Gathering Wives with a System Chapter 425: New Lord Skill, New Summon

You have unlocked Lord Skill [Efficient Allocation].

Efficient Allocation: Reduces construction material cost by 1–5%.

A smile crossed Isaac's face as he scanned the description.

It lacked any showy flair. No explosive damage boosts or sudden land growth. Simply a cut in material expenses by a percentage.

Yet he grasped its true worth.

The reductions would build up gradually. Each barrier, each spire, each gun position would demand a bit fewer supplies. In the long run, that would hoard a substantial amount of resources for him.

He gave a nod to himself.

"Good. It’s practical."

He reviewed the other building alerts once more to confirm nothing was overlooked.

Next, he pressed his watch.

"Ruby, assign proper personnel to the newly completed buildings."

"Understood, Lord Isaac," the City’s AI replied without a hitch.

"Prioritize defensive structures first. After that, staff the Market and Divine Doctrine."

"Command acknowledged."

He shut the interface and pulled up the specifics on the Divine Doctrine building.

Divine Doctrine

Level 1

Description: It represents a young False God who is on his journey to shed his mortality and attain Godhood.

Effect: Collects Faith from those who pray to you.

Current Faith Production: 10 Faith / Day

Isaac reclined a touch and flashed a grin.

"This is the best part."

Ten Faith each day allowed him to speed up two structures by half every day. That was enormous. For Isaac, building timelines were the key hurdle in growing his territory.

He nearly felt urged to push his faith outward.

"If I increase believers, Faith production increases too..."

He halted.

Then a memory struck him.

His top known Domain was NTR.

He massaged his temple.

"I need to make myself appear as a farmer, and get Farmer Domain instead."

To claim Farmer Domain, he had to ensure folks recognized the worth of his harvests.

He formed a clone and directed it to the fresh Market building.

The Market felt more like a dimensional tether blended partly with the real world than a solid structure. From outside, it looked like an organized square bordered by white lines defining its limits.

But within, it was different.

His clone crossed the white lines.

Reality twisted just a bit.

[You have entered Market opened by Imperium Aeternum. Owned by Lord Carus.]

[Please note: Combat is not allowed in Market. Violation of rules will lead to strict penalties.]

[For additional regulations, please refer to the Market Guidebook.]

A second clone materialized next to him and called up the Market Guidebook interface. It started flipping through the guidelines as the initial clone advanced.

The space inside evoked a vast marketplace. Neat stalls flanked broad walkways on either side. Every stall stood for a Lord's designated area.

His spot remained bare at present.

He strolled to the end of his area.

Past it, rather than his city, another Lord's Market section came into view.

He nodded deliberately.

"As expected, it works like this."

Markets across the same Sector linked dimensionally into one. It formed a communal trading realm. Lords could mingle, barter, and haggle within.

He attempted to step back to the white edge.

With a mere idea, he departed.

He rematerialized close to the Market's boundary in his city.

Swift return to his Market plot.

A handy feature.

He reentered and kept checking nearby vendors. Fights were banned here. The System enforced it rigorously.

Still, per the Guidebook, deceit via carelessness was okay.

"If you’re stupid enough to sign something without reading it, that’s your problem," Isaac whispered.

The System cared little for shielding idiocy.

Following a quick scan, he recalled his clone and refocused on his prime form.

More urgent issues awaited.

He pulled out his personal gadget and rang Chairman Lucius Calloway.

The connection linked fast.

"What is it?" Chairman Lucius grumbled.

"I wanted you to look at the Market. But... why do you sound displeased?"

"My daughter came from your house, and now she’s in a low mood," Lucius answered bluntly.

Isaac nearly chuckled.

The fellow really disliked him. He always hunted for reasons to display it.

"She is in low mood because she got a Quest. From what I understand, there’s a high possibility of death. She’s conflicted. The reward is excellent, but the risk is high—"

"What?" Chairman Lucius’ voice turned keen right away. "High possibility of death? Selene!"

Isaac picked up background noise, steps resounding.

Chairman Lucius seemed headed to Selene’s office.

"Stop," Isaac commanded steadily.

"Isaac, thank you for telling me about the Quest. But I have to talk—"

"Let her make her own decision, old man. This is the only way she’ll overcome her trauma. And don’t worry," Isaac added. "If she initiates the Quest, I’ll go with her."

Silence fell on the line.

Isaac wasn’t certain if Chairman Lucius had halted his stride or just gone quiet in reflection.

