Ah, shit. Does she think that just saying the word will get the job done? Why is she so stubborn?

You dont have the right to complain!

Isaac began grumbling immediately after Rivelia left the roof to unpack her luggage. All of the administrative body who heard Isaacs complaint had the same thought.

Sigh, I guess I have no choice. Well get it done.

Gathering the funds will be a problem, but we will prioritise diverting our tax revenue and business profits to build up funds for the projects.

Well sort out the acquisition of land for construction by negotiating with the syndica- I mean, your representatives.

Well do a census to figure out the number of orphans and elderly who live alone and screen the children who are fit to enroll in schools.

Isaac clicked his tongue as all of the work was set into motion smoothly.

You heartless, uncaring bunch. The only thing you guys knew was to speak against everything I did, yet you are so eager to get the job done when its that damsel whos giving the order.

Isaacs comment triggered a reaction from some of his employees, who awkwardly avoided eye contact with him. It was at this time that Kunette and Reisha came back to the roof with their hands full of snacks.

Are you guys done unpacking?

Kunette walked next to Isaac and collapsed on the floor, munching her snacks. Reisha began to answer, her mouth smeared with sauce from kebabs.

Sunbaenim, when are you going to give me that exciting experience? All of the others seem to have had their share already!

Reisha began to nag at Isaac, fuelled by jealousy from watching the other elves working.

I heard you havent graduated yet, and arent youre just here for social studies? Just do your work as a member of the police force for now.

Eeh! Sunbaenim, thats so harsh!

You can do whatever you want after youre finished with your work hours.

Hehe, really?

Truth be told, it was a decision only Captain Helvent had the authority to decide, so Isaac sneakily changed the topic of conversation.

So, how do you guys like your rooms?

Its lovely! Ive never seen such a pretty room before! But how come only some of the knights, Kunette, and I were given a hotel room?

Mayor Rivelia and Captain Helvent were also given a hotel room, although those two get VIP rooms.

Hm? Then what about the rest?

Isaac turned to Kalden when Reisha asked her question.

You explained to them properly, correct?

Yes. The barracks for the police force were constructed hastily next to the loudest shooting range in the Meta District, and weve told them to book a residence of their own if they have any problems. Weve also provided all of them with an employees card.

Good job.

Seeing how theyre spending, I dont think theyll last more than a few days.

Make sure their cards are declined if they spend more than theyve earned.

Do we really have to go that far

How else will we make them beg their parents for money? Im sure their parents will give plenty of money to their lovely, rich sons.

Uwaah! Youre so mean, sunbaenim!

Isaac, bad.

Isaac picked up a cigarette as Reisha and Kunette commented on his practices.

The number of insults received is directly proportional to how much money you make. And Ill need to make lots of money to feed you two with tasty treats.

Ah! Is that how it works?

Thats fine then.

Reisha and Kunette seemed convinced by the explanation, but everyone else in the vicinity mentally repeated in unison.

Theres no way that is okay!

Work efficiency changes drastically depending on whether the workers are forced into work or if they are eager and motivated. This lot, who would have lagged off had they been working under Isaacs orders, were very quick to accomplish every task Rivelia had set. This fact irked Isaac.

Weve begun construction of the schools and hospitals. Construction will finish in 3 months, according to our estimates.

Thankfully, the construction guilds that were originally deployed in the shooting ranges have decided to construct not just the schools and hospitals free of charge but also the orphanages and retirement homes. It has drastically reduced the amount of funding we needed.

The magical spires have agreed to provide for the necessary teachers and healers to a degree.

Um, good job, all of you. It must not have been easy, but all of you have done well very quickly.

Rivelia rewarded the administrative body with a nod of approval, and they didnt even attempt to hide how happy they were to receive such a reward, squirming with a mix of happiness and embarrassment. The sight had frustrated Isaac even further.

So all thats left is the issue of having one house for every resident

The administrative body descended into a hush when Rivelia muttered those words. Every other problem could be solved with their hands, but this was a problem they had no solution for.

