After the competition, I was not taken to meet with Mei. Instead, I was whisked away to a small room buried beneath the mountain at the center of Hundred Flower City–the Oath Chamber.

I had only been here once before, when I had sworn my Oath to the Hu Clan. It was a small stone room that only contained a head-sized white stone covered in complex formations that I didn’t even have the faintest hope of understanding.

When we arrived, the servant who had been guiding me gestured to this stone. “Place your hand on the Oath Stone.”

After I did as commanded, the servant guided me through my swearing-in.

“Repeat after me,” he said. “I swear to do nothing to intentionally harm the Eight Flower Kingdom or any of its seated Rulers. I swear to peacefully transfer my powers at the end of my appointed term. May this Oath be binding for my term in office and one hundred years thereafter.”

I completed the Oath smoothly and was officially sworn in. It was a simple thing, but it had kept the kingdom at peace for centuries. Importantly, there was a built-in warning system where one would feel pressure on their soul if they were close to breaking such an Oath, so it wasn’t something that could be done unknowingly.

Following my swearing-in, the servant bundled me into a carriage and sent me out of Hundred Flower City. This was the first time that I had left the city in years.

The land between the capital and North Lake City was extremely fertile, and rivers flowing down from the surrounding mountains provided the area with ample water supplies. So, the entire area was covered in fields that supplied food for cities across the kingdom. Closer to North Lake, the simple food crops turned into medicinal herbs, and herbalists tended fields protected by complex formations.

Passing through these farmlands, I couldn’t help but think about how such abundant resources at my doorstep could be utilized. I briefly entertained the idea of turning all the farms producing basic foodstuffs into herb fields centered around the ingredients for Fasting Pills. Instead of eating pounds of food every day, people would be able to take a single pill to handle all their nutritional needs.

Unfortunately, aside from the negative effects associated with the long-term use of Fasting Pills, being fed only pills and no food also sounded like a dystopian nightmare. It would almost certainly lead to a drop in happiness, and thus, a drop in karmic energy production, so the idea was likely a nonstarter. I still noted it down in my journal as something to look into.

Even if this idea came with downsides, the Rulers of the Brilliant Sun Empire might still be interested in it. And, if nothing else, having a supply of Fasting Pills on hand for times of scarcity would prevent the worst effects of malnutrition from setting in.

It was late in the day when I arrived at North Lake City. The city was located on an island in the middle of an expansive lake set between two small mountain chains. The lake and mountains were the kingdom’s shield against any enemy who wished to attack. The city’s cultivators were its spear.

The city’s island itself was covered in innumerable buildings, and there was a constant flow of wagon traffic to and from the surrounding fields. All of this needed to cross a several-kilometer-long bridge that connected the mainland to the city’s island.

The need for so many wagons was a slight surprise to me. Storage bags weren’t overly expensive, and using them would have made transporting goods much more efficient. But after thinking about this, I realized that, while the wealth of a Martial Master—the value of a low-level storage bag—was nothing to me, it was something that farmers growing simple, mortal crops would never be able to afford. And, if such farmers did use storage bags, it would put them at risk from greedy Disciple-level cultivators.

I wasn’t sure how to best improve this situation, but I considered giving Peak Disciples storage bags and paying them to act as couriers. They would be able to fight off any mortal bandits, and anyone stronger than them wouldn’t care enough about their cargo to attack.

I noted this down as something to look into. Increasing the flow of goods and services was key to improving the prosperity of a domain, after all.

As we passed over the bridge to North Lake City, I was amazed. The entire bridge was made from a single piece of carved stone. There were no seams or gaps anywhere, and the ride along it was perfectly flat and smooth.

Halfway across, I began to wonder how it handled expansion and contraction from temperature changes. For a structure of this scale, such forces would be immense, but there were no signs of any expansion joints. The bridge was somehow maintained at a constant temperature, the expansion forces were managed in some way, or such forces didn’t even exist in this world. I wasn’t sure which was more likely, but no matter which it was, the bridge was a marvel of construction.

As we passed the city gate, I noticed that every wagon was stopped and had to pay a toll to enter. My carriage was allowed to pass freely, but I wasn’t sure if that was just because I was the new city lord or if the toll simply had to do with the transport of goods. Tariffs on goods may be understandable for a normal city, but it seemed unnecessary here, since the meager profits generated from taxing mortal goods would provide negligible funds. I noted this down as something else to look into.

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Riding through the city streets, I spied on the population of my new city. Their cultivation levels were a step down from what I had seen in Hundred Flower City. They more closely resembled the people of Dragon Gate. Mortals were common here, and they could be seen doing all manner of laborious tasks.

My carriage drove to the City Lord’s Complex, which took up a large area on the eastern side of the island. It was a set of five large buildings surrounded by a high wall. I was taken into the central building, an elegant four-story mansion. The main entrance opened directly into the grand hall, where the city officials were already waiting for me.

A subdued wooden throne sat on a podium, and Mei stood to its left, in the position of Chancellor. Five young women in dark blue robes lined the left side of the hall, and five elderly Grandmasters lined the right.

I noticed that Mei didn’t look directly at me as I walked in. Her gaze was fixed on a serving woman who stood to the side of the hall’s entrance.

