Ravenna couldn't help but feel a surge of relief and joy as she successfully logged into the website where she used to read The Light’s quest he fact that she remembered her username and password was nothing short of a miracle. This meant she could now access crucial details about future events from the novel—a lifeline in a world where her survival depended on staying ahead of everyone else.

  The i e provided by the Reputation System proved to be one of its most powerful features. She leaned back slightly, her lips curling into a small smile. “Alright,” she muttered, “time to check out the map and piece together everything about Jo.”

  Jo Isnd had only been briefly mentioned in The Light’s quest, but with Ravenna’s ied memories and knowledge of the novel’s plot, she began to form a clearer picture of her current predit.

  At first, the existence of Jo City baffled her. It seemed more like a liability than an asset to the Ana Empire—a desert isnd with no eic prospects and limited resources, yet ohat demanded tinuous imperial funding. Why pour money into an isnd that was essentially a deadweight? The answer, as it turned out, was deeply rooted in the empire’s history.

  Strategically, Jo’s location was signifit. Positioned close to the capital of the Ana Empire, it served as a potential shield against fn invasions. The isnd’s pt meant that any fn power attempting to use it as a base of operations would pose a direct threat to the empire’s heartnd. However, this alone didn’t justify the establishment of a full-fledged city. A military base would have sufficed.

  The real reason for Jo’s existence was religion. Decades ago, during the reign of Ravenna’s great-grandfather, the Herptian faith pyed a pivotal role in defending the empire’s borders. In gratitude for their divine assistahe emperrahe Herptian clergy a religious stronghold—Jo Isnd. Its proximity to the capital made it an ideal location for the clergy to exert influence while remaining uhe watchful eye of the imperial court.

  However, as the years passed, the influence of the Herptian faith waned. By the time Ravenna’s grandfather asded to the throhe religion was on the brink of colpse, its followers dwindling rapidly. Seeing no further o i in Jo, the emperor ceased its development. When Ravenna’s father, Emperor Aook the throhe situation worsehe remaining members of the Herptian clergy abahe eastern ti entirely, returning to their homend in the west. They left behind an unfinished city poputed by their desdants—people who, being culturally and eically disected from the mainnd, struggled to find a foothold in Ana society.

  Over time, Jo fell into dee. By the time Ravenna was born, the isnd had lost any sembnce of eic value. It was toic to abandon but too burdeo maintain. When Ravenna was framed for her mother’s death, Emperor Andrew saportunity to solve two problems at once—exiling his disgraced daughter while offloading the empire’s most troublesome holding.

  “Man,” Ravenna muttered, rubbiemples as the realization sank in. “So much for being a minor character, huh?”

  She g the glowing panel of the Reputation System h before her.

  [Reputation System v0.1]User: Ravenna Sorius / Joy Cha KimReputation Level: 60 (4800/8200)Curreation Points: 6,098Reputation Rate: StableTitles: Raven of Sun Pace, Unruly Princess{Reputation Points Log} {Speation Points}

  Ravenna grimaced as she reviewed her dwindling points. Using the i for over ten hours daily had drained her resources faster than she’d anticipated. When she first saw her level—60—she thought it would give her a fortable buffer to rely on. But she now realized how hat assumption had been. The daily bonus of 600 points was nowhere near enough to sustain her current usage, especially if she wao keep accessing the i.

  “Guess I’ll have to cut back,” she sighed, dismissing the system panel for now. “No more te-night browsing sessions unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

  Shifting her focus, Ravenna picked up the reports Hughes had left for her. Among them was a detailed list piled by Sarah Bob, one of the more capable citizens of Jo. The dot outlihe names of every individual iy—a staggering 5,000 people—and grouped them based on social status, household affiliations, and other categories.

  Ravenna’s brows furrowed as she sed the reports. She had to admit, the anizational skills of the people surprised her. Despite the dire state of the isnd, their will to survive shohrough in remarkable ways. Sarah, along with a group of literate citizens, had taken the initiative to create an orderly system for managing resources. The lists were particurly helpful in distributing the fish caught by Richard and his men, ensuring that food reached those who most.

