Chapter 1397 - 594: Mogiana Returns (Part 2)

Chapter 1397: Chapter 594: Mogiana Returns (Part 2)

She thought back to what had happened during the Winter Festival.

"Oh? Go ahead and try." The Dark Elf’s face was full of irritation, while her smile grew even sweeter. "You think just because you’ve got that cup you can beat me?"

One second, the room was still having a serious discussion about Internal Affairs; the next second, a duel looked like it was about to break out.

"Ollica!" Laine could only helplessly step in and stop her. "We’re talking business!"

"...Hmph~" The Dark Elf nodded, clearly unhappy. In her head she was thinking, isn’t this woman always using ’talking business’ as an excuse to come find you, and then somehow the talk always ends up rolling somewhere else?

These days, with Teresa and Veronica both in seclusion cultivating, and Surya pregnant, it had been the Dark Elf enjoying Laine all to herself. Now that this woman was back, of course the Dark Elf was annoyed.

Once Ollica was steadied, Laine immediately took Mogiana’s hand, holding it to signal her to calm down.

Feeling her hand held by Laine, and the warmth coming from his large palm, Mogiana’s face instantly flushed, her body turned soft, and any trace of anger vanished. She extended her slender jade-like finger and traced a number in Laine’s palm.

5.

The muscles in Laine’s face twitched.

The Duke could only nod to indicate he understood.

With the topic interrupted like that, it was hard to pick it up again without it getting messy, so Laine simply moved on to the next matter. "Mogiana, I need your help. I want to transfer a batch of people out from the Church."

"No problem, we’ll send people to assist you." Mogiana squeezed Laine’s hand and nodded. As Lake God Witch, this was something they had been discussing for a long time.

Laine was about to start building his own bureaucratic system.

And to build a bureaucracy, he absolutely needed the Church’s help.

On this point, not even the nobility could manage it.

Those who get it, get it.

So Laine could only turn to the Lake Fairy Church for help, because the Lake Fairy Church was his staunch supporter—especially in recent years, with the success of Laine’s reforms, the Lake Fairy Church had received a huge boost in fiscal income from Tithing and donations from nobles and merchants. Many Free People had even begun to feel proud of generously donating grain and coin to the Lake Fairy Church, because it made them feel that they were contributing to the country.

Relying on this greatly increased revenue, the Lake Fairy Church now had more wealth to cultivate more talent, providing more possibilities for Laine’s reforms.

Even more precious was that the Lake Fairy Church had consistently maintained relative integrity and efficiency.

So, being a church organization as well, why is it that after a thousand years of development the Lake Fairy Church hasn’t become as highly bureaucratized as the Empire’s churches?

You know.

It couldn’t be helped: compared to the Empire across the mountains, Brittania’s administrative capacity did lag quite a bit, but in the area of church management, it was actually much more advanced~

After finishing that discussion, Laine and Mogiana talked a bit about the industrial belt along the river at Musillon.

In fact, Brittania’s technology for using water-powered hammers to produce plate armor and weapons was very mature, because it was copied wholesale from the High Elves—and many of the technological levels of the Elf Empire at its peak still haven’t been caught up to by humans today.

In this regard, Laine planned to follow the Empire’s example by integrating Dwarf and High Elf technology to forge new, superior arms and armor, then carry out large-scale re-equipping of his Knights.

With Surya pregnant, there really weren’t many people he could discuss these miscellaneous matters with. Taking advantage of Mogiana’s return, Laine simply went through them with her and settled many decisions and directions for reforms.

Unconsciously, by the time everything was discussed, it was already evening.

"Mogiana, are you staying here tonight, or going back to the high tower?" Laine thought to himself that they really had talked for a long time.

"Tonight I’m staying with you." Mogiana said with firm certainty, a faint smile rising on her breathtaking face. "Or do you have other plans?"

"Uh... no." Laine also smiled. He gently drew Mogiana closer, and the Duke whispered in the Lake God Witch’s ear, "I’ve been craving your cooking, Mogiana."

