MDK 80

Episode 80. Opening the Floodgates

Ahmed Hashim was one of the richest men on the continent. Since his business revolved around human pleasure, his wealth was immense. Despite being the lord of an entertainment district, he gave a good first impression. His tanned body was strong without a hint of fat, and his eyes shone brightly. He was the complete opposite of the lazy nobles often seen in Halim.

Ahmed personally handed a cup of tea to Ferda and spoke.

“This is Assam tea. I heard you enjoy tea, so I prepared this instead of alcohol.”

“Thank you.”

“It is an honor to meet you like this. I did not attend the Grand Council, but I heard your speech was very impressive. I sincerely hope for the development of the Far East.”

Anyone could say nice words.

“Thank you for your kind words.”

“Just words? Do you think Ahmed Hashim would only offer words?”

Set was the god of the southern desert. Ahmed stroked his long beard and smiled.

“I would like to offer you a more direct gift, something useful to you. Ah!”

Ahmed snapped his fingers and whispered something to a maid beside him. The maid nodded and left the room. Ahmed then turned back to Ferda with a smile.

“You know that many visitors to our city enjoy gambling, right?”

“Of course. I have even tried it once myself.”

“For those who run out of money but still want to continue, we have a special service.”

“A pawnshop?”

Ahmed nodded. Although he was called the Lord of Halim, he directly controlled only two of the twelve casinos in the city. However, every pawnshop in the city was under his management. The money he earned from pawnshops alone was three times greater than all the casino profits combined.

“We keep items as a guarantee and give the owners six months to take them back. If they don’t come back in six months, we can sell the items however we want.”

“Are you saying you will give me one of these items?”

“Yes. You can look forward to it.”

The auction after the exhibition would also have items from Ahmed’s pawnshops. By saying this, he was offering something from the pawnshop.

‘It’s more than just a simple pawnshop.’

Most of Halim’s customers were nobles or wealthy merchants. Some would pawn simple jewelry, but others would leave behind precious family heirlooms.

‘Of course, most noble families would take loans to reclaim their heirlooms.’ Pawning heirlooms was no different from borrowing money with high interest. Most of the remaining items were likely to be jewelry or magical items with weak effects. But still, it was exciting to see what Ahmed had prepared.

Soon, four maids wearing dancer outfits carefully carried a palanquin into the room. The fact that they handled it with such care meant that it was something very valuable. Ferda couldn’t help but be curious. On top of the palanquin was a long box, just the right size for a dagger.

Ahmed personally took out the item and placed it on the table.

“This is…”

Ferda’s eyes widened. As a mage who had always pursued power, he recogniJed it instantly.

“Do you know what it is?”

“Is it a branch of the World Tree struck by Reverse Lightning?”

Ahmed was surprised by Ferda’s accurate guess.

“Exactly. You recogniJed it at a glance. Most people wouldn’t know.”

Branches of the World Tree absorbed pure mana while still attached to the tree. However, when struck by lightning, their properties changed, amplifying magical power. For mages specializing in lightning, this was an essential material for making powerful staffs.

Regular branches hit by ordinary lightning were not that rare. There were over a thousand of them. But Reverse Lightning was different.

‘It is a power only the First Witch, Lucy Philiase, could use.’

Lucy Philiase was a legendary witch who defied the laws of nature and even opposed the gods. Her most famous ability was Reverse Lightning—a red lightning that shot toward the heavens instead of striking down. Only seven branches of the World Tree had ever been struck by Reverse Lightning. One was with Erdes, another in the Blue Eye Magic Tower, and the remaining five were owned by famous mage families. However, two of those families had collapsed, and their branches had disappeared.

‘Is this one of the lost branches?’

There were many possibilities. Perhaps a desperate young mage had stolen it from their family and gambled it away, then lied about losing it. Or maybe a thief had stolen it, gambled it all away, and lost it here. No matter how it ended up in the pawnshop, the fact that this branch was here was shocking.

‘1.2 million gold.’

Even kings would struggle to pay that price. It was such an enormous amount that Ferda clearly remembered it. For lightning mages, this was one of the rarest and most valuable materials in the world.

“I have a question.”

“Yes, please ask.”

“How much was this branch pawned for?”

Ahmed grinned as if he had been waiting for that question.

“10,000 gold.”

A value 120 times lower than its true worth. It was a clear example of how gambling could destroy a person. Someone had given away something worth 1.2 million gold for just 10,000. But that wasn’t the most important part.

‘Ahmed knows this item is valuable.’

Even if he couldn’t sell it for 1.2 million, he must have believed it was worth at least 500,000 gold. It was not an item to be given away lightly. That meant Ahmed saw Ferda as more valuable than this branch. Ahmed must have calculated carefully before making this decision.

“Are you sure you want to give me something this valuable?”

“Items always find their rightful owners. Shouldn’t lightning belong to a lightning mage?”

During the battle against the wolf monsters, Ferda had used Lightning Spear and Lightning Bolt. That must have convinced Ahmed that Ferda was a lightning mage.

‘If I make a staff with this, it will be useful.’

It was a valuable material that could only help him, never harm him. Ferda accepted Ahmed’s gift.

“Thank you. Since you have given me such a precious gift, I wonder if I should return the favor.”

“No need to worry. We are allies, after all.”

“Allies?”

“Yes, we are both building something from nothing.”

Ahmed stood up and walked to the window. Ferda followed him. Outside, under the scorching sun, was a barren land.

“Halim was once just another dying city in the dry land. When the mages expanded their ambitions, our city was also a target.”

Mages often interfered with the South. Water was scarce, so anyone who could control it was treated with great respect. Those who could control ice were even more valuable.

