As soon as this policy was announced, the palace erupted in an uproar. Faces were filled with shock and excitement.
The people inside the hall were all influential figures of the Barut Kingdom. For years, the kingdom had enforced a policy of isolation. Countless people had longed to go out and see the wider world, yet none had been able to. At last, today, they finally could.
"Long live Your Majesty!!"
"This is wonderful, Your Majesty is wise!"
"Finally, finally, we can see the outside world!"
Some were so overwhelmed that they even burst into tears. Cut off from the world for so long, the Barut Kingdom had stagnated for years, perhaps even begun to decline.
Rojen watched the crowd with a faint smile. He naturally understood the dangers of isolation. In his previous life, the lessons learned by nations that closed themselves off, ignorant of the vastness of the world, had been painfully clear to anyone who knew history.
And the fate of Abdon was an even clearer warning against blind arrogance.
"Salo, once you appoint five presidents, choose one to make contact with the Marines and the World Government. Demonstrate our strength, and establish a communication system with them."
Rojen then instructed Salo.
"Yes, Your Majesty. You can rest assured regarding diplomacy!" Salo replied quickly.
"Good. Next, open the national treasury and strengthen our country. Allow those who have long been stuck at the peaks of magic scholars and mages to advance further."
The palace stirred again.
Training in magic was never easy; it required a great deal of time. However, a type of stone known as a magic crystal could increase efficiency and save time. With Rojen's decree, it meant that the royal elite would now extend their support to ordinary citizens.
It was easy to imagine how many who had once lost the chance to improve would now grow stronger because of this.
"Of course, this will not come without a price."
Seeing the crowd's enthusiasm, Rojen poured cold water on it.
"The Barut Kingdom Mage Guild will implement a points system. The five presidents, or mages under them, will issue quests and assign point values. Once you accumulate enough points, you may exchange them for resources to accelerate your training. The specific rules will be decided by the five presidents."
Rojen said with a smile.
This system was directly adapted from novels of his previous life, it was simple to implement.
"Finally, we will establish Mage Schools. Anyone who pays sufficient tuition may enroll and study!"
The moment these words were spoken, everyone in the palace widened their eyes.
"My heavens! Has the king gone mad?"
"Is this real? Everyone can learn magic now?"
"I can already imagine it, within just a few years, our Barut Kingdom will enter an era where magic belongs to all!"
"In a short time, our national strength will grow at an astonishing rate!"
The crowd erupted. This final decree was of enormous significance, it was practically revolutionary.
Since ancient times, the teaching of magic in the Barut Kingdom had been highly secretive and strictly controlled. Most knowledge was passed down through families, master-disciple relationships, or the royal lineage.
But from this moment onward, the establishment of magic academies would undoubtedly shock the entire nation.
"Of course, the academies will initially only accept citizens of our kingdom. As for outsiders, they must pass a joint review by the five presidents before admission."
Rojen added with a smile.
A new king, new policies, each one left the people of the Barut Kingdom deeply shaken. Everyone present in the palace could feel the immense power behind these decrees, and their awe for the new king only grew stronger.
Afterward, Rojen issued many more policies.
The court meeting lasted a full six hours. When it finally ended, the entire Barut Kingdom was shaken. Walking through the streets, one could see smiles on every citizen's face. It could be said that every one of Rojen's policies was closely tied to the people's interests, practical and grounded.
At this moment, Rojen, accompanied by Salo and the others, entered the royal treasury of the Barut Kingdom.
"Your Majesty, this is the national treasury."
Gerone awkwardly waved his magic staff and opened the doors.
Everyone looked inside. Salo and the others couldn't help but frown.
"What's going on? Why is the treasury so empty?"
"Abdon was always a selfish man. For the sake of training magic, how could he care about the contents of the treasury?" Gerone said with a bitter smile.
"It's only the gold and treasures that are scarce. There are still plenty of magic crystals."
Rojen said softly.
At the moment, his system balance was completely drained, he was practically broke, but he had no intention of exploiting his own nation. The Barut Kingdom had great value to him. A mage kingdom was, without a doubt, a powerful force. If this strength were fully developed, it might rival even the Marines.
"This is way too shabby!"
Asi said with a headache.
"Enough. Distribute the magic crystals. The most urgent task is to strengthen the nation. Otherwise, we won't be able to handle integration with the outside world."
Rojen waved his hand.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Everyone responded respectfully and quickly got to work.
"The policy of opening the country has already been announced. Next, your primary task is diplomacy, take our nation's specialties and trade them with the outside world to rapidly replenish the treasury."
Rojen added.
The chancellors nodded in agreement once more.
Two hours later, Rojen returned to his residence with some resources taken from the treasury.
Among them were books on the fundamentals of magic, the origins of magic, and several magic crystals. Naturally, Rojen was curious and interested in magic, how could humans not be fascinated by such supernatural power?
But as he gradually read and understood, he came to a realization.
Strictly speaking, the Barut Kingdom's magic was not what he had imagined.
All magic, its very origin, came from that fruit!
"So, as expected, the power of magic comes from Devil Fruits!"
Rojen had an epiphany.
The powers of this world could be said to revolve entirely around Devil Fruits, Logia, Zoan, and Paramecia types. Magic, too, could be broadly categorized in similar ways: elemental magic, alchemy, potion-making, black magic, and the final, secret arts.
In many ways, magic abilities were almost identical to Devil Fruits. The only difference was their flexibility. However, they also shared a major drawback: training was difficult and extremely time-consuming.
With Devil Fruits, one might reach mastery in 20 to 30 years. With magic, 20 to 30 years might only be enough to get started.
Shaking his head, Rojen abandoned this path of training. What interested him more was another method of cultivation, which the people of Barut called meditation.
"A method to train mental power, huh?"
Smiling, Rojen held the book and continued reading.
Meanwhile, Lordling and Nico Robin were holding a piece of paper, trembling with excitement.
"That's right, elder sister, this must be a Poneglyph!"
"Yes, this is a Poneglyph! Let's decipher it together and give Rojen a surprise!"
(End Of This Chapter)
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