The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 33

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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 33. The Responsibilities and Duties of a Lord (1)
A semi-transparent message appeared: “Management Mode” has been unlocked.
Before I could even form a question, related information cascaded before my eyes.
====
“Management Mode” serves as a guide, allowing [Players] to manage and verify information about territories they own.
[Players] with unlocked “Management Mode” can access the following functions:
1. [Players] can acquire “Territory Experience” to increase their “Territory Level.”
As Territory Level rises, you unlock diverse territorial development research and gain beneficial effects applicable to the entire domain.
2. [Players] can verify the status of material and human resources within their owned territory, including financial conditions.
3. [Players] can identify hidden resources within their owned territory.
Additionally, you can check progress and information on ongoing research, production, commerce, and expeditions.
For more detailed information, please refer to the “Management Mode” section.
====
The explanation was so clear and well-organized that I grasped it immediately.
And I instantly understood this was Ian’s ability as well.
‘So this was why Ian could command the Allied Forces so perfectly.’
The Allied Forces—where warriors from across the Continent had gathered.
As the Continent’s hero and supreme commander of the Allied Forces, Ian had directed and commanded them with such skill that it transcended mere competence into perfection.
There was noise, perhaps, but never discord.
It seemed such abilities had made that possible.
And yet.
◆Error: No territory owned by the player exists.
It was an ability I couldn’t use immediately.
True to the message—I didn’t own any territory.
Of course, as the eldest son of House Whitewolf, I held the authority of a provisional lord. But that authority didn’t mean I actually owned the territory.
In other words, I didn’t own the Whitewolf Territory itself.
My father had left me no inheritance whatsoever.
Therefore, the one who currently owned the Whitewolf Territory was my Sister, Seraphia.
Well, Seraphia did write a deed promising to transfer the lord’s position to me, but….
‘There’s no need to rush into that.’
To be precise, I had no intention of clinging to the Whitewolf Territory.
So that ability could suffice when applied to the Allied Forces later.
The condition for activating “Management Mode” was a “Realm” that I owned.
The ability wouldn’t disappear simply because I wasn’t using it right now. There was no need to fixate on the Whitewolf Territory.
I was already satisfied with being able to level up by gaining Quest experience.
And then, suddenly.
A new semi-transparent message materialized before my eyes.
◆A Territory Quest has arrived.
Another Territory Quest.
Before I could even wonder about it, the details unfolded before me.
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I founded the Merchant Guild in a snap and struck it rich on my first venture!
Shoulders high, nose in the air!
My triumphant swagger—like a general returning victorious from war—lasted only a moment!
Wait, what?! Hold on?!
I’m… not actually a lord?
A puppet lord! A scarecrow!
A figurehead! A marionette!
In short, a lord with no real authority whatsoever!
You think my words are too harsh?
Have you forgotten what you’ve done to the people of your territory?
Beating them at the slightest provocation!
Beating them when you’re in a foul mood!
Extorting them for drinking money!
Stealing from them for gambling funds!
Compared to that, being a puppet lord is nothing!!
A truly despicable person! Absolutely vile!
Do you even know what your people think of you every time they see you?
Death is too crude a word.
Perish is too indelicate.
Ascend to heaven…?
Okay! Please, ascend!
That’s what your people pray for every single day!
Your authority as a lord has sunk so deep into the abyss that it may never return!
But do not despair!
There is a way to salvage your shattered authority!
What is it, you ask?
Authority only gains its true power when one fulfills the responsibilities and duties that come with it!
Now, with your keen intellect, you surely understand what must be done?
You must fulfill your duties and responsibilities as a lord to reclaim the authority that is rightfully yours!
====
==[A Lord’s Authority Stems from Responsibility and Duty]==
[Objective] – Within 90 days, raise the affection of your people to [Trust] status.
[Reward] – 【Lord】 Authority
[Refusal Penalty] – Loss of 「Management Mode」 function.
“….”
I was left speechless.
The Quest’s mockery was one thing, but the refusal penalty was less a consequence and more outright coercion—borderline blackmail.
And affection levels were structured as: [Hatred < Disgust < Anger < Conflict < Indifference < Familiarity < Goodwill < Trust < Affection].
◆As a reminder, your people's current affection toward you is at [Disgust] level!
◆[Abhorrence] A person in this state dislikes and despises you!
