Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Several days passed.
As dawn approached, a new week began.
The first piece of news that the system delivered was regarding his forces’ salaries.
In an instant, 1,384 Denars disappeared.
Kant now only had 2,452 Denars left in his account. He recalled having a staggering sum of nearly 6,000 Denars just a few days ago. Now, more than half of that sum was already gone. He immediately felt exasperated at just how costly it was to maintain a fighting force.
The Oasis Lookout currently had only 300 troops to feed, yet about 1,500 Denars had to be spent every week just to keep all of them fed.
His main expenditure was undoubtedly the upkeep of his soldiers.
The amount of food consumed every week required more than 100 Denars.
He was in the Council Hall.
Kant was quite troubled by all the petty matters he had to take care of.
The dialog box on his retina was put away. He unconsciously rubbed his eyebrow.
For now, the threat of the Jackalans was gone.
Without enemies to fight, he needed to put the development of the Oasis Lookout back at the top of his priority list.
Drondheim was still at the earliest stage of its development. Many of the buildings available had yet been built. Most of his peasants and troops were still sleeping in crude tents and sandpits at night.
“Open the datasheet.”
Kant willed and connected with the system in his mind.
The system instantly appeared on his retina. It brought up the latest datasheet.
…
[Drondheim]
[Lord: Kant]
[Balance: 2,452 Denars]
[General: Firentis]
[Type: Swadian Village]
[Current Population: 200]
[Buildings: Council Hall, House (5), Watchtower, Desert Bandit Lair, Grocery Store]
[Available for Construction: House, Wall, Mill, Well]
[Resources: Date Palm Jungle (2 acres), Wheatfield (7.5 acres)]
[Fighting Force Summary: Infantry, 95, Cavalry, 17]
[Current Forces: Swadian Militias (70), Swadian Footmen (25), Desert Bandit Elites (17)]
[Recruitable: Swadian Recruits (Council Hall), Desert Bandits (Desert Bandit Lair)]
[Comment: Drondheim looks to be in good shape. Cool, refreshing spring water flows in the rugged irrigation channels, nourishing the barren, dry land. High-spirited peasants work in the jungle and fields, looking very lively. The village still seems crude due to a shortage of buildings. It is worth noting that there are no women in the village.]
…
That summed up the data regarding the current state of Drondheim.
Kant felt rather heavy. His village looked rather dilapidated.
The place was really just too crude.
Due to the threat from the Jackalans over a week ago, Kant had been putting all of his efforts into building his fighting force. It could have been said that he had completely neglected to develop his fief altogether, which in turn caused the delayed development of Drondheim.
However, there was nothing he had been able to do about it.
The threat from the Jackalans had been too great to be ignored.
If it had not been for Sir Hobson and Scholar Hank from the Dukedom of Leo offering their assistance, Kant probably would not have been able to defend his fief.
There was no way he could have defended his place against a threat posed by 2,000 strong Jackalans.
It’s a good thing that everything turned out fine.
Kant sighed in exasperation and began putting his thoughts into developing his fief.
The evaluation of Drondheim by the system was correct. There was a severe shortage of buildings. At the very least, he needed to ensure that everyone was able to stay in houses instead of tents and sandpits.
He made his decision and connected to the system. “Construct houses.”
[Ding… System Prompt]
[The construction of houses requires 100 Denars and seven days to complete.]
[Would you like to construct?]
A dialog box from the system appeared, asking the usual questions regarding construction.
“Construct.” Kant made his choice without hesitation.
The crisp clanging sound of metal coins was heard as he confirmed his choice. It sounded rather pleasant. However, 100 Denars immediately disappeared from his account. That was the price paid for constructing the houses.
[100 Denars spent]
[House: Under construction]
[Completion: Seven days]
The system’s dialog box refreshed as he finished making his choice.
A team of builders, which consisted of 10 workhorses and five carriages, was seen on a dune not far away.
More than 30 stout builders followed along the side of the convoy, helping to move the carriages in the soft sand. Since the carriages were filled with wooden and stone materials, it was easy to tell that the team was transporting materials needed for construction.
