Chapter 68 Choosing The First Function
In the hidden basement of the castle, Maximus contemplated which function to add first to the token.
Even though he could buy runic programs, he still had to input them manually which can take weeks.
Instant installation wasn't possible, so choosing the initial function was crucial.
He initially considered a banking system program but realized there was no bank in his territory.
While banking had been popularized in prosperous areas where the EGCC was stationed, but his territory was just beginning to take shape.
The only place in Sunburnt Plateau that have a bank is Berunn City, which primarily handles the exchange of gold coins and magic crystal.
Moreover, you can't even withdraw from it, if he needed money he can only go to Elnor Island or other prosperous places in the cursed continent.
The reason EGCC handle gold coins and magic crystal exchange is that the metal currency they minted is universally accepted, and you can convert it to magic crystal directly.
While it was possible to create one'n currency, it could only be used locally and couldn't be used for trade in other places.
Counterfeiting was also out of the question, as the minted gold coins distributed by the EGCC were specially processed.
One might wonder why a faction as influential as the EGCC still needed mortal currency.
Well, magic crystals were the main currency used exclusively by mages and knights.
But what about the common people?
Although on the Arcane Continent, they could at least become official mages or knights when they grew up, that required at least rank 2 uncommon talent.
The chances of that happening, even in a mana-rich environment like the Arcane Continent, were only 1 in 3 people.
For the remaining 70 percent, they would remain mediocre their entire lives without a change of fate or a lot of money.
Considering the population of at least billions of trillions on the Arcane Continent, what currency did this 70 percent of the population use?
They couldn't use magic crystals, as they were also crucial resources for cultivation.
This is where the EGCC gold and metal currency came into play.
After all, currency wasn't just about making people rich, but also about circulating resources.
So, even though gold or certain metals might be considered worthless, they still served as currency, specifically the ones minted by the EGCC.
...
He crossed out the banking system for now since without a physical station, it wouldn't work.
Although it was his main plan to popularize digital currency and cultivate its sentimental value and exchange in the system, he still needed to build a physical station for it.
He estimated it would take at least a month to get it roughly done.
However, before that, the first function he considered was a forum or chatting program.
While it might not offer immediate benefits on the surface, it would become his most powerful tool to influence the minds of his people.
After all, he had just conquered them and relocated them to this place.
There might be hidden resentment among them, which could become a ticking time bomb in the future.
But with the forum function, he could subtly feed them his thoughts and indoctrinate them without their knowledge.
Additionally, it would serve as a useful propaganda tool when he started implementing changes in the future.
Clicking into the system mall, he searched for runic system programs related to forums and messaging.
What appeared were different runic languages that he wasn't familiar with.
The options were as follows:
[EldRune: The oldest runic language from the era of Titans and Ancient Dragons, mainly used by Ents as a building block for their roots. Due to its ancientness, it had become a forgotten runic language, making it harder to decipher.
Click to customize a runic program.]
[Arcana Scrip: The most popular runic language, known for its easy-to-complex patterns, making it extremely versatile and adaptable to any runic device.
Click to customize a runic program.]
[Runic Tongue: The easiest runic language to learn, utilizing spoken or written language to imbue the runic program.
Click to customize a runic program.]
...
After browsing through the available options, Maximus narrowed down his choices to three types of runic programs: EldRune, Arcana Scrip, and Runic Tongue.
The EldRune was the most secure option but also the most expensive, which wasn't a concern for him as he could afford it.
However, it was the most challenging runic language to inscribe, with highly complicated runes that made him feel dizzy just looking at them.
The Arcana Scrip, on the other hand, was average in terms of price, difficulty, and protection.
However, It was versatile enough that even if he wanted to add other runic languages in the future, it would still function.
Lastly, the Runic Tongue was the simplest and cheapest option available.
It's so simple that he only need written or spoken language in a specific frequency to inscribe.
Moreover, it required less than a tenth of the time to inscribe.
Although easy to operate, it lacked strong protection, making it vulnerable to potential attacks. Maximus decided to cross it off his list.
After much thought, he chose the EldRune primarily due to its superior protection.
He knew that with the Arcana Scrip, he could easily change it later if he had the time
However, since his doing it anyway, why not go all out?
Clicking on the customization tab, he implemented several main functions and miscellaneous features that he liked, based on the forum and messaging apps from his previous life.
After confirming his choices and paying the cost of 165 million GP, he patiently waited for a while until a jade slip materialized in his hands.
Satisfied, he temporarily stored it in his storage ring.
Maximus badly needed rest.
Setting up the array without food and sleep for a month had taken a toll on his spirit.
Although he could go without food and sleep for a year by just absorbing mana, he was accustomed to extravagance, reveling in richness and beauty.
A month of emotionless and concentrated work had left him feeling fatigued.
As for why he couldn't rest while setting up the formation, it was because once he started, he couldn't stop.
The consumable materials, such as void stone dust, would vanish without a connection to the formation, so he had to hurry and complete the formation array.
...
The next day, in one of the bedrooms of the castle, Maximus was sleeping soundly on his bed.
Outside the door, three little girls were carefully opening the door to his room.
"Be careful, you might wake up Dad," Lily cautioned her two sisters, upon seeing Lyla already giggling.
The two nodded and followed her lead, walking on their toes.
Maximus, in his castle, felt safe and at home, especially with multiple array formations enhancing security.
Earlier, when he returned from the arcane continent with hundreds of billion GP, he splurged and bought multiple Tier 6 formation arrays to strengthen the castle's defenses.
So it's understandable, that he still sleeps soundly, without much awareness of his surroundings.
Once the little girls reached the side of the bed, Lyla attempted to poke his father's cheek, who was still sleeping.
They were planning to play a prank on their father.
"What do we do now?" Lyla asked in a whisper, looking at Lily and Lydia.
"Should we cover his nose?" Lyla asked.
"No, that's bad." Lydia who was silent shook her head.
"I know," Lily then shared her plan with her sisters in a whisper.
Maximus suddenly felt something poking him on the side of his stomach, which caused him to wake up.
"What-" To his surprise, he found his three daughters trying to tickle him.
Caught off guard by their actions, the girls couldn't hold back their laughter any longer.
"HAHAHA!"
"How dare you!" Maximus playfully yelled and attacked them in return, tickling them back.
"HAHAHA!" The three tried to run away, but it was futile.
"No more, no more!" They begged.
Maximus stopped and gave them a hug and a kiss on their cheeks.
"Good morning," He said warmly.
"Good morning too, Daddy!" Lyla and Lydia replied.
"Good morning, Dad!" Lily added.
Curious, Maximus asked, "Where are your mothers?" as he couldn't see them in the room.
"They are cooking. They knew you came back last night and planned to have a sumptuous breakfast," Lily explained.
"And your brothers?"
"Me, me, I know!" Lyla raised her hand as if she were reciting.
"Go on," Maximus nodded, amused.
"They are playing with Zarr, Noir, and Banana!" Lyla excitedly explained.
"Who are those?" Maximus asked, feeling puzzled.
"It's the lion, panther, and monkey you gave us, Daddy."
"Oh," Maximus realized.
After his return, he had only spent about two days with his family before leaving for his task of talking to other rulers.
Then, he had come back briefly and immediately started setting up the formation, so he wasn't aware that their pets were already named.
"What about yours? Where are your pets?"
"We left them with our mothers and came to see you," Lily explained.
"Then let's go have breakfast," Maximus said, enjoying the morning with his beloved daughters.