The wind and snow grew increasingly violent, tearing the world into a blur of white.
But on the official road of the Mason Royal City, a breathtakingly massive convoy was advancing firmly toward the capital, braving the bitter cold strong enough to shatter iron.
Behind the carriages were dozens of ore carts from the Kingdom of Qubi, heavy enough to almost crush the ground.
Bardess and those once-arrogant Qubi mine owners now looked like the humblest of servants.
Not only were they guarding the ore, but the gaps in the convoy were also stuffed with golden wheat bundles just snatched from the harvest in Kree Village, still carrying the fragrance of soil and residual warmth.
When the city walls of the Mason Royal City, not luxurious but certainly not dilapidated, appeared on the horizon, the breathing of Bardess and the others quickened.
"Is... is this the capital of Mason?" a Qubi mine owner muttered to himself.
In their expectations, no matter how divinely martial Queen Sophia was, the Mason Royal City should have been a backward fortress filled with wailing, muddy streets, and frozen bones scattered everywhere.
But when the heavy city gates crashed open before them, the scene revealed completely overturned their cognition.
The streets were not luxurious; there were no flashy golden sculptures like in the Royal City of the Kingdom of Orr, nor the chaotic stone gambling markets of the Kingdom of Qubi.
The streets here were swept extremely clean, with straight bluestone roads extending into the distance.
Although the houses on both sides were still low, every window seemed to emit a faint but steady firelight.
What made the Qubi people tremble most were the people here.
The subjects shoveling snow by the roadside, the patrolling militia, and even the women sitting in doorways sewing clothes—their faces did not hold the anxiety common to Qubi people worrying about their next meal.
Their eyes were clear and firm. The moment they saw the Black Rose banner, a heartfelt, almost fanatical sense of worship condensed into a terrifying atmospheric pressure named 'cohesion' over the entire city.
How is this a country on the brink of destruction?
Bardess felt chills running down her spine.
This is a monster sharpening its claws and teeth, preparing to devour the world!
Look at the eyes of these people; that is the die-hard loyalty found only when following a True God!
The King of Orr is still calculating those few tons of iron ore; he simply does not know that Queen Sophia has already cast a heart of steel here that will never betray!
When the convoy drove onto the main road, the residents of the Royal City had already spontaneously knelt on both sides.
At first, everyone's gaze was focused on that black carriage, whispering praises to Her Majesty.
But soon, people's attention was attracted by the strange team at the rear.
"Look! That's the symbol of the Kingdom of Qubi! That's their ore team!"
"Heavens, am I seeing things? Those Qubi mine owners who are usually so arrogant their nostrils point to the sky are actually pulling carts for us? Are they acting as grooms for Her Majesty?"
"Is all that ore purchased by Her Majesty?"
Sounds of gasping for breath came from the residents, followed by an eruption of discussion like overturning seas and mountains.
"What do you know! I have a relative serving at the border; he said that at the banquet in the Kingdom of Orr, Her Majesty used just one finger to make thunder descend to the mortal world, directly subduing these barbarians! Now the Kingdom of Qubi has become Her Majesty's private mine!"
"Is it really that ridiculous?"
"Look at those ores! That's refined iron ore! With these, will Miss Irene be able to create more Divine Miracles for us? The improved oil lamps are really easy to use!"
"Don't speak carelessly. Before Her Majesty completely takes down Qubi, don't talk nonsense and disrupt Her Majesty's plan!"
Just then, someone sharp-eyed stared at the gold color exposed behind the carriage.
"Is that wheat?! In this season?!"
A white-haired old farmer threw himself to the roadside, looking at those massive golden wheat ears squeezing out from the cracks in the cart—ears so large they were unreasonable—and burst into tears.
"It's fresh wheat! It hasn't been husked yet, carrying a fresh fragrance! Oh God, this was really harvested on a snowy day! The rumors are true; the trial fields in Kree Village are Her Majesty's Divine Miracle!"
This cry of surprise was like water dripping into a pan of hot oil; the entire Royal City completely boiled over.
"Her Majesty doesn't need seeds at all; she calls out, and the earth must bear fruit in the snow! This is an oracle; this is a Holy War!"
