“Alright then, what do you want to know?” Zyrus took out a cooked skewer and started eating. Even if the others were too eager to ask him, they had no choice but to calm down and follow his actions.“We’ve collected a total of 10,000 points to buy information on ‘Laws’.”
“Let’s see…Kyle, Lauren, Shi kun, Jacob, Ria, Druv, and Strongfist. After I told you the info that’s priced at 1000, you’ll have about 400 points left. I’d advise you to use them together.”
Zyrus’s hint was pretty obvious. The leaders would definitely use them to ask about class and race upgrades, both of which were priced at 200 points.
What they didn’t know was that two things were correlated.
“How about this, we’ll spend the leftover points as well- so give us more specific answers,” Ria spoke after a bit of hesitation. Not that she didn’t value Zyrus’s advice, but it was rather embarrassing for them to be without a single contribution point.
“Sure. Starting today, I’ll give you a special training plan for the second ring.” Zyrus took out another skewer and began his explanation.
This was bound to be an exciting night.
…
When the sun rose on the second day, the construction began in full swing. Instead of telling Ria and the others about laws, Zyrus had explained classes and skills in detail and ordered them to get specific achievements within a month.
At the same time, he recorded his ‘lecture’ so he wouldn’t have to repeat the same process once again.
The situation on the island was bound to be chaotic if all of the commanding figures disappeared for a month, so Zyrus decided to step up himself.
The first order he gave was simple: Kill every monster and fish around the island. The ones who performed remarkably would receive special rewards from him. The motivated players began a one-sided massacre when the clock hit 9 in the morning.
Zyrus observed the players from the temporary watchtower and noted down a few words. This morning Franken and his knights departed on the dragon of war along with 200 ships to bring the production class players. At the same time, Tiamat and Sedna would patrol the surrounding ocean starting tonight.
While everyone was busy doing their respective tasks; Zyrus completed the checkup on the faction storage.
Quite a bit of metal was left after he separated what he and the players needed. There was also healing seaweed paste, some quality-of-life products, and lastly, the catapults and rams that were developed recently.
These were the main products that would satiate the economic needs of the project he was undertaking. As for the things he had bought from the auction, the production class players were still working on them. It wasn’t an easy feat to produce something substantial from the acquired knowledge and instruments.
“Make sure all the raw materials are collected by the time the fleet returns,” Zyrus spoke while giving the paper to Stephen.
“Got it.”
“Want to ask anything?” Zyrus looked sideways at the young man. He had grown a lot since the first time he saw him, dressed in a neat black suit along with a monocle; a rare item that aided in calculation and communication.
But compared to these external changes, the biggest improvement was in his mental state.
“About the things you’re planning to sell…will the catapult and ram be useful like the ones above?”
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Stephen’s question was within reason as compared to the oceanic metals and seaweed which were regional specialties; the weapons of war were common on the Kyros continent. Why would anyone buy them when they could just make one? They weren’t something like electric torpedoes and frost cannons that were recognized by the system.
“Haha…you’ll know when the time comes, but it’d be better if you figure that out on your own. Always remember, the war between two intelligent species is completely different from what you’ve seen thus far.”
“I see…I’ll get going then.” Stephen nodded and left with scrolls.
“Come back before lunch.” Zyrus waved him off and resumed his work. Players on the ocean were unaware of the cutthroat competition on the Kyros continent.
The various golden, silver, and bronze crown holders along with the natives which were even more in numbers. Hundreds of self-proclaimed ‘kings’ had sprouted like bamboo shoots and they were fighting for supremacy. Alliances, backstabbing, surprise raids, and many such tactics determined the victor.
Zyrus had told the players to make some land-based weapons of war by using the fish remains and tropical trees. They didn’t have any advantages compared to the ones on Kyros.
But the key was, no one was selling them. Kings who focused on warfare didn’t have enough for their own use, and the ones who focused on trade weren’t generous enough to sell weapons of war on the shop.
A hundred catapults could change the result of a war. It wasn’t difficult to sell them for a hefty price at a critical moment. The merchant kings were similar to hyenas who always roamed around the battlefields.
It was precisely a situation like this which allowed Zyrus to take advantage of the shop function. As long as your flag’s tier was above 5, it was possible to retrieve purchased items directly from the faction storage. Imagine two armies fighting and one of them pulls out a dozen catapults out of nowhere. Such a scene was worth its weight in gold. He wouldn’t earn as much as the merchant kings, but unlike them, this was just a passive income for his faction.
“Phew…all done,” Zyrus stretched his limbs after he finished the calculations. Not that he needed paper for that; it just felt nice.
He placed the sell order without much advertisement. As for those who didn’t see the advantage in this? They wouldn’t have enough money to buy from him anyway. Wars burned more money than anything else. The kings who didn’t realize this would lose their crown sooner or later.
At last, he opened another tab of the shop to buy what he wanted. Even after selling everything his faction had in excess, they could at most amass a wealth of 10k gold.
It was a significant sum, but still, it wasn’t enough to meet his criteria.
There were 28 'pieces' of farm on the outer ring of this island. They'd be made into docks with the wood and metal they already had.
After that was the reception area and the first plantation site. Since there were no plants suitable for any of the islands, Zyrus had to buy them from elsewhere.
[Fibre luminous grass x 100]
[A grass-like plant that grows in overcast conditions. It has a conical tip that glows in the night.]
[Height: 0.75 meters]
[Available: 500]
[Price: 5 S]
[Mutated water bamboo x 10]
[A unique bamboo grown in the center of Kyros. It has 9 segments with each being a foot long. With its high durability and rebound strength, it is used to fend off low-level monsters]
[Height: 3 meters]
[Available: 1000]
[Price: 50 S]
Zyrus made a buy order for the two as they were easy to grow and beautiful to look at. If he negotiated a lower price then he could spend some more and evolve them by using the formulas he knew. With his vast knowledge as a regressor and an arcanist, there were bound to be a few good deals that would be equivalent to a pie falling from the sky.
And sure enough, he found one such thing.
[Vuur bonsai]
[An underground species of bonsai grown in the dwarven lands. Its orange leaves produce heat waves, and it could be used as a light source with sufficient quantity]
[Height: 1 meter]
[Available: 1000]
[Price: 0.5 G]
Zyrus was sure that whoever was selling them was a scammer. A pity for them because he knew the true usage of Vuur bonsai.
‘Vuur bonsai’ were later known as the dwarves’ companions. For the cave dwellers who spent half their lives working with fire, a plant that could absorb heat was a blessing.
Not only could the meter-long bonsai help them in maintaining high temperatures, but it also had excellent bug-repelling and mana-drawing qualities.
Just the excess was enough to keep the temperature above 40 degrees. And since it was linked to the bonsai’s metabolism, the cases where it ‘overate’ and ‘exploded’ were common. It wasn’t until later when an arcanist developed an inhibitor that its value skyrocketed.
With regulated metabolism and heat control, Vuur bonsai became the living batteries that powered half of the underground region.
And now, Zyrus could do much more with them. For example, powering up his flag’s authorities.
Chapter 181: Vuur Bonsai
8 min read