Do you not even have a proper plan at this point? Whats happened, Administrator?

Isaac took a deep puff of the cigarette in his mouth when Rivelia began her questioning.

Do you really want me to solve this issue?

There was a hint of worry in Rivelias mind when Isaac seemed like he wanted confirmation from her. But Rivelia was confident that no matter how cunning and resourceful Isaac was, he wouldnt be able to solve the problem of a lack of land.

Of course. You must fulfill your duty as the Administrator.

Then Ill take it that you dont have any problems, and Ill proceed then.

Isaac nodded and ordered Rizzly.

Go and bring the representatives of the construction guilds.

Rizzly quickly ran out of the meeting, and Rivelia frowned at the sight.

What are you trying now?

Im just trying to follow my Mayors orders dutifully.

The atmosphere became heavy as Rivelia and Isaac stared at each other, trying to figure out what the other was thinking. The staring match continued for a while without interruptions. Finally, Rizzly brought the representatives of the construction guilds up to the rooftop.

May we ask why we were brought here

The man who carefully asked the question was Roberten. As the eldest member of the Headstone Merchant Guild, he was forced into being the Representative of the Construction Guilds.

The construction guilds werent acting charitably purely out of good will when they decided to build the orphanages, rest homes, schools, and hospitals. It was their way of escaping the impossible task of building one home for every citizen in the city; it would be their excuse when push came to shove.

I am planning to announce a call for bids.

What?

Robertens tongue was tied when Isaac mentioned the residential problem that he tried so hard to avoid.

I will build homes fit for just one person. Its height will be only slightly higher than an average adult male, the width of which will be enough to have two people lie side by side. The rest of the interior will be up to the guilds to decide. Youll have an easier time if you use the hive buildings in the slums as examples.

Wait! Administrator, what are you doing?

Making homes, what else?

How could anyone call that a home!?

Rivelia shouted out what was on everyones minds. Isaac simply tilted his head, unable to understand.

How is it not a home, when their beds have a roof above their heads and walls to shelter them from rain and wind?

How can it possibly be a home when theres not a single living space in it? Thats just storage for the living!

The kitchen, toilets, and showers will be shared by the residents. The construction guilds will be paying for this. And I dont need windows. Just put in some residential magic circles such as air purification, temperature maintenance, magic lamps, and anti-fire measures.

Despite Isaacs ludicrous demands, Roberten couldnt help but begin to calculate how much that would cost out of habit as a merchant.

Um, that would exponentially increase the cost of each home

The costs for creating magic circles differed wildly, and although residential magic circles were on the cheap end, it was still a magic circle. Creating a single magic circle was considered a great luxury for commoners, and stuffing so many into such a small area was like throwing money down the drain.

I will compare each guilds proposals before deciding on a final design. And the chosen design will be sent to the Department of Administration to be licensed as one of New Port Citys special goods. Any merchant guilds that plan on selling the design must pay a commission to New Port City.

Roberten began to think if there was any merchant guild out there that would accept such conditions. The design of the building was different from the norm, but that was it. Roberten couldnt understand where Isaac got the confidence to call it his special good and ask for a commission to boot.

Um if you do approve a design, how many do you plan to buy?

Isaac asked his employees when Roberten followed up with that question.

How many single people are there in the city?

Trentor, who took a census of the city population, spoke hesitantly.

Around forty thousand people live alone in the city.

You heard that? Ill be ordering fifty thousand to have some in reserve too.

Robertens jaw dropped. The criteria were challenging and the conditions were unfavorable, but if the contract was approved, they were going to sell fifty thousand of them on the spot. This was perhaps the largest construction contract in existence. To merchants, profit was everything. Whether it was possible or not was a secondary concern.

Just before Roberten was about to accept Isaacs proposal, Isaacs employees began to make a commotion.

Thats impossible! We dont have the space to build them even if we covered an entire district with those houses.

And if you consider the roads and public facilities that must be there too, we will be short of land no matter what! And how are families supposed to live in those places!

