Alice the Evil – [ダークファンタジー異世界]

"HAHAHAHAHA THIS IS TRULY VERY INTERESTING!!!!"

Alice fell silent after speaking rather loudly and went back to enjoying nature. Today was supposed to be Alice's last day off because it was also Boo's last day conducting Operation: Dornen.

Operation: Dornen was an operation aimed at taking over all the cult strongholds throughout Marquess Reinhard's territory, led by one of Alice's servants, Boo.

There was a reason why Alice was so aggressive and offensive towards the cult, even though they hadn't attacked Alice or her subordinates first. It wasn't due to differences in ideology, goals, or anything like that, but because Alice considered the cult a potential threat to her plans.

Moreover, after defeating members of the cult, Alice became increasingly convinced that the cult needed to be closely monitored, and she still hadn't discovered if there were any other underground organizations in this world besides the cult.

Suddenly, Alice remembered a conspiracy from the previous world.

"I suddenly remembered the conspiracy about the Rothschild family. Is there something like that in this world too?" Alice muttered.

Alice didn't deny that such a possibility existed, and she had to be ready for any problems and challenges ahead. Furthermore, Alice knew there were powerful entities still watching her, whether gods or goddesses.

This convinced Alice even more that she needed to increase the number of followers worshipping her to boost her power and perhaps one day summon all her servants.

"This world is truly a mystery. My being here might be a miracle."

"Supposedly, after Operation: Dornen, the entire Marquess Reinhard's territory will be indirectly controlled by Azaroth."

"Fortunately, I also infused magic, and Clarissa added a parasite to Ronald, the son of Marquess Reinhard, to ensure he would be subservient to Azaroth and his intelligence would increase."

Several Ancient Liches accompanying Alice didn't dare interrupt her words, even though she was talking to herself, as it would be very impolite.

"If the cult is as large as I imagine, the invasion of all their strongholds in Marquess Reinhard's territory should be just a minor nuisance."

"Yeah, underestimating is a step to prevent unnecessary failure."

"Ahh... Vacationing for a few days feels so good."

"If only this world wasn't dangerous, I might just stay and relax all day."

"But this world is quite dangerous, and many entities might not want my presence."

While Alice was busy pondering and talking to herself, Exypno suddenly contacted Alice using [Telepath].

[Telepath]

"Alice-sama."

"Exypno, is that you?"

"Yes, I am here to report that the construction of Azulon City began a day ago, and the progress already looks promising."

"Oh? In that case, I will head there immediately."

"All right, I will await your arrival, Alice-sama."

[Telepath End]

=======================

Azulon City, Central Abyssal Forest, West Continent, 14:00.

Azulon City was one of the results of a meeting between Alice and her six Servants: Arina, Alicia, Aether, Aurelle, Boo, and Exypno. This city was intended to be a gathering place for all races in the Abyssal Forest that Alice would conquer.

This was certainly not done without reason. The main reason was to make it easier to protect all these races. Alice was someone who did not want to experience the loss of followers due to death, so Azulon City was the solution.

On the other hand, Azulon City could be a place to start harmonious relations between all races in the Abyssal Forest. Alice did not want any bloodshed among her worshippers, as that would only result in losses for herself.

According to Exypno's plan, the initial area of Azulon City was about 121.7 KM² and could grow larger if the population increased. For now, Alice was not interested in establishing a kingdom or similar entity because it was not yet necessary.

Another reason for building Azulon City was propaganda. According to Exypno's plan, approved by Alice, Azulon City was a propaganda tool showing that those who worshipped Alice would find peace, which would be evident in Azulon City. Another piece of propaganda was that if a war occurred, military parades or parades of prisoners of war would be held in the center of Azulon City.

One could say glorification was another goal.

The government system of Azulon City would be a council system. Each race would have its representative in the government of Azulon City to express their opinions and aspirations. However, Azaroth would be the party that approved or rejected the aspirations of the racial representatives.

According to Alice, this was the ideal government system for now, with Azaroth maintaining control while the racial representatives only conveyed their opinions and aspirations.

