Rod finally accepted the arrangement of Horus.
It only goes to show that the Archbishop of Trolian deserves his reputation, although he may seem somewhat distracted at times, his capability in critical moments is truly unmatched, and even Rod was stirred by his words.
Perhaps it is indeed necessary.
I should learn more about this Royal City and this kingdom.
In the days that followed, Rod systematically visited many of the Royal City’s institutions and finally understood how such a huge kingdom operates and how over a hundred million people have managed to survive in such a harsh environment.
In general, fire is the first element of survival, the Holy White Tree is the second, the strength to fight monsters in the darkness is the third, and production and value are the fourth.
The location of every human settlement in Trolian is meticulously chosen, each large settlement is next to a flowing water source and has resources that can be exploited.
Whether it be fertile land suitable for cultivation, large lakes suitable for aquaculture, mines, or ruins that can be utilized.
People gather near these elements to form a settlement.
The scale of a settlement is influenced not only by the strength of the fire, but also by these elements.
For example, the Royal City has four rivers running through it, the roots of the Royal City’s Holy White Tree have permeated the entire underground, purifying all water sources, and the powerful Holy Fire can even cover more than a hundred thousand yards. There are enormous mines on both the east and west sides, and there are extremely deep ruins (sewers) underground that have not yet been fully explored.
It is because of such powerful elements that a giant city of this scale can be formed.
Star Town also enjoys such an advantageous environment, and that’s why it can share the huge survival pressure of Trolian.
The purpose of the institutions within the Royal City is to maximize the use of these elements.
Rod believes that the most important of these is the Sigve Food Factory.
This is a super-large-scale food factory; it processes vast amounts of food into canned goods that can be preserved for a long time. Most of the food that Rod currently eats is actually taken from cans and then reprocessed; the direct use of fresh ingredients is relatively rare and generally only available locally.
It was only with the Sigve Food Factory that Trolian was completely freed from the food crisis, fully digesting the research achievements of Life Priest Robert and the Mushroom King Raki Lee.
No longer would there be seasons of plenty where food was so abundant it couldn’t be eaten all, or famine years with bodies of the starved scattered everywhere.
In Trolian, the definitions of Harvest Year and famine year are actually only related to the Star Phase.
When bad weather abounds, the strength of the fire is suppressed, the lifeforce of the Holy White Tree weakens, the yield of the crops decreases, and frequent monster attacks can lead to the loss of crop-producing areas.
This is a famine year.
Whereas, when good weather occurs frequently, the strength of the fire is active, the lifeforce of the Holy White Tree is enhanced, the production of various crops and livestock accelerates, and the environment is relaxed and safe, preventing many attacks.
This is a Harvest Year.
The difference between a Harvest Year and a famine year is enormous, with potential yield differences of several to dozens of times.
Without the Sigve Food Factory, Trolian’s population growth would not have been so rapid.
Its status in Trolian is extremely high, and the title of the factory owner is called Sigve, in honor of the great scholar Sigve who invented the process for mass production of canned food.
The current Sigve is a young man who admires Rod to an extreme, to the point where he could hardly bear to leave his side during the visit.
When Rod left, he even gifted him every type of canned good, taking over a dozen carts to transport them all, which caused Rod considerable hassle.
At present, this is roughly the kind of treatment he receives in the Royal City.
The "Banner Campaign" by Archbishop Horus has already begun, and they are striving to shape Rod into a new hero who is approachable, with many minor flaws, but who has never let anyone down in crucial moments.
This strategy has been particularly effective.
The younger the people, the more fervently they admire him; they are tired of the absolutely perfect heroes of the Royal City’s past and pursue the new hero with great enthusiasm, to the point where Rod even has the troubles of a star.
And so, as the visits continued, time swiftly passed, until the tenth day of the tenth month of the year 1325 on the Tesrivian Calendar.
This was the date Rod had arranged to visit the Jinwoosi Society with the great scholar Amides.
The Jinwoosi Society is the highest academy in Trolian, overseeing all the academies large and small within the Royal City.
Their main task is to research various problems, pursue the Truth of the world, seek ways to make Trolian stronger, and solve the secret of the Black Fog so the world can see daylight once again—that is their ultimate ideal.
To achieve this goal, countless people have worked tirelessly, exhausting their minds and spirits.
They have spent their lifetime’s effort to draw one step closer to it.
It is for this reason that so many academies were born in the Royal City, and why the Mechanical Research Institute has so many branches, their paths extending in all directions, all for one purpose.
The moment Rod stepped into the Jinwoosi Society, he deeply felt the atmosphere of the collision of wisdom.
A sense of freedom pervades this sacred Hall, where everyone is unconstrained and can speak their mind, as long as their words have value.
All that Rod saw were those who were disheveled in their pursuit of the Truth.