Episode 266: Should I prepare for war again? (1)
It was Lowell who brought the provisions. He also brought with him a hundred knights and a thousand soldiers.
Because the amount of food was enormous, a considerable number of troops had to be brought to guard it.
Lowell spoke to Giselle with a very tired look on his face.
“How have you been? This is enough to feed the fort’s personnel for several months. I’ll make sure to bring it to you on time next time.”
“What? Why are you here? What if a spy comes here? Aren’t you doing your job?”
Lowell’s face darkened at Giselle’s question.
“The governor told me to go because there is so much food. He said it would be unsafe for someone else to go. He told me to come here and personally check out the conditions of the territories I pass by. He also told me to take charge of diplomacy.”
At first glance, spies and diplomats seem to have quite different jobs, but upon closer inspection, they actually have many interconnected jobs.
If you are in charge of diplomatic affairs, you can meet and understand many important people in person, and it is easy to go to other territories under the pretext of official business.
On the other hand, it was easy to be exposed to that much risk, but it was an advantage worth taking that level of risk.
“Oh, that’s okay. No matter how much information you gather, it’s still not as good as seeing the scene in person.”
Lowell gritted his teeth as he glanced at Giselle, who nodded.
Now he had to go around and gather information himself. When he returned to his territory, he had to analyze and classify the information obtained by other spies.
‘Oh, I really f*cking want to run away.’
Since he was a prisoner of war, he would die if he ran away. He had no choice but to wander around and work until he died.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Fenris soldiers began unloading large sacks of wheat from carts and taking meat out of refrigerated wagons. People cried out in shock at the sight.
“Wow, wooooow!”
They couldn’t believe it was real even though they were seeing it with their own eyes. They had never seen so much food and meat in their lives.
‘Wow, these days there’s a severe famine and the entire continent is short of food, so how did you manage to bring that much?’
‘Look at that much meat, it looks really delicious.’
‘There are so many sheep, are you going to sell them? How much should I sell them for?’
‘I heard you’re a noble. Do you also work at the top?’
People couldn’t approach him rashly, just swallowing their saliva.
This is where you can find the monstrous Jisel who wipes out monsters and Kaor who can even single-handedly hunt the Twin Head Ogre.
Kaor was lying in bed, but Giselle and the other knights were fine. It was obvious that even if everyone here attacked, they wouldn’t be able to win.
“Looking at the people who were dumbfounded by the ridiculous amount of food,” said Giselle.
“Are you tired of eating monster meat every day?”
Nod nod.
“Are you annoyed that bread and meat are so expensive?”
Nod nod.
“I will sell you meat and wheat at pre-famine prices, not current prices. Do you want to buy?”
“oh!”
People opened their eyes wide, half in doubt.
They knew that food prices outside the fortress were skyrocketing. In such a situation, selling food at pre-famine prices was simply absurd.
Looking at the surprised people, Jiselle continued speaking.
“However, I will only accept the price of monster skin and tendons. I will also adjust the price of those two items to the pre-famine market price, so please understand.”
People nodded obediently.
Leather prices have gone up a lot these days, but they are nothing compared to food prices.
The most traded items here are monster byproducts. Naturally, hides and tendons are also abundant, so they are cheaper than other places.
‘There is absolutely no loss in exchanging it for food now.’
‘There are many by-products worth selling besides leather and tendons anyway.’
‘Let’s stop eating monster meat now!’
Soon the hunters ran to the workshop’s warehouse and brought out the hides they owned.
They were making a lot of noise and making a fuss to get even a little bit of the exchange first.
“I’ll trade right now! Meat, give me meat!”
“I am wheat! I have several pieces of fine leather!”
“I have leather too! It’s not high-quality, but it’s a lot of it!”
As people began to gather, chaos again broke out in front of the inn. While the knights and soldiers stepped forward to control the situation, Giselle spoke to Lowell.
“Okay, let’s start trading quickly.”
“… …Me?”
“You’re the only one who knows the exact quantity right now, right? And you’re also incredibly fast at calculating.”
“… … That’s right.”
Lowell was the only one who was quick enough to be acknowledged by everyone in the realm when it came to calculations. The numbers were a little off, but didn’t that save his life anyway?
Lowell started processing the transaction right away without even recovering from the fatigue he had accumulated while coming. As a result, the leather and sinew piled up like crazy.
Jiselle nodded at the sight.
‘If we continue to hunt and trade for food, there will be no problem obtaining leather and tendons.’
