NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 637
Chapter 637: I Need Money Right Now (1)
“Are you talking about the Forest of Monsters?”
Zvalter looked slightly surprised.
The Forest of Monsters was not a place that could be easily cleared. Setting aside the dangerous monsters living within, the sheer size of the forest was extraordinary.
The Forest of Monsters extended all the way to the vast northern lands. Its size rivaled that of a decent-sized kingdom.
Ghislaine nodded.
“Yes, it will take a long time, but we will definitely clear it out.”
It might even take decades. The Forest of Monsters was that large.
But Ghislaine wasn’t planning to start that work right away. The immediate goal was to quickly clear a path to the center.
‘There must be something there.’
In his previous life, this was how the Duke Delphine Faction operated. Back then, they called it development, but focused more on clearing a path to the center, aside from some regions adjacent to the kingdom.
‘That black mark, is that the center of the Demon Realm? The corpse of the Demon God that was said to be there…’
Ghislaine was suspicious. The center of the map created by the Duke Delphine Faction was marked in a considerable black area.
It had been hastily marked without any explanations. There was likely something the Salvation Society sought in that area.
Ghislaine concealed his true thoughts and continued speaking as if it were nothing.
“Even though the war has ended, we can’t disband the army just yet. There will be a lot of unemployed people. It would be better to assign those personnel to various construction and development projects.”
“Ah, I see. That seems sensible.”
While the kingdom was stabilizing quickly, it wasn’t as safe as before the war.
Jobs needed to be created. Having a sudden influx of discharged soldiers wouldn’t be beneficial.
Zvalter nodded. If they developed the Forest of Monsters further, they could gain a lot of resources.
Food was still being produced in excess, so maintaining the army for the time being shouldn’t pose a problem.
Zvalter chuckled.
“The territory has expanded immensely, and if we clear the Forest of Monsters, it will expand even more.”
This was good news for the kingdom’s people. The wider the territory, the more resources could be obtained, leading to increased production.
However, the Forest of Monsters, being so vast, also bordered other kingdoms.
But most of those connections were blocked by mountains or rough terrain. There were only a handful of small kingdoms that connected with flat land like Ruthania.
Those kingdoms wouldn’t even dare approach the Forest of Monsters; practically all of that territory would belong to Ruthania.
‘Huh, who would have thought such things would happen in my time.’
Zvalter was lost in unusual feelings. He hadn’t expected to suddenly become a king, and almost immediately, the kingdom’s territory and power were expanding beyond recognition.
It was a historic achievement. All thanks to his son, of course.
While the two discussed future matters, others were enjoying the feast to the fullest.
“No way, that bastard Marquis Roderick, right? That jerk keeps acting like he’s something when he’s really not, so I just had to give him a mental beatdown…”
Ascon incessantly swore and bragged about his achievements. Nobles who had never heard such vulgar and crude language were left in shock.
Yet that low-level speech oddly sparked their interest, and they found it hard to leave. More and more people gathered around Ascon, listening intently to his words.
Elena was surrounded by numerous noble sons alongside Rachel.
Elena had become quite popular lately. She was the kingdom’s only princess. Anyone who married her could instantly rise to the top of the best families.
Because of this, noble sons from venerable houses kept approaching her.
‘Sigh, I certainly hoped for something like this…’
It had been the life she had dreamed of since childhood; a graceful life surrounded by countless noble sons from prestigious families vying for her attention.
But now that her dream was coming true, she felt exceedingly bored.
‘Why is this so dull?’
It was uninteresting. Even when handsome, well-dressed princes approached her, she felt no excitement. No matter what they said, it didn’t seem genuine to her.
Instead, the soldiers she fought with on the battlefield seemed way cooler. They had risked their lives with her, putting everything on the line.
After experiencing such a fierce battlefield, a feast like this was utterly unsatisfactory for Elena.
‘Oh, what a big problem.’
She had no idea a feast could be this dull. She felt fidgety, as if she might go insane.
She began to understand why her brother was so indifferent to other matters.
Her habits had gone awry. She shouldn’t have participated in wars in the first place.
‘Ugh… I’m just getting weird nicknames.’
True to her title as the Destruction Princess, she was already growing tired of life in the palace.
