In Firefly Island, now Piltover, everything is developing step by step; although Orlan hasn't been here lately, before he left, he left behind a complete development plan, and as long as it is followed according to the schedule, nothing will go wrong.
The common citizens didn't feel much about this, after all, they hadn't seen the King many times before, and the identity of the King had always been mysterious and distant to them.
The people of Piltover knew that one person drove away the Pirates and the gangs, saved this Kingdom, and built all sorts of things on the island.
Even if they couldn't see Orlan, it didn't affect their lives.
But Brand's feeling was different; he was also a member of the Kingdom Army before, and although the past Royal Family of Firefly Island was terrible, these people would often travel out, and every now and then they could see the King putting on a show in front of the citizens.
Orlan, on the other hand, was good; after establishing the Kingdom, he presided over the general direction of development, and then disappeared, spending most of his time doing research in the laboratory.
Moreover, after treating Qingjiao's injuries, he left here with great peace of mind.
To be able to confidently let his daughter act as regent, and even hand over the intelligence and enforcement agencies to his friends to manage, Brand saw such a King for the first time.
On Orlan, he couldn't even see the usual Royal Family's greed for power.
In just a few months, the changes in Piltover were also very obvious; the main residential areas had been rebuilt, the roads between various towns had been renovated, and the old factories on the island were reopened, recruiting many workers.
During the sixteen years of the Pirates' rule, life on the island had always been very poor, and many citizens lived by bartering; it would take a considerable amount of time to restore the economy.
Fortunately, there were many places on the island that needed construction, providing them with ample job opportunities.
It was just that Brand didn't quite understand one thing; after Orlan restored factory production on the island, the main things being produced were steel pipes, gas cylinders, and assembly toys.
"Your Highness the Princess, this is today's situation summary; the Kingdom Police Force has completed training and can enter their posts for duty at any time.
The dry season is also approaching, and the construction of the dam can also be put on the agenda. Your Majesty Orlan? Have you finally returned?"
This time, the person in the hall was no longer Frankenstein, but the returned Orlan.
Seeing the King in the Royal Palace should be a very reasonable thing, but Brand actually felt it was somewhat rare.
"Don't look at me with such strange eyes; hasn't Piltover developed without any problems during this time?"
"That is true, but you are the King now, no matter how you look at it; if you calculate carefully, you have been away since the founding of the Kingdom much more than you have stayed here."
"Systems are always figured out through exploration; I think this model can be called the Monarch Offline System."
As everyone knows, in a chat group, the group owner might just be a tool person; whether they are online or not doesn't matter, as long as the administrators are conscientious and don't mess up, the group can be managed very well.
In a sense, Orlan was replicating a strange system; in simple terms, it was a system where the King could go wherever he wanted without restraint, and after leaving behind general guidelines and policies, he would hand everything over to reliable subordinates to do.
As leaders, it wasn't that they couldn't do it, nor that they lacked intelligence; they simply didn't want to waste time on such trivial matters. The territory was meant to serve them better, not to consume their energy.
This kind of political system sounds very fantastical in a normal world, but on this Sea, it is actually a mainstream approach, because this is an extraordinary world, and as the boss, as long as you can control absolute power, you can maintain stability.
Coupled with the assistance of those loyal followers, achieving this is really not difficult.
Of course, this management model is mostly applied in the Kingdoms of Pirates; traditional Royal Families still value power very much, so it can only be said that Orlan himself is an exception.
"You really are good at creating new terms."
"It's not important; you've worked hard during this time."
"It's nothing, it's all what I should do. Mr. Kuma also helped a lot; the people in the Police Force respect him very much."
Brand was originally a fan of Orlan, and after close contact, Orlan's idol aura didn't break; instead, it became even more mysterious in Brand's eyes.
Just as Orlan said, although this management method was unprecedented, it developed surprisingly well.
"Let me introduce you; this is Absalom. You can take him to train from now on. He is a Devil Fruit user with the power of the Transparent Fruit, and he lacks training himself."
"Okay, please rest assured, I will train him well."
This was the first person Orlan entrusted to him, so Brand was fully focused; however, looking at Brand's kind smile, Absalom didn't know why, but he felt an awkward sensation in his heart.
But since Orlan said so, for the sake of strength, Absalom chose to accept this matter.
"Orlan, I will do my best."
