Chapter 211 Just Got Uploaded. (1)
“Hey, instructor, do you have a significant other? Your muscles are so impressive… they’re just disgustingly huge.”
“How about we have a drink and talk this out?”
“I really want to have a serious life conversation with you. What do you think?”
Once the drinks start flowing, I was confident I could easily steamroll Gordon.
The problem was that Gordon didn’t drink. He didn’t even know he was being seduced!
“I don’t drink! If I drink, I’ll lose muscle! Now that I’ve rested enough, get up! Let’s do this!”
‘Man, that guy really looks like he could down a drink or two!’
When seduction didn’t work, the elves resorted to other tactics. All the elves started putting on tragic faces and teary eyes.
“It’s really hard, I can’t do it anymore. Let’s take just a little more rest.”
“Just three push-ups and half a lap of running a day. We’re really weak.”
“Don’t you have any consideration for the weak? You’re just a kid, you know…”
These elves had seen it all in the human world. Their tearful acting was unrivaled.
When beautiful elves did their tear act, most humans’ hearts would just melt away.
Even the oblivious Gordon started feeling guilt as if he were under a spell.
“Uh, should I? Then let’s do it a bit easier….”
Suddenly, Ghislaine’s warning popped into my head.
– You know what happens if you don’t do it right? You’ll enter special training.
My mind snapped back to reality. The Lord’s special training is truly terrifying. The fear ingrained in my mind suppressed my primal instincts.
“Oh no! If I do that, I’ll die, and you’ll all die too! Get up quickly!”
‘Damn it, that heartless bastard.’
The elves grinded their teeth and stood up. One elf couldn’t hold back and shouted.
“We’re elves, so instead of this, let’s just train in spirit magic! You know, elves and spirit magic?”
“I heard you can’t do that at all!”
‘How did he know?’
But these elves were not ones to give up. Another elf shouted.
“Then we’ll just study magic instead! We’re really smart!”
“Since you said you’d turn us into soldiers anyway, wouldn’t it be better to learn magic?”
“Yes! Please tell the Lord again! We want to become mages!”
Sitting down and studying would be so much easier. Working with my body is too exhausting.
“Magic? Maaaagic?”
Gordon was momentarily speechless. What should he even say if they wanted to study magic?
Even he, the simpleton, knew that mages are far more valuable than soldiers.
Should he stop training and entertain this idea?
But he really didn’t want to. If they actually studied magic, wouldn’t his precious position fly away?
“Isn’t this going to fly away?”
And now, he had also discovered the joy of manipulating people. He was definitely not going to let go of this.
After a moment of contemplation, Gordon clapped his hands as if he had a great idea and said, “Look closely! You idiots!”
Buuuuuum!
Kwaaang!
Gordon slammed his fist into the ground with all his might.
The earth instantly cracked, and dust flew everywhere.
The Elves recoiled in horror, taking a step back. Was this guy also planning to solve things with his fists like the Lord?
With his fist raised and a smug expression, Gordon proclaimed, “Highly developed muscles cannot be distinguished from magic.”
Is there really such a thing as separate magic? If you can’t do it with your body, then it’s all just magic.
This was exactly how Gordon viewed the concept of magic in his world.
“…….”
The Elves had no words in response to Gordon’s absurdity.
At first glance, it sounded impressive, but digging deeper revealed it to be utterly ignorant and bizarre. It seemed there was no normal person in this territory.
But regardless of that, Gordon was too busy urging the Elves on.
“Come on, get up quickly! We’re starting again!”
“Yes…”
“What kind of answer is that? You’re lacking enthusiasm!”
“Ugh!”
“Good! From now on, every answer must be filled with enthusiasm! Got it?”
“Ugh!”
The Elves stood up with faces that screamed of resignation.
Temptations and tearful performances were useless. No, past temptations and acts were irrelevant because he was simply too ignorant to even communicate.
And so, under Gordon’s guidance, the Elves’ hellish training continued daily.
*
The Penris Territory acquired both food and iron ore. As a result, its influence in the North grew exponentially compared to before.
