Novel Full Chapter 397. Creating a New District Overnight - 1
Chapter 397: 397. Creating a New District Overnight - 1
"They believe that I can help them escape their suffering," William said as he looked out toward the countless people gathered outside. "If I truly have the ability to do that, then why shouldn’t I?"
Dereck let out a long sigh and shook his head.
"You still don’t understand the scale of the problem we are facing," he replied.
"To properly settle all of these people, we would need land, shelters, food supplies, clean water, medical facilities, and administrative support. If there were only a few hundred refugees, perhaps we could have managed something. However, from what I can see, there are nearly ten thousand people gathered here. That includes men, women, children, and the elderly."
William turned his gaze toward him. "What is the population of the imperial capital?"
Dereck answered without hesitation. "A few million people."
William blinked. "Then adding ten thousand more shouldn’t be a major problem."
"That isn’t how it works," Dereck said. "Most immigrants who arrive with absolutely nothing struggle to survive. Without money, employment, or a place to stay, many of them eventually perish. Cities are not as welcoming as they appear from the outside."
At that point, William raised a hand and rubbed his forehead. "Do you think the Imperial Treasury can absorb the burden of supporting this many people?"
"For a short period, perhaps," Dereck replied carefully. "But even then, there are immediate concerns that need to be addressed first."
"What concerns?"
"Food, shelter, water, medicine, sanitation, security, and countless administrative arrangements. If we truly intend to integrate these people into the capital, then an entirely new district would need to be developed. Roads would need to be built, water lines extended, housing constructed, and everything connected to the city’s existing infrastructure."
William remained silent as he listened.
"We can distribute food temporarily," Dereck continued, "but what about everything else? You cannot simply create a city from nothing in a single night. We are not dwarves, after all."
William raised an eyebrow.
"What do dwarves do?"
"They are exceptional earth mages. Most dwarves possess a natural affinity for earth magic, and over countless generations they have developed entire spell systems around construction and architecture. When enough of them work together, they can reshape mountains, carve roads, and construct entire cities in astonishingly short periods of time."
A look of genuine interest appeared on William’s face.
"Then what prevents humans from doing the same thing?"
Dereck thought for a moment before answering.
"There are several reasons. First, humans have far fewer people with earthly affinity. Second, our societies are fragmented. Human mages belong to different noble houses, guilds, factions, and kingdoms. Cooperation between them on a large scale seen among dwarves is extremely rare."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"The dwarves also possess centuries of specialized construction spells that humans simply do not have. Even when a human earth mage is talented, they lack the techniques necessary to fully utilize their affinity."
William nodded thoughtfully.
"I see."
After a brief silence, he asked another question.
"How long will it take for this caravan to reach the capital?"
"Under normal circumstances, perhaps three days," Dereck replied. "But with this many people moving together, the journey will likely take around five days."
William leaned back against his seat.
For several moments, he remained silent while his thoughts raced.
He slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"If I possess strength and ability capable of overthrowing empires," he murmured, "yet I cannot accomplish what others consider unthinkable for the sake of my people, then what value does that strength truly have?"
Dereck shook his head once more. In his mind, William was still struggling to comprehend the reality of the situation.
What he did not know was that William had already begun making preparations.
Inside his mind, he spoke to Orion.
"Orion, I want to purchase tents and food supplies for all ten thousand refugees during the journey. How much will it cost?"
A moment later, the familiar system notification appeared.
[Host, since these are ordinary mortal supplies, providing support for ten thousand people will cost approximately 6 SP per person.]
[Total Cost: 60,000 SP]
[The supplies include tents, one week of food provisions, blankets, and warm clothing.]
William nodded.
"Go ahead with the purchase. Store everything inside a storage ring."
[Storage ring of sufficient capacity detected.]
[Cost: 1,000 SP]
"That’s fine."
At his current level of wealth, the amount was so insignificant that he barely considered it.
He possessed billions of SP. Spending sixty-one thousand felt no different from tossing a coin into a fountain.
[Ding! Purchase Successful.]
A moment later, a silver storage ring materialized in William’s palm. Without hesitation, he handed it to Dereck.
"You can consider the storage ring itself a gift."
Dereck accepted it with confusion. However, the moment he examined its contents, his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
"What the hell?"
He stared at William in disbelief. "Are you secretly the creator of the universe or something?"
William laughed. "No. Stop making ridiculous jokes."
Dereck continued staring at him. Inside the ring were enough supplies to support an entire refugee population for the next five days of travel; literally, half of Derek’s concerns were solved instantly.
He could not understand how a single person had casually produced such an enormous quantity of resources merely by sitting in a carriage and thinking about it.
Under normal circumstances, he would have shouted loud enough for the entire caravan to hear.
Fortunately, the Mark of Destiny continued to exert its subtle influence, calming his emotions and preventing him from revealing William’s secrets to everyone around them.
William simply smiled and shook his head.
Then he reached forward and pushed open the carriage door.
"Wait."
Dereck suddenly looked up. "Where are you going?"
William glanced back over his shoulder. A confident smile appeared on his face.
"To build a city overnight."
For several seconds, silence filled the carriage. Dereck stared at him as if he had just heard the most absurd statement imaginable.
Yet strangely enough, after everything he had witnessed so far, he found himself unable to dismiss the possibility entirely.
Somehow, he had the feeling that another impossible legend was about to become reality.
The next moment, William stepped out of the carriage and shot into the sky.
Within seconds, he vanished beyond the horizon.
His speed was so overwhelming that the surrounding clouds seemed frozen in comparison.
A short while later, he arrived above the Imperial Capital.
The sprawling capital city of Dawnhold Province stretched across the landscape beneath him.
William did not waste any time.
His first destination was the Imperial Palace.
Before anything else could begin, he needed the cooperation of the Empire’s leadership.
Moments later, he met with Anastasia and immediately requested her to convene an emergency cabinet meeting.
If he were going to create a city overnight, then the entire empire would soon need to prepare for what came next.