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The massive ship currently houses 14,602 people, all descendants of those who survived Lavigne's horrific extermination efforts.
Compared to their ancestors, their quality is far inferior.
Although the amusement park in the past was a closed world that basically did not communicate with the outside world, it cannot be said that it was without vitality. The amusement park was a fair little world where effort always yielded results, but no effort always resulted in no results, completely different from the outside world.
But once the remaining people boarded the ship, even survival quickly became a problem. It was practically a degraded version of the outside world, with religion and nobility involved. Efforts were not guaranteed to be rewarded, and one might even end up in debt. If the upper echelons hadn't had to work hard scavenging while enjoying themselves, thus requiring "new blood," things would have been much worse here than they are now.
What Dinia took over from Lavigne was just this kind of thing, and this kind of group of people.
At this moment, Dinia was not on the ship, but in front of Lavigne's tombstone.
Lavigne was a person, and when a person dies, they should have a tombstone.
Everyone else was there too, including Ronan and Zhao Yingqi, who had already woken up. As for the people in the giant airships, both Kate and Dinia chose to avoid them, because Lavini was a god to them.
Kate Pierre remained dejected. She never imagined that their reunion after more than a thousand years would be their last. And the first structure she built with her own hands in this world was a tombstone, a tombstone for her friend.
No one comforted Kate. There was no stance, no words, and no need. Her money-grubbing attitude was merely a facade. Inside, she was a warrior who had come through the blood and fire of revolution. Comfort was meaningless to her; all she needed was time.
"I'm sorry," Ronan said, but it wasn't an expression of apology.
No one thought he was wrong, including the deceased Lavigne himself. He didn't think he was wrong either. But when faced with someone who was dead and whom he had never met, he could only express his helplessness with an apology.
Once Ronan spoke, others followed suit, each offering a few words to the tombstone.
“You’re a good person,” Ambrina said. They had only known each other for less than an hour, and their only interaction was that the other person ate a chicken leg that she had thrown to him. That was all she could say.
“Respect to idealists,” Isabelle said, her statement equally brief.
"The world will not forget you." Elena, who is usually joking and unserious, was very serious at this moment.
“Your story may not be made public now, but we will record it,” Agustina continued.
“Death, that is the greatness of man.” Alice closed her eyes, crossed her hands, and recited as if softly chanting poetry.
"May you rest in peace," said Golan, though she wasn't as artistic as her sister.
“You are a true strong person,” Ashley said. As someone who admires and strives for strength, she had come to admire Lavigne from the bottom of her heart, even though it had only been less than an hour. She admired her as both a strong woman and a gentle woman.
“The first dead person I felt I should respect,” Faith remarked.
"May your wish be fulfilled, and may the world be spared from the end times," Falek prayed.
“Death can be as light as a feather or as heavy as Mount Tai,” Zhao Yingqi said in Seres.
“You will see the day I surpass you,” Astrid said, her fists clenched.
“Thank you for your blessing,” Dinia said. After learning of her thoughts, Lavini did not criticize or dissuade her. On the contrary, she encouraged Dinia, offered her blessings, and even entrusted her with her belongings.
"Farewell, my friend." This was Caterpillar's final farewell, brief and without a single word of reminiscence or lament.
The simple funeral ended there. Afterwards, Dinia called Ronan, Ambrina, Isabelle, and Faith aside.
Now, apart from Ronan and Astrid, this group of women consists of four factions. In addition to the original three factions, the newly joined spy agent Faith and the palace intrigue expert Farek have formed a new faction: the tech faction. That's right, the two people who are good at internal strife are actually the tech faction among the group.
"Given the current situation, we certainly can't just leave with the boat and the people. What are your thoughts?" Dinia asked, adopting a consultative tone, but what she really wanted to know was how to manage the people on board.
Ambrina looked at Ronan, but Ronan remained silent.
Isabel spoke first, “We can’t govern them through those priests and upper-class nobles. Their respect for the so-called goddess may not even be genuine, let alone us. We are strangers to each other, so we can only start by establishing authority. I propose that we first take them to clear out the surrounding areas. Although the city was destroyed by you and Lavini and the monsters were wiped out, there are still many around. We can use this opportunity to make them realize the gap between their military strength and ours.”
