SSS SKILL: DUPLICATE

Chapter 24: Magic Production Corps

Edgar taught chemistry to Pelca. He only remembers a little about chemistry. If he were to write it, he could only fill in one page of information. He did not even fully understand what matter is. He just gave a direction for research and what can be studied under a microscope.

In the afternoon,the team of Feiyu and Dan finally returned together with rescued captives, prisoners, and confiscated wealth from bandits. Baron Bass will be publicly executed. His crimes will be exposed to the public.

News of Baron Bass' execution spreads. Ordinary people rejoice, but nobles feel fear. The royal guard is so powerful that it quickly wipes out bandit dens in the whole kingdom. Nobles who had connections with bandits are trembling in fear that they might be next to the gallows. They kept asking for information and felt a sigh of relief that only Baron Bass would be hanged, but they were told to behave and know their place.

Nobles realize that the royal court has a sword of Damocles hanging above their heads. They have a better attitude toward the royal court. When they asked who sent the royal guard, Albert said that it was the prince, but Edgar secretly spread news that the king sent the royal guards to wipe out remnants of the forces of Duke George, and then the prince would take the honor and awe from people instead of the king. Edgar subtly guides the thought of spies that the good things that are happening in the kingdom are a parting gift of the king to make the image of the prince wise and diligent. Edgar wants his enemies to think that he is still an incompetent prince.

Edgar let Elena arrange the rescued captives, prisoners, and captured wealth. He let the rescued captives be tested for their aptitude for magic. If they can't become magicians, he will let them become teachers. Edgar met with Calvin. He likes the man's bravery and loyalty. He will send him to the intelligence department, and he will cultivate him to become the vice to check and balance the chief.

The royal guards that did not participate in raiding bandits are so envious of the returning guards. The guards are rewarded with so much money. They bought new houses, land, clothes, foods, and materials for their new house. Their family is so happy. They finally have the face that a family of royal guards must have. All the royal guards seem to have been injected with steroids. They increase their intensity of training and hope for another mission. They are sharpening their blades for fools who will lose their heads when they offend the royal court.

While waiting for Elena to report, Edgar meets the minister of public works and construction. He streamlined the royal court functions for efficiency. He divided royal court functions into a few departments. He no longer needs to decide on many things. Each minister can decide on their own. Only a few things need to be discussed with him.

The name of the minister of public works and construction is Topas. He is almost sixty years old. His skin is dark. He is dedicated to his work. He supervises various projects in the kingdom very well. Topas did not expect that he would become a minister. He thought it was Albert who would help him. He was shocked when he knew that it was the prince who promoted him.

"Does the prince have an ulterior motive? Is he interested in my granddaughter? What if he asked for her hand?" asked Topas to himself while he is walking to Edgar's office. A battle of good and evil is happening in his mind.

Topas knocks at the office, and Edgar lets him come in. His face and palm are sweating. Edgar notices his uneasiness. He was puzzled at first, but he seemed to understand. Few people know his true character. Nobles and most of the top of the royal court still think that he is a debauchery prince, which is his deliberate intention.

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Edgar would like to tease the minister, but he might suffer a heart attack, so he did not do it.

"Don't worry, I'm not after your granddaughter. I called you here to give you instructions," said Edgar with a teasing smile to the minister.

Topas is surprised while looking at Edgar. The person in front of him does not resemble the debauchery prince in rumors, then he feels ecstatic. His body is suddenly full of strength.

"You're highness, I will definitely carry out your instruction!" swore Topas.

Edgar smiles at the lively minister who was just nervously sweating earlier, then he says, "You should start hiring earth magicians to speed up the construction of roads but keep the job of ordinary people. Construction will be easy later. I will train magicians dedicated to construction. We will make a contract with them. Later, you have the power to command a group of magicians for construction."

"Magicians for construction?" Topas asked absentmindedly. He imagined a future with a group of earth magicians working at the same time. Making a road for a few hundred meters will only take a few minutes! Building canals will only take a few minutes! Construction will be very easy! Topas feels excited.

Edgar saw the excitement on his face and reminded him.

