"Awu Island? Ah! You mean the new golem development site, right?"

Jeong Seojin nodded. "Yes, that's correct."

"All right. Let's go take a look. Since everyone worked so hard on it, let's call the other managers and go together."

"An excellent idea."

Ea went to summon the others. We moved to the fifth floor first, and a short while later, Na Daeyong from the fourth floor and Eunsol from the third came up to join us.

"You called, Master!"

"Yusin!" Eunsol cried, running over to cling to my leg, as always. "Where are we going?" she asked, her eyes sparkling at the mention of an outing.

"We're going to Awu Island. Have you been there, Sol?"

"Nope! Is there lots of yummy food there?"

"P-probably…"

Beside me, Jin Bora let out a knowing chuckle. "You'll be surprised when you see it, sunbae! It's a first-class vacation spot. If this business fails, we could just sell it as an island resort package!"

"So you're telling me you all went to such a nice place without me?"

"Haha..."

Jin Bora tried to brush it off with an awkward laugh. It seemed that while I was fighting for my life in Tanzania, these guys were enjoying all the perks.

"Then I shall begin," Samia said, maneuvering her wheelchair toward the warp gate. As she manipulated the controls, the gate's frame lit up and powered on. She then inserted a magic circle plate she was holding into an empty slot beneath the gate's floor. The plate slid into place, linking the warp gate to the magic circle.

"Coordinates entered. Activating the gate."

Samia clearly had an aptitude for warp magic. At my current Warp Engineering skill of Lv. 5, the most I could do was draw an interlocking magic circle and use it to travel back and forth. But with the magic circle Samia had created, we could generate a gate exit directly at the target coordinates from the fifth-floor warp gate. This was how we had traveled to Antarctica and the South Pacific.

'Vwoooom!'

The link was completed, and the warp gate finally hummed to life.

"I will go first," Samia said, looking back at us. "If I don't return in ten minutes, assume I've either been turned to dimensional dust by a coordinate error, fallen into the ocean, or been buried alive. In that case, you'll need to select a new fifth-floor manager."

"Hunter Samia!" Jin Bora shrieked, horrified.

"It was a joke," Samia replied dryly and stepped into the shimmering portal. A moment later, Ea reported.

"Message from the Dimension Keeper confirmed. The coordinates have been set safely."

"All right. Let's go!"

We all stepped into the warp gate. After a brief, dizzying sensation like being flushed through a narrow pipe, a new vista unfolded before me.

'Oh…!'

The sea. A vast, brilliant ocean stretched out before me. Seabirds soared across a cloudless sky, and below, a pristine white-sand beach met the turquoise water. This was Awu Island.

It was a small island in Indonesia. Like most islands in the area, it was a monster-infested remote area, but we'd officially purchased it with cash.

"Whoa!"

"Gah!"

Na Daeyong and Jin Bora emerged from the portal next, staggering as they complained of dizziness.

"That was fun!"

Unlike the adults, Eunsol appeared hopping up and down. Delighted by the rare trip, she giggled and ran around the island. Finally, Jeong Seojin came through.

'Anyway…'

The more I looked, the more stunning the island's natural scenery was. Just as Jin Bora had said, it seemed like a perfect place for the Magic Tower members to come for a summer vacation.

"Seojin. Can we really use this place? The island is incredible."

"Of course. Furthermore, since it's a restricted area where monsters constantly appear, we bought it for a pittance. We saved a considerable amount on the budget."

The authorities must have been desperate to hide that fact. They probably scoffed, 'Those fools, what a waste of money,' after the sale was finalized, but Seojin was the one who'd played them.

"So, is the restricted area blocked off with field magic?"

"Precisely, Master!" Na Daeyong, who had been waiting for a chance to shine, quickly interjected. "The monster respawn area is in the northern part of the island! Monsters spawn in the north and then move south! So, the fourth floor used Sanctification that partially neutralizes the restricted area. We split the monster's territory in half and trapped them in the north! There's no way a monster could get out!"

"Ah, I see." I nodded and pointed. "Then what's that?"

A lizard-like monster crawling on the ground was looking at us, flicking its tongue. Eunsol's eyes lit up.

"A dinosaur!"

"It's a lizard, not a dinosaur," Jin Bora corrected her.

While the other managers were unfazed, Na Daeyong clutched his head in agony. "N-no way! I'm sure I measured the respawn area precisely before setting up the field!"

"Maybe there's a small section that extends beyond your barrier?"

At my words, Na Daeyong's face turned ashen, and he immediately slammed his forehead to the ground. "I'm sorry! It's all my fault! I'll resign as the fourth-floor administrator!"

'He's going to resign over this?'

Just then, Jeong Seojin spoke up. "A rank-2 monster, a gallian. A non-aggressive creature mainly found in tropical regions. It won't cause any harm unless provoked."

