There was an update to the [Map].

This must mean that the [Scouts] have returned.

“[Map]” he thought.

An updated map screen appeared before him.

A radius of 10 km around the palace showed nothing more than flat green plains.

“Open [ Building Tab],” Jack commanded.

The screen showed quick building plans for Jack to build for his new settlement.

The basic options were a: Furnace, Farm, Warehouse, Granary, and Well.

Lady Isoldea was already building a well.

A furnace didn’t make sense right now because there were no metal ores around to smelt.

The palace had some resources in reserve in case for an emergency, like in a case of a raid. However, Jack didn’t to use more than necessary until he found more resources to harvest.

Jack opened the [Tech Tree].

He still had all the tech and blueprints from the game. But acquiring rare materials to build more advanced building and higher tiered weapons was going to be a problem.

The tech tree had expanded in this new world.

What are Magic Engines? Or a Blue Crystal Impurity Separator?

This new [Tech Tree] had more tech to unlock.

So how does one unlock new tech?

Jack couldn’t find an answer.

“[Help Button],” he thought.

Nothing happened.

“[Encyclopaedia]?”

Still nothing happened.

It would seem that Jack had another learning curve ahead of him.

In the game ‘Kings, Magic and War’, players could increase their kingdom’s tech points by increasing their population plus finding knowledge scrolls.

Jack didn’t know where to get knowledge scrolls in this world. But he knew his next best bet was to increase the population of his fledgling state.

So far the population was made entirely by people who worked inside the palace. A total of 500 pops.

A breakdown based on the primary class of each NPC:

200 [Guards]

20 [Cooks]

10 [Blood Priestesses]

100 [Maids]

50 [Scribes]

20 [Court Mages]

70 [Servants]

30 [Concubines]

Jack heard a knock.

“Who is it?” he shouted.

“Breakfast, my lord,” said a servant from the outside of the door.

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“Uhm, come in.”

The door opened.

The servants entered and placed many plates on the dining table. His breakfast included the usual like eggs, bacon, beans and sausages.

“Do we have hens laying eggs?” Jack was curious.

“No, my lord. We don’t have any livestock since the villages aren’t here. All produce is what we have in storage. The food we have in short supply like eggs and bacon are reserved for you only.”

Jack nodded at the servant.

There were also lots of different breads like croissants, baguettes, white bread, and rye bread.

A platter of different cheeses were also served.

This was too much food for one person. And it was kind of wasteful since this food he was consuming was coming from the palace storehouse. So far they had no means of replacing these products just yet.

Maybe he was making a fuss out of nothing. Jack simply ate as much as possible.

As he ate however, he felt something was amiss. This was the first time he had breakfast alone.

He usually had his first meal with his mother and father. And they were not here.

He was now surrounded by servants waiting for him to finish his meal.

He tried eating as much as possible so as not to waste food. But he barely got through half of the food before he felt stuffed. Jack ordered the servants to clear the table.

The next thing he should’ve done was to take a bath. But the water supply of the palace was too low for washing. The well had yet to be finished.

“[Clothes Inventory].”

A screen showing all his available garments. Jack had many robes, shirts, tunics and pants which he collected through his time playing the game.

He wasn’t in the mood to wear royal robes so he chose brown baggy pants and a white long sleeved tunic.

Then he heard three knocks from his door.

“Yes?” he cried out.

“Lord Zodark, may we come in and clean your chambers?” the [Maids] asked.

Jack was about to leave anyway, “You may come in to clean.”

Jack soon left after they entered. He wanted to be a proactive leader. His manager back from Earth always checked up on the staff on how they were doing.

So Jack did the same.

He went to the canteen area where ordinary palace staff had their meals. There he found [Maids] mopping the floor and returning dirty dishes back to the kitchen.

Jack approached a group of three servants who were talking among themselves.

“Hey,” he smiled at them.

“My lord!” they were surprised. “We were just about to work. We apologise. We won’t slack off again.”

They didn’t even give Jack a chance to explain that he came here to check up on everyone. Instead they ran off and started working.

Jack looked around. He saw two [Guards] in leather armour finishing up their meals. So he approached them to ask whether the palace food was good.

“Hey,” Jack snuck towards them.

The two guards were so shocked they didn’t even respond.

“Uhm… hey,” Jack tried again.

But they remained frozen in fear. Very strange.

“Can you two speak?” he asked them.

The guards were frozen in fear.

Jack shook his head and went to the canteen’s kitchen. He didn’t want to bother them since they seemed utterly afraid of him.

Which is strange. Employees shouldn’t be afraid of their bosses. They should respect their bosses but not be filled with dread around them. Maybe the kitchen staff will act differently.

There was lots of noise coming from the kitchen. The [Cooks] were shouting at each other on who was supposed to chop which vegetables and other stuff.

But when Jack entered, they all went silent.

“W-Welcome,” the [Head Cook] approached him. “What brings you here, my lord?”

Finally, someone who was able to talk to him.

“Nothing, I was checking up on everyone.”

“I-I see. I see. Well… did you like your breakfast?”

Jack nodded.

The head cook sighed with relief. “Good good.”

Then Jack asked, “Is there anything I could do to make your jobs easier?”

The head cook widened his eyes. “My lord, I could never demand anything from you. Your presence here alone is a gift.”

“No, I meant like… I meant within your job. Do you need better knives or longer breaks.”

“My lord, working for you is a reward in itself. Just breathing the same air as you nourishes our soul. We could never ask more of you.”

Jack was getting frustrated. When politicians go to voters and ask them what they need, the voters tell them. But for Jack, it's impossible to get anything from them.

Then again, he wasn’t a politician.

“Forget it. Thank you for having me,” Jack sighed and left.

Being a [Demon Lord] isn’t smooth sailing as he first thought.