Simulation: Starting from Under One Person

"Ahem..." Icarus, who was standing to the side, noticed that his king was getting more and more off-topic, almost veerging from serious matters into trivial family matters. He quickly coughed twice to remind the king to get back to the main topic.

Reminded by Icarum, Cobra immediately snapped back to reality, lightly slapped his forehead, and said with a laugh, "See? I got carried away as soon as I started talking~ Sorry~ Sorry~"

“Let’s get back to the main topic!” Cobra said, pausing his conversation and clapping his hands lightly. “Let’s eat first…”

As applause echoed into the kitchen, the restaurant owner slowly walked in carrying two plates of food. He could vaguely hear the conversation in the living room from the kitchen, and his expression was somewhat complicated.

'Does the king want to plant trees and create forests...?'

Due to the geographical environment of the Alabasta Kingdom, afforestation activities have never stopped, but the survival rate of the planted trees is low, and the number of trees that form forests is extremely small, almost non-existent.

'With the country in such chaos right now, shouldn't suppressing the rebellion be the priority?!'

The restaurant owner sighed inwardly, placed the two dishes on the table, and then returned to the kitchen to bring out other dishes.

"Come on! Let's set off after we finish eating!"

It was just an ordinary sentence, but Fang Rui felt something strange about it, as if it were a "I'll send you on your way after I've finished eating" message, which was quite subtle.

After trying the dishes at the restaurant, Fang Rui found them to be very ordinary. The ingredients used in the dishes were quite common: ordinary fish, ordinary meat, and ordinary vegetables...

Because it was ordinary, it didn't give Fang Rui any unusual feeling.

If we replace the meat with sea creatures, perhaps things will be a little different?

Fang Rui thought about it uncertainly.

Speaking of which, the flesh of sea kings does taste quite different.

His main body's meals in Wano Country are currently provided by the Beasts Pirates, and are top-of-the-line, with all meat being Sea Kings and the vegetables being of the highest quality...

From frugality to luxury is easy, from luxury to frugality.

Fang Rui, whose palate had become quite discerning, found ordinary food tasteless.

After a quick bite, the group left the restaurant and headed to the outskirts of Albana.

Although it's called the outskirts, it's actually a desert area connected to the city of Albana. The endless golden desert will evoke different feelings in different people.

For Kobula and others, it means the hardships of living in the desert, especially in recent years when various difficulties have increased, making life even more difficult.

"Then...let's begin!"

As he spoke, Fang Rui took out several bags of plant seeds from his storage artifact. These seeds came from other islands, and Fang Rui neither sorted them nor needed to sort them...

Letting them grow wild is fine; there's no need for any zoning or planting.

Thinking this, Fang Rui threw several burlap sacks into the air, and all sorts of plant seeds poured out, then were carried away by the wind into the distance.

A few minutes later, Fang Rui pressed his hands to the ground, and the Seven Treasures Tree bark, which was pressed against his left arm, was infused with a large amount of magic power, instantly displaying the power that a top-level magic weapon should have.

Rumble…

The desert suddenly trembled, and endless yellow sand surged up, as if something underground was about to burst forth...

Rumble…

One after another, emerald green shoots pierced through the barriers of yellow sand and grew at a visible speed. The sight of thousands of plants growing together was quite breathtaking, and it was even more awe-inspiring after they formed a lush, verdant forest.

"This...this..." Cobra stammered incoherently.

Bell and Jaka were utterly astonished, gazing at the lush, verdant forest—a sight never before seen in Alabasta.

"Ah ah ah..."

Unable to speak, I can only sing.

Icarum made an unpleasant sound at the top of his lungs.

how to say?

Although I've seen Fang Rui manipulate plant growth, how can a sapling be compared to a forest?

"I thought it would be a long job, but it was done in the blink of an eye..."

Cobra murmured to himself, the current situation was indeed unexpected.

'They're both Devil Fruit users, but their strength differs so greatly?!'

Bell and Jaka's expressions were complex, completely on different levels!

'...If the high-ranking executives of Baroque Works all possess this kind of power, then Princess Vivi... No, we must call Princess Vivi back!'

Ikaram silently made up his mind.

Chapter 223 Cobra Wants to Make Money

The news of a forest appearing on one side of Albana's city center was impossible to keep from anyone else, and the residents of the capital city of Albana were overjoyed, with the whole city in a state of great jubilation.

Meanwhile, a restaurant owner's casual remark quickly spread, making the residents of Albana aware that the appearance of the forest was related to King Cobra, and that it was planted by people he had invited... using some method.

In an instant, praise for Cobra poured out of Albana, sweeping away the gloomy atmosphere and filling the city with joy and happiness.

As the capital of the kingdom, Albana attracts many merchants doing business here, and it is believed that soon the whole of Alabasta will know about this.

