Aelius in Nicea 2

The farm was perfect for me to carry on with some of my projects, however, the fact that I had to order the guards and the escorts to leave me alone and build a secluded space for myself was exhausting. I already had the loyalty of the people with me on the farm, so I decided to reveal some of my secrets to them so that I can speed up some of the progress I will carry on later. That was the reason I planted the seeds of the modified fruit trees in the garden.

I waited for the perfect opportunity to display a show that I prepared for my vassals for a year while keeping up my social presence and charity work. That opportunity came when some of the prominent local merchants, craftsmen, clergymen, and nobles that I have established connections to gathered upon my invitation to celebrate Theophany, a holiday dedicated to the prophets, the blessed subjects of the Goddess of the past, who have had an audience with the avatar of Lady Goddess. By the way, from what I gathered from the reaction of Lady Goddess, some of them were faking their prophethood. Well, numerous cunning pretenders appear throughout history, so I wasn't surprised.

I gathered my followers in the garden and stood in front of them. I could see the curiosity on their faces. I didn't want to wait them for long, so I began my speech.

"Thank you for gathering here on this holy celebration. However, before we move to the celebration, I'd like to confide you with a most divine secret to show my appreciation for your continuous support and loyalty. I have been called a "blessed child" for as long as I can remember, but what you know as a "blessing" is inadequate to describe my true nature."

Sir Thalandir, bewildered by what he heard, then spoke up.

"Your highness, what are you saying?"

It is only natural that people here were surprised because when someone says a blessing from Lady Goddess is not enough of an explanation for their being, there is a chance they might claim to be a son of Goddess, or even worse, declare themselves a god. I will not go onto that path though.

Instead of answering him, I turned to the garden and unleashed my magical power to its fullest. My followers were frightened at first by the sheer intensity of my magic, but then they saw the majestic fruit trees and rich vines rising from the ground in seconds. The sight captivated my vassals and everyone stood still and watched the scene in bewilderment. I could even see Sir Thalandir's long elven ears moving up and down.

After I finished the show, I turned around and look at my vassals' astonished faces.

"I have been tasked by Lady Goddess to spread her teachings and enlarge her kingdom to all parts of the world. My mission is to turn each and every single piece of this world into a paradise. To achieve this, I have been given the power of life and nature and the wisdom to advance civilization. That's why this is not simply a blessing and I am not simply a prophet, my responsibilities are far greater and my task is far harder. That's why I have gathered you, my loyal vassals, here to witness first-hand what the future of this world will be."

Starting from Sir Thalandir, all people present knelt down in front of me and pledge their allegiances to me. Some of the more religious ones cried and everyone's morale was high throughout the celebration of Theophany.

After that day, I used my vassals and their connections to gather what I needed to establish new industries.

One of the most important materials for many industries is sodium carbonate or soda ash. To produce large amounts of soda ash, I asked a vassal of mine to gather a few samples of saltwort plants to select and develop the best one. While the production of soda ash began, I simultaneously started to import quartz in large amounts. The crushed and grounded quartz and the soda ash will be used to make clear glass. The glassblowing is done by a workable magic device that will blow air without any necessity for a human, but the whole process has to be controlled by a worker.

To fuel my current and later industry, I needed high-temperature fuels. Therefore I experimented with coal to produce coke. It took a few months, but I was able to obtain the method of making coke, together with my magic furnace, I will be able to make high-temperature furnaces. I then invented the magic power hammer machine so that my blacksmiths could work faster. I only provided the necessary machinery and operational knowledge, not how to make such a machine, and made them sware an oath to not disclose the process and the machine. I will give the method to install magic spells on metals to a few trusted workers after I ascend to the throne. I am not stupid enough to lose my initiative.

After that, I requested a few birds for poultry. The birds they showed me were smaller than the chickens I saw in my life and their color was green, not white, but they shared very similar characteristics. I developed the best breeds for their eggs and meat and started production on my farm with the workers that have followed me and the newly hired workers. When the business started making huge profits, I introduced the business to a few villages and expanded the farms by entrusting some of the business to these villages. Since it was my business, I would only take a small share of the overall profits and the rest would go to the workers. Since the only resource I needed for the breeding process was a few pairs of animals and my magic, it was relatively cheap.

When I turned seven, my businesses had already been making huge profits for over a year and I had the necessary capital for my next project.