Time was always a trivial matter for long-lived races.
In the blink of an eye, a week had already passed since the grand founding ceremony of the Black Dragon Empire.
No one knew what undercurrents were surging in the shadows of the Eastern Continent, but on the surface, at least, peace seemed to have returned.
Until this day, when a minor incident occurred within the Black Dragon Empire.
...
Inside a dimly lit meeting room.
Several obscured figures sat on either side of a long table.
A dim orb of light hanging from the ceiling flickered constantly, as if suffering from a loose connection.
It cast a fluctuating glow that brightened and dimmed erratically.
Every now and then, a wail resembling a wronged ghost echoed through the quiet room.
It felt as if they had entered a bone yard teeming with the undead.
“Awoo... I died such a tragic death...”
“I am an undead...”
“I want...”
In the midst of this eerie atmosphere, a sharp scolding suddenly rang out, cutting off the ghostly wailing.
“Do you want me to turn you into an actual undead right now?”
Sitting at the head of the long table, Irene glared at Daviel, who had his legs propped up on the table and was covering his mouth while playing ghost.
Then, she looked up at Mia, the magical supercomputer acting as a lightbulb on the ceiling.
That icy gaze terrified the orb of light, causing it to go completely dark before lighting up again, this time illuminating the entire room with a soft, steady glow.
“Ahem, Sis, don't be like that.”
Daviel scratched his chin awkwardly, glanced left and right, and whispered to Irene via mental transmission, “Give Emperor Daviel some face. I was just trying to ease the tension.”
Irene: “(￢_￢)”
No longer paying attention to this rather improper dragon, she looked around at the executives of the Black Dragon Empire, including Gar and Fido. After confirming everyone was present, she snapped her fingers.
“Everyone.”
Irene stood up, leaning her hands on the table. “First of all, I want to thank all of you for your tireless efforts and contributions. It is through our joint efforts that the Black Dragon Empire stands today.”
Hearing this, the vassals sitting below all held their heads high. Although they verbally credited everything to Her Grace's superb leadership, they were absolutely thrilled inside.
They chimed in, praising Her Grace's excellent leadership and stating that it was all thanks to her wisdom and power.
But before their flattery could even warm up, Irene poured a bucket of cold water over them.
“I am about to enter my next slumber.”
“During this time, I expect you to properly manage this newborn empire. When I awaken, I want to see a thriving nation, not a pile of ruins.”
“Don't worry, Sis, you still have me! I'm not that sleepy yet,” Daviel suddenly raised his hand and chimed in. “Just rest easy and go! I'll miss you!”
“(-`ェ´- Angry)”
“Forget it, just shut up.” Irene pinched the bridge of her nose and cast a Silence Spell on him.
“Owooo... mmmph!”
Silenced by the spell, Daviel flailed his arms and legs, making muffled, garbled noises.
Irene clapped her hands to draw everyone's attention back. “Before I sleep, I have formulated a development plan for the empire's future.”
“I hope you all carry it out well.”
“Only when our economy and strength develop in tandem and grow strong enough can we safeguard our current wealth and look forward to a brighter future.”
In her heart, Irene silently added, ‘And only then can I properly laze around.’
“Your Grace,” Gar, the Minister of the Equipment Department, raised his hand and spoke. “Just tell us what to do, and we'll get it done.”
This statement immediately drew nods of agreement from the others.
“Alright, then I will keep it simple.” Irene gestured for silence and continued, “The fastest way to increase our strength is, without a doubt, money.”
“As everyone knows, the primary source of income for the Black Dragon Empire is currently our wine business. Previously, due to various concerns, we only dared to target the lower-end market of the Eastern Kingdoms. Now that those concerns are gone, we will not only break into the high-end market, but we will also take it a step further.”
As Irene spoke, her storage ring flashed, and a glass bottle appeared in her hand. However, the liquid inside was different from their usual red wine—it was not red, but completely clear and transparent.
“This is my latest creation, called clear spirits. Going forward, we will not only target the high-end market, but also expand our beverage selection to continuously open up new markets!”
“Currently, we have established peaceful relations with the humans, so we don't need to worry about threats from their side. Furthermore, it seems some major issues have arisen among the gods. Without their restrictions, the God-Forsaken Land is no longer a cage keeping us trapped. Next, we can take this opportunity to find the dwarves and sign a treaty to use the underground tunnels they have excavated.”
“By using their tunnels, we can actively send our own people to the Human Kingdoms to sell wine, bypassing middleman merchants. This will not only significantly increase our profits but also allow us to extend our tentacles and claws into the Eastern Kingdoms to gather firsthand intelligence.”
With that, Irene placed the bottle on the table with a soft clack and turned her gaze to the young beastkin sitting next to Fido.
“Cezar, I am entrusting this matter entirely to you. I officially appoint you as the Minister of Commerce.”
Hearing this, a rare smile appeared on Cezar's face. Just as he was about to accept, Irene produced a stack of papers and added, “In addition, we must actively develop side businesses.”
“Study this information I compiled carefully, and try to put it into practice when you head to the Human Kingdoms.”
“Your Grace, can this... really earn us gold coins?” Cezar frowned in confusion as he took the papers and began flipping through them page by page.
Newspapers? Food delivery? The more Cezar read, the more bewildered he became. How did Her Grace come up with these concepts?
As a backward beastkin, he could not yet comprehend the various business strategies Irene had recorded from her past life on Earth.
“You don't need to worry about that. Just do as I say.” A mysterious smile played on Irene's lips.
In her heart, she couldn't help but miss the era of the cultural explosion from her previous life.
This was a bold experiment of hers, an attempt to invade this “backward fantasy world” using the knowledge of her past civilization.
Even if the experiment failed and they lost money, they still had their main business of selling wine to fall back on.
“As for our territory,” Irene said after a brief moment of thought, “we no longer need to develop in secret. We should strive to unify the entire God-Forsaken Land in the short term.”
“The Equipment Department must not stop its research either. Do your best to arm our existing forces.”
“In addition, dispatch some teams to search for buried ruins from the ancient beastkin era. That ancient technology can greatly boost the empire's strength.”
“If the human churches try to interfere, ignore them. They're just a bunch of fanatics. With the treaty in place, they won't dare to do anything.”
At this point, Irene looked at Fido. “As for establishing schools and cultivating talent that I mentioned before, there is no need to elaborate. Fido, put this on the agenda as soon as possible.”
“Yes, Your Grace,” Fido replied.
After speaking for a while longer, Irene finally finished.
“These are the future development directions I have set for the empire.”
“If you encounter any difficult decisions in the future, just convene a meeting like this to discuss them.”
Irene clapped her hands.
“With that, the first high-level meeting of the Black Dragon Empire is concluded.”
“Should any emergencies arise, or if you face problems that are truly insurmountable, you may wake me ahead of schedule.”
“However, I hope that when I open my eyes, I will see a brand-new empire.”
“Meeting adjourned!”
With those final words, Irene walked toward the door of the meeting room.
Behind her, the assembled vassals stood up in unison, thumping their chests heavily as they roared:
“For the glory of the Black Dragon Empire!!”
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