While awaiting Priest Aelius' response to the attack on Duke Revington, I focused on my two primary objectives. First, I would build a library before my infallible memory fades. My memory would still be strong, but strong isn’t the same as perfect. Doing this would enhance my education system and serve me for a lifetime.

Second, I needed to work on our city's plumbing system.

Thankfully, Carter's Steelworks only needed direction on mass-producing pipes, and assembling plumbing parts wasn't that difficult as long as the pipes were built correctly.

Since Carter was working on a barrel-type piercer for pipe manufacturing, I started with collecting my library. My destination: Ardenthal, in the Aurelian Empire.

Thea and I flew with Zenith to Ardenthal, the City of Sails that connects Novena to Valencia. Whenever we went there for business, it was winter, as it was the growing season in Luminara, where our coffee, shea, and chocolate came from.

This time, the city was bustling with life. Outside shops had exotic fish on ice, filleting fish on the spot, and cooking pieces in butter, creating a rich, fishy aroma throughout the city.

Since it was a trading town, merchants from Valencia sold spices, fruits, and roots on rugs on the ground, telling stories about what they did. Most of their claims were false, but the tourists ate it up before haggling poorly and getting ripped off.

There were even orphan children running through the streets, pickpocketing people by pretending to hang on their clothes and asking for help from their parents.

It was a wholesome environment.

Thea ran around with a bright smile, pointing at things and scampering off with Zenith and me close behind, letting her be free.

I thought watching her was endearing. Zenith? Not so much.

"Can't you just tell her that you love things?" Zenith huffed. "If I hear 'What do you think Ryker would think?' one more time, I'll be sick."

"I do tell her whenever she asks or even implies it," I replied. "I'm not sure what she's looking for, or I'd give it to her."

"Thea wants your love," Zenith rolled her eyes, watching Thea haggling for a colorful skirt, puffing out her cheeks at the seller's demands. "Romantic love."

My smile watching her faded. "Even though I don't think of her as a woman right now, she has my devotion, and I'm sure, given long enough, that will change, but..."

Zenith cast her amethyst gaze at me. "You're a king."

"I'm a king," I replied. "Marrying Thea would spit in the face of political systems everywhere and all but guarantee war with Valeria."

"And it would create a trust crisis with all your trading partners," she added.

I nodded. If I backed out of this deal, I would signal that even if kings offered me land, I would still break alliances. That would warn King Thrain that it was only a matter of time before I broke our alliance, and it would make the Aurelian Empire wary of doing business with me.

Political marriages weren't a joke.

"At a minimum, I need to negotiate the conditions for a political marriage before I decide on a relationship with Thea," I confirmed. "So even if we do have a relationship, hiding it would prevent hundreds of thousands from dying."

"Hiding it is a good idea," Zenith smirked, watching Thea look at me, turn bright red, and then look away. "So why not hide it right now?"

"I'm devoted to Thea, Zenith," I declared. "It doesn't matter if we fall in love today, tomorrow, next year, next century, or never. She's the only reason I function so well with my memory. Without her, I would have given up on trusting anyone and I would have become a jaded recluse instead of a leader. So I will be there for her, making her smile until the end of time."

Zenith was shocked by my response, but her expression turned grim. "If that's true, you must take things more seriously," she said. "Listen, young master. I know you believe that you can set conditions, but if you don't bear a child with Princess Rema, it will not be legitimate. Bearing children binds people together because both kingdoms have their blood—"

"Enough, Zenith," I demanded. "I have two years to impose my values and beliefs on this world and force kingdoms to change, and I plan to make the most of it."

With those words, I walked up to Thea, looking at her jewelry nervously. "Let's get some food, Thea," I said. "I'll treat you to whatever you want."

Her eyes lit up, and she gave me a bright smile. "Okay!"

I fished out a gold coin and flicked it at the shopkeeper before grabbing Thea's hand and leading her, leaving her and the shopkeeper equally perplexed.

This was my compromise. Holding Thea's hand with a purpose. It's the most I could do for now, but... I looked at Thea, taking shallow breaths with a bashful expression, and smiled.

I hope that I feel the same way about her one day. Not just a combination of natural love and hormonal attraction. No, I want to feel the same way she's feeling.

If emotional healing can do that... it'll be worth it.

I have two years to force my ideals on this world, and I'm going to blitz it.

My strategy was simple: the mass dissemination of information and lowering food and commodities prices until people felt it was impossible to go without them.

An economic marriage.

