21st Century Archmage

Chapter 185: The Seeds of Evil Being Sown

Translator: Lei

Proofreader: Enigami

“Saluuute!”

“Greetings to Your Lordship.”

I was greeted by a crisp salute in the Weyn Covert of Denfors, a place Nerman had previously used as a covert.

‘It was an excellent choice.

There were more and more merchants coming to the territory, and we needed a large space to conduct transparent trade with them. Weyn Covert was chosen for the job. Wyvern hangars were assigned to large and middling merchant groups for a set price, and other than the Rubis Merchants, the rest of the merchants purchased all the goods produced in Nerman in public sales.

Of course, the large merchant groups could tyrannize the smaller merchants using prices, so we offered a set rate to the middling merchants. I wanted to protect the middling merchants, who eked out a living earning money day by day. In Korea as well, the smaller companies were pitiful existences who were at the mercy of the conglomerates. It was the same here, but I didnt want them to live like that.

“Its good to see you, my lord.”

“May the blessing of the gods be upon you…”

Upon entering the covert, the busily moving merchants, soldiers, and civilians bowed low to show their respect, their greetings full of sincerity, not pretense. A pleased smile floated to my lips.

“Welcome, my lord.”

“Youve worked hard, Sir Andriave.”

Andriave was a friend and assistant to Derval, who was responsible for the executive management of the territory. The man with the unique mismatched eyes was in charge of the territorys important trades.

“No such thing, my lord. This is something I naturally must do.”

To him, it wasnt work, but enjoyment. From what I heard, the gross cost of goods coming in and out in a single day exceeded a million Gold. Such a sum was easy enough to say, but a million was an amount most territories would make in one month.

“As I have always said, the territorys profits are important, but do your best to not lose balance in all things.”

Wearing a benevolent smile, I uttered a phrase meant for the surrounding merchants ears.

‘Were gonna do business for a long time, so you gotta live with athe customer is king mentality!

The shout in my heart differed sharply from my words. Nerman had several specialty products that would be difficult to source elsewhere anyway. Firing a little lip service as an owner and CEO was no biggie.

“I heard there were still people conducting private transactions, but how is it now?”

“There havent been any private transactions in the last few days. However, about a week ago, there were some people trying to pull things like that on the sly, but they were exposed and expelled.”

“That so? Under territory martial law, regardless of whoever they are, confiscate all their goods and immediately expel them from the territory,” I shouted, loudly enough for all to hear.

“Yes, sir!”

One might call me a communist or a proponent of restrictive, exclusionary politics, but I didnt care. I could endure such disgrace for the happiness of the territory. This was a place where you could earn an appropriate reward for the amount of sweat you dripped. What could you call such a place other than paradise?

‘Im sure they all know now that Nerman is not to be looked down on.

All sorts of things could happen in life. You might become greedy for someone elses things or accidentally do injury to others. Naturally, you could also have a very human moment of avarice or make a mistake. However, for the smooth operation of the territory, I was stringent on punishing crimes in order to make an example out of the violators. We even sussed out confessions out of liars using magic, so within a few months, the number of liars in the territory sharply dropped.

The law wasnt almighty, but it could establish a standard for living. Also, it wasnt just the territory citizens who fell under territory law, but the merchants and mercenaries who operated in our borders. Here, where my word was law, my will was capable of regulating everyone.

“Be sure to supervise your subordinates well. Keep in mind that I can forgive many things, but not those who use their official seat to secure profit for themselves, no matter how small.”