Chapter 87: Am I the Island's First Hero? (23)

The matter of appointing the chief administrators had been discussed in advance, and now it is being publicly announced.

The announcement is still made by Ailiya on behalf.

She shouted: "The Island Citizens' Assembly convenes once every four years. Therefore, all chief administrator appointments are also for four-year terms. The same position may be held for up to three consecutive terms."

"At the end of the term, if no wrongdoing occurs, one will at least be granted the title 'Island Junior Honorary Citizen' and enjoy honorary citizen privileges for life."

"Below is the list of appointments."

"Chief Administrator of the Civil Affairs Department, Klub."

"Chief Administrator of the Army Department, Knight Kaodelin."

"Chief Administrator of the Arts and Magic Department, Mage Weige."

"Chief Administrator of the Commerce Department is temporarily vacant, to be temporarily filled by the Lord."

"Chief Administrator of the Education Department is temporarily vacant, to be temporarily filled by the Lord."

"Chief Administrator of the Navy Department is temporarily vacant, to be temporarily filled by the Lord."

"Mayor of High Mountain Town, Mr. Luokao."

One name after another is read; the chief administrators of each department plus the mayors of each town total eighteen individuals.

Among the eighteen appointments, aside from the three brand‑new departments—Commerce, Education, and Navy—two‑thirds of the remaining chief administrators are civilians without a knightly background.

And even the knights are all newly promoted first‑generation knights.

Let alone the previous generation, I was a farming peasant in my youth.

Moreover, the newly established twelve town mayors are all local island civilians, fully honoring the promise of 'Island Citizens' Political Participation Rights.'

Soon, the appointments for department and town leadership positions were completed.

Next come the chief administrators of the Three Stores.

"The Three Stores are the Granary, the Armory, and the Bank."

This statement is again announced by the female warrior Ailiya.

"The Granary stores food, affecting every island citizen's table; it is the top priority."

"Three major granaries are established, each with a chief administrator who reports directly to the Lord."

"The chief administrator of the First Granary, Yigoni!"

Yigoni instantly felt his blood surge in his chest.

The island folk often go hungry; everyone knows how vital food is.

Now the Lord entrusts him with the First Granary, a great confidence in him, in the Yigoni tribe, and even in all former tribal members.

With this appointment, every former Forest Spirit member's face lit up, and the faint, lingering vigilance and humble expression that had long shrouded them dissipated by more than half.

Ailiya immediately announced the appointments for the Second and Third Granaries: one a human, the other a rare half‑human, half‑Forest Spirit.

"The Armory stores various military supplies and consists of two major armories."

"The first, the Regular Armory, is headed by Knight Kosen."

Kosen was originally one of the three chief knights, but he is meticulous and straightforward; when he encounters something intolerable, he will jump in immediately regardless of the situation, so he is not well liked.

The armory chief must be such a fastidious, iron‑faced person.

"The second, the Magical Armory, is headed by Mage Hu An."

Hu An was one of the original Kao mages, with intermediate magical power, average magical engineering ability, and competent magical skill, so he was promoted by Jiatelan and others.

Ailiya then began to announce the Third Store, which is the Bank.

"The Bank is the treasury, officially named 'Island Citizens' Bank.'"

"The 'Island Citizens' Bank' is open to all citizens, but as a brand‑new institution, suitable personnel have not yet been found."

"The bank chief will be temporarily overseen by the Lord; when a suitable candidate appears, they will report directly to the Lord."

At this point, Ailiya raised her voice: "With this, the chief administrator appointments are preliminarily completed; further refinements will follow gradually."

"She urged all island citizens to work harder, master the relevant skills soon, and share the Lord's heavy administrative burden."

After saying this, Ailiya stepped back, Luosen whispered a few words to Selena, then rose and made an announcement.

"Now, Dawn Princess is invited to speak and to conduct the inaugural Island Citizens' conferment ceremony."

The Dawn Princess is the pride of the island people; hearing her speak is a splendid occasion.

At that moment, everyone clapped vigorously.