Without waiting for anyone to speak, I walked to the throne and sat down.

“Greetings, City Lord,” everyone said in unison.

“Let’s begin,” I replied, not willing to give a long speech. “Flower Mei, please introduce me to everyone.”

“Of course, City Lord.” Her bearing and tone were strictly professional. She looked and gestured to the women in front of her. “These are my Seeds. I have been training them to be both potential new Flowers and knowledgeable subordinates. They do not have any official position in the city’s hierarchy, but if given your token, they will have the knowledge and authority to handle any managerial duties you wish to assign them.”

These girls were all extremely nervous. I hadn’t looked into how Seeds were normally treated by Grooms, or if the two typically interacted at all, but if they were competently trained, they could be of use to me.

“These,” Mei continued, gesturing to the older people on the right, “are the city’s ministers. They have held their positions for many decades and have a wealth of knowledge about how the city functions and why.”

The first man stepped forward. “Lord, I am Tang LiHui, Minister of Public Works.”

The next man stepped forward. “Lord, I am Mo SiLing, Minister of Justice.”

Then it was a woman’s turn. “Lord, I am Jin DaYin, Minister of Rites.”

Then another woman. “Lord, I am Lu TingFei, Minister of Revenue.”

Finally, the last man walked forward. “Lord, I am Bei NiLong, Minister of Personnel.”

“Greetings, ministers, Seeds,” I said, nodding in acknowledgment to both groups. “First, are there any critical issues that need to be addressed immediately?”

“No,” responded Mei, keeping her gaze fixed on the other side of the room. “Everything is functioning smoothly. We have ensured that the city is in a state suitable to implement whatever tasks you deem necessary.”

When Mei finished her report, Jin DaYin, the Minister of Rites, spoke up. “Lord Su, Flower Mei has done an admirable job of ensuring the smooth functioning of our city, but there is an issue that we must address. As a new city lord has just been appointed, there are observances which must be conducted tomorrow. We may need to discuss certain details to ensure everything is carried out to your satisfaction.”

I looked at Mei, and she shook her head.

“Minister Jin, I trust you to handle these matters yourself. Unless there is a critical decision that you feel requires my personal attention, you may arrange things as you see fit.”

“Yes, Lord,” said Jin with a bow. I couldn’t read her impassive face. I wasn’t sure if this decision was what she wanted, what she didn’t want, or simply what she had expected.

“Are there any other issues that may need my attention?” I wanted each minister to step forward of their own volition so that I didn’t need to rely solely on Mei’s report.

“No, Lord,” they each said, one after another.

“Very well. Then there are a few issues that I wish to put forward. Minister Tang, I wish to construct a large, open building on the island. The planned size is roughly 80 meters wide by 100 meters long. The ceiling should be at least 15 meters high. After an initial test, more of such spaces may become necessary, so I would like a plan for that in place.”

The Minister of Public Works winced. “Lord, this may be difficult. Space on the island is limited, and there is currently no room for such a large structure. We would need to tear down several existing buildings to accommodate it.”

“I don’t care if it's difficult, it needs to happen. Find some earth cultivators and dredge the lake to build out the island if needed.” I did my best impression of an imposing Lord, since that’s what I thought they needed at this point.

This building had to be constructed, no matter the cost. It would be the basis of my most important idea for how to improve a domain’s karmic energy: an automated pill factory. If I could succeed in creating such a thing, I was confident that I could use the designs to establish a close relationship with the ruling family of the Brilliant Sun Empire.

Minister Tang sighed in resignation. “Yes, Lord. What is the purpose of this structure? We need to know where to place it.”

“Consider it a type of alchemy workshop. Placing it closer to the distribution areas of herbs and pills would be best.”

“Yes, Lord. I will see to this immediately.”

“Lord Su,” said Minister Lu, stepping forward, “such construction may strain our current resources. The city’s revenue is in good condition, but we do not currently have the necessary funds for a project on the scale of island expansion.”

“Yes, Minister Lu, I understand, but I need this to happen. I have prepared sufficient funds for most eventualities, and I will be financing this operation personally.”

Like Minister Tang before her, the Minister of Revenue winced. “Lord, a city lord should only personally fund a single project during their term. Any more than that would be frowned upon, as the city should be capable of providing for itself. You may wish to wait until you have a better understanding of your new domain before making this decision.”

“I understand. Thank you, Minister Lu, but I consider this project to be of utmost importance. It needs to be completed as soon as possible.” I turned back to my Minister of Public Works. “Minister Tang, as Minister Lu has reminded me, I am only allowed to fund a single building. Make it as large and tall as possible. At least five floors, but consider going up to ten. Bring in earth and metal cultivators to make the structure as sound as possible. I will leave the details of its location in your hands, but I am not short of gold. Do not hesitate to hire Grandmaster earth cultivators to build out the island for this, if you think it is for the best.”

His face turned grave, but he nodded in acknowledgment. “Yes, Lord.”

“Flower Mei,” I said, turning to the woman. “Please assign a Seed to be my intermediary with the Hu Clan representatives within the city. After this building is constructed, I will need a team to oversee several complex formations, ranging from Ranks 1 to 3.”

“Yes, Lord.”

“If there are no other matters to attend to, then everyone is dismissed.”