While apathetically dealing with the noble sons, Elena quietly walked over to Ghislaine and asked.
“When are we going?”
“Going where?”
“Is there nothing more to do? Like another war… or should I join the pursuit team as well?”
“Pfft!”
Ghislaine stifled a laugh at Elena’s question. She had claimed to dislike fighting, yet now she seemed fidgety.
Ghislaine understood. She had been the same way at first.
It would take a bit more time to balance the normal life and combat.
Instead, Zvalter, who was nearby, interjected.
“No, princess, where do you think you’re going? Just stay and enjoy the palace. You need to study since you’ve been away for a while.”
Elena clenched her fist and said.
“Father, I participated in this war and learned a lot.”
“What did you learn?”
“With great power comes great responsibility! As a member of the royal family, I must take the lead!”
“Isn’t that what your brother is doing? You just want to fight, don’t you?”
“No, I don’t!”
“You’re just saying that because you don’t want to study, right?”
“No, that’s not it!”
Zvalter massaged his temples. It seemed that both his son and daughter were obsessed with fighting. Neither of them could sit still.
‘Honey, I think I’ve left home too often.’
He felt like he was reaping the consequences of always being away to guard the North since his youth.
Ghislaine grinned and said.
“Don’t worry, just wait a little longer. I’ll handle a few urgent matters and set off right away.”
“Where are we going?”
“To the Forest of Monsters. This time, we will clear it all the way to the center.”
“Great, I’ve been curious about that forest since the rumors have been circulating. I’ll take the lead.”
“Then, the Destruction Princess must lead the charge.”
“Hmph.”
With those words, Elena dashed out of the feast. Conversations with the hollow nobles had grown tiresome.
It would be better to attend a soldiers’ gathering and participate in an arm-wrestling contest.
Once the banquet concluded, Ghislaine and his close associates began preparing for the next steps.
*
The Ruthania Kingdom rapidly developed. It was now akin to the center of the continent.
While other kingdoms were still struggling to manage post-war issues, Ruthania had started various ventures based on its overflowing production capacity.
Many people were still homeless due to the recent disasters. The royal family was conducting large-scale construction projects everywhere under the guise of development.
People without jobs flocked there, and they were receiving sufficient food and money.
In particular, road construction extended to neighboring countries, helping to revitalize the economies of both nations.
The Ruthania kingdom was vibrant. It was something other kingdoms could only dream of.
And recently, there was a specific place that served as the center of this economic revitalization.
The trading city of Rimhal.
Ghislaine had allocated most of the western region’s territories to the royal family, but left a few areas close to the north as the Duke of Penris’ territory.
Among these, the westernmost city, Rimhal, had become a trading city that attracted all kingdoms.
Only the Ruthania Kingdom could buy the various specialties and resources from across the continent. Numerous merchant groups flooded in.
“Art from the old Byron Kingdom!”
“If it’s about this silk…”
“This spice is really good… but I can’t find the words to express it.”
Rimhal was always bustling with people from all over. Naturally, enormous amounts of money flowed around Rimhal.
Penris offered good prices for goods from other kingdoms and provided food and herbs at relatively low prices.
As a result, even more merchants flocked to Rimhal. It felt like all the wealth of the continent was converging here.
Ghislaine held firm control over Rimhal as a direct territory. Tremendous taxes were collected from the city.
This place continuously provided Ghislaine with funds he could use for his personal business, independent of the royal treasury.
Lowell, who was managing Penris as the Chief Officer, had come to inspect Rimhal.
“Hmmm, really good.”
Lowell sat in a splendid office savoring tea. He hadn’t directly participated in the war, but he was extremely busy.
The Ruthania Kingdom had been in shambles due to Berhem’s tyranny. Naturally, the royal finances were in the pits.
Supplying the Ruthania Army, which had embarked on a large-scale expedition, fell upon the Duke of Penris’ territory, which was managed by Lowell.
Once the kingdom stabilized to some extent and the war ended, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Now he had the leisure to visit the rapidly developing Rimhal.
“Truly the best part is not having to see the Chief Officer.”
While it was nice that work had decreased since the war ended, it was clear that Claude would soon return to Penris. It was obvious he would be caught and tormented again.
Thus, he had used the excuse of inspecting this crucial city to leave the territory.
