[Activating Civil planner.]
[Virtual construction playing...]
Just as the system announced, the hologram hovered in front of Alaric's screen.
Displayed in this holographic image was the layout of the road Alaric was planning to build from the mining ground all the way to the barony.
Every time he made a good move, the system would give a green signal. And every time he made a bad one that could damage the road or similar, he was given a red signal.
So far, he had received a total of 5 reds and just two greens.
Grunting, Alaric rested his forehead on the table.
'What the hell? Why is this so difficult?!' he thought to himself.
Civil engineering was never his thing. Though he had a little knowledge of it, it didn't help much in the long run as all he knew were things related to using wood.
'Knowledge.'
An idea popped into his mind.
He raised his head.
"Carrier, show me available cards for gaining knowledge or anything of that category," Alaric requested.
[The carrier acknowledges your request.]
The system proceeded to show him three available cards up for purchase.
[Wisdom gainer.]
[Rank: Bronze rank
Level: 0/10... {290Cp to fully upgrade}.]
[Description: This card grants you the ability to absorb wisdom from another living thing.
Note: You need mana to maintain; once mana is cut, the skill will cancel.]
{9000cp to purchase.}
And then the second one...
[Knowledge of the world.]
[Rank: Bronze rank
Level: 0/10... {800Cp to fully upgrade}.]
[Description: This card grants you the ability to gain rapid knowledge of everything about anything the longer you try to learn about it.
Note: It takes a lot of mental energy to use this card effectively.]
{10,000cp to purchase.}
The last one.
[Processor.]
[Rank: Bronze rank
Level: 0/10... {400Cp to fully upgrade}.]
[Description: This card grants the user the ability to process information 10x faster than normal.
Note: Can cause serious fatigue if too exhausted.]
{5000cp to purchase.}
[Owned cp: 120,000cp]
All these cards danced in front of him. Since it was nighttime, the darkness caused the cards to glow brighter than normal.
Placing his hand under his jaw, Alaric thought to himself—
'Now which of these would give me what I need?'
After taking a good minute to scan through the cards, Alaric finally figured out which would pay off.
"Knowledge of the world."
He clicked on the card and bought it.
[You have successfully bought Knowledge of the world.]
[Card is now available for upgrade.]
[Knowledge of the world. (0/10) Bronze rank.]
'Upgrade to Diamond rank.'
[Price: 35,000 cp.]
"Do it."
The system proceeded to upgrade the card.
[Knowledge of the world.]
[Rank: Diamond rank
Level: 10/10... {Maxed}.]
[Description: This card allows you to gain information on anything and learn with just a thought. With each piece of information, you can transfer knowledge to others.
Note: You need mana to maintain; once mana is cut, the skill will cancel.]
---
The Knowledge of the World card was ready.
Alaric rested his back fully on the chair, his head tilted to the ceiling.
He began to process his thoughts on the little information he had about civil engineering.
The roads in his former world, the images of the other workers while they were pouring cement, and so on.
[You have acquired enough information.]
[The knowledge of Civil engineering has been acquired.]
Like a sudden rush of adrenaline, Alaric began to feel his brain absorb layers and layers of knowledge linked to civil engineering.
Opening his eyes, now filled with newly acquired knowledge, Alaric turned his focus back on the hologram.
It didn't take long for him to understand what he needed to do.
"Now we are talking." He grinned excitedly.
....
The next day.
Alaric stood in front of twenty workers who he had assigned to the construction crew.
He left the mining for Ava to handle, knowing she would be able to supervise everything and make sure not a single thing was out of place.
Since the mining ground was covered up, Alaric could focus on the other parts.
The buildings meant for keeping other resources had been built, meaning all that was left was the road to transport the goods from the mining ground to the barony.
"I have specifically chosen you people to handle this because I know you are more than capable. I'm sure a lot of you have been wondering why the trees leading to the barony were chopped down. Well, there's a good explanation for that..."
Alaric pointed towards the path.
"We are going to build a road! One that will make it easier for us to carry our goods and trade them for money."
Alaric's voice echoed through the crowd.
Carrying a confused expression, one of the workers raised a finger to speak.
"Yes...?" Alaric noticed him.
"Is it possible to build a road all by ourselves? Doesn't it always come from the governor? He has all the equipment and tools needed for these types of things."
The question struck Alaric as absurd. He had met people like this in his former world. Simple-minded individuals who only tend to follow one line and have difficulty trying a different path.
"Do you doubt your lord?" Alaric asked with a chill voice, as if begging the man to respond carelessly.
The man stuttered, "N—no of...of course not. It's just.... I felt—"
"I say this to you all, right now! If you have any doubt about what I'm doing here, then speak up and leave! You are not slaves; you are workers. You have the free will to stick to this job or walk away! So which is it?!!!"
Alaric's voice was loud and clear.
Did they probably doubt their lord was wrong? Yes.
Did they want to speak up and ask more questions? Yes.
Yet...
Submissive expressions began to hinder the faces of the workers as they all began to lower their heads, hinting at the fact that they didn't want to disobey Alaric.
Even the man who started the whole questioning dared not raise his head.
Alaric grinned internally after seeing the sight before him.
'Ha! Just like I guessed. Even if I chose to make them walk on one leg while fixing the road, they'd still choose to stay. Why? Well, that's because it has been half a month. Salary comes at month's end. Only a fool walks away after getting so close to their goal.'
....
[A\N: Please support this book.]