Chapter 17: The Idea of Establishing a World Market

Chapter 17: The Idea of Establishing a World Market

After returning to Avalon Royal Palace, Airael was still accompanying her daughter, but she seemed a bit distracted, lost in thought.

She pondered whether the production capacity of the Elven Race could be further improved.

As she ruminated, she realized that the population issue of the Elven Race was indeed a major hurdle.

Even if tools could be created to help, many tasks still required hands-on effort.

Her royal city had already gathered a significant population of Elves. While she could still increase that number, doing so would leave the Elven Lords, except Mason, virtually powerless.

At that point, they would definitely be unhappy and likely take action against her.

Though Airael wasn’t afraid of them, she didn’t want to engage in a civil war, especially considering Linis’s reputation.

And a civil war would only harm their own kin.

Without understanding the hardships of managing a household, Airael, facing the naturally scarce population of the Elven Race, began to waver about the prospect of civil war.

If there was a way to evolve peacefully, that would be her preference.

However, this meant that in the short term, the production capacity of the Elven Race was unlikely to improve.

If the population remained unchanged, they could only wait for technological innovation.

This technological innovation encompassed not just military aspects but also improvements in thought, civil utilities, and all aspects of the Elven Race, as that was the only way to enhance overall productivity.

Fortunately, the magical revolution had already begun among the Elves, and while immediate results were yet to be seen, time would naturally yield effects over a longer period.

Thus, the focus shifted back to time.

With enough time, Airael wouldn’t be as anxious, but the situation across the continent was becoming chaotic, and her time was running short.

It felt like a vicious cycle.

What Airael lacked was time, yet there was precious little of it left.

Suddenly, she felt a stirring in her arms.

This snapped her back to the present, and she saw her little one clutching one of her peaks, cooing delightfully.

Knowing her infant’s habits, Airael understood that the child was hungry and needed to nurse.

With plenty of milk to offer, Airael naturally didn’t refuse, revealing her peak for the little one to feast upon.

When the delicious meal arrived, the little one wasted no time in devouring it, cheeks and throat puffing as she sucked up the tasty nourishment.

Airael smiled as she watched this scene.

The troubles in her heart seemed to vanish.

Sometimes Airael wondered, even though she had arrived in this world as a woman, if she were just an ordinary female instead of an Elven Queen, perhaps she wouldn’t have so many worries.

All she would need to do was accept her identity and find a reliable partner to marry, then settle down to raise a family, leading a peaceful life.

Though simple living may be mundane, sometimes such tranquility is a blessing.

For instance, in her previous life, while she had achieved mediocrity, there had been many joyful moments.

Like when she won in a video game.

Of course, Airael was just thinking out loud.

If she could choose, she definitely wouldn’t have picked to be female right at the beginning of her journey.

But she had no choice; she was the Elven Queen.

Becoming the Elven Queen brought many benefits, but it also meant she had to shoulder corresponding responsibilities.

After a satisfying feed, Anna released Airael’s peak and nestled down to sleep in her embrace.

Seeing the carefree soul drift into slumber evoked a deep sigh from Airael, who felt her earlier reflections bubble up once more.

“Aah!”

“Your Majesty, why did you sigh just now?” Hela asked, noticing Airael’s unusual behavior.

Just moments ago, Airael had been laughing joyfully, yet now she seemed suddenly glum.

“I just recalled something unexpectedly,” Airael said, looking at Hela, not willing to elaborate.

Hela chose not to pry further.

As long as Her Majesty had her own thoughts, that was enough; she merely asked out of concern.

…

In her office within the royal palace, Airael meticulously reviewed a document on her desk.

It was something she had specially requested.

It contained the list of import and export trades for the Elven Race.

With internal productivity unable to improve, Airael drew on her past experience and came up with an idea.

If she couldn’t solve the problem from within, she would tackle it from the outside.

Some goods could potentially be purchased from other races, allowing the Elven Race to focus on producing what couldn’t be bought.

If necessary, the Elven Race might concede some low-end technologies to acquire certain materials.

However, high-end and core technologies must remain firmly in their grasp.

As for the magical aspect, they could negotiate with the Human Race, while the mechanical sector could be entrusted to the Dwarves. Once the Human’s mechanics developed, they could engage in exchanges as well.

Other races, like the Orcs, were not even on her radar.

While the Orcs controlled the northern part of the continent and had their territories, they primarily relied on brute strength, and resources were scant, limiting their ability to trade raw materials.

The other races were even worse off; while the Orcs had territory, they were forced to cower in the dark corners of the world.

However, acquiring goods externally carried inherent risks.

This world lacked any notion of a free market.

Though smuggling existed, major trade was controlled by nations and nobility.

Once they caught wind of something amiss, they’d outright ban the exchange.

The Elven Race didn’t possess the strength to force open a foreign nation’s doors.

Thus, the Elven Race faced a genuine risk, wherein their technologies could be snatched away.

After all, humans had a history of doing just that.

Recently, they had stolen the Dwarves’ gunpowder technology.

Essentially, to build a world market, strong internal capabilities were paramount; otherwise, who would willingly let you take advantage of them?

Nevertheless, Airael felt it was worth a shot.

They would need time to notice any discrepancies; as long as she could grow the Elven Race’s power within that timeframe, she’d be fine.

For example, strengthening their navy and air force.

Soon, they would have numerous warships armed with Magical Energy Cannons and Pegasus units equipped with small Magic Energy Cannons flying above.

With the vast ocean as a natural defense, the Elven Race would easily protect themselves, even launching counterattacks if needed.

A saying goes, “Within cannon range lies truth.”

While inland cities might pose a challenge, coastal cities better not blame her for being impolite.

With this plan brewing in her mind, Airael felt invigorated.

And to achieve all of this, the first thing to focus on was foreign trade.