In This Life, I Will Be The Lord - Chapter 130

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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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This Life, I Will Become the Clan Head Episode 130

Blink, blink.

Clang Debon’s thick, large eyes slowly closed and opened.

Flint, who had been listening to my conversation with Clang Debon beside us, was also startled and froze.

“Uh, uh…”

Clang Debon, who had been opening and closing his mouth for a moment, suddenly shouted toward Flint.

“Something to drink! Flint, bring me something to drink!”

“Just a moment, brother!”

Flint, who also shouted loudly in response, quickly brought water in a large cup.

Gulp, gulp.

I leisurely watched as Clang Debon, who had emptied the water to the last drop, roughly wiped the water flowing down his lips with his sleeve.

“I’ve… regained my composure now. Please speak, Young Lady.”

Certainly, the usual serious look had returned to Clang Debon’s eyes.

“I have always thought highly of the potential of Lombardi Transportation. And I have regretfully thought that this potential has not been able to shine properly.”

“…Thank you.”

Gratitude along with slight embarrassment crossed Clang Debon’s face.

He must be remembering the complaints he had made while drunk just moments ago.

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of. Anyone would feel sad and angry if they didn’t receive proper recognition for their hard work.”

At my words, Clang Debon looked at me intently.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I was wondering when Young Lady had grown up so much…”

When I stared at him without much reaction, Clang Debon bowed his head and said.

“I apologize. I was rude, Young Lady.”

“No, I am currently proposing a business to the head of the Debon family, so my age could be concerning. No, it should be concerning.”

“…Thank you for understanding.”

“But one thing I can guarantee is that among those who use the Lombardi name, there’s probably no one who understands the advantages of the Debon family’s transportation business better than I do.”

At my words, Clang Debon silently nodded.

And he asked.

“Then should I understand that you intend to use the rights of the direct line?”

“Yes, but I have no intention of forcing something the head of the Debon family doesn’t want just because I’m from the direct line.”

“Why do you take such a troublesome path?”

“Because… I have countless ways to develop Lombardi. But I’m not kind enough to forcibly make someone who says they don’t want it successful.”

“Haha…”

Clang Debon laughed.

It was laughter with underlying tension.

“Then may I dare ask for an explanation.”

Clang Debon, who said this, gave Flint a look.

Now Clang Debon was not Flint’s brother, but the head of the Debon family.

Flint and Loril left the drawing room with Merillin.

Now only Clang Debon and I were here.

In front of the Debon family head who was looking with serious eyes, I opened my mouth.

“Actually, it’s not a business that requires tremendous changes. Rather, it’s something that can be accomplished sufficiently with what the Debon family currently has. It’s just that no one has thought of it yet.”

“A change in thinking…”

“But at the same time, it’s something that only we Lombardi can do?”

I could see even more anticipation building in Clang Debon’s eyes.

“Try to imagine this.”

I spoke in a quiet voice.

“The lady of a wealthy estate in the south one day, facing a banquet a few months away, wanted to change the atmosphere of her manor. The old decorations looked a bit gloomy.”

“Hmm.”

I could see Clang Debon nodding and gradually getting absorbed in my story.

“From what she heard, the precious jade from the east sparkles and looks so beautiful when it catches the light. How wonderful it would be to have decorations made of jade by that sunny window!”

“Ooh…”

“The noblewoman who thought this picked up a booklet labeled ‘Pellet Home & Interior’. And as she flipped through the booklet with various pictures and descriptions, oh my! There happened to be a large jade vase for sale, carefully crafted by an eastern artisan!”

“How fortunate!”

“But how would she order this item from that distant east and bring it back to her southern estate? Moreover, there’s no ‘Pellet Home & Interior’ branch in this area? And then, a name flashed in the noblewoman’s mind!”

“What, what is it?”

“‘Lombardi Transport You Can Trust’.”

“Ooh!”

“We deliver the items you want right to your doorstep.”

Clang Debon’s already large eyes truly became as big as fists.

And he shouted in a loud voice.

“Truly, it’s an innovative idea! A transportation business that delivers right to your doorstep!”

“Delivery isn’t everything. The life of the transportation business is speed and accuracy. It has to be trustworthy.”

“That’s right! Speed and accuracy!”

