Chapter 999 - 595: The Floating City Controller Lis Instantly Becomes "Poor"_2
Lis pondered for a moment, then added permissions for Kane Floating City to a few familiar people.
First and foremost, of course, he set the Black Cat as the magic intelligent lifeform managing the Floating City. Although Lis could manage the entire Floating City independently with his current cognitive abilities, he wouldn’t always be there. It’s much more convenient to have a magic intelligent lifeform handle the management.
At the same time, Lis also granted Joyce, Risa, Taya, Mora, and others the Legendary Rank permissions for the Floating City, enabling them to move freely within it.
After completing these operations, Lis finally opened the door to the core control room.
As the door opened, the Black Cat was the first to rush in.
"Lis, you’re amazing!"
The Black Cat exclaimed excitedly, bouncing around the room as if venting its inner excitement.
As a magic intelligent lifeform cultivated by the Legendary Arcanist Sphinx, it was naturally aware of the Floating City’s existence. While it envied it, it also knew that it was not during the time when the Neserel Magic Empire still existed.
At most, it could control a Legendary Mage Tower and never had the opportunity to control a Floating City.
Yet, unexpectedly, because of its second master Lis, this almost impossible thing had come true.
This wonderful feeling made the Black Cat intoxicated.
After a simple vent of excitement, it couldn’t wait to enter the Floating City.
Behind the Black Cat, Joyce slowly walked into the room.
"Quick speed, not bad, Little Lis."
Joyce’s voice carried a hint of relief and joy.
As a Favored of the World Tree, and now owning a Floating City of the Neserel Magic Empire, Joyce could hardly imagine the future achievements of Lis.
Where exactly could Little Lis advance to?
Once, Lis was merely a Little Mage who needed his protection, but now he’s a Legendary Arcanist who can hold his own!
Joyce couldn’t help but feel a bit proud; where else could he find such a remarkable junior?
"Uncle Joyce, I’ve renamed the Azela Floating City to Kane Floating City."
"...I understand."
Joyce’s eyes flickered, as if recalling something, his expression somewhat nostalgic.
Brandon, can you see this?
Lis is now so outstanding!
For Joyce, the name Azela Floating City held special significance.
When the Kane family discovered this Floating City, they naturally learned the name Azela Floating City from the treasures and resources they gained, and aimed to control this Floating City, inheriting the name Azela as the goal for the entire family.
Lis’s father once thought that if Lis’s talent didn’t suffice, they would rename Risa to Azela.
However, Lis’s rebirth changed things.
In retrospect, the name Azela was quite important to the former Kane family, but it no longer meant the same to Lis.
Standing at Lis’s current height, there’s no need to care about these so-called obsessions.
To him now, the name Kane holds more significance.
"You decide what’s best."
Joyce nodded with a smile and turned to leave.
Once Lis successfully controlled the Floating City, it also settled the biggest concern in his heart, making him feel much lighter.
Lis had already become a Legend, capable of making many decisions on his own, enough to put Joyce at ease.
Lis didn’t say much either; they’re family, no need for formalities.
More than that, Lis still had plenty to attend to.
Most importantly, he had to conduct an inspection of the entire Floating City with the Black Cat to see what maintenance was needed.
While the Floating City overall seemed well-preserved from the exterior, who knows what damages might have occurred over the years?
Thankfully, as a magic intelligent lifeform, the Black Cat had familiarized itself with the Floating City with Azela’s help beforehand, and it quickly compiled the situation of the entire Floating City.
Lis looked at the status report about the Floating City placed before him, his expression somewhat rigid.
"Little Black, are you sure there’s no mistake?"
"What’s with this maintenance material list you’ve created?"
"Everything else aside, it’s my first time seeing Mithril consumption calculated by tons."
Lis looked in disbelief at the fantastically large amount of resources required to restore the Floating City.