A fat guy was in the lead. While the man looked simple and honest, the unmistakable cunningness of a merchant was seen in his eyes.
Before long, they arrived at the Oasis Lookout.
The 10 Swadian Militia members holding heavy spears diligently inspected their cargo.
The builders seemed to have been used to all of that.
After all, rules were aplenty in the fiefs of nobles.
“Foreman, Lord Kant wishes to speak with you in the Council Hall.”
A Swadian Footman quickly approached the caravan and glanced at the team of builders. He set his gaze on the foreman and said in a crass manner, “Come with me.”
“Sure, sure.”
The foreman did not look offended. He followed the solider with a flattering grin on his face.
Surviving in the messed-up Continent of Caradia and being able to earn great profits required sacrifices. For instance, dignity and face were often overlooked as those were deemed near worthless in most cases.
The foreman quickly went into the Council Hall. He was rather familiar with the place.
Kant was sitting in the Council Hall, reading the parchment in his hand.
There was a packed list written on the parchment. It listed everything the Reyvadinian trade caravan had in its possession. He was thinking of making some last-minute purchases before the trade caravan left.
“Good morning, revered Lord Kant.”
The foreman bowed respectfully. He sounded rather pleased as he said, “Your humble servant hereby greets you.”
“Oh, it’s you again.” Kant put down the parchment on his hand and nodded to the foreman.
However, he still picked on the errors in the sentence blurted by the foreman, correcting the man in a plain tone. “Take note. I’m just your employer, and you’re not a servant of mine.”
“In my mind, you are of far greater nobility than King Harlaus.”
The foreman did not seem to care about what was said and took his buttering effort up a notch. “You are the light of dawn in all of Caradia.”
“Hehe.” Kant chuckled.
Kant never paid any heed to such obvious, typical bootlicking words.
Furthermore, Kant knew that the foreman was rather sly. While the man was no doubt able to finish his job in a timely manner, he was the type who would steal pieces of bread for supper during meal times, even if he were to be unable to finish them.
The foreman was no doubt a very tight-fisted hoarder of sorts.
Kant went on to warn the foreman in a rather stern expression, “Be just as serious with the construction of the houses.”
“Please rest assured. I and my team of builders live on our reputation.”
The foreman hung his head, seemingly aware that he had been overdoing his bootlicking act.
Kant nodded, feeling satisfied with the foreman’s attitude.
Kant traded a few words with the foreman, telling the foreman just how keen he was about the progress and workmanship of the buildings, before waving to dismiss him. It was crucial to develop his fief, so the foreman needed to know his priorities.
Besides, Kant still had other matters to look into.
He turned around and glanced at the Swadian Footman standing guard behind the door. He said, “Get me the leader of the trade caravan.”
“Understood.”
The Swadian Footman nodded and walked out of the Council Hall.
The foreman arrived shortly after.
“What do you need of me, Lord Kant?” His attitude remained respectful.
“Right.”
Kant took out the parchment and pointed to the list of supplies on it. “I’m thinking of buying all of these before you leave.”
The Reyvadinian trade caravan was only staying there for seven days.
This was the day they planned to leave. They had packed everything, which included more than 100 Jackalan prisoners with their hands tied behind their backs. They had been starved until they were able to barely stand. They looked miserable as they were tied behind the carriages.
“Two cans of oil and 10 sets of tools.”
The leader took a look at the marked goods and muttered as he repeated the list, “Five rolls of linen cloth.”
“Any problems with that?” Kant asked.
That was the goods he was thinking of purchasing. They were needed for further development of his place.
Kant, however, felt exasperated with the prices.
The prices of items were steep all over the Continent of Caradia, which was about 30 percent higher than that found back on Earth.
Considering that those were things only provided to him by the System, Kant had no choice but to bear with it. Besides, benefits would eventually come from the price he had to pay. As long as he grew strong and formidable enough, he could easily use the Jackalans to pay his bills.
Slave trade was indeed tempting.
