The Development Direction for the Next Half Year

William knew his weaknesses from the very beginning.

He wasn't talking about combat strength. Improving combat strength relies on experience and time. William could only climb up slowly, like a snail. What he lacked was power.

In the early stages of the game, relying solely on the Player won't get you anywhere. He was Player in his past life, so how could he not understand the Player's psychology?

Players attach themselves to the powerful, beat up the weak, and go wherever the benefits are best—that's their Player...

Even though William considers himself to be incredibly handsome, universally loved, and irresistible, he still has a dream.

but...

Relying on looks to attract people is unreliable; at best, it might attract some girls with slightly lower attractiveness, which doesn't align with his ambition to succeed and his desire to rise to the top based on his appearance.

This is also why William went to great lengths to develop Dawn City.

What crises does the Dawn City currently face?

First, the territory it occupies is too small, mostly forest, with relatively little land available for cultivation.

Secondly, he does have mineral resources, and quite a lot of them, but he doesn't dare to expose them easily. As the Player said, the reason why there are so many BOSSes in Dawn City is simply because the population density is too high, which is why Player often discover them.

But William was well aware of his limitations; the two Human Duchy together had two Professional surpassing the current version, seven Legendary, and countless Epic NPCs...

He is far from being comparable to the two Human Duchy. If he were to expose his precious mineral resources, it would definitely ignite a war. He might not be able to crush them, but he would be close.

Third, the population is too small. Even though he buys some slaves every month, the current population of Dawn City is only 60,000, with an army of only 4,000, Mercenary of 800, and even including the 800 Minotaur clan Warrior, the total population is only 5,600.

Even if an army is of high overall rank and strong equipment, when faced with overwhelming numbers, defeat is the only option.

Fourth, the overall foundation is far too weak. Unless William reaches the version limit in advance, that is, High-Class Professional, he will not be able to Solo Against Ten Thousand Armies in such a small place.

"So..." William sat at the head of the conference hall, looking at the many officials under his command, and said in a deep voice, "We have two paths before us: one is to develop Elite model, and the other is to increase the number of ordinary soldiers and build a large-scale army."

Otherwise, if the two human nations go to war, regardless of whether we want to avoid it or not, we will be drawn into it because of the terrain."

Alec looked at William with admiration and said, "What you say is true, sir. The intelligence agency you asked me to set up has just found some information. The Steel Duchy and the Blackrock Duchy are about to go to war."

Even if it drags on any longer, war will break out completely in six months. We will still be just as weak then, and given the ambitions of those in power, they will definitely force us to take sides. But no matter which side we choose, we will suffer huge losses.

Another crucial piece of information is that the Steel Duchy has sent many spies to infiltrate Dawn City, but their true intentions remain unknown.

As he spoke, Alec glanced at Odom, who was in charge of the city's security and logistics, with a hint of reproach in his eyes.

"My lord, I was unaware that spies had infiltrated the city. It was my fault, and I beg you to punish me Lord." Odom glanced at Alec, then immediately stood up, bowed, and apologized.

William nodded expressionlessly. "You have committed a crime, so you'll be fined three months' salary. You don't need to worry about those spies anymore. As long as you can settle the new Commoners properly, you'll get a raise after the New Year."

"Thank you for your kindness, sir." Odom smiled and even raised his eyebrows at Alec with a smug look.

It seems to be saying, "I'm the lord's number one buddy, and you little brat have to wait in line."

Odom, tossing his long, wavy golden hair, slowly sat down.

A balance of kindness and severity, with both punishment and reprimand, is something that those in power must master.

Strength may represent everything, but it cannot truly win people's hearts.

William believed his Talent was exceptional, but Talent wasn't everything. Everyone's thoughts were unpredictable, and simply looking at favorability ratings wasn't accurate enough, unless you maxed them out...

Lotner said worriedly, "However, Dawn City cannot afford to increase its troop strength on such a large scale!"

"Then let's look for other ways." William lifted the cloth behind his back, revealing a brand new map to everyone.

The map covers a small but very detailed area, including almost all the cities, mountains, rivers, lakes, and various factions in the Southeastern Corner.

He drew his Thunder Sword and pointed it at the near-shore beach Rainbow Lake: "The next expansion direction for Dawn City is to expand its surrounding territories, as well as the coastal areas."

Upon hearing this, the four Epic-Class officials, Lotner, Odom, Alec, and Eric, were somewhat stunned.

They understand the concept of territorial expansion.

Sea area?

What are the good development prospects?

Seeing their expressions, William knew what nonsense they were about to spout, so he decisively said, "Perhaps you've forgotten something: a long, long time ago, our Legendary Continent was just a small part of the Gods Continent."

The war of the past tore the Gods Continent apart, leaving behind not only several other continents but also numerous Small Islands in the sea.

The shipping and fishing industries are our development focus for the second half of the year.

Our grain production is low, so we can't muster too many troops. But I once found a map of my father's that clearly marked a resource-rich island a few hundred nautical miles to our south.

The development of the shipping industry also greatly alleviated the food crisis.

The four men exchanged a glance, their faces showing a mixture of helplessness and bitter smiles. The lord had already brought up his vanished father; to refuse again would be to disrespect the dead.

So Lotner cautiously asked, "What does Your Lord mean?"

"We'll go all out to develop the shipping industry and build a mountain road south from Rainbow Lake, starting tomorrow!"

"However, no one in Dawn City knows how to build ships, let alone Warship..." Anyone who has seen the sea is invariably awestruck by its raging waves.

The boundless ocean, the unpredictable weather, and the legendary Ocean creatures are enough to instill fear in land-dwelling races, and even Epic-Class NPC like Lotner is terrified of them.

"Well, we really need Uncle Lotner's help..." William said with a smile.

Lotner's Chrysanthemum tightened; what had he just heard?

The two words that terrified him most were "uncle"...

Unfortunately, once inside the conference hall, he felt he had no way to escape.

He could only say in a hoarse voice, "What are your orders, sir?"

"Tomorrow you'll come with me to Dark Night City. Whether you kidnap, steal, or rob, you have to get back shipbuilding blueprints or a master shipbuilder." At this point, William 'Lotner face darkened, and he didn't know what to do with his hands...

The other three, however, opened their bright eyes wide!

The legendary Dark Night City.

It was an Elven Royal City with a population of millions.

At least one-third of the Pure-Blood Elf in the entire Blackleaf Forest reside in this forest city.

Tens of thousands of Potion Sprite...

Colossal Diamond Dragon, Metallic Dragon, Silver Dragon...

And then there's the Blackleaf Sacred Tree, which the Black Leaf Elf are so proud of.

Legend has it that the Blackleaf Sacred Tree growing inside the city is ten thousand meters tall, an indescribable behemoth.

However,

No matter how magical or legendary this city may be, it is a rare sight for these outsiders.

In fact, you could say that most people wouldn't even be able to find this city!

William's words also convey the same message!

He wants to rebuild relations with Dark Night City!

But the difficulties involved...

Just look at Lotner's Chrysanthemum -like old face, and you'll get the idea.

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