Somewhere in the Moonshadow City...
"Start again! This is not how you serve a customer," Andre, the head of staff, training people for the expansion of Aetheria Market in a neighboring kingdom, instructed.
Andre had previously overseen the opening of Aetheria Market in the Faerie Kingdom, and after years of managing the market and studying books Maximus had given him, he had become well-versed in the ways of business.
"Yes, sir!" one of the staff replied, lacking the fighting spirit of a soldier but exuding elegance.
...
As Maximus and his children disembarked from the carriage at their first destination.
Max exclaimed, "We're here!" He had grown suffocated by the boredom during the carriage ride.
Curious, Liam inquired, "Where is this, Dad?" His gaze shifted toward the staff undergoing training.
"It's a school that teaches service," Maximus replied softly.
"What's a school?" Lily asked, her innocent eyes reflecting genuine curiosity.
"Well, it's a place where many people learn, similar to the room you're in when tutors teach you, but with many more people," Maximus carefully explained.
In this continent, schools were a foreign concept. Only nobles had tutors, while commoners were left to fend for themselves, deciding whether to hire their tutors or not.
The reason for this disparity is that it's easier to control an ignorant population than otherwise. Others simply lack the concern to educate the people.
As for why Maximus hadn't established schools in the past, there were two main reasons.
Firstly, he lacked the time and resources to do so. When he arrived, he was practically broke, and the only silver lining was the gold his system generated every day.
Secondly, there are hardly any teachers, and if there are any, they charge per student, which leads to the first problem of insufficient funds.
It's not that he can't afford it, but in the past, he used all the money he had to generate more income.
He understands that education is a long-term investment. What he needed is money and resources. And he needed it immediately, so education is not a suitable path to start.
Now that he is the ruler of the kingdom and with the coming expansion of the Aetheria market, he will soon become wealthy enough to build schools.
He even plans to establish a variety of schools, but for now, he first needs to earn the necessary funds.
With more than fifty kingdoms in the Sunburnt Plateau, once he establishes branches there, his income will skyrocket, ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of gold.
Of course, this is assuming that nothing unexpected happens.
Now that he possesses the strength of a nascent knight, he can run rampant in this small land of the Sunburnt Plateau. However, if he wished to further expand his influence all over the Curse Continent, he still need greater strength.
...
After entering the entrance with his entourage, Maximus was greeted by Andre, who welcomed him with a slight bow.
"Welcome, my lord," Andre said respectfully.
"It's alright. How is the training going here?" Maximus inquired.
"They are making rapid progress. In about 5-6 months, they will be fully prepared," Andre explained.
Curious, Maximus scanned the staff who were undergoing training. "How many are there?"
"Unfortunately, there are only about 500 selected individuals. Doran is still conducting a census and recruiting suitable personnel for each job," Andre replied.
"Very well, you may continue your duties. We will observe for a while," Maximus said, dismissing Andre.
...
Maximus strolled through the area with the children, observing the various staff members in training. Their presence seemed to make the staff slightly nervous.
"Look, they're walking with books in their heads, just like we did. Are they also princesses?" Layla asked cutely, gazing up at Maximus.
Maximus chuckled and embraced Layla. "No, my dear, you are my only princess."
Like education, only nobles or wealthy businessmen were trained in etiquette. However, Maximus believed it would be beneficial for his business, so he decided to incorporate this to training.
After a while, the children grew bored and requested to go elsewhere.
Maximus quickly agreed as he too was feeling restless. After sharing a few words with Andre, he led the children to the carriage to proceed to their next destination.
...
On the outskirts of the city, a group of people were diligently planting and irrigating the land. Their smiles and joyful expressions indicated their contentment with their work.
Upon arriving at the farm with his children, Robert, the person in charge of the farm, quickly noticed their presence and promptly greeted them.
"Welcome, my lord," Robert said respectfully.
"Ah, it's you, Robert. How is the farm?" Maximus greeted him back and inquired.
"It's flourishing abundantly, my lord. Thanks to magic crystals, the land is incredibly fertile," Robert replied with a smile, providing a detailed report on the farm's progress and operations.
As planting served as the kingdom's primary food source, there was no room for carelessness.
Regarding the meat supply, it was usually obtained through hunting.
Domesticating animals proved to be unsuccessful, as excessive absorption of corrosive mana made them extremely aggressive and unsuitable for large-scale breeding.
