Several days of a seemingly constant supply of issues. Between ensuring the prosperity of the people, and the inevitable war we have to prepare for… The workload was obviously extensive. To add an extra layer of annoyance to the list of issues, was the strain on our resources.
"It doesn't seem like we will suffer too much in the way of high end resources at any time. But this…" I said, finally taking a look at the actual situation of our cave heaven's coffers. "With low end resources being like this, we really may have trouble in an outstretched war. It's already been a million years long… But with a situation like this we won't be able to train the subsequent generations properly. And thus be entirely reliant on luck." I grumbled, as I took note of the resource usage logs, as well as our production logs. It wasn't going to be pretty if it were to be left as is.
"What if we increased the taxes…" One Manager started to suggest then realized I had already accounted for that measure and deemed it impossible for the moment. "Right, I forgot that Young Master already explained that was impossible at the moment." She slumped shyly.
"No worries, this is not an easy issue to solve. Fortunately, the new cities we have invested in… While expensive, they will reap a naturally higher income for us due to us being the sole sponsor. Moreover, they are far more willing to give such an amount due to the generous investment… The other cities on the other hand… Even with the reputation of my High Heaven Palace, it won't be enough to warrant such hikes." I said, explaining it for the third time in the last few days.
"What if we had the high ranks build cities in their small universe as well? We could fund it and take a small portion of the profits?" Another manager suggested.
I shook my head. "Aside from myself, that idea won't work. An open heaven realm's strength is directly tied to the purity and stability of their small universe. Taking anything out is generally not in their best interest. And we need them at full strength for the war anyway." I explained.
A long pause hung in the room, it was silent. This really wasn't an easy problem to solve. Nor was it possible to just wave my hand and fix it. By this point I had been contacting Star Boundary directly to see if she could come up with something, but even she was at a loss.
"This really is bad. It seems like I'm going to need to use that method already. Damn it. I was really hoping that you could bank on that as a final resort in case I can only manage to seal Ink once more…" I muttered after running billions of simulations in my mind. "Alright, if we don't do this, we will run out of spirit stones and saint crystals within the next 20 years…" I said, then paused for a moment as we were interrupted by one of the servants.
"Pardon the interruption Young Master, but there are four students here to meet with you. They say it is urgent and that it might be helpful to you in some way." The Servant explained with a reverent bow.
"Send them in here…" I said, and then a short moment later the four students, all of which were emperor realms, walked in. Each had an impressive aura that told me everything I needed to know. "Interesting. It seems the four of you have managed to create a similar effect to my very own lightning." I said with a relieved smile.
"Yes, Master. The four of us have managed to completely convert a source crystal into a great amount of Saint Qi, and returned it back to normal, and even changed it to Emperor Qi… Though that was quite difficult. We came here to demonstrate it for you and receive some guidance… Huh?" The Student spoke, and then caught a source crystal I threw to him.
"I want you to prove to me you can do it. Change that single crystal into its equivalent Saint Crystals. Do it, and I can give you a job right away. Matter of fact I will let you travel my small universe and pick up as many wives as you think you can handle." I said, giving him and the other three a significant degree of motivation.
What was shown to myself and the managers was simply a miracle in the making. I, of course, could do this. But such an ability to be in the hands of my students was nothing short of a game changer. The managers watched with great delight at the thought their problems could be resolved rather quickly. Though there was one issue… Well, a few rather.
"Fantastic. You four really pulled it off. That truly is fantastic. Now, I'm going to be appointing you four in a new position I'm creating. You'll be in charge of ensuring we never run out of Saint Crystals and Spirit Stones. We've been running low as of late, and with your help we won't have to worry as much." I said, watching as the faces of four newly grown men had their futures stabilized completely right before their very eyes. "The only problem is that there's only four of you. You'll be able to slow the decay of these resources but you won't do much in the long run… I really hope another 20 or so appear… I should instruct everyone again with this in mind." I lamented.
"Master, it's an honor to be appointed to such an important position. I know that with practice, we will get faster." One of my students declared.
"That's right, Master! With this power we will only get better. And if we take care of that other part of your reward… A whole nother generation with the prospect of such abilities will grow up under us." Another one of my students laughed.
"Hmm, I'm going to mark the four of you. Once you grow strong enough, you'll understand what the mark means." I said, with a flash of light appearing around the four of them. "Now, take care of business and go and get to work. You'll have a junior manager to coordinate with you and the other managers." I said, opening a portal to my small universe, the four jumped in, and in less than a breath, they came out with 5 wives each.