Selena, having experienced many grand events in Dawn City, naturally does not feel stage‑fright.

After everyone settled down a bit, she smiled, and with a gentle tone and clear voice began her speech.

"I know many are curious why I chose to marry a Baron?"

"At first, many surely doubted, thinking I was a false Dawn Princess."

"I also know that among you, some already know the past events that occurred between me and the Baron in Dawn City."

As the princess spoke, everyone's attention was deeply drawn.

The illustrious Princess Weilan, a member of the supremely noble Adrian family and a direct descendant of Saint Weilan, marrying a minor baron whose subjects number fewer than one hundred thousand is indeed an extremely absurd matter.

Yet a small portion of those aware of the inside story also have doubts, not understanding why Dawn Princess insists on choosing the White Sturgeon Island baron.

After all, even if she does not choose King Dange, she could choose another king.

Even if the Duke disagrees, the princess can still independently seek a marriage, and surely a king or duke would come to propose.

After all, Dange is merely the king of a member nation of the Natural Alliance, not its emperor.

Levinde and Kao, the two great kingdoms, might not truly fear him.

Especially Levinde.

It does not border Aaron, and its national strength is considerable; it is a minor hegemon at the East Golden Cape of White Continent, having no concerns regarding King Dange.

Regiment Commander Yuepu and several deputy regiment commanders have long been puzzled by this issue, and now they all perk up to listen.

Outside the hall.

Markxim whispered to Muradi, "If Dawn Princess contacts His Majesty Sila in advance, given His Majesty's playful nature, there's an eight‑or‑nine chance he'll agree."

Muradi shrugged, "His Majesty will certainly agree, but there is no 'if'. Dawn Princess clearly doesn't favor our king."

Markxim glanced at Luosen, who sat on the lord's bench, and said, "She has reason not to like him."

"In terms of pure masculine charm, His Majesty Sila pales in comparison to the Baron."

Ade, the attendant beside them, nodded in agreement: "Indeed, the Baron's appearance is imposing and his temperament steady. Women love that kind of man, and our king is still a playful child."

At that moment, the princess's voice continued to echo from within the hall.

"Actually the original reason is simple: I've known the Baron for ten years; he's the man I'm most familiar with besides my father, even more than my brother."

"At first I thought he was just an ordinary little boy, but as he grew I found him increasingly tall and mighty, and I like tall, mighty men."

At this, Selena smiled and looked around, "So, don't you think your lord looks extremely masculine?"

The statement is true. Anyone with eyes can see the Baron's extraordinary bearing, especially his aura: he possesses the lord's solemn authority, the warrior's strong bravery, and the mage's mysterious elegance.

Moreover, after his arrival on the island, his astonishing abilities witnessed by all have led many to believe he is Mother Nature's own son.

Thus, the princess's words instantly resonated with every islander.

And because of that speech, she greatly closed the gap between herself and the islanders.

It made the islanders feel she was very approachable, not a distant figure in the heavens but a princess standing beside them.

Watching the bustling crowd, the princess thought inwardly, "She not only looks good, but also possesses astonishing talent, a reliable gentle nature, and is exceptionally strong and powerful."

She naturally recalled her recent intimacy with her husband and the endless bliss of wandering heaven, feeling her heartbeat quicken slightly and her legs grow a bit weak.

"Anna says my life will not be hard; not only not hard, it's downright joyous~"

But such subtleties naturally cannot be spoken of to outsiders.

After regaining composure, she continued, "Alright, the greatest doubt has been cleared."

"Now is the time to award the glorious medals to the heroes who helped quell the rebellion."

With those words, Ailiya promptly presented a tray holding exquisite medals.

The tray displayed a neat row of glittering metal medals.

These medals were no simple trinkets: their base was hardened silver‑white mithril, etched with deep‑blue ogold runes, and set with a grain‑of‑wheat‑sized flawless sapphire that shone brilliantly.

Their exquisite craftsmanship and costly materials drew everyone's eyes the moment they appeared.

Even the commanders of the Flame Legion stared hungrily.

