Chapter 62: Lurking for an Opportunity

"The mansion seems unusually busy today. Is something going on?"

The woodcutter, who had come to sell his wood, looked around and asked. The advisor's subordinate, who was in the middle of counting money, briefly raised his gaze to look at him.

"No, it's just the same as usual."

"Is that so? Ha ha..."

A lie. The woodcutter awkwardly laughed and scratched his nose. After the former viscount died, the number of servants had drastically decreased, making the mansion always quiet. Even after the advisor and his group joined, there had never been a day when all the lights in the mansion were on.

But today was different.

"Is this one a bit damp?"

"It's wet from the morning dew. It will dry quickly in the morning sun."

"Three copper coins in total."

"Thank you."

The subordinate wrote something as if tearing a receipt, then took out three copper coins from his pocket and handed them over. The woodcutter was about to bow and leave.

"Wait a moment."

"Yes?"

"Do you have some time? We're currently maintaining the garden, and there's a tree standing right in the middle. If it's old, we'll leave it, but if not, we're thinking of cutting it down."

"Ah, sure. Just leave it to me!"

"Follow me."

The woodcutter patted his pocket as he followed the subordinate. He had been about to go down and have a drink, but it didn't matter. He might even get extra for his effort.

'So that's why the mansion was so busy.'

Indeed, servants who were usually hard to spot were moving around everywhere.

The woodcutter followed the subordinate around the mansion. The ground changed from weeds to grass. He had lived in Bratz all his life, but this was the first time he had crossed this boundary.

"This way."

'Wow!'

The woodcutter gasped as soon as he turned the corner and saw the garden. His expectations of a beautiful arrangement of flowers, shrubs, and trees were immediately shattered.

The garden was filled with rows of plants, like a farm.

The woodcutter, who had made a good profit during the gula recruitment, immediately recognized what they were.

'...They're growing gula? And even built a greenhouse.'

It was true. The rumors circulating in the market were true. The subordinate tapped his shoulder with a piece of paper.

"What are you doing?"

"Ah, sorry. Which tree?"

"This one."

While answering the subordinate's question in detail, the woodcutter's attention was drawn to the gula field behind. Meanwhile, Ian, who was looking down from the corridor window, asked.

"How many?"

"Five merchants bringing food supplies, and this is the second woodcutter. There are also the tailor and... where was it? Anyway, at least ten people have come."

"Food supplies?"

"Reduced as planned. By half."

"Good job."

At lunch, Ian had mentioned two methods for distributing supplies.

Using rumors.

And setting up lax security.

The key was to stimulate human greed for valuable things. By reducing the supplies they were already distributing, the desire for gula would only grow stronger.

"Should we just set up a dummy guard now?"

"No. Tell Romandor's subordinates to stand guard at all times, fully armed."

This was a slightly different order from what he had mentioned before. Beric, who had been looking down at the garden, turned his head to look, but Ian just smiled.

"You can use that method in other territories or the capital. But here, it's still an unclaimed territory without an official ruler. If theft and plunder become rampant, it will directly affect public safety and significantly lower the quality of life for the people, which in turn will lower the quality of the territory."

Once is hard, but twice is easy.

Especially if the mansion is robbed, they will start thinking about stealing and will likely break into their neighbors' homes as well.

"Then what should we do? Just let them look?"

"Beric, worry about yourself. You'll have to wake up early for a while."

"Huh? Me? Why me?"

Beric asked, and Ian smiled and closed his mouth. Then he tapped the window and went up to his office.

* * *

"Is this the right way?"

"It is, I tell you!"

"Lower your voice. The guards will come!"

Two men approached the mansion under the cover of the early morning darkness.

With supplies reduced and food running out, rumors spread that the mansion was full of gula. They had no choice but to sneak in under the cover of darkness to survive.

"Ugh."

"Man, this is heavy."

"Quick, put it up."

The thieves barely managed to climb over the high mansion wall. They had heard that the gula field was in the outer garden, not inside the building. Even a few of these precious plants would be enough to carry to the capital and escape this miserable poverty.

