Time flies, and a month has passed in the blink of an eye.
During this period, Iris was busy every day carving magical formations to ensure the rapid growth of rice in the fields. This was the best method to overthrow the winged man's reign, as it could quickly cultivate a large number of loyal winged man soldiers without the risk of rebellion.
Sui Liangfeng occasionally gathered influential winged man civilians for ideological exchanges.
In the meeting room, Sui Liangfeng addressed the seated winged man civilians, saying, "Fellow compatriots, today is our harvest day in the fields. We are grateful for the blessings bestowed upon us by the Great White Dragon."
Sui Liangfeng clenched his right hand and placed it over his heart, taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling.
"We are grateful for the blessings of the Great White Dragon," the winged man civilians followed suit, imitating Sui Liangfeng's actions.
Baixi stood amidst them, making the same gestures, while inwardly questioning, "What am I thanking myself for?"
Before Baixi could regain his thoughts, Sui Liangfeng continued, "To express our gratitude to the Great White Dragon, I propose to designate today as the Harvest Festival. What are your thoughts, fellow compatriots?"
"I agree."
"I concur."
"I have no objections."
"I agree."
"I second that."
"..."
"Since there are no objections, let it be proclaimed as the Harvest Festival," Sui Liangfeng announced, hearing the unanimous approval, his mood lifted instantly.
The gathered winged men applauded to signify their approval.
"I believe we should erect a statue of the Great White Dragon in the central square," suddenly, an elderly winged man proposed.
"The central square is under royal jurisdiction, and winged men of our status cannot enter, let alone erect a statue for the Great White Dragon," a young winged man with a goat beard remarked.
"I believe that under the leadership of the Great White Dragon, we can overthrow this hierarchical regime and establish a new nation, Your Majesty. Then, we will be able to erect a statue of the Great White Dragon in the central square," the elderly winged man declared resoundingly.
Many winged men agreed with the proposal, as the image of the Great White Dragon held an exalted position in their hearts, akin to that of a god.
Sui Liangfeng wanted to say something, but at that moment, Baixi suddenly stood up, and in his innocent voice, shouted, "Long live the Great White Dragon, may the Great White Dragon reign for eternity."
Baixi's words ignited a powder keg within the hearts of these fanatical devotees. They all rose to their feet, clenched their right fists with their hearts facing inward, and shouted, "Long live the Great White Dragon."
Seeing this scene, Sui Liangfeng couldn't help but be speechless, and thought to himself, "How did this meeting turn into a celebration of fervent devotees? This is truly..."
Sighing, Sui Liangfeng was about to say something, but everyone's emotions had already been stirred up by Baixi, not allowing him to interject. Sui Liangfeng could only give up.
So, amidst the cheers of the crowd, Sui Liangfeng had nothing more to say and could only let the people continue to cheer.
However, after the cheers had lasted for a while, a winged man walked out of the crowd and approached Sui Liangfeng. He said, "Mayor, I have a question to ask."
Sui Liangfeng raised his head and asked, "Please speak."
"Mayor, when can we overthrow this unequal regime?" The winged man was silent for a moment before speaking.
Sui Liangfeng looked at him with a smile, not answering directly, but instead asking, "Aren't you afraid of death? It will be a bloody affair."
"Revolution requires bloodshed and sacrifice, we all understand that. As the saying goes, the predecessors plant the trees and the later generations enjoy the shade. If we don't plant the trees, how will future generations be able to study and learn magic, to live as true winged men instead of being oppressed, living like slaves? So... I am willing to give my life in exchange for equality and freedom for future generations." The winged man spoke firmly.
Sui Liangfeng patted his shoulder and smiled, "I know you have courage and determination, but I also hope you realize that our current strength is not enough to overthrow that unequal country. So you need to be rational and not sacrifice your life due to radicalism."
"Don't worry, Mayor. I will practice diligently and strive to kill more enemies on the battlefield." The winged man said resolutely.
Sui Liangfeng nodded and then said, "Alright, now everyone can go about their own duties. Disperse."
After receiving Sui Liangfeng's order, the winged men dispersed one after another.
After a while, only Sui Liangfeng and Baixi were left in the meeting room. Sui Liangfeng turned to Baixi and said, "If your mother knew what you did today, she probably wouldn't forgive you."
Baixi stuck out her tongue and made a face, saying, "I am the spiritual pillar of these winged men, and besides, it's not like I forced them to build a statue of the white dragon. Even if Mother knows about today's events, she won't punish me. At most, she'll just scold me a little."
Sui Liangfeng: "..."
Baixi appeared completely unconcerned on the surface, but deep down, she was a bit worried. After all, Iris was like a mother to Baixi, and she didn't dare to defy her.
...
Beezelbub led the winged commoners to the fields, where the golden rice ears were full and bending the stalks low.
Seeing these rice ears, the winged men were particularly excited and cheered.
"Thanks to the White Dragon for granting us food, otherwise we would still be starving here!"
"Yes, we are so grateful to the White Dragon."
"Long live the White Dragon..."
...
The winged commoners bowed to the empty air, shouting loudly. In their hearts, they were all praying for the White Dragon, because only the White Dragon could change this unfair regime.
"Let's quickly harvest the rice, and we'll be able to enjoy fragrant rice for dinner tonight. We must work hard, everyone!"
"Yes, I can't wait for the delicious dinner tonight."
"Hail Lord Bailong..."
...
The winged men were rolling on the ground with joy, cheering endlessly.
Iris stood in the air, watching this fanatical group of winged men, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her eyes.
"This way, we can take over this country completely without using any soldiers."
Iris's complexion and lips were slightly pale, but it couldn't hide her heroic figure.
During this month, Iris used blood magic every day to maintain the operation of the magic array, while Baixi transformed into a dragon and hovered in the sky, making everyone think that it was all Lord Bailong's doing. Only in this way could the winged men's admiration for Lord Bailong be heightened.
Although the credit all goes to Baixi, Iris didn't care. She wanted to shape Baixi into a legendary ancient beast. Although Baixi's strength may not match the ancient beasts of the Ruined Land continent, her reputation must be even louder than any ancient beast.
This way, it could to some extent reduce the morale of the enemy country and take over the five countries more quickly, ending the war between the two continents.
At night, every household could enjoy the fragrant rice, and each family would clench their right fist and place it on their heart for a prayer before the meal.
After the prayer, the family would sit around the table, enjoying the hot rice and vegetables. For the common people on the border, this meal was a feast.
...
Iris gathered five magical generals to discuss the next strategy.
"Qizhou, how is the strength of the winged men you trained?" Iris looked at Qizhou sitting beside her.
Qizhou shook his head and said, "Their foundation is weak, they awakened their magic too late, and coupled with the scarce training resources, the fastest progress is only mastering the second level of basic magic. These winged men will just be cannon fodder on the battlefield."
"And how about your side, Shizhi?" Iris asked another magical general, Shizhi, sitting beside her.
"Your Majesty, the training of combat skills in my camp is quite good overall, and their combat power is strong. These winged men have been working hard all year round, and their physical strength and power are quite good. They just lack the experience of honing and fighting on the battlefield."
Iris nodded and then said, "Qizhou, change all the magic practices to combat skills on your side. One year later, your two teams will begin real-life battles with real weapons."
Qizhou and Shizhi were both stunned for a moment, and then they both bowed and saluted, saying, "Yes, Your Majesty."
