"It is," Isaac nodded.
"So, what’s your Lord Talent exactly?" Vale asked.
Isaac raised a brow. "I didn’t think you were the curious type."
"Everyone would get curious after seeing something this ridiculous," Vale replied.
Isaac gave a small nod.
To him, the 100% drop rate wasn’t too shocking.
But for someone like Vale, who had spent years in the wilderness and cleared countless dungeons, it was unbelievable.
For an ordinary person, it would be like seeing the sun rise from the west.
"It’s a 100% drop Talent," Isaac said.
He didn’t bother hiding it.
People would figure it out eventually anyway.
It was better to reveal it and use the fame to his advantage.
"...That’s good," Vale said after a pause. "Now we just need a strong army of Awakeners for defense and exploration. If we have that, the city can grow quickly."
"Don’t we already have members from the top four guilds?" Isaac asked. "I’d say our Awakeners are good enough."
"Good compared to low-rank species, maybe. But if we look at the overall strength, we’re still weak," Vale said.
Isaac nodded slowly.
He could build a Summoning Altar and summon powerful troops.
That was how most Lords formed their armies.
Their original species were usually low or mid-rank, so summoning stronger ones made sense.
Upgrading a species through evolution potions was difficult.
The items in the Lord Shop were insanely expensive, and the Lord Gacha relied too much on luck.
Most Lords rarely had more than a few evolution potions.
Those were usually reserved for their close allies or special units.
That meant most citizens remained their original rank, while only the summoned troops and trusted people evolved into higher species.
’So it’s impossible to raise everyone’s rank...’ Isaac thought.
Vale was right.
Human Awakeners were weak compared to other species.
Normally, a Lord like him should just summon powerful creatures and use them for exploration, leaving the weaker humans behind.
But that idea didn’t sit right with him.
He didn’t want to abandon everyone who had followed him.
’What’s the point of becoming strong if I have to discard my own people?’ he thought.
He wanted to uplift everyone who lived in his city.
’It’ll be hard to find a way to raise everyone’s species rank, but... it’s a good goal to have.’
Isaac smiled faintly.
He decided then and there. He would make sure every human, and every other race in his city, would one day evolve to the Apex rank.
When his thoughts settled, he stood up.
"Let’s head to the city. We’ll start building the city wall and the Sky Dome."
Vale nodded, and they made their way to the teleporter.
A short walk through the dark cloud later, they arrived back at Fortified City 50.
Ruby, the elf-like hologram AI of the city, was already waiting for them.
Isaac and Vale got into a car, with Ruby joining them in the back seat.
They drove to the outer district, where a large crowd had gathered.
These were people who had joined to work in the construction.
On one side, heaps of materials were neatly stacked.
In the center stood groups of workers, waiting for instructions.
Isaac needed about five hundred people for the city wall and two hundred for the Sky Dome.
Strength didn’t matter.
The system would boost their physical ability while they worked, but the boost couldn’t be used for anything else.
Isaac stepped up onto a small stage set in front of them.
He looked over the crowd and began speaking.
"Everyone, I’m Isaac Hargrave, the Lord who is now overlooking the Fortified City.
"Today, we are here to build the City Wall, and Sky Dome, both of which will be cornerstone of our defenses.
"When we start building, the system will guide your bodies. You don’t need to worry about skill or strength, just follow the rhythm, and it’ll handle the rest."
People murmured among themselves, some curious, some excited.
"You’ll all be paid properly," Isaac continued. "Food will be free for everyone involved in the project.
"This is a big moment for our city.
"It’s first structure of our [Imperium Aeternum].
"Every single one of you helping today will go down in history as the people who built its foundation."
The crowd erupted into cheers.
The mood lightened, filled with pride and excitement.
Isaac smiled slightly, then opened his Lord Profile.
A glowing panel appeared in front of him, displaying various blueprints.
He selected the one for the Sky Dome.
[Would you like to build the Sky Dome? Please select the materials and people.]
A grid-like screen appeared before him.
Isaac selected a group of a hundred workers and the pile of materials nearby.
[Confirmation received.]
[Estimated time until completion: 10 hours.]
The people suddenly looked startled as information flowed into their minds.
