People always believe they’re more clear-headed than others. When news spread that Count Wesley had converted to the Sun God, the Moon God’s followers would worry that the Sun God’s followers might be fooled by the rumors and turn against them.

  After weighing the pros and cons, Count Mansfield of Thurbanli—a devout Moon God worshipper—would likely take a conservative approach: halting the siege.

  Siege warfare was an exhausting endeavor, especially for an army that had traveled far. Every extra day drained their resources. Once the siege stopped, restarting it would be nearly impossible.

  At that point, Thurbanli’s army would have no choice but to withdraw from Gelu City due to dwindling supplies, morale, and other logistical challenges.

  Of course, this was the ideal scenario. Reality, as always, was unpredictable.

  The worst-case scenario would be that the Sun and Moon God worshippers united, ignoring the rumors entirely, and launched a joint attack on Gelu City.

  But Gelu City was already surrounded on all sides. This was a last-ditch effort—things couldn’t get much worse.

  After Roman finished answering, Rosie remained silent, deep in thought.

  Luo Wei gave her two minutes to think. Then, in a gentle tone, she asked, “Rosie, do you have a different idea?”

  “If you do, speak up. If not, that’s perfectly fine.”

  Roman’s answer had taken the lead, making it difficult for the next person to propose an alternative. Even Luo Wei herself hadn’t been able to think of another solution.

  Rosie raised her head, her tea-colored eyes steady and resolute. “Miss, I don’t know how to make them worship the Sun God. But I do have a way to save them.”

  Luo Wei’s curiosity was piqued. “What’s your idea?”

  Roman turned to look at her as well, intrigued. What could she possibly suggest that he hadn’t already thought of?

  “I know you’re talking about the war in Gelu City,” Rosie began softly, her voice steady. “The general leading the siege is Count Mansfield of Thurbanli, a Moon God worshipper. Their goal is to seize the refugees who’ve taken shelter in Gelu City.”

  “It is about Gelu City,” Luo Wei confirmed, nodding.

  But Rosie’s understanding of Thurbanli’s motives only scratched the surface. She hadn’t uncovered the deeper reason behind their actions.

  This wasn’t her fault. Ordinary people couldn’t possibly imagine that Thurbanli’s true objective was to help the Moon God seize the Goddess of Justice’s divine authority.

  Luo Wei felt a pang of regret. She couldn’t reveal the hidden truth to Rosie. Without that key information, Rosie’s solution would likely involve ceding territory, paying reparations, or returning the refugees.

  Sure enough, Rosie said, “Miss, since Thurbanli is attacking Gelu City to seize the refugees, why not have your friend pay some compensation or return the refugees? If they don’t want to return the refugees, they could send criminals instead.”

  Luo Wei was about to shake her head when Rosie added, “No matter what conspiracy they have, as long as they lose their reason to attack Gelu City, they won’t be able to send troops so easily.”

  Luo Wei froze. This was a perspective she hadn’t considered before.

  Rosie was right—starting a war required a justification.

  Gelu City sheltering refugees was the public reason, the one that could be openly acknowledged. Competing for divine authority was the hidden reason, the one that couldn’t be disclosed.

  If Gelu City eliminated the public reason, Thurbanli would lose its moral high ground. Any further aggression would invite condemnation from other nations.

  Rosie’s answer made Luo Wei see her in a new light.

  Though her solution was imperfect—removing the spark of war only treated the symptoms, not the root cause; those determined to wage war could conjure up any excuse, even a dream—Rosie’s ability to think of this at just nine years old was remarkable.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Ordinary people had their own kind of wisdom. They weren’t inferior to so-called “smart” people. Rosie had her own unique intelligence.

  “You’ve surprised me.” Luo Wei met Rosie’s gaze, her tone warm and encouraging. “Rosie, your rigor and prudence are your greatest strengths.”

  “Your ability to analyze problems logically and extract information from your surroundings is truly exceptional.”

  “Rosie, you are outstanding.”

  “I’m…” Rosie murmured, her long lashes trembling slightly. “I’m… outstanding?”

  “You need to have more confidence in yourself.” Luo Wei took Rosie’s hand and patted it gently. “In my heart, you are the most outstanding!”

  Beside them, Roman’s eyes widened in shock. What? Rosie was the most outstanding?

  Then what about him? Wasn’t he the most outstanding person in Miss’s heart?

  Roman was clever. He knew Luo Wei was simply comforting Rosie, but a deep sense of crisis still rose within him.

  If Miss could say things she didn’t mean to reassure Rosie today, then tomorrow she could neglect him for her sake!

