Accompanying Karien to Goose Feather Barony were not only his students but also Brian, the headmaster of Greenvine Academy, and Wills from Nightfall Academy.

This arrangement had been decided during a previous meeting. Karien would take the lead on the mission, while Brian and Wills would assist with other responsibilities.

Since mobilizing the populace required the local lord's approval, Brian's status as a knight could facilitate communication with the lord.

Though a knight wasn’t considered a hereditary noble, their rank afforded them a noble status similar to that of knights, along with a fief, albeit non-hereditary.

Brian White had already ceded his fief to Palos School of Magic, but his knighthood remained intact. Additionally, as a sixth-tier Archmage and headmaster of a magic academy, his status was comparable to that of a baron.

“The Baron of Goose Feather has agreed!”

Emerging from the baron’s castle clad in his green-trimmed black robes, Brian, a hulking figure of pure muscle, crossed the fields and approached Karien.

“He has granted us free rein to operate within his territory and to recruit the populace for forming an army,” Brian announced.

Standing beside Karien, Wills, with his short golden hair, beamed with delight. “Really? He agreed that easily? Were there any conditions?”

Brian shook his head. “None,” he replied, but after a brief pause, he added, “Well, he did accept the ten thousand gold coins Karien gave him and asked me to send his regards to the Mechanical God Church.”

Wills’ cheerful expression froze immediately.

“Ten thousand gold coins!”

As a mid-tier instructor at Palos School of Magic, Wills earned a mere 25 gold coins a month. The sum left him reeling.

Brian’s expression also showed a hint of complexity. When he had first arrived at the baron’s castle, the Baron of Goose Feather had been exceedingly cordial.

Given the proximity of his fief to Palos School of Magic and the fact that many of his family members had studied there, the baron treated Brian with great respect.

But when Brian broached the topic of raising troops to resist the Fallen faction, the baron’s demeanor changed. He deflected the subject each time Brian brought it up.

Eventually, when all else failed, Brian presented the ten thousand gold coins Karien had given him.

The baron’s attitude shifted instantly, and he enthusiastically agreed. He even offered to assist with any difficulties encountered during recruitment.

The stark transformation left Brian somewhat unsettled.

Hearing Brian’s report, Karien nodded and smiled. “It’s good that the baron agreed. While we are raising troops to resist the Fallen faction, it does involve depleting his population. Offering a gift is only proper.”

He then inquired, “Headmaster Brian, did you mention to the baron that we would be spreading our teachings and conducting other activities in his territory during recruitment?”

“I did,” Brian replied. “The baron agreed to that as well.”

Karien’s smile deepened. “Good. Money indeed makes things easier. Though parting with ten thousand gold coins pains me, it’s a necessary expense.

We need an uninterrupted environment to execute our plans, and this is an investment to secure resources from the baron’s fief. I’m confident I can make a swift return on it.”

Recovering from his shock, Wills turned to Karien and asked, “Is the Mechanical God Church always this wealthy?”

“That depends,” Karien replied with a smile. “As I’ve mentioned before, one of our tenets is the creation of wealth. To us, money is merely a resource to achieve our goals.”

With that, he turned toward the east. “Let’s begin. I recall Goose Feather Barony has a sizable town with a population of over three thousand.”

“That would be White Goose Town,” Brian said. “Our academy often procures supplies there.”

The three of them set off for White Goose Town.

Compared to the bustling capital, White Goose Town was far more modest and rudimentary. Its economy revolved around agricultural goods and simple crafts.

The standard of living was low, with residents wearing plain clothes and residing in small, disorderly houses. Gravel roads turned into muddy paths after rain.

As they walked along the town’s main street, the air was filled with the shouts of vendors.

Farmers' wives, slightly plump and clad in rough-spun clothing, criticized the wilted vegetables on display.

Fishmongers, wearing aprons stained dark with age, waved off flies as they lifted pale fish, shouting that they had just been caught and were being sold cheaply.

Young boys, struggling under bundles of firewood larger than themselves, huffed and puffed as they quietly asked passersby to make way.

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The townsfolk were busy, toiling for their daily bread. A war a thousand kilometers away mattered little to them. Even if they were aware, it felt disconnected from their lives, which carried on as usual.

After crossing the main street, Karien pointed to an open space on the outskirts of the town. “That location is ideal for setting up a factory.”

“A factory?” Wills was taken aback. “You mean a workshop? Why would we open one? Aren’t we here to recruit soldiers?”

“We are,” Karien replied. “But I doubt anyone would respond to our call if we started directly.”

Brian, towering and muscular, frowned slightly. “We must at least try. There’s a small square over there. Let’s set up a stand, gather the townsfolk, and explain the threat posed by the Fallen faction and the kingdom’s plight. Surely, they wouldn’t want their lives destroyed by the Fallen.”

Seeing their determination, Karien relented. “Very well. Let’s split up. Headmaster Brian, Wills, you take some of the students and try to rally the townsfolk. I’ll make separate preparations—it might take some time.”

The recruitment effort required various tasks, so in addition to Karien’s students, Brian and Wills had also brought students and faculty members along.

Brian and Wills exchanged glances before nodding. “Alright, let’s do that.”

After they led their group toward the square, a carriage navigated the narrow main street and stopped beside Karien.

From it jumped Jack, his skin weathered and dark. “Teacher, I’ve brought the supplies as you instructed.”

