September 27th marked the final day of the Central Committee meeting.

Due to rain, the final summary was delayed by two days, only to be postponed to a gloomy day.

According to His Holiness the Pope's instructions, the ceremony was simplified, quickly allowing all levels of monastery heads and representatives to return to work.

Raindrops floated in the air, and rain shelters were erected in the audience area, with rain making the ground spotted black and white like scars.

Amidst the drizzle, it was Catherine, the head of the Saintly Industrial Oversight Bureau, responsible for all Saint-owned factories and monasteries, who announced a series of new initiatives.

Such as agreeing to the "Anti-trust Law" submitted by some representatives.

Such as the establishment of a new judicial department and the appointment of Jeanne as the head of the judiciary—previously, people thought she couldn't beat Jia Li and had been forced out of the Holy Alliance core.

Such as the "Steel Guild Handling Plan" now being read by Catherine.

According to this "Plan," the Steel Guild will undergo buyout and restructuring in the next five months.

According to Catherine's report, she will personally lead an accounting team and review group to North Mangde County for economic auditing.

Mines and smelters with too low output and substandard quality will be shut down.

Those with low productivity ratios, low working hour utilization, and low input-output ratios will be shut down and restructured.

Ineffective artisans and managers will be eliminated, and current artisans, assistants, and managers will undergo military-style training.

At the same time, the internal pricing power of the Steel Guild will be revoked and managed by the restructured Saint Hammer Monastery.

The same contract system will remain, with the Saint Hammer Monastery receiving tasks from the Imperial Cardinal Conference and subcontracting them to these mine owners and smelters.

If they do well, they will be transferred to better-treated and higher-level smelters and mines, or even more advanced institutions.

If they don't perform well, they will be transferred downward, eventually sent to write yearbooks.

Mine owners can continue to enjoy usage and operation rights of the mines, but no longer own them; this part will be converted to stocks.

Mines and smelters can even merge and acquire each other internally, but it must be done within the framework of the Saint Hammer Monastery.

At the same time, these mines and smelters must accept the dissemination of new technologies and regulations formulated by the Holy Alliance, such as minimum personal protection for miners.

"Such economic audits occur once every four years, occasionally with surprise inspections.

Not just for the Saint Hammer Monastery, audits will also be conducted for other monopoly industries owned by saints.

The Holy Alliance aims to use minimal cost and expense to obtain the most products and benefits."

As the Director of the Saintly Industrial Oversight Bureau, Catherine's sharp gaze swept across the abbots, forcing them to bow their heads.

As for the audience on stage, they applauded vigorously.

"...Daring words, isn't it just an audit? Making it sound so suspenseful."

Duke Labon retrieved hidden alcohol from his groin, pouring out the tea, and treating himself to a nice drink.

With a sip, his cheeks turned a slight shade of red.

With a hint of intoxication, he picked up the bottle, offering Carzani a drink: "Care for a glass?"

Looking at the bottle retrieved from the groin, Carzani shook his hand, politely declining.

His attention was instead drawn to the meeting hall, where Catherine was explaining the content of the tariff agreements.

"...Considering the demands of the Holy Alliance believers, we have negotiated with the Falan envoy to lower tariffs on high-end furniture and fabrics…"

"...Meanwhile, we agree to slightly increase tariffs on spices and white sugar…"

"...However, as a trade-off, Falan agreed to lift the export restrictions on magical beast innards, expanding the export scale…"

Admittedly, to reach this level of negotiation, Carzani looked at Duke Labon with newfound respect.

After enduring so many events and pressures of failure, Duke Labon managed to persuade the Holy Alliance to make certain concessions.

Although the glass trade was let go, at least King Jiji was gained.

Carzani didn't even know how he achieved this; behind this tariff agreement, it wasn't just about the Holy Alliance, but Falan's involvement too.

The slightly tipsy Duke Labon was also puzzled—how did he do it anyway?

Could the Holy Alliance have been intimidated by Falan's strength and voluntarily submitted?

Or had his charming demeanor bewitched that witch Catherine?

Alas, what if Catherine genuinely took an interest in him?

She's a Witch, what if the Saint's Grandson gets jealous and assassinates him?

Oh well, who cares! At any rate, he had passed Lord Lorenzo's test!

Even though it was alcohol from his groin, Labon, after a glass, forgot his worries and troubles, listening drowsily to Catherine's voice resonating in the hall.

"...Additionally, there's an important matter to inform everyone.

