When Evan opened his eyes, warm sunlight greeted him.
Unlike the desolate world he had seen before, the vibrant forest lifted his spirits without him realizing it.
“Where… is this…”
Evan sat up and looked around.
He had been transported to the backyard of Ellecell’s Mansion.
Ellen, Reynold, and Elisa were lying on the grass.
It seemed their consciousness hadn’t returned yet.
Evan recalled the events before he opened the door to leave.
‘Destruction of the World.’
He still couldn’t forget that shocking scene.
No other place could ever evoke the feeling of facing the End of the World as a human.
When the whole land collapsed, it felt as if the world would vanish altogether.
When the Gate covered the blue sky, it was like gazing into hell itself.
After that, he didn’t know what happened outside since they escaped, but it was clear what must have become of the world.
Even in the previous world, he had never seen a calamity like that.
If those things were truly events of the past…
Evan felt a question arise.
‘Then what does this world mean now?’
If the world had been destroyed to that extent, it should have been almost impossible to restore.
He was curious as to how this world still existed.
He tried to recall something from the Memory of Ellecell that might serve as a reference.
‘Did it say that the more the world faces Destruction, the shorter human lifespans become?’
That meant the world had already been destroyed many times.
‘So does that mean the world is still heading toward destruction even now?’
It seemed he had no choice but to check for more information at the Archive.
Since he had also acquired fragments of knowledge, he needed to stop by at least once.
‘And I should look into the ancient empire as well.’
Thinking these things, Evan slowly began to wake everyone up.
It would be dangerous to linger here for long.
No one knew when Ellecell might arrive.
“Ugh, ugh… My head…”
Ellen was the first to regain consciousness and sat up.
Soon after, Reynold and Elisa also awoke, slowly raising their upper bodies.
Evan spoke to the group as they woke.
“We need to move now. We don’t know when the master of the mansion will return.”
Evan’s gaze shifted to Ellecell’s Mansion.
A week had passed since the events at the mansion.
The tense atmosphere within the kingdom had gradually subsided and stability was being restored.
The king’s extermination order against the Lamakria People had been suspended, and the Royal Palace showed no sign of movement.
‘Ellecell, what is your intention?’
Evan found himself pondering even more after seeing Ellecell’s latest moves.
It was odd how quiet he had become.
Evan had predicted that, having interfered with his plans and after the events at the mansion, Ellecell would make some move.
But instead, he had canceled all his schedules, and the Royal Palace remained silent.
‘Is he preparing something else, or simply lying low?’
Given the man’s thorough nature, it seemed more likely that he was biding his time.
‘Of course, I can’t fully know what’s in his mind…’
One thing worth noting, however, was that the kingdom had established formal diplomatic relations with the Holy Union of Bellium in the south.
It was suspicious, but after the incidents with the Magic Tower and the Dark Knights, the kingdom had suffered significant losses.
On the surface, there was justification for restoring the kingdom with support from the Order.
‘If things continue like this, the future might become rather uncertain.’
While Ellecell was not making any moves for now, Evan would be able to use the time to build up his own faction.
But the growing influence of Bellium was concerning.
However, in that regard, Count Rozi had shown a positive reaction.
He had even emphasized several times that this was an opportunity for profit that should never be missed.
Because of this, Rozi was moving quickly, and had sent word that he wished to meet Evan.
Thus, Evan was now sitting in the drawing room, waiting for him.
Knock, knock.
There was a knock at the door, and soon after, Rozi strode in as the door swung wide.
“Young Lord! It’s been a while!”
Rozi entered with a wide grin, greeting Evan warmly.
Neatly dressed in a suit, with pointed blond hair.
Perhaps because he was the youngest head among the four noble families, he was always dressed to impress.
As soon as he sat down, he carefully took several scrolls from his inner pocket and laid them out on the desk.
Evan picked one at random, opened it wide, and asked Rozi,
“What’s this?”
Rozi pointed to each scroll as he explained.
“Guild founding contract, membership form for the Adela Union, and this one is the contract for listing on the Guild Currency Exchange. It would be even better with your signature, Young Lord. And…”
Everything laid out was necessary for the guild.
Just seeing this much showed how much Rozi had prepared.
In this respect, Rozi’s competence was clear.
“Once you’ve checked everything, sign them all. As you know, the purpose of forming the guild is to create a faction to counter the Royal Palace’s surveillance.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Since it’s a guild formed by the alliance of the four houses, the backing is strong. But to actually form a real force, we’re still severely short on initial investment.”
Rozi started to discuss the practical issues.
All four families were investing similarly, but the intended scale was so large that the funds were insufficient.
“The initial funds gathered so far are fifty thousand gold. But if we want to expand the guild and secure bases and distribution networks all over the continent, we’ll need at least five hundred thousand gold.”
