"First, the Construction Department. I need you to build a road straight from the capital to the coast. In time, we will build roads of the same scale extending in other directions from this main one. This is a massive project, so I'm giving you a heads-up. For now, due to funding issues, we can't start the larger network, but your current task is to get this first road built."
"Next, the Agricultural Institute. I am officially promoting you to a first-class division within the Science Department. The head of the Agricultural Institute will now serve as the Deputy Head of the Science Department."
Wilder knew this was an initial trial for his planned reforms to the kingdom's official structure and departments. Taking it one step at a time was a good approach.
"Yes, sir!" The bald man was ecstatic upon hearing the news.
"Furthermore, you will open new fields beyond the twenty-five districts to plant Bread-Rice. The harvest will go to the national treasury."
This time, the bald man looked troubled. He frowned at Wilder. "But Your Majesty, that would require a massive amount of manpower, and the cost would not be small."
"The first batch of Bread-Rice has already borne fruit and no longer needs tending. The civilians will have free hands. Have them open the new fields. They will be provided with an extra meal for their work," Wilder said, his tone soft but leaving no room for argument.
The bald man said no more, simply answering, "Yes, sir."
"The same goes for the construction personnel. I want the road built faster; work on different sections simultaneously. The Construction Department's internal staff is certainly not enough, so select people from among the civilians. There is no other choice in this matter, and the civilians will agree."
Those present secretly grumbled to themselves. Who would dare to disagree? We eat your food, but even if someone truly disagreed, would they still refuse with a knife at their throat?
After discussing a few more details, Wilder dismissed them.
The Royal Palace was vast, its halls and buildings numerous and complex—so much so that Wilder himself had yet to walk through all of them. After the meeting, he decided to take a stroll. Claire was still accompanying him, and Wilder suddenly thought of matters in the East Blue.
"Claire, how are things over in the East Blue?" he asked.
Claire walked beside him with ladylike grace, holding a thick stack of documents. She seemed lost in thought and only registered his question after a couple of seconds.
"Ah, the East Blue is currently being managed by Ashin and two temporary senior cadres," she replied dutifully. "For now, they are focused on conservative development, and there have been no major incidents."
"What about the local powers? Any resistance? What is the sentiment among the people?"
"Everything is fine. The public has welcomed the Black Serpent. Naturally, some of the local powers are still defiant, but they are all small fry who can't make any waves."
"Sometimes, even small fry can turn the world upside down. Tell them to be careful."
"Yes, sir." What else could Claire say? When the boss spoke, she could only nod obediently.
"By the way," Wilder said, a small figure popping into his mind. He asked casually, "How is little Aisha?"
"Speaking of which, I heard little Aisha has been cursing your name recently, Boss," Claire said, covering her mouth with her hand as she giggled.
"Oh?" Wilder was both curious and exasperated.
"Ever since you threw her onto the training island, Boss, I heard she's suffered quite a bit. Mmm… and I also heard she's become the little tyrant of the training island now."
Claire couldn't help but laugh again. "She's been sulking about being 'abandoned' by you. She takes it out on everyone on the island every day—throwing bombs in the toilets, digging tunnels, making the instructor's house collapse… so many things. They say the island is very lively every day now. And aside from a few of the demon instructors, it seems Aisha has beaten up everyone else on the island."
"Is that so?" The more Wilder listened, the darker his face became.
Seeing Wilder's expression, Claire quickly clamped her mouth shut. She knew she had said too much. Little Aisha was in for it now.
"It seems the training island is still too gentle," Wilder said, a smile appearing on his face, though it was a sinister one. "It looks like it's time to add some nutrients for our little flower. That's the only way she'll grow up strong and healthy, right, Claire?"
"I… I will listen to whatever the boss says," Claire responded weakly, feeling a chill run down her spine.
Wilder was very satisfied with Claire's immediate show of submission.
"Have Ashin send little Aisha over." He reached out and patted Claire's head, his face impassive as he uttered the words.
