I Possessed a Game Where I Die If I Don’t Clear the Tower - Chapter 62

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 62. Improvements for the Territory
Horan, his beard bristling stiffly, opened his mouth with a trembling voice.
“You wish me to devise means, my Lord? Oh, my master… I can do anything for you. Anything at all.”
“Anything.”
Camilia asked with an indifferent expression.
“Even if I desire to establish trade routes centered on this land?”
“Trade routes? But don’t you already possess those?”
Nidst was a territory where commerce never ceased due to the magical stones flowing from The Tower.
One could tell from the endless stream of merchants visiting, even when operating with utmost secrecy.
Horan carefully ventured a question.
“Perhaps you wish to expand the magical stone trade routes further?”
“If that were all I desired, would I have summoned a merchant of your caliber?”
Even after explaining this much, Horan still seemed lost. Resigned, I elaborated further.
“Magical stones are highly liquid assets and a stable source of income. But they cannot enrich all my territory’s people.”
Adventurers who earned money from magical stones spent lavishly in the territory, so those who traded with them made a living.
But not every resident could survive by running inns and maintaining weapons simply because money was to be made.
Nor should they.
“The Tower produces not only magical stones but also monster byproducts. Yet they lack outlets and are sold at pittance.”
Precious materials like metals, horns, and bones were at least processed and sold, but hides, meat, and organs had far too few applications.
“A market specializing in monster byproducts… No, that’s not it. If you merely needed distribution channels, there would be no reason to seek our company.”
Horan’s golden eyes gleamed.
“You desire a grand market that handles manufacturing as well.”
“Precisely.”
“Attracting workshops and training craftsmen is exceedingly difficult work, but it is worth attempting. If we could only utilize monster hides and organs instead of letting them rot or waste away, revenues would double, even triple.”
Adventurers would benefit from increased profits, and my territory’s people would gain employment.
For merchants, there was nothing to lose.
Handling tanned leather, powdered monster organs, and crafted goods was far more profitable than managing piles of raw hides that required constant worry about mold during transport.
The problem was the scarcity of craftsmen who knew how to work with monster materials, and even with craftsmen, workshops were essential.
Such workshops could not be placed within the city due to stench and contamination, yet sending them outside was equally difficult.
If they were plundered or attacked by monsters, it would be catastrophic.
‘This is no simple task. But with sufficient capital….’
After mentally calculating estimates, Horan rubbed his chin and spoke.
“I can procure master craftsmen. I can construct workshops. I can arrange sales channels. However….”
As if reading her thoughts, the Lord interjected.
“To create a craftsmen’s district and open a grand market, the city must be expanded, yes?”
“Indeed. Haha, I suspect you already know all the answers and are merely testing me, my Lord.”
When the delighted Horan jested, the Lord chuckled and replied.
“Including expansion work, how many years do you estimate?”
“The existing market could be used as is without issue, but establishing the craftsmen’s district alone would require two years. Expanding the castle walls would take over a decade unless we enlist dwarven assistance.”
“If we enlist dwarven hands?”
“Then… it will require quite a substantial sum, but I can reduce it to about three years.”
“And if the Magic Tower were to lend its support?”
“Pardon? My lord, they have never worked together before.”
It wasn’t merely difficult to say—it was frankly impossible.
The mages of the Magic Tower, like the dwarves, possessed formidable pride.
If I were to request they gather and collaborate, they would likely attempt to crack Horan’s skull.
Yet Lord Camilia pressed forward as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Assume it’s possible and calculate accordingly.”
“Then… I shall have it completed by next year.”
“Excellent.”
Excellent? What on earth?
Rather than explain, Lord Camilia withdrew a parchment slip from her sleeve.
The Steward beside her, as though he had been waiting for precisely this moment, accepted it and passed it down to Horan standing before the dais.
As I unfolded the slip with bewilderment, I felt my beard stiffen.
There, inscribed upon it, was the name of a renowned mage I myself knew, along with hints as to how she might be persuaded to visit these lands.
“With that information, you should be able to at least initiate a conversation without difficulty.”
Whether I could actually bring her here depended entirely upon my own resourcefulness.
Could I manage it? After intense deliberation, I gave my answer.
“…Yes. I shall bring her here without fail.”
“By when?”
“By autumn at the latest… no, I shall have her here before summer arrives.”
A smile graced Lord Camilia’s face.
“Excellent. I shall have the funds prepared within this month. The dwarves will arrive before winter passes, so arrange your plans accordingly.”
How on earth did she intend to summon the dwarves?
Though curious, a prudent merchant knows when to hold her tongue.
I bowed respectfully, clasping my hands.
“Of course. I shall repay your trust with results.”
“Should you require anything further, you may petition the Steward. He shall assist you with all diligence.”
The Steward’s expression suggested he would sooner cast us out that very instant, yet his voice remained honeyed.
“Indeed, my lord. I shall ensure everything is managed in accordance with your wishes.”
With that, he gently grasped Lord Camilia’s hand and whispered that she ought to rest.
It was his signal—a subtle hint that she had said all she needed to say, and we should take our leave.
Netanel, too, gestured that it was time to withdraw.
I clasped my hands together in gratitude and offered a respectful bow.
“It has been an honor to meet with you. I shall take my leave now.”
As the carriage departed from the Castle.
Horan, who had remained silent throughout the journey, finally spoke.
“The lord of these lands is far more… reasonable than I anticipated. I nearly asked whether she had once been a merchant herself.”
Netanel, seated across from me, answered with a mischievous smile.
“Had she been, even the employer might have overlooked it—but that meticulous Steward certainly would not have.”
“Since we’re on the subject, may I ask what authority this Steward possesses? How much consideration should I give him?”
Netanel asked with a fox-like smile.
“There’s an objective opinion and a subjective one. Which would you prefer to hear?”
“Let me hear the objective opinion first.”
“He’s a trusted confidant and the true power behind the throne. They’ve even entrusted him with acting as Lord Camilia’s proxy.”
“And subjectively?”
“An ex-lover with one-sided lingering attachments, you might say?”
“…What?”
As Horan rumbled in confusion, Netanel responded with evident amusement.
“Despite receiving favor as a subordinate that overflows with abundance, it seems insufficient. Whenever anyone tries to appear friendly or grow closer to the employer, he behaves like a wildcat cradling her kittens—ready to scratch at the slightest attempt to remove even one from her embrace.”
It was a playful yet cutting assessment. But Horan’s concern lay elsewhere.
“Master, forgive my asking, but… you’re not in conflict with the Steward, are you?”
“No, nothing of that sort. I merely enjoy teasing him occasionally.”
“Master….”
“What can I do? I’m curious about his reactions.”
That infernal curiosity of his.
Horan stroked his protruding whiskers and muttered something like a sigh.
“I shall need to walk a very careful line.”
“That said, there’s no need to approach with excessive deference. We’re both here to conduct business, after all.”
“The profit margin is far too substantial to treat as a mere transaction.”
This was no ordinary matter—it was the reformation of a venerable domain that had endured for a thousand years.
It was an opportunity far too immense for a mere merchant to grasp.
Horan felt his heart quicken as he made his resolve.
‘I shall seize this opportunity without fail. Thus shall I elevate the Golden Fleece Trading Company to the foremost position on the continent.’
For that, bolder investment than ever before was necessary.
A truly audacious investment.

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