Rumors that a certain merchant had arrived with a large quantity of food and meat quickly spread throughout the fortress.
Not only the hunters, but also the merchants who had been trading in the fortress came here. This was because they could also profit by obtaining food here and selling it elsewhere.
Naturally, Grant, the fort’s commander, also got involved.
“Our fortress also has many by-products that are sent to the royal family. We would like to exchange them for food.”
Eating well also has a big impact on the morale of soldiers. I didn’t want to miss this opportunity.
Jiselle nodded and proposed a new business.
“I would like to trade with all the fortresses near the Shadow Mountains. Can you help me?”
“All the fortresses and horses?”
“Yeah, it takes a long time for me to go around on my own.”
“There are over fifty fortresses blocking the Shadow Mountains. Are you saying you can trade with all of them?”
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“I am the so-called Food King of the Northern Kingdom of Rutania. Haven’t you heard?”
“Yes, I haven’t heard of it.”
“… … Okay, anyway, since you can do it, please connect me quickly. In the name of the kingdom, issue a permit so that other guys won’t bother me. I don’t want to waste time.”
“Understood. I will relay the news as quickly as possible. If I report this along with my achievements, the royal family will accept it.”
Grant immediately sent messengers. He repeatedly emphasized and praised the situation and Giselle’s skills and wealth to the commanders of each fortress and the royal family.
Adding a little spice(?) to it is the fact that this is a golden opportunity to receive support from the nobles of the powerful nation of Rutania.
The Turian Kingdom is a place that provides full support to the fortresses. In particular, the commanders of each fortress are carefully selected, and their reports are also highly credible.
In just a few days, the royal decree issued a permit.
[The Turian Royal Family grants permission for formal trade with Count Fenris of the Kingdom of Rutania.
― The credit of the Fenris upper house is guaranteed by the Turian royal family.
― Personnel belonging to the Fenris Top can move to any region within the kingdom without any special procedures.
― The upper part of Fenris is exempt from taxes on food sales.
― All commanders and lords of the kingdom protect the Fenris upper class.]
It was a huge privilege. Few companies have ever received such benefits.
Since they also prioritize the maintenance of the fortress, they decided to actively support the Fenris Top, which would be helpful there.
Of course, the fact that Grant had strongly recommended him and that Giselle was a noble from the powerful nation of Rutania would have also played a big role.
Jiselle smiled with satisfaction.
‘I knew Grant would accept something like this.’
We weren’t close friends in our previous lives, but we still visited each other often and became acquainted.
Grant was quite capable and had served in the fortress for a long time. He was also the eldest son of a powerful marquis in the Turian kingdom.
His ability as well as his origins must have made it impossible to ignore his words.
‘Okay, I can make more money in the future.’
Gaining money and resources through trade with other kingdoms was also part of Giselle’s plans.
The only item being traded now is food, but if you take this opportunity to establish yourself, you could make a lot of money selling cosmetics and iron ore.
‘Kaor and the knights will be able to live a little more comfortably.’
Because even if he returns, Grant and the Turian Kingdom will protect them.
It is the law of the fortress not to recognize the authority of the nobles, but since he is also the owner of a merchant group that conducts official trade with the kingdom, he cannot just leave them alone.
It was a little unsettling to leave behind the troublemakers, but I couldn’t pave the way for them to go any further.
“Hey, are you feeling better now?”
Kaor, who was covered in bandages all over her body, pouted at Giselle’s words.
“Tell me which kid hit me.”
“I haven’t seen it.”
“Mr. Ha… I guess I’ll just have to beat them all up.”
Kaoru was so angry that he just kept whining. He should have made a cool exit, but he was surrounded and beaten up. I was so annoyed that I thought I could die.
Jiselle stayed for a few more days, hunting monsters and training the knights. Of course, Kaor was dragged away injured and suffered to the point of death.
The hunters who decided to go with Jiselle were dragged on a hunt and fell into deep trouble.
‘X happened… … . I signed a 30-year contract… … .’
‘I received the deposit for nothing… … When will I pay it back?’
‘I thought the kingdom would protect these guys… … .’
They too were dragged out to hunt and rolled around with the knights. They even served as porters and dismemberers. They wanted to run away, but now they couldn’t even run away.
‘Damn it! So that’s why I gave you the deposit in advance! I can’t pay you back right away!’
It was because he had spent all the huge advance payment he had received on drinking and partying.
Even if he wanted to subdue them with force, he didn’t have the confidence to defeat the knights. Kaor, in particular, was now the most powerful man in the fortress.