Until the harvest season arrived, all temporary food logistics would be handled by Azaroth. In Azulon City, there would also be several teleportation circles connecting the original villages of the races in the Abyssal Forest with Azulon City to shorten transportation.

Azulon City was located in a lowland area, with a series of beautiful hills to the west and south, and a large lake to the north. When Alice used Tier S+ Magic: Hydrogen Explosion, she also used a lot of metamagic to minimize the risk of severe environmental damage.

Fortunately, many living creatures in the lake could still live peacefully. However, the explosion also exterminated some weak races that died from the powerful shockwave.

The magic also exploded in the air, minimizing damage, though many animals died and trees fell due to the shockwave. This, of course, caused damage to the food chain, leading to a food crisis for many races living in the Abyssal Forest.

Fortunately, all the damage had been resolved by Aether with the help of many items from Azaroth.

Currently, Alice was on a hill with Exypno, accompanied by several high-level undead guarding her. These high-level undead included Royal Lich Assassins and Royal Lich Magicians.

Their strength was said to surpass that of the Ancient Lich, but their intelligence was far below the Ancient Lich. They were only skilled in combat, warfare, and escort duties. Each group consisted of seven members, totaling fourteen.

"This is Azulon City, Alice-sama."

Alice then gazed at Azulon City, which was still under construction. There were many people, including undead, demons, golems, monsters, orcs, goblins, and many other races, working together to build Azulon City. From the hill, Alice could already see many building foundations being laid in Azulon City.

Even though it had only been one day, it was certainly impressive. And it truly made Alice very impressed.

"Hahaha, Exypno, I really can't doubt you anymore."

"Thank you, Alice-sama. As you can see, all the races conquered in Operation: Azaroth Awakening are now working together to build Azulon City, along with many undead, golems, monsters, and demons from Azaroth."

"I see. Are they getting along?"

"Initially, no, but we managed to make them get along, and over time, they should become very harmonious since they all worship the same goddess, Alice-sama."

"I understand. Have you prepared all the detailed city plans? Such as sanitation systems, waste management, and so on?"

"Of course, Alice-sama. Since this will eventually become the capital of the world, we must make Azulon City as perfect as possible."

"I agree with that. By the way, do the races of the Abyssal Forest have the motivation to build the city?"

"Alice-sama need not worry about that. We promised food stability if they work to build Azulon City."

"How long will it take to complete the city?"

"To be fully completed, it might take about 1-2 years, but it will be inhabitable in just about 1 month."

"One month, huh... Do we have enough resources for this city?"

"Yes, thanks to Alice-sama's hard work, we have enough resources, including stone, cement, wood, sand, and more."

"I see..."

Suddenly, Alice remembered before her reincarnation, when she used to play the game Monsterland and sometimes her PC would be on for 24 hours even if she wasn't using it. This was because Alice was using some sneaky tricks with an auto clicker to gather resources non-stop.

This was also the reason why the resources stored in Azaroth were abundant.

"And what about the city's concept?"

"Yes, everything has been meticulously planned according to Alice-sama's orders. Aether and I discussed the concept of Azulon City for a long time. I will manage the city's layout, sanitation system, waste system, banking, various public facilities, and more, while Aether will handle agriculture, livestock, water sources, and recreational systems such as city parks."

"Oh, I see..."

Alice was quite surprised that Exypno and Aether could design the city in such detail. Alice even had a slight suspicion that Exypno and Aether might be reincarnated architects, though, of course, that was impossible.

"Then, we will use a new currency in Azulon City. I will personally manage this currency, including its circulation system. I have already named the currency, but if Alice-sama wants to change the name, that is no problem."

"Interesting. What is the currency?"

"Yes, I have also studied the currency in this world, which is still very primitive, using gold coins, copper, and so on. Our currency will be called Azer. To produce this currency, we need mid-to-high-quality paper obtained from Monsterland."

"Oh... What kind of tree is that?"

"The type of tree is the Aislacca tree."

"Oh, that tree. Don't we have many seeds of that tree? Can it be planted in this world?"