Before heading to the Goose Feather Barony, Karien had already transported some supplies to a hidden location.

He instructed his student, Jack, to borrow a carriage from the school and deliver the supplies, claiming they were aid from the Mechanical God Church.

Although Karien could teleport directly to White Goose Town, he chose not to reveal his teleportation ability yet.

For now, he preferred to go through a little extra trouble by having Jack transport the supplies by carriage.

Later, when he had a dedicated warehouse in White Goose Town, he could directly teleport supplies there.

"Drive the carriage over here first," Karien said as he walked toward an open area on the outskirts of town.

Turning to Sali, the student who had been following him closely, he continued, "Sali, I have a task for you. Find out who owns that piece of land and buy it."

As he spoke, Karien handed Sali a cloth bag. Sali, thick-browed and quick-witted, accepted the bag, his surprise evident from its weight.

The bag held at least 200 gold coins, far more than necessary for purchasing land in this remote town. After all, the land was on the outskirts, where few people ventured.

"Teacher, this land won’t cost anywhere near this much," Sali said.

"I know," Karien replied with a smile. "This is to give you room for negotiation. Use your head and secure it as quickly as possible.

If the owner refuses, increase the offer until they agree."

Sali stared at the bag for a few moments, then nodded firmly, understanding Karien’s intent. With the bag in hand, he set off to complete the task.

Among Karien’s students, Sali was known for his sharp mind, especially when it came to social interactions and negotiations.

Karien saw great potential in him and planned to nurture his talents in this direction.

After Sali left, Karien directed Jack to move the carriage to the open area and unload the contents.

The carriage held a dozen sealed crates, their contents a mystery to Jack. Once the supplies were unloaded, Karien sent a few students to purchase building materials with the carriage.

Turning to Jack and the others, he instructed, "Spread the word in White Goose Town and the surrounding villages that we’re hiring laborers.

Eighty copper coins per day, plus meals."

In the current economy of White Goose Town, ordinary laborers typically earned only twenty to thirty copper coins a day.

Karien’s offer was nearly triple that, equating to around two gold coins and four silver coins per month.

Given the barony’s population of about three thousand, along with another small town and numerous villages and estates, the demand for work was high.

Although Jack and the others were somewhat puzzled by Karien’s instructions, they followed them without question.

"Be safe, and contact me immediately with the communicator if anything comes up!"

"Understood!" they responded in unison before setting off.

Once his students had left, Karien began measuring the open area. About two hours later, Sali returned, sweating profusely but grinning as he handed Karien a paper contract.

"It’s done, Teacher. I bought the land for ninety-five gold coins. Here’s the deed."

Karien took the deed and looked at Sali with a hint of surprise. By his estimation, securing the land quickly might have required an offer of 150 gold coins.

To be safe, he had given Sali 200. Yet, Sali had managed the task for less than half the amount.

"Well done," Karien praised.

He let Sali rest for a bit before showing him a simple blueprint he had drawn. "I plan to build a factory here that can accommodate 500 workers. Later, we’ll need factories in other towns and territories as well.

Pay attention to the construction process over the next few days—I may need you to oversee future projects."

As he listened, Sali nodded and asked, "Teacher, what’s the difference between a factory and a workshop?"

"A workshop is for manual production, while a factory uses machinery for production," Karien explained.

"As part of the Mechanical God Church, our goal is to use machines to improve productivity. I’ll explain more as the factory becomes operational. For now, let’s focus on building it."

With that, Karien donned a pair of enchanted gloves and walked to the marked areas of the land.

Standing at one spot, he channeled his magic and cast a modified version of the first-tier spell Earth Spike: Square Earth Spike.

A square stone pillar rose steadily from the ground, lifting Karien along with it until it reached a height of four meters.

Using a k7 device to descend, he moved to the next marked spot and repeated the spell, raising another pillar.

Karien intended to mimic the rectangular factory buildings from his previous life.

Although he lacked the cement for reinforced construction, the magical world provided alternatives.

He used earth-element spells, repurposing offensive magic into tools for construction.

For now, he raised the factory’s stone pillars with magic. Walls and roofs would be added later, either through other spells or manual labor.

Sali carefully observed his teacher’s actions, comparing them to the blueprint until he understood the correlation between the marked locations and the design.

After resting, Sali borrowed Karien’s spell core for Square Earth Spike, integrated it into his own gloves, and joined in raising the pillars.

The site spanned over three thousand square meters, and constructing a stable earth-based factory required at least a hundred pillars.

As they neared completion, Jack returned with over thirty gaunt, plainly dressed farmers. He had recruited them from a nearby village.

Although he had told them the job would start the next day, their desperation drove them to arrive immediately.

"Sirs, our village had a poor harvest this year.

After paying taxes to the noble lord, we barely had anything left. The children are starving. If you have work for us, we’ll start right away and do our best to please you."

Hearing their plight, Karien nodded and looked at the sky.

"Alright. There are about four hours until sunset. Work until then, and I’ll pay each of you twenty-five copper coins."

"That’s great!" the farmers exclaimed with relief and excitement. In town, a day of odd jobs might only earn them the same amount.

"What would you have us do, sir?" one farmer asked.

Karien opened one of the supply crates, retrieving axes and saws. Handing them to the group, he said, "Chop wood!"