🍎 Crisis Management: The Facade Must Hold
Akira didn't waste a second. The pressure of the incoming military convoy and the recently instated Divine Council Veto demanded an immediate, flawless performance of the "Farmer" persona. He turned from the strategists, his focus settling instantly on the visible operations staff.
His gaze fell upon the maid leader, a figure who had been quietly ensuring the smooth running of the Castle-Resort. It was not Ann, the oni maid, but the impeccably elegant, silver-haired Royal Maid of the Royal Navy, Belfast.
"Belfast," Akira commanded, his voice sharp and steady. "The military convoy arrives in three hours for the food transfer. The lie depends on a smooth, professional transaction. Mobilize your available staff immediately."
Belfast, ever the embodiment of perfect service, gave a curt, respectful nod. "Understood, Master Akira. Logistics will be secured."
đźšš Mobilizing the Harvest
"Take the high elf team, Ria and Rarasha," Akira instructed, pointing toward the elves who had been managing the Domain's agriculture. "I need the harvest prepared right now. You will transfer approximately one-quarter of the total harvested stock of Breadfruit and the other normal fruits that were already counted."
"The volume must be believable for the timeframe we've established with the military. Ensure the presentation is orderly, and the quantity appears generous but not impossibly large. We are a reliable, high-yield farm, not a magical infinite source."
Belfast quickly acknowledged the orders, her movements fluid and efficient as she signaled the elves and the other operational staff to begin the urgent task of preparing the designated food for transport. The physical evidence of the facade had to be perfect.
🧪 The Magical Asset
With the physical logistics in motion, Akira turned to the Domain's magical expert who wasn't tied up in the newly formed Divine Council: Rurushi.
Rurushi, the diminutive but highly skilled potion master, stood nearby, already sensing the shift in the Master's focus.
"Rurushi," Akira said, approaching her. "The magical fruits and flowers we've harvested—the ones that are too potent or obviously magical to be given to the normal military. Are you able to process any of them immediately?"
He leaned in, his voice dropping slightly. "I need you to work with the magical flowers and the clearly exotic, unidentifiable fruits. Can you convert them into a highly concentrated, easy-to-store form? Something that appears mundane but retains the full magical or conceptual utility?"
The objective was clear: camouflage the most valuable assets.
Rurushi's large, earnest eyes widened slightly with the challenge. "The Mana-Blooms and the Dream-Fruits... they are highly volatile, Master. But yes. I can distill them. With enough dedicated mana input, I can reduce them into highly stable, concentrated elixirs or even powdered nutrient blocks. They will appear to be simple, highly-fortified survival rations to any basic analysis, but they will retain their full conceptual properties."
"Do it," Akira ordered. "Prioritize the most potent ones. We need to secure our true 'God-Tier' rations before the convoy arrives. If the military were to accidentally take or even see one of the Mana-Blooms, the whole deception would collapse."
The pressure was on. In three hours, the simple lie and the complex truth had to coexist perfectly, or the entire Ark would be exposed.
The pieces are now in motion:
The Facade: Belfast and the elves are preparing the normal food for the military convoy.
The Concealment: Rurushi is securing the magical assets.
The Authority: The Divine Council is aware and watching, veto power at the ready.