Thus, birds like chickens were the common choice to ease their meat cravings. As chickens have relatively weaker strength even if they turned violent.
As for fish, their numbers are pitifully low due to the barrenness of the land, leaving them with insufficient food to thrive.
Land-dwelling animals could only survive in this desolate land due to the presence of vast forests rich in mana.
These forests also served as the main source of periodic beast tides, as higher mana levels led to greater corruption and increased aggression in the creatures.
As for how Maximus acquired his meat, he simply purchased it from the system, which offered a wide variety of options.
However, Maximus refrained from reselling the meat he obtained through the system, exercising caution. If he were to sell large quantities of such products, it would arouse suspicion and potentially reveal that something was amiss in him.
He could freely take out different magic items or various arrays without drawing too much attention, as he was known to be a mage. Claiming that the magic items were his own craftsmanship, who would dare to question their ruler?
Similarly, he could attribute the magic crystals to the product of his magical research. As for the seeds he occasionally took out, it was not uncommon for nobles to keep a stock of seeds.
After conversing for a while, Robert asked if there was anything else he needed.
"No need, I will simply take a stroll," Maximus waved his hand dismissively, signaling for Robert to continue his work.
Understanding the signal, Robert refrained from disturbing them any further.
...
Maximus and the kids curiously surveyed the farm.
"Dad, why are those children over there? Are they playing?" Layla asked, observing the children who were stepping on the muddy fields.
Layla, being just one year old, was filled with innocence and curiosity, unaware of the gravity of the situation.
"No, they are not playing. They are doing this work to earn a living," Maximus explained, looking at his children.
Seeing their confusion, he carefully elaborated further.
In this place, there is no concept of illegal child labor. As long as they are capable, they are expected to work.
It is a way of life for them. They either become apprentices to craftsmen or farmers; there are no other options for them.
However, Maximus reassured himself that this situation would not last for long.
As soon as he acquired the funds from the expansion of the Aetheria market, he would ensure the establishment of schools to provide these children with the knowledge to widen their options.
Upon seeing that his children understood his explanation, Maximus smiled.
"Now that we're here, let's experience what they do," he said with a smile, beckoning them towards the rice farm.
He told the guards to disperse the people as he got the kids to change clothes.
After getting ready and changing into appropriate outfits, they looked at their father, awaiting instructions.
"Just repeat what I do," Maximus said, also changing into suitable attire. With a swift motion, he picked up the budding rice seedlings bundled together, as they would need to be separated later to allow for better growth spacing.
Liam observed his father's actions and readied himself, stepping barefoot into the mud.
"Hiss!" Liam didn't expect the strange sensation.
Not wanting his brothers to witness his embarrassment, Liam quickly followed his father's lead.
Looking at the freshly dug rice saplings, he smiled and glanced at his brothers and sister, who were still observing.
"Come on! It's pretty easy to do," Liam said, showing them a reassuring smile.
His brothers swiftly joined in, somewhat enjoying the feeling of the mud between their toes.
"This is fun!" Max exclaimed excitedly as he played with the mud using his feet.
Nathan silently followed suit.
Lily hesitated as she watched her brothers happily hopping in the mud. She glanced at the muddy ground, contemplating whether to join them or not.
"Let's do this!" Gritting her teeth, she encouraged herself and her sister.
After stepping into the mud, Lily realized it wasn't as daunting as she had imagined. She proceeded to imitate their father's actions.
Lyla, on the other hand, paid no attention to them and ran through the mud like the wind, catching up with her father.
"Daddy!" Lyla ran and hugged Maximus, making a mess of his shirt.
Lydia, however, stood frozen as a worm crawled onto her leg, unsure of what to do.
Noticing that Lydia wasn't following, Lily turned and looked behind her.
"Ahhhh!" She screamed upon seeing the worm. Despite her fright, she didn't forget to slap the worm to rescue Lydia who was still frozen.
Maximus was startled as he glanced back. He witnessed Lily swatting the worm away from Lydia's feet.
The worm flew with mud, hitting Liam's head with pinpoint accuracy.
Liam slowly pinched the worm in his head, his expression dark. However, as he looked at the worm and his sister, he couldn't help but smile playfully.
He then chases Lily with the worm in his hands.
"Ahhhh!" Lily screamed and ran toward her father.
Observing this scene, Maximus couldn't help but smile.
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