Isaac quieted the commotion with a simple explanation.

I dont plan on making only one-story houses. We will be stacking them up as necessary. So the material and structural integrity of those houses must be strong enough to handle the weight.

That means well need to use high-quality materials, so the cost of just building one of these units will be higher than the costs of building an average home.

Isaac smirked at Robertens comment.

Are you seriously talking about money problems to me?

Roberten shut his mouth, but Cordnells face went pale.

Isaac turned to Rivelia and his employees and made his stand.

You can always put a stop to it if you dont want to do it.

Trying to weasel out of the issue I see.

Rivelia thought to herself and nodded. But she had to be satisfied, knowing that she managed to distract Isaac for now.

Once those residents were in place, the citizens of the city would be redistributed appropriately, and it would help to screen for the angelic and demonic turncoats, since they would have to come out of their hiding spots. She had no reason to object, since it was going to make her job easier.

Fine. I like it. Proceed as you suggested.

Huh? Really?

Isaac looked to Rivelia in astonishment, seeing her so satisfied. He wondered if there was something wrong with her or if she was feeling sick. This residential housing design was completely identical to the concept of dorms back in his old world.

These glorified coffins were residential areas made for the starving young adults who struggled to even gather enough money for a security deposit to rent a flat. It was a business targeting the poorest of the poor.

Isaac was planning to use Rivelias rejection as an excuse to weasel his way out of work, but he didnt expect her to accept it so easily.

Maybe you should put some more thought into

No. We will provide personal residences for those living alone. Im sure well have some land to spare by doing so. And with the spare land, we will construct homes for families. Those living in personal residences can move over to family homes once they get married and start a family. By doing so, we will be able to increase the marriage rate, which would also lead to increases in the birth rate and lead to population growth.

Wow! You vicious bitch!

Isaac thought to himself, admiring Rivelias idea. To force the already-dejected loners into a single area and make them feel defeated as they watch couples and families living out happy lives from afar. It might be able to instigate some of the people to get married out of sheer resolution. But it was going to imprison everyone else in the personal homes forever.

I guess it doesnt really matter.

You heard that? On another note, you and your guild will be kicked out of New Port City along with all of your businesses if you dont relay the message properly to the other guilds. I like my competitions fair and square, you see. Hm? Why are you guys looking at me like that?

Do you really need an answer?

Have I ever been unfair in a fight?

Even Rivelia was at a loss for words in the face of Isaacs shamelessness.

Administrator, the Mayor wishes to speak with you.

Again?

A police knight came up to the roof to relay his message. Isaac sighed and made his way toward the mayors room. It had been more than 3 months since Rivelia was appointed the mayor, and Isaacs time of idling had completely disappeared. All of the projects Rivelia ordered had progressed smoothly. Although the one-home-per-citizen policy greatly concerned the public, there werent any revolts from the citizens, as the syndicate bosses control over their districts had become stronger after they had eliminated the old rebels. Isaac did his usual, simply giving out the orders and directing all of the work to his underlings. The administrative body were exhausted, moving about through the city to organise all of the small details regarding the projects.

Plus, any bribery that had occurred previously in the city had disappeared in fear of getting caught by Rivelia, so the bidding process for the contract was made fair to all the guilds, just as Isaac had demanded. Isaac chose the Mountesion Construction Guild for the final product. Their block-shaped design made organizing the apartments neatly feasible, and the buildings could be assembled through the use of prefabricated materials, shortening the construction time significantly and reducing the difficulty of transporting the materials. These factors were key to winning Isaacs approval.

Ever since then, Isaac tried to idle around as much as he could, simply receiving midterm reports from his employees on the rooftop. But Rivelia didnt seem to like Isaacs attitude, so she called Isaac over whenever she had time to nag him about the smallest problems.

No matter how many times Isaac told her to call someone else over since he had no clue as to how a project was going, Rivelia persisted in calling Isaac over to demand a midterm report from him or to ask how a project was going in general. But Isaac was sure she was only doing it because she didnt like the fact that Isaac was lazing about on the rooftop.

