(IN) Chapter 067 - Rebuilding Maine From the Ground Up

"Umm... Vivian? What is this about?" Duke asked, perplexed by the situation in front of him.

"I-It's breakfast... *Cough Cough* What's wrong?" Vivian stared at the four meager loaves of bread, one loaf for each plate.

"A-Are we trying a new form of dieting? You don't have to eat what I eat, you know... So you don't have to limit your food to match mine, ok?" Duke held Vivian's hands trying to comfort her as he mistook the small meal in front of them as Vivian's attempt to match his diet.

*Sigh* Realizing that Duke had mistaken her intention, Vivian carefully explained to Duke: "We are not dieting, Duke. It's just... we might need to tighten the belt a little..." Vivian looked at Duke with a serious and somewhat grouchy face.

"Eh~? Where did all that money go to, then?" Duke nonchalantly asked while picking his nose, annoying Vivian in the process.

"W-Whose fault was it in the first place!?" Vivian burst out in anger at Duke's carelessness.

"Hm?" Duke looked at Galeo who then immediately turned his eyes away and to Benjamin who was touching his head in headache and shook his head as if saying to Duke "Don't include me in this!"

"D-Don't tell me?! It's MY fault?!" Duke, shocked from the revelation held his head in terror.

"Whose fault is it then?!" Vivian began to chase Duke in an attempt to pinch his ears.

The reason why Vivian was so irked by Duke's indifference regarding the situation was because of the numerous projects Duke had started, which went over the initial budget Vivian and Benjamin had so painstakingly planned and monitored.

"Yes yes, come one come all! The Pendragons are hiring any abled bodied person for 8 copper a day! 8 Copper a day everybody! Don't miss this chance!" Duke himself began shouting in front of the bazaar formed by the many caravans and merchants that had entered Maine to buy the "Limited-Time" cheap Grain, Maine had to offer.

Vivian's plan was to permanently cheapen Grain prices for everyone as part of her deal with the Commoners Merchant's Guild, but as a strategy to start Maine's caravan traffic and get a lot of labor from the other regions of Brune, Vivian lied about how the cheap Grain was a "Limited-Time" offer, hence the massive influx of traffic that can be seen in front of Duke right now.

The Merchants from different parts of Brune especially the Merchants that went to and fro from the different territories under Bermont and Philippe's faction, now under the Commoners Merchants guild had congregated into a sprawling Market-like Bazaar outside the inner walls of Maine in it's abandoned town square where the old and abandoned building lay.

Tents of different sizes and shapes could be seen along with different craftsman-professions showing off their crafts.

Blacksmiths, Carpenters, and many Masons gathered in the Bazaar listening to Duke's shouts along with wailing Merchants selling their wares.

Some of these craftsmen had even fixed up some of the abandoned houses bordering Maine's old town square where the Bazaar was set up as they felt safe that these houses will last due to the Outer Walls of Maine finally getting repaired.

Duke along with Vivian had planned to repair the outer walls as a show that Maine was getting back up on its feet.

And since the old Emperor (Vivian's dad) was now dead, and the current Emperor, Varhys Alastor the Immoral Emperor wasn't really on good terms with his father, some people even consider Varhys' ascension to the Throne as more of a coup than the normal handing down of the throne from father to son, people felt it was safe to resettle Maine once again as they thought Varhys was probably disinterested with Maine's business, unlike his father.

Vivian's title as Princess also helped as she spread her position as propaganda that Maine was no longer at odds with the Alastors and was once again on the good side of the Imperial Family.

Hence many people began fixing up the houses and even hiring the Masons that Duke had invited over giving them more business.

Of course, they weren't for free, but Duke made an enticing offer to the people that whoever fixes up that house or building, that piece of property would immediately become theirs for 50% the original price! That is of course if they fix it up themselves. And those who can't pay right away could pay off that piece of property with hard labor.

This labor included working on Maine's tall and imposing walls, tilling the fields along with the farmers as farmhands, and of course, digging up canals and erecting aqueducts specially designed by the Scientist, the Engineer, and the mad Inventor himself: Galleo La Vinsilica Diovanni Davinci!

"Come on~ now! 8 copper a day! That's like... twice! Minus half, of what you can get normally! From working... Yeah... From working!" Duke enthusiastically encouraged anyone from the Caravans to join the labor force.

"T-Twice minus half! By golly! That's... 8 times two is... is ah, 16! Minus half which is 8, so 16 minus 8.. is 8 Copper! My GOD! He's correct! That man's correct!" A random person on the street arduously calculated...

"Oh-oh! I'll join you! I'll join good sir!" A man from the crowd shouted back.

"Yeah, yeah! Me too! I mean, the man's correct right?" Another from the crowd shouted.

"You dare simply call him some simple 'man'?! He's the lord of this Town!!! Count Duke himself!" A citizen from Maine shouted, visibly proud that their lord himself was leading the labor recruitment. Not knowing it was because of the tight budget Vivian gave Duke.

[Remember Duke! Not more not less than the required number of heads! We just need labor for the Aqueducts, not fill a city!] Vivian strictly reminded him.

Little did Duke and Vivian realize just how convincing Duke actually was.

"The Count himself?! You mean the Small Hero of the South! Such an honest man MUST be correct!" Another bystander from the Caravans shouted.

"Yes! We'll even add a Silver coin for the Masons and other Craftsmen!" Duke added.

"One silver for us Masons~?! I'm a Mason~! My God, I am soo~ in!" An effeminately gay yet muscular Mason joined in the crowd's enthusiasm.

In the end, almost all of the poor people that had come to Maine in search of a new opportunity in life along with all the Craftsmen joined Maine's construction effort, throwing Vivian and Benjamin's tightrope like budget over the wheels.

Not many lords offered a salary for their normal workers, especially for the poor who were often exploited for cheap to almost free labor. Even professional Craftsmen weren't free from the abuse of corrupt Nobles, some were treated no differently from normal laborers!

This was why Duke's generous offer was quite enticing along with his positive reputation among the common folk. Vivian and Benjamin vastly underestimated Duke's leadership capacity that he had only recently been given the chance to show as the two treasurers of the Pendragon budget shook their heads in regret.

Heck, even some really desperate merchants joined in the fray.

Although Vivian and Duke had been getting a lot of money from Grain sales and their monopoly on Maine's booming real estate business. It was barely catching up to the projects they were erecting everywhere.

*Growl* Duke's stomach made a fierce almost Dragon-like roar as he dejectedly looked at the scant piece of bread on his dinner table.

"This is your fault alright? Labor is a good thing, but too much of a good thing is still bad, you know. We might finish the aqueducts and wall repairs in less than a month if this continues. All that budgeting, all GONE!" Vivian sighed as she shook her head.

"Huh... here" Vivian cut her piece of bread in two and gave Duke half, unable to take his sad pouting face.

"V-Vivian!" Duke looked onto Vivian, touched by her actions.

As Duke was about to take the piece of bread, he suddenly remembered the many sleepless nights Vivian had to undertake in order to make all of this possible.

Ashamed of his selfishness, Duke refused Vivian's half as he told her: "Don't worry, I think my stomach's become smaller lately, this piece of bread's suddenly too much already, phew!" Duke pretended to be full.

*GROWL~!*

As the loud growl from his stomach sounded, Duke flushed red as he ran outside, shouting:

"I-I better train now! S-See ya later Vivian! Benjamin, Galleo"

Duke bid them farewell as his exit and sudden thoughtfulness towards her made Vivian giggle...

Releasing all the stress she had been accumulating lately with his warm sincerity...