On contemporary Earth, Taiwan is home to 92% of the production of semiconductors for microchips, and destroying that one small island would plunge the world into chaos. Similarly, Saudi Arabia controls most of the oil that feeds the world's plastic and energy market, and Australia supplies over 50% of the world's iron ore exports, fueling the steel that makes buildings, cars, and transportation infrastructure.

In the modern world, trade is more significant than political relationships, and war equates to economic suicide. As for the Everwood Kingdom, I had an arguably ruthless plan to ensure Solstice's economic and political stability.

Two years would fly by in a flash, and I needed every second to pull my plan off.

***

That night, we stayed in a luxury inn in anticipation of meeting with Seraphin of the Ardenthal Merchant's Guild, Everwood Company's business partner.

After a bath and freshening up, we met with Seraphin for our meeting.

"Greetings, King Everwood," Seraphin smiled, shaking my hand as I entered his mansion. It was even more elaborate than before, containing guards for my protection, an assortment of quality goods in the reception area, and an elaborate banquet in my honor.

After a meet and greet with business partners from the Antigua and Valencia continents and representatives of Frosthold and Sunset Shore, we entered his office, where his smile faded.

"I hear you attacked a duke of Goldenspire," Seraphin said, handing me a rare cup of elven tea. They live in the Green Sea, a forest that various races collectively protect despite not claiming ownership. They war against each other but bind together to fight humans. Therefore, the tea was extremely rare and equally delicious, tasting like mangoes.

"Incorrect," I narrowed my eyes. "Duke Revington ordered his men to kill me after I prevented him from assaulting one of my citizens. That's a fact."

His face turned serious. "Duke Revington claims you never identified yourself, so when you grabbed his wrist, he defended himself."

"Had he come announced, he would've known who I was.”

"If you were in your chambers like a king, you wouldn't have seen him.”

"If he didn't threaten me with heresy and economic sanctions, I wouldn't have gotten involved.”

Seraphin took a deep breath. "And now you face both."

"And Priest Aelius faces war," I replied, sipping my tea.

His eyes sharpened. "You can't declare war whenever you want."

"Yes, I can. It's the right of a king," I smirked. "The only questions are whether it's justified, if I can win the war, and if I can protect the territorial gains—and I can. So I suggest you remain neutral."

"Neutral?" Seraphin scoffed. "As a nation built upon rocks, we import 70% of our food. 35% comes from Goldenspire. Yet you want us to remain 'neutral?'"

Translation: Are you crazy? If Goldenspire burns, we'll starve!

"It's not just us," he continued. "Goldenspire is a breadbasket for the world. Everyone is their ally out of necessity and protects them to maintain stability. There is no neutrality."

Translation: If someone attacks Goldenspire (you), all countries will attack the attacker (you) to prevent them (you) from threatening their food supply.

I sipped my tea. It was delicious. "Unless, of course, someone seizes Goldenspire and drops food prices by 50%."

"Keep out of farming," Seraphin smiled murderously. "Those who bring innovations to farming die of famine."

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

I put down my tea. "I can replace Goldenspire's flour imports at 33% less cost."

"Hollow offers spark conflict," Seraphin cautioned. "Do you want to retract your statement?"

"I can bring you five tons of flour in one week," I rolled my eyes.

Seraphin furrowed his brow in exasperation. "How? Goldenspire won't have exportable flour for another few weeks."

Mechanical reaper. Waterwheel milling operations. Laborers with superhuman strength.

"The quantity and timeline are all that matters," I deflected, pulling out a bag of flour from my spatial bag and handing it to him. "I can't fake the impossible."

Seraphin was shocked to find that it was indeed fresh, high-quality flour. "I can't believe this."

That single bag of flour proved that I reaped my wheat crop, threshed it before conventional drying, and ground it before Novena's experts.

After some back and forth and preliminary negotiations, Seraphin said he would advocate my proposal to King Emeric, contingent upon the credibility of my claims. If things worked out, King Emeric would declare neutrality, and if Goldenspire retaliated, he would come to my side. That was the goal.

"Now then," Seraphin smiled, pulling out a book inscribed with runes and magic circles from his desk drawer. "I've acquired a tome with an A-rank spell and ten B-rank spells."

A grimoire contains all the incantations and knowledge for a single multi-tiered spell. Tomes are collections of grimoires. It was a serious book.

My eyes narrowed. "What do you want for it?"

"Steel-making technology," Seraphim said bluntly.

"I can't," I replied. "I've given King Thrain of Dragon's Peak five years of exclusivity on steel technology. We know people will steal the process, but the technology isn't for sale."

“In exchange for?” he frowned, understanding my hands were tied.

"To prevent war," I replied.

Seraphin silently scoffed at the irony but composed himself. "Then what can you offer me for it?"

