“…That concludes the report on the players’ movements while you were away, Master.”
As Kane finished his report and returned to his seat, Raul fell into deep thought.
‘It seems the time I spent delaying is finally paying off.’
In his previous life, it had taken players about nine months after the start of the Connect service to clear the Tower of Graduation and advance onto the continent. In this lifetime, Raul had accelerated this timeline by about two months.
While part of his reason was to have players exert their influence on the continent more quickly, there was another, more strategic reason.
‘Ultimately, it’s to bring the players under my control.’
Raul smirked meaningfully.
“How is the community reacting?”
“The sentiment is the same. Most believe there is no value in leaving the Free City to pioneer the surrounding areas. They think it’s better to level up a bit more and then make a move to the central areas in one go.”
Rabel informed Raul of the community’s reactions. The players saw no tangible benefits in leaving the Free City, so they were reluctant to venture out.
“Hmm. How are those ‘special recruits’ moving?”
“You mean the specially selected players? As you know, half of them joined the Purple Guild, and among the remaining eight, four are active in other guilds. The other four seem to have settled in the capital city, Thurium.”
The ‘special recruits’ referred to the top 16 finalists of the battle tournament. These players were given immediate access to the kingdom’s capital, Thurium. However, they were struggling to find their footing there.
‘Even if they have skills, they’re only effective among other players.’
The elite rankers who had just finished their second job advancements were at the beginner Expert level. However, comparing them to Connect’s knights who had reached the Expert level through over a decade of training was a mistake.
For players, having a rank meant they could use skills at the Expert level, not that they had achieved pure mastery.
Consequently, those who confidently headed to the capital were barely treated as C-rank mercenaries.
“Although they are gradually establishing themselves since they were selected for their abilities, they have yet to gain significant recognition.”
“Well, that’s to be expected. It’s hard to make a mark right away.”
However, their choice wasn’t entirely wrong. If they had chosen solo play rather than joining a guild, building a reputation in the capital was crucial. A reputation built in the local territories stayed local, whereas achievements in the capital were recognized everywhere.
‘That’s how it was for me in my previous life as well.’
After leaving the Free City, Bae Dohyun aimed to reach the capital as quickly as possible, even if it meant temporarily dropping in rankings. Once he started making a name in the capital, his ranking solidified considerably.
‘But now things are different.’
While there are advantages to moving independently, having a strong backer like Raul and the First Knight Order made starting in the capital unnecessary.
“Alright then, let’s move on to phase two.”
“Is it finally starting?”
“Yes. We will now officially integrate players into our ‘First Territory’.”
“Understood. I will begin preparations to receive immigrants.”
Up until now, only Purple Guild members were allowed portal access, and other players were restricted. The reason was population redistribution following the consolidation of six baronies after the territorial war.
Raul shut down small, unproductive villages and reassigned residents according to their skills and specialties. Additionally, they accepted migrants from troubled territories surrounding the newly incorporated six baronies, urban poor from the capital, and those who wanted to relocate.
As a result, the consolidated territory of Viscount Raul now boasted a population of 400,000, with 70,000 in the capital, Calix, 50,000 each in Bates, Franhoa, and Louisin, and 30,000 each in newly incorporated territories like Brock.
Of course, it was ambitious to complete the migration and population redistribution in just three months. However, the initial influx of players would be directed to the capital, Calix.
Since receiving his estate as an adult from the count, Raul had been preparing the capital for such an eventuality. Calix now featured two inner walls and one outer wall, with a second outer wall (the fourth wall) under construction.
Raul planned to accommodate players in this new second outer wall area. The outer shell was already complete, and residential and convenience facilities were being constructed according to plan.
‘For now, they can temporarily stay in the first outer wall area. Once the second outer wall area is complete, it will be enough to accommodate them.’
Even the first outer wall could house around 200,000 people. Once the second outer wall was completed, Calix would be able to support a population of up to 500,000, making it a massive city.
While it might seem excessive to build such a large city for the current population of 400,000, Raul knew better.
‘The number of players will continue to grow. The account numbers are nearing 100 million, and there are 10 million active players. We have to prepare in advance.’
Moreover, construction was not limited to Calix. Other castles in the territory were also expanding their outer walls to increase residential areas, ranging from one additional outer wall to two.
As the busy farming season had passed, the labor force comprised mainly migrants and new residents, who needed jobs. Construction was the best way to stimulate economic activity until players arrived and territory development began in earnest.
***
“Hey! Did you see the announcement?”
“Huh? What announcement? Is it a new quest?”
“You idiot. Please, check the community notices more often!”
Two players, who appeared to be friends, were bickering with each other. These players had started in ‘Free City Jenna’ of Marcus Kingdom, known as the Mercenary Nation. Their adventurous spirit led them to choose Marcus Kingdom over the more popular Ruben Kingdom, a decision that nearly fractured their twenty-year friendship.
Ssssshhh.
Now, there was a clean square with a fountain, but just a few months ago, it was no different from a wasteland. Due to Raul’s additional investment, infrastructure in other free cities was gradually being improved as well.
“So, what’s the announcement about? Is it just another new package for sale?”
“You idiot, stop talking nonsense and look at this!”
The friend gestured in the air, and a virtual screen link appeared in front of the other player’s eyes.