  Being a former religious stronghold turned out to be an ued blessing. The Herptian clergy had emphasized literacy as part of their teags, leaving behind a popution where even peasants possessed basic reading and writing skills. This legacy made it signifitly easier for Jo’s people tahemselves in the absence of noble ht.

  Ravenna leaned back, letting the reports rest on her p. For the first time, she felt a glimmer of hope. Jo might be a fotten, crumbling city, but it wasn’t without potential. Its people were resilient, resourceful, and willing to work for a better future.

  “It’s not much,” Ravenna murmured, closing her ledger with a sigh, “but it’s a start. Let’s see how far we take this.”

  The flickering dlelight illumihe detailed ledgers and maps scattered across her bed, all evidence of the tireless effort she’d put into stabilizing Jo Isnd. Despite the weight of responsibility pressing down on her, she couldn’t afford to falter now.

  Ravenna reviewed the expenses once again. She had purchased wheat and other storable grains worth 150 Mana s, a strategic decision she hoped would sustain the 5,000 citizens of Jo for at least three months. To ehe grains wouldn’t spoil in the isnd's harsh, humid climate, she had spent 50 Mana s on entments for preservation. Another 50 Mana s had goo pay for the ship and crew that transported the supplies from the mainnd—a steep cost, exacerbated by the infted prices imposed on her due to her title, The Unruly Princess. Even small purchases came with additional charges, a bitter reminder of her precarious position in the empire.

  Her pn, while effective, had drained her resources rapidly. Ravenna had decided to repurpose the empty ates scattered across the city into unal dining halls. Each hall would serve cooked meals three times a day, ensuriable distribution of food to all. The idea ractical and fostered unity among the citizens, but it came with signifit costs. She still had to allocate funds to pay the borers managing the food distribution system, as well as the knights under her and.

  With a simple calcution, she realized that after all the monthly expenses, she would be left with no more than 50 or 60 Mana s. That was assuming there were no ued emergencies—an unlikely prospect given Jo's unstable state. The thought left a sour taste in her mouth.

  “We’re stretched thin,” Ravenna muttered under her breath, her firag the edges of the part. “If Neil doesn’t finish the tools on time, we’ll be back to square one.”

  The bcksmith, Neil, was her st hope for establishing some sembnce of self-suffi the isnd. She had tasked him with crafting essential farming tools and equipment based on designs from online, Hughes had delivered them to him. While Neil might be skilled, she wasn’t sure if he had the materials—or the time—to plete the job as quickly as she he entire agricultural pn hinged on his success.

  Her gaze shifted to another set of papers detailing her ambitious but precarious farming initiative. Drawing inspiration from her researline, she inteo use nutrient-rich soil from the seabed to cultivate crops, particurly potatoes. Potatoes were hardy, easy to grow, and could provide the caloritake o sustain the popution. However, the pn was far from foolproof. Watg a video and exeg it in real life were two entirely different things. She cked both practical farming knowledge and the luxury of time for experimentation.

  If the potat failed, she’d be forced to dip into her remaining funds to buy food again—an unsustainable solution. With no additional revereams, the city would be right back to where it started: starving, desperate, and vulnerable.

  Ravenna closed her eyes, rubbiemples as the weight of her responsibilities settled heavily on her shoulders. “e on, Ravenna. Think. There has to be another way.”

  She gnced back at her ledger, flipping through pages of expenditures as. Her remaining 180 Mana s o stretch far enough to cover bor costs, including the wages of the volunteers anizing food distribution, and her knights who provided critical security in a city rife with uainty.

  The flickering dlelight cast her shadow on the wall, a stark reminder of how solitary her battle was. Yet, despite the challenges, she refused to give up. The stakes were too high for hesitation or doubt.

  “I need o finish those designs,” she muttered, her voice ced with determination. “And I hose potatoes to grow. If either of these fails…” She trailed off, unwilling to finish the thought.

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