Alenda, Cronose Empire.
City Lord Manor, Living Quarters.
Arin suddenly stirred and woke up. He saw the doctors looking fearful after his awakening. He didn't know them; he had just completed his actuarial science professional qualification It's a professional qualification like A. C. C. A, US. CFA and landed a highly paying job. After coming home, he had simply gone to sleep.
But now he was in another world, in another body. He couldn't remember anything except a technology tree. He could see a blue tree, and after touching it, he could access and understand its knowledge.
"Your City Lord, Criss. It's good you're awake."
"Your City Lord..."
"Lord..." his butler constantly spoke, trying to rouse him.
He vaguely understood that he had been reborn into a body named Criss, the City Lord of Alenda. He noticed the 16th-century design of his surroundings.
"Mister Head Butler, please calm down," a doctor called out urgently.
"Please wait a minute, we need to examine him."
"Then do it! Why are you still standing there?"
Criss suddenly spoke, "Please wait, I need time, please wait. What intense pain!"
"Just do as you wish, silently," Criss said softly.
Eventually, everyone left except the butler and the military commander.
Elara's (the military commander's) loyalty stood at a chilling 70%. Theron's, or in other words, his butler who managed both him and the city, was a more reassuring 89%. As for the doctors and servants who had just left, most hovered around 30-45%. An "acceptable salary" indeed. He could almost run the numbers in his head: the cost of betrayal versus the perceived benefit. A terrifyingly pragmatic insight. He realized this wasn't just a fantasy trope; it was a complex economic and social system, ripe for exploitation by those with the right information.
Of course, if someone offered them money, some of them could easily switch sides.
"My Lord, can you remember anything?" His butler asked, his face expressionless.
"Not much, but I think... Damn it... What a headache..." Criss tried to speak, but his headache wouldn't subside.
"It's alright, Master Criss. We have plenty of time for that. Please rest a bit. Let me send the doctors here," his military commander said hurriedly.
"No, it's all right. It's just a small headache," Criss quickly replied.
"The main thing isn't my pain. There's something else I need to tell you. I traveled to a world where there are no superpowers, no abnormal things, or other races like humans, elves, medics, dwarfs, dragons, etc., which we have here. That world has normal people like us... they don't have any superhumans like in our civilization. But their technology is beyond our common sense," Criss told them.
"Now, can you tell me what kind of technology they have that can destroy an entire city in the blink of an eye?" Criss asked them, describing the technology level of his previous world.
Elara and his butler could easily understand that. Because in this world, there are abnormal creatures and strange phenomena, much like an SCP world. Just like concrete statues that can move and kill you if you don't continuously stare at them, or a shy man who tries everything to kill you if you see him.
But they never knew that someone could travel their soul from one place to another without using their body.
"My Lord, if that's true, then it's a heaven for mortals," his butler said thoughtfully.
"Your Majesty, if we had the power to destroy a city, we wouldn't have to fear others," Elara, his military commander, said quietly, imagining their own world.
"It sounds like this 'technology' could change everything for us," Theron, the butler, mused. "Imagine, My Lord, not having to worry about... them." He subtly gestured towards the outside, a common understanding of the dangerous creatures lurking beyond the city walls.
Elara nodded, her usual stoicism replaced with a flicker of awe. "A city unbreachable. A force no one could challenge. This changes the game, My Lord."
Criss, still wrestling with the fading headache and the dizzying reality of his new situation, found himself intrigued. "Yes, but this knowledge isn't just about destruction. It's about creation, efficiency, and understanding the very building blocks of the world. Imagine what we could build." He paused, a spark igniting in his eyes. "New ways to grow food, to heal the sick, to protect our people without constant fear."
Theron cleared his throat, bringing Criss back to the immediate present. "Speaking of our people, My Lord, there's a pressing matter regarding the city's finances."
Criss braced himself. This was familiar territory, even in a new world. "Go on, Theron."
"The recent imperial decree regarding taxes, My Lord," Theron continued, his voice neutral. "It's been... adjusted."
Elara's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
"How so?" Criss asked, a knot forming in his stomach.
"The new levy for Alenda," Theron stated, his gaze unwavering, "is 2,000 gold coins. Up from the usual 1,000."