Meanwhile, what was King Cobra, who was praised by his people, doing?

He was hosting a banquet for Fang Rui at the palace and inquired about when the follow-up work would begin.

"As long as the money is available, it's fine anytime."

Fang Rui stirred the seafood fried noodles with a fork, showing no appetite, and spoke in a slightly lazy voice.

"Ahem~" Cobra coughed, "I'll raise the money as soon as possible."

Because of the rebellion and the kingdom's standing army of 60, the Alabasta Kingdom's treasury was not very wealthy. While Fang Rui's offer wasn't particularly high, the territory was vast…

Even if it yields 10,000 berries per square meter, it would still be a million berries per hectare.

Not to mention that the price per square meter is more than 10,000 berries, and the forest created in one go is more than one hectare.

"Okay, good luck to you guys."

Fang Rui didn't really care. After all, he had always considered this a long-term collaboration. He wasn't worried about the afforestation area being too large and exhausting himself, but rather that the other party didn't have that much money.

With that topic over, Cobra quickly changed the subject: "About water resources..."

Given Alabasta's current water resources, it's not just possible, it's absolutely impossible to supply that many plants.

Without enough water, the plants will wither.

"It's a small matter. I can offer two solutions. First, I'll find someone with special abilities to bring rain regularly; you'll need to pay their salary. Second, I'll contact a scientist and ask him to build a device that can convert seawater into fresh water; you'll need to pay for that device..."

"Choose one, the first or the second."

Upon hearing this, Kobra and the others looked distressed.

For them, all options that require money are difficult to choose from.

“…The second one.” After hesitating for a moment, Cobra said.

In comparison, the second option is more cost-effective.

“Okay, cash on delivery. The price of one machine is one hundred million Berries. Given the size of Alabasta, at least five machines will be needed.”

Fang Rui said it very casually.

Cobra's hand holding the knife and fork trembled slightly. Five hundred million Berries... That's expensive!

However, a device that can convert seawater into fresh water is indeed worth the price.

"I'd like to ask how much it costs to hire someone with the ability to bring rain," Cobra asked after a moment's thought.

"Because there are very few ability users who can bring rain over a large area, the appearance fee for asking them to help is not low, at least ten million Berries per appearance."

Upon hearing this, Kobra slammed his hand on the table and readily agreed, "Five seawater conversion devices, please!"

His domineering demeanor didn't last more than a few seconds before Cobra deflated like a punctured balloon: "Can I pay in installments?"

Fang Rui: "…………"

Nico Robin: "…………"

After a few seconds of silence, Fang Rui replied, "Sure, we're not worried about you running away anyway."

As the saying goes, you can run away from the monk but not the temple. With such a large foundation as the Neferutari family, they can't possibly run away.

"Thank you." Cobra breathed a sigh of relief.

"You can also get money on credit for planting trees..."

Before Fang Rui could finish speaking, Kobra interrupted, "Thank you for your kindness, but it's not necessary."

Having spent some time among bounty hunters and witnessed many unpleasant things, Icarum, upon hearing Fang Rui's words, immediately conjured up a series of fraud schemes in his mind. The thought that "Baroque Works is indeed plotting something" arose, and words of advice to the king welled up in his throat, only to hear the king reject Fang Rui's proposal.

Ikaram breathed a sigh of relief, the words of advice vanished, and he thought to himself, "As expected of the king, he is not so easily fooled."

"Okay, as you wish."

Fang Rui didn't force the issue, since forcing it wouldn't necessarily yield results.

"Call me if you have any questions."

With that, Fang Rui stood up and said, "Robin, it's time to go."

“Okay.” Having eaten and drunk her fill, Nicole Robin left with Fang Rui.

Cobra rose to see them off, with Icarim and the others following behind.

At the palace gates, watching the two figures slowly disappear into the distance, Cobra withdrew his gaze, turned around, and returned to the palace, with the others following behind.

“Icarim,” Cobra called softly.

“I am here,” Icarum said respectfully, bowing slightly.

"Is there any way to make money quickly?!" Cobra was very distressed.

Icarum paused for a moment, then suggested, "Your Majesty, why don't we go hunting pirates? The kingdom has a standing army of 60. Instead of targeting pirates with high bounties, let's focus on capturing those with low bounties. Little by little, we can catch more..."

"Moreover, capturing pirates for bounties is a quick way to make money."

“Let me think about it.” Cobra didn’t agree immediately, but instead turned his gaze to Jaka and Bell. “What about you two? Do you have any thoughts?”

Jaka and Bell exchanged glances for a moment, and Jaka spoke first: "I think Icarum's proposal is quite good. It can not only make money, but also train troops."

“I can fly, which gives me an advantage in reconnaissance,” Bell added.