"Our Lord," the Knight of Courage smiled and bowed as Arthur walked into the square. The rest did the same; Gruen, Rosa, Ma, Rumi, Big Bear, Ruri, and everyone who lived in Hidden City were waiting for him.
Arthur could see that there were many new faces, dusted ones, proving that Courage never slacked in her work. Everyone bowed to him, and Arthur had the alienating feeling as if he deserved it.
"I don't deserve these gestures," Arthur said to everyone, asking them to stand. "We are all here for a better future, and I'm no better than any of you. We are all trying to build ourselves a home in this world, and that's what binds us together."
The faces of the crowd changed ever so slightly. There was no sentiment before other than the joy of his return, but Arthur wanted to install a sense of belonging to Hidden City.
"I want to build a home for all of us," he said, and many in the crowd nodded with resolute expressions, "but I am only one man, lacking in many aspects. There are many things I don't know about blacksmithing, potion brewing, construction, planning, resources allocation, sales, and security protocols. That's why every one of you is as important as I am for this city, so please, let's work hard."
His speech moved the people around him, who each straightened their backs with pride. This sentiment was what Arthur aimed for in his people: the knowledge and pride of building something impactful on the world.
This time, his people didn't bow down but placed their hands on their hearts, starting with the Knight of Courage. This gesture was of companionship and loyalty, and Arthur returned it with a smile.
"For Hidden City," he said.
"For Hidden City!" the people shouted back, and Arthur nodded with a smile and went into the meeting hall. The department heads followed after him, gathering around his table.
"You look tired, Seika," Courage said with worry. "Maybe you need to rest before we give our reports?"
"That will be unnecessary," Arthur shook his head. "I want to hear what happened while I was gone, starting with this question: how much time has it been since I was away?"
His question confused them, as a normal person should know such a thing. However, none of them knew that he was in the Spirits Realm.
"It has been nine days," Courage answered before following up with her report. "While you were away, our diplomatic relations staggered, as the other Lords want you to meet them personally. Our city is still new to the kingdom, and you are more known than it is."
"That is understandable, but I hope you kept up the publicity campaigns?" Arthur nodded and turned to Ma, who stood up holding a stack of papers. He hurried to placed them down in front of him and spread them.
"We successfully implanted the campaign in the cities of Freda and the major cities of the surrounding kingdoms. However, since we are still in the development stage, people are quite skeptical."
"Manager Gruen," Arthur turned to the dwarf. "I think we'll need The Ghost Runemaster. Can you ask him to provide us with low-grade vegetation artifacts?"
"I understand," Gruen played off his act, but he couldn't help but ask. "Can I know what it is for?"
"We need the people of Freda to get a sample of our artifacts. That's why we'll provide small-time nobles with Vegetation artifacts as long as they agree to our terms."
"Wouldn't that be counterproductive? Even now, the runemasters are trying to recreate the rune. If we provide more people with it, the variations could give out a complete copy of the rune," Rosa proposed, and Arthur turned to stare at her silently. The blacksmith apprentice fidgeted under his gaze, but he simply grinned.
"I've missed you greatly, My Voice of Consciousness. Don't worry. The Ghost Runemaster said he would make these artifacts impossible to replicate. How are dear neighbors?"
Rosa blushed at his words as if feeling embarrassed by the nickname. Then, she hurried to stand up and give her report about the druids and ogres.
"The druids have been hard at work, creating countless herb gardens around The Divine Tree. In addition, they successfully provided us with the first batch of enhanced seeds, which we'll distribute to the farmers."
"I'll oversee that process myself, as I need to make sure none of them are fleeing after this," Arthur's eyes glowed as he said, and it sent shivers in the crowd. "And the ogres?"
"They were cooperative after we gained the support of their deity. However, the food we provide them with is quite lacking compared to the one you made, and it's putting a toll on the cooks," Rosa continued.
"I'll hire more people from the neighboring city," Ma proposed, adjusting his tie. "I have a few friends working in famous restaurants."
"Build a giant cookhouse for the whole camp. This is one of the most important things. Make it a priority. Hire a few hunters and butchers as well. We can't treat our people cheaply," his words made Courage smile. "Did I have any visitors?"
Arthur remembered that she should arrive by now. If she did not, then that means she simply bailed out. Courage seemed a bit surprised but still took out a form to show him.
"There was a captain of a ship who passed by in the river and sent one a crew member relay a message: they wish to meet you. But since we don't have a harbor, they docked their ship in the next city, waiting for our response."
"I see," Arthur smiled lightly. "That means we got a captain for our trade, a capable one too."
"Do you know them?" Rosa asked with a hint of unease. "I heard that they were… pirates. They had a black flag too, so there is no mistaking them. I don't think it's wise to hire such people."
"You discriminate, Rosa," Arthur shook his head. "Not all pirates are the same, and not everyone is bad," he could feel Courage raising a brow at his word, as that was quite different from before, where he trusted no one and fought with everyone.
"I… understand," Rosa nodded. "I'll give them the benefit of the doubt." Arthur was amused by her response, as she was usually headstrong for things like principles and goodness.
"Big bear,"
"Yes, My Lord,"
"Uh," Arthur was surprised by the way he addressed him and glanced at Courage. Before, Big Bear would only address the Titled Knight. "Have you cleared all monsters from within our borders?"
"Not yet, My Lord. The process is getting delayed because of the huge expanse of land our city occupies. That's why we are having a difficult time locating the monsters."
"I'll provide you with artifacts that navigate you toward the monsters," Arthur nodded. "I'll also provide aid myself; we need to establish security within our borders as fast as possible. After that comes land allocation."
"My Lord, our treasury is getting emptied by the second. New shipments arrive every day to complete the construction of the city. Rumi is ordering every minute as we speak, and the gold is dwindling," Gruen said with worry. "We can either impose taxes or start selling right away."
"We are not offering anything at the moment to impose taxes," Arthur shook his head. He didn't know what the right thing was, but he didn't like the idea of putting these people through hardships simply for existing. "Of course, we'll impose taxes once we establish the routes and the auction house."
There will be a sales tax on every transaction going in his city. He would provide people with a place to work, the infrastructures, and the housing in return for a percentage of their sales.
This was the concept of Hidden City, a trading hub of the kingdom. Once he establishes trade routes over land and water, the place will have more visitors and sales.
Arthur dismissed everyone after that, allowing them to tend to the finer details. He had Ma arrange a meeting with the neighboring city as soon as possible, as he also wanted to meet the Greatest-Pirate-to-be.
After they left, Arthur retired to his room, where he found a girl and a spirit waiting for him. The window was frozen and forcibly opened, and he sighed as he walked over to close it.
"You could have been a bit gentler with my house,"
"It's your fault for not expecting my arrival," Dia smiled as she clapped her hand against Rega's roots, playing some sort of game. "This spirit freaked out a few citizens of your city, so you'll have to address the matter before something thinks this place is haunted."
"Ha," Arthur sighed as he sat beside them, leaning back. He wanted to grab a cup of water on the stand, but he realized that it was on his left and armless side. Without saying anything, Dia stood up to pour some water for him.
