Chapter 57

"Ah!"

"Oh... Oh my!"

At the same time, a fact he had tried to hide and verify the night before was revealed to all the nobles.

-My goodness... to this extent in just one day...

His head was bald from the crown down, as if a bowl had been placed over it, shining brightly.

Bald head!

By the sun!

Severe circular baldness!

It had spread to the size of a palm. Perhaps it had fallen out even more while he was wearing the hat, as his blond hair flew around like electrons freed from a bond.

-Ahahaha!!!

Ignoring Perserk, who was trembling and choking, I smiled and looked at him.

He soon met my gaze and tried to shout in rage, but only animal-like sounds came out of his mouth.

Bang!!

When the meeting room door closed after Kalus was dragged out, I stood up from my seat.

The nobles, who had been stunned by Kalus's bizarre behavior, seemed to come to their senses at the awkward cough of King Crianes, and began to fidget.

"He's still too immature to handle the Haines territory."

I calmly said, looking at Duke Barretta.

"Then I will speak now."

The confused nobles' gazes all turned to me.

"Duke Barretta."

"Yes, Your Highness."

I smiled at his calm response.

"Duke, when did you ascend above the king?"

"Your Highness?"

Truly an impious question. But my words were sharp.

Another noble, not Duke Barretta, answered my sudden question.

"What?!"

"I'll ask again. Duke, is this country yours?"

"Of course not."

A flat tone, devoid of any emotion, but the enmity in his voice was clear.

After all, he is human.

"Your Highness, my actions are all for the Round Kingdom..."

"Then why were you making the same sounds as those barking humans just now?"

"Your... Your Highness, what are you saying?!"

"Why, I was just saying the same thing as the Duke. And why didn't you receive the important state letter? Did you think it wasn't worth reporting? That's quite the king, isn't it?"

"Your Highness! What nonsense is this?!"

"Is it not? I thought it was true because you mentioned it so confidently."

He shut his mouth at my words.

"It seems to me, Duke, that you haven't grasped the situation yet."

I smiled and met his gaze.

"You're thinking about giving meat but telling me not to chew the digestive herb."

"Your Highness, this is a state council..."

"So, what have you resolved in this state council? Selling the royal family proudly to meet their demands? Monopolizing the territories and businesses in the process?"

For a moment.

I could see a hint of confusion in his eyes.

No matter how royal, my actions were extremely risky given the overwhelming influence of the ducal family at this point.

I calmly smiled at him and bowed to King Crianes.

"The point is, if we can somehow pacify the Holy Kingdom, there will be no problem, Your Majesty."

"Does that mean you have a way to cover up the Holy Kingdom's request?"

I smiled at his question, filled with subtle emotion.

"The Holy Kingdom is a place where people live, after all. At most, it's just a high priest."

* * *

The meeting was adjourned.

Well, that was from the nobles' perspective. For me, it was a rather fruitful time with much to gain.

As soon as I returned to the quiet Prince's Palace, I took out a crystal ball with a communication mana stone.

I input the pre-prepared value and started making a call.

The crystal ball emitted a faint light, revealing the image of a young priest.

It was an expensive communication magic device created by linking a small amount of mana stones.

While the system itself wasn't difficult to create, it was a costly item that only the very wealthy could afford due to the price of the mana stones and the technology.

Of course, the problem was that I had an enormous amount of money at my disposal.

This is why one must think carefully about business ideas.

The curse that had been spread in the territory for over a thousand years had become a perfect springboard for my rise.

"I apologize for the sudden contact, Bishop Velliam."

"Haha, then may I ask what conclusion the Law King has reached?"

The priest in the crystal ball chuckled at my question.

Right, even if it's a country built on the sacred ground of the gods, it's still a place where people live and business is conducted.

The fact I conveyed to the Law King was simple:

Without either the Haines territory or the country, the moon grass leaves cannot be cultivated.

A person of the Law King's caliber would have understood the implications.

He smiled, trailing off.

A young man, more approachable than imposing.

"Then, please continue to pay attention to it."

"Don't worry about that. I'll ensure a certain amount is sold to the Holy Kingdom in the next quarter."

"I'll cultivate additional quantities to sell to the Holy Kingdom by developing some of the unused land."

From a certain perspective, it was a very worldly and materialistic transaction.

But I didn't care.

If you want special treatment, bring something.

That was the message I openly conveyed.

Even if I released a certain amount, it was still a fact that the quantity wasn't yet satisfactory.

Disgusting? Did you think I was selling only a part of the quantity for no reason?

From the Holy Kingdom's perspective, it would be more beneficial to continue receiving the moon grass from me in the Round Kingdom rather than having me transferred to the Holy Kingdom.

Of course, they needed to understand that the cultivation was impossible without me and the Haines territory.

Even if other organizations discovered this fact, they wouldn't be able to protest.

They would likely try to bring something to benefit themselves, just like the Holy Kingdom.

By gradually expanding the scale of the business, everyone would be pulled into the quagmire, and no one would blame anyone else.

All together into the quagmire! The so-called water ghost business.

"Business is so easy."

-Liar.

I smiled bitterly at Perserk's sharp remark.

"Alright, then the Holy Kingdom issue is resolved."

The high priest who tried to transfer me to the Holy Kingdom was High Priest Mules.

Given his position in the Grand Council, his influence was greater than that of the king of a small country.

On the other hand, I had made a deal with the current leader of the Holy Kingdom, the Law King.

The Holy Kingdom is ultimately a place where people live.

The political battles are their own to fight, so it won't be a problem anymore.

If the Holy Kingdom clams up due to internal issues, the nobles of the Round Kingdom won't touch me either.

Not a bad outcome.

After ending the communication with Bishop Velliam, I took out another crystal ball and lightly touched the mana stone. It emitted light and projected the image of a man.

Actually, two men this time.

Eimi, buried under a pile of documents, and Bernil, the butler who had taken over the internal management of the territory and was handling it on my behalf.

One was the butler, the other was the personal maid who had taken care of me for a long time.

But their roles were more like secretaries or agents than butlers or maids.

"Thank you for your hard work, Butcher Bernil."

"Eimi?"

"Haha... don't push her too hard."

Eimi was a very intelligent girl for a maid. That's why I was investing in her future.

Isn't this the true landscape of a clean company?

She may still be inexperienced now, but in a few years, Eimi will become a capable talent.

"More importantly, how is the facility improvement going?"

It had finally started raining in the territory, and the land was beginning to come alive.

However, due to long-term neglect and decay, there were many significant issues that needed to be addressed immediately.

The biggest problem was the lack of technology and time.

They say a building needs a solid foundation. If the territory is built with mediocre technology, it could pose a significant problem for the blueprint of the city I plan to build later.

It's better to do something when you have the money, as it makes things easier later.

"Time is the issue?"

The estimated time is about 10 to 20 years.

The time needed for the neglected and decayed Haines territory to establish a proper foundation.

Buildings, water facilities, and farmlands can't be fixed with a snap of the fingers.

Money alone can't solve everything.

"What about the magic tower, alchemy guild, and merchant guild?"

"As long as they don't violate the rules I've set, it's fine."

The old gentleman, Butcher Bernil, nodded in satisfaction.

"And don't worry about the technical issues. I'll bring back the best technicians on the continent soon. We need to start the second business."

Butcher Bernil looked puzzled at my words, especially at the mention of the best technicians on the continent.

"Right, they're stubborn and hard to deal with, but there's a race that won't refuse my offer."

Trading corn for diamonds.

There's no better business idea than one with low risk and high returns.

He seemed to realize who I was referring to as the best technicians on the continent, his eyes widening slightly.