  No. He couldn’t just sit back and let that happen.

  “Rosie’s really amazing. I didn’t think of that method,” Roman said, leaning closer with a sweet smile. “Miss, if our plan doesn’t work, we can try Rosie’s idea!”

  “Although paying reparations and returning people is basically surrender—it would make your friend a laughingstock, and it’s cruel to the refugees—as long as they’re saved, being criticized isn’t such a big deal, right?”

  Rosie glared at Roman, her hands clenching into fists at her sides.

  Annoying brat. He was grouping himself with Miss while isolating her, using his cleverness to be passive-aggressive. She hated looking at his smug face!

  Luo Wei looked up at the sky, inwardly sighing. Such strong passive-aggressive vibes.

  Such intense passive-aggression, and it was coming from little Roman. Should she pretend not to notice, or pretend not to notice?

  In the end, Luo Wei decided to play dumb. She stood up and patted both their shoulders. “Let’s go with Roman’s suggestion. We’ll try the first method first.”

  “This time, your task is to pick about ten clever ones from those children and have them spread a message throughout the city.”

  “Say that Count Wesley’s daughter received a letter from her father. The Goddess of Justice cannot protect their family, so they’ve decided to worship the great Sun God.”

  Roman hesitated. “Miss, what if this message doesn’t reach Gelu City?”

  “It will reach them.” Luo Wei’s tone was confident. “The day after tomorrow morning, the noble academy teams here for the magic tournament will depart for their schools. They’ll spread this message across the Western Continent.”

  If this plan failed, it didn’t matter. At tomorrow’s noon banquet, she would persuade Alfried to make a deal.

  The Wesley family willing to worship the Sun God, along with the citizens of Gelu City under Wesley rule, would form a solid foundation for Alfried’s bid for the papacy.

  “Those children are outside the gate, right?” Luo Wei glanced toward the main courtyard entrance. “Call them in. I want to see how they’re doing now.”

  “Yes, Master!”

  Bella, who had been waiting nearby, immediately turned and waved toward the gate.

  “Quickly, come in one by one in order and let the Master see you!”

  The children, already lined up, entered the courtyard one by one. Their eyes still showed traces of nervousness, but their backs were straight. Their spirits had transformed completely compared to two months ago.

  Two months ago, they had been starving street children begging for scraps, barely clothed and thin as skeletons.

  Now they wore clean, well-fitting linen clothes. Their fingernails had no dirt under them. Their hair was neatly combed. Their bodies were clean and fresh, and their faces had filled out.

  The thirty-five children automatically formed a square formation in the courtyard—seven across, five deep, arranged from shortest to tallest front to back, standing neat and orderly.

  Rosie explained softly, “I divided them into seven small groups. Five people per group. Older children lead younger ones. It’s easier to manage.”

  The porcelain factory in the back courtyard used a rotating shift system. This was the rule Luo Wei had established for the workers. After settling these children in the back courtyard workshop, Rosie had learned it after just a few visits.

  “You did very well.” Luo Wei looked at these children who had been forced to fend for themselves at such a young age. A trace of surprise appeared on her face. “You said before that they practice swordsmanship every morning?”

  The discipline and posture of these children wasn’t like ordinary child laborers. They faintly revealed a kind of stern aura that only military soldiers had.

  “Yes, their bodies were too weak, so Roman and I teach them to practice swordsmanship for a while every day,” Rosie replied.

  Practicing swordsmanship for a while couldn’t achieve this effect.

  Luo Wei was curious. “How did you teach them?”

  “However Troy taught us, that’s how we teach them,” Roman answered. “I told them that I’m going to become your knight in the future, Miss. As long as they work hard at swordsmanship, they’ll have a chance to be like me and earn the qualification to become knights.”

  Luo Wei couldn’t help but smile. Roman’s grasp of human psychology and motivation far exceeded what a child should possess. He was too suited to being a ruthless capitalist. Perhaps she should let him try his hand at business.

  “Roman, Rosie, I want to reward you. What do you want?”

  “You can think about it slowly and tell me tomorrow afternoon.”

  Luo Wei patted both their heads and turned her attention to the group of children, who still had traces of childishness on their faces.

  These thirty-five children were the prototype of her first personal guard. With proper management, they would become utterly loyal, clearing all obstacles in her path.

  She raised her finger lightly, randomly pointing at one of the children. Her dark eyes lowered slightly, her bearing dignified yet approachable.

  “You. What’s your name?”

  The chosen child opened his eyes wide in disbelief, his young face lighting up with uncontrollable joy.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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