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Although immigrants arrived sooner than expected, it was not an unexpected situation.

In any case, it is impossible to build a residence for thousands of people in one or two months.

For the time being, they planned to set up temporary tents and mobilize manpower to expedite the construction.

Shouldn't you give them a place to live right now before they'll do something for you?

The problem is that there is a shortage of wood, making it uncertain when construction will be finished, or even if it can even begin.

The longer it took to build a residence, the more people's lives would become a mess.

Claude, who was scratching his head, asked Wendy with a sorrowful look in his eyes.

"What should I do?"

"… … I really don't know."

"You say it's true when you really don't know?"

"… … ."

Even the director Claude doesn't know, so there's no way Wendy would come up with a clever solution.

Even though she was an assistant, her main job was to protect Claude.

Claude, who had been pondering, sighed and shook off his thoughts.

There was no time to worry now. I had to quickly finish the deal and move on to the next task.

"Let's talk about the price later. Are there any other issues?"

The merchant answered Claude's question with a serious expression.

"There are no major problems yet, but… … if you continue to purchase in bulk like this, problems will eventually arise."

"What's the problem?"

"They are throwing too much money around in Penrith. The prices in the North are fluctuating. It's good for people like me who are making money, but it's also causing some people to suffer."

The North was a barren region to begin with.

However, since the few resources that existed in the Fenris territory were all being swept away, it was only natural that prices would rise, and the supply was completely drying up.

"Hmm… … Did I buy too much? But I bought them all because I needed them. I'll have to keep buying them in the future, right?"

"Aren't most of the things you're buying now raw materials? Since Fenris is sucking them all up, it's inevitable that people in other businesses will be dissatisfied. Especially the nobles. You know that, right?"

Claude also understood fully what the merchant was saying.

Because of the reckless policies of the Jiselle, a huge amount of money was being poured into the North. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it was at the level of throwing money away.

The top brass might be smiling from ear to ear after receiving such a big guest after such a long time, but not everyone is like that.

The serfs of poor estates may not care who buys and sells what, but the nobles who are deeply involved in economic activities will find the situation very frustrating.

Claude nodded several times.

"The nobles must really hate seeing our lord. In fact, I hate seeing him too… … . Ahem, let's pretend we didn't hear that."

"Anyway, unless you live in a big city, you don't really feel the price of goods and such. The problem is the other lords and nobles."

A rascally lord appears from nowhere, running wild in the northern market, sweeping up goods.

In any other case, we would have colluded to catch him by the ankle or cause him harm.

But, the Marquis of Branford is behind that young lord? So the nobles couldn't even bother to interfere and could only watch.

How jealous and heartbreaking it must be. She must be stamping her feet, wanting to snatch everything that Giselle has in her hands.

Claude, who fully understood the situation, nodded and attempted to make one last deal with the merchant.

"I'll keep that in mind. Are there any other issues? Then… … . Let's just take off 1 gold."

"yes?"

"Please lower the price by 1 gold."

The merchant couldn't hide his bewilderment.

We already negotiated the price when we met last time. And didn't you already pay the full amount?

'Don't you usually ask for a discount before giving money?'

The merchant didn't understand at all, but this was Claude's last conscience.

If you give less money and keep it in your own pocket, you are embezzling the estate's funds… … But if you give the money and get it back, you can consider it as a gain.

That's why it's so sticky after the transaction is over.

"This isn't just our first or second deal, and we're going to do it again! Let's just take a 1 gold discount."

"… … ."

The merchant looked at Claude with suspicious eyes.

The timing of the request for a discount is strange, but the amount is also strange. Why are you asking for a discount of only 1 gold instead of 100 gold?

The amount of bribe requested by the governor of a fiefdom was so small that it was even more suspicious.

'What's the plan? Should I report this to Miss Amelia?'

No matter how much he thought about it, the merchant couldn't figure out the reason.

There was no way he could have come up with the correct answer, since he didn't know that Claude was a general in name only and was in fact a slave.

There was no trickery or trickery behind his request for just one gold piece. It was simply an act of pure desire.

Claude, feeling embarrassed as the merchant remained silent, urged him on for no reason.

