Chapter 74: A Very Uncomfortable Relationship (3)

Clatter! Clatter!

The carriage carrying Fordman rolled through the lord’s mansion garden and came to a stop in front of the main building.

As he stepped down, Fordman stretched his arms wide.

“Uuuugh∼! Riding in a carriage all day is enough to kill a man.”

From the far end of the main building, Raion was walking toward him.

“Your Highness! It’s been a while.”

Raion raised his hand in acknowledgment of Fordman’s greeting.

“I heard you were coming today. Was this round of business profitable?”

“Thanks to you, the carriage was full to the brim. Every time I transport and hand over the Eye of the Moon, my heart feels like it’ll leap out.”

“Are the escorts not keeping you safe?”

“The guards are excellent∼! It’s just that I worry too much, that’s all. Hahaha!”

Raion smiled faintly at Fordman’s chatter.

“You must be in good spirits if you’ve earned money despite the hardship.”

“Of course. But where’s Patrick?”

Normally, Patrick was always at Raion’s side, so his absence prompted the question.

“Patrick had some other important matter to attend to, so he’s out running an errand for a bit…”

As Raion was speaking, he spotted Patrick sneaking carefully out from the opposite end of the main building.

“What’s wrong? Is something behind me?”

Raion quickly caught Fordman by the shoulder as he tried to turn around.

“Ah, no! Nothing like that! Anyway, I brought plenty of new goods to sell this time.”

“Really? What kind of goods?”

“Have you heard of something called Steel Lizard?”

“Don’t tell me you mean the Steel Lizard that grows up feeding on Steeloud?”

At those words, Fordman’s eyes went wide.

“Of course, that very Steel Lizard. We managed to hunt them in large numbers this time, so we’ve got a mountain of hides.”

“I’d love to see them!”

Fordman’s eyes seemed as if they might turn into gold coins.

Raion carefully led him toward the rear courtyard, glancing back slightly.

Patrick, who had been keeping perfectly quiet, took the opportunity to slip swiftly out of the mansion’s entrance.

That was the first time Raion had ever seen Patrick move with such urgency.

‘I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to overlook it this once, considering how hard he’s been working.’

Upon arriving at the backyard, Raion laid several freshly skinned Steel Lizard hides across a training table.

“Wow…! Just how many are there?”

“Sixty-four.”

Each hide sold for at least ten gold. Sixty-four hides meant a total value of six hundred forty gold.

Given their rarity, the price would rise several times over once processed.

Moreover, if sold in regions with high demand, the value could soar even further.

“Gasp∼! Where on earth did this much come from? Did Steel Lizards start swarming around Kanas? Wait—at this rate… don’t tell me you also have Steeloud?”

“As expected, your head for numbers is sharp. Storage.”

This time, dozens of entire Steeloud logs—trimmed of branches—spilled out from Raion’s storage.

“Gasp…!”

“About ten here, I suppose. There are roughly thirty more.”

“You mean you’ve got over forty logs in total? That’s… how much is that even worth?”

Fordman began calculating quickly.

“One log usually sells for twenty gold, so just these would be two hundred. Add thirty more, and that’s eight hundred gold total…!”

And that was a conservative estimate, based on the lowest market value.

Besides, on Sellios Island, there were countless Steeloud trees and Steel Lizards.

If he sold them all, it would amount to an enormous fortune.

But then Fordman’s face suddenly turned grim.

“Ugh… The Steel Lizard hides can fetch a high price anywhere, but Steeloud will be more troublesome.”

“Because of transportation, I assume?”

“Exactly.”

Each Steeloud log was at least forty to fifty centimeters thick and easily over four to five meters long.

Hauling one or two might be possible, but beyond that, loading them onto carriages was nearly impossible.

“It’ll also be difficult to process and sell them. Unless Kanas happens to have a number of mages.”

Steeloud, being a wood imbued with mana, enhanced a mage’s magical control.

Selling such material to other nations—potentially future enemies—could be problematic.

“In the Empire, they make magical devices out of Steeloud scraps. Perhaps we could process it in a similar way.”

“Magical devices?”

“For the past few years, Arcane Engineers from the northern kingdoms have been flocking to the Dior Empire. Many territories and cities now produce goods powered by such devices.”

“Is that so? Hm… not a bad idea.”

Steeloud absorbed and stored mana.

If that property was properly harnessed, it might even be possible to recreate devices once used back in the Republic of Korea.

“If any good products come out of it, please be sure to leave the selling to me.”

Fordman’s eyes gleamed at Raion’s tone, as though he could already smell the money.

“I’m not sure what kind of items will come from this, but even if we make them, I doubt we could sell them abroad easily.”

“Are you planning to make something that remarkable?”

