The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 166

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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 166. Leap (2)
A message suddenly filled with indignation.
◆These Quests are supposed to be cleared while bleeding and suffering!!
Now it was even shouting at me at the top of its voice.
◆In the Vault Quest, you secure finances and taxes skyrocket! Public sentiment crumbles! Territory residents flee! Bankruptcy ensues!
◆In the Construction Quest, there’s no budget so workers strike! The moment a building goes up, it collapses!
◆In the Road Quest, carts get buried in snowfields! They slip on ice! All cargo spills over!
◆Through all these processes, you’re supposed to think ‘Ah… why did I do that?’ and be thoroughly beaten down with regret and self-reproach!!
It seemed the message’s wording had some influence on the Quest generation mechanism.
◆But what’s this now?!
◆Cleared the moment you started?!
◆Stop messing around!!!
…Indeed, the message definitely had a sense of self.
The message’s appeals(?) continued even after that.
The screen before my eyes turned pitch black with such fury I couldn’t tell who was ranting.
◆The 【Finance】 function of 「Management Mode」 has been unlocked.
◆You can now comprehensively check the monthly revenue/expenditure structure, budget flow, debt status, and investment status of your owned territory through the 【Finance】 section of 「Management Mode」.
◆A new feature [Financial Simulator] has been added!
I received the rewards from clearing the Vault Quest.
◆The 【Building】 function of 「Management Mode」 has been unlocked.
◆You can now view and compare the status of each building in your owned territory, durability/repair status, and facility production efficiency through the 【Building】 section of 「Management Mode」.
◆A new feature [Facility Operation Monitoring] has been added!
I also received the rewards from clearing the Construction Quest.
◆The 【Trade】 function of 「Management Mode」 has been unlocked.
◆You can now check and analyze the major trade routes, profit margins by item, and purchase/sales records of your owned territory at a glance through the 【Trade】 section of 「Management Mode」.
◆A new feature [Trade Report] has been added!
I was able to obtain all the rewards from clearing the Road Quest as well—.
◆You have acquired 3,095,000 Quest Experience!
◆You have acquired 3,278,000 Quest Experience!
◆You have acquired 3,106,000 Quest Experience!
◆Level increased! x4
By obtaining the experience from clearing the final Quest, I was able to raise my level by +4 levels.
This experience was an invaluable reward at a time when I needed to increase my Mana stat—.
◆At least 5 years of ▒suffering ahead for this Quester♨Ugh!!!
The message’s anguished cry erupted with an error, bursting before my eyes.
◆This can’t be!!
◆I cannot accept this!!
The message overflowing with grievance appeared only briefly.
◆Territory Quest [Why not normalize the Whitewolf Territory training?] has arrived.
A new Territory Quest had arrived.
A rather provocative Quest title.
As expected, this one had considerable difficulty.
The achievement condition was to secure at least 1,000 standing troops and ensure that 85% or more of the personnel had completed mandatory branch-specific training.
By standard noble territory measures, it was a nearly impossible condition…but.
‘Hasn’t this already been accomplished?’
Indeed, with the incorporation of the new recruits, the current number of soldiers in Whitewolf Territory had reached 2,730.
Moreover, before I attended the Royal Social Society, I had personally organized the new recruits’ units.
And while I was attending the Royal Social Society, Kai had completed all the mandatory training for the new recruits.
◆Territory Quest, [Why don’t you normalize the Whitewolf Territory training?] has begun.
The Quest start message appeared before my eyes—
◆Territory Quest, [Why don’t you normalize the Whitewolf Territory training?] has been cleared already?!?!
As expected, it was cleared the moment it started—
◆Stop cheating like this for real!!!
The message finally exploded, bursting with anger.
And through this series of events, I was able to understand something about the Quest generation mechanism.
First, it seemed Quests were generated based on the message’s judgment.
And the message made that judgment by reading my thoughts.
‘But it seems unable to read external circumstances.’
Otherwise, it wouldn’t have given me a Quest that was already accomplished.
Therefore, the message only reacted based on my thoughts, emotions, and will—not in response to external circumstances.
In other words, it formed Quests based on how I accepted the situation.
Simply put, how I ‘accepted the situation’ seemed more important to the message than what ‘situation I faced’.
In essence, it was viewing the world through me.
…Well, anyway.
◆The 【Military】function of 「Management Mode」is now unlocked.
◆You can now check and diagnose troop composition, training status, equipment supply status, and troop distribution by garrison within your territory through the 【Military】section of 「Management Mode」.
◆A new function [Training Module] has been added!
Thanks to this, I was able to unlock another new function for 「Management Mode」.
◆You have obtained 3,179,000 Quest experience points!
◆Your level has increased!