Their movements turned more precise, and more coordinated.
The system was now guiding them.
Isaac stepped back and watched as the workers continued moving in perfect rhythm.
They carried materials, laid foundations, and shaped the early frame of the Sky Dome.
When he saw that everything was going smoothly, he opened the Lord System again.
[Would you like to build the City Wall? Please select the materials and the people.]
A familiar grid screen appeared in front of him.
Isaac selected another group of workers and the materials stacked nearby.
[Confirmation received.]
[Estimated time until completion of City Wall: 8 hours.]
He wasn’t surprised.
The time was short for such a massive project, but with the System’s help, it was normal.
Everything would be completed exactly on time.
"Ruby," Isaac said, turning to the holographic elf beside him. "Watch over them for me. Let me know if anything happens."
Ruby nodded. "Understood, Lord Isaac."
Isaac left the site and went home.
Once there, he started harvesting his crops.
It didn’t take long before he packed the fresh batch and sent it to the people from the Calloway Conglomerate, who had come to pick up more materials.
When he finished, he looked over the warehouse list.
He still needed more materials for the Summoning Altar and the warehouse construction.
On top of that, the quest required the City Wall to reach level three after construction, which meant he’d need even more resources soon.
As Isaac was going through the paperwork, there was a knock at the door.
Vale went to open it.
Standing outside was Kaela, and beside her was a tall male naga with deep green scales.
Isaac called them into the living room.
Both immediately kneeled on one knee.
"Ssithar!" they said together.
Isaac raised an eyebrow.
Vale’s voice echoed in his mind. ’Ssithar means god in their language. Not sure why they’re calling you that.’
Isaac sighed quietly and gave a small nod.
It seemed Celia’s influence on the nagas was working a bit too well.
’She definitely used her mind skills,’ he thought, resisting the urge to groan.
Still, he kept his calm expression.
"What is it?" he asked.
Kaela lifted her head slightly. "We want to work for Ssithar."
"You still have a day left to rest," Isaac said.
She shook her head. "We’re grateful for everything Ssithar has given us. We wish to help him. Resting while our Ssithar is working doesn’t feel right."
Isaac wasn’t surprised by her words.
He had expected this.
Right now, the city was growing fast.
Helping in the construction would give the nagas a strong position within it.
Kaela was smart to act early.
Isaac appreciated their drive. It showed they wanted to prove themselves.
He nodded. "What about the governor?"
Kaela’s tone darkened. "We threw him into the center of our tribe. The people beat him until he could barely move. Then we tore his limbs apart before killing him."
The snakes on her head hissed quietly as she spoke.
Isaac only nodded.
He wasn’t surprised.
The governor had slaughtered too many of their kind in cold blood.
He noticed Kaela’s sharp glare at Vale but said nothing.
She stayed quiet out of respect for him.
"Kaela," Isaac said calmly, "you’ll work as Selene’s bodyguard from now on. The others will help with the tutorial dungeon until I call for you."
"Yes, Ssithar!" both nagas said in unison.
"Good. You can go."
They stood, bowed deeply, and left the house.
Isaac leaned back on the couch and went through a few more documents.
The house was quiet until Vale looked up from his device.
"The Florathi princess you brought yesterday is coming," he said.
Isaac nodded.
Vale frowned slightly. "Be careful with her. She might act friendly, but she’s here to evaluate you. The Florathi sent someone you already know so she can gather information more easily."
"I know," Isaac said, his tone calm.
A few minutes later, Althea arrived with her bodyguard.
Isaac greeted them at the door and invited them inside.
"Would you like coffee or tea?"
"Tea," Althea said with a polite smile.
Isaac nodded and went to make it himself.
When he returned, he set the cups on the table.
Althea took a sip and smiled. "It’s good."
Her bodyguard hesitated but drank after Althea insisted.
Isaac could not help feeling a bit proud.
He’d been working hard to make decent tea.
Then, Althea reached into her coat and pulled out an envelope.
She handed it to him.
Isaac took it. "What is this?"
"It’s a letter from the Seventh Queen. She told me to give it to you today and said you’d understand her intentions once you read it," Althea said.
Isaac looked down at the sealed envelope.