Chapter 53

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Temple Breeze Volume 12

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A month has passed in real time, and three months in Satisfy. During this time, Reidan has experienced a bountiful harvest. The water veins discovered by Piaro have supplied nutrients to the soil, and the farming tools created by Grid have improved the soil quality.

Reidan no longer needs to import food at high prices from other regions, reducing the financial burden. Additionally, vegetation has started to grow, weakening the sandstorms and improving the health of the people. The sight of children, who used to be sick every day, now playing and running around has made the people’s eyes well up with tears.

“This is all thanks to Duke Grid.”

“Yeah! That’s right!”

To the people who had only suffered for the past ten years and were on the brink of starvation, Grid and the Temple Breeze team were like angels sent down by the goddess Rebecca.

The people absolutely obeyed Grid and the Temple Breeze team, who were their saviors. They received training and performed their roles as farmers, blacksmiths, architects, and soldiers.

In return, they received appropriate salaries, so they no longer had to starve, and they could feel a sense of achievement in reviving the city with their own strength.

Reidan was brimming with vitality.

“Have you gone out into the streets? It’s all praise for the lord.”

“Is that so? I would need to have the time to go outside amidst my busy schedule.”

In the past, Froi pledged to serve Grid solely to repay a debt of gratitude.

But now, it was different.

Froi deeply respected the grown Grid and was loyal to him.

“I am proud of the lord.”

A city that was on the verge of destruction is now bustling.

Thanks to the Temple Breeze team, monsters no longer threaten Reidan, and thanks to Jude, a small but powerful army is being cultivated.

Thanks to Kan, young blacksmith talents are being nurtured, and thanks to Rabbit, the overall development speed of Reidan has increased.

Yupemina bolstered various fields by replicating skills such as monster taming, blacksmithing, and architecture.

Especially, the lord of Vairan, Jushka, is performing remarkably.

She, along with two other members of the Temple Breeze team, is cultivating knights and soldiers, conducting continuous raids to protect the forest and exterminating the Frost Orcs.

Thanks to this, the guild warehouse is filled with various minerals and the scales of Siphid. It is expected that all members of the Temple Breeze team will soon possess invisibility cloaks.

The person who gathered such outstanding and strong talents into one?

None other than Grid.

Froi’s respect for Grid only grew day by day.

“It’s still far from enough.”

Grid was not satisfied with the current situation.

After all, Reidan was still a city in deficit.

“The only facilities we have are fields, a blacksmith, a barracks, and an alchemy laboratory.”

The population is not increasing, and taxes are not being collected.

Despite producing at least five items per day, there was no profit, only losses.

If Grid had sold the 450 items he made over the past three months to players instead of investing them in Reidan?

‘Even after deducting taxes and raw material costs, I could have made at least 1.5 billion won…’

None of the 450 items were legendary, but two were of unique grade.

However, since they were distributed as supplies to each facility instead of being sold to players, it was truly a pity.

Grid, who was regretfully savoring this, was encouraged by Laue.

“Don’t dwell on the immediate loss. Thanks to the items you made, the efficiency in various fields has increased several times over, and this will soon bring you greater benefits.”

“I know.”

It was late lunchtime.

Due to the backlog of work, Grid was eating in the blacksmith’s workshop. Through Froi and Laue, he was managing his mental state.

On one side, Kan was busy educating young blacksmiths.

Laue sighed.

“Kan’s voice is getting louder day by day. Seeing him become healthier and healthier, I wonder if the desert sand of Reidan is really a longevity elixir.”

“Old man, he’s just naturally like that. By the way, the sales of the longevity elixir are steadily increasing, right?”

“Yes, this month’s sales have reached 1,230 gold.”

“Still, it’s not even a quarter of what Laubit receives.”

Laubit, as a viscount, receives 500 gold for maintaining his dignity and an additional 5,300 gold as a salary for his role as an administrator.

This salary is the minimum value that Laubit himself has set for himself.

Despite swearing loyalty, he insists that he cannot work without receiving 5,300 gold every month, making him a truly thorough person.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the current deficit of Reidan is due to Laubit.