Harry licked his lips, "These medals cost at least 500 Ogre in material alone; the lord is truly generous!"

Yuepu smirked, "This has nothing to do with us."

He felt a strong yearning inside.

But reason told him he was merely the Baron's mercenary; having already taken the money, the honor naturally didn't concern him.

At that moment, the princess raised a splendid medal aloft and solemnly declared.

"The Island Hero Medal, forged by my husband and me, can trigger a hair‑pulling activation of the Advanced Thorn Lightning Shield. After a single activation, it can be recharged by a mage's assistance or by basking in sunlight for autonomous recharging."

"A total of twelve, rewarding twelve island heroes who made outstanding contributions in the island's unification battles!"

"Wow~~~"

When those words were spoken, the semi‑knowledgeable warriors' eyes glittered with envy, while the fully knowledgeable mages yearned almost to drool.

Even Weige, the court alchemist who had seen many fine things, could barely contain herself.

The Advanced Thorn Lightning Shield is powerful. Its autonomous sunlight recharging is a unique craft, and even she is hearing of it for the first time.

It's the first time she's ever wanted a magical artifact so much.

Outside the door, Muradi and Markxim were also startled.

Muradi whispered, "If this thing is real, it's worth a fortune."

Markxim replied, "Indeed."

As a member of the high nobility, he has far deeper experience than Muradi.

He knows Levinde currently has some recent achievements resembling autonomous recharging, though they are not yet mature.

Considering the Baron presented this as a medal rather than selling it, it is probably due to its lack of maturity.

Nevertheless, this suffices to prove the Baron and his wife possess extremely high achievements in sorcery.

The princess's clear voice rang again within the hall.

"Island's First Hero, my elite guard commander, Sir Yuepu!"

When the words were spoken, Yuepu's whole body jolted violently, his heart pounding, his mind unable to believe.

"I'm just a mercenary; the Baron already paid me, and now he gives me a hero's medal?"

This medal is more than a simple token; it's a warrior's supreme honor! It can't just be a formality, can it?

But they never told him beforehand?

In a daze, he stepped before the princess, standing upright.

The princess's voice came, "Sir Yuepu led the elite guard in every major battle, making tremendous contributions; the island's first hero, truly deserving the title."

After speaking, she personally pinned the medal onto Yuepu's chest and, with a Spiritual Whisper, said, "Commander Yuepu, this is what you deserve, so it belongs to you."

"Wah‑la‑la~~"

The islanders burst into applause.

Yuepu is a Battle Master and an excellent combat commander; the crowd wholeheartedly accepts this honor.

Yuepu felt his heart burn, flooded with an intense sense of glory, and involuntarily thrust his chest outward, a thought bubbling up from deep within.

"The Baron and the princess are truly generous; if only I were the princess's guard commander, how wonderful that would be."

When he returned to the side of the deputy commanders, Harry immediately asked, "Commander, shall we return it later?"

"The island's second hero, deputy regiment commander of the guard, Harry the mage."

Harry shuddered, then took a few quick steps and stood before the Princess.

"The island's third hero."

As a result, the Flame Regiment commander and its three deputy commanders each received a hero's medal.

The four of them looked at each other, then all lowered their heads to look at the shining medals on their chests, and then they all fell silent.

Baron, you are truly generous!

Where in the world could you find such a good lord!

Afterward, Alonso, Weige, and Jiātèlán, three high-tier mages, and Kaodelin and the three chief knights also received the island's hero medals.

After the twelve hero medals were awarded, fifty warrior medals were then conferred, but they were to be worn on behalf of Miss Akali.

Finally, the awarding was completed.

Luosen loudly announced: "The first island citizen assembly has ended!"

The basic framework has been set up; what remains is to gradually fill in the details.

He glanced at the members of the Flame Regiment again.

The iron ore agreement made with the Count earlier should also come to an end.

Is there iron ore on the island?

I don't know; it's still under investigation.

But the island is already his; even if there were, it wouldn't be his.

As for the Flame Regiment, he has his own arrangements.

(End of chapter)