"It will take time to train them. We must let them work with ordinary people first. We cannot make ordinary people lose their jobs. Also, build roads to mountains or places where adventurers could hunt. Build a town where adventurers can trade. Promised the adventurer guild that their rent will be free. We don't need to put too much guard in that place because the adventurer guild will have the initiative to defend that place against magic beasts.

Remember, investing on public roads must have a return. The roads you are currently building are increasing the income of royal court. Building road for adventurers will also have a return. When they built road in the territory of Duke George, there was no return. The money for construction almost became empty. The kingdom did not benefit. It only made comfortable for Duke George to travel."

"Your highness, I didn't know that by simply building a road, the income of the royal court would increase." Topas smiles. He now understands where to put roads first.

"You can promise to the Adventurer's Guild that I will let the potion and runesmith departments regularly place commissions in the towns that we will build. We will not let them run out of business. I will also let Medres contact interested nobles and merchants about placing commissions or establishing businesses there." said Edgar.

"Your highness, if that is the case, the town that we will build will definitely thrive. When was it so easy to build a town? It feels like a dream." Topas is shocked that Edgar can easily mobilize resources to build a town that could thrive.

Edgar smiles at the astonished minister, then says, "It is easy to build them if the place is right. Nobles and merchants aren't fools. If their investment cannot have a return, they will ignore us no matter how much we try to talk with them. If the projects of the royal court are put in the right place, we can mobilize nobles and big merchants in our kingdom.

One of the reasons why I established the Chamber of Commerce is to have a network that will connect us with them. We will know what kind of business they have. If we need businesses in the place that we will build, we just need to connect with them."

After talking for a while, Topas left the office of Edgar with a still stupefied expression. Chamber of Commerce that connects all the nobles and big merchants in the kingdom! There is actually a hidden function! It is a powerful network that the kingdom could use!

Edgar closes his eyes and starts thinking. While thinking of construction, an idea crossed his mind that he needed to create the epoch-making cement. It will make construction a lot easier.

Elena came back to the office, and Edgar asked for the results of testing the aptitude of the rescued captives.

"Your highness, only three are capable of becoming magicians, including Martha. She has an aptitude for water magic. Calvin has no aptitude for magic," Elena reported. She paid special attention to the husband and wife because the prince wanted to cultivate them.

Edgar made a series of orders after he heard what Elena had said.

"Magic is not needed in Calvin's future work. He will be taught with aura. Let those with no aptitude to magic become teachers. Set up a class for teaching magic. We will build a magicians group for production. Cultivate Martha. I want her to lead the Magic Production Corps later. Those that want to join will be given a contract. We will teach them and train them, but they must work for us for 5 years. They can decide to stay or leave after 5 years.

We will establish a point system. Materials that are needed for their magic cultivation will require points to buy. Points can be earned by studying or working. They could work for construction or make magic appliances. Their work will be paid with salary. We will only give free basic allowance and daily necessities. We will not train them in vain. We must use their magic to accelerate the development of the kingdom. There must be periodic tests. Those that don't have enough points will be kicked out. We will not raise lazy worms! Their help will increase the kingdom's treasury. When the treasury increases, we will also increase the production corps a little. The cycle will continue.

Find adult people that have an aptitude for magic. People that only want to earn to feed their family. Train them to work in factories of magic appliances or be a dedicated magic construction team. They can have a choice to join the point system, but make it clear to them that they won't have a fixed salary and they will have a periodic test.

We must catch up with our neighboring kingdoms and the empire. Using magicians for production will shorten our gap with them quickly!"

Edgar stopped talking for a while and looks at Elena, who is listening intently and writing his orders. Then he stated his hidden plan.

"Another purpose of the Magic Production Corps is to have a reserve army of magicians!"

A long time ago, there were only a few people with an aptitude for magic. Each magician was important to the kingdom, but as time passed, many people became magicians, and many people have the aptitude for magic. Children that are sent to study in a magic academy for free are those with a high aptitude for magic, and their magic spontaneously awakens without doing the meditation technique for magic. Free testing of magic aptitude is now only done after a few years. The royal court did not have enough money to support students for free before. Edgars' targets for the magic production corps are those who are not qualified to enter the magic academy for free. Elena became busy again, arranging Edgar's task. Edgar thinks that he needs to give Elena assistant secretaries.