Indeed, the gallian took one look at us and quickly fled into the forest.

'Ea. Can you use detection magic to see if there are any other monsters in the south?'

-Just checked. Three gallians detected. No other life signs.

I turned to the others. "Ea says there's no problem. Let's just have the fourth floor adjust the position when they install the field magic next month."

"I-I'm deeply sorry, Master," Na Daeyong said, bowing his head dejectedly.

"It's better you made the mistake now. Awu Island is still in its trial phase, so it's fine, but this will be a matter of life and death when people eventually start coming here. Please pay special attention to this, Mr. Na."

"I-I'll keep that in mind!"

I'd been pretty hard on him during the preparations for the Tanzanian campaign. It was probably good to be lenient about his mistakes sometimes.

"Then, I will now escort you to the business site," Jeong Seojin said.

He led the way, and we followed, chatting amongst ourselves. As we entered the center of the island, we could hear the distant growling of monsters.

'Oh, for real.'

When I zoomed in with Deva's Eye, I saw a swarm of monsters from the north, drawn by the scent of humans. However, they only glared at us from the edge of the restricted area, unable to cross. It was proof that the field magic was working.

After walking for about ten more minutes, we arrived at a wide, open field containing an abandoned building that looked like a former factory. Inside, potion-brewing golems stood in neat rows, with simple potion cauldrons arranged nearby.

"Oh! The factory exterior looks pretty convincing."

"Right? Right?"

An excited Bora ran over, waving her arms as she explained. "The equipment on the first floor can barely meet domestic demand for potions. But if we add more golems, it'll get too cramped! That's why we found a new site and built a workshop here!"

"So this is the overseas workshop."

"Yes! All potions for Alchemia's international operations will be shipped from Awu Island!"

She went on to explain the brewing plan. Apparently, they had developed a new mass-produced item called 'Golem Elixir' to help Eunsol's golems make potions faster. It was perfectly compatible with the golems' movements, and while its recovery effect wasn't much different from a regular elixir, it would dramatically increase the speed of mass production.

"Yusin! The potion golems have a new function, too!" Eunsol took over the explanation. The golems she'd updated were now capable of not just brewing potions, but packaging them as well. The golems would bottle the finished potions and place them on a conveyor belt. The potions traveled down the belt and were neatly stacked onto a plastic pallet at the end. When a pallet was full, a waiting work golem would sense it and move the pallet to the warp gate.

"I am developing a dedicated warp gate to transport potions to Alchemia's seven international branches, including London, Paris, New York, and Tokyo," Samia added. Once the target quantity was secured, she would activate the warp gate to move the potions to dummy factories in the seven countries.

"And as the fourth-floor administrator, I!" Na Daeyong thrust his arm out. "Have eliminated the 'restricted area' of the island with the Sanctification field magic, making this a safe zone! The duration is still only measured in 'months,' but I will renew it without fail!"

"Excellent! By the way, Seojin, how are we going to procure the potion ingredients? The amount needed seems staggering."

A small smile played on Jeong Seojin's lips as he pushed up his glasses. "Are you aware that the main ingredients of elixirs—heuksan, hosong, and halli—are major exports of Indonesia?"

"Ooh, really?"

"Tropical regions are a paradise for plant-type monsters, constantly producing cheap and affordable byproducts. I've heard that even non-players hunt them using traditional methods. We have already signed a secret contract with a local logistics company. As soon as we have your permission, Tower Master, they will load the potion ingredients onto ships and deliver them here."

"Wow. As expected, you leave no stone unturned."

It was perfect. Brilliant. What I found particularly ideal was that every single administrator had contributed to this overseas expansion project: Jin Bora's potions, Jeong Seojin's planning, Eunsol's potion-brewing golems, Na Daeyong's field magic, and Samia's warp gate.

"The only variable is the warp gate," Samia said. "The goal is to have the gate performing normally within a month. I will do my best not to disappoint you."

"Of course, I believe in you, Samia."

"And Hunter Jeong Seojin, the warp gate is a beast that devours magic stones. I would appreciate it if you could secure a large number on this island."

"Yes. I will look into it. If anyone has requests, please state them now."

Everyone gathered, putting their heads together to discuss the Awu Island operation.

"We'll definitely need to hire some management staff for the island."

"Sunbae! Please fill the next round of mage spots with members for the first floor!" Jin Bora pleaded.

"How about hiring local Indonesians?" Na Daeyong suggested.

"That's not a bad idea. Bora can handle the management side of things."

The ideas flowed freely. We all talked, losing track of time.

"All right. That's all for today's meeting!"

"Good work, everyone!"

The atmosphere was electric. It looked like we were going to be filthy rich.

* * *

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