"Those idiots in the Kingdom of Orr are still waiting for the crops in the fields to grow slowly, while our Majesty directly reversed the seasons! Follow Her Majesty, and we will never have famine!"
"Look, there are two beautiful girls on the carriage. I heard they are Princesses of the Kingdom of Orr? Even they have submitted to Her Majesty. What does this prove? It proves that all the glory in this world will belong to Mason!"
Bardess listened to these discussions, cold sweat soaking her undergarments.
In the eyes of these subjects, Sophia was no longer a Queen, but a Ruler who controlled all things and overrode the laws of nature.
Honestly, when she saw Princess Vasha, who was originally supposed to be in a marriage alliance, appear in Mason, she was also surprised. But she subconsciously didn't ask; thinking about it carefully now, it must be that Princess Vasha was also subdued by Her Majesty Sophia's charm.
As for why the King of Orr agreed to let her stay in Mason... the reason was truly unimaginable.
Too terrifying.
Bardess looked at that black carriage, her eyes gradually turning from fear to pure belief. Qubi would join Mason later; even if the King of Qubi didn't plan to join later, in the face of such Divine Miracles, one absolutely could not stand on the opposite side of her!
When the convoy stopped in front of the Palace Square, a crowd of craftsmen was already waiting there.
Watching cart after cart of ore and winter wheat being unloaded, Irene was as happy as a child who had eaten honey, her pink twin-tails trembling in the cold wind.
"Your Majesty!"
Daphne floated to Sophia's carriage window like a gust of golden wind, her emerald eyes shining brightly.
"This bumper harvest is a Divine Miracle; it is a turning point for Mason! I think we should hold a city-wide blessing ceremony! I will use my Saint Glory Magic to cast a Winter Warmth Protection on all the subjects. That way, everyone's bodies will be better during the coming cold winter, and they can also feel Her Majesty's benevolence!"
Sophia had just swallowed the last mouthful of warm wild berry juice and was missing that down bed with three extra thick layers in her Bedchamber.
A city-wide blessing? And holding a ceremony?
Sophia wanted to refuse, but she turned her head to take a look.
Vasha was holding a ledger, her expression solemn as she prepared to record this scene of historical significance.
Delilah pressed her hand on her longsword, her eyes full of anticipation.
Outside the square, the subjects of the Royal City were looking eagerly at this place, waiting for their God.
Fine.
It makes some sense.
After all, this counts as an extremely huge bumper harvest for Mason. In the past, the grain grown near the Mason Royal City plus the nearby small villages probably wasn't even as much as this harvest from Kree Village alone.
Furthermore, it was currently winter. To have a bumper harvest when grain was hard to come by and people could easily starve to death was inherently something exciting.
Thus, Sophia slowly walked out of the carriage with Willow's support.
That flowing dark black long dress, set against the white snow, revealed a kind of ultimate coldness and majesty.
"Granted."
Sophia spat out one word coolly.
"As you command! Justice magic descends at this moment!"
Daphne was very happy; she really wanted to do something for Sophia's country. No, this was her country now too.
The subjects kneeling in the snow heard this and let out cries of surprise one after another.
A celebration ceremony?
There had never been one before.
Even if there was, it was the old kings of past generations scraping together the subjects' things to make a banquet. Ordinary people like them not only didn't get a sip of soup, but they even had to hand over their entire family fortunes for these nobles to enjoy.
With Sophia's decree, the heavy gates of the Kingdom's granary, once regarded as a forbidden zone, slowly opened.
Several Black Rose Guards with immense strength carried bags of heavy aged barley, wheat, and miscellaneous beans through the snow, setting up over a dozen huge raw iron cauldrons on the square in front of the Palace.
The quantity was naturally ordered by Sophia; these were all aged grains that had been stored for a long time, so consuming them first didn't matter at all.
"Light the fires!"
Victor commanded the soldiers to split dry pine wood.
Soon, in the biting cold wind, scalding steam rose into the air carrying the rich aroma of grains. That steaming hot scene, in the pale and cold winter days, was itself a temptation named survival.
The subjects gathered by the roadside didn't blink an eye; they rarely saw so much grain. Were they pouring it all into the pot at once?
"Daphne, it's your turn."
Sophia pulled her cloak tighter, her voice slightly lazy in the cold wind.
