---
I lay down having nothing to do, I tried recalling my first impression of this place.
When I first arrived here, this place was a barren wasteland, eerily silent and lifeless. Now? It's bustling with activity.
Even my Chamber of Commerce, the Candlelight chamber of commerce is still standing. Not that it has any real function yet.
Kirin hasn't left the chamber since she signed up. No strings attached, so maybe she has her own plans. Time to give her a little surprise.
Pulling myself together I summoned Barns.
The poor guy looked haggard—dark circles, messy robes, and an aura that screamed overworked alchemist.
"I heard you've improved the elven potions. Brew 1,000 Level 1 potions and get the funding from Lucia."
Barns nodded solemnly.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
As he turned to leave, he muttered under his breath, "Everything is done for a reason."
What's that supposed to mean? I thought. Maybe I should visit the laboratory soon and figure out what all these alchemists are up to.
Who knows, maybe they might really cook up the first titan who would breach my walls like tofu.
---
Compared to other transmigrators, I must be the least action-packed lord in existence. No heroics, no swordplay—just one stab, and I'm done for. A glass cannon with no cannon, if you will.
The day passed uneventfully.
I sent 100 mana crystals to the lab.
Sold 500 mana crystals to the Alchemist Association.
Transferred 300k gold coins to Lucia.
That left me with 200k gold coins—solid gold. My wealth had reached a level where the luxuries my peers drooled over felt like chump change.
I didn't forget about the surprise.. I opened the official forum and checked in on the Candlelight chamber of commerce.
I posted the 1,000 elven potions Barns brewed for 100 gold each in the Chamber of Commerce. That's 10x the production cost, but these were the only ones on the market.
Not even a minute passed before Kirin bought out the entire stock. She even sent me a frantic DM:
"Do you have more? Are you selling more???"
I replied coolly,
"Yes. In fact, I have a task for you: for every new member you recruit into the Chamber, I'll give you 100 potions."
Kirin countered,
"200."
"100."
"180?"
"No. 100 per member."
She paused, then tried one last time.
"150? Please? In return, I'll sell you exclusive 4-star troops and heroes."
I smirked.
"Pleasure doing business with you."
---
Kirin explained that her talent could only summon one 4-star hero per week. These heroes weren't military-focused but could specialize in critical roles: advisors for finance, trade, military, and more.
My first order? A 4-star Trade Advisor.
We needed to foster trade with neighboring kingdoms. Our people couldn't rely solely on farming; a stagnant economy would doom us.
After a few more brief chats finishing the deal, I went back to counting my wealth.
I glanced at my growing reserves: 52.7k mana crystals and 300k gold coins.
Considering how well-received the elven potions were, I decided to mass-produce them to fund development and reduce reliance on my talents.
I feel sorry for the poor guy but I had to, I summoned Barns again.
Barns stood before me, a small smile playing on his face.
"Barns," I said in my most dignified tone.
His smile widened slightly, though I couldn't help but wonder what mischief was brewing in his mind.
"How many elven potions can the laboratory produce daily?"
"10,000, if we go all out," he replied confidently.
I grinned.
"Good. Start full production. I'll allocate additional funding as a bonus for you and your team."
I transferred 300k gold coins to him.
Barns's face twitched. I pretended not to notice. He should really speak his mind.
If all 10,000 potions sold at 100 gold each, that's 1M gold coins daily. Even after deducting 300k for production costs, I'd pocket 700k gold coins a day.
"Barns, my wallet is counting on you," I said to myself, watching him leave with a determined stride.
His shadow grew thinner as he disappeared past the first walls.
Good luck, Barns.
---