Ironworks

The lord's castle on Lakeheart Island had originally been the Greiman Family's residence, but in recent years, the building had gradually shed its original residential purpose and rapidly transformed into an office complex.

The main reason was that Paul's territory had grown larger and larger, and its economic development was advancing at a tremendous pace—nothing like the unchanging feudal economy of traditional domains. As a result, he had more and more affairs to handle. A person's energy was limited, so the number of Affairs Officers assisting him had also steadily increased.

Since the Government Affairs Council had been established, its administrative fields had continued to diversify. In addition to the original seven departments—finance, agriculture, industry, fisheries, forestry, public security, intelligence, and education—departments for science and technology, commerce, transportation, maritime affairs, healthcare, and more had been added one after another. Some of the larger departments had already moved out of the Lord's Manor and established independent offices elsewhere on the island, while the Affairs Officers from the remaining smaller departments still crowded into the manor, making it seem as though there were an enormous number of them.

Most of the rooms in the Lord's Manor had become offices for various departments. Unless necessary, Paul was reluctant to move them out of his castle. It was not because he was possessive of authority, but because telephones did not yet exist in this era. If he suddenly wanted to ask someone about something or discuss a matter with them, it was extremely troublesome if they were not nearby.

Moreover, he had to meet with people from all walks of life—public representatives, industry leaders, local notables... and so on.

For all these reasons, people of every kind came and went through Paul's Lord's Manor every day.

Clearly, it would not be appropriate to house