"Don't let This Queen's subjects just drink a bellyful of plain water. Add some 'ingredients' for them."
"As you command! I guarantee the mission will be accomplished!"
Daphne responded full of vitality, walking quickly to the row of giant cauldrons.
She didn't use a soup ladle; instead, she lightly swirled her hands. That long golden hair flew in the steam, and sacred light shone in her emerald-like eyes:
"Saint Glory Prayer—Light of Purification and Healing!"
With Daphne's soft shout, specks of fluorescent green light fell into the rolling porridge pots like fireflies in spring. Those dried beans that were originally somewhat shriveled seemed to be re-injected with vitality under the soaking of magic, blooming with a strange luster.
This wasn't some forbidden spell for instant limb regeneration, but an extremely gentle positive BUFF that continuously improved immunity and dispelled cold energy.
When the aroma carrying magic fluctuations wafted out, the queuing subjects felt that just taking a deep breath caused the cold in their lungs to dissipate by more than half.
"Give this pot to our Qubi friends."
Sophia pointed casually to Bardess and her group, who were dumbfounded not far away.
Bardess took the wooden bowl handed to her personally by Willow, feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the favor. She hadn't expected there to be some for them too. Winter was right before their eyes, and grain was very important.
"Many thanks, Your Majesty Sophia."
The bowl walls were thick, feeling warm in her hands. The barley in the bowl had been boiled until it blossomed; the viscous porridge surface floated with a few plump red beans, and the most singular thing was that layer of faint, almost visible fluorescent green halo.
She took a sip carefully.
Boom—
A warm and powerful heat stream instantly exploded down her esophagus. Her limbs and bones, originally stiff from the long journey, felt as if they were being brushed by a spring breeze at this moment. The gloom and cold accumulated in the cracks of her bones were thoroughly expelled by that gentle power in this instant.
This... how was this porridge?
Bardess gripped the bowl tightly, her eyes turning red.
"This is clearly nectar bestowed by a God! In Qubi, even if we mine the most expensive iron ore, we can only exchange it for coarse flour with sand. Yet here, Your Majesty Sophia actually distributes this kind of Divine object with added blessings to every humble subject."
She turned her head to look at the Qubi guards and mine owners behind her. These men, who usually had mouths full of vulgarities, were currently squatting in the snow, sweating profusely as they hugged their bowls and drank. The mercantilism and arrogance originally in their eyes had vanished completely, replaced by a kind of fear and trepidation akin to a pilgrimage.
"We were truly blind before..."
A Qubi guard wiped the porridge stains from his beard, his voice hoarse.
"Everyone rumored that Queen Sophia was a Tyrant, but what Tyrant would bring out such precious grain, even containing magic power, to relieve the commoners? She is cleansing our souls!"
Bardess looked at the pots of hot porridge that showed no sign of bottoming out; her internal deduction had reached its peak.
Her Majesty Sophia's move is absolutely not simple charity.
She wants to establish a brand new bloodline connection that transcends national borders through this Holy Water-like food.
When the Qubi people drink Mason's grain and Her Majesty's Holy Light flows in their bodies, from now on, who will still care about that King of Orr far away on the horizon?
Our stomachs, our lives, and our souls will all be branded with the mark of the Black Rose from now on!
Even if Qubi really couldn't merge with Mason in the future, when they saw the word 'Mason', or when they saw those pale golden Queen's pupils, their souls would tremble.
Meanwhile, looking at this group of Qubi people drinking enthusiastically with eyes gradually becoming fanatical, Sophia just silently calculated in her heart:
Seeing this bunch of Qubi people drinking so deliciously, they will definitely brag about Mason to their King when they go back, right? After all, one's mouth is soft after eating others' food, and one's hand is short after taking others' things.
Sophia always felt that the Qubi people definitely still had other mines. After all, a country of so many years, although small, had survived for so long; they definitely had their means of self-preservation.
Snowflakes continued to fall, but in these bowls of steaming hot porridge, the will of the Kingdom of Mason was taking root and sprouting in everyone's heart at an unprecedented speed.
Just then, Sophia stood on the high platform. The wind and snow rolled up her cape as her pale golden pupils overlooked the common people beneath her feet.
At a time like this, according to the script, I have to say something, right? Keep it simple, finish talking quickly, and go back to eat hot noodle soup. I'll have Willow fry a steak to go with it.
