IHBWAT 05

Chapter 5

Rope or Basket

[Name: Cliff Elimis]
[Level: 1]
[Majesty: 1]
[Dignity: 1]
[Prestige: 1]
[Remaining Points: 1]

A small status window on the left.

His own name was written there.

This was probably the Lord Status Window.

There was a (+) sign beside each stat.

‘Looks like I can press them, but where should I put it?’

He could roughly guess what each stat meant just from the names.

But hesitated to invest the one and only point he had. So he naturally turned his gaze to the one beside it.

Unlike the lord status window, this one was a large, wide screen.

[Elimis Territory (Lv. 1)]
[Economy (Lv. 0)] [Military (Lv. 0)]
[Culture (Lv. 0)] [Environment (Lv. 0)]
[Mana (Lv. 0)] [Special (Lv. 0)]
[Diplomacy (Lv. 0)] [Education (Lv. 0)]
[Remaining Points: 1]

The information shown in the territory status window.

Economy, military, culture, environment, mana, special, diplomacy, education.

Eight categories in total.

And the first thing he chose, naturally, was economy.

[Economy (Lv. 1)]

The number changed.

He wondered what would change, and the moment he tapped it, a new window appeared in his vision.

-Seed of Life (Lv. 0): Increases the chance of seeds sprouting and improves survival rates even in harsh environments.
-Mineral Birth (Lv. 0): Generates minerals within the territory or increases existing deposits.
-Merchant’s Visit (Lv. 0): Increases the chance of merchants visiting the territory.
-Artisan’s Touch (Lv. 0): Improves the quality of goods produced in the territory and reduces failure rates.

‘Jackpot!’

It was a jackpot.

No, this was beyond a jackpot.

Of course, he could not yet be completely certain of the phenomenon. But then he could just test it.

By raising the economy level, he had gained three skill points.

‘If I invest these in Seed of Life, does that mean I can produce crops that can survive even in our environment?’

Any territory’s foundation was agriculture.

But in this territory, that had never worked properly.

Even when seeds were planted, crops would not grow well. It seemed possible that this could change that phenomenon.

If he obtained Seed of Life, maybe he could turn it around.

And so, he invested all three points into Artisan’s Touch.

‘Seed of Life, my foot. If I invest in that, how long would it take to build any real foundation?’

Agriculture was a one-year affair.

Too slow.

If he wanted results from that, it would already be too late. So Artisan’s Touch it was. If there was a way to help the territory survive as quickly as possible, this was it.

Especially since he was not even able to collect taxes this time.

‘And…’

Another window could be seen next to the territory status window.

<Mission> [In Progress (0/1)] [Available: No] <Quest> [In Progress (0/1)] [Available: No]

It seemed that missions and quests would be the way to raise the lord and territory levels.

Did the fact that they were separated mean that each gave different amounts of experience?

“…I’ll figure it out later.”

For now, there were no quests or missions he could accept.

Ah, just then, one appeared.

<Quest> [In Progress (0/1)] [Available: 1]

Checking available.

<Proof as Lord>

Content:
The commoners have now accepted you as their master.
But you have still not proven anything to the people who are loyal to you.
Prove your worth as their lord.

Condition

• Achieve economic profit (0.00 gold / 50.00 gold)

Reward

• Lord EXP 50

• Territory EXP 100

As Cliff read the contents, the corners of his mouth rose.

* * *

Cliff’s speech.

It moved many people.

Nigel was among them.

This territory was neglected, and there was no sign of any future.

‘We have a way to survive. At last, if the homeland will… help us!’

Maybe Baron Elimis’s strategy had worked.

Priscilla marrying Cliff had certainly helped greatly. And with Baron Elimis himself advancing into central politics, he would surely bring great benefit to the territory.

That hope continued until he went to see Cliff.

“…Do you think the kingdom would really support the Yusta Peninsula, and especially this remote territory buried out here?”

“Eh?”

That was Cliff’s counterquestion, in response to Nigel’s hopeful tone.

At that, Nigel felt the blood in his head turn cold.

‘Would they support us? Why, of course…’

Then he remembered all the confident things Cliff had just said.

But now Cliff was staring at him with a puzzled expression.

‘Ah.’

It was a lie.

Nigel finally understood the cold, harsh reality.

There would be no support.

In truth, that was only natural.

“This territory is a bottomless pit. No matter how much water you pour in, it will never fill. Even if you support it, there is no chance of it becoming self-sustaining.”

Cliff’s cold words.

Nigel knew this all too well.

He realized it then. If Cliff had possessed that kind of power in the first place, he would never have come to this territory.

There was no outside support.

“T-then why on earth did you say those things?”

The shock was as great as the hope had been.

Nigel asked Cliff in resentment.

If the commoners learned this, the blow would be enormous. Having tasted hope once, they might fall into even deeper despair.

But Cliff was unfazed.

“Did I ever say even once that support would come from the kingdom?”

“W-well, that is…”

Nigel searched his memory.

Cliff’s shameless face.

Perhaps he truly had never directly mentioned support from the kingdom. He had only bragged, and led them to form the misunderstanding themselves…

‘What is this…’

Nigel realized his own mistake.

