--- Improvement of Glaze City

January 10, 3663 - Gilona, Glaze City

*Huff!* *Huff!* *Huff!*

"Ugh...! So tired... and hungry..." A semi-burly blonde teen complained while huffing like a pig.

*Bam!* "Ahhh!"

"Move your fat ass and continue!" A tall, slightly chiseled redhead teen can be seen with disdain after kicking the blonde teen.

"Oh, come on, man! I'm not that fat anymore. Look at my muscles!"

"Heh! It's just sleeping fat, not muscles!"

"Ehhh!? No way!!!"

***Giggles!***

The blonde teen who was flexing was gobsmacked upon hearing the redhead, although it was just a joke, he took it seriously, earning him some giggles from the females nearby.

In a wide grassy plain a few hundred meters outside the back of a beautiful mansion, a mix of teens and adults can be seen training. Most are combat while some are aerobics, just like the blonde and redhead teens are doing.

Meanwhile, just a few tens of meters away from them was a handsome black-haired teen having a duel with a black-haired middle-aged man using wooden poles. And a few meters away was a bearded old man watching the duel.

*Tak!* *Tak!* *Tak!*

"That's the form, your highness. Always keep your hip and shoulder aligned when doing that motion!"

*Huff!* "Yes, Grandmaster!"

It was Chris who was dueling with Orson while being coached by the old mayor, Martin. Chris was already panting and sweating buckets, while Orson was just half of him. Their duel had been going on for nearly half an hour already, and it doesn't seem it will stop soon.

*******

It has been ten days since the huge player auction happened, and Chris officially became the richest man in Gilona. His money on his bank account was already nearing 18 digits, or almost a hundred quads of Gils, which was nearly a quarter of the world's overall money. Luckily, it didn't cause any trouble for the world.

The auction was so star-studded that all of the most powerful and influential people attended, including hidden clans and large criminal organizations. Such an event was broadcasted live all over Gilona, as it was the first time in history that these people were under one roof.

Just a single epic-ranked skillbook alone is enough to cause a craze, but Chris listed ten thousand of them. And to top it all off, a thousand legendaries were added to the mix, which made them almost lose their minds, and the last thing that made them lose it was when the auction host announced the condition of the bonus skillbook giveaway.

The moment they heard the condition, they knew that their bank account would be empty afterwards, but they didn't care at all. They can earn that money back in time, but those quality skillbooks are almost impossible to obtain unless you are as lucky as a certain bastard.

Although most of them hated the guy to the bone, it doesn't mean they won't accept his generosity. They even called him a fool for giving deadly tools to his enemy that would be used against him in the future. They didn't realize yet that despite his guild's treasury screenshot being updated weekly, for him, those were just a drop in the ocean.

The event as well as his earnings made headlines all over the world, making Chris as famous as he can be. Even the children from backwater villages know his name, or rather, his in-game name. His friends were so gobsmacked by what he did that they didn't know what to say anymore. They think that he seriously went overboard that day.

A quarter of his earnings were given to the mayor, Martin, for the development of Glaze City. The mayor almost had a heart attack after seeing the amount, and he was rushed to the hospital immediately after losing consciousness. It's a good thing that despite being old, he's as healthy as an orc, even though he's not a player himself, and there was no problem found at all.

As for the rest of the money, it was reserved for his future empire when it was rebuilt. Although it was still too much, as his friends said, he thinks otherwise. For him, there was no such thing as too much. He always saw too few. So he won't hold back this time.

*******

*Woooh!*

"This is my victory, your highness..."

The end of the wooden pole of Orson reached Chris' neck, stopping just a few centimeters away.

*Thud!* *Huff!* *Huff!*

"Pheeew! Thank you very much! Man, Mister Orson is really strong. I couldn't even land a single hit!"

*Huff!*

"It was a good fight. Your highness actually almost got me many times."

Orson, who was slightly panting, was actually astonished that Chris was improving so much in such a short time. One must know that aside from being a butler, Orson was also a super soldier who led a lot of troops on the battlefield.

Aside from being a master marksman, he's also a master of hand-to-hand combat and spearmanship, so his skills are top-notch, and he can be said to be one of the most powerful individuals in the world. And yet, the young emperor in front of him will be able to surpass him soon, which is quite astonishing.

The mayor approached the two while stroking his beard. "Hohoho... Your highness was improving so much. Such talent is really outstanding that even my student, his highness' teacher, Sylvia, pales in comparison." He praised Chris while reminiscing about the time when he tutored a certain white-haired girl.

With a slight panic, Chris said, "I-Im not really as good as Master. Grandmaster was overestimating me."

He remembers the times when a certain white-haired woman was giving him hellish training, and he suddenly got goosebumps all over his body. Although she's a very loving woman and almost obsessed with him, she becomes a demon when it comes to training.