Clang Debon clenched his fist tightly.

“Lombardi Transportation is already handling the commerce of the Lombardi Guild that extends throughout the empire, right? We just need to connect famous guilds and shops to this, and add the process of delivering to doorsteps.”

“Our Lombardi Transportation has already dispatched employees to every Lombardi Guild branch throughout the empire. For the process of going to doorsteps, we can additionally hire people who know the local geography well.”

“As expected, you think quickly.”

“And…”

As expected, an expert was different.

Like a master of delivery, Clang Debon began pouring out all kinds of professional knowledge like a bursting dam.

All I had to do was listen to that knowledge and mention a few supplementary points.

But even that alone left Clang Debon unable to contain his amazement.

“To think I could communicate so well with someone who isn’t an employee of Lombardi Transportation! What you said about being the person who knows transportation business best in Lombardi was really true!”

Clang Debon was sparkling so brightly that it was hard to believe he was the same person who had been drunkenly expressing his grievances just moments ago.

“Of course, this isn’t everything. We need to find guilds and shops that will entrust their precious customers’ items to Lombardi Transportation. But leave that to me, head of the Debon family.”

Clang Debon seemed to choke up, pressed his lips tightly together, then nodded.

“I believe that the Debon family’s Lombardi Transportation will achieve the purpose of this business that I’ve been envisioning.”

“That purpose… what is it?”

I answered with a bright smile.

“When someone knocks on my door and says ‘Delivery!’, the excitement of the person running toward the door!”

Ah, just imagining it makes me happy!

“I think anyone who can pay a reasonable cost should be able to feel that heart-pounding excitement.”

“Oh, exactly!”

Both Clang Debon and I clenched our fists tightly.

“This innovative business needs a new name. The simple word ‘transportation’ cannot contain all its meaning!”

“Then I have something I’ve been thinking about…”

“What is it, Young Lady Pirenthia!”

Clang Debon already looked like he would agree to anything I said.

I looked into Clang Debon’s wide eyes and said.

“How about we call it ‘express delivery’, containing the meaning of ‘delivering to your home’?”

* * *

A grand banquet was prepared in the Empress’ Quarters.

Today’s guest, Ronchent Aivan, was the eldest son and representative of the Aivan family head.

After the Empress’ Quarters kitchen was bustling all day, the huge banquet table was filled only with foods that Ronchent was said to enjoy.

Seeing this, Ronchent nodded his head a couple of times in satisfaction and greeted the people who had been waiting for him.

“Empress, and Crown Prince, thank you for inviting me like this.”

Astana silently nodded, and the Empress answered with a bright smile.

“How could we let the Deputy Lord of Aivan leave the Imperial Capital without proper hospitality from the Imperial Palace?”

Ronchent had come in place of the Aivan patriarch, who was too elderly to easily travel between the Imperial Capital and the Aivan Estate.

The words ‘Deputy Lord’ sounded truly sweet to his ears.

Ronchent also greeted the inconspicuous figure who had been sitting quietly to one side.

“Lord Angenas, it’s been a long time.”

“Yes, it has been quite a while.”

That Perdic Angenas was the Empress’s puppet was a fact known to every noble in the Empire.

The person Ronchent needed to be careful of today wasn’t the Angenas patriarch, nor the Crown Prince who kept his mouth firmly shut.

“Please, take a comfortable seat.”

The real power holder in this gathering was none other than Empress Lavinia.

Ronchent showed a courteous and respectful smile toward the Empress and began his meal.

And as the meal was coming to an end, after confirming that Ronchent was in good spirits from eating plenty of food, Empress Lavinia casually brought up a topic while wiping her lips with a napkin.

“Soon our Crown Prince will be departing on a hunting trip to the north with his friends, and he wishes to visit the Aivan family during the journey.”

“Ah, is that so?”

“…I hear there’s no better place than the Aivan Estate for wolf hunting.”

Astana, answering exactly as the Empress had instructed him before the banquet began, brought his wine glass to his lips with an expressionless face.

He was getting sick of his mother’s attitude of trying to control him at will, as if he were still a child.

“That’s correct. The wolves in the north are swift and large, making them worth hunting. The doors of the Aivan Estate will always be open to Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Thank you.”

