"You mean the secret realms, right?" asked Gustaw as he felt frustration building simply from thinking about the subject. The opportunities they represented were enormous, yet every report seemed to introduce a new complication. It felt as though every solution created two additional problems. For someone who enjoyed decisive action, the constant uncertainty was becoming increasingly irritating.
"Yes," said Orazio with a nod. "All of our teams have had to turn around because we still have problems securing proper routes to those locations." He leaned back slightly in his chair while studying the reactions around the table. None of the great houses had expected logistics to become such a severe obstacle. Unfortunately, reality rarely cared about expectations.
"You speak of routes, but most of our secret realms are not that far from our mana veins," said Gustaw. "And you have all seen the reports regarding the profitability of the creatures inside. The rewards alone could fund our organizations for years and allow us to purchase enormous amounts of knowledge from the System." His eyes practically sparkled as he spoke. The potential profits were difficult for anyone to ignore.
"That may be true," Orazio replied calmly, "but you have also seen Herman's warnings, and he is not the sort of man who jokes about these matters." His expression hardened noticeably. "If we station people there, then we must keep them there. They will have to fight those creatures every fifteen minutes, potentially for months, and they cannot afford a single mistake."
The room grew quieter.
Several people exchanged thoughtful looks.
"If we want to make money," Orazio continued, "we must first prove that we can safely hold those locations." His voice carried a sharp edge that immediately cut through Gustaw's enthusiasm. "A profitable secret realm is worthless if it overruns its defenders and releases monsters into the surrounding countryside." The reminder was unpleasant but necessary.
"Yes, you're right," Gustaw admitted while settling back into his chair. "I was becoming too focused on the potential benefits." He rubbed his forehead slightly as he forced himself to calm down. There was no point becoming blinded by greed. That was precisely how powerful people made catastrophic mistakes.
Nobody in the room appeared surprised by the exchange. Nor did anyone look down on Gustaw for needing the reminder. Every person present belonged to a noble family that had survived at least seven centuries of history. The process for selecting patriarchs and matriarchs was extraordinarily strict, and emotional discipline was considered a basic requirement.
Infighting was rare among the great houses.
There was simply too much opportunity available to waste energy fighting each other.
Furthermore, most of the families had only recently escaped the influence of American conglomerates and the networks that had dominated them for decades. That shared experience encouraged cooperation rather than rivalry. With more land available than ever before and human lifespans increasing dramatically, everyone recognized that there was room for all of them to grow. At least for now.
"Still," Orazio said after a moment, "you are not wrong about the potential rewards. The benefits are enormous." He glanced around the table. "Does anyone have a viable solution for developing both the secret realms and the countryside at the same time?" Several people frowned as they considered the question.
"Actually, I do," said Nicholas Lockhart.
Every eye turned toward him.
Nicholas immediately activated a projection and displayed a map of Brussels across the center of the table. The room itself had been specifically designed for meetings such as this one. Every great house maintained an identical chamber measuring twenty meters by twenty meters, each decorated differently but sharing the same overall design and communication systems.
At the center of every room stood a large round table where the heads of the noble families occupied assigned seats. Behind them sat advisers and supporting personnel according to strict protocol. The security measures protecting these rooms were among the most advanced in Europe. Given that discussions held here could influence entire economies, nobody considered those precautions excessive.
"We all maintain family personnel in Brussels, correct?" Nicholas asked in his characteristic British accent. "After all, it remains the heart of Europe and houses many of our shared security arrangements." Several people nodded. The statement itself was hardly controversial.
"Yes, we do," replied Julia. "But where exactly are you going with this?"
Nicholas smiled.
"Simple."
"I think all of us are facing the same problem," he continued. "Our treasuries are running lower than we would like, and we were hoping that the secret realms would help solve that issue." Several heads nodded immediately. No one enjoyed admitting it, but he was correct. The expansion had been extraordinarily expensive.
"Now, I believe every family represented here possesses the strength necessary to clear a secret realm and profit from it," Nicholas said. "However, we still do not know what lies inside most of them. We do not know how many creatures they contain, how difficult they become, or how quickly conditions can deteriorate." His smile widened. "Which means we require a controlled experiment."
"Get to the point already," said Gustaw impatiently. "We still have several topics left to discuss."
"Very well," Nicholas replied without taking offense. "Approximately two hundred kilometers from Brussels lies a secret realm located on an island in the middle of the Senne. At the moment, nobody has purchased its development rights." He paused dramatically. "I propose that we pool our resources, purchase the realm together, and turn it into a testing ground."
The room immediately became attentive.
Now they understood where he was going.
"We charge people for access," Nicholas continued. "Additionally, we collect fifteen percent of all rewards earned inside." He smiled as though he had not just suggested using thousands of adventurers as experimental subjects. "In exchange, we provide transportation, security, and access to one of the safest secret realms available."
Several flaws became apparent immediately.
Yet nobody dismissed the idea.
The reason was simple. Nicholas was not stupid. No one reached his position by presenting plans that collapsed under basic scrutiny. If he was proposing this solution so confidently, then there was almost certainly more to it than appeared on the surface.
"Wait," said Orazio as realization began to spread across his face. "The fleet is currently stationed in Brussels." His eyes widened slightly. "And the river should now be deep enough for navigation."
The room suddenly became very interested.
Several people immediately reached the same conclusion.
"We would not need complicated machinery anymore," Orazio continued. "We could use the ships to ferry people and supplies directly to the island." He leaned forward. "And because the secret realm is surrounded by water, any creatures that escape would be far easier to contain."
A ripple of excitement spread throughout the room.
The advantages were becoming obvious.
"Exactly," Nicholas said with satisfaction. "Furthermore, we have not seen any reports of flying corrupted creatures yet." He tapped the map. "Even if something escapes, the river creates a natural defensive barrier. It is one of the safest testing environments we could realistically hope for."
One by one, support for the proposal began to grow.
The more people thought about it, the better it sounded.
The timing was almost ironic. Had the System not arrived, the European Union would soon have celebrated approximately one hundred and fifty years of existence. The celebrations had been planned for years before the Trial interrupted everything. As a result, many expensive projects commissioned for the anniversary had been largely forgotten amidst humanity's struggle to survive.
One such project happened to be the fleet.
To celebrate Europe's historical heritage, traditional wooden ships had been commissioned from preserved historical blueprints. The intention had been to showcase the depth of European history during the anniversary celebrations. Afterward, the vessels would have returned to their respective ports to serve as floating museums and prestige projects.
The construction process had been absurdly expensive.
Every ship had been built entirely by human hands.
Traditional methods were used whenever possible, and many of the materials came from carefully maintained tree farms that had been cultivated for generations. The labor costs alone exceeded one hundred million euros per vessel. At the time, many critics had called the project a waste of money.
Now nobody was laughing.
Because those same handcrafted ships had suddenly become some of the most valuable vessels on Earth.
What had once been intended as a historical display now possessed practical value beyond anything their creators could have imagined. The System's preference for handmade goods had transformed expensive showpieces into strategic assets. Sometimes history rewarded people in the strangest ways.