number one honoree of this war and also the main designer of the strategic planning, he simply hadn’t stood at the forefront before the war began.

"Your Excellency Augustus, you are too kind. The guiding ideology is not wrong, and the strategic direction already has a complete plan. The remaining work is just to let the soldiers freely perform according to the actual situation.

The only thing to pay attention to is to enforce military discipline, as it is now a crucial moment for the alliance to rebuild the trust of the Ilya citizens. It is essential to restore the image of ’Royal Authority’ in the hearts of the people, which is the premise of all subsequent unification work."

"Alright, I understand, I will arrange it immediately..."

Augustus nodded solemnly, clearly already treating his words as golden rules.

Anita and Olivia, following Aiven, looked at their brother (fiancé)’s back, simultaneously filled with an inexplicable emotion. This feeling of teaching a Kingdom Guardian how to do things is simply... exhilarating!

Suddenly.

Bong! Bong! Bong!...

As the distant bells rang out in the void, the sky, which was nearing dusk, suddenly brightened again as if time had reversed.

Amidst the city, numerous residents and soldiers looked up, exclaiming "Miracle" and "Angel."

Pieces of feathers, as if condensed from sunlight, fell from the sky, and a sacred yet warm power instantly dispelled the chill of late autumn.

Subsequently.

The severely injured in this war gradually escaped life-threatening danger, while the lightly injured were directly healed, and even those uninjured were radiant with glory.

With the battlefield divine medicine "Penicillin" as a safeguard, the indirect death rate should drop to an unbelievable level.

More profoundly, this large-scale blessing from the Angels indicates that the justice of the victorious side in this war, deciding the future of Tulip, has been recognized by a divine entity.

Three minutes later, the city’s brilliance had gradually dissipated.

However, the light on Aiven’s body became brighter, even gently forming a shining halo with a cross star above his head, illuminating the entire block where he stood.

Then, accompanied by Anita and Olivia’s surprised cries,

nearby priests from the "Black Iron Cross Church" within the alliance fleet had already knelt down, faces fervent, each excited as though they were about to faint at any moment, continually shouting:

"Saint recognized by the divine!"

"Saint Aiven!"

"Saint Aiven!"

Aiven lowered his head, bewildered, looking at the sudden appearance of the black cross badge with an anchor tip on its bottom on the back of his left hand.

Recognizing what this was, his expression instantly became rather interesting:

"Is this the Church’s... Sacred Mark? Representing a status not below a Church Archbishop’s Saint!"

Realizing this is the handiwork of the recently manifesting Saint Angel, he could only feel absurdly amused:

’Brother, can this thing even be forcefully bought and sold? Seriously, I’m at most a casual believer.’

....

In the several days following.

As the alliance’s subsequent dispatched army fully occupied Ilya from all sides, the situation in this turbulent country gradually stabilized.

And the prelude to the alliance’s rewards and recognitions gradually unfolded as commendation orders for their leading contributors started arriving.

Without question, based on Aiven’s achievement in slaying a Tier 4, he already fully qualifies as another Kingdom Guardian. If he were an Orthodox Knight, by this point he would already have enough standing to establish an independent kingdom.

The conferring of titles certainly cannot be too stingy.

Moreover, the Count title from the Upper Council after three years was originally among the Queen’s promises, so naturally it couldn’t be a mere granting of a Count title, Your Majesty the Queen couldn’t afford that face.

Directly skipping the Count to the Marquis in a single leap, becoming one of the kingdom’s premier Great Nobles.

Actually.

Seeing his performance in this battle, the Queen almost wished to directly title him as a Prince, firmly binding him. Unfortunately...

This title promotion was within Aiven’s expectations.

Even during ancient feudal lordship periods, from Marquis onward, a territory could be termed a Marquisate. Apart from political and diplomatic restrictions by the Sovereign State, it enjoys complete autonomy in law, tariff, and other matters.

Not to mention that Aiven’s current base is actually on the distant New Continent across the sea.

Let’s not forget, before obtaining the 120,000 square kilometers of Ugor Island, the Phaletis Kingdom’s mainland area was just over 600,000 square kilometers.

Aiven’s original Georgia Territory (100,000 square kilometers), if placed on the mainland, would be fully qualified as a Duke’s territory, let alone a Viscount’s.

Setting aside the concerns of being forcibly tied to the Church’s chariot, gladly accepting the appetizer of a new title.

Still lingering in Ilya, Aiven, his sister, and Olivia were together looking at the map of the Ilya Kingdom, jointly contemplating the same question:

"So, where should our family’s Marquisate’s second piece of territory be chosen?"