"That's one thing. Secondly, we can use the excuse of them learning languages and understanding the outside world to set up training classes, so that they can understand us while also gaining a deeper understanding of them. Then we can establish a management system, take the opportunity to get rid of some high-level officials, promote some key members of the organization, and establish a new set of rules."
At this point, Ronan spoke up, "I'd like to add something: they have tens of thousands of people, and they must have an internal economic system, which is something we need to understand and change."
So-called rule is not only military, political, and cultural, but also economic.
Dinia nodded and began assigning tasks, "Alright, I, Isa, Ashley, and Golan will lead the team to carry out the cleanup."
"Anli, Alice, Faith, and Falek, go and conduct a comprehensive investigation as reference material for the training courses later."
"Ronan, you, Kate, and the others, go and investigate the spaceship."
Dinah's arrangement was somewhat unexpected; she excluded Ronan from the main tasks.
Chapter 684 A Family, Old Trade, Even Acting Requires Skill
Even more surprisingly, Ronan agreed immediately.
Even Dinia herself was surprised and couldn't help but look at Ronan, "Don't try anything funny."
Ronan didn't mind, and just explained a few words, "What do you take me for? Do you think I would use the same tactics I used in the Kingdom of Phos to divide and win over the upper class and lead them to rule the lower class? There's a saying in Seris, 'Times change.' Now we are outsiders, not locals. I'm afraid you won't be able to do it."
“Hmm.” Dinia nodded in response, then added, “However, I still think you should focus on researching ship-related issues.”
Ronan understood. Dinia wanted to play the lead role in establishing the management system and wouldn't allow Ronan, a supporting actor, to steal the spotlight, so they were going to strip him of his voice.
Actually, even without saying a word, he can still steal the show.
But is it necessary? No, after all, we're all family.
It's nothing more than doing his old job again. Wasn't he also a public instrument that housed the fruits of the Prime Minister's careful consideration?
Although there is no longer a king like Ambrina, their special family has a republican feel to it, but in the end, Dinia is just a consul.
Ronan could still be that male secretary who worked like a slave day and night.
“Yes, Madam Prime Minister,” Ronan replied crisply. “However, I think it would be better to have Elena and Tina investigate the economic operation of this small country on the ship, while Anri and the others can mainly investigate the living conditions of the residents here.”
“I think it’s a good idea,” Ambrina said, expressing her support.
“No objection,” Isabel agreed.
“Whatever the Holy Maiden says goes,” Fisse echoed.
Once the matter was agreed upon, without any delays, the execution phase began immediately.
However, some adjustments were made to the personnel in charge.
The next day, Dinia, Astrid, Isabel, and Grand set off with their people, while Ashley, who was originally scheduled to go to Ambrina's place, went to conduct an investigation.
Although there was a language barrier, with Caterpillar's translation, they basically understood what to do, and simple communication was not a big problem in the following actions.
These people were considered middle-class members of the small country on the ship, military nobles, whose main responsibility was to collect garbage.
They are quite capable in combat, with physical attributes and mana at the second or third rank. However, they do not know magic and can only release and materialize magic power like novice mages, and then apply it in some ways.
Dinia is "old" and has "a rich resume": an orphanage eugenicist, head of a mage guild, private tutor, school lecturer, mayor, governor, minister, prime minister. Having come this far, she certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to display force right from the start; that wouldn't be very effective.
She sent the military nobles on the ship to lead the charge.
Although more than half of the truly powerful beings in this place have been wiped out by Dinia, she still had quite a few strong enemies left because she was in a hurry. Even setting aside these strong enemies, the madmen or monsters roaming around here are not something the military nobles on the ship can easily deal with.
But forced by the orders of Dinia, the "messenger of the gods," they had no choice but to go.
However, they were still very confident. Although they usually avoided these monsters when they saw them, that was because they usually operated in small teams and their goal was to get something back. They would never provoke them if they could avoid it. But now it was different. Nearly a third of the more than 300 military nobles on the ship had come. If they were afraid of them when they operated in small teams, how could they lose when so many people attacked together?
At first, things went quite smoothly. Some of the smaller monsters were quickly eliminated by the organized and coordinated attacks.
But when they encountered a slightly stronger opponent, they couldn't hold on.