◆[Abhorrence] does not manifest active aggression toward you, but merely displays passive rejection—a reluctance to be near you.
…Well, so it goes.
And [Abhorrence] is the same affinity state as Kai.
The [Trust] I needed to achieve was the same affinity state as Seraphia.
In other words, I had to transform Kai's affinity into Seraphia's.
The phrasing was a bit odd, but otherwise the "Management Mode" function would be stripped away.
Within ninety days, no less.
It was essentially extortion.
But that didn't mean it was entirely unfavorable.
'At least I can gain experience points.'
The experience gained from clearing Quests far surpassed the efficiency of hunting monsters.
A single Quest yielded a whopping three levels.
Given the experience requirements for leveling up, future advancement would depend almost entirely on Quest experience.
But Quests weren't something I could simply obtain whenever I wished.
I still didn't fully understand the mechanism behind it.
It seemed that specific circumstances and conditions had to align before one was offered.
In other words, I had to accept Quests when they appeared, and clear them when I could.
In that sense, this territorial Quest was no different.
There was nothing to deliberate—acceptance was the only choice.
◆Territorial Quest [A Lord's Authority Stems from Responsibility and Duty] has begun.
'A way to raise the affinity of the territory's inhabitants….'
It was somewhat perplexing, but not particularly difficult.
The hint lay in the Quest itself.
A lord's authority stems from responsibility and duty—in other words, I simply needed to fulfill my duties and obligations as a lord.
And a lord's duties and obligations meant, quite simply:
'Purchasing necessary supplies for the coming winter and bringing them back would suffice.'
Ensuring the territory's inhabitants were well-fed and warm.
Conveniently, I was in Frecce, a free city specialized in commerce.
As a place where countless goods from across the Continent converged, it was abundantly stocked with supplies necessary for the harsh cold.
There was only one problem.
Money.
But even that wasn't an issue at this point.
'The money I've earned this time….'
Before establishing the Predator Merchant Company, I had roughly thirty thousand gold.
After accounting for the carriage purchase, wages, tolls, stall fees, various tools, and so forth, I'd spent approximately nine thousand eight hundred gold.
It aligned almost perfectly with my initial estimate of ten thousand gold.
'At least I didn't have to pay for the meat.'
Since I hunted the monsters myself.
Thus, there were no material costs to deduct.
Otherwise, thirty thousand gold wouldn't have even been an option.
Thus, the final amount I earned was….
'142,450 gold.'
A return exceeding fourteen times my initial investment—a staggering profit.
This was more than sufficient to prepare Whitewolf Territory for winter. More than sufficient; it was overflowing.
Moreover, I could have earned even more.
By raising the price of monster meat, I could have realized margins exceeding thirty or even a hundred times over—no exaggeration.
So it wasn't that I lacked ambition….
'The current price is precisely right.'
I had no intention of raising prices significantly.
Monster meat must not become the exclusive culture and privilege of the upper classes alone.
To do so would distance it from public consciousness, and the name of Predator Merchant Company would fade from The Continent.
My goal was never merely to run a profitable merchant company.
The greatest merchant company on The Continent.
To spread the name of Predator Merchant Company far and wide, I needed to integrate it into the masses, just as I was doing now.
That didn't mean I was sacrificing profit.
'I'll simply extract my profits from the nobility.'
Instead, I would set the price of Lex meat sold to the nobility far higher.
Originally, I had planned for roughly a tenfold markup….
'I should set it at a minimum of a thousandfold markup.'
It was an absurd price point.
But I didn't mind in the slightest.
In fact, I was certain it would sell even better.
Nobility adored the words 'privilege' and 'premium' with an almost obsessive fervor.
By setting prices so exorbitantly high, I would satisfy their vanity by positioning it as the ultimate luxury, and they would eagerly open their purses.
What choice did they have, after all?
'I have a monopoly on monster meat.'
Only I could produce and distribute Lex meat across The Continent.
"Everyone, assemble!"
After organizing my thoughts, I gathered the merchant company members and soldiers together.
"From now on, record every single item I mention without exception."
I listed out the supplies needed for Whitewolf Territory one by one, and provided ample gold for each purchase.
"Once you've finished your lists, proceed immediately to the Merchant Guild in Frecce and purchase the designated items. Execute."
"Yes, sir!"
With spirited affirmations, the merchant company members and soldiers moved with perfect coordination.
They were certainly efficient—Seraphia had indeed assigned me capable people.
