Carl glanced at his son. They said that people grew shrewd with age, and although Carl looked about thirty, he was still a centuries-old monster who had lived for over two hundred years.
He understood his son's thoughts, at least to some extent.
His gaze swept over the items in the Mall.
Aptitude Enhancement Talisman.
It cost thirty thousand points and could raise one's cultivation talent to the level of a Level 8 Warrior.
Level 8 came in two types: Warriors and Mages. Mages simply had higher talent requirements. The Mall did offer items that could raise someone's talent to that of a Level 8 Mage, but they cost far more—up to a hundred thousand points.
With a hundred thousand points, Carl could even consider raising himself to a Level 9 Warrior.
The system's boost to cultivation speed wasn't just a simple increase in speed. It also raised one's potential ceiling.
Someone who could only cultivate to Level 6 could, after reaching the peak of Level 6 through their own efforts, use that extra one percent to gain the chance to reach Level 7.
The main reason there were so few Level 7 Warriors in Spark Town was that many of its residents lacked the aptitude to cultivate even to the peak of Level 6.
But things were different now. As a Level 2 Territory, it could designate a ten-percent boost for its residents. Someone who might once have barely reached Level 6 now had the chance to reach its peak, while residents who could already reach the peak of Level 6 were now more likely to break through to Level 7.
Even Warriors who had previously been able to cultivate only to the middle or late stages of Level 6 now had a chance to reach Level 7.
Points were hard to come by. After breaking through to the Saint Realm, even idle cultivation at that level required more points. Almost every increase in progress cost a thousand points. What was more, cultivating at the Saint Realm meant improving not only one's Battle Qi, but also one's understanding of the Momentum of Heaven and Earth.
In the past three years, the points Carl gained each day had changed little. The only ones contributing to the increase were the territory's original residents. As for Spark City, its residents still hadn't truly accepted Carl's rule, so they couldn't yet provide him with points.
Every increase in Battle Qi progress through idle cultivation cost a thousand points. On average, Carl gained a single point of Battle Qi progress only once every four days.
It wasn't that Carl didn't want to cultivate on his own. His aptitude was simply poor. Without his Golden Finger, he'd be doing well just to maintain his current progress instead of falling behind.
Upon reaching the Saint Realm, both body and soul underwent a transformation. That was the key to the longevity of Saint Realm experts, but the transformation served only to let them meet the demands of cultivation at that level.
With such a poor foundation, the improvement brought by the transformation was limited.
As a result, Carl needed an average of ten days to gain a single point of progress in both Battle Qi and the Momentum of Heaven and Earth.
Even that was with Carl saving as many points as he could. The territory also needed to spend points to ensure good weather and prevent disasters.
Otherwise, a mere cold snap could leave residents sick with chills. Though a cold was nothing serious in this magical world, they still needed a priest to treat it.
And priests were few even in the kingdom's capital. As for the towns and villages, those haughty priests weren't doctors who devoted themselves to healing the sick.
Carl had suffered from this before. While he was trying to bring a priest over, quite a few residents had died from the cold. That experience had made him understand all too clearly that, in some people's eyes, commoners ranked lower than their pets.
But to Carl, his people mattered. The Security Team existed largely to protect them. And hadn't he placed its headquarters beside the Central Plaza so it could cover as much of the town as possible?
Looking at the son before him, Carl Talos pondered, his fingers rubbing the teacup. He glanced at the points in the Mall and finally made up his mind.
His son had been in power for over a hundred years, and Carl knew that the boy cared about authority to some degree. But he was still his son. Carl hadn't been able to help him before; now that he had the chance, he wanted to give him a hand.
With that thought, Carl spoke slowly. "Now that Spark City has been established, the Security Team's members must be transferred there as soon as possible. The town's residents should also be moved over as much as possible. Make arrangements for everything in advance, and ensure that food, clothing, housing, and transport are all taken care of. We mustn't forget our original purpose just because we've built a city-state."
Carl naturally had to remind his son of that. Looking at the points that had nearly run out, he calculated that the residents of the territory were now contributing over four hundred a day.
"Over four hundred a day. Three years."
Carl sighed inwardly. He had lived for over two hundred years, and his eldest son was already two hundred and forty. In his previous life, anyone that old would have been called an old monster. Even in this magical world, two hundred years was still young in the eyes of Saint Realm experts who had already achieved long life.
But people's hearts changed. When his second son had died of old age, Carl had been grief-stricken for half a year. But as his third, fourth, and fifth sons, his eldest grandson, his second grandson, and many other blood relatives across three generations passed away one after another, even the deepest grief couldn't withstand so many losses.
People were made of flesh and blood. After living long enough, those long-lived beings would often choose the same way to avoid such sorrow: they became indifferent to their families' fortunes.
As long as they didn't grow attached, they wouldn't suffer when their descendants died. And hundreds or even a thousand years later, when their family line finally died out, as long as it hadn't been wiped out by another's hand, Carl would probably do no more than sigh that his bloodline had ended.
But the son before him had been by his side longer than anyone. After all these years, their bond ran deep. Now that he had the means, Carl wouldn't let his only surviving child remain stuck at Level 7 and eventually die of old age just so he could spend a few more years cultivating.
With Carl's approval, Spark City's establishment was fairly modest, with no grand fanfare. Only a handful of Level 9 Warriors in the Anlan Kingdom paid it any attention.
After all, they felt that it was only natural for a Level 9 expert of their standing to stop being confined to a territory in some small town.
The founding of Spark City couldn't affect the Anlan Kingdom's current situation. The Level 9 experts merely sent envoys to offer their congratulations. The Anlan Royal Family did the same; at most, it granted Carl the title of Marquis because he had chosen to build a city.
Another three years passed.
The peaceful, prosperous life in Spark City gradually stirred waves across the Anlan Kingdom.
Everyone wanted to live somewhere better. Compared with the heavy taxes in their hometowns, Spark City's taxes were shockingly low. As long as people worked, they could eat their fill, dress warmly, and even marry with confidence.
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