With so many of them, defeating a slightly stronger opponent wouldn't be a problem at all. However, they had never had any real experience forming an army to fight monsters. After only a few were killed, they fell into chaos. A large group of "intelligent" people were surrounded and rampaged by a few monsters that had lost their intelligence, causing new casualties. Many of them even gradually retreated. Their numbers did not give them courage; instead, they fueled their desire for self-preservation.
At this moment, Isabel, Astrid, and Grand stepped in and swiftly dealt with several slightly stronger monsters.
Then, Isabel and her two companions looked at the hundreds of people with extreme contempt.
Most of the people in the group lowered their heads in shame, but some remained indifferent, and some even showed signs of resentment.
That's how people are. Some people feel ashamed, some don't, and some not only don't feel ashamed, but also feel that it's not their responsibility, but that others forced them to do things they shouldn't be doing.
Dinia treated her people, but she didn't put in much effort; she simply kept the injured alive.
The group continued forward, encountering increasingly stronger enemies. As before, those on the ship charged forward, and when things got too difficult, Isabel, Astrid, and Grand would join in. Dinia remained focused on healing and did not contribute any physical strength.
During this process, the team of one hundred people gradually began to split into groups. Twenty or thirty people rallied around a few people and always charged ahead. Forty or fifty people in the middle started to go through the motions but didn't put in any real effort. And fifty or sixty people formed several small groups around a few people and refused to go up.
Those willing to charge into battle are not necessarily innocent and courageous; they may be seeking to stand out. Conversely, those who constantly run away are not necessarily cowardly or irresponsible; they may simply not want their comrades to sacrifice themselves in vain.
But what they were thinking, whether they had bad intentions or good intentions, does it matter? No, it doesn't matter.
Those at the front should be promoted, and those at the back should be punished. It's that simple.
The team continued forward, and the end of Project Dinia was finally reached.
A group of people saw a monster, a human and a horse, of enormous size. Both the horse and the knight who had grown out of its back were five or six times larger than ordinary horses and people. The enormous horse had an extremely ferocious face, and its body was covered with bone spikes. The knight who had grown out of its back had no armor, only a fur coat made of the hides of countless beast heads. In one hand he held a stone axe with a thick tree trunk as a handle, and in the other hand he wielded a stone rope.
Astrid can probably defeat this monster in a war of attrition, while Grand can only fight and retreat with his current strength.
As for the people on the ship, including those who had been charging ahead, none of them dared to take a step forward. They knew very well that going up meant certain death.
Now is the time for Dinia to demonstrate its power.
At this moment, Dinia stepped forward, and the crowd automatically parted. The military nobles on the ship all looked at her. Was this divine messenger finally going to make a move? What followed should be a very shocking and fierce battle.
Dinia leaped into the air, his warhammer gleaming red, and then plummeted to the ground like a meteor, striking the knight on the head with his hammer. In the blink of an eye, the powerful downward shockwave crushed the centaur knight into a bloody pulp.
Chapter 685 Establishing Authority: The Nation of Ships, Every Person a Rebel
The warhammer struck the ground, and a hemispherical shockwave exploded, shattering the centaur knight's corpse, which had already been crushed into a bloody pulp. Black blood, bone fragments, and flesh splattered everywhere. At the same time, the surrounding ground trembled violently, cracking like a spider web. The powerful aftershocks spread and swept across the area, causing those closest to lose their footing and be thrown backward.
Faced with this power, even the front-row Golan couldn't help but raise her defenses. This level of power was still far from Dinia's full strength, but it was already a level that she might have to spend many more years to reach.
Astrid flicked her fingers, and a ripple of moonlight spread outwards. In her heart, she felt that her Aunt Dinya was too much of an actress.
Dinia was indeed acting. In her current state, she could easily obliterate this monster with a single Death Ray Cannon imbued with "destructive power."
But that wasn't what she wanted. What she wanted was to give the military nobles on these ships a comprehensive sensory shock.
Naturally, the more exaggerated the better.
This is just the first batch. After that, she will divide the remaining people into two batches and do it again for each batch.
While screening out those who could be used, she demonstrated her absolute military might to these people from the ship-faring nation.
