Trickin–I mean, rewarding one person with the honorable task of mining coal was one thing. Convincing the entire town to do the same, that was a challenge.

Thankfully, Atlas loved challenges. Pitting his intellect against a problem and coming out on top boosted both; his dopamine levels and his ego.

After asking the Baron to dress Jason in better clothes, Atlas sent away the Scout Captain on his expedition. While Reudem deeply regretted that he would be missing the prince’s soon-to-come address, he understood the importance of discovering a new source of food.

Left alone, Atlas retreated to his office where he closed the door and settled on the chair. Pinching his forehead, he thought out aloud.

“Reudem and his team have left for their expedition. At a minimum, it will take them at least two days to secure a new source. While I hope for them to return successfully as soon as possible, I must account for a possible failure.”

The chances of not finding anything or for the Scout Team to not return were very, ‘very’ low, but never zero. Atlas, being a realist, had the habit of accounting to both extreme scenarios.

“The other team, let’s call them Scout Team #2, have already left this morning to scout and map the surrounding areas. They will return tonight to report their progress before leaving again tomorrow morning.”

“Excluding these men from the population count, I have ninety-three (93) men remaining. If I were to include the womenfolk, the total workforce available within this town is one hundred and seventy-three (173).”

A hundred and seventy-three uneducated peasants, or simply put, Workers. Atlas currently possessed a hundred and seventy-three Workers.

It was a small number. However, considering the size of this town and the resources that he currently held, it would make do.

“Mining the coal, now that we have it, takes priority. The heat from the coals can be used to warm up the homes and drive away the wet moisture and the cold. Just having warm homes should significantly reduce the chances of people falling sick.”

From what he had heard from the Baron, the sickness afflicting a select few of the populace stemmed from the cold. Having a warm bed to sleep in would make a world of difference.

“On that note, I should separate the sick from the healthy and put them in a separate ward. A Health Center, if you will. This should further reduce the chances of the sickness spreading.”

Atlas then searched the drawer for a specific parchment. After shuffling through a few dozen sheets he finally found it and spread it atop the table.

“Here it is. The stock of materials that we have in possession.”

Alphabetical and numerical symbols written in the local language filled a neat table arranged into numerous rows and columns. Scanning through the sheet, Atlas read the data and compiled it into a simpler form.

In short, this is what it read.

Coal - 0 units.

Wood - 83 units.

Metal - 36 units.

Raw Food - 129 units.

Food Rations - 440 units.

The units that he used here were something that he called the Atlas Standard. Essentially, 1 unit equaled 10kg of Coal/ 5 sq.m. of wood/ 5 kg of metal ingots.

The unit used for food differs as 1 unit of Raw Food can be used to prepare 10 units of Food Rations. Each unit of Food Ration can serve 1 person. (1 Raw Food = 10 Food Rations = 10 Citizens Fed)

“The Food Rations have to be prepared as needed, for it is susceptible to spoilage. Raw Food, however, can last for long periods of time granted they are stored properly.”

Tapping his fingers against the table, Atlas continued.

“The amount of Wood and Metal in stock is also worrying. According to the Baron, it takes 8 units of Wood to construct that Tent-like dwelling. However, that building needs to be improvised since it’s shoddy as hell. I need to discuss this with that Blacksmith.”

“Let’s just say for argument’s sake that it takes 10 units of wood to construct a Tent-like dwelling. 1 Tent can house 10 citizens comfortably. In short, we would require 25 Tents to house the entire population. 250 units of Wood approximately.”

(10 units of Wood = 1 Tent = 10 Citizens Housed)

However, they only had 83 units of Wood currently. In other words…

“We need to harvest the trees surrounding us,” Atlas quietly proposed.

He had to divide a portion of the populace to cut down the trees and harvest the wood. In this world without mechanical supplements, people had to work the old-fashioned way; using axes and saws.

“We could do it manually. We have to do it manually. However, it will consume a lot of time and effort.”

Not his effort, of course, but it did consume his time.

Atlas searched through his memories to try and remember if there was some sort of machine that he could build to quicken the process. Some sort of machine or tool that could reduce labor while increasing the yield.

Unfortunately, while Atlas did possess Perfect Eidetic Memory, most of his knowledge was in regards to diplomacy, economics, administration, politics, literature, etc. He was no engineer or scientist with precise knowledge of machines.

In other words, his knowledge from modern Earth served little use in his current situation.

“Well, can’t help it. A person can’t be an all-knowing, omniscient God after all. We all have our limitations and specialties.“ Atlas shrugged his shoulders.

It sucked that he wasn’t familiar with how machines worked, or how engines functioned, or how guns and gunpowder were made. But it didn’t matter.

Atlas was a leader and a politician. While he couldn’t create guns to fight his enemies –notwithstanding how effective such weapons would be in a world of magic– he could always deal with them through the power of diplomacy.

“I’m going on a tangent here. Back to topic,” Atlas lightly tapped his cheeks. “We need more Wood and I have to assign workers to harvest that wood. The Wood can then be used to improve the infrastructure around the town.”

“Building proper residences and facilities will not only reduce the chances of people falling sick but improve the quality of life within the town. It will reduce discontent and motivate the people to live and work here.”

“Metal shall be set aside for now. There is no source–that we know of– to harvest it, nor is there any point in doing so. The town doesn’t need it right now.”

The implements required to mine the coal, chope the trees, dig the ditches, and many more were already available to the peasantry. Atlas didn’t see any use for the resource right now.

“No, wait! Actually, we might have some use for metal after all!”

An idea suddenly struck Atlas. He wasn’t sure how solid his idea was and required an expert of the field to consult with. Fortunately, he knew such a person.

“The blacksmith, Douglas Wootz. I need to ask him about this idea.” The young prince considered. “I’m scheduled to meet him today, so might as well ask him then.”

He then reached for a new sheet of parchment and started writing down his plans. The allocation of the Human resource was just as important as the other material resources. With a hundred and seventy-three people in his arsenal, Atlas needed to carefully plan their distribution.

A portion of workers to mine the coal, another portion to harvest the wood, a small team to tear down and restructure the current facilities, a few to handle the children, so on and so forth.

Time passed and before long, a knock resounded on his door.

“Come in,” Atlas replied without stopping his writing hand or lifting his head. “What is it, Baron Helm?” he asked, guessing the entrant from the sound of his footsteps.

“My liege, it’s time.”

The Baron solemnly announced.

Atlas stopped his writing and raised his head. Seeing the Baron and reading his expression, Atlas arrived at the answer and heavily exhaled.

“Time to address my people, huh?”

Putting down the quill, he arranged the papers scattered on his desk and moved away from the table. Walking up to the Baron, Atlas looked the pig-faced man squarely in the eyes and spoke.

“Lead the way, Baron Helm. It’s time that my people saw their leader.”

“Right this way, my liege.”

Baron Helm showed a warm smile and led the young prince. The excitement on his face was palpable.