The Lake God Witch’s emerald eyes flashed with astounding brilliance. "You only want to eat my cooking?"

"We can have dinner together, Mogiana, and then we can..." Laine decided to take the initiative for once—what was the point of always being passive? He was a Duke, destined to become King in the future. If he didn’t completely win Mogiana over, how would he ever master supreme power?

"Well then, let’s see how you perform." As expected, the Lake God Witch was very satisfied with Laine’s answer. "Just the two of us, don’t invite that Dark Elf!"

"All right, just the two of us." Laine nodded with a smile.

......I’m the ’just the two of us’ dividing line......

Six hours later, deep in the night, in the castle’s master bedroom, the cooling runes were activated.

On a soft armchair, Mogiana, wearing a silk nightdress of rippling snowy brocade and faintly shimmering colors, lay against Laine’s chest, her face flushed and lazily content, like a fish blowing bubbles. Laine gently embraced her, letting her sit on his lap.

The two of them were enjoying the calm after the storm.

"You really plan to send five hundred children to Nuer to study abroad?" Mogiana lightly wrapped an arm around Laine’s neck, while the pair of crystalline jade feet under her skirt, wrapped in white velvet swan-down stockings, gently swung back and forth. The Lake God Witch was in a wonderful mood, and casually asked, "Aren’t you worried they’ll run into problems?"

"What problems could they run into?" Laine let out a long breath. After more than a month apart, Mogiana had become even clingier.

"For example... they don’t finish their studies, or they finish but don’t want to come back?" Mogiana still had some worries about Laine’s study-abroad plan. The Lake God Witch voiced her concern. "They’re too young."

Mogiana didn’t openly oppose Laine’s study-abroad plan. The Great Nobles of Brittania also sometimes sent their children to the Empire to study. What she worried about was whether these Peasant children would be limited in aptitude, or simply decide to stay in the Empire and never plan to return.

"Don’t take it so hard, Mogiana. Out of five hundred, it’s impossible for all of them to become outstanding. But as long as half of them manage to finish their studies, that would already be a tremendous achievement." Laine chuckled. "Their families are here. Besides, they all feel a strong sense of identification with this place and a sense of mission. They worship me too. Maybe a few of them really will want to stay in Nuer, but that’ll definitely be a tiny minority."

"Will they be able to adapt to life there? Nuer is the Old World’s largest industrial and academic center." Mogiana was still somewhat torn. Sending five hundred children to Nuer was something Laine had negotiated with Amelia for Eight Thousand Gold Crowns. That money could just as well be given to the Lake Fairy Church to cultivate people here!

"Some trouble adapting to life is unavoidable." Hearing this, Laine snarked, "What, you want me to notify Amelia and have her assign three study companions to every Brittania student? And then have the professors and officers at Nuer University and the Nuer Gunpowder Academy each learn a few Brittania slang phrases so these kids can feel at home?"

"Pff~ Hahaha~" Mogiana was amused by Laine, and the Lake God Witch couldn’t help but press her lips together and chuckle. Being with Laine was always this fun and relaxing. As long as she was with him, Mogiana felt her mood lift.

Seeing Laine talk like this, Mogiana knew his mind was made up and didn’t press the issue further. "All right then, since you insist, we’ll do it your way."

"Mm."

With Mogiana’s return and the rebellion quelled, Laine finally could free himself a little from the crushing burden of Internal Affairs, because as the Lake Fairy’s representative in the Mortal World, the Lake God Witch could help Laine handle state affairs and lighten his load.

However, the castle’s close attendants and maids sometimes quietly gossiped that after freeing himself from heavy Internal Affairs, Duke Laine occasionally looked even more worn out than before, while Her Highness Mogiana was often glowing, full of energy, and her skin seemed to have improved.

It was really rather strange.

Time moved into mid-August, and Surya’s due date was gradually approaching.

At this time, after a long trek, Fugen and Angerong finally arrived in Laine’s domain.

"Brother Fugen, Brother Angerong, you’ve finally arrived!"