#1078 Otherworldly Summit Meeting

I am Ritheseus, President of the Human Nation.

Today, I’ve got a big meeting. I’m in a conference room, rubbing elbows with some important figures.

Demon King Zedan.

Mermaid King Arowana.

They are leaders of the major nations that split our world. With me representing the Human Nation, the heads of state covering the entire globe are gathered here.

In other words, whatever we decide today could shape the fate of the whole world.

So, what are we all here to talk about?

“Well, you know, I wonder if my son realizes he’s become a big brother. He seems to have a more dignified look lately.”

“I totally get what you mean, Demon King! We’re on our fourth and fifth kids now! Kids grow up so fast at that age!!!”

Demon King Zedan and Mermaid King Arowana are happily gushing about their newborns.

It’s not like it’s their first child for either of them, but apparently, their kids are always irresistibly adorable no matter how many they have.

With their eyes twinkling and grins from ear to ear, these two doting dads don’t exactly exude the aura of mighty rulers of great nations.

But it’s not just them. People all over the world are swooning over their new bundles of joy.

Not long ago, we had a baby boom, and an incredible number of children were born all at once.

Naturally, the population has skyrocketed.

And this isn’t unrelated to today’s meeting.

In fact, that’s exactly why we’re here; to tackle some big issues we can’t ignore any longer.

“So, Ritheseus, how are things on your end? You’re married now, aren’t you?”

“Uh, well, we’re still just engaged...!”

Yes, I have a fiancée named Eryngear, but we’re not officially hitched yet.

Because she’s a demon, some stubborn people aren’t thrilled about me, the leader of the Human Nation, marrying her.

It’s taking time to smooth things over, so for now, Eryngear’s patiently waiting as my fiancée.

I can’t exactly let her get pregnant before we’ve even had the wedding, so last year’s... incident was a close call...

But let’s not get into that.

Anyway, what’s important now... is that lots of kids have been born, and as a result, the population has exploded.

“This is bound to become a big problem down the line. There’s only so much we can produce, and living space is limited.”

Yes, that’s why the three of us have gathered here today.

More people means more mouths to feed and more homes needed.

But our land isn’t infinite, and it’s only natural that it’ll get cramped once we hit the limit.

And now, we’ve had this massive baby boom.

Sure, babies are born all the time, but having so many at once is pretty rare.

For now, the newborns are tiny, eat little, and their cribs don’t take up much space.

But as time goes on, they’ll grow, and when they start their own lives, they’ll need new houses.

The problem is already looming.

As leaders, we need to look ten or twenty years ahead and figure something out.

“Indeed, in our Demon Kingdom, we’re expanding the capital to prepare for population growth.”

“After all, people tend to flock to the cities.”

The Demon King and the Mermaid King have been rulers way longer than I have and have tons of experience.

I’m sure they’ve been planning for stuff like this.

“What about you, King Arowana?”

“Our Mermaid Kingdom’s capital is inside the belly of the giant fish Zigol, so we can’t expand it easily. But our territory, the vast ocean, is limitless. We’re thinking of building new cities in habitable areas under the sea.”

Wow, that’s pretty cool.

It turns out they already have a few merfolk colonies like that, and they’re planning to build another one.

“I see. That makes sense.”

“And there’s one more thing... The merfolk have a new frontier...”

“?”

I get a strange feeling from the way Arowana says that.

“After years of research, we’ve found a way to cheaply mass-produce the top-grade humanizing potion developed by Platy. And of course, we have the antidote to change back...”

“Hm?”

“If we make this widely available, even regular merfolk can easily transform into land-dwellers and explore the surface as a new frontier...”

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!!!

Please hold on a second!

That means a whole bunch of merfolk will start living on land, adding to our already booming population!

We’re already swamped dealing with our own population explosion!!!

“Hmm... I figured as much...!”

“Not just a population issue, but making it easy to cross borders raises security concerns. They can freely come and go from the sea, but land-dwellers can’t do the same, and that’s a problem.”

The Demon King has a point.

There are probably some unsavory characters among the merfolk, and for them, the land could be an easy place to hide.

It’s great that technology is advancing, but we’ve got to have laws in place to manage it.

“You’re right... We’ll postpone making the humanizing potion available for now and focus on setting up proper legal frameworks.”

“Much appreciated.”

It’s impressive how the Demon King, who was joking around just moments ago, switches to serious mode when it comes to politics.

“The issues that come with population growth have been on our radar for a while. It’s only natural that people increase during peaceful times after a war ends.”

True enough.

He didn’t get complacent after winning the war; he was already prepping for the next challenges.

...I respect that as a statesman!!!

“So even though we had some countermeasures lined up, unexpected events have caused the problem to surface much sooner than we thought. At this point, we have no choice but to roll out our plans ahead of schedule, starting with the most practical ones.”

That’s why you called us here?

If you had a plan, the Demon Kingdom could’ve just gone ahead on its own.

But maybe it’s tough to do it solo, or it’s more effective to get everyone on board, so he’s discussing it with us.

“I think I’m following. Demon King, what’s your plan?”

Arowana seems to agree and urges the conversation forward.

In response, the Demon King says...

“Well, the Demon Kingdom intends to make development projects a key national policy.”

A development project!

It makes sense; we need more food production and living space for the growing population.

We’ll develop unused land outside villages and towns, build houses, make fields—basically, create more space for people to live.

“I see! It’s a simple but effective solution! As expected of you, Demon King!”

“We’ve already set up a special team to find suitable development sites. We’ve got a few candidates, and we planned to take our time choosing, but with the recent baby boom, we can’t afford to wait...”

The Demon King, with his serious expression and furrowed brows...

“Right now, this is our most promising candidate for development.”

...spreads out a world map and points to a spot.

Oh, here?!

It’s not exactly in demon territory but it’s also pretty close to ours.

I see. So that’s why he’s bringing it up with me and Arowana.

Since it’s close to all our nations, we can collaborate on the development.

It could even be a project to promote harmony among our people!

Understood, Demon King!

Please let the Human Nation be part of this development project.

“Wait, this location...!”

On the other hand, Arowana suddenly exclaims, his eyes widening.

He stares at the map, sweat forming on his forehead.

...What’s wrong, you two?

“Ritheseus, didn’t you notice? Oh, right, you’ve only traveled there using teleportation magic, so you wouldn’t know.”

“Teleportation magic is handy, but it has its downsides. Listen carefully, Ritheseus...!”

From their serious tones, it hits me.

I finally realize.

The prime development site the Demon King pointed to...

...is where Lord Saint’s farm is located!