"Yes, sir." Fearing she would be implicated, Claire immediately dialed the Den Den Mushi for the East Blue.
Afterward, Claire accompanied Wilder on a tour of the palace city before receiving another call and rushing off to handle official business.
Wilder sighed in relief. "Thank goodness for Claire. Otherwise, I really don't know how I would handle so many things."
Without a perfect assistant like Claire, Wilder felt he wouldn't even need Big Mom to attack; he would just work himself to death.
"I think I'll go check on the hunting zones," Wilder said to himself. With a flicker, he stepped on the air and shot into the sky, disappearing into the distance.
The so-called hunting zones were the coastal areas surrounding the Kingdom of Morass. Over a dozen senior cadres each led a team to different points around the kingdom to capture Sea Beasts and Sea Kings.
Because this was a long-term operation that required transport and other logistics, they had eventually set up permanent camps along the coast.
He was now heading to the nearest hunting zone to the east, led by Sherilmo.
When Wilder arrived, the team was in the middle of a heated battle with a bull-headed, snake-bodied Sea King in the waters not far away.
It had been some time since he'd last seen him. Sherilmo not only had two new ghastly scars on his face, one of which ran through his eye, but the muscles on his arms had also become much more exaggerated than before.
There were many other cadre-level members on the ship, either coordinating with Sherilmo to attack the Sea King or providing cover for him.
Closer to the coast, smaller, manually paddled boats were scattered across the sea. Each boat carried two cadres and a dozen crew members, their task being to catch fish and smaller Sea Beasts.
Compared to before, all of them were much stronger and leaner.
Wilder was very satisfied with this scene. This was precisely the purpose of his order. By fighting ferocious beasts on the sea and rowing giant oars to move their ships through these dead waters, their bodies were constantly being tempered.
Of course, the most important thing was that the captured seafood solved most of Morass's current food needs.
Looks like I'll have to set up a rotation when I get back. Seeing this, Wilder felt he couldn't let such a good training opportunity go to waste. He should try to get all the members of Morass involved. With a rotation system, everyone would have the chance to grow stronger during this period, or at the very least, improve their physique and spirit.
From a distance, Wilder had been quite pleased, but his satisfaction vanished when he saw Sherilmo's arm get bitten by the Sea King, leaving a wound so deep the bone was visible.
"He could have dodged that attack. Does he think Sea Kings are that easy to deal with?" Wilder's expression turned icy.
As he spoke, his body disappeared.
By now, the Sea King had been killed, but because of Sherilmo's carelessness just now, the ship had suffered considerable losses. Many were injured, and five men had died.
When Wilder's figure suddenly appeared on the ship, everyone was startled. A moment later, a wave of cold washed over them, and cold sweat instantly beaded on their backs.
Wilder stared coldly at Sherilmo without saying a word, which was enough to make Sherilmo lower his head in shame.
"Sherilmo, I am very disappointed in you."
The deck was silent. Feeling the icy aura emanating from Wilder, the others didn't dare to breathe too loudly.
"Boss…"
Sherilmo clutched the wound on his arm, from which blood was still pouring. Sweat broke out on his face. He wanted to say something, but he knew exactly what mistake he had just made and found himself unable to respond to Wilder's words.
"I'm giving you three days to heal. After three days, bring this team of yours and come see me at the Royal Palace. I will arrange for someone else to take your place here."
Wilder spoke coldly, leaving his subordinate with at least a shred of dignity. He then turned, used Moon Walk, and returned to the shore.
"Boss!" Sherilmo grew anxious when he heard Wilder's words. He didn't want to drag others down because of his own mistake. In his panic, he shouted at Wilder's departing back, but Wilder didn't even turn his head as he left.
...
On the evening three days later, on a flat plain on the outskirts of the Direct Rule District, Sherilmo stood with his head bowed. Behind him were the members of Morass who had been with him that day hunting the Sea King.
Wilder stood at the very front, flanked by ten senior cadres. His gaze swept over Sherilmo and his men before finally resting on Sherilmo, whose head was still lowered.