"I can offer you advanced waterwheel technology to operate multiple machines simultaneously or concrete, which can build roads and walls stronger than stone," I replied.

Castle walls have historically been unable to resist cannonballs. By contrast, rebar-reinforced concrete is the primary material used for anti-blast structures capable of withstanding modern missiles.

Why part ways with such a thing? I can't keep a simple recipe a secret for long, so it was best to get something for it. Regardless, two words were about to spell the end of kingdoms locking themselves in castle walls: nitric acid.

Seraphin was shocked. He couldn't believe I would trade national-grade technology for a book. "You can't be serious."

"I am," I replied. "I also have a million gold budget for books. Not just spells, but texts on botany, minerals, history, language, and the like."

He broke free from his trance and narrowed his eyes. "What do you plan to do with them?"

"That's my business; finding them is yours," I smirked. "Well, it's everyone's business. I'm offering the same to every merchant in my network."

Seraphin gave me a serpent's smile laced with venom. "I already have plenty. Come see them."

***

We took a carriage to an underground warehouse with treasures, where he showed me dozens of books. He had texts on botany from Nectaris, which had the largest magical flower collection, regional books on magical stones, a Valerian text on magical trees, and a few dozen texts on history and books with maps. There were a dozen other grimoires for small yet effective spells for various tasks. They were perfect for providing to the greater populace.

"I'll take them all," I announced. "What's your price?"

Seraphin gave a few dozen pandering remarks about the price and finally gave his number. "20,000 gold. 10,000 if you give me advanced waterwheel technology."

"Deal," I replied. "I'll give you the waterwheel technology and 20,000 gold. Think of it as a deposit for finding books like your life depends on it."

Seraphin twitched, then took a huge breath. "Consider it done."

***

Seraphin and I spent the rest of the day touring Ardenthal, and I learned the ins and outs of their economy as he tried to get me to start importing trade goods. Naturally, I agreed to seal an economic marriage between our countries.

I committed to trading flour and steel products for fish, iron ore from the nearby mountains, and various goods from Valencia that require trade relationships, including magical herbs.

It’s a beneficial exchange.

After a good night's sleep and buying Zenith some noble clothing, we returned to Sundell, where Carter awaited us with a barrel-type piercer.

"I'm not entirely sure what this thing does, but it works," Carter said. "I think."

In front of us were two small metal barrels slightly pointed in the center, albeit rounded in a smooth gradient. The two rotated seamlessly like a car wash, but it's solid for a pipe.

Once a person uses a lathe to create a cylinder, they heat it up to make it elastic, and then a piercing rod, which is just a pointed pipe, pierces the metal as the two barrels roll it. The process makes it hollow, elongates it with the extra metal, and strengthens it due to a physical phenomenon known as the Mannesmann effect.

The piercing rod I gave him is made of Mythril, ensuring it wouldn't deform during the process. If the barrels remain the same size and Carter uses his lathe with the same measurements, it'll create the standard for pipes everywhere.

"Let me show you how it works," I said, showing him the step-by-step process. Once it was done, he was shocked to see the perfect pipe set up. "The tricky part will be threading these pipes so they screw together. However, we'll sell the rejects to other countries because they're still infinitely better than anything other people can make."

It's like grocery markets offering store-brand food; it's just wholesale food rejects that don't abide by brand quality standards. That's what people are eating. It's like clothing stores selling name-brand goods for suspiciously low prices—it's the same thing.

It’s an ethical form of business.

I won't promise something and deliver rejects. However, I will give people rejects for an unethical premium as long as they agree to buy them.

Ultimately, everyone wins—especially me.

"I'm going to need a thousand of these of various sizes," I announced. "We're building an entire city with these."

Carter sighed deeply with dead eyes once I gave the order, not even looking at me as I walked out the door.

---

"That kid..." Carter said with bloodshot eyes. "How am I supposed to make thousands of these? Especially when he only gave me one of these pipes? I'm going to need to make a bigger lathe."

The door opened again. "We're closed for today," he announced, not even looking up.

"Yes, you are," That Kid replied.

Carter turned and saw That Kid walk in with a keg, followed by His Girl, holding cooked goods. "What's this?"

"It's for your week off," Kid replied, dumping it on the floor. "The baked goods and food here are for all your workers, who also get the week off."

Carter's eyes widened. "How the hell can I get things done with a whole week off?" he asked. "I can't work from dusk till dawn."

"Oh, I already arranged for the other steel makers to do your work for a week," That Kid chuckled. "You should've seen the look of despair on their faces. Anyway, enjoy."

Without giving him a chance to speak, Kid walked out the door with His Girl giggling behind him.