Sophia took a deep breath. Her voice wasn't loud, but it was cold, heavy, and extremely penetrating, causing everyone to look over involuntarily.
"Subjects of Mason."
The entire venue fell instantly deathly silent.
"This golden wheat is not a gift from the heavens, but the echo of your hands. This Queen brought back ore, brought back seeds, and also brought back Truth. In this winter, small countries will tremble, and plains will wither, but Mason..."
Sophia paused, her gaze sweeping over those kneeling Qubi people like a sharp blade, finally landing on her own subjects, her tone suddenly rising high:
"—Mason will be the only spring! From this day forth, where This Queen stands is immortal. Follow This Queen, and turn this world into the appearance you desire!"
"Mason Immortal!!!"
"Long live Your Majesty!!!"
"Sophia—Mason—!!!"
Shouts like a tsunami completely shattered the gloomy clouds in the sky. That terrifying sense of conviction made Bardess and the others collapse completely onto the ground.
This was no longer the mobilization of a country.
This was the awakening of a Divine Authority.
Sophia expressed satisfaction with the subjects' response. She had been afraid that shouting like that was a bit too 'over-the-top'. But seeing the subjects' cooperative and reverent appearance, that sliver of shame in Sophia's heart from being too dramatic was completely dispelled.
Late at night.
Sophia finally shrunk back into her warm blanket as she had wished.
The firelight from the greenhouse reflected on the window lattice, and the strengthening liquid with added honey that Daphne had just sent over was still steaming by the bedside.
"Phew, I'm exhausted. But looking at everyone's reaction, the labor force this winter should be able to operate at full load."
She turned her head to look out the window.
In every corner of the Royal City, people were spontaneously gathering around fires, discussing the spring of Mason that Her Majesty spoke of.
Meanwhile, in the laboratory next door, Irene was sitting amidst a pile of messy ore samples and hand-drawn sketches. Her eyes, originally azure like a clear sky, were currently staring dead at the snow water gradually melting and refreezing outside the window.
"Tsk, this kind of street, these kinds of facilities... one step and your foot is covered in mud. It's simply a disgrace to civilization."
Irene fiercely scratched her pink twin-tails, pushing open the window with some irritation.
The cold wind poured in carrying snowflakes, but her attention was entirely on the ground below—the road surface that had been crushed by the heavy ore carts of the Kingdom of Qubi.
Even though the main road of the Mason Royal City was paved with bluestone slabs, under such high-intensity heavy pressure and the invasion of wind and snow, dark mud began to seep out from the cracks between the slabs. The boots of those subjects running around to celebrate the harvest were covered in heavy, wet, cold mud; every step left a glaring stain.
"The houses too."
Irene turned her head, looking at those uneven private houses in the distance.
Although there were greenhouses and grain, most of the buildings in the Mason Royal City still used rough stones, timber, and yellow mud mixed with hay as binders. Once it reached severe winter or the continuous rainy season, this structure would not only leak wind easily but would even develop cracks due to water freezing and expanding.
"Her Majesty went through so much trouble to bring back so much high-quality ore. If we still use these broken stones and rotten mud to build warehouses and factories, that would simply be a blasphemy to me, this genius Great Inventor!"
Images of those reinforced concrete forests soaring into the clouds from her past life instantly floated in Irene's mind.
In this era, wanting to create alloy steel might still take time, but if she couldn't even light up the most basic 'infrastructure maniac' attribute, how could she keep her position as the Chief Favorite Subject?
"Limestone, clay, iron ore slag..."
Irene's fingertips slid over the scraps of those Qubi ores, her eyes getting brighter and brighter.
"Got it! This is it! I'm going to turn this muddy wasteland into an eternal monolith!"
"Your Majesty—! Your Majesty the Queen! Don't sleep anymore, I have a major civilization process to report to you—!"
Sophia, who was currently having a sweet dream about a fully automatic salted fish turning machine in her warm blanket, was startled into sitting up abruptly by this shout full of vitality.
She looked at the pink twin-tailed girl who pushed the door open and entered, face covered in black soot but eyes fanatical, and held back the impulse to call someone to chop Irene up. She couldn't count how many times she had been woken up by this woman in various ways during her sweet dreams.