An astronomical sum came from Rozi’s lips.
Evan was a bit taken aback.
“Five hundred thousand gold…”
The total annual income of the Kerten Earl’s Territory was about 450,000 gold.
It was a sum greater than the yearly budget of an entire Earl’s Territory.
Of course, considering this was just the initial investment, and taking into account labor, operating costs, and taxes, it was still far from enough.
“And to attract the market’s capital, the guild itself also needs to hold a certain amount of funds. The credibility of a guild depends on how much capital it controls.”
From what he said, there were plenty of challenges ahead.
“The most urgent matter is securing funds. Do you have any ideas?”
In response, Rozi shared several proposals.
“For the core businesses of the guild, I’ve got ideas. In our Merks Earl’s Territory, we have two mines rich in reserves, and from Roheim Duchy, there’s excellent Koper wood, among others. We’ll make each house’s specialty our flagship products. Those will be competitive in the market, I’d say.”
Evan added,
“We also have excellent blacksmiths, so we can make top-quality processed goods using our specialties as our main products.”
Up to this point, it all sounded solid.
But then Rozi’s expression turned troubled.
“Young Lord, these businesses will only be profitable once the guild has a stable foothold. Such operations are long-term, so they can’t generate a large sum right away.”
“I see…”
It seemed there was no easy way, but Rozi’s face brightened with confidence as he continued.
“That’s why, this exchange between the kingdom and the Order is a huge opportunity for us.”
Evan replied with some confusion.
“Huh? An opportunity?”
“Think about it. With this exchange, southern culture will flow into this place, right? And many merchant guilds are planning to enter the central region. If that happens, Guild Currency will likely become much more widespread in the center as well.”
Evan’s expression showed his interest as Rozi mentioned Guild Currency again, just as he had before.
‘Didn’t Reynold also treasure what seemed like a worthless coin as if it were his life?’
Having seen how people flocked excitedly to the guild’s notice board, Evan could tell this was indeed profitable.
“If Guild Currency becomes established in the central region, I feel like there’s real money to be made.”
“Exactly. That’s what I’m aiming for. Guild Currency hasn’t properly taken hold in the Lupes Kingdom yet. It’s still just beginning. We have to corner that market first.”
“But is that alright? I’m still not well-informed about all this.”
Rozi grinned and pointed at himself.
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll explain everything as we go. What we need to do first is secure the Main Transmission Tower among the Guild Transmission Towers.”
This was a new concept for Evan.
“What’s that?”
As if he had expected Evan’s question, Rozi started drawing on the onion-skin paper atop the desk.
“It’s simple. The greatest advantage of Guild Currency is that as long as there’s a guild, you can use it anywhere. No matter the distance, you can transfer currency instantly using magic—that’s what the Guild Transmission Tower enables.”
He drew a large tower in the center and smaller towers around it.
“There are three types of Transmission Towers, but if we secure the Main Tower, we’ll be in control of Guild Currency in the central region. I’ll explain the complicated parts later.”
What Rozi was describing was the same towers Evan had seen posted on the merchant guild’s notice board.
The taller the tower, the faster and safer the Guild Currency transfers.
Thus, the value of Guild Currency was determined by the tower’s height.
“In the end, all Guild Transmission Towers, whether main or not, are based on Adela’s Main Transmission Tower. That’s why Adela’s role is so important.”
The Main Transmission Tower of the Adela Union Guild, known as the heart of Guild Currency.
It was the main tower that enabled all Guild Currency transfers.
Naturally, since it had been around so long, its tower was said to be an overwhelming 4,300 stories tall.
Of course, hearing it in words alone, Evan couldn’t really grasp the scale.
“Anyway, there’s no time, so let’s leave the explanation here. Just keep these basics in mind. The core of this plan, Young Lord, is you.”
Rozi folded his arms, gazing at Evan with determined eyes.
“Me?”
Evan couldn’t understand his intention.
Why would he, who was ignorant of Guild Currency, be at the core of the plan?
“It’s nothing else—Young Lord, you’ve already become a famous figure in the south. Everyone’s calling you a hero.”
Only then did Evan catch on to Rozi’s intention.
Seeing Evan’s reaction, Rozi continued slowly.
“Your reputation and heroic image are our greatest weapons. Let’s refine that and sweep up the southern region. If we do well, we can secure the initial investment in no time.”
Establishing friendly relations with the Order had unexpectedly become a powerful weapon.
It would become a crucial source of funds for Evan.
“Understood. In that case, I’ll help in any way I can.”
Rozi stood up.
“That’s a relief. Since we’re talking about it, shall we hurry? I’ll need you to come south with me. There’s a lot to do there.”