"Oh, you can't even give me a 1 gold discount? Is this really how it is between us? You won't trade with us next time?"

"Oh, yes… … I can do that much."

Eventually the merchant gave up thinking and took a gold coin out of his pocket and gave it to me.

Claude took the money with a smile and put it in his coat pocket.

"Oh, thank you. See you next time. Next time, I'd like to have a drink with you. There's no good drink in our territory."

So, that means bring me some good alcohol.

The merchant also understood the meaning and nodded with a bewildered expression.

Anyway, now you are my 'customer' so I have to look good.

"Ah, yes… … . I'll get you something good. Then I'll go now."

"Yes, take a look. It won't go far."

The merchant smiled awkwardly at Claude, who greeted him brightly, and then turned his horse around.

'I think I understand a little why Miss Amelia hates these guys.'

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I don't understand why the amount was so small, but he was a man who was very good at abusing his power. If even the governor was like this, how much of a fool was that lord?

He is one of the most rotten men in the North, and if you see him in person, you will probably be even more upset than Claude.

'You can tell by the fact that the young lady broke off the engagement. But what on earth does 1 gold mean? Is it some kind of signal to the young lady?'

The merchant left Fenris, groaning and hesitating whether he should report this or not.

Claude, who had been watching him, smiled meaningfully when the merchant completely disappeared from sight.

"Haha, since the lord said those guys are enemies, I guess it's okay to steal 1 gold."

You have now taken 1 gold from the enemy.

If this is a record in its own right, then it is a record.

Claude put his hands in his coat pockets, feeling good.

Because I wanted to touch 'real money' for the first time in a long time.

"Huh?"

But I can't find any money in my pocket.

I thought I might have made a mistake, so I searched everywhere, but I couldn't find it.

"Ugh! What the? Where did my money go!"

I looked carefully to see if it had fallen on the floor, but I couldn't see it at all.

Claude searched for a long time, but eventually gave up and shouted at the sky.

"Eww! Why can't I, Claude, be happy?"

'Ugh.'

Wendy shook her head as she watched Claude screaming.

She quietly approached the estate's treasury box and stopped to put in a gold coin.

Wendy sighed as she looked at Claude, who was still noisy, and called out to him.

"Sir, there is a gold coin lying here."

"Huh? Really? Did you find it? Why is this there? Does the gold coin have legs? Hehehe, I found it."

Claude was so happy that he ran to Wendy and got the gold coin.

His expression as he carefully put the money back into his pocket looked happier than ever.

* * *

The people living in the Fenris domain all had the same thought as they watched the immigrants flocking to their domain.

'Are they beggars?'

Looking at their shabby appearance and gloomy expressions, it would not be an exaggeration to say that they were refugees rather than immigrants.

Everyone was very skinny, as if they hadn't eaten properly. It even seemed like there were sick people among them.

The pilgrims clicked their tongues as they watched the incoming immigrants.

'Looking at the state of things, I can't seem to get anything done right away. This is just going to cost me money.'

'It's good that people are increasing, but… … People are different from each other. Where did they get all these people? Did the Lord get scammed?'

It wasn't just the newcomers. The people who had previously lived here also looked at the immigrants with worried expressions.

It wasn't that I was trying to show off, it was just an instinct that had become ingrained in me as I had lived a difficult life.

With the number of people suddenly increasing, it is inevitable that there will be concerns about security and food supply.

Only Jiselle showed no particular emotion when looking at the immigrants.

Because I knew how to send people who were in bad condition.

'There's no way I'd give up healthy people so easily.'

No matter how much you decide to support Giselle, the population is the foundation of the territory's operation and the lords' greatest asset.

How greedy are the nobles that they would just give something like that away?

There was no way they would send proper technicians or able-bodied people.

They gathered a lot of poor and struggling people and sent them away under the pretext of relief for the poor. They took advantage of this opportunity to clean up the slums.

In addition, they rounded up villagers who could not pay their taxes properly, slash-and-burn farmers, and petty criminals.

I didn't worry about what would happen after I sent it.

The Brevant territory that was originally supposed to be supported had a small population but was rich and had the Red Flame Tower.

It will take some time, but I think you will take good care of it yourself.

