Chapter 121 - 3.17

"Good morning to you, miss Xu." Xu Jiaqi's room was entered by a woman donning simple maid clothes. She brought a tea pot with her, and moved over to the classic tea table on the floor. Pouring a cup of tea delicately, she invited the lady to enjoy the fragrant tea brewed not long ago.

This world was heavily invested in tea, even more than what Xu Jiaqi had ever seen in her whole life. It was surprising, since the technology was not as advanced as her previous worlds. Somehow, they were able to cultivate drinks that were significantly more refined and enjoyable, suitable to her tastes.

"Thank you as always, Lin." Xu Jiaqi put up a bright smile as she sipped the drink.

Lin was the maid's name. She was the servant she ended up choosing to attend to her out of the many Xie Yongrui ended up deploying to her. Clever and extraordinary, with qualities that you wouldn't expect for a normal servant.

Lin was skilled, just like every other person in the estate. However, right off the bat, Xu Jiaqi felt like there was something much more special hidden inside Lin. She always had an eye for people and their good or bad sides. Using this gift, she was able to recruit many talented individuals to her side.

Like most of the servants who got admitted into the estate, Lin was proficient in not only serving her master, but also in fighting and many other skills. It made Xu Jiaqi wonder. Why were these people allowing themselves to lay low like this? If they just willed for it, they would be able to achieve great heights by normal standards. Their flexibility in so many different areas alone was something that automatically placed them in a rank much higher than the others, not to mention the degree of expertise they were able to take them into.

'..I could make use of all of this. An advantage.. Yes, it is an advantage.' Xu Jiaqi solemnly thought.

Xu Jiaqi was afraid that all they were missing now were numbers and proper recognition. They already have the skills. Weaponry could be taken care of as long as they had the raw materials, which is acquirable through underground means. She should be able to take care of the political power standing by herself, and even then, there were many individuals that seemed so proficient in taking charge of that matter as well.

When she compared the troops Xian Ruo had, compared to the Empire ruled by the Huos, she saw a visible difference. The other party had so much more to handle. The quantity was overloaded. As for Xian Ruo, Xie Yongrui was someone who loathed quantity, and focused on quality.

Not a single one of the people below him was useless.

In the end, what was stopping them from building an entire Empire? The ingredients were there.

What they needed was..

Xu Jiaqi smirked, feeling a little confused, yet entertained. Last world, her mission was to take over the empire and the Holy Land's power, which was essentially gave her a complete authority over the whole world.

In this world, her objective was to build up a powerhouse from scratch. Xu Jiaqi had actually never learned how to manage a large entity before. She had fun forming plans and schemes to install on various conditions. Her talent was becoming a strategist.

The thing she was especially good at was business, and putting pressure on people until they were subdued. It was her forte, her best side. However, for this case, business alone was not enough.

An Empire. Not a town, a province, or a kingdom. But an Empire.

In the first place, building an entire Empire took many people's  contributions not only to establish it, but also to run it.

'..Is this time to turn back on my words and just attack Huo's Empire?' Xu Jiaqi contemplated.

Huo Jingshen, the current Emperor was someone who leaned more towards the commercial section. He placed high importance towards how his civilians lived, but not much attention was placed into the military.  It was a naive decision, considering how unstable they were.

One huge wave would tip them over and end them for good.

"Hmm.. Lin, the question I asked you last time.. Did you call them?" Xu Jiaqi decided to stop thinking about that matter for the time being.

Her utmost priority for now was obtaining the respect that Xie Yongrui spoke about last time. She was awfully aware of the need for them to follow her not out of orders, but out of trust.

Xu Jiaqi's gaze darkened. Gaining trust was not easy, but attracting distrust was as easy as breathing air. It was the cold, hard truth. Once she made a single mistake, she was afraid that it would be practically over. Xu Jiaqi had roughly investigated them. They were all critical individuals that was harsh on not only the others, but also themselves.

A good mindset for improvement, but it was disadvantageous for Xu Jiaqi right now.

She had to unleash her utmost skills in order to attain their trust. This would be her first showcase, and she couldn't possibly ruin everything up.

"..! Yes, Miss Xu. I have relayed your wish over to them. Are you planning on retracting the invite?" Lin quickly understood what the miss meant.

Right after Xu Jiaqi had the discussion with Xie Yongrui, she went straight into hellish training. It has only been one week, but she could see a drastic change in her. Perhaps because it was still a fantasy world despite not having much magical energy, she felt like the settings for a human's body in this place was a bit too good to be true.

Xu Jiaqi took the initiative since no one else was actively using magic due to its nature being so obscure. Still using the same cultivation method as she did in the previous world, she began to amass magical power as much as she could. As she expected, after one week, the results were divided.

This world put more emphasis on raw strength. A mere child could lift several heavy blocks of wood, and it would be considered regular. Thus, after just a week, Xu Jiaqi got her physique up, only falling behind the average by a slight amount. With more intensive training, it should be taken care of with no troubles.

Only, her trump card was having some problems. This world did not have any restrictions on elements, but at the same time, the mana that circulated around was so messy and unrefined. It made Xu Jiaqi shiver every time she came in contact with certain places, since she was so sensitive to magical power after the experience she had before.

Not only was she a Saintess blessed by a Goddess, she also received the brunt of Zenith's magic in his last spurt. The energy that came out of him affected her so much that her everything was totally changed.

'System, go for a trip while you gather information. I want you to locate where the most abundant magic is concentrated in. There must be a place like Palla in here, no matter how high the disparity is.' Xu Jiaqi ended up instructing after contemplating for a bit. The System will have to spend some time to gather and compile the deeper secrets, and what other things could the precious time be spent on?

Xu Jiaqi did not need extremely powerful magic. She just needed magic for one thing.

Acting like a deity. She planned to use magic to further assert her dominance. If she became the one and only proficient magic wielder, then it would be a great advantage.

There was no clear religion being upheld in this world, unlike the previous one with Goddess Eula.

Then, what if Xu Jiaqi came by, wielding magic and power? The first thing that she had noticed was that there was no regenerative magic or potions in this world. People relied on their own bodily functions to heal. But if Xu Jiaqi was able to provide essential healing and some enchantments to strengthen the already overpowered knights..

Learning from the last world's knowledge, she saw how successful the culture was. How the Goddess kept on getting stronger as 'faith' was placed on her. Xu Jiaqi learned that the concept of faith was basically applicable to every single denizen of a world. 

It could be said that power was rewarded by the fate in exchange for the increasing faith in you. Thus, if she wanted to take complete control over the matters... Magic was a shortcut. She already had a solid foundation, a fresh memory to back her craft up, and the resources to actually execute it. 

"..Game over." Xu Jiaqi whispered. The words were caught by Lin, who asked her what it meant. Xu Jiaqi lightly shook her head as she drank the rest of her tea.

"It's nothing. Never mind that.. Let us go forth to the soldiers' training ground. It's time for us to wreak some havoc." Xu Jiaqi got up from her seat and changed into lighter clothing that wouldn't limit her movements as much as the traditional clothes of this world would.

'Though, I must say, the arts in this world are superb. I find myself admiring them, they are especially inspiring.' Xu Jiaqi hummed a happy tone. 'Perhaps, if I was able to cultivate something innovative in this section as well.. It would be great business. I have to tread carefully.' Xu Jiaqi thought.

Plans were being formulated and tested inside her hand with each passing second.

'..A place of power akin to the Holy Land. A blessed place that is guarded and protected by the secrets of magic.'

After much consideration, it seemed like this was the conclusion she had dawned upon.

It seemed fun.