"Alright, let's set that aside. I have something here," Brian said, pulling out a sack he had received from the system—a sack containing an endless supply of cement.
"What's this, Your Grace?" Lylia asked.
"I call it Unlimited Cement. It can be used to build houses, walls, and more. If we use this, I guarantee our kingdom will have defenses stronger than most empires," Brian replied.
The five of them exchanged skeptical glances. Brian noticed.
"Is it really true, Your Grace? The contents of that bag can be used to build houses and walls?" Lylia pressed.
"Let's test it and find out. Key, gather three thousand strong-bodied men, split them into two groups, and have them collect as much sand as they can, as well as plenty of water from the river and boulders the size of a grown man's thigh. Bring them to the area near the mist formation array, close to the mountain peak."
"Understood, Your Grace," Key said, immediately heading out.
"Your Grace, I'll also help gather the people you need," Dyami added, hurrying after Key.
Only Brian, Leo, Frank, and Lylia remained in the room.
"Frank, do we already have a security force in the city?" Brian asked.
"Yes, Your Grace. Around five hundred guards, including the soldiers you brought last time," Frank replied.
"Good. I'll give you this—teach it to all five hundred," Brian said, handing over the Sun Cultivation Art.
"Understood, Your Grace," Frank said with a firm nod.
With no further discussion needed, Brian suggested they go inspect the land for the new royal palace.
"Alright, let's head to the open space near the mountain peak," Brian said.
"Yes, Your Grace," they replied.
They walked out the back of the castle; the mountain peak was right behind it, so they arrived quickly.
There, they saw many burly men hauling sand, water, and boulders toward the mountain.
"Key really works fast," Brian muttered.
Spotting Brian, Key immediately approached.
"Your Grace, we've brought the water, sand, and stones," Key reported.
"Good. Everyone, gather around—I have the blueprint for the palace. We're going to build it," Brian said.
When the others saw the blueprint, they couldn't help but gasp in admiration—it was stunning. But when they heard that sand, water, and stones would be used to construct the palace, they froze in confusion. As far as they knew, such buildings required mixing soil with limestone as a binding agent.
"Bring me a shovel. Also, while I'm working on this, have a few people start digging the foundations according to the blueprint," Brian instructed, unfazed by their puzzled expressions.
Key quickly retrieved a shovel and handed it over.
"Here, Your Grace," she said.
The onlookers still had no idea what Brian intended to do.
"Tell the workers hauling materials to stop and watch what I'm doing," Brian ordered.
Following his command, everyone set down their loads and gathered in a circle.
Brian took some sand, mixed it with cement until it turned a grayish color, then added water, stirring until the mixture became smooth. He poured the cement into the foundation trench—already dug to shin height by Key's group—until it was level.
He filled a few more centimeters, then handed the task to others.
"Fill it exactly as I showed you, then leave it to dry for a few days. As for the rest of the materials, take them to the area near the mist formation and start building walls identical to our current defenses. Don't be stingy with the cement—it won't run out," Brian instructed.
After teaching the workers, Brian led Leo and the others back to the meeting room, where Dyami had already finished gathering the people Brian requested.
Seeing the crowd disperse, Brian led Leo and the others back inside to discuss his next plan—one aimed at generating income.
Brian turned to Lylia. "Lylia, how's the information division I asked for last time?"
"Twenty of our people have infiltrated several major cities in the Alge Kingdom, Your Grace, and we have around fifty in each city. We could only secure that number due to limited funds," Lylia replied.
"That's already quite good."
He then pulled out around a hundred books. The five of them looked puzzled—at first glance, they were just ordinary books.
"Inside these books is a formation array that will allow us to see each other in real time when opened."
Brian had come across this formation while browsing the system's store for a high-grade mist array—one capable of blocking the senses of Saint cultivators. Instead, he found this gem, and his excitement had been instant. The array worked almost like a magical version of a video call.
During his time at the academy, he had purchased a hundred books and inscribed the formation inside each one.
Brian taught the five of them how to activate it. Their jaws dropped when they saw it in action—they had never imagined such an array could exist.
"With this, we can speed up the sharing of information tremendously. Your Grace, you're incredible!" Leo said enthusiastically. Lylia and the others nodded in agreement.
"Dyami will be the main leader of the information division, with twenty elite commanders personally selected by Lylia."
"Each commander will receive one of these formation books and report all gathered intel directly to Dyami," Brian continued.
Dyami nodded, then asked, "Then why, Your Grace, did you ask me to buy paper and ink, and to gather a thousand people?"
The others looked equally curious.
"I asked for paper and ink so the thousand people you select can write down and illustrate every piece of information reported by the twenty commanders and their teams. We will then sell that information."
The five of them could already picture the results, their expressions lighting up.
"Your Grace, you're a genius," Lylia said, her eyes practically sparkling with admiration.
"Indeed, none of us thought of this," Key added.
"Exactly. Information is incredibly valuable to every major household. If we can sell it, we'll profit greatly," Leo agreed.
"Yes, but I don't plan to sell this only to the elite. I want it available to common folk as well. Among them, we'll publish reports on murders, robberies, or anything else they might find interesting," Brian explained.
"Ahhh, that's brilliant! We'll make a fortune!" Lylia exclaimed.
"And if we gain the trust of commoners, the major families will be even more eager for our exclusive reports," Brian added.
Hearing this, everyone's eyes shone with excitement.
"This will be called a newspaper. Each sheet will be priced at three silver coins," Brian declared.
Paper was cheap—five sheets for a single silver coin—so even at that price, operations could run smoothly. At the very least, this plan would help cover short-term expenses.
"Understood, Your Grace," Dyami said.
"Good. Dyami, handle this first," Brian instructed.
"I'll see to it immediately, Your Grace," Dyami said with a bow before leaving.
"Once Dyami is done, we'll proceed with officially appointing Dyami and Frank as Guardian Beasts. Lylia, spread the word to the people of Sevenbeast City. And Key—take a few people deep into Sue Forest to hunt some beasts for roasting during the ceremony," Brian added. He was already craving beast meat—it was one of his favorite delicacies.
"Understood, Your Grace," Lylia and Key replied.
"Good. If there's nothing else, I'll be resting," Brian said before heading back to the castle.