The whole shop was stunned. “Is it real, boss?” a blacksmith asked, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Uh..." Carter hummed in disbelief. "Well, I don't want to believe it. But that kid's super direct. I haven't heard him tell a joke or lie in half a decade. So... yes?"

A moment of silence.

A period of disbelief.

Explosive cheering.

After over a year of non-stop grinding, they all made unruly sums of money they never got to spend. Now, they finally had an entire week off to spend it.

"That kid..." Carter smiled. "He always knows how to hype me up somehow."

---

"Was it really okay to give him an entire week off?" Thea asked. "You're working so hard."

"Carter's a person—he's not a machine. I often forget that," I reasoned. "Moreover, people are more productive when they get a bit of rest."

She looked at me suspiciously, putting her finger on her lips. "There's something else, too."

I furrowed my brow. "What are you talking about?"

"There's something you're not telling me," Thea replied. "Not hiding it. It's just more like... there's something that seems so natural to you that you've forgotten it."

"Maybe... but why do you even think that?" I asked.

"That's how you always are, silly," Thea giggled. "You're always like, 'What? You use the guild system that everyone's always used since the beginning of time? What kind of backward savage are you?'" she said in a burly voice. "Or you sigh in exasperation and go, 'It must suck to be rich after you listened to me last time,' after someone questions you."

I smiled wryly at her mocking. Normally, I didn't take kindly to mockery because I never told jokes. However, for some reason, her playful giggling... made me feel slightly happy?

I didn't know what to do, so I tried to answer her question. After some thought, I pointed out something very common sense.

"I guess... it's just because we're improving people's lives, right?" I posed. "People here spend 90% of their income on food, and the rest on necessities. They don't have money for anything else. But if we automate things and lower food costs, their kids won't have to work in the fields, so they can go to school. People can also enjoy their relationships and raise their kids. It's just better. So it wouldn't make sense for Carter to do that for everyone else and not... what?"

Thea's eyes were sparkling so intensely, and her cheeks were puffed out, suppressing a squeal.

"Did I give you the wrong answer?" I asked.

"No, you gave me the best answer!" she exclaimed. In a strange twist, she bundled up intense energy and pounced on me, hugging my chest.

"I-I see…." I said, unsure how to react. So I hugged her back awkwardly, embracing her strange behavior. "What am I supposed to do now?" I asked, noticing she wasn't getting super shy and scurrying away.

However, I silently accepted her embrace and didn't think about it further.

***

The next day things mostly returned to the same routine. I returned to work, spending most of my time transcribing and preparing my learning materials for mass publication. That continued for another five days until I had a folder of papers, each containing a stand-alone, straightforward, consumable info poster.

I walked into Riley's shop, my printer from Elderthorn. As usual, she was covered in ink. And, as usual, she was obsequious, making sure to call me “My Liege” a dozen times before I could make my request.

"I need ten thousand copies of each of these printed on posters," I said, making the blood drain from her face.

"T-Ten thousand each?" Riley stammered. "There are at least a hundred pages there, and they all have drawings!"

I gave her an apologetic smile. "I'll hire ten more people."

"That's not the problem…." She bit her lip. "It’s just that… I can't carve this much art…."

"I'll hire the best artisans there are," I chuckled. "In the meantime, make yourself an advertisement."

With those words, I dropped a sack of gold on the table with a loud clank and walked out the door.

---

"Ten thousand?!" Riley screeched, pulling out her hair slightly. "And he paid me a thousand gold?! That's worse! I don't mind doing it, but how can I ever meet My Liege's expectations?!"

She took a deep, pained breath. "He pulled me out of a shelter and gave me a job, food, and housing," she murmured. "I can't let him down."

With determination in her eyes, Riley washed her hands thirteen times with hot water she heated with magic and then dried them meticulously before daring to touch the papers. When she opened them up, her eyes widened.

"The Skylandish alphabet?" Riley whispered in confusion. She turned to the next page, where a picture of a dog with "dog" was written in Skylandish. The same was true for the sun, food, and work. "What are these?"

She continued, seeing a picture of an apple with a drawing of one coin and the Arabic numeral 1. Then there was a picture of two apples and two coins with the number two.

To her astonishment, it told a whole story, showing the worth of baked goods, a chicken, and a house with pictures of gold with the numbers.

“I’m certain anyone could learn King Everwood’s numerals with this,” Riley muttered. “Everyone already knows how to count money. It just putting his symbols to it….”

The surprises didn't stop there. "You have to be kidding me." Riley’s eyes locked onto a picture. “I can’t understand why he’d give this way, but…. King Everwood’s about to change the world!”