"Holy f*ck! Didn't you tell me to do this mission because the restaurant's level was too low?" Mag felt as if he had been played for a fool.
"Yes, but the problem is, the restaurant is of too low a level, so you don't have the right to use the outdoor dining area construction package. If you'd like to gain access to the package, then please upgrade the restaurant as soon as possible!" The system gave a very earnest reply.
"For f*ck's sake." Mag massaged his glabella with an exasperated look, and took a deep breath to calm himself down before saying, "System, show me my remaining balance."
"Restaurant's remaining balance: 4,710,021 copper coins." The system gave a fast reply.
"So we're only missing the reservation fee from the city lord's castle." He was still about 30,000 gold coins away from being able to upgrade the restaurant, but he didn't have any plans to make a large purchase in the near future aside from purchasing a strength point.
The price for a second strength point was 50,000 gold coins, and purchasing it was imperative for him. His top priority was to become more powerful, so he had to save up the money
Mag sat in a chair to sunbathe at the restaurant's entrance in a leisurely manner, and asked, "System, what benefits dolget from upgrading the restaurant? If it's just a simple renovation, then I'm not going to buy the upgrade."
In any case, he would be able to upgrade the restaurant after purchasing the strength point, and the outdoor dining area would also be in the bag.
"There are many benefits to upgrading the restaurant. You can unlock the outdoor dining area construction package, as well as many other rights. There's also an upgrade package waiting for you to collect, so this is an unmissable opportunity. Hurry up an upgrade as soon as possible!" The system immediately launched into a vehement introduction.
"I see. But I'm not in a hurry at all. In fact, I want to take a nap." Mag stretched lazily under the warm sun. If the restaurant upgrade was going to result in major changes, then it was clearly better to implement the upgrade at night.
In comparison to all the other aforementioned benefits, Mag was more interested in enhancing the restaurant's defense system. After all, his and Amy's safety was imperative to him.
No one could remain on high alert for 24 hours a day, not even a powerful 10th-tier being.
Furthermore, if he had to constantly look out for all types of hazards every day, then his quality of life would cease to exist. He didn't want to live in constant fear and apprehension.
As such, his ultimate goal was very simple-he wanted to upgrade the restaurant's defense system to the 10th-tier. In that case, the restaurant would become a fortress that could guarantee absolute safety, and he would even be able to reveal his identity to the world without any fear of repercussions.
Furthermore, back when Mag Alex perished, it wasn't like he had made the entire world his enemy.
In fact, he was a highly revered figure in the Roth Empire's army, even to the extent that he was glorified as a legendary figure. That was most likely the main reason why the Roth Empire didn't launch a thorough investigation into that
event.
Of course, those considerations were very distant for the current Mag. He had to grow stronger away from the public eye to avoid being hunted down by those people in Rodu. At the same time, he had to accumulate more wealth. Only with both wealth and power could he ensure his safety in this world.
Mag Alex was a perfect example of power alone being insufficient to guarantee one's survival. He'd arguably been the most powerful being on the entire continent at his peak, but he still couldn't escape his eventual fate of dying.
He was too much of a lone wolf. He didn't control the armies, nor did he try to befriend any officials. All he had by his side were Irina and his purple-striped griffin.
A powerful yet uncontrollable individual would inevitably be seen as a threat by those who were in power. Mag Alex was too volatile and unpredictable, so they had no choice but to kill him.
Tronic. Mag Alex was the hero of the Roth Empire, but he was killed by his own people.
As such, Mag didn't want to be a lone wolf this time. Of course, the most direct way to enhance overall power was to gather powerful comrades, and create a force to be reckoned with.
However, Mag didn't want to do that. He really enjoyed playing with Amy every day, and living a leisurely lifestyle of a chef. He didn't want to give up this life to become the commander of some army.
Furthermore, it was impossible to create an army that could oppose the Roth Empire in a short time. Even with a 10th-tier knight or magic caster leading the charge, it would still be an impossible task.
Of course, there were many other ways to skin a cat. Mag's thought process was that he was going to tie many powerful forces to himself by establishing relationships of mutual profit. The more such forces he could tie to himself, the more influential he would be.
| At present, Chaos City appeared to be a good option. It was a colossal force, and it had the power to oppose the Roth Empire if required.
Most importantly, Mag really liked Chaos City, so he would be happy to see it become a better place.
However, Mag wasn't the lord of the Gray Temple, after all. Even if he were to recover all of his power, he still couldn't make the entire Chaos City stand behind him. He wasn't delusional enough to believe that he would be able to command Chaos City as long as he returned to his former glory.
Mamy Restaurant's delicious cuisine was a tool he could use to attract the attention of the higher powers in Chaos City. However, that wasn't enough. A seasoned politician wouldn't oppose an entire empire just for a restaurant.
Mag's true trump card was actually the steam engine. That was an invention that could revolutionize the entire continent, and usher in a
new era.
As the economy continued to develop, production from manual labor was no longer enough to satisfy the growing demand from consumers. Races who had superior stamina or could use magic held a significant advantage in production, but as the market continued to grow, consumer demand would only continue to increase. Furthermore, the economy of the entire continent still had immense potential for growth, so an industrial revolution was inevitable in order to satisfy the demand of a rapidly expanding market.
At present, there still wasn't anything that could replace manual labor and increase the rate of production. If steam engines could be invented, then it would definitely accelerate the Norland Continent's advance into the industrial revolution era. That was why the city lord's castle was willing to throw their support behind Hydle's team.
Steam engines, coal, and steam. Those were the three main factors that contributed to the realization of the industrial revolution. The Norland Continent already had the latter two elements, so whoever could master steam technology would be the one to push the entire
world into the steam era. All of the
relevant knowledge was sitting in Mag's mind.
All he had to do now was to devise a way to maximize profit from inventing the steam engine. Not only did he have to sell them for as high a price as possible, most importantly, he also had to be one of the irreplaceable pioneers ushering in this new era.
Only then would he be able to avoid a repeat of the tragedy from three years ago. After that, he would be able run his restaurant and play with Amy every day. That was the type of life he wanted.