After dozens of days of travel from the Imperial City, Louis finally arrived at the island he was supposed to rule, together with his convoy, late in the evening.
But what welcomed them was a land with no life.
There was not even a harbor for the ships to dock, which forced them to circle the island several times before choosing a place to stop.
As for the road leading to the center of the island, it could be called anything except a road.
"What a backward place," one of the knights muttered while looking at the scene.
Louis did not answer. He slowly stepped down from his carriage and began to examine his surroundings.
Dry land, broken and lifeless, with barely any grass — the place was truly desolate.
But Louis did not care. He was completely confident that this land would become a rising arrow in the future. Using his knowledge of the tower stages, he could develop it faster than anyone else.
As long as someone developed it, it would surely become rich land.
"This place will sooner or later become the richest island in the Stormy Sea," Louis whispered, as if making a promise to himself.
Without wasting time, he immediately began giving the first development orders.
"First, ignore those ruined huts and set up temporary tents. Once we choose a residential area, we will start building houses using wood that I will personally buy from the system shop."
"Also, search for water sources near the river to make sure we have usable water for daily life."
"Make sure to clear an open space and build a simple training ground. Knights must not neglect their training."
"Tatsumaki and Psykos, use your psychic powers to move any waste or trash to the edges of the island."
"Hah? Do I have to work too?" Tatsumaki replied angrily.
Louis gave her a single look, making it clear that arguing was not allowed here.
Not only them, but everyone else also joined the work to finish things quickly before darkness fully fell.
The island's citizens looked at their new ruler and at these people who could fly and lift rocks weighing hundreds of kilograms with ease, completely stunned.
As the new ruler of the island, Louis had to personally check the condition of the land before making the next development plan.
But compared to the land's potential value, the current reality was extremely harsh.
Looking around, aside from the lord's mansion, all he saw was total ruin: stagnant pools of water mixed with rotten mud, and air filled with a damp, foul smell.
Primitive wooden huts and houses made of mud and straw leaned dangerously, as if they could collapse at any moment.
Most of the residents were elderly people, women, and weak children. They were thin and frail, wearing patched clothes that barely protected them from the cold sea wind.
From their appearance, it was clear they did not even have enough World Points to feed themselves.
It also seemed impossible for them to clear even a single stage of the tower's safe zone.
"Was this place even managed by anyone before?" Louis frowned.
"The temporary manager ran away a long time ago," one of the residents replied.
Several thin, small children were hiding behind a door, their cheeks red from the cold. They hid their weak bodies in the shadows while watching Louis and his companions.
Their eyes were full of fear and distrust toward the strangers.
They were not yet sixteen years old, so they had not experienced the cruelty of the tower stages or the danger of its missions.
Louis thought for a moment, then took out some dried food from his system storage — the same supplies that the Calvin family had given him before quickly expelling him. He had stored them carefully to avoid spoilage or theft.
He stepped forward, knelt down, and held out the food to them.
"Take it and eat."
The children kept staring at him suspiciously and did not dare to move, as if they feared it was a trap.
But the smell of the dried food was tempting, making them swallow their saliva.
"Eat," Louis said calmly.
In the end, the children could not resist anymore. They grabbed the food from his hand and began to eat greedily.
Louis remembered how, when he first manifested in this world, he saw nobles in the empire feeding their dogs the finest meat.
Meanwhile, here, children had to hide even a single piece of dried food.
Suddenly, Louis felt an opportunity — an opportunity to use the situation of these people to develop the island.
It was not that he felt no pity for them, but he was not a charity organization either. Anyone who wanted a decent life on this island would have to work and obey.
He did not expect too much. His knights would need to strengthen themselves through the plans he would set for the safe worlds, while he focused on the main stages.
As for those he had summoned, besides the need to speed up the work, they would also have to grow stronger through training in the future.
These people would be the ones to develop the island and receive support when necessary.
He swept his gaze over the hungry and freezing residents and announced loudly:
"I will give you food and shelter. I will let you live. But this is not free. Everyone must sign a loyalty contract so I can trust you and make sure my secrets are not leaked. Then, you must work. Only work will save you."
The residents exchanged looks, their eyes dull and numb.
They had suffered too much and lost trust in everyone. Even the previous official, claiming he was collecting donations to develop the island, had stolen all their World Points and left them to hunger and cold.
But when they looked at the children who had just received food, they finally nodded.
"Let's try. It can't be worse than this."
*** ***
As the days passed, Louis managed—through his investments and the hard work of his soldiers and the island's residents—to build a temporary infrastructure and secure basic food and clothing for everyone.
However, this investment left him almost broke, as his world points dropped from thousands to less than 100 points.
Louis sighed, but he knew this was necessary to prevent unrest among the citizens.
Now, he decided to take an additional step to spread greater fear and authority among the people, whose number did not exceed 3,000.
In a wide square at the center of the island, while everyone was watching, Louis finally confirmed the summoning of both Beru and Igris.
At last, before everyone's eyes, two figures appeared:
A giant ant-like creature with a sharp, muscular build. Its outer skin was shiny black, like natural armor. It had sharp-edged transparent wings, long deadly claws, and an insect head with multiple eyes glowing with brutality. Its presence combined savagery and speed, making anyone who saw it feel that it was a predator born to kill and dominate.
And a tall knight wearing polished dark black armor that radiated authority. Faint red lines ran through the armor, as if glowing from within. His full helmet completely hid his face, with only a cold red light shining from his eyes. He carried a long, broad sword that spread fear and discipline wherever he stood.
At the same moment, before Louis could react, both Igris and Beru suddenly bowed.
"My king!!" Beru said, his voice filled with both authority and absolute loyalty.
This display achieved its purpose. Everyone present was stunned—this was the first summoning they had ever witnessed in their entire lives.
But Louis did not stop there. This summoning alone was not enough to prove the strength and value of Igris and Beru, except to those who already knew them.
Seeing the confused expressions on everyone's faces, wondering which world these two had been summoned from, Louis spoke while looking at one man:
"Boros, you have complained for a long time about not having a worthy opponent. What do you say to a friendly match here, to decide which of you is stronger—you or Beru?"
For the first time in a long while, Boros felt excitement.
"Of course. My bones were almost rusting from training alone. Let's do it."
Louis then looked at Beru. Beru's eyes shone with a terrifying red light as he watched Boros step into the arena.
At that moment, everyone held their breath.
Even though some of them recognized Boros from the world of One Punch and wondered why he was here, they chose to focus entirely on this friendly duel.