Alric raised his hand, his face serious as he adjusted his glasses. He looked like the type who had probably read every book in the room—and most likely a few books in the next room, just for good measure.
"Lord Velsun," he began, voice steady but with a hint of concern, "there's a severe shortage of teachers. I know we're in the middle of rebuilding, but the lack of proper education for our people, especially the younger generation, is an issue. Without education, we can't ensure the prosperity of Solara in the long run. The next generation will need knowledge of trade, agriculture, defense, and basic governance. Right now, we only have a handful of qualified instructors, and most of them are exhausted from the war."
He paused, giving a small sigh, as though carrying the weight of the kingdom's future on his shoulders. "I recommend setting up a teaching system, perhaps a dedicated academy for Solara, and offering incentives to skilled teachers. We need to attract them and ensure they stay, so we don't lose them to other kingdoms."
I leaned back, tapping my chin thoughtfully. "Hmm, you're right. Education is key. Alright, Alric, I want you to start drafting a plan for this academy. Start small, but make sure it's flexible enough to scale. If we need to offer land, money, or even titles to bring in qualified people, we will. The future of Solara depends on it. You'll report back to me with progress once you've laid down the foundation."
Alric's eyes lit up with determination. "Understood, my lord. I'll get to work on it immediately."
I leaned forward, glancing at the gathered group as I spoke, "I've been thinking about it, and it's clear we need specialized academies for different branches—Magic Academy, Knight Academy, and a more general educational system for subjects like economics, commerce, and science."
I paused for a moment, letting the weight of the idea settle before continuing. "The issue is, right now, our economy is in shambles. If we dive straight into setting up all these academies before we stabilize our economy, it'll be like trying to build a castle on quicksand. We need to put our focus on recovery first—rebuild the economy, stabilize our food sources, and ensure that our trade routes are secure."
I glanced around the room, seeing nods of agreement, especially from Belmor and Garren. "Once we're on solid ground, then we can begin laying the foundation for these academies. For now, I'll need Darius,Belmor and Alric, to work closely together. We'll need a long-term plan, but the priority is recovery. Focus on training and bringing in experts who can quickly boost our economy and help us regain our standing."
I leaned back in my chair, letting the silence stretch for a moment. "Any objections or suggestions on how we might move forward on this, or should we all just start making plans for a huge feast once we've secured the basics?"
There was a slight chuckle from the room, but everyone seemed to understand the seriousness of the situation.
Sister Arlen, practically glowing, beamed at me like I'd personally delivered divine enlightenment to her doorstep. Meanwhile, Karlos stood beside me, looking way too pleased, nodding like a proud dad at his son's school play.
"The people have already started worshipping you as the Sun God and the God-King of Solara," Arlen declared, voice filled with the zeal of someone who clearly had already printed the holy pamphlets and maybe a few statues too.
I blinked. "Wait, already? Isn't that a bit fast? I mean, I've barely been king for two days. Didn't we just finish the paperwork yesterday?"
She simply nodded, hands clasped in reverence. "Faith moves faster than bureaucracy, my lord."
Karlos chuckled darkly beside me, "Indeed, My Lord. Nothing like divine worship to secure a loyal tax base—eh, I mean, following."
I cleared my throat awkwardly and gave a half-hearted thumbs up. "Oh, umm... that's good."
"Great. I was now officially a god to some people. No pressure."
"Alright, I think that's all for today," I said, stretching slightly as I stood up. The ministers nodded and began shuffling out, one by one. Garren, the head of agriculture, lingered behind just as I'd told him.
I waited until the door closed behind the last person, then turned to Garren with a grin that probably confused the poor guy. He was expecting another boring administrative talk.
"My plan," I began, rubbing my hands together like some eccentric wizard, "is to bless the land."
Garren raised an eyebrow. "You mean like… economically?"
"No, no," I waved a hand. "Literally. I'm going to bless it. You know… make the soil fertile again. Sunlight, warmth, healing, life—all that good divine package stuff. I am the Sun God, apparently. Might as well start acting like one before they build a temple out of mashed potatoes."
He blinked. "You can do that?"
"I have life-related and healing magic, and my affinity is the actual sun. If I can't bring a dead potato field back to life, then I'll hand my crown to a goat."
Karlos, who had been standing off to the side with his arms crossed, smirked. "Please let the goat be named something majestic. Like Fredrick the Wise."
I ignored him.
"So," I said, turning back to Garren, "we'll pick a few test plots first. I'll go full Sun God mode, see what happens. If it works, we'll scale it up. If not…" I shrugged. "We'll blame Fredrick."
Garren gave a hesitant nod. "Understood, my lord… I think."
Garren led me, Karlos, and Zalario through the winding dirt paths toward the farmlands, the air growing dustier and heavier with the scent of dry earth the closer we got. Eventually, we reached the farming area—a sad, cracked expanse of land that looked like it had given up on life sometime during the last war.
A small group of farmers and villagers were already gathered there, their clothes simple and faces weary but hopeful. When they spotted Garren approaching, a ripple of smiles and bows passed through the crowd like a gentle wave.
"Head Farmer Garren!"
"Welcome, Lord Garren!"
And then their eyes shifted to us.
Well, mostly to me.
The villagers froze for a moment, their mouths hanging slightly open as if they had just seen a loaf of bread start singing. Then they hurriedly bowed deeply, murmuring things like:
"Blessings of the Sun God upon us!"
"May Lord Velsun's light save our harvests!"
One even whispered something about me walking on water.(Ah, great. Give it a week, and they'll start saying I personally invented farming.)
I gave them a friendly wave and a casual smile, trying not to look like I was about to unleash a solar beam or something. Meanwhile, Karlos stood behind me like a dark knight of sarcasm and doom, and Zalario... well, Zalario just observed everything with that mysterious "I'm secretly judging all of you" look he had mastered.
I walked over to the saddest, most pitiful patch of land I could find — the kind of ground that looked like it would start crying if it could. I crouched down and grabbed a handful of the dirt.
The moment I touched it, Mimir's voice buzzed in my mind, blunt as always,"Lad, this land is deader than a politician's promises. You'll have to use your True Dragon Magic if you want to bring life back to it."
I blinked at the dirt in my hand, then at the dry, cracked earth stretching around me like a desert's bad joke.
"Seriously?" I muttered under my breath. "True Dragon Magic just to fix a field? Ugh, fine..."
Karlos, noticing my grumpy face, leaned down and whispered, "My Lord, shall I prepare the villagers to behold a miracle?"
"Yeah, yeah," I waved him off. "Tell them not to freak out if the ground starts glowing or something."
I stood up, brushing the dust off my hands, and took a deep breath. It was time to flex my divine muscles a little.
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