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Reinhardt had previously considered capturing the docks and using the canal to move refugees out of the city, but unfortunately, rebels deliberately sank ships to block the canal and burned all the remaining ships at the docks.

Several ship girls accompanying the team were working with the magician to clear the wreckage of sunken ships from the river. A squad of soldiers dispatched by the Second Army Corps also arrived at the dock at this time, joined forces with the Northern Alliance Army, and transferred refugees to the dock.

Soon, the river was cleared, and a fleet of steam paddle steamers arrived at the dock. Subsequently, a large number of fully armed Northern Alliance soldiers disembarked from the ships and officially set foot on the land of the capital.

After landing, the Northern Alliance soldiers quickly moved forward to set up defenses. The ships that were vacated after they landed could then be used to transfer refugees from the safe zone and send them out of the Shura battlefield of the capital.

Meanwhile, to the south of the capital, the 40,000-strong Dragon Martial Army, which Dick had taken over, also arrived at the outskirts of the city.

All they have to do next is clear the area, which is no problem at all!

Dick also met Reinhardt, who had come specifically to see him, accompanied by the great wizard Quinn.

When the brothers met, they were speechless for a moment.

"We meet again, brother."

“I’m no longer qualified to call myself a child of the Best family, and… I can’t be considered a good older brother either.”

Reinhardt gave a wry smile, his gaze toward Dick filled with complex emotions—guilt for his past actions, and a hint of envy that was hard to define.

Reinhardt told Dick that after the civil unrest broke out, the wealthy district where the Duke's mansion was located was immediately affected by the war. Some rebel soldiers, harboring hatred for the aristocratic class, took advantage of the chaos to loot the area, and even used cannons to break down the sturdy gates of some houses.

When Reinhardt arrived home with reinforcements, the Duke's mansion had already been burned to the ground by the rebels, and the family members and servants were either dead or had fled.

His mother, the First Lady, was trapped under the rubble and on the verge of death.

Because she was discovered too late and had lost too much of her life force, even the priest's holy magic could not save her in the end.

This old woman, who was extremely mean and acrimonious to everyone except her own son, passed away three days later.

Even on her deathbed, the First Lady, who was already delirious, still held Reinhardt's hand tightly, urging him to inherit the title and become the Duke of Best.

This was the woman's lifelong obsession, which she never relinquished until her last breath. But she was unaware that she had been hypnotized and defiled by the shameless King Hessian VII, and that the child she bore was not of the Best family bloodline.

Reinhardt could only sigh with emotion when he spoke of his mother's final moments.

He respected his mother very much. Although the woman had extreme views, her maternal love for Reinhard was genuine.

However, Reinhard did not intend to follow his mother's dying wish and compete with Dick for the family title, because he was truly exhausted, both physically and mentally. He came to see Dick specifically to have some things on his mind to say in person, and also to hope that he could use his life to buy a way out for the soldiers of Dick's Second Legion.

After hearing this, Dick couldn't help but chuckle.

"You should keep your life! I'll say it again: good people should be rewarded in this world. If you really feel bad about how you bullied me before, why don't you come and help me!"

A few days later, the main force of the Northern Alliance successfully arrived in the capital, and together with the Longwu Army that entered the city from the south, they launched a pincer movement against the capital.

With over 100,000 fresh troops, defeating a group of exhausted soldiers whose organization was in disarray was a foregone conclusion. Some soldiers of the Northern Alliance even joked that the Central Army's bunch of useless idiots were easier to deal with than the orcs on the wasteland.

From the moment he left the stage to the end, Dick only needed eleven days to bring an end to the months-long chaos in the capital.

However, he did not immediately declare himself king. Instead, he supported the fifth prince, Roman, to ascend the throne as Hesse VIII, while Dick was promoted to Grand Duke. He then had the young emperor give him the title of "Protector Duke" and put him in charge of all the affairs of the empire on behalf of the young and inexperienced Hesse VIII.

Those allies who fought alongside him into the capital were also rewarded for their contributions, receiving promotions and filling the positions left by the old nobles. Dick then completely controlled the empire's government.