Recently, the Falan Kingdom plans to pay a ransom to the Holy Alliance with glass-making technology and various charters to redeem King Leia Ginijis..."

The moment Catherine had not even finished speaking, the venue erupted into an uproar.

That was Ginijis, the most detested King Leia by the people. Could they possibly be planning to restore him to the throne?

"No, he mustn't be allowed back."

"This executioner should be hanged!"

"How can we let him return? Is this your decision, Your Holiness?"

Contrary to the angry shouts in the audience, there was jubilation inside King Jiji's viewing box.

"Wonderful, His Highness can be released."

"Your Highness, once you're out, you can become brotherly nations with His Highness Charles VIII. The land of windmills is less important than a crown."

"Your Highness... are we on the ransom list?"

Silence immediately fell within the viewing room, King Jiji said nothing, but the other three were well aware.

They still had to continue cultivating wasteland and weaving wool at the Holy Trinity Monastery, with no end to their imprisonment in sight.

Yet as Ginijis was about to be released, he showed no sign of joy; instead, his face grew even uglier.

He already had some foresight regarding his future fate.

After consuming the land of windmills, the Falan Kingdom could not annex Leia in one gulp but had to first establish a puppet regime.

Coincidentally, from a legal standpoint, the real king of the Leia Kingdom was still Ginijis.

Once the land of windmills was fought over, the embargo lifted, a puppet king established, and the impact of aggressive expansion minimized.

After five or six years, once the land of windmills was digested and people became gradually less sensitive to King Jiji's aggression, they would take another bite.

Then continue to repeat this cycle, each time having King Jiji sign a surrender treaty, exhausting the loyalty of the populace and the Lanfeng Dynasty, which was the most stable and efficient way of annexation.

Moreover, alternating between war and peace allowed for more flexibility, especially when keeping an eye on the rising power of the Holy Alliance.

The future, so unpredictable...

"The future is promising! The Holy Alliance has a promising future!" Amidst a wave of skepticism, Alexei remained silent.

He kept his head down, looking at the thick notebook filled over time, finally making up his mind.

"Gloev, regarding this four-year plan for studying abroad, I've made my decision."

Both Gloev and Theomir looked up, surprised at the young Bear Master's statement, unsure what this would entail.

Alexei firmly looked at the two: "I've decided to study in the Holy Alliance for three years, travel in Falan for half a year, and in Norn for another half-year.

Then, I will return to my hometown. I will spend ten years unifying the Bear Castle Territory, ten years developing the Bear Castle Territory, and ten years catching up with the ry Court Barracks.

After thirty years, I want the Bear Castle Territory to be more prosperous than the Holy Alliance, and Fat Cow Castle more flourishing than the ry Court Barracks!"

By the latter part of his statement, Alexei's voice was already drowned out by the crowd's shouts because the Saint's Grandson had stood up.

Convincing these believers was no difficult task for Horn.

Jokingly, he said he felt like a dwarf sitting on a chair, because the chair had been ordered too large.

Why was it made too large? Because the Holy Alliance did not have one of its own and needed to import.

He then steered the topic toward how the Holy Alliance currently needed development, no longer the survival like before, and that even if King Jiji were returned, he still had the means to defeat him.

Finally, he stated that eliminating King Jiji was meaningless, as the Holy Alliance aimed to eradicate the crown of Leia, not the king himself.

Only those foolish nobles would sacrifice precious craftsmanship and talent for a king.

With just a few words, the audience, though feeling the situation favored King Jiji, sat quietly, waiting for Horn's final speech.

"... Today marks the end of the central assembly, but not the end of the Holy Alliance's reform, because the next four-year plan is about to commence.

Four years is short, but enough for the Holy Alliance to be reborn!

By 1457, our economy will no longer be at the mercy of others.

Imagine a tripling of steel production, an annual pig iron output breaking 10,000 tonnes, factories spread across towns, self-sufficient food supply...

Citizens and workers cycling between factories and homes, farmers pressing levers to thresh automatically.

Soldiers using breech-loading clockwork rifles, eating canned food from canning factories, boarding clockwork engine-driven transport ships heading to the front lines.

Four years ago, we could never have imagined our current life; now, we can no longer imagine our life four years from now.

Rest assured, a devil or two cannot halt the tide of history.

Under the generational suppression brought by the technology of divine authority, no matter the kingdom or the brilliance of its crown, all will kneel before the clockwork rifle!"