The Empress, watching this scene with satisfaction, spoke to Astana in a gentle voice.

“The Aivan family is a strong and noble house that protects the northern borders of our Empire. Don’t forget that, Crown Prince.”

“…Yes, Mother.”

“And the Aivan family maintains a very solid relationship with our Angenas as well. Isn’t that right, Deputy Lord of Aivan?”

“That’s absolutely correct, Your Majesty the Empress.”

The western development plan that Angenas had been pushing recently was also greatly helping Ronchent’s position within the Aivan family.

Just when he was feeling anxious about his younger brother, who was one year younger, constantly challenging him, Ronchent was able to get ahead in the succession competition thanks to the contract with the Angenas family.

“Since we’re gathered here today, I have an urgent favor to ask of you, Deputy Lord of Aivan.”

Now it comes.

Sensing the Empress’s intention to bring up the main topic, Ronchent answered with inner tension.

“Please speak, Your Majesty the Empress.”

“We’ve decided to accelerate the pace of western development, and it seems the amount of timber that the Aivan family has been sending us so far won’t be sufficient.”

The Empress was trying to develop the west into a tourist destination for the upper class, and for that, well-paved roads and luxury houses were needed.

And Aivan supplied the timber needed to build those things at low prices.

This was exactly the content of the contract between Aivan and Angenas.

The Empress said with a beautiful smile.

“So it seems we’ll need about four times the existing amount of timber from now on. Of course, the Aivan family can help with this, right?”

“Ah… I’m sorry, Your Majesty the Empress. That’s beyond Aivan’s capabilities.”

Ronchent said with a hardened expression.

He wasn’t trying to bargain.

“The trees we’ve been supplying to the Angenas family are called ‘Triba’ trees. They’re sturdy and withstand moisture and heat without warping. But they’re just as difficult to log and take a long time to process.”

“Then couldn’t we use different trees?”

At the Empress’s words, Ronchent shook his head.

“Other timber won’t be able to withstand the west’s humid, hot days and cold nights. Of course, you could try to procure timber that could substitute for Triba trees from other families. But their answer will be the same as mine.”

This was something the Empress had already known since before development began.

The soil quality was poor, and the climate was bad too.

There were reasons why the west had remained barren land until now.

Nevertheless, the reason for pushing forward with the western development plan was because of the Second Prince, who was like a thorn in their side.

They had tried to hire mercenaries several times to kill him while he was away from the Academy, but all attempts had failed.

And the Second Prince, who had safely returned to the Imperial Capital, was becoming an obstacle in Astana’s path, just as expected.

The western development plan was a method to overcome this situation.

“Then how much can you increase the supply of that Triba timber at most?”

“It’s hard to be certain, but about twice the current amount would be our best.”

That amount was nowhere near enough.

Displeased, the Empress clicked her tongue inwardly, but showed a smile on her face as she spoke.

“Then I’ll ask for at least that much. I trust that the Aivan family will do their best.”

“Yes, Your Majesty the Empress.”

After the banquet ended, Ronchent Aivan left the Imperial Palace.

“Can’t even handle a single type of tree properly.”

The Empress spoke irritably while watching the Aivan family’s carriage disappear into the distance.

“Please don’t worry too much, Your Majesty the Empress. The Aivan family isn’t the only one that has Triba forests.”

“Then are you saying other families can supply as much timber as Aivan, Father?”

“Of course, it won’t be as much as the Aivan family, which has the largest territory, but wouldn’t there be hope if we knocked on the doors of other neighboring estates?”

How naive.

Empress Lavinia pressed her father, who only offered weak words.

“You must secure that timber by any means necessary. Do you understand?”

Then the Angenas patriarch answered in panic.

“Th-then I’ll first contact other trading companies to see if they have any Triba trees.”

But Empress Lavinia wasn’t satisfied.

After thinking for a moment, she ordered her father.

“No, that’s not enough. After contacting the trading companies, you go north yourself and procure the timber.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty the Empress.”

Empress Lavinia walked to the window and looked down at the darkened Imperial Palace.

The fate of Angenas, and of the Empress herself, depended on this western development plan.

Her hand, seemingly elegantly placed on the windowsill, was clenched so tightly that her knuckles had turned white.

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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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