"Yes, I tried it yesterday, using an item to speed up growth, and the tree can be planted in this world without any issues, producing the same quality paper."

"I see, good. What about job opportunities?"

"Aether and I will set a minimum wage standard for each worker, and everyone capable of working will be required to do so to sustain themselves."

"Good detail. Then who will be the leader of this city? Has that been decided?"

"Not yet, I am still discussing it with Aether, but the best candidate is Lilith, one of the seven demon commanders.

"Oh, her."

"And what about the market and its goods?"

"It will be the main place for transactions using Azer currency, where various food needs can be purchased."

"I mean the availability of goods in the market."

"For now, we will sell various foods from Azaroth. They will also receive free lunch and wages after working all day on construction. These wages will be in Azer currency, which can be spent on food and drink needs."

"I see... Are there plans for innovation development or small industries? I don't want industries that pollute the environment."

"According to the initial plan, industries will sell many supplies such as clothing, furniture, books, personal hygiene items like soap, and many others."

(Damn! I can't find any flaws!)

Alice was slightly annoyed because Exypno's plan was quite perfect, leaving her with no room to suggest anything to him.

"Does Alice-sama have any suggestions?"

"No, just continue with Azulon City."

"Alright, Alice-sama. I will accompany you."

(The city government system, all city infrastructure, all city needs like water, food, sanitation, waste management, banking, market, industry—everything has been thought out. Now, about security... Oh yes, I haven't asked about the city's security.)

"What about the city's security?"

"I have been waiting for Alice-sama to ask about this, so I will now outline the city's security, its punishment system, and crime management."

"For external defense, the city will be protected by a five-layer shield created from Mythical Items owned by Azaroth. This shield is quite similar to the one used by Azaroth."

(What!!!!??? Mythical Items!!!??? I did permit them to use Azaroth's treasures for very important purposes, but I slightly regret saying that.)

(Anyway, I must focus.)

"This shield is impenetrable, even by a group of people with level 150, and can only be breached by a God Item."

"Continue."

"For defense, we have deployed around 15,000 soldiers consisting of high-level undead and demons with levels ranging from 120 to 145."

"For now, all these soldiers are working on construction tasks."

"Then, every 40 meters there will be an undead patrolling and will immediately apprehend anyone committing a crime."

"If there are spies, we will interrogate them forcefully and hang them in the streets as a warning to other spies."

"Although we have sufficient capability to catch spies, we need them to spread information about Azulon."

"I see. All right, what will be done with prisoners of war if a war occurs?"

"If there is no agreement, we will make them low-paid workers to assist with various construction or industrial tasks."

"Good... What about the legal system here?"

"We will distinguish the types of offenses committed by Alice-sama's worshippers and non-worshippers."

"If it is a worshipper of Alice-sama, they will undergo legal proceedings through a fair trial."

"If it is not a worshipper of Alice, they will be subjected to immediate severe punishment. If they kill Alice-sama's followers, the punishment will be far worse than death."

"In other special cases, if the person is an important figure from the enemy side, they will still go through a trial, but it will be a kangaroo court."

"A kangaroo court, huh? It reminds me of the trials I read about in history books."

"What if there are foreigners who want to join the city?"

"It depends on their character. Initially, we will treat them as guests, and they will be able to move to the city after filling out some forms and receiving standard facilities. If they become worshippers of Alice-sama, they will receive better-advanced facilities and higher wages."

"If they display bad behavior or actions, we will not hesitate to kill or deport them."

In short, Alice and Exypno continued talking until the evening, with Alice also constantly observing Azulon City, especially the construction workers who were very orderly in their tasks.

At mealtime, they all took breaks, and no one continued working, the same during rest periods. Alice was quite impressed with the discipline of the construction workers, especially the races from Abyssal Forest.

[Telepath]

"Alice-sama!!!!"

"Boo?"

"Boo has completed Operation: Dornen! And acquired a lot of valuable information and spoils!"

"Good, then you can come to the throne room. I will also head there!"

"Alright!!! Boo really misses Alice-sama!!"

[Telepath end]