The problem was that other resources apart from food and iron ore were still severely lacking.
“We will lower the blockade stage in the Cabaldy region. From now on, let’s actively accept merchants and envoys to secure more resources.”
At Ghislaine’s words, the retainers nodded in agreement.
As the territory expanded and the number of residents increased, they needed far more resources than before.
However, dealing only with select merchant groups was increasingly making resource procurement difficult.
While it was best to keep the high-yield farmlands in the Penris area hidden as much as possible, there was no need for secrecy in the already public Cabaldy region.
It was common knowledge that iron ore was abundant here.
As news broke that Penris Territory was actively starting trades, numerous merchants and envoys from various territories flocked in.
“Chief Officer, have you been well all this time?”
“You seem to be getting more distinguished by the day.”
“This is my token of goodwill. I look forward to our future dealings.”
Merchants scrambled to flatter Claude and offered bribes. The envoys were more cautious, having learned their lesson from a previous visit.
Claude was the second-in-command of the territory and oversaw all affairs. It was crucial to make a good impression.
The rumor of him being a fool only fueled their flattery.
Adopting a purposely haughty expression, Claude said, “Hoh, even if you give me this, I can’t lower the price… But since it’s your goodwill, I shall graciously accept. Ahem.”
Claude stole a glance at Wendy and then cast a wistful look at the pile of bribes.
Sigh, all of that is mine.
Ghislaine didn’t particularly stop the bribes. If someone offered, they took it all.
However, if someone tried to squirrel it away for themselves, he wouldn’t let it slide. All of that would go straight into the territory’s warehouse.
Ugh, what good is it for the territory to be rich? The Lord won’t spend it on territory matters anyway. Ah, I was genuinely happy when I went back to the Academy.
“I’m really happy.”
With Wendy standing guard beside him, it was tough to sneak a bite.
Looking at her, Claude asked, “Aren’t you taking any vacation?”
“Nope.”
“No boyfriend? Not getting married?”
“Not at all. Not happening.”
It’s amazing how consistent she is, responsible like a rock. Claude felt a sudden urge to joke around.
“What about me? I’m a slave, but I’m capable and good-looking, right? You’re not already crushing on me, are you?”
Wendy shot him a look filled with contempt, as if she were staring at a cluster of cockroaches.
“…I was just joking. Don’t look at me like that. It hurts…”
In truth, there was a bit of seriousness in his words, and he had been hurt quite a bit.
Feeling a sting in his nose, Claude quickly shook off his thoughts and skimmed through the list of merchants who had arrived.
“Alright, since so many of you are here, let’s split into groups and chat.”
The first group of called merchants gathered separately. Claude looked around at them and continued, “Now, before we talk trade, let me give you an explanation. The prices for food and iron ore have gone up by 30% compared to last month, so keep that in mind.”
“Wait? 30%?!”
“Did the prices suddenly rise again?”
“This seems way too expensive!”
These merchants were aware of at least the price trends in Penris, either through rumor or previous transactions.
But hearing about a sudden 30% increase made them gasp in shock.
Claude clicked his tongue and continued, “It can’t be helped. Our stock is starting to dwindle, you know? So prices have to go up.”
‘Honestly, we have more than enough stock, but there’s no reason to lower the price. If you don’t like it, go somewhere else.’
The monster grain supply was still pouring out massive amounts. Just what he had purchased earlier was enough to burst the warehouse.
For the Penris Territory, unless the land was suddenly devastated, there wouldn’t be a shortage of food for decades to come.
The miners were also motivated, working hard with their pickaxes as their lives gradually improved.
So, the amount of iron ore they were extracting was much more than when Count Cabaldy was in charge.
However, the merchants unaware of this had no choice but to accept Claude’s demands.
‘Damn, you sure are good at ripping us off.’
‘Just wait. Once this situation calms down, I will get my revenge.’
‘Let’s see how long you can act so arrogantly.’
Despite gritting their teeth, the merchants nodded in agreement.
