Chapter 80

Chapter 80: Fluvial Way (Advance)

As someone who traded in human pleasure, Ahmed Hashim was one of the richest men on the continent.
His first impression was so good that no one would say he was the lord of a pleasure district.
His bronzed body was firm, without a single drop of excess fat, and his eyes seemed to radiate light.
He was the complete opposite of the nobles typically seen in Halim, with their dull and lifeless gazes.
Ahmed personally handed him the tea prepared by the maid and spoke.
— It is Assam tea. I heard you enjoy tea, so I brought this instead of alcohol.
— I will drink it with gratitude.
— It is an honor to receive you privately like this. Although you did not attend the Grand Council, I heard you made quite an impressive declaration. I sincerely wish for the development of the Far East.
Who couldn’t talk big?
— Even simple words are appreciated.
— Simple words? Would this Ahmed Hashim do anything to provoke the wrath of Set?
Set was the god of the southern desert.
Ahmed stroked his long beard and spoke.
— Aside from that, it would be good to have a gift that I could present directly to the Regent. Ah.
Ahmed snapped his fingers.
— There is a good method.
Ahmed whispered something to the maid fanning him by his side.
The maid understood and exited the room.
Ahmed smiled at Ferda.
— You know that visitors to our city enjoy gambling, right?
— Of course. I have gambled here once myself.
— We have something prepared for those who find it a shame to end their bets with only the money they brought.
— Are you referring to pawnshops?
Ahmed nodded.
Although Ahmed was called the lord of Halim, only 2 of the 12 casinos operated under his command.
Instead, all pawnshop operations were run by Ahmed’s subordinates.
That alone generated triple the revenue of the 10 casinos combined.
— We take collateral and give a six-month grace period. After six months, we can dispose of the item as we please.
— So you are telling me you will give me that item.
— That is correct. You can look forward to it.
The auction taking place after this exhibition would also likely proceed mostly with items from Ahmed’s pawnshops.
The reason he brought it up was to say he would hand over an item from the pawnshop.
“It is beyond the mere level of a pawnshop.”
The patrons of this Halim were mostly nobles and wealthy merchants.
It was not just simple jewelry, but depending on the situation, even rare items preserved as family heirlooms.
“Of course, most of those are bought back by the families even if they have to take out loans.”
Putting up a family heirloom was no different from giving in to predatory loan sharks.
In real terms, what remained as treasure would be jewelry or magic artifacts with mediocre effects.
Yet on the other hand, he was curious to know what kind of item it would be.
Since Ahmed told him to look forward to it, it was worth the anticipation.
Shortly after, four maids dressed in dancers’ attire carefully carried a palanquin inside.
The care they took meant that, without doubt, it was a valuable item that no one should touch.
Ferda could not help but be filled with expectations as well.
What lay on the palanquin was a single elongated box.
Just the right size to hold a dagger.
Ahmed personally took out the object and unfolded it on the table.
— This is…
Ferda’s eyes widened.
Having lived as a mage seeking power, he could easily identify it.
— Do you recognize what it is?
— A branch of the World Tree struck by the Reverse Lightning that Defies the Heavens… is it not?
Ahmed was surprised at Ferda’s deduction.
— Exactly. You recognized it at a single glance. Normally that is impossible…
A branch of a World Tree contains pure mana until it breaks, but upon being struck by lightning, its nature changes to amplify that effect.
It was one of the essential staff materials that a lightning-specialized mage had to obtain.
However, World Trees simply struck by lightning and fallen numbered over a thousand, so their rarity was relatively low.
Yet the Reverse Lightning that Defies the Heavens was different.
“The First Witch, Lucy Philias, the only one capable of wielding it.”
The witch who defied providence, the only power capable of opposing the gods: Lucy Philias.
Her signature mark was precisely the Reverse Lightning that Defies the Heavens.
Unlike blue-tinted lightning, this was crimson and pierced the heavens.
Only 7 branches of the World Tree struck by that Reverse Lightning that Defies the Heavens existed.
Erdes had one,
the Magic Tower of the Blue Eye another,
and the remaining 5 were said to belong to famous mage families.
Yet among those famous mage families, 2 had vanished along with the fall of their bloodlines.
“Could this be the one whose whereabouts were unknown?”
Several possibilities existed.