“My grandfather worked hard to rebuild Halim. Even when the mages plotted against us and even when the gods abandoned this land, he never gave up.”

Ahmed’s eyes filled with tears, as if he had personally experienced all that suffering.

“Everyone cursed us, saying we would fail. But look at this city now! They called this place a forsaken land, abandoned by the gods. Yet, we have grown so strong that no one can ignore us anymore. This was built by human strength!”

A prosperous city in the middle of a barren desert. Many small cities in the southern desert have learned to survive, but none are as luxurious or advanced as Halim.

“My father, Abdul Hashim, always said, ‘Never hesitate to help those who share your struggles.’ The Far East is our brother. A land that deserves to walk the same path and share the same prosperity as us!”

Ahmed’s passion burned like fire, powerful enough to inspire anyone. But Ferda didn’t believe everything he said. To survive in this unpredictable land, one must stay completely rational at all times. There was no way Ahmed was helping out of pure kindness.

‘He must have been impressed by Vernel.’

He must have realiJed the value of magic engineering. A weapon strong enough to kill monsters in one strike—Ahmed didn’t want to lose such an opportunity.

Ferda made up his mind and spoke.

“I was already planning to build a village under Valdrova Castle for our expansion into the Far East.”

“I heard about that. You must be short on workers and materials. When is the expected completion date?”

“The foundation work and water systems will take a year. With the walls completed, the whole project will take at least five years.”

“Five years?!” Ahmed stroked his beard, deep in thought. Then, he suddenly held up two fingers.

“Two years.”

“What?”

“We will provide workers and materials so you can finish the project in two years.”

Ferda was speechless. He couldn’t even tell if the offer was realistic or not. A three-year reduction in construction time? If the only problems were workers and materials, and Ahmed could provide them, the city could be built much faster.

“For a city like that, a direct road to Valdrova Castle would be essential. We will also support that.”

“But there’s already a road, isn’t there?”

“That road goes through the Empire. It’s not a direct route. It’s too inconvenient. Besides…” Ahmed suddenly glanced around, pretending to act like a sneaky official.

“We can’t trust anything that comes from the Empire’s capital.”

Ferda silently agreed. Ahmed’s exaggerated gestures were theatrical, but his thoughts ran deeper than expected.

‘Just as all roads in the Empire lead to its capital, all roads in the South lead to Halim.’

Halim was known as a city of entertainment, but its commerce was just as strong. The South’s finest goods passed through Halim before reaching the nobles. This meant Ferda was securing direct trade with the South.

‘Vernel was more useful than I imagined.’

Without Vernel, this opportunity wouldn’t have come. Ferda smiled as he imagined the future growth driven by innovation. But he didn’t let his guard down. Ahmed’s true intentions were only just beginning.

“I’ve told you what we can offer. Now, let me make a proposal.”

Ahmed reached out his hand.

“Why don’t we form a partnership between Halim and your land?”

Back with Stefan

After finishing his meeting with Ahmed, Ferda returned to Stefan.

“Hahaha!!” Stefan was laughing like a madman while shaking Vernel’s hand.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Hahaha! We hit the jackpot! The jackpot!”

“Huh? What?”

“Look at this!” Stefan tossed a stack of documents onto the table. They were all investment offers. Amounts ranged from 100 goldens to 10,000 goldens, with the highest offer at 100,000 goldens.

“Not just merchants, but even nobles from across the region are interested in our products!”

“And… that’s a good thing?”

“Just receiving these proposals means we have the advantage! They wouldn’t make such bold offers unless they were serious. This is huge!”

“So, we have control of the situation.”

“Exactly!”

Ferda quietly observed Stefan’s excitement and then spoke.

“So, what are you planning to do?”

“Ah, Regent, you’re back! Of course, we wouldn’t just accept any offer blindly. But now that everyone wants in, I have some great strategies to share with you!”

Stefan handed Ferda a business plan.

“We have major investors lined up! Since there’s already interest in magic engineering weapons, we should work with the new administrator to discuss land auctions and investment strategies.”

Money, money, and more money. These were solutions to the financial problems Administrator Isabella had worried about.

“With this kind of capital, we could even start a new trading company. We could base it entirely in the Far East—”

“A new trading company?” Ferda interrupted.

“Yes. Instead of relying on Pascal Trading Company, we could create a fully independent one in the East. You would own 31% of the shares, Vernel 20%, myself 20%, and the remaining 29% would be given to investors.”

“If it’s our trading company, why involve outsiders?”

“To secure trade agreements with major companies, they often demand a percentage of ownership. But in exchange, we also buy a share of their company. It’s more of a trade than a loss.”

Ferda wasn’t a business expert, but he could tell it was a complicated strategy. He didn’t want to get too involved in those details.

“What do you think?”

“I don’t oppose it if it helps the village grow… but I don’t understand why you’re so excited.”

Ferda looked through the documents again. Some of Stefan’s strategies felt strange. Even with little business knowledge, Ferda could tell something was off.

“Your plans seem to start everything from scratch.”

Like digging a new well when there was already one nearby. Ferda’s instincts were correct.

“Yes, some parts need to be built from the ground up.”

“Why?”

“Because then we don’t have to rely on Pascal Trading Company.”

“So…” Ferda’s eyes turned sharp. Stefan tensed up under his gaze.

“You’re saying you don’t want to rely on Pascal?”

“That company… isn’t mine yet. It still belongs to my father. And…” Stefan hesitated. But Ferda’s piercing gaze forced him to say it.

“I don’t really need to inherit it.”

“I see.”

SLAM! Ferda threw the documents onto the table. To Stefan, the sound felt like a slap to the face. Ferda’s blue eyes shone even colder.

“Then you are useless to me.”