And I even gained an additional +1 level up.
◆Aaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!!
The message shrieked and wailed.
And for quite some time after that.
Until I returned to Whitewolf Territory.
◆Aaaaaahhh!!! Ahhh!! Aaaaaaahhh!!!!
The message’s screams and laments continued without end, clouding my vision.
* * *
The children played house according to their respective roles, giggling away.
The adults went about their busy daily lives according to their respective positions.
Another day of unparalleled tranquility graces the Whitewolf Territory.
Yet one person stood apart.
Only Seraphia had entered a state of high alert.
The cause was none other than a report from Bernard, the head steward….
“My lord, Adrian has returned to the Territory, or so I’ve been informed.”
Adrian had returned to the Territory.
The moment those words reached her ears.
Cold sweat beaded upon Seraphia’s forehead.
“Oh, oh no… my brother…!”
“He is currently conducting a sequential inspection of various facilities throughout the Territory.”
Fortunately(?) upon his return, Adrian had been meticulously examining the soldiers’ training grounds and various production facilities one by one.
“I’ve been informed he intends to inspect this workshop next.”
And soon he would arrive here, to the commoners’ workshop.
“No, this can’t be…!”
Her lips trembled uncontrollably.
The memories of that day came flooding back like waves.
-I love being held in your arms….
-Your embrace feels the best… I’m going to live with you forever… I’ll never let go… hehe….
-Heh… you’re angry with me… you have to kiss me to make it better….
-Wahhh…! I’m going to stay in your arms… I’m going to live like this forever…!
Seraphia cried out, her face twisted with despair.
“P-please! If my brother asks for me… tell him you haven’t seen me! I’m begging you!”
Just as Seraphia was hastily preparing to flee.
Adrian’s figure appeared entering from the workshop entrance.
“─Eek!”
Seraphia covered her face and crouched down beneath the wall.
Hugging her knees tightly, she fell completely silent.
‘H-he didn’t see me, right…? He couldn’t have seen me.’
She cautiously peeked her head up.
And as she peered slightly over the wall—.
─Our eyes met directly.
“Kyaaaaaaah!!”
Seraphia shrieked and fled without hesitation.
“N-not now! Next time…! I’ll see you in the next life!!”
After that, Seraphia spent her time in frantic evasion, desperately fleeing from Adrian.
* * *
Seraphia suddenly hiding beneath the wall.
She thought she was hiding well enough, but my senses, evolved through Ogre Predation [S+], had become something akin to ESP.
“N-not now! Next time…! I’ll see you in the next life!!”
In the end, our eyes met, and Seraphia bolted away with her tail between her legs.
Whether or not—it mattered little to me.
I meticulously inspected every facility within Whitewolf Territory.
After examining all the facilities thoroughly.
I reviewed the new functions available in the 「Management Mode」.
==【FINANCES】==
[Revenue Structure] – Stable
[Budget Allocation] – Excessive Expenditure
[Debt Status] – None
[Investment Status] – Developing Regional Specialties
[Treasury Status] – Comfortable
First, the 【FINANCES】 section.
Here I could comprehensively review the income and expenditure structure, budget flow, debt status, and investment progress.
I could also examine detailed information for each category accordingly.
I started by examining the details of [Revenue Structure].
==【TAX REVENUE】==
[Resident Tax] = +1,654 Gold
[Land Tax] = +990 Gold
[Commerce Tax] = +650 Gold
[Income Tax] = +28,220 Gold
[Monthly Tax Revenue] = +31,514 Gold
Not bad at all.
Far more stable than I had anticipated.
Particularly notable was the substantial income tax.
This indicated that the territorial residents possessed a healthy income foundation, and it was clear evidence that the territory was operating stably.
==【EXPENDITURE ITEMS】==
[Military Maintenance] = -819,350 Gold
[Facility Maintenance] = -118,450 Gold
[Payroll Expenses] = -9,600 Gold
[Other Administrative Costs] = -6,150 Gold
[Monthly Expenditure] = -953,550 Gold
…This was absolutely insane.
Now I understood why the income tax was so high—it was all going to soldier salaries.
Generally, the military comprises 1 to 5 percent of the total population.
The current population of Whitewolf Territory was 4,003.
Even accounting for the maximum 5 percent, around 200 soldiers would have been appropriate.
But the actual number of soldiers in Whitewolf Territory?
A staggering 2,730.
That was 68 percent of the total population.
Consequently, maintenance costs were spiraling wildly out of control.
This alone demonstrated just how unreasonable the training Quest’s completion condition of “maintaining a standing army of 1,000 or more” truly was.
And [facility maintenance costs] were no trivial matter either.
Military, residential, production, roads, administration—and more.