The son of a gambling-addicted mage couldn’t control himself, stole the heirloom, and pawned it, later claiming it was lost out of shame,
or a thief truly stole it, squandered it gambling, and it ended up here.
Whatever the process was, it was nothing compared to the impact caused by the existence of this branch.
“1.2 million Gold Coins.”
An amount most kings would struggle to gather.
Because it was such an exorbitant price, Ferda remembered it.
For mages who handled lightning magic, it was one of the few extremely valuable materials.
— I have a question.
— Yes, yes. Go ahead.
— For how much was this branch pawned?
Ahmed smiled broadly, as if the question pleased him.
— 10,000 Gold Coins.
About 120 times less.
He realized once more to what extent gambling ruins humans.
Something worth 1.2 million Gold Coins was pawned for such a pittance?
Yet that was not the important part.
“Ahmed knows this item is important.”
Even if it wasn’t 1.2 million, he must have thought he could get 500,000 Gold Coins or more.
It was an item far too burdensome to casually present as a gift.
Which meant Ferda was worth more than that fortune.
Ahmed must have finished his calculations.
— Is it truly alright to hand over such a valuable item to me?
— An object originally finds its true owner. Wouldn’t it be right to gift lightning to someone who wields lightning?
The magic used in the wolf monster incident was Lightning Spear and Electric Shock.
So he must have thought Ferda was a lightning mage.
“Even so, if I had a staff made from this, it would help me.”
If it helped, it helped; it was a material that would never impose a limit on him.
Ferda accepted Ahmed’s gift.
— I will accept it with gratitude. Having received such a gift, I wonder if I can sit by idly.
— There is no need to worry too much. Comrades in the same situation should help each other, shouldn’t they?
— The same situation?
— Yes, are we not in the position of having to build everything from scratch together?
Ahmed rose from his seat and walked toward the window.
Ferda followed him.
Outside the window stretched a wasteland under the scorching sun.
— This Halim was once just another dying city in a barren land. When the mages displayed their ambition, our city also became a target.
Mage interference in internal affairs was common in the south.
The south always lacked water.
Therefore, those with power over the water element received good treatment.
If they could handle ice beyond water, they could set whatever price they wanted.
— So my grandfather strived to revive this Halim. He gave himself entirely to this land against which the mages conspired and which was believed to be abandoned by the gods.
Ahmed’s eyes welled with tears.
As if he had felt that pain himself, his expression was deeply resentful.
— Everyone cursed, saying it would fail, but look at this result! Everyone called this an unholy land, a place abandoned by the gods, and yet we have grown so steadily that no one can ignore us now. This was built by human strength!
A prosperous city disconnected from the nature of the wasteland.
Many small cities adapted to the southern desert, but none achieved such luxury and civilization as Halim.
— And my father, Abdul Hashim, always said that we should not hesitate to help brothers in the same situation. The Far East is our brother. The country of a brother walking the same path, worthy of the same prosperity!
Ahmed radiated a passion that seemed to burn the world.
Impressive enough to move anyone witnessing his overflowing passion.
Yet Ferda did not take it at face value.
To protect this land of madmen, you had to be sane 365 days a year.
That was not an option; it was a necessity.
The simple fact of being grateful and showing such favor made no sense.
“It seems Burnel made quite an impression.”
He must have noticed the value of magic engineering.
The opportunity to encounter an item capable of killing monsters in a single shot.
Ahmed did not want to lose that opportunity.
Ferda, having finished his assessment, spoke.
— In reality, we are currently constructing a village under Valdrova Castle for the conquest of the Far East.
— I heard that as well. I imagine you are severely short on labor and materials. When was the completion date?
— The foundation, water, and sewage works will take a year, and if we build all the walls too, even conservatively, it is a 5-year plan.
— 5 years!
Ahmed stroked his beard, pondering.
Then, suddenly, he held up two fingers and said:
— 2 years.
— Pardon?
— We will provide materials and labor to reduce the construction plan to 2 years.
It was something so unprecedented that one couldn’t even gauge if it was realistic.
They claimed they could shave off 3 whole years.
The only shortages were materials and labor.
If Ahmed covered that part, the construction of the city would accelerate rapidly.
— For such urban planning, we would also need to develop a direct road to Valdrova Castle. We will support that part as well.
— There is already a road, is there not?
