Spare no Effort

The excitement didn't last long.

Roland was in opinion to celebrate longer himself, but he knew time was of the essence. As they said, a day saved was a day earned. A penny invested was twice gained.

The meeting was held in the office Roland made after joining his study and the rooms next to it. He had sent back his office workers and called for Barov and Carter. The two of them had been doing great jobs one after another, Roland felt they were a really good right and left hand.

But this was a pressing issue no less eventful than the upcoming hordes of demonic beasts that would soon appear. No matter what, these two important people still needed to be pulled.

Anna on the side had at some point solidified her role as secretary, and thus her presence was accepted as natural. Although both Barov and Carter was dissatisfied and even scared at first, as they were slowly get to know Anna they gradually accepted her as their own people.

"The duke won't endure this."

When the last person entered the room and closed the door, Roland didn't waste any pleasantry and bluntly said his piece.

"What do you mean by that Your Highness?" Carter asked, not hiding his confusion.

Anna also slightly tilted her head to his direction, indicating her curiosity about the matter. Only Barov seemed to realize something and looking pensive.

An ambassador from Longsong Stronghold, Petrov, one of the young master from the six great families over there just had come shortly after the cargo ships from the Willow Town had arrived. Despite the welcoming feast, the whole thing ended with the relationships between Longsong Stronghold and Border Town turning critical.

Although he was just a mouthpiece, Petrov would naturally convey what he heard and saw to the Duke. For such a big refusal, it was easy to imagine how the prideful and arrogant Duke would react.

Border Town was a small place with a short history that started merely about three decades ago. Perhaps unique to it was the fact both the economy and the person living was mainly revolved around the mine. Strange as it seemed, the story was not at all complicated.

At some point, the Duke of Ryan wanted to create an outpost to serve as a front for early warning in regards to the incoming demonic beasts. He expanded his idea of making a simple outpost to a small town when he discovered the northern mine.

It had to be said, that Border Town was a child born from Longsong Stronghold desired for the mine that possessed much wealth of minerals. The mine didn't disappoint them. Even after three decades had passed, the mine was still giving ores and gems.

Although it was strange to the point of bizarre for many kinds of different minerals to appear in one place, in the world where there were witches with supernatural abilities and demonic beasts that completely lifted the importance of animals, it was hardly difficult for the populace to accept. Roland who had outsider knowledge similarly only found the mine that seemed bottomless was an oddity at first before he quickly moved on.

The fact that it was a great source of income was undeniable. It was precisely so that the Duke had been tightly controlled the place as if it was his own backyard all these years. But just because the Duke created the base for the town, they had to surrender all source of income?

Roland found it difficult to accept.

Even if the Stronghold accepted Border Town people in the months of the demons was a fact, in the first place the fault why the people can't protect themselves actually rest on the Duke who purposely created and developed the small town so it could only barely sustain itself with his periodic aid.

Although he had become the lord through the ever forceful royal order, he wouldn't accept it.

For so long, Longsong Stronghold held the monopoly for basically everything, but Roland would naturally despise the idea. He didn't particularly hate the idea of monopoly itself, but rather at what Border Town had to go through for that. The Duke was like an abusive father. He took all from Border Town while giving barely anything.

Especially since he already know how ambitious the Duke can be, and the fact he didn't put even a royal prince on his eyes.

In any case, the situation reached the point of no return the moment Roland designated Willow Town as his business partner.

No, the danger from the Duke side perhaps already started the moment he came. The local snakehead was suppressed by a supposedly cripple dragon, no matter what the Duke won't take it. Be it with force or persuasion, from the shadow or out in the open, sooner or later he would try to plan the new Lord of Border Town out.

Barov left the meeting room in a daze.

He was originally in a good mood. The nearly 600 gold royals income didn't just surprise the prince. Even with Barov years of experiences as assistant minister of the finance, he doubted his eyes that he urgently and personally interviewed his assistants that he sent out for more details.

Later he found out that the assistants were all smile as they recalled their memories.

The ores and gemstones sold for nearly 200 gold royals were an amount everyone expected just from using simple guess taken from past accounts, but the other 400 gold royals were certainly not. The real surprise came from the products prince had asked to sell could actually reach that high of a price.

The luxurious decoratives in the castle were honestly only second grade at most, but the number was astonishing. Usually, when the merchant had a lot to sell, the expected result was the buyers would all be trying to bargain them to death. But the prince idea gave perhaps the best result.

They could actually go to Willow Town days earlier, but the prince held them back to teach them all kinds of things on top of waiting for the knights and others to seek local sellable goods. The prince taught them about the thrice selling concepts: Feature selling, benefit selling, and value selling.

Feature selling, was basically they had to sell each of their product with a minimum of a feature. The prince stressed that they could exaggerate, or twisted the truth for convenience, but never told lies.

