After the commotion I stirred last time, I decided to lay low for a while.
I sent 40,000 troops to Lucas, who immediately complained about being overwhelmed.
"Oh, come on!" I grumbled. "You were the one lamenting the lack of manpower not long ago!"
To make his life easier—or so I thought—I upped his command from 10,000 to 50,000 troops. That's a fivefold increase! Surely, some gratitude was in order.
To top it off, I even sent 30,000 elven potions his way, one for each of his troops (I'll send the other 10,000 tomorrow after all.)
"Let them enjoy the perks of working under me," I mused, reclining in my chair.
Today, I was committed to doing absolutely nothing… aside from counting money, of course.
I stared at the treasury balance:
• 151,928 mana crystals
• 32,500 gold coins
Not bad.
But today? No money. No sales.
I was officially on protest mode.
Let them come to me, I thought, smiling smugly. I wanted to hear their pleas for funds, to see them realize how essential I was to the kingdom's operation.
Yet, to my disappointment, Lucia didn't even show up.
Instead, Kirin send me a message, looking far too interested in the elven potions.
"You're already addicted," I thought, but I kept that to myself. Kirin was essential for producing grade 4 troops, so I promised to list more potions tomorrow.
I felt like a spoiled child, sulking because things weren't going my way.
Still, I admired their dedication.
They worked tirelessly while their lord—me—did little more than sit around counting wealth and occasionally playing power games. Their loyalty and efficiency were… touching, in a way.
As I drifted off to sleep, I heard a knock on the door.
"Come in!" I called, excitement bubbling up. It had to be Lucia!
Instead, Barns stepped in, and my heart sank.
Oh no. I had promised him 300,000 gold coins a day for his research.
Barns knelt, performed the formalities, and delivered shocking news:
"My lord, we've completed the enchantment of 250,000 magic cores!"
Magic cores? I racked my brain but couldn't recall commissioning such a project. Perhaps it was something from long ago?
I cleared my throat, feigning confidence. "Ahem, well done. As a reward, what would you like?"
Barns went pale and immediately stood up straight, launching into a well-rehearsed monologue:
"My lord, I'm deeply honored to have contributed to your grand plan. At present, our laboratory is well-funded, with an abundance of mana crystals and gold coins.
With the profits from our new factories, we've become self-sufficient. I dare not waste your precious time further. I shall take my leave!"
Before I could respond, he bolted from the room, disappearing so quickly it was as if he'd vanished into thin air.
I slumped back into my chair, considering where else I could throw money. Maybe Benny would appreciate more funds?
My thoughts were interrupted by a message from the Alchemist Association.
"Esteemed Honor, is there a reason why you didn't sell mana crystals today?"
I smirked and replied:
"I already have too much gold. It's become… impractical to accumulate more."
Five minutes passed with no response, so I closed the forum and decided to visit the castle construction site.
The workers were impressive, their efforts evident as the castle neared completion well ahead of schedule.
As I admired their progress, another message from the Alchemist Association popped up.
"Esteemed Honor, would you like to trade for this?"
Robe of Kitsune (Mythic)
Description: A literal robe that shows no sign of possessing any magic. To the common eyes, it is nothing more than an indestructible item forged of unknown materials.
Special Effect: Produces a clone that can replace the user's real body. If the clone dies, the user revives in their original body. (3-day cooldown)
Price: '???'
I stared at the offer, intrigued. A mythic-grade item with such a powerful ability?
"Now this…" I murmured, "…might just be worth considering."
What's better, I have a hunch they don't know it's true worth considering they're offering it up for trade.
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