"Why?" a man and a woman asked simultaneously.
Orlando looked helplessly at his two children. If he thought about it, the newly arrived Earl was about the same age as his son, yet the young man's mind far surpassed theirs—even Orlando himself sometimes couldn't fathom his intentions.
"Think carefully: what is the greatest resource of a territory?"
"Wealth? Or land?"
"Population," Charles suddenly said.
Clearly, Orlando had been waiting for this answer. At least his children weren't completely ignorant.
"You mean the Earl wants to expand Oro City's population!"
At that moment, the two of them caught on. Maintaining the population while continuously expanding the land—if an Earl had ambition, he could develop a domain rivaling that of a Duke or Marquis. And this young Earl, with his seemingly harmless smile, harbored such ambition beneath the surface.
"I didn't expect him to be that kind of man," Fillo muttered softly.
"What's wrong, little sister? Taken a liking to the Earl?"
"Not at all."
"I've heard this Earl has never married. It's rare for a noble his age to remain single," Charles said.
"He hasn't met the right person?"
"How would I know? You'd have to ask him yourself." Charles spread his hands.
Honestly, if the Earl could become his brother-in-law, then in all of Oro City—no, the entire Oro region—the Divala family could walk tall. For years to come, they wouldn't have to worry about securing their influence.
"Let's set that aside for now. But for the moment, this Earl might not take a liking to us old local foxes. Still, we have to keep trying. Fillo, you should visit the Earl's residence often. At the right time, try to recommend someone from the Divala family for a position, but never bring it up directly—wait until he mentions it first." Orlando stressed repeatedly.
Fillo nodded seriously.
"What about other aspects?"
"As for those, you'll have to handle them yourself." Orlando could tell his daughter was somewhat interested in the Earl.
Among the young people in Oro City, Viscount Weigel was probably the most capable, and as the local lord, it was natural for him to attract a girl's interest. Becoming part of the Earl's family would be the perfect outcome.
"But I need to warn you: there are rumors that this Viscount Weigel had ties to a witch back in Koga City. What's more peculiar is that he's a member of the Sky-Covering Wings."
Pfft.
Charles nearly spat out the water he was drinking.
Among men, few wouldn't recognize the Sky-Covering Wings organization. Not because it was powerful—though by strength alone, it certainly was—but because it was said to consist entirely of beautiful young women.
"The organization that's all witches?!"
"That's the one. I don't know why a witch organization would have a male member, but it's said the Earl was encountered by their leader, the Red Dragon Witch Freya Iguire, during the Koga City incident, and she brought him back." Orlando recalled.
Since Sean Weigel took office as Earl, gossip about him had spread quickly, including this story.
"Could there be something more to that relationship?" Charles frowned.
"Hard to say, and we can't discuss it. He's the Earl of Oro City now. What others say is their business, but such talk must never come from the Divala family." Orlando looked seriously at his two children.
"Yes, Father."
They both replied.
While the Divala family was in council, Sean, the subject of their discussion, was reading in his study.
The study had just been built, and the room still smelled of wood varnish. He needed to open the windows and place flowerpots to make it workable.
He planned to send an invitation to Harry Wallop, whom he had met earlier, to see if he would accept. From their previous conversation, Sean felt the man had some learning—he hoped he wasn't just a theorist.
As for Taylor Mian, he would have Luke and Danti prepare and bring people over.
He had originally planned to wait until he was settled before summoning them, but now it seemed he had no chance—he lacked people. On the very first day, matters had already arisen, and who knew what lay ahead.
The merchant guild had been quiet today, but Sean guessed there would be trouble soon. Schools, factories, farmers—so many groups were watching him. He couldn't rest for a moment. For now, Sean was catching up on the city's basic facilities.
He had someone buy introductory books on Oro City and was studying them in his study.
He sat for the entire day, only putting the books down when Ross came in to find him in the afternoon.
"Still reading, my lord?"
"Yes, I need to understand Oro City's customs and conditions. In the next few days, I plan to visit various places to get a quick grasp of the whole city," Sean said.
"The Earl is very dedicated," Ross praised, though his expression was merely perfunctory.
Any newly appointed lord would probably be as diligent as he was now; otherwise, there would be no room for laziness later.
"Let's set that aside. I need your help with something, Ross." Sean changed the subject.
"Please, my lord, as long as it's within my ability."
"It's nothing major, and you can handle it. In the coming days, I might visit different places without a fixed destination, so I'd like a map of Oro City—the more detailed, the better. If possible, a sand table model would be even better. You can use my name to go to the Grand Library or the academy and invite others to help. I want it done quickly, no matter how many people it takes."
Sean thought that the best way to quickly understand all of Oro City was still through maps.
Once he had walked every part of Oro City, it would be like revealing all the shadows on a map—he would have the entire city at his fingertips and know of any issues first.
"No matter how many people?"
"Yes. Even if you have to pull all the academy students in, it's fine. I'll have Asland assist you. Get it done in the shortest time possible."
As a regional lord now, his commands were like imperial edicts.
No matter what he said, someone would oppose it. Sometimes, he had to apply pressure to get his people moving. Ross wasn't his subordinate, but after following him for so long, he owed him favors. Handling tasks in his area of expertise wouldn't be hard.
"Very well, my lord. If you say so, I know what to do."
Sean nodded.
These were roughly the preparatory steps for now. Next, he would personally inspect various places and gain a deep understanding. Once the large map or sand table was completed, he could remotely control all of Oro City.