Secondary Territory Development Plan (3)
The eastern Forbidden Zone of the territory. The lord who plunged into the Forbidden Zone kicked off the ground and soared upward, unleashing waves of fist energy in all directions as he shot straight up.
Kwarrr rumble!Craaaack!
"...Words fail me now."
That was no human feat. He'd turned the entire Forbidden Zone to ash, leaving nothing behind. The lord had been somewhat careful, preserving the densely forested areas that needed to stay intact, but everything else? Smashed and burned to cinders.
Kwaaang! Winds from his fist energy blasted outward, shredding everything into fragments. The monsters caught inside? They didn't even have time to scream before being minced. "Disintegrated" was the perfect word for it.
The earth's surface flipped over, a landscape reborn through calamity. For the first time, Aron felt a twinge of pity for the monsters living here.
Amid the chaos, Celt led the dwarf artisans. Curious territory folk, under soldier escort, had climbed the hills to watch.
"Whoaaa!"
The lord commanded angels and spirits too. Once the cleanup finished, the phoenix scorched the surroundings clean. As a godlike disaster unfolded, monsters fled eastward in panic. Most got snatched by the collar mid-escape and shredded.
"Is that really human?"
"Maybe a dragon?"
The elders began doubting Count Aron's true nature. Celt broke into a cold sweat. No human moved like that—it matched the dragon traits passed down from ancestors: cruel, arrogant, utterly shameless. Rumors of him beating the pope suddenly rang true; only a dragon could pull off such madness without a second thought. Without unbreakable confidence to shatter any attack, no one would fight like that.
"Dragon... yeah, it has to be."
"Then what do we do?"
"We can't just change attitudes now. He might notice."
Celt's suspicions deepened.
Kwaaang! The lord rampaged like a madman, testing his power's limits by purging the entire Forbidden Zone. He'd climb to the target area and erect a barrier. This could wipe out the zone entirely, but that would kill the monster industry(?). His strikes turned monsters to dust—no corpses or magic stones to harvest. That defeated the purpose.
A city at the territory's edge. Mercenaries would pass through, periodically clearing beyond the walls.
"Heh heh!"
Aron unleashed his power freely. It felt like stress melting away.
The gods weren't stimulated by this level. Tricky.
In less than half a day, he'd pushed back the Forbidden Zone. Here, civilians were controlled from a distance, soldiers patrolling the perimeter.
"Orried! Do it!"
-Got it.
The golden golem nodded indifferently and triggered an earthquake.
Kuuguugu!
Until now, they'd dug into the earth; now it rose up. In seconds, a massive wall dozens of meters high formed. Spirits roughly shaped it into a barrier. The sight of such an enormous wall rising left even Aron in awe.
"The spirit king indeed..."
Now he truly felt his power. The gods had granted him immense might. Mahadev's words to devour the empire first weren't empty.
Just the spirit kings alone gave strategic dominance. They also churned and compacted the city site. The spirit king moved personally, top spirits bustling. With him involved, they worked at full tilt. The foundation might finish in days.
"Hey, Celt."
"Great... no, my lord, what is it?"
Celt's tone softened. Shocked by the work? He seemed awkward dropping the informal speech.
"This pace could build the city in a year, right?"
"Ahem, with your new construction methods and the sturdy giant laborers arriving in months, yes."
"Good! Solidify the foundation before they arrive."
"With spirit help..."
"They'll help."
"Excellent! Count us in fully!"
Aron had figured 3-5 years initially. Building cities, canals, walls wasn't easy. But spirit kings slashed the timeline. A year might do it.
"Might need to hurry."
Next morning, construction rumbled all day—earth spirits on foundations. From the terrace, the territory transformed before his eyes. The spirit king directed hordes, building cities everywhere, not just the Forbidden Zone. Foundations and walls took shape. Normally months for basics, but with cheat laborers like spirit kings, days sufficed.
Bang!
The door flew open; lightly tanned Sharel entered.
"Tch, knock already."
"Hmph, my call."
They sat on the terrace with coffee. Sharel gaped at the changes.
"Cities in a year for real?"
"Probably."
"Spirit kings are incredible."
"Earth spirit king suits construction best."
"Amazing."
Even hostile Sharel now agreed. The impact was that huge.
"Something to discuss."
"Discuss?"
"The dwarves' aerial carriage. Can wind spirits pull it?"
"...!"
"And sylphs to support the weight."
"Wind spirit king too?"
"If it works."
Hm, hadn't thought of that. Sharel's idea sparkled. Dwarven carriages existed—30 carts long. Sell grain to neighbors in a flash. But output was weak; mana faded unpredictably. Add spirits? Mana lasted, heavy loads, insane speed. Air travel cut logistics costs. Iron imports needed cheap transport.
"Do it."
"For real?!"
"Contract Minerva; sell wheat for iron bars in three days."
"Yes!"
Siblings aligned for once.
Bam! He rocketed skyward on wind and mana. That morning, he summoned wind spirit king Minerva as Sharel wished, ordering her to pull carriages. Massive loads now possible. Spirits were build-up gods.
Sharel grinned, promising iron from wheat sales in three days.
And Aron? Flying to new Ricado territory.
It transformed too. Spirit king digging and packing—visible effects everywhere. Just framing, yet terrain shifted live. Months from now? Unimaginable.
Ricado bordered Blaine north. Frontier zones like it proved central powers dumped fallen nobles. Ricado Viscount probably bankrupted from poverty.
An hour's flight despite a day's walk. Landing before walls, the state looked poor. No expectations of pristine from the emperor. But intact buildings and size suggested main city potential with polish.
Kwaang!
Dropped at the gate. Two dozing soldiers startled, spears forward.
"Wh-who goes there!"
"..."
Skinny soldiers trembled; training abysmal. Could they spear one orc?
Empire's eastern Forbidden Zone blocked by him, so northern Ricado benefited. Yet soldiers like this? Baffling.
Ricado Viscount wouldn't abandon it like this...
"Me? Aron Blaine."
"Gasp! My lord?!"
"Yeah, the new lord taking Ricado."
"Sssalute!"
They saluted weakly.
"Phew, viscount around?"
"Th-that is..."
Ricado had to hand it over. Bankruptcy filed; on standby a month. Hold till new lord. But soldier's face chilled him.
"He didn't run, did he?"
"Urk! Fled three days ago!"
"Fled?"
"Took all rations and fled at night!"
Lord fled with supplies, yet gods laughed. Curiously, Aron's lips twitched upward too.