With Penris firmly controlling the supply of food and iron ore in the North, there was no other way than to yield unless they resorted to force.
Of course, not everyone accepted without a fight.
“This is unreasonable!”
The loud voice belonged to Pharil, a middle-aged merchant operating a sizable merchant group in the North.
Claude fiddled with his ear and replied, “What’s unreasonable?”
“Even if you’re monopolizing the resources, isn’t this a bit too harsh? There’s a minimum of business ethics! Raising the prices by 30% all at once is too much!”
“Pfft!”
Claude laughed in disbelief.
Business ethics? If you have a conscience, you shouldn’t be spouting such nonsense in the Penris Territory.
Overcharging these gathered merchants wasn’t just about profit.
Though they might not know it, there were places getting goods at cheaper prices. There was a reason he was breaking them into smaller groups.
‘This is all your karma. Our Lord may not forget anything but grudges.’
Being merchants active in the North, it was natural they had made transactions with Perdium several times in the past.
Of course, there had been several transactions with Perdium in the past.
These folks had been squeezing every drop out of Perdium, walking away with huge profits.
“The territories that provide support only toss us a few scraps of food before they’re about to throw it away… Merchants switch out items for lower quality goods… They jacked up the prices on even the smallest essentials!”
Thus, Perdium had no choice but to keep racking up debts to these guys, no matter how big or small.
The whining debt that Treasurer Albert of Perdium constantly lamented was precisely the debt owed to the merchant groups in the North and other territories.
In Perdium Territory, they were more afraid of these merchants than of the Barbarians.
And Ghislaine could never forget the sight of her father and retainers, always lost in worry over money.
“We have to make a transaction now, so we’re just closing it at about 30%. You guys are already properly marked by the lord, you know.”
Ghislaine had sent someone to Perdium to get a list of the merchant groups that had overcharged them.
As soon as Albert saw that request, he picked up on Ghislaine’s intentions and eagerly sent back a detailed list. That’s how well they clicked during times like these.
“Sorry, but once we take down Desmond, we’ll be dismantling you all.”
Ghislaine had no plans to let them off the hook. It was not just about revenge, but she had plans to unify the entire North.
At the moment, she had no leisure to spare and needed many resources, so she was simply proceeding with the transactions while lining her pockets a bit.
But this was a fact known only to Ghislaine’s close associates, so Claude could only chuckle inwardly without giving anything away to the merchants.
“No matter what you say, I can’t offer you a better discount, just so you know. I don’t want to extend this conversation. I tend to keep my words few. It’s something my dad always grumbled about when I was young… He said that one should always speak less and value listening…”
As Claude continued on without pause, Pharil clenched his fist, trembling with rage.
He wouldn’t have let himself be pushed around by such kids before.
But now Baron Penris had risen to become one of the strong men of the North. Even without food and iron ore, his achievements in leading the war to victory were significant.
There was nothing but absurd rumors about how they won, though.
S suppressing his anger, Pharil interrupted Claude.
“Let’s hear about your childhood later, and could you please take me to meet the lord? I need to talk to him directly!”
“You want to see our lord?”
“Yes! I’ve done a lot of business with Lord Perdium’s father, Count Perdium! He must know who I am! We even met briefly in Perdium!”
‘This crazy guy is essentially walking to his own demise.’
After squeezing every last penny from Perdium, he was now going to confront them directly. Claude couldn’t pass up such a delightful opportunity to have a little fun.
“Oh, you were an acquaintance of Count Perdium! Then you’d better hurry along. Hey, I’ll show you the way.”
With Claude’s friendly tone, Pharil strutted ahead, puffing out his chest.
After meeting with Ghislaine, Pharil passionately protested how unfair the current prices were.
He even delivered a not-so-subtle threat that maintaining a good relationship with the merchant groups would be in the territory’s best interest.
Ghislaine listened quietly, and as soon as he finished, she responded nonchalantly.
“50%.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said, not 30%, but 50% more. Just went up.”
At Ghislaine’s words, Pharil’s face turned pale.
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