In the days that followed, Sean's life became rather monotonous. Every morning, after tidying up, he would head to the study to read. At noon, he would take a short nap, and only in the afternoon would he be willing to go out for a stroll.
Most of the time, he would visit a few bustling areas of the city to see what prosperity Orol City truly had. It felt somewhat superior to Koga City—at least in terms of vibrancy, Orol City's districts surpassed the most bustling Brucan Avenue in Koga City.
Beyond that, he would also check out the commercial streets, mechanical workshops, the grand library, and the academy, among other places. As for the small towns outside the city, he rarely visited them. The main reason was that whenever he went anywhere, the locals would immediately know the count had arrived, leading to chaos. Although the three-day holiday passed quickly, this approachable gesture upon taking office received widespread praise. Many citizens would gather just to catch a glimpse of him.
It felt like being a former superstar—wherever he went, he was the center of attention.
As for urban development planning, Sean had yet to intervene. A city has its own rhythm of operation, and although that rhythm often shifts from stability to decline, making growth difficult, he wouldn't act until he fully understood Orol City. Even without him, Orol City could function naturally for many years. Now that he was here, it couldn't possibly fall into decay. So, during these days, Sean merely observed without speaking.
This behavior also drew the attention of many prominent families in Orol City.
During the three-day holiday, almost every day, one or two young heirs from noble families came to visit. Somehow, they had learned that on his first day, he had met with Philo of the Divala family. As a result, the next day, all the visitors were women.
This kept the count's servants extremely busy. They didn't have enough maids to begin with, yet suddenly they had to cater to so many people—four or five in the morning and over a dozen in the afternoon.
Eventually, Sean figured it out. These so-called prominent families of Orol City were essentially trying to secure a position in his administration—whether as finance minister, logistics manager, or commerce guild head. Any role they could get their hands on would delight them. Some had even started trying to bribe his personal guards.
Tsk, tsk.
Not only were there factions among the nobility, but even city management was rife with such struggles.
As for Asrant, he seemed relatively loyal to Sean for now. After Sean promised to build him an army, Asrant often privately reported matters to him. Especially after dinner, at the desk, he would recount everything he had seen and heard that day.
"Sir, I noticed today that the guard at the gate of the personal guard unit had a long conversation with someone from the Morgan family. Should I investigate?" Asrant walked in again while Sean was reading.
"Oh, the Morgan family?"
"Yes, sir."
The Morgan family was another commercial giant in Orol City, nearly as powerful as the Divala family, though they focused on different sectors. Morgan dealt in commercial land leasing and lending—essentially real estate and banking. The Divala family, on the other hand, was more involved in retail and dining, along with some of their own integrated industries.
"Alright, good. Keep a close eye on these matters, but don't disturb them. If it's your soldiers, you can warn them, but no need to punish them. I want to see what their intentions are!"
"Understood." Asrant said with some excitement.
From an insider's perspective, Asrant might seem a bit too talkative, but Sean needed that drive from him. It was precisely because Sean had promised him the temptation of building an army that Asrant wouldn't be swayed by the small favors of the local families. It also made the locals resent him, pushing them to try and curry favor with another local commander, Joseph. When Joseph came to complain, Sean could then balance the two.
As for Asrant's minor flaws, Sean found them perfectly normal. If someone were loyal to him without expecting anything in return, that would be more suspicious—it might be a trap. As long as the other party had desires, Sean could maintain control.
On another front, Ross had already begun work on the map. These days, he was even sleeping at the Orol City Academy, reportedly busy rushing to complete a map and sand table of the entire city. With Sean's authorization, many students and academy instructors came to help, and some noble families even sent their household guards to take field measurements for precise data.
Word had it that things were quite lively there, but Sean had only visited once and never returned.
The main reason was the hassle. Every time, a crowd would surround him, making him uncomfortable. To exaggerate, if he even stretched, someone would immediately bring him iced tea. If he twisted his neck slightly, someone would suggest a massage.
Even though he knew they were all sycophants, he couldn't directly scold them. After all, they hadn't done anything wrong.
At times like this, Sean often thought back to the otherworldly novels he had read in his previous life. In those stories, whenever the protagonist visited an academy, they would always win a beauty's heart, show off by humiliating a few spoiled brats, earn a wave of "666" comments, and then face a direct, defiant enemy!
Sigh.
He envied that.
If only he could encounter such a situation. Something like, "My ancestor was an imperial minister—dare to touch me, and your whole family dies," would be so straightforward. Much better than dealing with people who hide knives behind smiles and wear fake grins.
Forget about winning a beauty—if he said he was bored at night, a pile of noble ladies would swarm to ask if he was free. Before he could even throw a punch, the opponent would already fall down on their own.
Life.
Could it be any simpler?!
So, skipping the academy was fine, but the records in the grand library were worth checking out.
Lately, he had been so busy with urban planning that he hadn't had time to study the Sun Crown organization or the ancient god worshippers. But Sean hadn't forgotten—in fact, these were things he had always wanted to understand.
He hadn't forgotten what the Wood Elf had said: while he was immersed in his small world, something extremely dark and terrifying had slowly begun to awaken.
Was that "extremely dark" referring to the ancient gods? And would his constant use of the power of the Eye of Gheros bring disaster? All these questions could only be answered by himself, including the trail of his mother.
But for now, Sean was mostly waiting.
Waiting for replies to all his letters, and waiting to see what changes time would bring. Then, he needed to make solid plans.
After all, this city couldn't follow in the footsteps of Tacoma City.