In fact, Wilder had already met with him in the palace. He had gathered everyone here mainly to put him in his place in front of his men, to make him understand the consequences of carelessness, and to make him realize that he did not yet have the luxury to be careless.
A wide area had been cleared around them, leaving Sherilmo standing alone. The others watched nervously.
"I wonder how the King will deal with Brother Sherilmo," one of Sherilmo's men whispered worriedly to another.
Amid the tense atmosphere, Wilder finally moved. He walked forward, stepping into the cleared area and stopping less than ten meters from Sherilmo.
Everyone subconsciously held their breath.
The next moment, Wilder's calm, placid voice rang out: "Sherilmo, attack me."
The surroundings fell completely silent. No one had expected Wilder to make such a demand, not even Sherilmo himself. This kind of punishment hadn't been mentioned when they were in the palace!
Attack the Boss?
You've got to be kidding me. There's no good outcome whether I win or lose, right?
"B-Boss," Sherilmo stammered, looking up with a mix of awkwardness and nervousness.
"I said, attack me," Wilder repeated, his tone utterly calm.
Clack! Sherilmo clenched his jaw. "Then here I come!"
He threw his arm back. As the muscles on his arm bulged, his massive fist shot forward with incredible speed!
BOOM!
A fissure instantly spread from beneath Sherilmo's fist, snaking across the ground like an electric serpent, carrying a terrifying shockwave as it rushed toward Wilder!
SWISH!
Wilder's body vanished from his spot!
Sherilmo's eyes narrowed as he quickly scanned his surroundings. After Wilder disappeared, almost imperceptible ripples appeared in the air, fluctuating and shimmering. Sherilmo's body tensed involuntarily.
Just then, his attack finally reached the spot where Wilder had been standing. With a dull thud, a huge, fist-shaped crater about a meter in diameter formed in the ground!
"You think you're so strong? Today, I will fight you using only hand-to-hand combat."
Wilder's voice came from the air. Sherilmo's expression was grim, his body remaining tense as his gaze warily scanned his surroundings.
"Don't look down on me! I can… I can see you, Boss!"
"Hah!" Sherilmo roared, his tensed hand suddenly lashing out! He changed his fist into a claw and lunged at the air in front of him!
"It seems your fishing hasn't been for nothing," Wilder's faint voice said. His figure suddenly materialized in the air, and he extended a foot to step on Sherilmo's claw-fist.
Zzzzzzt!
A current of electricity erupted where their attacks met. The muscles on Sherilmo's arm bulged continuously, power surging from them. His face turned red and ferocious from the strain.
In contrast, Wilder stood on the ground, his hands hanging naturally at his sides. One foot was on the ground, the other locked in a stalemate with Sherilmo's hand. His expression was as placid as a calm lake, his body perfectly still. Only his black cape fluttered wildly in the wind from the force of the clash.
"Is this all you have? If so, you have no right to be careless in front of a Sea King."
Wilder's calm words directly stung Sherilmo's heart. He roared in anger, suddenly raising his other arm and throwing a punch at Wilder.
Wilder merely tilted his head slightly, and the fist grazed past his ear. His expression didn't change, but a ferocious power suddenly erupted from his foot!
BOOM!
Sherilmo's face changed drastically. His claw was forced down, pulling his entire body with it and causing him to lose his balance!
"Today, you can use your most powerful moves. Attack me with the confidence that you can defeat me. I won't use my ability. However… Sherilmo, you're in for a world of hurt today."
As he finished speaking, Wilder's body suddenly swiveled. He swept out a leg like a divine dragon swishing its tail, moving so fast that Sherilmo had no time to react. He only felt a sudden numbness at his waist, and then the sensation of his body flying through the air, his consciousness nearly scattering for a moment.
"Wah!" Sherilmo cried out in pain! His body shot backward like a cannonball!
WHOOSH!
Immediately after, Wilder showed no intention of giving him a chance to breathe. With a flicker, he vanished from his spot again.