Jiselle, who was observing the immigrants, spoke to Lowell who was next to her.

"Lowell, start the census right away. First, sort out those who can work and those who can't. Tell Belinda about the sick so she can start treating them, and pick out the healthy ones and send them to Gillian. We're going to be short on manpower to maintain order right now."

"All right."

"And the spies… … No. We won't be able to find them right away. We'll just have to let them out anyway."

There must certainly be spies from other realms among that group.

But it wasn't easy to pick out spies among the people gathered from all over the kingdom. I couldn't put any effort into that when I was already busy.

In the first place, you can't completely prevent spies from coming in. The best thing to do is to just not let them out.

"Where is Claude?"

"I went to make a deal with the higher-ups. I'll be there soon."

"Tell them to make sure they get food to the immigrants as soon as they arrive. They're probably really hungry."

"Okay, I'll take you all to a temporary residence for now."

Since the work of building a shelter is not finished, everyone will have to live in tents for the time being.

To prevent any disturbances, even mercenaries were deployed to control the immigrants.

But, contrary to expectations, no major problems occurred.

Perhaps because everyone was anxious about coming to an unfamiliar place, they tended to follow directions well.

In place of Claude, Lowell led the settlers to a temporary residence.

"This is where you will be staying for the time being. Even if you don't like it, just wait a little. I will provide you with a place to live as soon as possible. Food will be distributed daily, so don't worry."

The immigrants looked at the numerous tents standing before their eyes.

Lowell's face flushed a little.

These people were forcibly relocated at the request of Jiselle anyway. Naturally, they must have had expectations about what their new home would be like.

But in Fenris, where they were called, they were not given a proper place to live and had to live in tents… … . I couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

But contrary to Lowell's expectations, the immigrants' response was not bad.

"Wow, the tent is clean. It's better than where I lived before."

"At home, it's okay if you can avoid obesity. It's more important not to starve."

"They give you food every day. You don't have to starve anymore. But can I trust you?"

Lowell nodded as he heard the people murmur.

'Just like that… … They just gathered all the beggars and sent them away.'

I had forgotten about it since things have gotten a little more manageable lately, but until recently, Fenris Territory was a place where people were dying in large numbers.

Thinking back to that time, I understood their feelings anew.

'I'll be happy if you just give me food now.'

Lowell clicked his tongue inwardly as he sorted the people and assigned them tents.

Meanwhile, Claude came rushing to see Giselle as she was returning to her office.

"My Lord, we have a problem!"

Jiselle frowned. She already had a lot of work to do and her head was in a mess, and now she was always busy.

"Why again? What's so wrong with you all the time?"

"This is a real problem now."

"What is it?"

"We're out of wood. If we continue like this, not only will construction of the residence be delayed, but all schedules will be delayed."

At those words, Giselle's expression also became serious.

In the first place, we were considering obtaining it through the upper level as well, considering that the amount produced within the territory would not be enough. However, the problem arose sooner than expected.

"Oh, this is a really beggarly estate. No matter how much money you pour into it, the problems don't go away."

"As construction is underway throughout the territory, materials are being consumed too quickly. There is a limit to what can be secured in the territory or purchased from the higher-ups. Money is money, but time is the issue."

It doesn't matter if it costs more. If necessary, I can just use cosmetics as an excuse to get more from Rosalind.

But in the current situation, taking more time means that people's lives are at stake.

Jiselle, who had been thinking for a moment, let out an exclamation of "Ah" as if she had remembered something.

"There is a way to get wood in bulk right now! It doesn't even cost money!"

"Yes? Where? How can I get it in bulk? Why doesn't it cost money?"

"You can go to Ferdium."

"If it's Ferdium… … . Are you trying to save it from the Forest of Demons? Even if you just cut down the entrance, monsters and wild beasts will jump out!"

Giselle clicked her tongue at the sight of Claude looking terrified.

"Of course not. I'm busy right now. When will I be able to subjugate the Forest of Demons again? I'll have to do that later."

"Then how… … . Seo, really?"

Jiselle said with a snicker.

"If that's not enough, we should raid the forests and mountains there. Ferdium and our territory are a community of shared destiny. Isn't that right?"