— That one passes through the Empire; it is not a direct route. Going by that road is troublesome. Above all…
Ahmed made a show of looking around like a flatterer and spoke.
— Those from the Imperial Capital cannot be trusted.
Ferda silently agreed with those words.
Compared to his exaggerated gestures, the depth of his thoughts was beyond imagination.
“Even so, is it really alright to make such an unprecedented offer?”
Completing it in 3 years and even building a road went beyond mere ‘development cooperation’ between nobles.
“Just as all roads lead to the Empire, all roads in the south lead to Halim.”
Known as a pleasure district, Halim was the most commercially active place.
It was no exaggeration to say that the finest goods of the south gathered here to be sold to nobles flocking from all over.
Which meant Ferda would successfully establish direct trade with the south.
“Burnel really helped more than I thought.”
An opportunity that could never have been created without this position.
The development brought by the winds of innovation made Ferda smile involuntarily.
Yet Ferda did not lower his guard until the very end.
Ahmed’s true intention came next.
— This is what we will provide. Now, allow me to make you a proposal.
Ahmed extended his hand to him.
— How about forming an alliance with our Halim?
After concluding talks with Ahmed, Ferda returned to Stefan.
— Hahahahaha!!!
Meanwhile, Stefan was laughing like a madman while holding Burnel’s hand.
— Why are you like this?
— Hahaha! The jackpot! We hit the jackpot!
— Huh? Huh?
— Look at this!
The stack of papers Stefan pulled out and placed on the desk were all investment proposals.
From 100 Gold Coins to 10,000 Gold Coins, the most expensive even 100,000 Gold Coins.
— Not only merchants, but nobles too; nobles scattered across the entire region are showing interest in our products!
— Is that good?
— The mere fact that they gave us these documents means we hold the upper hand! The fact that they threw out such unprecedented offers without half-baked proposals is hugely significant!
— So we have taken the initiative.
— Yes!
Ferda, relegated to the background, watched quietly and then opened his mouth.
— So what are you going to do?
— Ah, the Regent is here. Of course! When they desire it so badly, only fools would refuse! There are great strategies for this situation, would you like to hear them?
Stefan, excited, handed Ferda a business model plan.
— The big fish want us right now! First, since there is interest in magic engineering weapons from various places, I will consult with the new administrator and draw up real estate investment and auction strategies!
All he talked about was money, money, money.
They were the means to fill the funds Administrator Isabella worried about most.
— At this rate, we could even establish a new merchant company. Making the Far East our headquarters…
— A new merchant company?
Ferda interrupted his words and asked.
— Yes. Not the existing Pascal Trading Company, but planning a completely autonomous merchant company in the East. 31% for the Duke, 20% for Mr. Burnel, 20% for me, and the remaining 29% contributed by investors.
— It is our company, why do we need outsiders?
— To open trade terms with major merchant companies, they often demand a small percentage of company shares. But we would also purchase a small percentage of theirs, so it’s close to an exchange; it’s not a big problem.
Our side consisted of professional merchants, and the counterparts were also professional merchants, so it was a complex matter.
Thus Ferda did not want to delve deeply into that issue.
— What do you think?
— It is a direction that revitalizes the village, so I am not opposed… but I don’t know why you are so happy.
Ferda reviewed the content Stefan gave him once more.
Yet among the strategies Stefan presented, there were more than a few strange things.
Though he was not an expert in economics, he could sense at least that much.
— Among what you proposed, there is a lot that feels like starting from scratch.
The feeling of digging a new well when there is already one beside it.
Like starting everything all over again from square one.
Ferda’s intuition was correct.
— Yes. There are parts where we need to start from scratch.
— Why?
— Because we can take over the merchant company without relying on the Pascal Trading Company.
— So you mean…
Ferda’s eyes grew sharp at those words.
Stefan grew unnecessarily tense under that gaze.
— The question is why you won’t trust Pascal.
— That company… is not mine yet, it is my father’s. And…
Words he could not easily utter.
Yet Ferda’s gaze forced them out of him.
— There is no need for that company to become mine either.
— I see.
Thwack!
Ferda slammed the documents he had been reading onto the table.
To Stefan, it sounded as if his own cheek had been slapped.
His blue eyes seemed to gleam with an even colder chill.
— Then you are of no use.