"Well then, I should head out as well."
Of course, it wasn't as though I had nothing to do.
My first priority was to track Ian's movements.
Since I couldn't investigate everything myself, I planned to utilize the Merchant Guild.
The Merchant Guild is a force that firmly controls the Free Cities beyond Frecce.
With their overwhelming capital, they exercise absolute authority in the Free Cities, much like a lord.
In other words, wherever Ian traveled across the Continent, if he passed through any Free City, he would inevitably fall within the Merchant Guild's information network.
Given Ian's nature, he would have caused incidents—troublesome ones at that.
This was one of the reasons I chose not to reject the Merchant Guild but instead brought them into my fold as allies.
They would have made considerable profits from this venture.
If I spent that wealth generously in return, the Merchant Guild would never refuse my requests.
This too was a form of investment, in a sense.
However, a merchant who invests only in immediate "value" is foolish. A merchant who thinks only of "profit" does not last long.
Therefore, the greatest merchant company on the Continent that I wish to build—
"If I'm going to spend it anyway, I might as well spend it generously."
The Predator Merchant Company would become a company that invests in "people."
* * *
The season of bitter cold was drawing gradually near.
Yet before the harsh winter had truly begun in earnest, a blizzard was raging across Whitewolf Territory.
Through it, all external contact had been completely severed.
With roads frozen solid and buried beneath snow, carriages could not move, making the procurement of supplies and travel itself impossible.
Seraphia listened to Bernard's report with a deeply troubled expression.
"We must prepare ourselves for prolonged isolation."
This winter season seemed destined to be unusually severe.
The bitter cold that froze exposed skin permitted no productive activity whatsoever. We would have to survive on the supplies stockpiled from the previous season.
But…
"The quantities of food and firewood are critically insufficient."
The stockpiled supplies were far too meager.
The unusually cold weather this year, combined with the sudden and untimely passing of the previous Count, had created a perfect storm of misfortune.
"Patients are appearing in increasing numbers…"
While viruses and bacteria could not survive in such cold, disease was far from absent.
Hypothermia, frostbite, respiratory illnesses.
There were lethal maladies that cold inflicted upon the body.
"Medical supplies are so scarce that we are forced to leave them untreated."
Yet Whitewolf Territory lacked the resources to treat these conditions.
Cold-induced illnesses did not require complex treatment.
Warming the body, providing warm food, and allowing rest in a warm place would bring swift recovery.
But… we had none of these.
"Even water has frozen, making it extremely difficult to secure drinking water."
A resource both essential and utterly simple for sustaining life was absent.
"A considerable number are collapsing from dehydration…"
Never had a crisis been so utterly comprehensive.
Most of all.
"The anxiety of the territory's people… has reached its peak."
The greatest problem was the loss of hope to continue living.
As people endured prolonged suffering in such harsh conditions, more and more would lose their will to live.
Such despair would spread like a plague, afflicting the entire Whitewolf Territory.
"…."
Seraphia closed her eyes tightly. She steeled her resolve in her heart and slowly opened them again.
"I will accept the proposal from Beneron Barony House."
"That cannot be!"
Kai cried out.
Yet Seraphia's resolve was unwavering.
"There is no other way right now."
Perhaps it was because of Seraphia's steadfast determination.
Kai found himself with nothing to say.
"Only this way can I protect the people of the territory."
He could not deny the truth of her words.
There was no other way to overcome the current situation than to accept Beneron Barony House's proposal.
To protest here without any alternative would be nothing more than throwing a tantrum without solutions.
…It was utterly unbearable.
This helplessness he felt now.
What exactly was this so-called genius talent supposed to be?
When there was nothing he could do.
Talent alone could not protect Seraphia.
Mere physical strength had its limits in protecting her.
Kai clenched his fists until they trembled.
Only profound despair and seething rage at his own helplessness remained.
That alone was all Kai could do in this situation.
It was at that very moment.
"A disaster has struck!!!"
A soldier from Count's Castle burst through the door.
Not even a knock—the height of rudeness.
Kai's eyebrow twitched.
"Haa… hah…!"
Yet seeing the soldier's ragged breathing and urgent expression, Kai set aside his complaint about the rudeness for now and asked what had happened.
"What is it?"
"Adrian…! Adrian is…..!"
And in the soldier's response, for some reason, Adrian was being mentioned.

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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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