Benefit selling essentially continued selling the product feature, but also tied it to a customer situation that would be improved after getting it. It could be some benefits from the product itself, but also something that came because the buyers bought it from them, like a simple bonus.

Value selling was a lot more direct. They would describe why their products priced actually cheap in comparison to other similar products -- despite the price was actually the same. The prince would put together some products and sold them as packages for example, and each complimentary the others. This was something he described as one plus one was not equal to two types of thing.

These concepts were not so out of reach, the assistants Barov choose were all capable, and they understood it after the initial explanation. But applying it was the hard part, especially the first time they had to think about each local product of their potential features and benefits, much less making them attractive in value all the while keeping the price high. The assistants brainstormed a lot for it, spent waking nights, and went as far as asking the prince to help directly. Fortunately, His Highness was benevolent and also with a good suggestion as he suggested a great but actually an overlooked idea.

Asked the locals!

Those listening collectively slapped either their foreheads or thighs.

And it ended with some local foods praised high to heaven. Their simple delicacies apparently could make people strong, resistance against illness and cold from the harsh, long winter. Also, being able to replenish enough energy to mine all day long and others similarly hard to believe stuff.

Barov, of course, knew all of these. Although he agreed with what the prince told and even helped him to further refine his suggestions, the result was just shocking. It was at least 50 or so gold royals higher than the already best result he expected. All the hardships his assistants went through was clearly worth it.

But Barov was someone that cared more about the practical result. The number of gold royals was true so he was feeling the prince might have a really good sense of doing business. It was just, he didn't expect him to want to spent not only all the income but also most of his personal savings.

The prince was ambitious, he and Carter, even the servants already realised this point. Whether it had something to do with the throne, they could only dismiss the thought. But at least, for the reformation of the town, Barov was in the first seat to feel his passion.

Recalling Roland ardent speech about the Duke being a great danger in the near future and the upcoming demonic beasts horde made him unconsciously gulped a mouthful of saliva.

Carter might not notice it, but Barov had done his homework before he arrived at Border Town. He and Roland had a similar thought about the Duke, arrogant and merciless to his own people and enemies alike. But he didn't dare to think no matter how a lawless person could be, would he still try to end a royal despite the result wouldn't give a single benefit higher than the loss?

It was treason that had more than enough reason to extinguish his whole family and servants! It was no matter if the other person was a Duke or they had people in their family married to the royal family. Even with the lightest punishment, the perpetrators and their accomplices that started the whole mess would be executed. No matter what, the royal was still above them. But Roland offered a clear and cut reason why the Duke could do the impossible.

The Kingdom of Graycastle was going through a period of political instability.

To put it bluntly, while it seemed there were already candidates everyone readily accepted for the next throne like the first prince, it was still up to guess who would be the next king. The underline meaning was that it might not have any of the royal children that would take the throne in the future. It could be nobles of Duke calibre, or outside forces like neighbouring Kingdoms or the recently rising in power, the Church.

At any rate, Roland Wimbledon was an unpopular prince that had a lot of bad deeds. Although all of them were petty, it was still something the people had no way to like. After all, he was still an heir of the king that represented their country. With so many dissatisfactions, If he truly died in a middle of nowhere like Border Town, it was doubtful whether a thorough investigation would be conducted.

And the ways to erase him were plenty. It could be a frontal assault or assassination. Indirect way like targeting their granary that was now full to lure him outside the town where they could stage anything could also work.

At the end of the meeting, Barov had agreed to spend all they could to invest his multiple projects. Carter had sworn to do his best to succeed them.

Though it wasn't anything compared to the amount of money he had to calculate and processed back in the King's castle, It was still an enormous sum. Even after considering half of the income turned into food and some other goods, it would be still around nearly 600 gold royals after adding the personal saving! It was a number high enough to start up a similar town of Border Town scale.

Both the beardy old man and the chief knight had suggested the prince plenty of times to just simply went out of the town rather than being in a lot of troubles, not necessarily need to be the Longsong Stronghold, place slightly further like Willow Town would also do. But their words were dismissed with a wave of a hand.

He felt the prince was really like a devil that could beguile mortals.

But the very devil was doing all he could to make a better town instead of making the life of the people under him miserable. On the contrary, it was the Church under the name of goodness that executed witches indiscriminately and with smile conquered areas and populace with their religious doctrines.

Barov had observed the so-called devil's minions. The witch Anna and to some degree, the second witch Nana, and concluded that both of them were really good children. Although they were let loose and received high status in the castle due to their close connection to the Prince, no one making things difficult for anyone.

Barov had repeatedly come to the prince regarding this matter for a couple of days after he saved Anna, but now he had accepted he might be wrong regarding witches. Surprisingly, it was the prince himself that reminded him, considering a lot of witches were heavily oppressed by common people, not every witches would have a good intention if they simply extended their hands to help to shelter them.

He didn't know whether to call the prince wise or cunning, but he certainly had high hope to see where the town headed with such person leading.