She Is Not a Witch

Cransia, Capital City, Solande.

The former capital of Western Wind was now the capital of Cransia, and the headquarters of the Star Assembly was also located here. After months of deliberation and discussion, the basic framework of the country had finally been established. The assembly had six major departments: Agriculture, Education, Commerce, Industry, Construction, and Justice. New departments might be added in the future as needed, but for now, these six were the focus.

Although the Western Wind royal family and most of their armed forces had been defeated, many private armies of nobles still remained in various places, especially in remote areas. These would need to be vigorously eliminated.

Currently, the major cities in the country were still under military control. Later, control would gradually be handed over to local administrative institutions. The main issue was the lack of suitable talent, as previously, most well-educated people came from noble families. However, to prevent the resurgence of old ideologies, nobles were currently prohibited from holding any middle or high-level positions in national institutions.

“So, education-related issues need to be put on the agenda immediately.”

In the great hall of the former royal palace, a large table was set up with a map of Cransia and its surroundings. A group of people sat around the table. Pullman sat at the head, with others seated beside him, all gathered around the table.

Tolan, the former bard, put forward his suggestion at the meeting. As a poet, he had a deep understanding of literature and history and had traveled to many places. After the founding of the nation, he became the leader of the education department.

“The construction of schools isn’t a big project, but the source of teachers is a problem,” said a scholar from the Industry Department, pushing up his glasses before continuing.

“Our propaganda before the uprising, for the sake of rapid promotion and quick results, mostly focused on teaching literacy, ideology, and discipline. But for schools, it would be better to add mathematics, legal codes, and history.”

In the former Western Wind Kingdom, scholars mostly came from noble families, usually children without inheritance rights. They would either join the military as officers, become scribes, or stay at home to help their brothers who inherited the family business, serving as deputies and confidants.

If these former noble children were to become teachers, it would skew the direction of education and set a bad example.

“Regarding the teacher problem, there’s no need to worry,” Pullman recalled the reply he had received a few days ago, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. His remaining right arm wrote and drew on the table, recording various issues from the meeting.

“Do you have a solution, Pullman?” a small figure at the table asked. Even in today’s meeting, they still wore a hooded robe with a covered face.

“Yes, Wei. Perhaps you’ll find this familiar—they’re from the Tisilan Mountain Range.”

“The rabbit-eared tribe…” the small figure slowly repeated, seeming to recall something.

“Is it aid from the Sage?” Tolan asked curiously. The others also looked at Pullman with curious gazes.

“Yes, they’re the teacher’s students, and students of students. Uh… unfortunately, the teacher still doesn’t want to come out. She said her presence might influence our judgment, because this is the country we’ve grown up in, and we’ll have a better personal understanding. If she came to guide us, it wouldn’t be as good. However, the teacher also promised to help review our plans and remind us if there are any oversights.”

“I see. Actually, I’m quite curious about Lady Loranhil’s appearance. I remember you used to always brag about how incredibly beautiful your teacher was, saying she was the most beautiful in the world, even more beautiful than the goddess statues in the temples.”

The others present, some who had joined early and some late, had their curiosity piqued and waited for Pullman’s answer.

“Well, I might have exaggerated a bit back then,” Pullman showed a nostalgic smile.

“However, on this point alone, I truly wasn’t lying. Even after seeing those Western Wind princesses and noble ladies recently, it’s still true. The teacher is indeed the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

“You’ve been saying this for years, why don’t you draw a picture?”

One of the companions couldn’t hold back anymore and complained loudly. It was always like this, raising everyone’s expectations without providing a resolution, which was quite frustrating.

“My drawing skills aren’t good, as you all know. Better not to tarnish the teacher’s beautiful image.”

“Again with this. Ah, forget it, we can’t count on you.”

Although Pullman was now the highest leader of the country, most of the people sitting here were companions who had shared hardships with him in the past. There was no need for pretense, and their discussions sometimes felt as casual as family chats. However, they would seriously discuss critical issues.

“The most important matters for the coming year are still spring farming and road construction afterward.”

After everyone had settled down a bit, Pullman began to summarize.

“We should strive to develop more farmland, with the army taking charge of organization and leadership. Then, we need to repair and open up several main roads within the country. This will not only greatly enhance our control and influence over various regions and stabilize order, but also allow domestic resources to circulate, enabling smooth distribution of key necessities like grain, salt, and iron.”

After this brief summary, everyone basically agreed and approved, except for the small figure from earlier, who didn’t raise their hand but instead mentioned another matter.

“We must be cautious of the Frost Rose in the south.”

“Have you discovered something?” a loud-voiced general beside them asked.

“Yes, they’ve sent quite a few people to our side, and even absurdly attempt to persuade some to join their side, hehe.”

“Isn’t Frost Rose just relying on selling fear and anxiety about Verdant to recruit people? I don’t see them proposing any substantial methods for progress.”

“Although this ideology doesn’t sound advanced to us, compared to the outdated feudal systems of the past, it’s still quite attractive to other countries in the Snow Flower Alliance. After we defeated Western Wind, they even claimed to be the legitimate successors of Western Wind, saying they would inherit King Roland’s long-cherished wish to unite the seven countries and suppress and defeat Verdant.”

“Is that all? I thought they would say they wanted to unify the continent like the former Mercury Dynasty did, and march into the entire world of Ival. Even their boasting and grand aspirations are so petty.”

“If you ask me, the Verdant Empire is the same, actually siding with the forest elves. Have they forgotten the enmity between the two from the last era?”

“Well, that’s probably because of the Chaos Calamity a thousand years ago. After all, the forest elves also contributed greatly, and later both sides gradually put aside their prejudices.”

The Verdant Empire was a rare dual-monarch country, with each generation of emperors being twins who ruled simultaneously. This was related to the empire’s earliest origins. In the Third Era, year 1259, the Azure Moon King Yalin entered the Emerald Forest alone to negotiate with the Elven Queen of the time. The specific contents are unknown. But shortly after, it was announced that the Azure Moon King would marry the Elven Queen Titania, and the Emerald Forest was incorporated into the kingdom, which was renamed the Verdant Kingdom.

After gaining the powerful support of the elves from the Emerald Forest, the Verdant Kingdom experienced unprecedented improvements in military, technology, and wealth. Soon after, they began a journey of expansion. After several generations of imperial struggle, the Verdant Kingdom was renamed the Verdant Empire and occupied about 50% of the western continent’s land. It wasn’t until a few hundred years ago that the Snow Flower Alliance was formed, and later the Seven Nation Alliance’s 2.6 million allied forces fought a decisive battle with the Verdant Empire at the Apocalypse Fortress south of the Sigh Mountain Range, historically known as the Battle of the Broken Bow.