On the other side, Ambrina, accompanied by Zhao Yingqi and with Kate Peter as their translator, inquired with the high-ranking officials of this ship-state about various aspects of this tiny nation.
These elders were not officials, but lords. However, their territory was not a specific deck or cabin on the Beluga Toy, but a business or operation. The ship was state-owned, and the houses, farmland, and energy sources were all state-owned.
These lords had various "fiefs," some with canteens, some with factories producing daily necessities, some with water rooms, some with recreation rooms, and others with all sorts of other miscellaneous things.
Apart from education, which was controlled by the priests, they basically controlled every other industry on the ship.
Ambrina may not be good at much else, but she is very good at chatting with people while eating, especially with this group of inferior rulers who were born and raised in an environment that has been in decline and closed for one or two hundred years.
The entire massive airship carried only about ten thousand people. At best, these people were only village chiefs. While Ambrina was indeed a tyrant, she was a tyrant who had been an emperor in the Western Continent.
However, even farmers have their own kind of cunning, let alone village chiefs?
Moreover, Ronan said that the philosopher Seris said, "A small temple has a lot of evil winds, and a shallow pond has many turtles." The more closed the system, the less vision its leader has, and the more focused they are on maintaining the status quo. But it is precisely because they want to maintain the status quo that they are particularly good at deceiving their superiors and subordinates.
Therefore, Ambrina didn't expect to get any information out of these people, and even if she did, she wouldn't believe it easily.
It needs to be considered in light of the actual situation.
Ashley and Alice were in charge of the actual work. Ashley's shadow stealth, combined with Alice's superior perception, was used to observe the situation in various areas of the entire ship.
They could only see, not hear, but sometimes, not being able to hear might make it all the more real.
At that time, by combining concrete examples with the words of these rulers, we can roughly sketch out the lives of people in this ship-dwelling nation.
At the same time, Ronan, Elena, and Agustina were looking through documents.
Although the civilization of this ship kingdom is far removed from that of the Paradise era, they are not barbaric tribes. In fact, hundreds of years ago, when the church was extremely prosperous and the Kingdom of Fas was still in a completely feudal era, they were even more advanced in some aspects. Not to mention anything else, just the fact that more than 10,000 people had a clear division of labor and an orderly life is something that no other country in the Western Continent could do at that time, and even now many places cannot do it.
In a place like this, it is only natural that official records exist.
Elena and Agustina couldn't understand the writing, but Ronan could.
If you only work behind the scenes as a translator, then you're not stealing the spotlight; you're still a good secretary to the Prime Minister.
The economic system here is quite interesting; it's simple and straightforward, but appropriate.
Basic necessities are distributed equally. Whether you are at the bottom or the top, you can receive enough supplies to ensure your survival. Of course, this is on the premise that you are working. But if you want more, such as education, you need money. For most people, you will only receive wages for the extra amount of work you do.
Most people can't afford to raise children because children can't receive supplies.
However, everyone here has talent. For those at the bottom to rise in status, there is a standard path: work hard to earn money, then pay to take an exam. If they pass the exam, they can continue their studies. Once they have completed their studies, they can become reserve armed knights, essentially cannon fodder in the garbage-collecting legion. If they do a few good jobs, they can become full-fledged armed knights. Although they still have to work hard, their income is much higher than processing stones or farming. At this point, they can also raise children.
But once the children are grown up, they must be sent down to do manual labor or farm work. Even the chosen heir is no exception. To inherit the family business, one must reach the level of a knight.
If none of your heirs are capable, then everyone will be happy.
Of course, because they have money, their children don't need to work too hard to pay for the assessment.
In fact, after so many years, most of the workers at the lower levels are now "aristocratic children," which is why it is necessary to arrange for supervisors. In the past, there was no need for supervisors at all. The upper-level people can't help but lament that people's hearts have changed and their descendants are unworthy. Back then, how hard they worked.
However, this isn't all bad. Since there's not a need for so many armed knights, the assessments have become increasingly rigorous, the studies more demanding, and the overall quality of prospective knights has improved considerably. The selection process is quite fair, largely based on merit. After all, connections matter; your dad has the canteen, my dad manages the water room, and you also have a knight father. Otherwise, you wouldn't see knights in Dinia with an average rank of at least second-tier.
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