The international conference resumed after a break, following the discussion on the independence of Marsodelsierto County.
“Yes, Mana and I will be attending, along with Prim, the princess of the Vald Beast Duchy.”
“This is because the development of the heavenly baronetcy territories to be granted to Mana and myself is on the agenda for this international conference.”
“I didn’t think it was necessary to bring it up at the international conference, but since heavenly baronetcy carries succession rights to the Celestial Emperor, and my Fraydlancia Baronetcy is planned for development as an academy city, while Mana’s Lapislazurite Baronetcy is planned as a tourist city and the center of the Retisencia region, it seems to be of high importance to the kings of each country.”
“Furthermore, the development of the Retisencia region is scheduled to proceed sequentially, centering on the Lapislazurite Baronetcy. Therefore, if the development of the Lapislazurite Baronetcy doesn’t start, the development of other territories cannot begin, or rather, it becomes difficult.”
“The Lapislazurite Baronetcy also borders Count Bernstein’s Territory, making it a vital transportation hub. This will contribute to the safety of the workers. More importantly, Amister alone won’t be enough to recruit immigrants, so we plan to ask each country for help.”
“Prim is unable to attend because Ms. Neige is in her final month of pregnancy, so she is here as her proxy with the Prime Minister.”
“As we discussed, is the Fraydlancia Baronetcy still on Olden Island, and the Lapislazurite Baronetcy still encompassing the northern part of the Linea Valley and the entire Vayena Bay area?”
“It is narrow for a heavenly baronet to govern, but considering the Esmeralda Baronetcy as well. If we create disparities among the territories, it may lead to future strife. However, due to the location, it is unavoidable that the Lapislazurite Baronetcy will be the most vast.”
The Lapislazurite Baronetcy will be larger than the Esmeralda Baronetcy and the Fraydlancia Baronetcy.
It’s not double, but I think it’s about 1.5 times larger.
The middle of the Linea Valley is planned to be the border with Count Bernstein’s Territory, but from there to the vicinity of Kobaldia, it inevitably has to be large.
“It will be slightly delayed, but we will also develop Count Fallheight Territory to the north and Viscount Perleschtein’s Territory to the west of the Lapislazurite Baronetcy. At that time, we are considering immigrating residents from the slums that have become a problem in each country.”
Immigration to the Fraydlancia Baronetcy, Lapislazurite Baronetcy, Count Fallheight Territory, and Viscount Perleschtein’s Territory is generally done by soliciting candidates.
However, that alone is simply not enough.
Not only is manpower needed for construction, but even more so for the subsequent residents.
There are also population issues, and how to gather them appears to be the biggest problem.
We do plan to relocate residents from the former bridge city in the Libertà region, which demolition has already begun, but not all of them wish to engage in reclamation work, and many have already moved to countries they prefer.
“Therefore, we have our eyes on the slums in countries other than Amister.”
“The slums of Torencia’s Phantom Capital Bestia are under the jurisdiction of His Majesty Brynhild, and all slum residents come from Bestia. However, other towns, including their capitals, have slums of varying degrees.”
“They are particularly numerous in the eastern part of Valentia, where there are rumors of fallen former dragon knights and former nobles.”
“Of course, we cannot immigrate such individuals, but if we recruit other residents, I believe a considerable number will be willing to immigrate.”
“For each country, the disappearance or reduction of slums would improve public order, and the development of new areas would lead to economic prosperity.”
“You mentioned starting with the capital cities. While that may be the case for the heavenly baronetcy, where will the capital of the county be built?”
“The capital of the county has not yet been decided, so we will start by selecting a location.”
The capital of the Fraydlancia Baronetcy is decided to be built on Olden Island, and the capital of the Lapislazurite Baronetcy on Sabel Island.
Therefore, construction work can begin as soon as the urban plan is in place. However, for Count Fallheight Territory and Viscount Perleschtein’s Territory, demolition of the ruins, let alone the capital cities, must be carried out first.