Cliff was a young man, yes, but he came from the central nobility and was full of schemes.

“But if the commoners learn there is no support, they will no longer trust you, acting lord.”

“They probably will.”

“And perhaps… it could even lead to rebellion.”

“That could happen too.”

“No, you can’t just say that so casually….”

Shh.

Cliff brought a finger to his lips.

“So this stays a secret between me and the old man.”

“Of course. This old man has no intention of mentioning it anywhere. But if it’s hidden, can it really stay hidden?”

“It will.”

The acting lord was remarkably unconcerned.

He spoke again.

“That aside, for now the commoners will be desperate to obey my words, right?”

Cliff seemed to have no sense at all of how serious this was.

In contrast, Nigel was the only one growing increasingly frustrated by his cheerful tone.

“…They will.”

At this point, whatever the lord ordered, they would respond actively.

Cliff’s mouth curled upward.

“Then I’ll call them again and set them to work. We can’t collect taxes this year, so we’ll have to make up for it by making them do labor to their hearts’ content.”

“Hm.”

Nigel let out a low groan at Cliff’s words.

So nobles really did not care about commoners’ circumstances at all. He had thought there might be some exception, based on Cliff’s earlier behavior.

Greed really was basic to nobles.

Why would they ever take a loss for the sake of commoners?

“Gather the commoners.”

“…How many should I call?”

“Just tell them that the lord has work for them tomorrow. They’ll probably gather on their own, won’t they? You do not need to force anyone. Just say that only those who want to come should come.”

“…I understand.”

A young acting lord, just barely an adult.

That was how Nigel thought of him.

But Cliff was too seasoned for his age to believe.

Even now, he understood the psychology of the territory and its people with remarkable accuracy. As he had said, there was no need to forcibly conscript many people.

Even though the lord had said he would set them to labor.

“The lord says he’s calling for us. It’s voluntary participation this time—are you going?”

“Of course I am.”

“But you can rest, why go work?”

“Didn’t you hear what the lord said last time? He said he’d soon see the sincerity of our loyalty. If we show our loyalty this time, we’ll benefit from the support that comes through the lord.”

People gathered in droves.

“There are eighty-eight men and ninety-one women.”

“Send the young men to the mountains and forests to do logging.”

“That’s not a difficult task, but why exactly…? No, I understand. I will follow your instructions.”

Nigel swallowed yet another question.

With a resigned expression, he sent the able-bodied men into the forest and mountains.

Still, he had his doubts.

‘The trees that grow around here aren’t useful as timber…’

The work continued.

Cliff first had the gathered women assist the working men.

Basically cooking meals and preparing water.

But that was only temporary.

“From now on, we are making ropes and baskets.”

Ropes and baskets were not particularly difficult things to make.

To be exact, they were items people already made for their own use.

“Oh?”

But the people braiding ropes and baskets under the lord’s orders tilted their heads.

‘Why is this going so well?’

They felt in unusually good condition.

It was almost as if their hands moved on their own.

The results were produced faster than usual.

‘This feels like at least twice as fast as normal… and the finished goods are better too?’

Thus began the lord’s labor factory(?).

Even those learning for the first time quickly picked up how to make baskets and ropes.

It was going smoothly. And the superior baskets and ropes produced that way piled up in the territory’s warehouse one after another.

“…How strange.”

Nigel came to Cliff and said that.

“What is?”

“The quality of the goods the commoners are making is better than expected. And while making such good products, they are also working faster.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“It is, yes.”

Nigel answered, then made an awkward face.

Despite the smooth results, he still felt frustrated.

‘Then why are you making these things? And meanwhile, the commoners are already murmuring about when the support the acting lord promised will arrive….’

People’s patience was not infinite.

They were starting to expect the support Cliff had mentioned.

That was why they had joined in the labor without coercion—to receive something extra later from the support.

But no word of support was coming.

“Hoo. More importantly, this is… truly unfortunate.”

Nigel looked at the goods stacked in the warehouse and said that.

Cliff knew what he meant.

“Ropes and baskets are useful everyday items, but our territory does not need this much. If merchants came, we could sell them…”

The internal market of the territory could not consume all these ropes and baskets.

They were well-made goods, and that made them all the more regrettable.

If only trade merchants would come, and if only these items could be sold outside—their value would be much better served.

“Acting lord, perhaps we should form our own merchant caravan?”

Nigel must have been desperate to suggest such a thing.

Had Cliff not considered it?

But Cliff was cynical.

“What if the person in charge of the caravan runs off with the money?”

“That is…”

Still, it had to be done.

That was Nigel’s thought.

Right now, aside from these products, the territory had nothing else.

They had to sell these at least.

Cliff said, “Wait. I’m the protagonist, so won’t the clue to solving the problem naturally come along soon enough? More importantly, during this work, was there anyone especially outstanding?”

“Haaah.”

Cliff was truly a frustrating lord.

That was how Nigel saw him.

But Nigel’s thoughts changed soon enough.

A report came in.

From the northern mountain path, the only route connecting the territory to the outside.

A large caravan was entering.

Merchants had come.

‘Eh, how…?’