It seemed Fordman had no doubt that Raion would succeed.

Of course, Raion himself never considered failure.

In fact, with the properties of Steeloud, he might be able to create something even greater than what had existed in the Republic of Korea.

“You’ve given me a good idea.”

“Eh? Ah… what?”

For a moment, Raion had unconsciously spoken in English rather than the common language of the Phalon Continent.

“‘Idea.’ It means a good thought.”

“Ah∼! A. I. De. A. A good thought. That word feels nice to say.”

“Your pronunciation isn’t bad.”

“It doesn’t sound like a common tongue. Is it a tribal language of some kind?”

On the continent, not only humans but many races lived together.

While dwarves and elves used the common language, each race still maintained its own distinct tongue.

Some isolated human tribes also spoke unique languages.

“There is a tribe like that.”

“Then, is the language you use when activating your abilities from that tribe as well?”

He meant the Korean language.

Though familiar to Raion, it sounded extremely peculiar to others.

“Something like that.”

“If I get the chance, I’d love to learn that language and maybe even sell goods in the place where it’s spoken.”

Fordman’s thoughts immediately turned to business.

“When the opportunity comes, I’ll teach you. It’s not difficult to learn.”

Hangul required only learning 19 vowels, 21 consonants, and the rules for combining them.

Of course, once one grew familiar with it, each word carried its own meaning, which made it more challenging.

‘It might not be a bad idea to have people learn Korean.’

The common tongue of the Phalon Continent was as complex to learn as Chinese characters once were in Korea.

That was why many illiterate people existed among the poor and those in remote areas.

In the long run, spreading the Korean language might be a good strategy.

“What are you thinking about so deeply?”

“Nothing. Anyway, you can handle selling the Steel Lizard hides without any issues, right?”

“I’ll sell them for at least double the price.”

“You don’t have to push yourself too hard. We can always get more Steel Lizards. Also, don’t flood one place with too much at once.”

“Of course.”

If a large quantity of rare Steel Lizard hides appeared in one place, the territory or the royal capital might start investigating.

There were still many things about the Kanas Territory that had to remain hidden.

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

“Oh, and I stopped by Theron Village. I heard you revealed your identity there.”

“It was necessary.”

“There’s been a lot of development. I even saw the process of making something called bricks.”

Even now, bricks continued to be produced in Theron and transported to various villages throughout the territory.

The villagers also learned how to use those bricks and the cement used as adhesive to build houses.

“How was it?”

“It was incredible. How did you even come up with such an idea? I assume that, too, must not leave the territory?”

Fordman was genuinely impressed.

Raion smiled faintly at his expression.

“It was something I discovered by chance. Besides, the Clamen Mountains and the Kanas Territory are rich in the necessary materials.”

That was one of the reasons Raion had chosen to return to Kanas after coming back to the past.

Sellios, however, had been an unexpected bonus.

He had never imagined Steeloud and Steel Lizards could be found there.

“At this rate, Theron Village will grow tremendously.”

“It will keep growing. That’s the goal.”

Theron was no longer just a village — it was becoming a production district.

The people worked hard, earned their wages, and spent their income on daily needs.

Moreover, the residents could now buy food and necessities far cheaper than before.

They were even able to save money, something that had been impossible before, and their lives had grown comfortable.

At least the residents of the territory would no longer call Kanas a “Land of the Cursed.”

That went for the mercenaries and adventurers who had become soldiers as well.

“Will I ever come to know what Your Highness’s true goal is?”

“You’ll find out in due time. For now, just focus on earning funds for Kanas.”

“Of course. You can count on me.”

Raion found Fordman to be a reliable man — driven by an enormous passion for business.

He was greedy, yes, but he clearly knew the line he should never cross.

“Oh, and if possible, could you spread a few rumors while you travel?”

“What kind of rumors?”

“That Kanas Territory is recruiting Arcane Engineers and technicians. You’ll probably come across people looking for work as you travel around.”

It was because of Steeloud.

Since it was a mana-infused wood, Arcane Engineers would handle it more easily.

Of course, both Raion and Dike could manage it themselves, but they couldn’t do everything alone.

“Understood. I’ll spread the word as best as I can so that people come here.”

“I’ll count on you.”

Raion needed to start conceptualizing what items could be produced before those people arrived.

Of course, there were countless possibilities.

However, he also had to consider feasibility and practicality — what could actually be useful on the Phalon Continent.

“The most important thing to develop first would be a device capable of communication.”

Even now, long-distance communication on the continent relied on messenger hawks.

Although magic existed, the cultural and technological aspects of the world were still greatly underdeveloped.

Raion planned to begin advancing the Phalon Continent from Kanas Territory itself.

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