Inside the office, Draco held a scrying mirror.
The image displayed on it was exactly the group from the Ogre Tribe.
Shuna was also by his side at this time, her face filled with worry.
"Lord Draco, my father and the others..."
"Don't worry, your father and the others will be fine. You'll be able to see them this afternoon."
Shuna nodded upon hearing this. Over these past few days, she had become well-acquainted with everyone in Nazarick.
She also knew that Draco bore her no ill will; on the contrary, he had taken good care of her.
Now, hearing Draco's words, she was naturally much more at ease.
Draco continued to observe the images in the mirror, and then he spotted a sneaky figure.
A demon wearing a crow mask.
"Gelmud? Why would he appear here?"
Draco's brow furrowed slightly.
Logically, at this time, Gelmud should be naming people all over the forest and causing trouble everywhere.
Not only that, but Draco also spotted Miss Shizu and the Lucky Trio not far away.
And there were also some unfamiliar faces, seemingly adventurers from the countries surrounding the forest.
"How did they all end up together?"
Draco shook his head. "Forget it, I'll just deal with them all together then."
...Nazarick Entrance.
Draco walked out, bringing Albedo, Shalltear, Shuna, and Mare with him.
"It's still early. Let's go see how the city construction is progressing first."
The four followed Draco toward the plains.
At this moment, many building clusters had already been erected on the plains, and the outline of a small city had begun to take shape.
What was currently being built was the inner city area.
The outer city was divided into four districts, intended for trade, industry, housing, and entertainment respectively.
However, it was currently still in the pending implementation stage.
Although the houses in the inner city were well-built, the interiors of the houses were completely empty.
Moreover, aside from the construction personnel, the city was deserted and quiet, like a ghost town.
Draco realized where the problem lay.
The original intention of building the city was to deceive others and hide the true Nazarick.
A city without residents wouldn't do; he had to find a way to get some people.
"It seems I can only make a move on the other races in the forest..."
Draco mused, beginning to think about which race would be most suitable to target.
Just then, Aura noticed the arrival of Draco's group.
She immediately came forward to greet them. "Lord Draco."
"Ah! Mare is here too."
"Sister."
The two siblings exchanged a simple greeting.
However, when Aura saw Shalltear, she gave a light hmph.
A cross-shaped vein popped on Shalltear's forehead; clearly, the two were ready to start bickering again.
Seeing this, Draco directly interrupted their pre-cast animation.
"It seems progress has been very smooth these past few days."
"Yes, my Lord. The inner city will be finished in a few more days."
"Take me inside to have a look."
"Certainly, my Lord."
Aura led Draco and the others inside.
The roads within the city were very level, with greenery and flowers planted along both sides.
The sewers he had Aura build were also perfectly completed.
Water pipes had been laid underground in advance; those were the pipes intended for supplying tap water in the future.
Draco had used 'Message' to instill all the architectural knowledge he knew from his previous life into Aura.
This caused her talent in architecture to advance by leaps and bounds.
Aura did not disappoint Draco's expectations; the city construction was perfect.
The group crossed several streets and arrived at a massive plaza within the city.
There was a small fountain in the center of the plaza, which looked quite beautiful.
And at the end of this plaza was a five- or six-story tall white pavilion.
That was the inner city's Council Hall.
Having looked around, Draco was quite satisfied.
Aside from the windows of all the houses lacking glass panes, everything else was quite good.
Stepping into the Council Hall, it could be described as having nothing but four bare walls.
Although Draco could use gold coins to buy furniture and such from the system for decoration,
he wouldn't feel bad about his own people using such exquisite furniture, but it would be too wasteful for outsiders.
The reason the Demon Lord's Jura Tempest Federation could be built so smoothly was thanks to the skills of the three Dwarf brothers.
Draco didn't have that kind of technical talent.
This kind of technology wasn't something only the Dwarf Kingdom possessed.
In the human world, there were also many craftsmen who could make glass, create handicrafts, and decorate rooms.
"Albedo, I need craftsmen who can make handicrafts and glass, as well as carpenters who can make furniture."
"Notify Sebas and have him go to the human world with Solution to bring such people back for me."
"Master, are they to go to the Eastern Empire to find people?"
"No, head for the Kingdom of Falmes—it's safer."
"Have Sebas take these coins; they'll be useful in the city."
"Understood."
Albedo took the pouch of gold and turned to leave.
"By the way, Shuna, you can weave as well, can't you?"
"Yes, my lord. The village's clothes used to be woven by me."
"Good. Then keep teaching magic in the mornings, and teach weaving in the afternoons."
Soon the city will have plenty of residents—feeding them will be another issue."
"So, while preparing breakfast, lunch, and dinner, teach cooking as well."
Shuna suddenly felt the weight on her shoulders growing heavier.
But in the end she agreed. "A-all right."
"Much appreciated."
After that, Draco gave the council hall a quick tidy-up.
Guests would arrive shortly; he couldn't afford to be discourteous.
Once everything was ready, Draco told Aura to withdraw the still-laboring subordinates.
The top floor of the council hall had a huge floor-to-ceiling window.
Draco stood before it, gazing at the distant horizon while quietly awaiting his visitors. Meanwhile, Miss Shizu, Eren, and their two companions were stealthily trailing the Ogre party.
"Big bro, are we just going to keep following like this?"
Kidd asked the captain, Kabaru, who walked ahead.
"What else? Thanks to the ogres we could cross Minotaur territory at all."
"When we find the culprit, we'll watch the show from the shadows."
"After all, our mission is only to gather intel."
Kidd nodded in agreement.
Eren chimed in, "Lots of unfamiliar adventurers have shown up lately—better stay alert."
"With Miss Shizu here, what's there to fear?"
"..."
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