“Ahem, shall I take a look around again today?”
With many merchants gathering, he needed to be cautious not to let crime organizations or shady merchants run rampant.
Moreover, he had to ensure each office’s administrators were doing their jobs properly and check that tax transactions were proceeding as they should.
Leading knights and soldiers, Lowell stepped outside.
The streets were teeming with people. The territory was also undertaking various policies and promotions to attract them.
[Support for the construction of exclusive accommodation for merchant groups!]
[Free protection for merchants in the commercial special district!]
[Tax exemption benefits! No taxes for the first month! Half price in the first year!]
[The lord offers cheap prices and friendly service!]
… Occasionally, there were mistakes in the promotional wording, but given how busy things were, it was something they could overlook.
Lowell spent a few days visiting and correcting minor administrative errors, examining whether any problems existed.
Since this city collected the highest taxes in the kingdom, it needed to be managed with great care.
While he was meticulously inspecting, a group of soldiers barged into the city without warning.
“What, what’s going on? What is this?”
Lowell was shocked. This was not a place soldiers could dare enter. Even if they did, they would be blocked by Penris’ elite troops guarding the perimeter.
But Lowell soon understood why the elite troops hadn’t stopped the soldiers. The one at the front of the army was Claude himself.
Having endured a tough time, Claude looked like a beggar and said as soon as he saw Lowell.
“Lowell! What’s up? Why are you here?”
“Ch-Chief Officer? What are you doing here?”
Why would someone who had gone out to survey newly acquired territory end up here?
Claude grabbed Lowell and immediately looked like he was about to cry.
“Do you have, um, any money?”
“I don’t have any money!”
“Right? You don’t, either? Yeah, no way you would.”
“W-wait, but why are you here?”
“I came to look for some money.”
“Excuse me???”
“This is the place with the most cash in the kingdom. I think I might need to borrow just a little bit, just a tiny bit. I’m in need of some cash right now.”
Claude had ultimately failed to recover the missing military funds.
Most valuable items had already been looted and fled by the nobles and soldiers who once ruled that area. Even the thieves were starving due to the lack of food.
While local security had improved due to crackdowns, Claude himself had very little to eat.
As he pondered, Claude had a remarkably progressive and groundbreaking idea.
“Just shuffle it around, right?”
Borrow funds from other public accounts to pay off immediate debts first. And before they got caught borrowing those public funds, he would take from somewhere else to refill.
This was akin to creating wealth from nothing.
And he had another groundbreaking plan prepared.
“I should take just a little from here. They make so much money that no one will notice if a bit goes missing. I can fill that back up later.”
Lowell stammered.
“Y-you’re insane? Touching public funds?”
“Aren’t you going to look the other way? Between us! I’ll refill it in no time!”
“What kind of relationship do we have!”
“Ah, why did this jerk have to be here! Get back quickly! Before I get arrested!”
Claude exclaimed in annoyance. No matter how confident he was, he couldn’t blatantly take money in front of Lowell. Lowell was quick-witted and had a sharp tongue.
“Ah, I can’t go! I’m supposed to be here on an inspection! Don’t touch me!”
As Lowell stood firm, Claude began to persuade him.
“Listen closely. I have a way. I thought about it continuously, and there will be no problem. Why? Because I’m about to create a new currency.”
“W-what do you mean by that…?”
“I’ll say I’ll exchange it for gold and create handy vouchers. Once that gains trust and normalizes, I’ll print more. And with that, I can cover all the missing money!”
The clever Lowell quickly identified the issues. He was utterly flabbergasted, throwing etiquette out the window.
“Y-you crazy fool. If you print more than what you can exchange for gold, you’ll run out of gold! What’s your plan for that!”
Claude matter-of-factly responded.
“Just don’t exchange it.”
“What?”
“If there’s not enough gold, we’ll appease them with food instead. Later on, I can even stop exchanging it altogether. As long as the Ruthania Kingdom guarantees it, everyone will start using it naturally.”
“B-but if you can’t even exchange food later on, the value of the currency will drop… and prices will keep rising…”
“Then just print more money to circulate! What’s the problem!”
Lowell stood there in shock.
This madman… was planning to create an entirely new economic system just to pay off his gambling debts.