"Is this it?"

The thieves cautiously peeked into the garden. It was pitch dark, but they could clearly see that something was planted all over the ground. They began to steal, envisioning a rosy future.

"Man, to think they brought this to the mansion without realizing it was worth its weight in gold. Tsk tsk."

"Shut up and focus."

"I should have brought another bundle."

Whispering and giggling, the thieves pulled out the gula while Romandor's subordinates watched, sighing. They had just put one thief in the underground prison and were surprised to find more.

"Hey-!"

"Yikes!"

"Aaaaah!"

The subordinate shouted and lit a cigarette, causing the thieves to panic and fall over. They threw the gula into the air and ran through the garden.

"Where are you going? You'll wake everyone up."

"P-Please, spare us! Spare us!"

"Who will believe you were just passing by?"

But what could they do? Before long, the thieves were caught by the neck and fell to their knees, desperately begging. Two subordinates tied their hands with ropes.

"Everyone has worked hard."

"Ah, Lord Ian."

Ian and Beric appeared, hooded. The thieves looked up at him, gulping. His golden eyes, visible even in the dark, were unsettling.

"Did you come to steal?"

"Ah, well, that is..."

"I was wrong! It's so hard to make a living, that's why..."

Ian clicked his tongue at the thieves.

"Wait a little longer. How did it come to this?"

"Yes?"

"Lock these people in the underground prison."

"Yes, Lord Ian. Are you not going to patrol tonight?"

"No, Beric is enough."

Ian and the mansion's subordinates had a conversation that the thieves couldn't understand. As the confused thief was dragged to the underground prison, Ian and Beric left the mansion.

This was their second day of outings.

"Haam."

"Try to get some sleep."

Beric, instead of answering, tapped the bundle of gula on his back, showing that he was just as busy as Ian.

A short while later, they arrived at a house on the outskirts.

"That's Dalung's house, right?"

"Right, let's go there first."

It was dark, and the lights were off. Ian entered the yard and gently knocked on the door.

Knock knock.

"Anyone there?"

No response, so he knocked again.

Knock knock.

"Come out for a moment."

A faint light appeared in the window. A sleepy voice asked,

"Who is it?"

"It's Ian."

"...Who?"

"Ian."

Creak.

Still half-asleep, the man took a while to understand the situation. The door opened slowly, and the man, who had been staring at Ian, suddenly widened his eyes.

"Lord Ian?"

"Shh. You'll wake the children."

"Wh-What brings you here?"

He knew Ian, but he never thought Ian would know him. After all, he was just an ordinary citizen. It was natural to be surprised when someone he didn't know well mentioned his children.

"Have I done something wrong...?"

Naturally, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. As fear flashed across the man's face, Ian silently rummaged through Beric's bundle.

Swoosh.

"What is this?"

"It's gula."

"What?"

A bundle of gula seeds.

"It's not the miracle drug as the rumors say, but it's true that the advisor enjoys it, and it's tasty and nutritious. It's currently strictly controlled by the mansion, but I plan to freely distribute it in the territory soon. I keep suggesting it to the advisor. Until then, hold on, and if your neighbors want some, share generously."

"Lord Ian!"

"I'm giving it to you first because you have many children. I have many more houses to visit, so I can't stay long. Remember, don't eat all the seeds."

"Of course, no one in the territory doesn't know that."

"Just taste a little and plant the rest. One seed can produce more than ten gula plants."

What kind of midnight gift is this! The man was so moved that he could only nod. As Ian patted his shoulder and left the yard, the man bowed deeply.

"Thank you!"

"You'll wake the neighbors."

The man clamped his mouth shut at Ian's words. After Ian disappeared into the darkness, he cautiously returned to his house. The dim light became bright.

"...Ian, you're really unpredictable."

"I know you well. You look like you want to sleep right away."

Beric rubbed his eyes, tired. Distributing gula in the middle of the night, and doing it personally, was something he couldn't understand. Ian understood why Beric couldn't understand