Chapter 153: Construction of Clancia
Clancia, the capital, Solande City.
The former Westwind Royal City is now the capital of Clancia, with the headquarters of the Council of Stars also located here. After several months of discussion and planning, the basic framework of the nation has been established, with six major departments under the parliament: agriculture, education, commerce, industry, construction, and justice. More departments may be added in the future as needed, but for now, these six departments are the primary focus.
Although the Westwind royal family and most of its armed forces were defeated, many regions, especially remote areas, still have private armies of nobles that need to be eliminated.
Currently, the major cities in the country are still under military control. Local administrative bodies will gradually take over once suitable personnel become available. Due to the limited number of educated individuals, most of whom came from noble families, there is a concern about preventing the resurgence of old ideologies. Therefore, any mid- to high-level positions in the current government prohibit noble offspring from serving.
“Thus, issues related to education must be addressed immediately.”
In the grand hall of the former royal palace, a large table was set up with maps of Clancia and its surroundings. Around the table sat a circle of people. Pulman sat at the head, with others seated beside him around the table.
The former bard Torlan proposed his suggestions at the meeting. As a poet, he had deep knowledge of literature and history and had traveled extensively. After the founding of the nation, he became the leader of the education department.
“The workload for building schools isn’t too heavy, but the issue lies in finding teachers,” said a scholar from the Ministry of Industry, pushing his glasses up further.
“Our pre-revolutionary propaganda was mainly aimed at quick dissemination and rapid learning, focusing on literacy, ideology, and discipline. However, if schools are to teach, they should also include mathematics, legal codes, and history.”
In the former Westwind Kingdom, scholars mostly came from noble families without inheritance rights. They either joined the military as officers or clerks, or stayed home to help their brothers manage the family business.
If these former noble offspring were to become teachers, it would mislead students and set a bad example.
“As for the issue of teachers, there’s no need to worry,” Pulman recalled the letter he received a few days ago, smiling as he wrote notes on the table with his remaining right arm.
“Is there a solution, Pulman?” asked a short figure at the table, still wearing a hooded cloak and concealing their face.
“Yes, Wei. You might find this familiar; they come from the Tixilan Mountains.”
“Are they the rabbit-eared people?” the short figure slowly repeated, as if recalling something.
“Is this assistance from the Sage?” Torlan curiously asked, with others looking at Pulman with similar curiosity.
“Yes, they are the students and students’ students of the teacher. Unfortunately, the teacher is unwilling to return. She said she might influence our judgment because she knows our land better than anyone else. Her guidance might not be ideal. However, she agreed to review our plans and point out any flaws.”
“So that’s it. I’m actually quite curious about the appearance of Empress Lolan Hill. I remember you used to boast about how beautiful your teacher was, saying she was the most beautiful woman in the world, even more so than the goddess statues in temples.”
The others present, some who joined early and some late, were also intrigued and waited for Pulman’s response.
“Well, I did exaggerate back then,” Pulman said with a nostalgic smile.
“But, in this regard, I didn’t lie. Even after seeing the princesses of Westwind and the daughters of great nobles recently, my teacher remains the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.”
“You’ve talked about this for years. Why don’t you draw her?”
One of his companions finally couldn’t hold back and loudly complained, always raising expectations only to leave them unfulfilled, which was frustrating.
“I’m not good at drawing. Everyone knows that. Let’s not tarnish the teacher’s image.”
“Again, sigh. Forget it, don’t expect anything from you.”
Despite Pulman being the highest leader of the nation, most of those sitting with him were comrades-in-arms from the past. There was no need for formalities, and discussions sometimes felt like casual chats. However, they would take key issues seriously.
“Next year’s main task will be spring farming and road construction.”
After a brief pause, Pulman summarized.
“We aim to develop more farmland, with the army organizing and leading. Then we’ll repair and open up several major domestic routes. This will not only greatly enhance our control and influence over various regions, stabilize order, but also facilitate the circulation of resources within the country, ensuring the smooth flow of essential items such as grain and salt and iron.”
After summarizing, everyone basically agreed except for the short figure who raised another matter.
“We must be cautious about the frost roses in the south.”
“Did you discover something?” a loud-voiced general nearby asked.
“Yes, they sent quite a few people here and even tried to persuade some to join them, heh.”
“The frost roses rely on instilling fear and anxiety about the Verdant to recruit people. They haven’t proposed any substantial progress measures.”
“While this idea sounds outdated to us, it’s still attractive compared to the old feudal systems in the other seven nations of Snow Flower. After we defeated Westwind, they even claimed to be the rightful successors of Westwind, intending to fulfill King Roland’s aspirations by uniting and defeating the Verdant.”
“Is that all? I thought they wanted to unify the continent and conquer the entire Ivar World like the Mercury Dynasty. Even their grandiose claims are modest.”
“The Verdant Empire is also problematic, aligning itself with the forest elves. Have they forgotten the enmity between both sides in the previous era?”
“This is due to the chaos caused by the Cataclysm a thousand years ago. After all, the forest elves played a significant role, and eventually, both sides put aside their prejudices.”
The Verdant Empire is a rare dual-monarchy state, with emperors always being twins. This tradition dates back to the empire’s origin. In the third era, Year 1259, Prince Alin of the Moonlit Kingdom entered the Emerald Forest alone to negotiate with the Elven Queen. The details are unknown, but soon after, it was announced that the Moonlit King would marry the Elven Queen Titania, and the Emerald Forest was incorporated into the kingdom and renamed the Verdant Kingdom.
With the strong support of the forest elves, the military, technology, and wealth of the Verdant Kingdom improved dramatically. It soon embarked on an expansion journey, and after generations of effort, the Verdant Kingdom was renamed the Verdant Empire, occupying about 50% of the Western Continent. Several centuries ago, the Seven Nations Alliance was formed, and the 2.6 million allied troops of the Seven Nations met the Verdant Empire in battle at the Heavenly Enlightenment Fortress in the Sighing Mountains, known as the Battle of Broken Bows.
~End of Chapter~
