I Inherited a Beautiful Wife and a Territory - Chapter 31

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Inheriting a Beautiful Wife and Estate Episode 031

31. Jaide

Going back in time to when Tom was heading toward the Elimis Domain.

Tom’s expression was dark as he faced his final transaction.

Jaide had read this as well.

‘Is Baron Elimis really such an impressive person?’

Baron Cliff Elimis.

To be precise, not a baron but a baron’s proxy (or lord’s proxy).

He was still a duke’s bastard who hadn’t even received a title yet.

All he had received was the Elimis Domain.

‘Isn’t it a domain that would struggle to make ends meet without our trading guild’s help?’

That’s what he knew about the Elimis Domain.

Last year they had made a few items and sold them to Tom, but even so, it wasn’t anything grand.

So Jaide couldn’t understand Tom. Of course, he might be feeling responsibility on a moral level, but Jaide knew well that Tom wasn’t that kind of person.

Tom often mentioned it.

There was no emotion more unnecessary for a merchant than sympathy.

‘It’s not pity…’

He just finds it wasteful.

To let go of a person like Cliff.

Seeing Tom’s attitude, Jaide became certain. If this was someone Tom wanted to hold onto but had no choice but to let go.

‘I’ll take him!’

Anyway, Jaide had no share in Tom’s trading guild.

Soon when Tom died, he would either become one of the guild’s workers or leave empty-handed. If so, now was rather better.

“Father, I have a request.”

“What is it?”

“I would like to accompany you to Serfal this time. And now I’m an adult too. When we reach Serfal, I want to become independent.”

“…!”

Tom’s eyes widened for a moment.

But soon he nodded his head.

“…Yes, that would be good too. It’s time for you to have your own business. Then are you thinking of inheriting your mother’s inn?”

Tom had met a woman in Serfal.

And he had set up a shop for that woman in Serfal. Jaide had also handled the general affairs of that inn before following him to learn the business.

“I do plan to stay there for a while, but I’m thinking of starting my own trading business.”

“I see. Do that then.”

Tom had a bitter expression.

It was regrettable that he had to let go of Jaide after Cliff.

It wasn’t simply because he was his son.

‘He’s a talented boy… but being overshadowed by his brothers, there’s nothing for this child to handle here.’

The trading guild would grow even larger in the future.

Then people to handle work would be needed too. But Jaide’s half-brothers wouldn’t tolerate a place for their half-brother to stand.

‘Now while I’m still healthy might be this boy’s chance for independence.’

The Yusta Peninsula that his brothers wouldn’t even look at anyway.

Jaide seemed to be planning to grow based on this. He hoped that Jaide would connect with Cliff if possible.

No, he was planning to have them meet face to face.

In Tom’s opinion, Cliff was someone who would become great on the Yusta Peninsula.

He wanted to introduce such a person to Jaide too. But Jaide said something different.

When they arrived in Serfal, Jaide didn’t wish to accompany him to the domain.

“I’ll look into goods here.”

“…I can’t say anything to a son who’s already grown. Well then, what kind of business will you do?”

“I think market research should come first.”

Jaide was sparing with his words.

So Tom went to Elimis, and Jaide remained in Serfal.

“Big brother!”

The inn his mother managed.

Maribel, who worked as an employee here, ran to Jaide with a happy face.

“You’re being noisy, Mari.”

“Tsk. Is that what you say to your lovely sister you haven’t seen in so long?”

“Enough of that, Mari… Do you happen to know anyone who knows about the Elimis Domain well?”

Jaide’s words about doing market research were sincere.

‘The connection Father missed. But according to Father, he agreed to pay that person considerable gold.’

Nearly ten thousand gold was in the Elimis Domain.

And there probably weren’t any merchants interested in the Elimis Domain yet. Only Jaide knew that the baron’s house had money.

So now was the opportunity.

Thinking this way, meeting together with Tom could have been an opportunity. But Jaide deliberately didn’t do that.

‘He said he was a young noble of my age. If Father cuts off dealings with him… there’s a high possibility of bad feelings developing. Then it would be better to move independently of Father.’

Tom probably had the same thought and didn’t force Jaide to accompany him.

“Elimis? Why that countryside? It’s a particularly poor place even on our Yusta Peninsula. Still, if you’re curious… it would be fastest to go to the slave market. I heard that slaves from Elimis come there every year.”

The fact that they were sold as slaves every year meant the domain was that poor.

“I understand.”

Jaide nodded.

“If you’re curious, I’ll ask the customers once too.”

“Yes. Please do.”

Jaide set out on market research like that. And he discovered something strange.

‘The supply from Elimis has been cut off since last year?’

Normally, one or two slaves should have come this year.

But now there weren’t even people to sell, making it difficult to find Elimis natives in the slave market.

To be precise, there was one.

“I have one slave I bought the year before last. She’s an unclean woman who worked in a brothel for 2 years, but if you want her, I’ll sell her to you. Just give me two gold coins.”

“…I’ll buy her.”

Actually, he just wanted to talk.

But seeing the opponent’s sparkling eyes, he thought such a request wouldn’t be accepted. Instead, Jaide added a condition.

“But let me confirm first that she’s really from Elimis.”

“I don’t know why you’re so obsessed with natives from that region. Anyway, fine. She’s really a woman Bellman sold.”

“Bellman?”

“A gentleman who does money business in the Elimis Domain. All slaves from that place are supplied by that gentleman.”

Jaide nodded.

Jaide bought one woman from the man for 2 gold.

“Wash yourself clean and help with the inn’s kitchen and hall work. And come to my room in the evening.”