Previously, he always thought himself wealthy, especially after overcoming financial troubles post-rebirth, as his power increased and he never worried about such things again.
After showcasing his power and talent, both the Feis Kingdom and the Elf Kingdom provided very generous resources to Lis.
Apart from these, players’ wallets were occasionally cash-cowed by Lis.
This is why, despite arcane research consuming numerous resources, Lis always remained financially stable.
However, compared to the resources needed to maintain the Floating City, Lis’s arcane research was nothing short of modest.
"That’s completely normal!"
The Black Cat stood before Lis, speaking with conviction:
"This is a Floating City, the ultimate magic construction of the Neserel Magic Empire, so naturally, its maintenance is costly."
"Although the Floating City’s main structure is well-preserved and complete, many parts have aged over the years and require repair or replacement."
"Moreover, more parts are damaged on the City’s exterior, and multiple offensive and defensive magic tools, magic arrays, and magic restrictions need repairing or rebuilding, all requiring resources!"
"Originally, there were plenty of magic resources within the Floating City, but over the years, they’ve been almost entirely used up to maintain its operations."
The Black Cat wagged its tail, its tone quite relaxed.
After all, it’s just a magic intelligent lifeform, responsible only for managing the Floating City and stating its needs; earning the resources is Lis’s problem.
"The self-maintenance device of the Floating City is functional; what’s lacking now are the resources."
The Black Cat looked at Lis with pitiful, longing eyes, like a hungry little kitten.
It wanted to pilot the grand Floating City, but the current state prevented it from messing around freely.
Lis ignored the Black Cat’s pitiful expression. If possible, of course, he wanted a brand-new Floating City.
Who wouldn’t wish for the highest configuration ride?
But he simply couldn’t afford it!
The material list provided by the Black Cat would drain not only his Duke Domain, the White Dove Chamber of Commerce, and his little treasury dry, but they wouldn’t even come close to sufficing.
Lis estimated that even the Feis Kingdom’s treasury wouldn’t offer sufficient resources; only the Elf Kingdom might have the capability to fund it all.
If the Elf Kingdom learned about such a Floating City, they’d likely provide the necessary resources for its maintenance gladly.
However, Lis didn’t want to rely solely on the Elf Kingdom; otherwise, would Kane Floating City need a surname change in the future?
Better to take one step at a time!
Leaving it unrepaired is not an option, as the condition of the Floating City would only worsen.
"Can the Floating City take off and move right now?"
Lis pondered while asking the Black Cat.
"Taking off and moving is fine, but functions like inter-plane directional teleportation can’t be used. Using the teleportation magic array again would almost cause it to collapse."
"Currently, about 60% of the Floating City’s functions are operational, and the rest require repairs or rebuilding."
"Alright, I understand."
What else could Lis do? Indeed, buying is easy, but maintaining is hard. He suddenly found himself back in poverty.
Fortunately, he had just gained control over the Cardiff Small World, which produces various magic metals, and managed to extract the magic metals Cardiff Kingdom had accumulated over the years extensively, allowing urgent repairs for essential parts of the Floating City.
This truly alleviated Lis’s immediate crisis.
No matter what, the vehicle must be operational first, before considering enhancing its configuration.
"I need to start thinking about making money now."
First, establish the teleportation tunnel from Danerluo Port to Jade City to extract more resources from the Elf Kingdom.
Now that he’s Legendary, the old king of the Feis Kingdom should consider offering something more?
Increase manpower for resource extraction in the Cardiff Small World; luckily, it produces Mithril.
And then there’s the Dillon Kingdom — who knows how much tribute Uncle Joyce collected from there over the years.
Let’s not forget the player wallets!
Pondering ways to generate income, Lis felt a bit melancholic.
He hadn’t yet become the God of Arcane, but already felt like the God of Poverty.
And this is just for maintenance; one can only imagine the prosperity of the former Neserel Magic Empire, given how much they must have plundered from both Gaia World and the small worlds!