Arthur placed down the artifact as it gave a soft glue, the runic lines merging with it. Every time he created an artifact, it would fascinate him how he could give power to the powerless. It was an intoxicating feeling as if he was a god.
However, it was of the greatest importance that he doesn't fall into this delusion. The last thing that he wanted to become was a god because he knew how selfish he would be.
The artifact disappeared once Arthur touched it, and it reappeared in his subspace. Then, as he was about to stand up and go to the auction, a notification from his system finally arrived.
[Your Estate Level increased by 1!]
[Your estate has been cleared off monsters, and walls have been erected to protect your citizens! As a result, you earned five Lordship Points, corresponding to your level!]
[Lordship Stats.]
- Estate Level: 1.
- Estate Size: 722 square km.
- Residents Numbers: 983.
- Overall Satisfaction: 45%.
- Lordship Points: 5.
[Lordship's Creation.]
- Build!
- Blueprints. [Locked.]
- Revenue. [Locked.]
[Lordship Residents.]
- Professions.
- Potential.
- Loyalty.
"I... forgot about this," Arthur felt embarrassed that because he couldn't use this function, he simply forgot about it. One of Big Bear's duties was to exterminate the monsters, but it seems it took him a while to get it done.
At least, his city was safe now, as long his walls weren't breached. But, unfortunately, even though it has been a while since he got above level 40, he never got to use the new function the system had.
"Let's see what I can build with 5 Lordship Points," Arthur clicked on his system's interference, and an array of items opened in front of him.
[Farmlands]
[Houses]
[Workplaces]
[Public Entertainments]
[Factories]
[Transportation]
[Roads]
[Defenses]
[Mana Arrays]
[Barracks]
[Schools]
[Hospitals]
[Lands]
***
It was a long list that made Arthur dizzy. Furthermore, his estate level seems to have nothing to do with his level, which meant that Arthur could expand his city beyond what his strength allows.
The issue was that Arthur didn't know what to prioritize first. His citizens were too few for his city, which was quite large and hard to utilize with so few people. He can bring in more people by focusing on building proper housing, sewage system, transportations.
However, no one would come to his city without jobs to feed them. It was hard to decide between housing and employment if he wanted to bring more people in, and there was another issue on the table: Mernars.
The hydra should be coming to his city soon, seeking its child. But, unfortunately, Arthur has yet to find it, and it is hard to do so given that the child was hiding itself instead of being kidnapped.
"Defenses should be prioritized, and the Mana Array seems to be a buff of some sort. I only have five points, and there is nothing less than five points to purchase. I guess the Legacy will only show me that of which I can purchase."
It was a flawed mechanism because Arthur couldn't start saving up points at this point. However, if he learned one thing throughout his journey, then it was to save. He stopped using his stat points once he realized that farming stats would get more challenging in the future.
"Then, I will just handle it on my own for now. The next level up of my estate shouldn't be far," he concluded as he closed the system and stood up.
"Greetings, Seika," Ma bowed as Arthur opened the door. "We checked the contract, and there are no disadvantages or loopholes for us. Rather, they are the ones suffering from this."
"The only thing they are suffering from is guilted heroism," Arthur replied as he took the contract. A pen appeared out of thin air, and Arthur signed the agreement that floated before him. "I will take this myself to the auction house. You better prepare, Ma. A lot of money is coming your way."
"Nothing makes me happier," Ma said with barely contained excitement. Arthur stopped walking and turned to him with a suspicious face.
"You know that you will die if you embezzle money, right?" Arthur had to make sure that none of his followers made any stupid mistakes. Ma blinked his eyes at him with confusion.
"I have no use for the money, though," he sincerely said. "All of my life is in Hidden City, and everything I might do with money will be reported back to you."
"You don't have any problems that money can solve?"
"You don't understand, Seika," Ma shook his head with a smile. "For most of us, simply finding a safe place to stay and food to eat is a challenge. Yet, you gave us these without asking for money. You are even paying us for serving you, and that is the first time a lord does that."