I have added some more details regarding the Six Marquises and the Five Families in Kenerusen.
The Six Marquises were gathered at Wahid’s place.
The investigation that had been ongoing since the Six Marquises joined had been completed.
What kind of investigation, you ask? It was an investigation of the land on the Fifth Floor, of course.
Even if farmland were to be increased haphazardly, it would be quickly destroyed as long as the threat of monsters existed.
Therefore, it was necessary to investigate beforehand and then develop the land in a way that would make it easier to defend from monster attacks.
The Six Marquises possessed know-how accumulated over a long period.
The results of their thorough examination based on this know-how had emerged, which is why everyone had gathered.
Gathered in this room were not only the Six Marquises and Wahid, but also key members of the Crown, and representatives from the executive branch, including Alec.
It had been announced beforehand that this would be an important discussion in deciding the future of the town on the Fifth Floor.
In the center of the room where they were gathered, a large table was placed, and on it was a large map.
It wasn’t just one map, but several maps that had been joined together to form a large one.
Various things were written all over the map.
The contents were detailed information about the land.
“No, I see. This is wonderful. To think you investigated all this in such a short period.”
It was Alec who exclaimed this with admiration.
Schmidt nodded in agreement.
On the other hand, Gazeran tilted his head.
“Huh. Is this really that important?”
Royce, one of the Six Marquises, answered with a wry smile.
“Ah, for Gazeran, who’s an ex-adventurer, it probably doesn’t seem like much.”
Gazeran had a reason for tilting his head.
“To begin with, most of the information written here was collected from adventurers.”
Collecting from natural objects, recovering materials from monsters, and so on.
For adventurers, obtaining such information was essentially a necessity.
The higher you go, the more you understand the importance of information.
That is precisely why Gazeran tilted his head, looking at Alec and Schmidt, who seemed impressed.
“I knew adventurers had firsthand information, but to be able to shape it and present it like this is amazing.”
It was Alec who said that.
From the perspective of the nation, the information on maps like these was considered military intelligence.
Therefore, accurate maps were rarely distributed to the public.
In some countries, simply possessing one could lead to arrest.
Traveling merchants used maps that only indicated general routes.
“I see.”
Gazeran nodded, as if he understood.
No one asked the foolish question of why it wasn’t kept secret here.
The reason for keeping map information secret was to guard against other countries.
In a tower where there was no reason to guard against other countries, it was actually more beneficial to publicize map information.
However, none of those present were considering publicizing it at the moment.
Large-scale development was proceeding, and the information would change daily.
Even if maps were released to the public, the information would likely be outdated by the next day.
Therefore, it was decided that it would be better not to publicize it until things stabilized.
“So? What were the surrounding conditions like?”
Wahid asked the Six Marquises.
“Indeed, it’s a word that can only be described as wonderful. Frankly, there probably isn’t a more ideal location for farmland.”
Considering the level of monsters that appeared, the ease of management was on a completely different level.
“In other words, we can proceed with development to some extent freely?”
“That is correct.”
“Is that so, Alec? What do you think?”
The question was then directed at Alec.
Naturally, he was asked as the head of the executive branch.
The executive branch was involved in urban development.
“To be frank, it’s hard to say what will happen to the town. The supply of buildings is completely insufficient for the influx of people.”
The current town on the Fifth Floor already had over ten thousand permanent residents.
This did not include those who moved between towns, such as adventurers.
Those who decided to settle down, that is, those who purchased housing, were required to register with the executive branch.
This applied even to apartment-style residential buildings.
Therefore, the number of permanent residents was easy to track.
Conversely, the number of adventurers staying in inns and similar accommodations was difficult to track.
While it was possible to manage arrivals and departures through the teleport gates, Kousuke’s answer was that it would be better to spend time on other things than to create such a system.
The others who heard this agreed, and no objections were raised on this matter.
The town on the Fifth Floor would likely continue to grow.
However, if farmland had to be sacrificed every time it grew, stable harvests could not be expected.
“How about dividing the development areas by direction?”
It was Dales, who was looking at the map, who suggested this.
“Hmm. What do you mean?”
“Looking at the map, the town is situated towards the northeast. Instead of expanding farmland to the northeast, where the future is uncertain, why not expand in the opposite direction?”
“Expand the town to the northeast?”
“No. Expanding in only one direction makes development difficult, so we won’t do that. A town only needs a certain amount of space to be functional. …Unless we’re building a city for over a million people.”
Everyone gave a wry smile at his words.
If the city were to reach a scale capable of housing over a million people, it would be the most populous city in the world.
First and foremost, they had to ensure they could produce enough food to sustain such a population.
For now, it was still a distant dream.
“However, even with farmland, we can’t just develop it vertically, can we?”
“To build a city, a certain amount of space is all that’s needed. What about creating farmland while avoiding that area?”
“Specifically?”
“If we decide on the initial target population, we can estimate the area needed for the town, right? We can develop farmland while avoiding that area.”
At Dales’s words, the relevant parties fell silent.
They were likely considering whether it was feasible.
However, after waiting for a while, no objections were raised.
“It seems that’s the safest method.”
Wahid concluded, looking at everyone’s faces.
“Well, let’s move on to the specifics.”
As Wahid began, they moved on to concrete discussions.
“What should be the initial goal? I think one hundred thousand is reasonable?”
It was Alec who said this.
These kinds of discussions were precisely Alec’s specialty.
“Are you considering that on the premise of sufficient food supply?”
One of the Six Marquises asked.
“Hmph… Specifically?”
“If the surrounding monitoring of the farmland functions properly, the initial development alone can support not only one hundred thousand but even two hundred thousand people?”
“It can go that far…”
Alec pondered the unexpected answer.
“But if we increase it so rapidly, can production keep up?”
Another of the Six Marquises answered Alec’s question.
“In any case, until production begins here, we will be relying on supplies from Kenerusen.”
“Is that not a problem?”
“There is no problem.”
Alec did not press further, seeing the conviction of the Six Marquis.
“In that case, the remaining issue is the adventurers.”
Developing farmland is meaningless if it cannot be maintained.
In this world, securing farmland is synonymous with securing adventurers.
“That won’t be a problem. The monsters around here are at a suitable level for those who are struggling in other towns. If they can earn wages comparable to the monitoring duties in Kenerusen, people will gather.”
“If that’s the case, it seems there’s no problem. Are there any other minor adjustments needed?”
Everyone in the room agreed with Alec’s confirmation.
They hadn’t expected to decide everything in this single meeting.
This time, it was sufficient to determine the direction.
In that sense, they had already achieved considerable results.
And indeed, based on the discussions of this day, the future direction of the town on the Fifth Floor took shape.
I wrote up to this point and wondered if this part was necessary, but since I had already written it, I finished it.
I have a feeling there might be a few oddities, but I decided to upload it anyway.