"Irene, This Queen must have owed you a universe in a past life. What time is it? To report work at this time... are you a devil?"
Sophia forced herself to hold onto that sliver of low pressure caused by being woken up, her pale golden pupils flickering with helpless light in the darkness.
"Forget it, speak. If it's not an invention that can let This Queen eat without personally getting out of bed today, you'd better have a sufficient reason."
Hearing this, Irene knew Her Majesty definitely didn't intend to blame her, so she walked over happily, completely disregarding Sophia's resentment. She slapped a sketch covered in dense scribbles onto Sophia's nightstand with a pa sound.
"Your Majesty! Look at those roads! Those houses! They are too terrible, too dirty, too fragile!"
Irene pointed outside.
"We want to build bigger factories to process these Qubi ores, and we need sturdier granaries to store the Divine Miracles from Kree Village. And now, I found a kind of 'grey magic'. I call it—Cement!"
"Cement?"
Sophia rubbed her temples, the grey building material from her past life instantly floating in her mind. In this world interwoven with Divine Authority and a tiny bit of magic, mentioning 'cement' really changed the art style a bit.
"Yes! As long as limestone, clay, and those ore waste slags are calcined at high temperature according to the ratio, then ground into powder, after adding water, it can turn into a material even harder than rock!"
Irene got more excited as she spoke.
"We can use it to pave avenues as smooth as mirrors; that way, even if Your Majesty's carriage speeds, it won't be bumpy. We can use it to build sturdy fortresses that never leak rain, are bulletproof and fireproof! Most importantly, it's relatively cheap! It can let every Mason citizen live in a house as solid as stone!"
Sophia's originally muddled consciousness instantly sobered up by more than half upon hearing that the carriage wouldn't bump and the houses wouldn't need repairs.
Oh... this can indeed happen.
Since she decided to be an immortal Tyrant, she couldn't let her Royal City look like a pile of mud. Moreover, if the roads were fixed, wouldn't she be able to sit in a more comfortable soft sedan chair when inspecting the trial fields in the future?
"Granted."
Sophia spoke coolly, her voice carrying the calmness of a superior.
"Victor will coordinate with you to mobilize manpower. Irene, what This Queen hopes to see is not just a few bags of grey powder, but the skeleton of the entire Kingdom of Mason being completely reshaped."
Just as the two were discussing, Victor and several Black Rose Close Guards patrolling quietly in the palace looked at the Bedchamber emitting firelight. Hearing words like "reshape the skeleton" and "harder than rock" coming from inside, they fell into deep shock once again.
"Did you hear that..."
The quill in Victor's hand was trembling.
"Her Majesty and Miss Irene... they are discussing how to petrify the earth. Her Majesty not only wants to bestow grain upon the citizens, but she also wants to drape an immortal armor over the entirety of Mason!"
"This Divine object named 'Cement' must be an extension of Her Majesty's Divine Authority. She wants to thoroughly refine this muddy land, sealing all disloyalty and chaos beneath a hard stone layer. This is building an Eternal Sanctuary!"
The Royal Guards looked at each other, their eyes filled with awe.
In their view, Queen Sophia not only mastered life and destruction, but now she was even starting to control the essence of this earth. But they all tacitly continued to pretend they hadn't heard. Within this Palace, the more small soldiers in their positions knew, the shorter their lives would be. Although Her Majesty the Queen was benevolent to them, they also had to be clear about their identities.
"I'll go do it right away! Your Majesty, wait for my good news!"
Irene excitedly rolled up the sketch and ran far away like a gust of wind.
Sophia fell heavily back onto the down pillow, feeling the residual warmth coming from the fireplace.
Infrastructure...
Truly a job that burns both money and manpower. However, since the Qubi people sent over so much free ore slag, it would indeed be a pity not to utilize it.
Meanwhile, in the laboratory on the other side, Irene had already begun frantically directing apprentices to move limestone and clay. She looked at those pitch-black ore slags, a somewhat confident smile revealed at the corner of her mouth:
"Sophia, just you watch. I'm going to use these grey stones to stack your Kingdom of Mason into the most indestructible fortress in this world. At that time, let's see who still dares to call you a Tyrant. They will only call you—The Creator of Miracles."
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