Ray nodded. "I will make one for you later when my soul cultivation increases. But Grandmother—earlier I said no to Grandfather. Would you be willing to do business with my new idea?"
Brenda asked, "What kind of business are you talking about, Ray? I already have my hands full with my alchemy business and also taking care of your grandfather's formation business."
"I was planning on starting a clothing business—for both ladies and gentlemen. It seems I'll have to find someone else for it. I also have another idea, which involves men and women who are more agile and strong at playing games. It's a new concept I wanted to create." Said Ray.
In Ray's mind, he wanted to create clothes that were incredibly comfortable to wear and sports for his future social media. But it seemed like it would take time.
"You know, your grandma may not be able to help directly. But I have something others don't—and that is a huge network of connections," said Brenda.
"Mother says she has good connections. Is that because of you, Grandma?" asked Ray.
"Clever. I have more than just connections. I have access to all kinds of information. You can always come and ask your grandma," said Brenda.
"Well then, for now, I need to find people who can sew. That will help me with the clothing." Replied Ray.
Brenda shook her head and said, "It's difficult to find people who can sew. Usually, they are already taken by brands or bigger families. They have their own personal tailors, and shops will never give you the chance to take theirs."
Ray then said, "Then we can just find new people and train them?"
Brenda again said, "People here are not that humble to teach others. They want to keep their jobs and don't want others to take over."
Ray sighed and said, "It's not that big of a trouble. What about the people I need for the events I want to organize?"
Brenda said, "Ray, that's not too hard to find—if you give good offers to people. But I can't guarantee their loyalty. For the right payments, they'll stay, but if someone offers more, they'll leave. Finding loyal people is hard."
Ray nodded and thought, It seems I need to find and create my own team of people who will be loyal to me.
Brenda then gave a glare at Diana, then looked back at Ray and said, "It seems Diana hasn't taught you about the continent we are living in. The continent we live on is called Elarion. There are three kingdoms, one valley, four sects, and one village."
"We are competing with others to become the strongest kingdom."
Currently, there is only one valley—the Ice Valley. Only magicians who possess ice affinity are allowed there.
Then there is a village called Barbarian Village. They are a bit barbaric and depend solely on cultivating physical strength. They only focus on physique cultivation.
After that, there are four sects that specialize in talismans, formations, alchemy, and blacksmithing. They are called the Fire Alchemy Sect, the Water Formation Sect, the Earth Blacksmith Sect, and finally, the Air Talisman Sect. These four form an alliance known as the Four Elemental Sects.
Finally, the three kingdoms—these are the places where all types of cultivators coexist: magicians, fighters, alchemists, formation masters, and more. The three kingdoms are Richard Kingdom, Ashbourne Kingdom, and finally, Ironholt Kingdom.
Besides them, there is an academy that was created by a union of all the kingdoms, sects, the valley, and the village. The purpose is to help children grow and learn based on their individual talents.
"Your grandmother is a strong alchemist. Therefore, I am the leader of the alchemy section in the academy."
Grandmother told him about the surroundings and began to brag about her position as an alchemist.
But then Brenda added, "Now you need to learn more about our kingdom. There is the royal king—whom you've already met. Below him are the princes and princesses, who are all fighting to become the next ruler once the king retires. After the royals, there are four dukes. Below the dukes are eight marquesses. Then come sixteen counts. After that, thirty-two viscounts, and finally sixty-four barons."
"Each duke has two marquesses, four counts, eight viscounts, and sixteen barons under their command. You need to learn about their backgrounds. You must know which ones are your allies. Clearly, your Walker family is not on good terms with the Montclair family. You need to understand which noble families support yours—and which are your enemies."
"Now, I don't believe my daughter has neglected to teach you about cultivation and other such concepts. And I heard you like reading books. You'd better start reading some history books about our continent."
After their conversation about hiring people, Brenda explained the kingdoms, the village, the valley, and the sects in Elarion. Finally, she detailed the structure of the kingdom Ray lived in. Ray nodded, then bid farewell to his grandmother and made his way to Diana's courtyard in the Spencer family estate.
Ray looked at Diana and asked, "Is there a chance you'll allow me to travel on my own—to find some talented people to work for me?"
Diana smiled and said, "No."
Ray replied knowingly, "I knew you would say that. What about you coming with me but staying 500 meters away from me?"
Diana, shaking her head, said, "No. You'll only be allowed to travel when you break through to the Iron Stage of soul cultivation."
Ray nodded and accepted it. He also thought to himself that he needed to improve his soul cultivation in order to increase the number of wristwatches he could make. He also needed to grow stronger to upgrade his matrix and help himself in many different ways in the future.
Ray and Diana stayed in the courtyard for a few hours, training in formations for a while. After a while, they were called for lunch with the family.
During lunch, the younger generation was invited to showcase their talents in swordsmanship and magic-based fighting techniques. They all displayed their abilities—some excelled in swordsmanship, some in alchemy, but most demonstrated formation skills, given that they came from a formation-focused family.
Ray showed his rune skills half-heartedly, but he couldn't make them as refined as Alice's. He also demonstrated some swordsmanship, then quietly stepped aside.
Afterward, they had lunch and discussed future plans for the younger generation. They also spoke about formation-related topics concerning their shop. Eventually, everyone bid their farewells.
Diana and Ray also said their goodbyes and returned to their home.