"Old man?" Isaac prompted.

"It’s Chairman Lucius for you," the response came, more measured. The haste had vanished, swapped for weariness.

"How about Father-in-law?" Isaac quipped with a smile.

"Do you want to meet my shotgun?"

"Come on," Isaac chuckled softly. "You mentioned dowry last time. And it’s not like Alice will listen if you tell her to come back home."

He knew precisely how to prod.

Chairman Lucius let out a deep noise, perhaps a stifled oath.

He avoided confirming or rejecting Isaac’s remark.

Moments later, Chairman Lucius resumed, his tone steadier and graver.

"Will you really go with Selene for her Quest?"

"Yes?" Isaac puzzled over the question. "Ah, are you worried I can’t enter her Quest? Don’t worry I have an item that—"

"I’m asking if you’re truly fine with putting your own life on the line. You said yourself it’s dangerous."

"Yes? If I wasn’t fine with it, I wouldn’t have said I would go with her. Why are you—"

"It’s fine. I got my answer."

A soft sigh echoed.

"You know, Isaac," Lucius pressed on, his voice growing earnest, "I don’t like you."

"Grass is green."

"But," Lucius continued, brushing aside the jab, "every time something serious happens, your decisions show me why Alice and Selene trust you."

"...."

"Thank you for always being there for my daughters, Isaac. Please, take care of my daughters in the future just like you do now."

"..."

"Say something, brat."

"...why are you acting like you are going to die—"

Beep.

The call cut off.

Isaac gazed at his device briefly.

He rubbed his head. "Did I joke too much?"

He shook it off and stowed the device. Chairman Lucius wasn’t one to voice emotions freely. Especially not to Isaac. That brief talk likely drained more pride than he’d confess.

Isaac turned his attention to tasks again.

Via the System interface, he queued several more defensive builds, employing some fresh Faith to hasten a Mana Cannon Emplacement.

"Efficient Allocation is already saving materials," he grumbled. "Not bad."

Once he verified Ruby had placed staff in the remaining buildings, he started heading to the house.

En route, his clone relayed fresh data.

Averon Solkara, Lord of the Solkara race, had managed to slay a beast in the Great Plains dungeon.

Isaac arched an eyebrow.

"That fast?"

It turned out Averon had botched the initial try. The Blazing Pterodactyle moved in packs, accounting for the early failure. After pulling back, Averon summoned aid from his settlement and struck with a planned follow-up.

This round, they triumphed by isolating one creature from the pack.

The Blazing Pterodactyle matched the type Isaac had faced before. Potent air control, keen claws, and pack tactics.

A slight curve touched Isaac’s lips.

The hunt wasn’t the intriguing bit.

What followed was.

The dungeon management structure he’d built near the Great Plains dungeon served to handle the remains.

That facility enabled quick division and safeguarding of beast components. As top-grade monster bits decayed fast post-death, prompt extraction proved vital.

Averon had warriors, not experts. Thus, he relied on the site.

And right then—

Emily "happened" to be present.

As the techs pulled valuable elements, Emily subtly approached the body. With her tools, she reawakened the faint soul remnant of the Blazing Pterodactyle.

Before Averon spotted the oddity, she’d already captured and bonded it.

Isaac couldn’t suppress a smile.

"This business is going to be a lot more productive than I thought."

They now possessed a fresh aerial ally.

Not matching the Crimson Sky Wyrm’s might, but near it—a daunting power level.

’System, share Emily’s new summon!’

Blazing Pterodactyle shared.

A sphere took shape in his mind, merging with the rest. Within, he felt the agitated, blazing essence of the Pterodactyle.

He could call it whenever desired.

"That makes our aerial force stronger," he stated.

He dismissed the clone and centered on his core self.

When he emerged from the house, Vale, Alice, and Professor Catherine waited outdoors.

Sword Empress lingered by a jeep stationed near the entrance.

Isaac eased his pace a little.

Catherine’s complexion appeared ashen.

Not ill. Merely... accepting.

"Sit in the jeep," Sword Empress instructed evenly. "We’ll go to the training site with it."

Isaac agreed and headed to the front seat.

He looked about. "Emily isn’t coming?"

"Master dotes on Emily," Catherine responded tonelessly.

"...What does that mean?" Isaac cocked his head.

Naturally, Isaac knew the session would be harsh.

Yet it couldn’t be so intense as to drain Catherine’s color and prompt the Sword Empress to exclude Emily, could it?

’How bad can it really be?’ he pondered.