“Even so, building a new city on the ruins is out of the question, so the demolition will be part of maintaining public order to prevent them from becoming hideouts for thieves and other criminals.”
“After all, all towns and villages in the Retisencia region were destroyed by monsters, so even slum residents would not want to live there.”
“Therefore, the towns and villages will be built in completely new locations, and new roads will be laid accordingly.”
“However, until the location of the capital is decided, nothing can be done. Therefore, the personnel involved with both count families will prioritize surveying activities for the time being.”
“Indeed, it’s impossible to use the towns and villages of Retisencia as they are, in many ways.”
“Yes. Even slum residents wouldn’t want to live there.”
“However, doing nothing and letting them decay is also a bad move. You are issuing demolition requests, aren’t you?”
“Of course. However, even small villages require considerable time and manpower for demolition. But considering the current shortage of manpower, we cannot begin demolition or development. Therefore, we intend to dispatch Orders to handle the demolition and clear the land with magic.”
Just as I was wondering how the demolition of the ruins would be handled, His Majesty Reinhardt made such a statement.
“Clearing the land with magic means blowing everything away at once, which is quite a brute-force approach.”
“However, the shortage of manpower is a fact, and if we were to completely demolish a city, not to mention a village, it would require not only manpower but also an amount of time that would never be enough, and as mentioned, development would never begin.”
“In that case, even if it’s a brute-force approach, blowing it all away and clearing the land is quicker. Moreover, since we are not building new towns or villages on the ruins, even if the terrain is somewhat damaged, it won’t be a major problem.”
“Of course, normal Orders won’t be able to handle it, so if we dispatch them, it will be High Order or Ancient Order.”
“Count Fallheight Territory has not only Rex, but also Rosemary, Muse, and Saya, making four Ancient Orders. Mina will also help after giving birth, so the problem is how to handle Viscount Perleschtein’s Territory.”
“Oh, the Viscount Perleschtein family is a noble family established by one of Tolman’s grandchildren. Tolman was the former Grand Order’s Master and is now the Associate Beastar’s Master.”
“Neither Tolman nor his grandson achieved any particular military exploits. However, Tolman served as Grand Order’s Master for 40 long years, and now contributes to the Beastar’s Guild as an Associate Beastar’s Master.”
“His achievements are significant, and His Majesty Reinhardt intended to grant Tolman a peerage. However, Tolman himself is considering retiring from his position as Associate Beastar’s Master and also retiring from the Ritter’s Guild, so he declined the peerage.”
“Then the offer goes to his children, but many of Tolman’s children and even grandchildren have become independent and cannot manage a territory if suddenly granted one. Therefore, his grandchild, who belongs to the Order’s Guild and is only 25 years old, was ennobled.”
“It feels a bit too forceful, but since there are no plans to reuse the ruined sites and considering the benefit of early development, it might be acceptable.”
“Considering that the ruins could become havens for thieves and demi-humans, it’s better this way.”
“Many buildings do not meet building standards, so there is no reason to preserve them.”
No objections were raised by the kings.
On the contrary, Princess Katarina of the Vagenbach Bridge Duchy, which shares a border, was criticizing Retisencia.
“You know, I didn’t realize it, but do many of Retisencia’s buildings not meet building standards?”
“Of course, this is not something to ask here, so I asked later. Building standards are clearly defined by the Crafter’s Guild, and they are strictly adhered to in all countries except Solemne.”
“Although standards can be lowered depending on the client’s budget, even if they are not met, the responsible crafter is subject to severe penalties.”
“However, in Retisencia, crafters were quite despised, and I heard that not only were their fees haggled, but many also failed to pay.”
“Therefore, few Retisencians registered as crafters, and most crafters were dispatched from other countries.”
“However, they could not make a living with such treatment, and more importantly, it only led to dissatisfaction and stress. Therefore, being dispatched to Retisencia was strongly associated with harassment and punishment for crafters.”
