On the top of the castle, Maximus examined the virtual screen.
[Please input data:
Range:
Function:
Other Requirements:]
Considering the range, he decided to set it at 10 million square kilometers, which should be sufficient for now.
For the function, he inputted a Tier 3 mana gathering array, Tier 3 mana purification array, Tier 3 attack and defense array, and Multi-purpose connection and monitoring array.
The Multi-purpose connect and monitoring array is like the function of the continental array in the arcane continent to connect tokens together.
As for the other requirements, he set the architectural array to be a hybrid of both natural and artificial arrays.
While natural arrays were cheaper to set up, they took a significant amount of time.
Maximus, however, lacked time and needed a quicker solution.
By opting for a hybrid array, he could swiftly establish an artificial array by purchasing a set of array materials, while also incorporating natural array elements that would require land reformation.
After carefully inputting the data and considering what was lacking, he clicked on "generate."
[Calculating...
The total cost is 45,000,000,000 gold.
Do you confirm?]
This cost amounted to at least one-tenth of his wealth, and it was only for the blueprint.
The actual construction materials would require even more funds.
But for the sake of building his ideal kingdom and realizing his future plans, Maximus gritted his teeth and clicked "confirm."
Some may consider it useless or a waste of money, but this was his pursuit.
After all, becoming stronger was merely for self-protection.
His true ideal was to construct a place that existed in his dreams.
Although he knew it would require a vast amount of money that could have been used to further strengthen himself, he refused to give up.
Without a goal, what's the difference between him and a salted fish?
And the first step towards achieving all of this was leveraging the Sunburnt Plateau to rule the entire cursed continent.
The cube-like device emitted light with various colors for a few seconds.
[Complete...
Thank you for your patronage...]
Afterward, a jade-like slip was left behind as the cube disappeared into the void.
Taking the jade slip in his hand, Maximus allowed his spiritual consciousness to enter it, sensing the intricate and complex architectural structures and arrays within.
Satisfied with the result, he made his way back to his room and prepared to farm and spread seeds for future generations.
...
In the morning, a hundred enormous flying vessels capable of transporting at least ten thousand people each were parked outside the city.
"It's truly spectacular," Landon sighed as he beheld the sight of a hundred massive ships gathered together.
Just last night, he had been concerned about the relocation of the people from the Sunburnt Plateau.
Even though his Majesty had mentioned that he had prepared flying boats, Landon had been somewhat skeptical.
The flying boat that his Majesty had used upon returning from the Arcane Continent was indeed fast, but it was too small to transport a large number of people.
However, seeing the immense ships before him bolstered Landon's confidence.
"Are you ready?" Doran asked Landon.
Landon, who had been appointed in charge of the relocation work, replied with a confident smile, "Of course!"
After all, how could a man say no?
...
As they were conversing, Maximus approached them after inspecting the ships he had purchased from the system.
[Flying Merry (Tier 3): A mid-sized vessel capable of transporting 10,000 people. Price 10 million GP]
Compared to the Aurora Spectre, which cost 2.5 million GP despite being smaller, the Flying Merry was relatively cheap.
However, it lacked the convenience and protection of the Aurora Spectre, and its speed was slightly slower.
However, for the purpose of transporting people within the land, it was sufficient. After all, these flying ships did not need to traverse the sea.
Maximus estimated that it would take approximately a year to transport all the people from the Sunburnt Plateau using these ships.
"How are the preparations going?" Maximus inquired of Landon.
"It's going well, Your Majesty. All the soldiers and civilians who will assist in the relocation work are already preparing to board the ships," Landon explained.
"Good," Maximus nodded in approval.
As for the leftover city and the abandoned magic crystal mine, Maximus didn't consider them significant.
The income from all the magic crystal mines was only 50,000-100,000 magic crystals, an amount he could earn in just a few days using his Tier 5 alchemist fake identity.
To him, such matters were trivial compared to what he truly needed: population.
After he set up the artificial and natural array, the mana in his territory would become denser and purer without its corrosive property.
With the land filled with mana and vitality, he needed people to take care of it and generate value.
And instead of merely planting ordinary mortal plants, Maximus planned to cultivate magical plants.
Although he could replace people with mechanical puppet, using people is more cost-effective and have more potential than just using puppets.
Moreover, people can expand and grow while mechanical puppets can not.
With the abundance of mana and magical plants, over time, Maximus was confident that talented individuals would emerge in batches, whether as mages or knights.
With the increasing strength and value of his territory, his plan of digitalized currency would skyrocket in value.
It was important to note that the system only accepted currency with sentimental value, such as gold used by mortals.
If gold coins were worth 1 GP when converted into the system and 1 low-grade crystal was worth 1,000 GP when converted because of its higher value as it's used by strong individuals.
Then there is no reason preventing his plan of digitalized currency to surpass the value of magic crystals.
With this digitalized currency, he could make purchases in the system mall using valueless currency that he can generate with just a tap of his fingers and then redistribute what he bought to the people, creating a never-ending cycle of growth.
And as his territory's population grew in strength and the quantity and quality of mana kept pace with the growth, his digitalized currency would continue to appreciate in value
...
"How about you?" Maximus asked Doran.
"The food and shelter are already prepared, and as more people arrive, we will have enough workers to accelerate the construction according to the blueprint Your Majesty provided," Doran replied confidently.
Earlier in the morning, Maximus had given a copy of the jade slip to Doran.
Since Doran was already an official mage, he could use his spiritual consciousness to access the information within the jade slip.
Doran's path to mage started when Maximus conquered the former Fearei Kingdom.
With abundant resources at his disposal, Maximus upgraded the talents of his ministers and confidants to Rank 2 uncommon potential. Of course without their knowledge.
After providing them with meditation exercises, their strength quickly advanced.
Some of them even contemplated rebellion upon discovering their exceptional talent in the path of magic.
However, Maximus had already prepared for such a situation.
All his ministers and confidants had signed a soul contract, binding them to serve him for their entire lives.
The only way they could break the contract was by surpassing his strength and even then they needed to pay a considerable price.
Given Maximus's ever-increasing potential, the chances of that happening were slim.
They could just dream and obediently serve him until they die in this life.
Upgrading a Rank 0 Trash Potential talent to Rank 1 Common Potential required 10-100 GP, while upgrading to Rank 2 Uncommon Potential required 1,000-10,000 GP.
Maximus had already upgraded the potential of his wives and children to at least Rank 2 Uncommon.
Now, he aimed to raise their potential Rank 4 legendary, similar to his own.
Upgrading to Rank 3 rare potential required 100,000-1 million GP, while to reach Rank 4 legendary cost 100 million to 10 billion GP.
Maximus needed at least 100 billion GP to upgrade his wives and children's potential to Rank 4 legendary.
However, upgrading his potential to Rank 5 mythic potential was out of the question, as it required 100 billion to 10 trillion GP.
Moreover, he only needed to wait a little over a year, and his potential would automatically upgrade to a mythic level.
...
After conversing with Landon and Doran for a while, Maximus prepared to undertake his grand work.
He needed to set up the artificial array materials in the designated locations throughout the 10 million square kilometers of land of his territory.
Only he could accomplish this task, as setting up the artificial array required a vast amount of mana compared to the natural array, which even ordinary people could handle with the help of a manual.
The artificial array was a Tier 3 array, making it suitable for Maximus also a Tier 3 mage to establish the array.
As for the natural array, it would be gradually built by his people after he traveled to the Arcane Continent.