"Hoho! His highness does not need to be humble. I'm sure that brat, wherever she is right now, is really proud of you."

"Hm! I'm so glad that she's still alive. I hope she's doing well and living a good life right now." Chris had a longing look while gazing at the sky. "Haaah! I want to see her again..."

The mayor just smiled at him and said nothing. In his mind, destined people will always meet and be together in the end.

*******

*Achooo!*

A hilly grasslands near the coast can be found on the most western part of the southwest continent, which is a territorial part of the Pegasus Empire. A small cabin stood near a hill, just off the coast.

A curvy woman is seen tilling the ground near the cabin. A smooth semi-tanned skin, a large bust concealed by a loose white shirt. Her backside was equally plentiful, and it was paired with a long set of legs that hid behind a pair of tight black pants.

Her long white hair, tied in a ponytail that reached her waist, swayed left and right. She had a beauty mark on the lower left of her seductive lips. The pair of blue eyes that can make you dizzy just looking at them. She has such a beautiful face that even the top female models can't match it.

"It's pretty hot here, but why am I sneezing?"

Her heroic voice adds to her allure, making her appear both tough and beautiful.

"Hmmm... there should be some people talking about me."

She wondered if she was sick but shrugged that off as the place she was living was quite hot and she's a very strong player, so getting sick is almost impossible. She then thought of a certain young black boy with golden eyes who drew her in every time she looked at him.

"Maybe it's him?" A blush appeared on her cheeks, and longing can be seen in her eyes while gazing at the sky. "I hope you're doing well, my lord..."

It's been so long since she last saw him, and she missed him a lot. Her memories of him were those of a little boy who oozed kindness and determination, as well as that stubbornness that sometimes irritated her to no end, but she liked him nonetheless. She had no idea that he's a big, strong young man now who can stand on his own.

"I'll be able to see you soon, My Lord. Please wait just a little bit more..."

She then left her farming tools after a few hours of work inside the cabin and moved directly towards a dead tree a few hundred meters away. Hidden on the ground behind it was a square trap door. Looking back and forth and checking that there was no one around, she proceeds to lift it up.

*Creak...!*

There was actually an underground bunker just below. It was her real house that was hidden from plain sight. As a player and a lone person, she has to be really careful. She doesn't want to wake up tied up and helpless. The entrance was full of deadly traps that she can only operate for added protection in case someone manages to find the trapdoor.

"This Despair guy is pretty insane..."

"I wonder if he has a connection to him."

"I'll only find out once I join his guild."

After looking at all the happenings in the forums, she then laid down on her bed. Her earring lit up, and she immediately lost consciousness.

In Gaia, there was a legend of a masked female swordsman who terrorized the Sun Empire, hunting down specific players before leaving like a ghost. She targets the Royal Dragons Guild members and their associates, leaving no survivors at all.

It was this white-haired woman who lives alone underground, getting revenge for what happened to her lord and the fallen empire, and hoping to make even a little bit of difference in the future battle that will happen soon so that her beloved lord won't have a hard time against these traitors.

She believes that her lord will definitely rally all the remaining loyal troops to reclaim the throne and unify the lands of the dragons once more. She's also building her strength to be able to protect him this time. Little did she know that her lord was already building his army now and the battle would happen in a few months.

*******

"You gentlemen out there, come here already and have your breakfast!" Shiela shouted in the direction of Chris, the mayor, and Orson.

"Okay!"

Chris and the two old men then walked towards the large outdoor table just a few meters behind his mansion.

His small house now became a huge, four-story, luxurious mansion. There was a large outdoor swimming pool nearby where people could relax. The water came from the mountain that ran towards his mansion just to feed the pool with fresh water and for daily use. They have their own personal purifier, so there was no problem with water at all.

His mansion was in between Darryl's and Peter's, with a distance of about 500 meters between them. And another few hundred meters to the left of Peter's was where the slum was supposed to be. It was demolished and replaced with huge housing complexes for the people of the slums to live in.

Originally, Chris wanted for them to have their own individual housing, but all of them wanted a complex type so they could be closer to each other. The buildings were stylish anyway, so he didn't push at all.

The free space left became recreational buildings for relaxation, entertainment, and training, as well as malls for almost everything, which made everyone very happy. Even the dirt roads are paved now, and there are lots of plants and trees planted on each side.

The Glaze City really transformed into a very beautiful one within a few weeks and will become even more so in the weeks to come. It was all thanks to the lifestyle players who really worked hard with smiles on their faces. They knew that it was all for them and their families, so they really worked diligently.

The only problem was the raw construction materials that they bought from other cities. The moment they got the news of Glaze City buying it in bulk, they either increased the price tenfold or lied and said they didn't have any, but it was easily solved with money. Chris remembered their names though and will get back to them at some point.

"Let's eat!"

"""Yes!"""

They started their breakfast the moment he took his seat. A very lively morning was happening in his backyard right now.