“Gasp! What is this?”
The player’s eyes widened as they read the notice.
『Community Notice – Recruitment for Immigrants to First Viscount Territory』
We would like to thank all the players for playing Connect and share some exciting news.
We’ve heard that many of you are disappointed with the primitive territories and inconvenient gameplay environment even though the Free City restrictions have been lifted.
However, now you have a new option.
Everyone knows the famous guild in Connect, 『First Knight Order』.
The very territory where you fought in the territorial war, the capital of First Viscount Territory, 『Calix Castle』, is now accepting immigrants.
There is a limit to the number of recruits, so if you wish to move, you should apply quickly.
Please refer to the link below for recruitment details.
Link: **–***
“Hey, let’s pack our bags! Finally, we can leave this pathetic place!”
The player jumped for joy after confirming the announcement.
“Calm down and check the recruitment details first!”
After calming down, the player clicked on the link to check the recruitment details.
The first batch would recruit 10,000 people. Those who participated in the territorial war a few months ago were given priority immigration rights. The same applied to graduates from the First Knight Order Academy. Since not all of them would immigrate, it was safe to assume that at least 5,000 spots were open.
“Those who passed the Tower of Graduation also have priority. Guilds with over 30 members can immigrate collectively, but only after special screening?”
“It doesn’t concern us, but there are rumors that guilds supported by corporations or organizations are excluded.”
“Haha, good. I was getting tired of those jerks strutting around. Let them stay here and do their own thing.”
In the absence of the First Knight Order’s influence, various guilds were expanding their power in the Free City, asserting dominance as they grew. Players like the two friends, who played freely without being part of any faction, were becoming increasingly fed up with this behavior. The immigration opportunity came just in time.
“General players are selected based on level and Free City contribution points. Not bad, right?”
“Exactly. We should easily qualify. Haha.”
They were founding members of Connect. Despite suffering due to a poor choice, they had cleared the ninth floor of the Tower of Graduation and were now aiming for the tenth. While not top rankers, they were within the top 5,000, making them eligible for selection.
“But what if it’s not all that great there? What if it turns out to be barren like this place was in the early days? Even if it’s a Viscount’s territory, a Viscount is just above a Baron. It might not be much different…”
Unfortunately, these two missed the recent territorial war and were unaware of what Raul’s territory was like.
“You don’t need to worry about that. Go check out the Connect broadcast platform. The official First Knight Order channel has promotional videos, and they are amazing.”
Rabel, the manager of the First Knight Order’s official channel, had uploaded several videos to promote the recruitment of immigrants.
Videos showcased Calix Castle’s facilities and infrastructure, nearby hunting grounds and dungeons, benefits for immigrants, and ongoing construction of the second outer wall where players could soon acquire plots. These conditions were so appealing that anyone who watched the videos would be tempted to apply.
“Wow! They have hunting grounds for players from level 30 to 80? We can’t not go!”
Although Free Cities had facilities convenient for players, staying in them indefinitely was impossible. The primary reason was the hunting grounds. The maximum level of monsters near Free Cities was 50 Lv.. Players who had completed their second job advancement had to find new high-level hunting grounds to level up further.
However, even leaving the Free City, the distribution of monsters was not consistent. Some areas featured high-level mobs of 80-90 level, while others unexpectedly had beginner mobs of under 20 level, making it difficult to choose a path.
Setting off to find level-appropriate hunting grounds without any infrastructure was a challenging decision. The two friends glanced at each other before immediately starting to fill out their immigration applications.
*
Several days passed. Raul was in the meeting room, discussing matters with the executives while staring at a magic screen.
“…The total number of applicants is about 55,000.”
Bernard gestured, and the screen changed.
“Excluding those below level 30, there are approximately 40,000. Please refer to the chart for distribution by level.”
The chart displayed players ranging from level 30 to 52 in a pyramid shape.
“Let’s start reducing the numbers according to the selection criteria.”
“Yes, Master.”
The selection criteria were similar to those used during the battle tournament. They would check levels, active hours, and contribution points by batch to select more proactive players. Talented individuals could always be recruited through other means.
“What about guild applications?”
“A total of around 500 guilds have applied.”
“Wow, that’s a lot.”
Jake said, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Not many would be the real deal.”
Many guilds were hastily formed to gain immigration priority. Raul found it astonishing that some thought such a shallow trick would work.
“Rabel, how is the investigation going?”
“Yeah, based on the information Raul provided, the basic investigation is complete. Take a look.”
The magic screen changed, listing dozens of guild names.
“…There are quite a few.”
These were guilds backed by corporations or organizations. Raul was astounded that less than a year had passed, and already there were so many vested interests.
“These should be excluded for now. There’s no need to accept such rats into the territory from the outset. Prioritize selecting cooperation guilds from the academy graduates.”
“Yes, Master.”
After deciding the general policy, the meeting ended, and Raul spoke with Rabel privately.
“How about it? Have you found anything useful?”
“Not yet. It’s still hard to confirm since these people are from ten years in the future.”
“I figured. Sorry, but please keep at it.”
“Of course. Can’t let those bastards go unpunished!”
Raul and Rabel were secretly investigating those behind Bae Dohyun’s death in his previous life.
(To be continued)