“Yes, master…”

“Big brother, are you crazy? Buying a woman!”

“…I don’t want to hear that from you.”

There was a brief commotion, but Jaide was able to talk with the woman as he wanted.

What Jaide asked about was the climate and ecosystem of that area.

“Serpents in the southern lake, the eastern mountains are rocky mountains where giant cyclops live, and shadow wolves in the western mountains? What about livestock?”

“As far as I know, there are no houses that raise livestock. At most, only Mr. Bellman…”

“…It’s worse than I thought. Then what about winter?”

The wood gave off toxic smoke, and charcoal use required the lord’s permission.

Thick cotton blankets and cotton clothes were also severely lacking.

Yet winter was twice as cold as Serfal. Summer was also hotter than Serfal here.

Even when they planted seeds and cultivated, the crops didn’t bear fruit well.

“So it’s a region where people normally sell their bodies for food, and die from cold in winter?”

“Yes. That place is truly… cursed land.”

Living as a slave, she should have missed her hometown.

But she spoke as if she hated her homeland. This alone was enough to understand how difficult it must have been to live in the Elimis Domain.

‘If they endured such cold winters…’

Jaide’s eyes lit up.

He knew that Cliff had gone ahead and bought geese. But around 50 geese would have had their limits.

They might have already lost many geese.

He gathered the money he had. What he secured with it were rabbits.

‘Even if Elimis lacks rabbits, there are many rabbits living around this Serfal area.’

Rabbits were easy to capture and had high fertility rates.

This meant he could buy several at a cheap price. And he only needed to buy two or three.

“Huh? Brother, are you going to raise rabbits?”

“Yes. This will become the foundation of my future business.”

“Just a few rabbits?”

“It’s just a few now, but later it’ll become dozens, then hundreds.”

That was the advantage of rabbits.

While he was preparing this, Tom returned from Elimis to Serfal.

Tom immediately called Jaide and told him the story he had heard.

“The acting Baron Elimis wants you.”

“…You mean me, sir?”

“He doesn’t want our trading relationship to be cut off. Rather… he plans to use our trading guild, which has gained wings through Baron Barton’s favor, to open his own trade channels.”

This case was also part of what was in Jaide’s mind.

The possibility that Cliff, having lost Tom, would organize his own trading guild.

But it was beyond imagination.

‘I never thought he’d think to keep father’s trading guild as a business partner and grow a trading guild…’

It was a thought he himself could never have had.

“Won’t Baron Barton harm the trading guild if he notices?”

“That’s what he said. Baron Barton isn’t that meticulous in personality.”

“So… the possibility of Baron Barton noticing trades with representatives that the acting Baron Elimis puts forward, rather than the acting Baron Elimis himself, is low?”

“That’s right.”

If Cliff’s prediction proved correct, then Cliff was a more remarkable person than expected.

Jaide’s heart pounded.

There’s something every man dreams of at least once.

A hero’s story.

Or the life of a supporter who helps that hero.

‘Perhaps… he has the qualities of a hero?’

Jaide calmed his excited emotions.

Even so, he felt that Cliff was definitely an exceptional person. It was because of the items Tom had brought.

“This is charcoal, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. The acting lord has built numerous kilns in the domain and laid the foundation to produce this charcoal.”

“…He’ll need manpower, won’t he?”

“Something like that.”

Jaide nodded.

He could guess why this much charcoal was produced without being told.

‘It’s to distribute to the domain residents. And through this… he’s probably trying to create specialty products for the domain too.’

But he must have increased the number of kilns in a short time.

Cliff couldn’t operate all those kilns now.

‘I should buy some slaves.’

People who could work the kilns.

Jaide made note of new merchandise.

He didn’t know to what extent he’d become entangled with Cliff, but Cliff had money now. And looking at how things were going, Cliff was rapidly developing the Elimis Domain.

“I roughly know what you’re thinking.”

Tom said.

“But that person is greater than you think. Even if it’s impossible for my old generation now… perhaps in your generation, a great lord who surpasses the Duke’s house might be born.”

“Do you really think… that’s possible?”

“What wouldn’t be possible? If one could unify this Yusta Peninsula and dominate the Rajahara Sea, would that really be difficult?”

At Tom’s counter-question, Jaide flinched and trembled.

But Jaide shook his head with a dark expression.

“…It’s impossible. While it’s true that numerous trading cities around the Rajahara Sea earn much gold, sea serpents appear especially frequently around the Yusta Peninsula.”

That was also true.

Several cities south of the Yusta Peninsula made big money through trade, but these were few and far between.

‘Of course, if the Yusta Peninsula were really unified…’

A nation that truly surpassed the Duke’s house, perhaps even a single country, might be born.

But this was something one of the southern trading cities would accomplish.

If someone really unified it, the possibility of it being the Elimis Domain was low.

‘That place won’t work. Blocked by the serpents of the mountains and lake, if just the northern shortcut is controlled, wouldn’t it become isolated and disappear?’

Tom read that thought in his son’s eyes and smiled bitterly.

“Yes. You’d think that way now. Soon… the lord of Elimis will seek you out. If you make the same judgment even after meeting him directly, then my words now are just the ramblings of an old man.”

There was no need to meet him.

The Elimis Domain wouldn’t work.

Right, it wouldn’t work.

It wouldn’t work, but…

‘This doesn’t make sense…’

The procession from the Elimis Domain that Tom had predicted appeared.

Seeing their appearance, not only Jaide but everyone in Serfal was shocked.

“Shadow wolves are… pulling carriages?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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