Darius listened to what Foldo had to say in silence, Gunner seated to his left while Jorge confidently sat to his left and stared at him with a soft smile. Darius returned the smile, aware that Jorge was making her affection for him as open as possible.
In truth, having such a beautiful woman like this crave him thrilled Darius in a different way from Portia's obsession. With the younger girl, there was a soft feeling that made him feel relaxed around her because he knew that even if he couldn't trust anyone else, he could at least trust her.
As for Jorge, it was simply the feeling of his testosterone roaring with delight that he had managed to acquire the affection of a superior and capable female. It was something very few men got to experience, so he naturally felt proud by this accomplishment.
Nevertheless, he merely acknowledged his feelings, while still focused on Foldo's recount, his face remaining still throughout, unlike Gunner who had manifested a strange expression halfway through.
After all, what they were hearing was nowhere close to what the duo in seclusion had expected.
By the end of it all, Darius was tapping the table with his finger rhythmically with a stiff smile, while Gunner had his brows furrowed. The duo shared a look and then gazed at Foldo once more.
"What's your own evaluation on this situation?" Darius asked Foldo.
"Andrato might weather this storm thanks to the new Queen's prowess, but she will eventually need to marry herself off if she wants the kingdom to truly break free from Fraterina's influence." Foldo began with a light chuckle.
"However, Fraterina has not and will not simply sit on their asses and wait for the obvious to happen. The fact that Jeanne Ando continues to reject all marriage proposals only means she is giving them more time to come up with countermeasures and rally their army. I expect a war to hit Andrato soon." Foldo ended with a smile.
Darius nodded and turned to Jorge. "Georgina, what about you?"
The beauty who had been gazing at Darius silently all this while spoke without hesitation. "We do not have any need to fear an upcoming war, but should instead relish the opportunity. Our faction would be able to grow stronger during such an event."
"Not only would it allow us to acquire a larger workforce in the form of refugees, but we can also send any young talents you hope to groom out into the war to assist Andrato and let them gather experience, while ensuring that the kingdom remains intact."
Jorge shrugged. "After all, for this faction to run smoothly, we need a nearby territory we can work with. Andrato's current leadership allows us to make many moves in the dark, but if Fraterina takes over, it would be hard to do anything under their watch. As such, it's in our best interest to keep Andrato alive for as long as possible."
Darius showed his appreciation for this sharp deduction with a light smile. "You two have exceeded my expectations with how far you've grown and how well you have built up this faction."
Foldo and Jorge showed pleased expressions from the praise. They had been working hard for the past 5 years, so to have all of it acknowledged was a great feeling.
Darius tapped the table. "However, I have also grown, and shall introduce some new variables into our future operations. Firstly, I should let you know that I am currently establishing a territory near the edge of the northwest, about 10,000 kilometers away. It is being established around a Wood element dungeon of the basic grade."
Foldo and Jorge started breathing heavily when they heard this. Darius chuckled and continued regaling them with horrifying information.
"With my unique abilities, I have managed to build up a grand stockpile of items and resources with which I wish to simultaneously achieve three things: Create a country of powerhouses loyal to me, grow a secret faction of top tier elites for important tasks, and finally, establish a mage academy for me to spread my heritage and accept talents openly."
"With how much I've prepared, I have made enough to last us until the entirety of the first explosive growth phase. I will pass on some of these resources to you, so you can lay the groundwork, as I have a pressing task to complete in Elysium."
By the time Darius was done, Foldo and Jorge were completely speechless. They never knew it was possible to hear such lovely words in their lives, and they once more felt that their choices to follow their master had been a turning point in their lives.
Darius didn't waste time, he asked Jorge and Foldo to lead them to their most secure storage room, and for them to bring out as many chests as they could find. Foldo hurriedly ordered his various servants to do just that.
The group entered a large room that was almost as big as a football stadium. It was empty except for a few chests at the back which held valuable items Foldo and Jorge had acquired over the years but could not appraise.
Darius made a mental note to Analyze them after he was done and about to leave. For now, he had the hundreds of servants bring in the various chest and line them up neatly.
Each one was made to stand by the chest they brought with a piece of parchment and a quill in hand. Darius then walked to the first chest and emptied 300 Bags of Holding from a single slot.
He then turned to the shocked servant who was gazing at all the high-quality bags with a dazed look. Darius then snapped his fingers and captured the fellow's attention.
"Mark this one as magical materials for runic arrays."
The servant nodded and wrote it down on the parchment before applying glue to the back and sticking it on the top of the chest. Darius nodded with satisfaction and walked to the next chest and emptied another 300 Bags of Holding from a different slot into it.
Once he was done, he turned to the servant for this one who wasn't in a daze, but was almost trembling from the amount of wealth being shown before her.
"Mark these as magical materials for construction and fortification."
The servant nodded like a chicken pecking rice and quickly made the note on the parchment before sticking it to the top of the chest.
Darius moved on to the next one...