Even if they could have won by attacking together, there was a problem. They could not be killed or run away because Grant and his troops were protecting them.
They ended up with their noses firmly pierced.
“Everyone, hunt hard and get some leather and tendons. Send them over whenever the top comes. Got it? I’m going back now. Kaor, train hard.”
“yes…….”
The knights and hunters nodded gloomily at Jiselle’s words.
In fact, the knights also tried to find a way out of here somehow. They clung to the other knights who came with Lowell.
“Please let’s switch!”
“It’s so much fun here! Once you return to Yeongju, you’re free, free!”
“You can improve your skills quickly!”
But the knights who had roughly figured out the atmosphere roughly shook their hands off.
“Who are you? Do you know me?”
“Are you crazy? Don’t you want to be in a shitty place like this?”
“I’m doing well. Let’s meet alive.”
The knights who had been training hard were secretly worried. If they had been lax in their training, they would have been dragged here and suffered to the point of death.
Leaving the knights shedding tears like that, Giselle returned to the estate with Lowell.
Only one person, Kaor, cried out with a pleasant smile.
“Shit! You know I’m the best here now, right? If you don’t listen to me, I’ll beat you all up! Got it?”
There are hundreds of hunters following him. The Turian Kingdom also provides him with open protection.
Now, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Kaor was the most powerful man in the fortress.
“Hahahahahaha! I am now the king of Ironcliff! King!”
He really liked it here.
* * *
Even without Jiselle, Yeongji is busy. Even people with little sense of responsibility work hard. It’s because they’re afraid of the consequences.
Thanks to this, the territory was developing rapidly even in Jiselle’s absence.
As soon as she arrived, Giselle was briefed on what had happened. She had been away for quite some time, so it was time to clean up.
The first thing I was told was the road construction project I was working on with the writer.
“The road construction is progressing smoothly. It has already been connected to the surrounding areas.”
“Thanks to you, the number of users of Arrow Delivery has increased. However, we are still in the red… … .”
“Instead, road tolls are coming in little by little from nearby territories. The north has a low population and a floating population, so growth is not great, but it is expected that more tolls will come in from the capital city managed by the Marquis of Branford.”
The road and shipping business was going without any major problems. As expected, things went smoothly when the Marquis Branford got involved.
Now, if we continue like this, we will make more and more money.
After that, the main topics were related to land development.
“Galvanium is being produced in greater quantities than expected. The blacksmiths are suspiciously volunteering to work overtime instead of going home.”
“The Fenris region is mostly filled with farmland. We are currently selling food to continue purchasing resources and necessities for our territory.”
“Other areas have been filled with large hatcheries and various workshops. The production of the land is increasing rapidly.”
“The construction of the residential area is almost finished. Now it is difficult to find a person among the residents who does not have a home. However, the village relocation work is somewhat delayed.”
Small villages located away from major strongholds were being relocated to nearby fortresses and cities to integrate them.
But other things were too busy, and the task of destroying the village was not as easy as it seemed.
It may be because people who are reluctant to leave the place they have lived so far are moving a bit slowly, and the preparation for moving itself is a task that requires a considerable amount of manpower.
As a result, village integration was slow, but once the immigrants settled in, there were few complaints.
As the facilities needed for the territory increased, the people’s standard of living greatly improved. The loyalty and satisfaction of the territory residents increased to an incomparable level compared to before.
It was a miracle that the poor northern territory had developed to this extent. It was all thanks to Jiselle’s knowledge and crazy action.
“It is no exaggeration to say that there is no better place to live in the North than here. The surplus production is gradually increasing.”
“As economic activity becomes more active, taxes are also increasing. Although spending is still higher… … .”
“All the people of Yeongji are praising their lord.”
Desmond and Leipold live in an estate that is considered the wealthiest in the North.
However, in those territories, the power of the lord was strong, and not all the people of the territories lived well. Like other territories, there was a severe gap between the rich and the poor.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that there was no place on this continent where all the people of the territory ate well and lived without great worries like in the Fenris territory.
Jiselle, who had been full of praise, nodded in satisfaction and said.
“Okay, I’m a lot more substantial than before. So, do you all know what I’m going to do next?”
“… … .”
The gods didn’t answer. They seemed to know what it was, but they didn’t want to say it. So Jiselle spoke first.
“Now it’s time to prepare for war again?”
Those who went to the expected answer had sullen expressions on their faces.
