Elowen spent most of her life learning combat magic, honing her skills with dedication. However, recognizing that her true talent lay beyond the battlefield, I encouraged her to collaborate with blacksmiths and craftsmen to refine her artisan skills. She embraced this opportunity with fervor, eager to explore a path that aligned more closely with her innate talents.
Today is a new day, and I am exhausted; working every day is no joke. As we sent flyers earlier inviting blacksmiths and woodworkers to the palace, the royal palace already has blacksmiths and woodworkers. However, with the formation of Blazers, they won't be able to keep up unless they work themselves to death. I also have to negotiate deals with the merchants when they arrive to buy iron from them. We do have an iron mine, but it is not big compared to mithril or gold mines, so I don't want to wait for it to dry up before negotiating in desperation. Merchants are smart and have information; if they know you are desperate, they increase prices.
I am in the palace hall, not the throne room but a big hall, and all the blacksmiths and woodworkers have filled the hall. It's not only golden elves, but dark and forest elves are present as well. The flyer specified that everyone is invited regardless of their race, and racism will not be tolerated. I am sitting on the second-floor balcony, watching the show from above; of course, I will not be involved. Those who are below us on the ground floor cannot see us. Oh yes, I am with Anna, and my wife is busy preparing for our trip to her home. I thought maybe I could pretend to be sick and avoid going with her. How am I supposed to meet Leonie after that incident? Well, whatever; I will worry about it when I get there.
"Why are you not sitting down again?"
"Your Majesty, we are in public, so please understand," Anna responded.
"But no one can see us."
"Yes, however, we are in public," Anna insisted.
"Anyway, what happened to Aina?"
"Aina? Who is that, Your Majesty?"
Look at this girl playing dumb with me.
"The assassin who attacked me."
"Oh, that girl. I don't know."
Eh?
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"I think it's best if you ask Her Highness."
Why do you think I asked you, genius? If I ask that silly girl, she will start throwing fits as if she is a child, and I won't sleep at night.
"Why should I ask her?"
"After returning from the Eclipse estate, Elmacia handed her over to Her Highness."
I don't even think she is still alive, Anna thought to herself after answering Elfan.
The meeting began on the ground floor, and it went well. 120 blacksmiths were recruited, and 100 woodworkers. Builders will start tomorrow to break the wall that divided Circle City and Rize. For now, since the Blue Blazers have not yet been formed, the royal army will be the ones protecting the new capital. We launched many projects after returning from the meeting with the elders.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
We also hired 100 people with relevant skills like earth magic and water magic to construct a wetland across the city that will function as sewage treatment. The process is simple: they excavate and then put layers of local soil, sand, and gravel, creating channels for sewage to flow from one cell to another, using gravity. They will plant native wetland vegetation in the soil layer, spacing them evenly to ensure full coverage as they grow. Water the plants initially to help them establish and take root. Construct simple inlets using stones to guide sewage into the first wetland cell. Create outlets at the end of each cell to control the flow into the next cell.
The benefits of this wetland sewage treatment project are manifold. First, it provides a natural and effective way to treat sewage, reducing pollution and odor in the city. The wetland plants and soil microbes help break down organic matter and filter out contaminants, improving water quality in nearby rivers or groundwater sources. Additionally, the wetland acts as a habitat for wildlife, enhancing biodiversity in urban areas.
This project is led by Vivia, the Minister of Agriculture, since she knows about the plants of this world more than me. The project, she said, is going to take a month, but I will leave it to her. Besides, in this world, magic can lessen the labor of digging.
Another project we launched is environmental awareness. We hired 150 people who will be educated about environmental practices and hygiene. They will learn about the importance of conserving natural resources, recycling, and reducing waste. Hygiene education will focus on proper sanitation practices, including the use of toilets, handwashing, and maintaining clean living spaces to prevent diseases. These individuals will then teach the community about these practices, emphasizing their benefits for health and sustainability.
We hired many woodcrafters today; they will create wooden signboards that prohibit people from urinating or defecating in the streets. After breaking the wall, the builders will build public toilets, and the price will be 2 copper coins. Obviously, they are not free since we will pay the people who will clean them. If one is caught urinating or defecating in public, they will be fined.
The roads in the capital are actually already well-built, even in Rize. So, I thank Queen Elizabeth and merchant families like the Adams. We will announce the new laws and establishment of Blazers in the next four days; however, flyers for recruitment for Green Blazers have already been released to the public yesterday, and messengers were also dispatched to towns all over the country to spread the message and paste flyers. I had no choice but to act fast to avoid a dungeon break, which might endanger the lives of the people living in the south near the mine. The one who will be in charge of recruiting will be Zack from House Whiteheart.
Although Queen Elizabeth left us with a lot of money plus elders' assets, my bet is on the dungeon. The reason why the dungeon should be state-owned and not shared with the Adventurers' Guild is that the mithril mine was sealed because of monsters, not because the mine was dry. So, apart from monster materials, we will also continue to mine mithril, and I heard it's one of the rare metals in this world, and it is expensive. So, we better adapt to change soon and become strong.
I also received an update regarding our neighbors who are fighting for the Mama Stone mine. It seems they are negotiating; however, talks are not going anywhere. The Crown Prince of the Federation is leading the talks. I hope war doesn't break out anytime soon because humans living near our border might flee into our country, and we are not ready for humans yet, and I also don't want to be that guy who closes the border and lets innocent people die.
Today is the day I visit the Aceso estate to make a report about everything that happened, from negotiating with families to the meeting with elders. Actually, Aceso family head and the elders should have come to the palace; however, I wanted to see the main house since the last time I was here, I was living on the outskirts. We entered the main gates, and the estate was beautiful like Whiteheart's, even though the decorations were not similar. I am now used to luxury, so I am not wowed anymore. We were greeted by Sebastian, and immediately after, we went inside. Leona held me by the hand, and we started moving through the corridors until we reached a room with a white door. She opened the door, and we entered. The room was spacious and well-decorated, and you could tell it belonged to a girl. The decorations said it all. It also had a large bed. We were about to have fun; however, Eli ruined our moment by knocking and informing us that the Madam is expecting us in the living room. She must be referring to the mother of this silly girl. Wait, I am about to meet Leonie again. How will I look her in the eye after what happened? But since I confessed my sins already, I got nothing to worry about, right?