Absalom worked very hard, training with the Police Force every day, but his innate conditions were too poor; his thin body made him unable to keep up with the team at all.
Even after a period of recovery, he still appeared very weak, and he was the one dragging the team down.
Brand would always gently comfort him and instruct him on how to intensify training, but it still couldn't fundamentally change the problem, especially after hearing the rumor that Brand was gay, Absalom even felt a bit scared.
Thinking that he had even showered with Brand after training before, Absalom broke out in a cold sweat.
Of course, he couldn't deny that Brand was indeed a good older brother.
Training is not something that shows results in just a day or two; individuals like Lyliana are ultimately just exceptions. After being brought back to Piltover by Orlan, Absalom underwent a year and a half of training, but he was still the tail ender of the team.
Even newcomers who had just joined were better than him in terms of physical fitness.
Including the battles before the founding of the Kingdom and the days of travel after the founding, more than two years had already passed. It was now Sea Calendar year 1494, and Lyliana had turned seven years old, one step closer to adulthood.
The changes in Firefly Island were also rapid; now, in addition to the regular Police Force, Orlan also began to further expand Piltover's armed forces.
The initial 25 Praetorian Mechs did not change and remained the Kingdom's Praetorian Guard, but Piltover had already planned to form a new Mech unit, currently with 120 slots.
Unlike the power armor of the Praetorian Mechs, the equipment assigned to this new unit could only be considered exoskeletons, but the improvement for ordinary people was still significant. When the plan was proposed, Absalom was also summoned by Orlan.
"Absalom, it's been over a year since I brought you back from the West Blue, hasn't it?"
"Yes."
"Well, you also know that your innate talent is not outstanding. According to our initial agreement, I will grant you greater strength. Now is about the time, but I don't know if you are ready."
"Orlan, I have been ready for a long time. From the day I decided to follow you, I have been ready."
"Very good, come with me."
Orlan motioned for Absalom to follow him. After passing through a deep and long staircase, they arrived underground in the Royal City, not within District Thirteen, but at most the periphery of District Thirteen. Here, they could see many precise pieces of equipment.
"Absalom, after such a long time has passed, I presume Brand has also pointed out your strengths and weaknesses."
Although Brand was a true amateur in scientific research, his own strength was quite good, and he was very suitable for training newcomers.
"Physical fitness is your greatest weakness. Although the Devil Fruit can give you powerful infiltration abilities, this doesn't change the fact that your close combat ability is insufficient. And I have a special modification plan here.
Training won't bring you too many achievements, and you are already a Devil Fruit user, so you cannot eat another Zoan Devil Fruit. Therefore, I have decided to use beast genes combined with special alchemical potions to enhance you.
Do you have any thoughts?"
If Absalom refused, Orlan wouldn't say anything. In this regard, he always followed the principle of voluntary consent with his own people. If Absalom was resistant, he could still be arranged for a more suitable position based on the power of the Transparent Fruit.
"If I can become stronger, I have no objections."
Absalom's eyes were very resolute; his obsession with power still existed within him at this moment.
"Very good. Then let me explain the specifics of this modification plan. This is a special genetic potion, which incorporates the genes of the Dire Wolves captured in Small Garden.
I have fused it with a special alchemical substance. It can enhance your body's self-healing ability, allowing you to withstand most physical trauma, but this will be a test of your spirit.
The process of this modification is very painful. Since every cell needs to be modified, even anesthesia won't work. Therefore, if your spirit is not firm enough, the modification is likely to fail."
Orlan first explained the pros and cons to Absalom, and then gave him the right to choose.
"So, are you going to try to challenge yourself, or give these up? With the power of your Devil Fruit, you can also be enhanced through equipment."
"No, this is it, Orlan. The most fundamental enhancement of the body, that's what I want."
Absalom made his choice and accepted the modification with the alchemical potion.
And this modification method also had a prototype - the Zaunite Rage Beast, Warwick.
However, compared to Singed's modification of Vander, the modification potion and method in Orlan's hands were completely different. His modification would not turn a person into a crazy beast, nor would it make them lose their minds and become bloodthirsty, nor was it fundamentally driven by rage.
Perhaps the future Absalom should be called the Piltover Hidden Beast - a werewolf who can turn invisible.
-----------------------------
The next chapters are now available on Patreon. 🔥
If you're curious about what happens next for the characters, don't miss out!
📖 Read early: [patreon.com/DaoistRoeoNQ]