Chapter 576 Rising Sun District

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Blackthorn City

Ever since new laws and regulations were implemented, the capital city of the Black Rose Kingdom underwent rapid changes in the past several days.

Blackthorn City itself was already a highly fortified fortress with reinforced walls equipped with magic ballistae capable of ripping through long lines of demons below Rank 3 once charged with a High Witch's magic power.

However, a few kilometers of land north of the city had been cleared of its trees and replaced with three new defensive lines – heavily fortified ramparts equipped with new magitech weapons that weren't inferior to Blackthorn City's northern wall.

Furthermore, a Rank 5 magic barrier system capable of covering the entire city and blocking the magical attacks of Rank 5 transcendental beings was in the final stages of its development.

So much was achieved in a short time, but nothing was hastily and sloppily made.

There was nothing millions of witches couldn't do with their magic when they worked together under a clear, defined goal.

Nevertheless, the defensive measures against Gehenna weren't the only changes in the north.

A new district called the Rising Sun District had been formed on the eastern side of the capital city for the development of men and their rights. Incredible vigor was breathed into this city region as bustling activities could be found throughout its corners.

Although the development rate of Rising Sun District couldn't be compared to Blackthorn City's defense projects, it had the burning sweats of motivation and excitement that couldn't be found anywhere else in the capital city.

When the movement-impairing shackles left their ankles and wrists, and their skin no longer kissed the sting of flesh-tearing whips, the enslaved men breathed the air of freedom and tasted the beauty of life.

Their worlds suddenly became colorful.

Even if they carried the same stone, held the same shovel, dug the same soil, and performed the same labor, the feeling was completely different from the past. Without the witches' oppression, they no longer needed to slave away their lives to satisfy the witches' avarice.

They were building their homes with their own hands and feet!

"Lady Gwyneth!"

Dozens of men passionately greeted with heartfelt appreciation and excitement as a brunette lady with hazel eyes, wearing a casual brown-white dress, strolled down the busy street full of construction on either side.

Despite the men being stained in grime and sweat with their construction work, they still took time out of their busy activities to welcome Lady Gwyneth.

Evidently, Lady Gwyneth was well respected by these groups of men.

She was only an Early-stage Senior Witch but specialized in healing magic. Furthermore, she wasn't part of the supremacist witch faction. She had previously saved countless enslaved men with her healing magic, even though there was nothing to gain from it.

She only had done it out of the kindness of her own heart.

But as a result, she had won the hearts of countless men. Even if they became free men with rights, they would never bear any hostilities toward her.

As Gwyneth strolled past the busy construction area, she summoned a wide area of warm, cascading golden light on the workers.

Everyone caught by the warm, cascading golden light quickly felt their fatigue leaving their bodies.

"Everyone, don't forget we have class in half an hour over break."

"Yes, Lady Gwyneth!"

After hearing Lady Gwyneth's reminder, many men answered with excitement and anticipation.

Lady Gwyneth's lecture had become one of their favorite periods of the day since she had been assigned as their teacher.

Many young men had been born into laborious slavery without even a basic education. Thus, many men didn't know how to read and write. They only knew how to speak – something they picked up as they lived through hellish days under the supremacist witches' tyranny.

It was also precisely because so many men lacked basic education that the Prime Minister, Evanore Hallewel, had arranged over a hundred teachers through selective screenings to educate them.

Nevertheless, education was only one of multiple focuses in the Rising Sun District. Besides general schools for basic education, the Rising Sun District was also developing martial academies and scholar towers.

In particular, the martial academies, which trained aura users and body refiners, were the most popular among free men and male witch descendants. Everyone was inspired to become as powerful as Vaan after learning and benefiting from his magnificent feats.

Vaan had become their role model and their idol.

He was the reason why men had been freed from their slave status and were also given rights and opportunities.

Without him, none of it would have been possible.

The statue of a man holding up a huge sun in the palm of his hand could be found in the main courtyard of every martial academy. The man in the statue was none other than Vaan. historical

Even the name of the new district was specifically chosen in honor of his feats.

Many men aspired to become the next rising sun.

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Outside a martial academy's front entrance, two witches in black cloaks walked alongside each other down the bustling main street of Rising Sun District. Their facial appearance couldn't be seen behind the darkness of their hoods, but no one paid attention to their patrol.

In fact, none of the men in the new district seemed to have noticed them, not even when they subconsciously walked around the two black-cloaked witches.

Evidently, a high-rank invisibility and warding spell had been cast on the two black-cloaked witches as they made their rounds around the new district.

While the Rising Sun District was undergoing great changes, it was also an extremely sensitive area of the city. All ex-supremacist witches were prohibited from entry, and only a selective group of neutral witches were approved with access.

The Rising Sun District had become a place where witches had little influence.

"It looks like the development in the Rising Sun District is going well

—or rather, too well, if I might add," Henrietta calmly remarked while looking around in her incognito mode. "Remember to assign more secret patrols to this district later, Prime Minister Evanore."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Evanore Hallewell acknowledged.