So whats the problem now?

Isaac muttered to Rivelia as he entered the mayors room, which was quickly refurbished after Rivelias appointment. At this point, Isaac had realised that fighting against her was only going to tire him out even more, so he stopped with the taunting and glossed over most things with a laugh.

Rivelias well-toned figure was busy at work with her legs crossed when Isaac walked in. Her eyes glossed over Isaac and pointed to the sofa with her chin.

The room was the epitome of luxury because Cordnell spent lavishly to furnish the place; for once, it wasnt his money he was using. The soft, luxurious sofa was already partly occupied by Kunette, who was busy eating honey.

I thought I havent seen you much lately. Is this where youve been playing around?

. Isaacs not playing with me. Bad.

Kunette turned her face away from Isaac with a pout. Isaac replied as he pointed to Rivelia with his finger.

Thats because that mayor over there is keeping me so busy that I dont have the time to play with you.

Isaac shamelessly shifted the responsibility to Rivelia and then threw his body onto the sofa next to Kunette. He took out a cigarette and let loose a puff of smoke into the room. Rivelia looked at Isaac disapprovingly and threw a pile of documents in front of him.

What is this?

Theres been a murder in your fiefdom, Sir Isaac.

A murder?

With just a quick skim, Isaac found out it was in Axlons district.

How did this leak?

I dont know what you mean by leaking, but I will be deploying my police force to investigate, as we agreed upon.

Wait, wait. Even if you call them police, they are just children whove never investigated a murder scene before.

So what? Theyve been trained thoroughly by Sir Helvent.

Isaac looked to Rivelia with disbelief in his eyes.

Trained? By that old geezer, who has been thoroughly enjoying his retirement one party after another?

Most of the people working in the city were already aware that ex-commissioner Helvent simply took the title of captain in name only and had been playing around even more than Isaac.

Even Rivelia seemed to feel somewhat embarrassed and coughed dryly before continuing.

Anyhow, its a first murder incident in New Port City. I will be deploying the police.

You mean its the first murder incident thats been leaked.

Isaac remembered Axlons face and began to contemplate on how he was going to punish him as he made his comment.

Its an incident that happened in my land, so Ill take care of it myself.

Oh, so youre volunteering to investigate yourself?

No. Im not saying Ill be doing the investigation, but Ill just be taking care of the incident

Impossible. Weve already agreed that any serious crimes must be investigated by the police force.

Rivelia cut off Isaac coldly, and Isaac simply clicked his tongue.

How about this then. Leave the investigation to the 3rd squad, and Ill tag along and oversee the investigation.

Alright. If thats what you wish.

Isaac was relieved to hear Rivelia agree with him when Kunette tugged at Isaacs arm.

Im going to investigate a murder?

Yeah. Lets go catch the culprit.

And fuck up someone else along the way.

Ill catch the criminal.

While Isaac reminded himself of Axlon and grit his teeth, Kunette nodded and raised her honey covered hands into the air as she made a vow.

The police force was split into three squads. But the reason why Isaac chose the 3rd squad of the police force was because the 1st and the 2nd squads were useless, proud bunches who didnt listen to orders since their goal wasnt to maintain public order but Rivelia herself. Meanwhile, the members of the 3rd squad included Reisha, Kunette, Krent, and Campus hubaes of commoner birth, who were easier to silence if needed.

Alright. Well start the investigation tomorrow.

What do you mean by that? If youve taken responsibility for an incident, then you must solve the crime posthaste.

Isaacs comment, which was trying to stop Kunette from eagerly running over to the crime scene, was met with Rivelias shout.

But its already evening, and I should head

How can you prioritise going home when someones been murdered? Go take the 3rd squad immediately, and dont even think about coming back until youve solved the crime!

Since when did you care about the people of the slums dying

Isaac complained in his mind as Rivelia finally found a legitimate excuse to nag Isaac. Defeated, Isaac nodded, and his anger toward Axlon began to burn fiercer and fiercer.