“But you shouldn’t feel regretful. The value of Sir Laubit cannot be quantified.”

“I know.”

In fact, thanks to Laubit, the internal affairs of Reidan are growing rapidly, far surpassing the growth rate of other cities.

Indeed, Laubit, a named NPC with an S-grade administrative skill, is doing more than just earning his keep.

‘Don’t be impatient; look to the future.’

After developing Reidan, I will exterminate the Giant Worm and restore the west. Then, by completely dominating the west, I will lay the foundation to become a king.

That is the immediate goal.

‘The money-making will start from then on.’

I will become a tycoon.

I never want to suffer from lack of money again.

Ding! Ding!

After consuming the ‘Rainbow Potatoes’ that could only be produced after three months, Grid immediately started working without taking a break.

Although his level is still stuck at 275 due to not being able to hunt for the past three months, he is not particularly anxious because his stats increase slightly each time he creates an item of epic grade or higher.

Fundamentally, as a blacksmith, Grid can become stronger the later he levels up.

***

The Butin Barony of the Sahara Empire is located at the far eastern end of the empire, a remote area.

It is, in a word, a rural area with nothing to see but the barren natural landscape.

Moreover, it is a very peaceful place where no monsters appear, so it is extremely rare for players to visit.

However, Mutto, the third-ranked merchant who operates a small trading company, is focusing on trading with the Butin Barony.

Although the Butin Barony is a land abandoned by players, it is a popular vacation spot for wealthy NPCs and nobles.

“Premium longevity elixir?”

Mutto, who has been focusing on supplying premium items for the rich and noble visitors to the Butin Barony, began to investigate the cause when the sales rate of the items he supplied started to decline.

He frowned when he discovered a small amount of sand in a small glass bottle.

“Is this sand being sold as a premium longevity elixir? Are the items I supplied being outperformed by this kind of thing?”

Mutto has appraised countless items. As a merchant, his discernment is exceptionally excellent, so he easily figured out that the premium longevity elixir is actually just ordinary sand.

“Really good idea.”

How did the desert sand of Reidan become a premium longevity elixir?

Mutto, who heard the details from the NPCs of the Butin Barony, could not help but be impressed.

“With this level of marketing, it’s almost like a scam.”

There must be an incredible businessman hidden in Reidan.

Mutto was convinced of this. As he pondered how to compete with that incredible businessman, he came up with a brilliant idea.

“Reidan is full of deserts, right?”

Hee hee.

With a satisfied smile, Mutto immediately led his trading company to set out for Reidan.

However, as soon as he crossed the border, he encountered an obstacle.

“What, what is this?”

The guards of Mutto’s trading company were level 200. They were hired for a high price and protected the trading company from ordinary monsters and bandits.

However, the monsters they encountered upon entering the territory of Reidan, such as the Giant Worm and the Desert Toad, were so powerful that they could swallow the guards in one bite.

“What, what the hell…!”

How could there be such powerful monsters?

Even the Twin Ogres, the strongest monsters he had ever seen, would not stand a chance against these.

“R, Run!”

Mutto had to break a sweat to escape from the monsters that were trying to swallow the entire trading company.

However, amidst this, he did not forget to fill bags with desert sand, showing his remarkable professionalism.

“Huff, huff! Damn! I almost got killed!”

Mutto, who barely survived and returned to the Butin Barony, shuddered.

Losing more than half of his guards just to bring back a bag of sand was a desperate situation.

“I have to sell this and at least cover some of the losses.”

Mutto sought out an NPC customer. He then presented a bag of Reidan’s desert sand, claiming it was a premium longevity elixir.

However, the NPC clicked his tongue.

“The premium longevity elixir refers to the sand collected from the center of Reidan, not the ordinary sand found in the desert. We only recognize and trade sand that has been approved by the Lord of Reidan. Get lost with your trash. And let’s cut off our business relationship. I don’t want to deal with a fraudster like you anymore.”

“…”

What a disaster.

He thought it was too easy.