The reason he didn't take it any further wasn't because Dick didn't want to progress, but because Ruby Eyes advised him to proceed gradually. Overthrowing Hessian VII now would be tantamount to labeling himself a "traitor," and many ambitious individuals would jump out under the guise of "royalists," so he couldn't give them that opportunity.

In any case, time is always on their side. The people at the bottom may not be smart, but they will eventually choose the leader who can lead them to a better life.

Besides, Dick is at least a Saint-level half-elf, and that little emperor on the dragon throne has no chance of outlasting him!

And so, everything settled down, and Dick achieved his dream sooner than he had initially expected.

As the Duke of Protectorate, while quelling the internal strife, he also promulgated a series of new policies in the name of "correcting past mistakes" to rectify the distorted development of this great empire that had lasted for decades.

Given the empire's previous state of affairs, even if Old Ma were to transmigrate here, he would have to beg the upper-class nobles to at least understand feudalism first!

Among these new policies, one was to "imitate" the neighboring Maple Dew Kingdom by establishing a special management agency for Earthlings, abolishing the slave status of all summoned individuals, prohibiting beatings, abuse, and arbitrary buying and selling, and granting them true citizen status.

Dick isn't able to send these people home right now, but he can improve their living conditions and give them the respect and treatment they deserve as human beings.

A year later, the ravaged capital was repaired. Although traces of the war could still be seen in some places, people's lives had at least returned to normal.

Meanwhile, the Earth technologies that were originally used by the upper nobility for pleasure or shelved began to be deployed in a comprehensive manner, truly beginning to benefit the people of the empire.

Just like what Dick did in Lagug, only this time on a bigger stage, everything is developing in a thriving direction.

………………

On a sunny afternoon in the Imperial Palace's administrative hall, Ruby Eyes, the chief of staff of the Duke of Protectorate, was reviewing the documents in her hands.

Just then, Joel brought over a cup of hot milk. Ruby Eyes thanked him, took a sip of the milk, and then subconsciously touched her slightly protruding belly, a happy smile involuntarily appearing on her lips.

Since everything in the capital was back on track, Dick, who no longer needed to focus all his energy on government affairs, devoted all his spare energy to the girls in his harem. Perhaps the stable environment was more conducive to conception, as one after another, the girls in the team successfully conceived, with Red Jade Eyes being one of them.

Dick told the girl next to him that since he had already ordered the Empire to stop using summoning magic, he would set an example by not summoning new companions and loving everyone he already had wholeheartedly. He even held a grand group wedding for this purpose.

Twenty-odd brides married one groom, and the exchange of rings alone took a full half hour. Dick transformed into "The Lord of the Rings," forcing the ring onto his left hand until all five fingers were bent.

However, in private, Lucoa, whose true form is Quetzalcoatl and who can foresee the course of fate, quietly told a few close female friends that Dick would indeed no longer use summoning magic in the future, but his harem would not stop growing, because some of the girls would bring their own friends and relatives over in the future.

As Lucoa said this, she gave Ai a meaningful look.

Upon learning that she could bring others over, Ruby Eyes couldn't help but think of some of her relatives and friends from her original world. She put down her pen, got up, and went to the window of her office. A gentle breeze stirred her long, fiery red hair, and a white flower flew in through the window and landed on the tip of her hair.

When Hongyu looked up, she saw a handsome half-elf boy with black hair float gracefully in front of her and extend his hand in an invitation.

"Beautiful lady, the weather is so lovely today, how about we take a stroll among the clouds together?"

(End of text)

Author's Closing Remarks

Actually, there's not much to say. Over the past year, I went to a certain place with some obsession and resentment (sulking with someone) to try and prove myself. But after playing three games on my main and alt accounts, all I gained was proving that I was no longer suited to that version.

Fortunately, the young dreamer didn't hold a grudge and was still willing to take in this old loser.

So after deciding to come back, I prepared for the new book while finishing the last bit of this one.

As for the new book, the rather embarrassing thing is that the first idea was rejected. The editor subtly indicated that although Teen Dream is a relatively open website, pure short stories are still not acceptable.

So the new book I originally wanted to release last week has been postponed. The new idea is still in the works, and it's a wonderful story about a "book artist becoming an illustrator".

In short... stay tuned!