It's been a week since Max and Sophia arrived on the island, and they've mostly stayed in the castle, either enjoying their limited leisure time or practicing techniques to enhance their physical stats and work toward reaching the second level of extraordinary.
Since the day they started practicing with the puppets, they've rarely had free time. In the mornings, the assigned alchemy teacher comes to the castle to teach them alchemy, and in the afternoons, they either practice alchemy or wander around the city. The arrival of more and more ships has made the city lively and bustling.
In the evening, they usually exercise and practice the meditation techniques then they will start battle with puppets which increase their battle instincts.
Max, who was initially beaten badly on the first day, can now defend against all the spear user's attacks with enough leeway to think and correct his techniques. This progress made Iris and Sophia feel jealous, so they added another puppet to his practice, bringing back the days of relentless beatings, which made them quite happy.
Max didn't feel any resentment either, as he was already considering increasing the training intensity, so he went along with their wishes.
Meanwhile, the city outside has become a gathering spot for adventurers who have just reached the safe zone. Many of those who were struggling to survive are still on edge due to psychological effects, making them moody and prone to starting fights over small disagreements. To maintain safety, the city management bureau deployed alchemy puppets to handle these out-of-control individuals, subduing them and arresting them after a show of force.
The puppets joining the security forces brought relief to the city guards, who were overwhelmed with arresting troublemakers. Many rational citizens, fearing the city might descend into riots and chaos, were reminded of the island lord's power. Those with ill intentions of stealing or pillaging quickly faced the iron fist of the island lord's guards and were locked away until the beast tide subsided.
Iris decided to integrate those who had been captured into the army and train them alongside her troops. They would serve as the vanguard against the water beast during the island assessment, significantly reducing the sacrifices of her own forces.
Iris didn't ask them to participate for free; they are allowed to take all their belongings and leave the island after participating. Alternatively, they can join the island's army, which would allow them to avoid the punishment of having their ships confiscated, being left with nothing, and being sent to the mines to extract minerals for the rest of their lives.
This gave the arrested people a chance to redeem themselves and earned the island lord a good reputation, encouraging many captains to surrender to him and become citizens of the island.
According to the reported statistics from the captains, at least 20 percent of them failed to reach the island, leaving around 8,000 people in the region with ships or rafts.
Nearly 2,000 people surrendered to the island lord and received a good amount of money to purchase a house and fields, where they could grow food and sell it back to the island lord. This created employment opportunities for the natives of the island.
Some daring individuals with business acumen have invested their money into new businesses and boosted the city's economy.
Max visited a few like-minded fellows and invested in their businesses after analyzing their structures, which earned him a reputation as a good investor among the ship captains. These captains, having decided to stop sailing, surrendered their ships to settle on the island and start new ventures there.
This led many to visit him in the afternoon at the tea shop near the castle, which had been built to entertain guests who came to the castle but couldn't enter.
After witnessing the ship captain's enthusiasm, Iris instructed Max to gradually spread the news of her auction plan to other captains. The plan would feature healing medicines, attribute fruits, battle puppets, worker puppets, alchemy knowledge, forging knowledge, and various other fundamental knowledge about the world.
Max, who gradually spread the news, has stirred the city with a mix of joy and other emotions. Many of their ships have been upgraded to level 5, but they've hit a roadblock regarding the alchemy circles needed for further upgrades. When they visited the alchemy guild, they were told the guild could help build the alchemy arrays, but the waiting time is nearly two months. This is due to the 2,000 ships requiring alchemy circles to be drawn, as they are essential for defending the island during the beast tide expected to arrive in a week.
The battle puppets can also offer support during critical moments, helping to save their lives, as they have witnessed the puppets skillfully fighting and easily subduing a fellow captain with their techniques.
The auction house has announced that they will accept monster cores as currency, which sent the ship captain into a hunting frenzy.
To earn more monster cores and meat, various captains have once again left the island domain to hunt the monsters gathering in the nearby waters. This has made ocean monster meat abundant and cheap, allowing many cowardly captains who avoid hunting to take advantage and improve their body stats.
Under the guidance of the island lord, the merchant guild has begun regulating the prices of monster meat and other essential items. They have also started selling a basic cultivation method that allows practitioners to absorb monster meat daily to boost their stats. This initiative has helped clear the excess stock of meat regularly.
Max and Sophia were both asked to manage the auction after Iris noticed how popular Max had become, especially with the captains who frequently visited to thank him. She decided to make them the auctioneers, giving them a chance to stand on stage and enjoy even more of the spotlight.
Max initially refused, but after repeated pestering and blackmailing from Iris, he reluctantly agreed. Sophia, on the other hand, was shy to agree at first, but when Iris asked for her help as a friend, she happily agreed, which made Iris very happy.