The facilities the Dwarves had newly constructed across the entire territory came with complex infrastructure, making the baseline maintenance costs themselves substantial.
Of course, they boasted corresponding convenience and productivity.
But the expenses required to maintain them were equally explosive.
Above all, the Whitewolf Territory, where harsh winter cold persisted relentlessly, demanded considerable costs just for basic upkeep—heating, insulation, snow removal, and the like.
Territory development required accounting for every single one of these factors.
Just looking at this, I could see how absurdly unreasonable the previous four territory Quests were.
And I could also understand why the Quests had such a meltdown—
◆What?! A meltdown?!
◆You were the one who cheated first!!!
—in this regard.
…Well, anyway.
Continuing like this, bankruptcy was inevitable.
In fact, I should have gone bankrupt long ago—
==[Production Income]==
[Pottery/Dyeing Products] = +3,500 Gold
[Textile/Weaving Products] = +4,000 Gold
[Leather/Crafted Products] = +2,700 Gold
[Miscellaneous/Daily Products] = +5,600 Gold
[Specialty Products] = +809,000 Gold
[Monthly Revenue] = +824,800 Gold
Fortunately, the territory was sustaining itself through its own production income.
But I was barely avoiding a deficit.
And the reason was clear: specialty products.
In other words, the revenue from monster meat was overwhelmingly dominant.
‘In essence, I’m surviving on this alone.’
The problem was that the supply of monster meat depended entirely on me.
And currently, the inventory of monster meat was nearly depleted.
Even this sales revenue was a significantly reduced figure.
Therefore, if I couldn’t hunt.
Or.
If I had to leave for an extended period.
If I was absent, the Whitewolf Territory would plunge into a catastrophic deficit.
‘Which means I’ll have to enter the Empire soon.’
I would inevitably need to leave the territory for a prolonged duration.
But in my current situation?
I couldn’t afford to leave.
If I wasn’t here, the supply of monster meat would be completely cut off, and everything—the territory’s finances and beyond—would collapse in a chain reaction.
Still, my infinite inventory held a reassuringly substantial fund of 67.5 million Gold.
‘If things get really tight, I can always sell the Rune Steel.’
There were no immediate problems to speak of.
Still, I needed to sustain the Territory’s finances through its own production revenue.
Before entering The Empire, I needed to ‘normalize’ Whitewolf Territory, as Mungu would say.
I carefully reviewed the production revenue items.
‘Excluding monster meat, the production revenue within Whitewolf Territory comes to… roughly 15,800 gold.’
Higher than expected earnings.
But it was insufficient to operate the Territory.
‘This won’t do.’
I needed significantly larger-scale monetization than this.
==【BUILDINGS】==
[Military Facilities] – Unparalleled
[Residential Facilities] – Unparalleled
[Production Facilities] – Unparalleled
[Administrative Facilities] – Unparalleled
[Transportation Facilities] – Unparalleled
Fortunately, the facilities the Dwarves had newly constructed were optimized for mass production.
Currently, we weren’t achieving that level of output.
Curious about the reason, I inspected each workshop directly and discovered the cause.
‘The system isn’t properly established.’
We weren’t actively utilizing Magitech, that remarkable Dwarven technology.
As a result, we weren’t achieving the productivity and efficiency I’d anticipated.
‘Magitech is certainly unfamiliar.’
If even Iliana was bewildered by it, what could I expect?
But I understood from my past life’s experience.
How the Allied Forces’ Engineering Corps operated and how they optimized their production systems.
Through that knowledge, I also understood how the Allied Forces, which unified all the Continent’s strength, functioned organically.
‘I need to overhaul everything from scratch.’
Establish proper systems, reallocate personnel, and so forth.
The entire Territory required comprehensive reorganization.
And then—
==【TRADE】==
[Trade Routes] – Limited
[Purchases and Sales] – Explosive
[Trade Dependency] – Essential
[Merchant Guild Influx] – Limited
The distribution network was still at a limited level.
This was because monster meat had only been sold in Frecce until now.
The distribution technology hadn’t caught up.
Simply put, there was no way to prevent monster meat from spoiling during transport to distant regions.
Preservation techniques were woefully inadequate, and there was no alternative but to rely on inventory storage.
Consequently, demand existed only in territories near Frecce.
But that had changed now.
Thanks to the Dwarves, distribution facilities and infrastructure had been expanded.
Now transportation to more distant regions was possible.
Yet even this remained non-functional due to the lack of systematic organization.
‘Seraphia, what have you been doing all this time?’
I understood that experience was lacking.
But surveying the situation in Whitewolf Territory, it seemed she simply wasn’t working at all.
‘She needs a complete overhaul.’
It appeared necessary to ‘normalize’ things, as the documents would phrase it.

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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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