“For this reason, many crafters dispatched to Retisencia were unmotivated, and many of their crafted items, not to mention buildings, fell below the minimum standards.”
“Yes, it’s no wonder they lacked motivation. It’s more like Retisencia’s own fault.”
“Those dispatched crafters returned to their previous lives and lives when the Crafter’s Guild withdrew.”
“Then, are the Grand Order’s Master himself going to be involved in the demolition of the ruins in Count Fallheight Territory?”
“His eldest son is scheduled to govern, so that’s how it will be.”
“Then the problem lies with Viscount Perleschtein’s Territory?”
“Regarding the ruins of Viscount Perleschtein’s Territory, we plan to dispatch several Ancient Orders and some High Orders, also for survey purposes.”
“Survey? No, isn’t the area that will become Viscount Perleschtein’s Territory a marshland with only a few small lakes as its distinctive feature?”
“One of them, I believe, is a salt lake, and soda ash can be harvested there.”
“The Retisencia region receives a lot of rain, making it unsuitable for agriculture, but soda ash can be a specialty product. Since it is a salt lake, salt can naturally be harvested as well.”
“Salt is a daily necessity, so it can be marketed as a specialty product even more than soda ash, and it can be traded stably.”
“This is precisely why Tolman’s grandson was able to receive the grant.”
“However, not only in that area, but around last year, Ancient Hunters were commissioned to survey the entire Retisencia region and should have completed a preliminary survey?”
“However, Your Majesty, not only in that area, but the hunters should have already finished their surveys of the Retisencia region?”
I wasn’t the only one thinking that; Duke Linze of the bridge voiced it.
“That is correct, but we cannot predict how the monsters will move, and we cannot deny the possibility that new labyrinths have been born.”
“Hmm, you are indeed right. Especially with monsters, we don’t know how many have been evolved by Demon Crystals.”
“Yes. Given the time, it is not unlikely that they have reproduced naturally. Indeed, before development, if investigations are not conducted, the safety of immigrants and workers cannot be guaranteed.”
“Come to think of it, that’s right.”
“Moreover, in addition to monsters evolved by Demon Crystals, there is also the fact that monsters have become more prone to evolution since the Divine Emperor landed on the Philia Continent.”
“There are even individuals who have evolved into Demise Species, and there are many monsters that have evolved into An or Catastrophe Species.”
“Therefore, no matter how much investigation is done, it is not excessive. We must also pay attention to the safety of immigrants and workers.”
“The capital cities are planned to be covered by barriers upon their construction, but even that is not absolute.”
“What was decided this time is the date for the Lapislazurite Baronetcy capital city to be covered by a barrier, and the land owned by Count Fallheight Territory and Viscount Perleschtein’s Territory.”
“And the demolition of ruins and road improvements, as well as surveys, up to the Vagenbach Bridge Duchy.”
“Between Viscount Perleschtein’s Territory and the Vagenbach Bridge Duchy, about three to five more noble territories are planned for development. The timing of these will be determined by the development status of Viscount Perleschtein’s Territory.”
“Ah, but concerning the development of territories adjacent to the Vagenbach Bridge Duchy, Princess Katarina of the Vagenbach Bridge Duchy and Duke Eislicht of the Grand Reuve also submitted memorials requesting that it be expedited as much as possible.”
“They don’t know what’s going on with the monsters in the Retisencia region, and it could potentially cause damage to the Libertà region as well. They likely want to reduce damage by simultaneously conducting surveys and development.”
“It’s a reasonable request, but development takes a very long time, so His Majesty Reinhardt was also evasive in his response.”
“Nevertheless, he did confirm that investigations would be conducted, so I believe new Orders will be dispatched soon.”
“It’s possible that we may be asked to assist, but today’s agenda is still only about half complete. Depending on the results, we might be involved in that.”
“I believe the next agenda item is about un-cleared labyrinths.”
