The matters that followed were quite simple.
Those officials who had been betrayed and reported, one after another, all embraced the mentality of dragging everyone down with them.
They unleashed everything they had, revealing every secret they knew and exposing anyone they dared.
As things progressed, Alaric did not even need to use suggestion magic anymore. Everyone had given up on themselves, voluntarily exposing their colleagues.
Without any guidance from him, charges and evidence poured out endlessly.
Thus, the people watched as the officials present were dragged onto the stage one after another in order.
Their crimes were read aloud, they confessed readily, identified others, and then those named were brought up in turn to accuse yet more people.
In the end, there were not enough clerks to record the testimonies of those being judged. Nitocris had no choice but to temporarily borrow accountants and bookkeepers from certain merchants to act as scribes and document their "revelations."
Almost every official on trial had a dense, countless list of crimes under their name.
Nitocris was shocked to discover that at least one-third of these officials would have to be sacrificed to Sobek, while the rest would face punishments such as severing of hands, forced labor, or exile.
Among all the officials present, only a little more than ten remained unaccused and escaped disaster.
Without exception, these were people of low status and unimportant positions.
This was hardly surprising. In a bureaucracy where corruption was universal, such ugliness had long become commonplace.
Those who could not adapt or integrate into that environment would naturally be excluded, assigned the hardest, most exhausting, or most insignificant tasks.
These positions usually held little power or profit. Even if such people wanted to do evil, they had few opportunities.
But this, in itself, was their fortune.
It was easy to imagine that in a government that had lost over eighty percent of its bureaucrats, their experience alone meant that they were already the default candidates for future high-ranking positions.
As for the officials weighed down by crimes…
With a single command from Nitocris, the city guards threw them all into prison and began confiscating their property.
Of course, before that, Nitocris personally appointed new commanders for the city guard and allowed them time to coordinate.
After all, among those reported were also generals within the guard.
In short, Memphis was now severely short of manpower because most officials had been imprisoned. Everything required the Pharaoh's attention.
From finances to military affairs, piles of documents were gathered in the palace awaiting approval, keeping this newly empowered female Pharaoh unbearably busy.
If not for Alaric's assistance, and the many enhancement spells that increased intelligence and endurance, Nitocris would have collapsed long ago.
To lighten her burden, she rapidly promoted many of the lowest-ranking clerks. Those who had only recorded taxes began collecting them.
Court scribes became judges. Minor officials who once liaised with merchants now managed entire markets…
In addition, she urgently established two temporary departments.
One was responsible for recruiting talented individuals from the common people who could read, write, and calculate, filling the vacancies in the lower bureaucracy.
The other trained these newly appointed officials.
Thus, under Nitocris, the new court of Memphis finally began to function, though unsteadily.
At first, even after her emergency promotions, most of these people had held only minor positions such as record-keeping or advisory roles.
Suddenly elevated, they naturally did not know how to handle their new responsibilities and had to learn everything from scratch.
However, they had one advantage, they were not obsessed with corruption.
Compared to exploiting power for personal gain, they preferred to accomplish something meaningful.
After all, they were survivors of the great purge. The fate of the officials in that "Great Judgment" had deeply shocked them.
Their Pharaoh was a ruthless ruler willing to paralyze the entire state to restore order.
Yet while their character was reliable, they lacked experience. They often asked for the Pharaoh's opinion on even the smallest matters.
At one point, long lines formed at the palace gates, forcing Nitocris to spend large amounts of time guiding these novice officials.
To ease her burden and speed up their competence, Alaric had no choice but to cast spells such as Arcane Intellect and Owl's Wisdom on each of them.
These people also worked hard.
In this newly rebuilt court, without corrupt ministers forming factions and suppressing others, everyone had vast opportunities for advancement.
With effort, anyone could reach the highest offices in the nation. Why wouldn't they try?
Aside from manpower shortages and lack of professional experience, this emerging government faced few other troubles.
Financially, the confiscated wealth of former officials was immense. Nitocris even felt she could go years without collecting taxes.
These officials, focused solely on corruption, had amassed fortunes rivaling nations.
The wealth of the entire country had been gathered in Memphis through heavy taxes, only to end up in their hands.
And now, at least in Nitocris's view, she herself was eating very well.
As for manpower, while capable officials were few, there was no shortage of laborers for hard work.
These were the families and slaves of corrupt officials. Now, they all belonged to the Pharaoh.
In other aspects…
Egypt was currently fragmented. Many nomarchs ruled their territories independently, obeying orders in name only and submitting only token taxes.
But Nitocris, who was still struggling to manage even Memphis, naturally would not deal with them for now.
In her eyes, every one of these rebels was already a corpse waiting in the grave.
If another Pharaoh had taken the throne, unifying Egypt would require years of development, farming, training soldiers, and slowly reconquering the land.
But Nitocris, who possessed powerful magic…
You have no idea what true power really is!