After returning to the castle from the North Slope Mine, Roland summoned Chief Manager Barov and Construction Minister Karl to his office.

"I need the Administrative Office to quickly prepare a new metallurgical material supply plan, shifting the supply focus from the North Slope Mountain to other locations—whether it's Longsong Stronghold or Redwater City, the only guarantee must be that the quantity doesn't decrease. The North Slope Mountain will soon be unsuitable for mining."

The two men's expressions changed drastically. After exchanging a glance, Karl lowered his head deeply, while Barov asked with difficulty, "Your Majesty... is the situation in the north already that bad?"

"The north?" Roland was slightly taken aback before realizing that the other party probably thought that a new powerful enemy had appeared in the Fertile Plains, one that even the First Army couldn't resist. Therefore, in order to protect the city, they had to abandon the North Slope Mine as well. He shook his head, amused and annoyed, "The army hasn't degenerated to the point where it needs to maintain morale by falsely reporting victories. Besides, you are in charge of logistics, and you can see the general situation from the consumption of medical supplies. How could you ask such a question?"

Barov quickly wiped the imaginary sweat from his forehead, "Ah haha... I was just planning ahead for Your Majesty. Actually, I was wondering at first, I thought some witch had discovered new information from Tianhai Realm, but didn't have time to notify the Administrative Office yet."

"If that's the case, then why does Your Majesty want to abandon the North Slope Mine?" Karl couldn't help but ask.

"Because that mine is about to fly," Roland shrugged.

"..."

The two fell silent again, but this time their expressions were a little strange, as if they were doubting their own ears.

"You didn't hear wrong, it will fly and become a floating island." Roland looked at the two with interest, and roughly explained the matter of the ancient witch Eleanor and the captured magic core, "Remember the iron boxes that the Administrative Office arranged to transport back earlier? They contain the central hub of the God of Creation. However, because there are risks involved in the transplant, no one can say for sure until the last moment, so I didn't tell you the details. Now you can know, the plan was a success, and Neverwinter will soon have a territory floating in the air."

Barov's eyes widened, unable to respond for a moment, while Karl was already trembling with excitement. He asked with an uncontrollably trembling voice, "Your Majesty, what you want is not simply a huge rock, right?"

"You're right," Roland no longer beat around the bush, "It will be a floating warship, an impregnable fortress. It must meet the needs of a large number of soldiers for several months or even a whole year of sorties, able to actively attack enemies and also possess a certain degree of defensive capability. How long do you estimate it will take to transform the North Slope Mountain into this?"

As someone with an engineering background, he could completely understand Karl's excitement. Any designer with ambition hopes to place their work in the most incredible place. To personally build a floating city is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"According to general engineering plans, it would take four to five years, but I don't think Your Majesty can wait that long, and a floating city can't be considered a general project." Karl replied almost immediately, "Considering its characteristics, the Construction Department can station a permanent engineering team to move with the mountain. If I understand correctly, Your Majesty must want to station sky knights on it. As long as there is a foothold for supplies, their attack and defense range will far exceed all artillery."

It seemed that after building a dozen or so take-off and landing fields, this Construction Minister's understanding of the air force had become more profound. Roland nodded with a smile, "Go on."

"The take-off and landing fields used by sky knights are nothing more than runways, warehouses, and fuel and ammunition reserves. These things have mature and feasible plans and blueprints, and can be completed in at most a week. So, Your Majesty—" Karl put his hand on his chest, "The minimum is one week. After one week, it can meet your basic requirements, and the remaining projects are just further supplements, improvements, and expansions."

"What about building materials?" Barov asked, "Once the North Slope Mountain flies, it will be difficult to transport them up."

"I've naturally considered this." Speaking of professional matters, Karl was very confident, "There is a small lake on the waist of the North Slope Mountain, formed by springs from the top of the mountain. In the first week, the engineering team can enclose it, making it a natural reservoir, which can be used for daily use and construction."

"Secondly, the limestone used for cement can be obtained by excavating the mountain. I don't think Ms. Eleanor will mind if the floating city is a little lighter. Bricks and wood can be obtained locally, but steel is best prepared in advance—if Ms. Hummingbird and Ms. Molly are willing to help, the reserves transported in a week will definitely be considerable."

"In addition, the Third Border City of Taqila witches can also help a lot. Those endless caves can be transformed into the best warehouses with a little modification. With these things, even if supplies are not received for a long time, the engineering team can work for one or two years." He looked at Barov at this point, "Of course, if the furnace area and steel mill are also preserved, this period will undoubtedly be longer."

Roland couldn't help but clap his hands. The plan was indeed the most suitable approach in the limited time—first ensure that the floating island has basic combat capabilities in the shortest possible time, and as for other things, such as workers' living conditions and the addition of functional buildings, they can be improved later.

"Barov, what do you think?"

"In that case, in addition to the First Army, there must be many residents living on the island." The old chief manager stroked his beard, "It seems that I have to think of a recruitment plan with enough appeal."

Roland smiled with satisfaction. It seemed that the other party had clearly grasped the key points of the plan.

Boarding the floating island meant being away from home and the earth for a long time. The difficult living conditions in the early stage were impossible to compare with the Neverwinter residential area. Therefore, whether it was publicity or remuneration, the Administrative Office had to prepare carefully—only a group of workers full of initiative could complete the task efficiently.

In the past, Roland took the lead in planning such things, but now that Barov could take on this responsibility himself, it was obvious that he fully understood his governance philosophy.

"Then let's execute it according to this idea." Roland finally decided.

...

"Master, welcome back."

When Victor walked into his office in the Miracle Building, Linglong greeted him cheerfully, just like she used to in the inn.

The Rainbow Stone business was booming, and other similar competitors had also appeared. In order to stabilize the supply of goods, he had to travel frequently between Everwinter and Clearwater Port. Although the journey was quite tiring, he was also enjoying it. Compared with the uncertain jewelry sales in the past, he was getting closer and closer to his original goal—becoming a merchant capable of supporting his family.

Victor just reached out his hand, and she had already held the "Graycastle Weekly" to him.

This tacit understanding made him smile slightly. Although Clearwater Port also had a weekly newspaper, it was always two or three weeks late. For a city like Neverwinter, two or three weeks of changes were amazing enough.

Sure enough, the headline on the front page of the latest issue of the newspaper instantly caught his attention.

"Heading Above the Clouds—Sky Vault Project Officially Announced."