"Sir, try this. This is the best thing we have here. And of course, the finest company too, hehe."
Sean wrapped his arm around the woman who had thrown herself into his embrace, laughing as he opened his mouth, while she picked out something from the plate.
"Mmm, not bad. It's really good!" He nodded, savoring the taste.
"Then you must come often from now on, sir."
"Definitely, I'll be a regular."
Watching the heavily made-up, flirtatious girl before him, Sean was almost ready to take her straight back to the Earl's mansion.
The place he was in was the largest entertainment venue in Oro City, and it was actually part of the Morgan family's holdings. Sean had only realized after arriving that such establishments for spiritual consumption could be so profitable. If he calculated it carefully, the Morgan family's wealth might even surpass that of the Diwara family, though much of it was tied up in fixed assets.
Just as Sean was pondering this, the Morgan family's young master kept inadvertently running in, only to realize it was inappropriate and immediately try to back out.
"Is there something, John?"
"Well, right now..."
"It's fine, just say it here."
Sean stood up, ignoring the woman's plaintive attempts to hold him back. He had come here precisely to show the other noble families that he was a man of worldly tastes, and doing so saved him the trouble of dealing with those who brought breakfast to his doorstep every morning.
A dissolute earl—that was probably the persona that would make the people of Oro City see him as a normal person.
"What happened today?" Sean asked as they walked out the door.
Ever since he had promoted this John Morgan to be the administrator of Oro City's urban construction planning, the man had been diligent enough, reporting to him almost every evening about the day's work.
"I came to report to you on the project's progress, and also that the immigrants from your former town have entered Oro City's territory."
"Oh, Luke and the others are here?"
"Yes. They should be entering the city this afternoon. So, where do you plan to place them, sir?" John asked again.
Sean had long prepared a nice residence for the townspeople of Tylermian, which the Morgan family had originally vacated. One of the reasons he had promoted a Morgan descendant to this position was precisely because of this.
"Stick to the original location. No changes. And when they arrive, have two people named Luke and Danti come see me."
"Understood, sir."
The rise of the Morgan family had made the Diwara family restless. Lately, that girl Philo Diwara had been coming to his house almost every day. If he didn't use the excuse of needing to read at night to send her home, she might just stay over.
It seemed he still needed to balance these two families, but Sean wanted to wait until Luke arrived to discuss the specifics.
The immigrants from Tylermian were coming, and on the other side, Harry Wallop, whom Rietis had brought in, had arrived in Oro City a few days earlier. It seemed his long wait was finally over. The next step was for them to discuss how to develop Oro City well and prepare for any sudden incidents.
Back at the Earl's mansion, Asrant, as the captain of the guard, spent most of his time guarding the estate. When Harry heard that Sean had returned, he rushed out to greet him.
"How is it? Are you familiar with Oro City's materials yet?"
"Almost. I've basically gone through all the city's development history and detailed records from the past few years."
From the day Harry's family officially arrived in Oro City, he had been arranged to stay at the Earl's mansion. But after seeing him at dinner that first day, Sean hadn't caught sight of him again. Upon asking, he learned that Harry had been studying Oro City's materials.
The fastest way to understand a city was through its records and firsthand observation—the same approach Sean had used.
Now Harry was repeating that process.
The difference was that Harry had done it in even less time and grasped it very well.
Truly worthy of being a renowned scholar!
From Ross, Sean learned that Harry was also a famous scholar in the empire, having published a certain edition of books that had some circulation in the empire's academic circles.
The two walked over to the sand table. Usually, around early evening, Sean would spend a lot of time staring at the movements on the sand table.
It felt like watching a simulation game—the entire city's population was miniaturized and moving across this ten-square-meter sand table, with everything in plain view. Even if a robbery occurred on the street, he could see the thief's escape route.
But Sean never mentioned such things, or else it wouldn't just be a matter of foresight—the street inspectors might lose their jobs!
"After you had this sand table made, sir, the entire layout of Oro City became very clear."
The sand table was large enough that even if new constructions or demolitions and rebuilds were needed, they could be modified on it.
"Yes, that's why I had people put in the effort to create this space."
Watching the bustling crowd, he was somewhat mesmerized.
This was a form of entertainment only he could appreciate; to others, Sean just looked like a man staring blankly at a sand table.
"For urban planning, I think John has done well. He maximizes the use of the entire city, and the construction is excellent now." Harry couldn't help but praise John's work.
"Indeed, it's impressive, but..."
Recently, a phenomenon had caught Sean's attention. Besides the conflicts among the major families, the public's reactions also needed consideration.
With so many new places being planned and built lately, many citizens were showing dissatisfaction. Normally, once they became his subjects, their favorability should be at a friendly level, but some had shifted to neutral.
These weren't outsiders but local residents.
This indicated that his favorability was declining. If it were just a few people, it wouldn't matter, but if the numbers grew, problems would eventually arise.
"Who do you think has good ability in the Diwara family?" Sean suddenly asked, catching Harry off guard.
"Why do you ask, sir?"
"Don't be nervous, I'm just asking. Do you remember when you told me about Tacoma City? You should be quite familiar with that place."
Harry wasn't stupid; he understood what Sean meant. But when it came to deciding whether to promote someone, Harry was still cautious.
"Perhaps I should observe a bit longer before giving you my advice, sir."
"That works too." Sean nodded.
Just then, a guard at the entrance suddenly walked in.
"Earl, Sergeant Joseph requests an audience!"
Joseph.
The sergeant of Oro City's military, who had been serving here since day one and whom Sean had entrusted with a heavy responsibility from the start.
Why was he here?
Unless something had happened, he usually wouldn't come to the Earl's mansion.