Screech—click!
Hearing the sound of the front door lock engaging, I let out a soft sigh.
“……Haa, home really is the best.”
The HP that had been gnawed away by the back-to-back meeting with Dae-ri slowly began to recover.
I stretched lightly and then returned to my room.
The fortress icon floating gently above my desk seemed to greet me as if asking whether I had come back safely.
I slowly reached out my hand toward the fortress icon.
Ding!
[System]
- Entering the small world ‘Fortress’!
As the pure white light faded, a vast small world spread out before my eyes.
I immediately zoomed in on the direction where the Sanctuary was located.
Then, a lively chorus of voices burst forth.
“Weapons and armor forged by the blacksmiths of Obern, the mining village, for sale! Quality certificates included!”
“Buy some peach honey preserves! Made with fresh acacia honey—sweet and fragrant!”
“The latest shoes from the Royal Capital! At this price, I’m not making any profit~”
“Hey, brother! How about a glass of beer from the Riviera Mountains? It’s super refreshing~!”
Merchants from all over shouted as the Sanctuary buzzed with activity.
This was because the so-called ‘Sanctuary Trade Route’—stretching through the Sanctuary, Rivera, and even the northern regions—had been established.
Since the trade route was created, big and small changes had taken place in the Sanctuary.
First, a variety of markets popped up around the exchange.
Merchants paid stall fees to open small stands, and the Sanctuary’s devotees began selling their own crafts, tools, and food.
Secondly, inns and lodging facilities were established.
With the trade route in place, travelers and merchants from various regions needed places to stay.
Thanks to this, even the devotees who were usually weak and couldn’t do hard labor like farming found work they could manage.
Of all people, Jeanne d’Arc was the happiest about these changes.
‘It seems the devotees who usually couldn’t work felt guilty. After all, as the saying goes: those who do not work shall not eat. Thanks to the new jobs, everyone’s expressions have brightened considerably!’
The more prosperous the Sanctuary became, the more it benefited me.
‘The quality of the offerings coming in has noticeably improved.’
Until recently, the offerings sent by the devotees were mostly foodstuffs like crops, meat caught from the forest, and fish from the river.
But lately, they had begun to offer crafts such as silverware, glass figurines, and pottery.
Of course, the sizes of the offerings were still small.
…but if I put them online, I could probably sell them for a decent price. These small crafts are quite rare.
Just then, a clear voice called up from below.
“God, you’re back? Have you finished your meeting with the angel?”
Jeanne d’Arc was looking up to the sky with her hands clasped respectfully.
The ‘meeting with the angel’ Jeanne d’Arc mentioned was probably the follow-up meeting with Dae-ri.
I had told her I was going to meet someone for an appointment, and she had mistaken it for a meeting with an angel.
There was no need to correct her, so I just let it slide.
“Yes, I had a good meeting. Oh, by the way, I might need to prepare more records to show the angels than usual from now on.”
Records to show the angels—
Simply put, it was videos for MuTube.
“If there’s anything I can do, I’ll do my best for you, God.”
“Thank you, Jeanne. By the way, nothing unusual happened in the Sanctuary, right?”
“Yes, thanks to your blessings, everything is going smoothly. Shylock is also working very hard.”
Listening to Jeanne d’Arc, I looked at the grand building newly constructed in the central part of the Sanctuary.
[Venice Merchant Guild Sanctuary Branch]
The fact that a commercial district could be established so quickly was thanks to Shylock, the head of the Venice Merchant Guild, rolling up his sleeves and taking charge.
Besides, the piles of salt and pepper that had been stacked next to Jeanne d’Arc’s family’s hut were moved to the center of the Sanctuary by Shylock’s workers.
‘Since this was the first miracle the Creator showed, it’s bound to become a symbolic landmark of the Sanctuary.’
Just then, someone called out loudly from afar.
“Saintess! There you are! I have something to tell you!”
It was Shylock, the head of the Venice Merchant Guild.
Though he used to argue heatedly with Jeanne d’Arc, now he called her “Saintess” respectfully.
But today seemed a bit different.
Frowning deeply, Shylock strode toward Jeanne d’Arc, holding a bunch of grapes grown in the Sanctuary.
“Shylock, God has arrived. But what’s so urgent…”
“God! You’ve come! Under your blessing, the Sanctuary’s commercial district is growing smoothly as always… Ah, no, I’m here on business with the Saintess.”
“To me? What business…”
Then Shylock raised the grapes in his hand like a trophy and said,
“Saintess, is it true you said the selling price of grapes grown in the Sanctuary should be unified at one silver coin per bunch?”
“Yes, that’s right. Was one silver coin per bunch priced too high? But after much thought, I decided on that price…”
However, Shylock shook his head vigorously.
“No, no! The problem is that it’s too cheap! How can you sell the top-grade grapes blessed by God for such a low price? When I heard this, I was really…!”
Shylock looked so frustrated that he squeezed his eyes shut and let out a deep sigh.
Jeanne d’Arc stepped forward and fired back.
“Shylock, five silver coins per bunch was unreasonable from the start. That price only rich nobles could afford.”
For reference, one silver coin would be roughly 10,000 won in real-world prices.
So five silver coins meant nearly 50,000 won for a bunch of grapes.
‘…That’s expensive. I wouldn’t spend that much on grapes.’
But Shylock didn’t seem ready to back down easily either.
“Excellent goods are worth even more! That’s the basic principle of the world! Think about it. If you sell Creator’s Blessed grapes and ordinary grapes at the same price, who on earth would buy the ordinary ones?!”
“No, rather, Shylock, think about this: do you think God wanted only the wealthy to eat these sweet, delicious grapes? No! God wants everyone on this land to eat them—not just the nobles!”
Their voices grew louder and louder.
Jeanne and Shylock stood in a fierce standoff, neither willing to give an inch.
I’d always thought their relationship was like fire and oil.
Water and oil, you ask?
‘Water and oil just don’t mix, but fire and oil ignite fiercely when they meet.’
Just like these two.
That’s not to say they disliked each other.
Jeanne and Shylock showed terrifying teamwork whenever their goals aligned.
‘…They probably quarrel because their personalities are completely different.’
Then, after a long argument, Jeanne d’Arc suddenly looked up at the sky and said,
“Merciful and righteous God, I believe Your will is not different from mine. Please reveal Your will to us.”
“O Most Reasonable God, please tell us which logic—mine or the Saintess’s—is more desirable and rational.”
Suddenly came the moment of choosing between two options.
Jeanne d’Arc, who believed everyone should equally enjoy the Creator’s blessings.
Shylock, who insisted that precious goods bestowed by God must be priced accordingly.
“Well, naturally…”
It was difficult to say, “Let’s unify the price low so everyone can eat,” as Jeanne suggested—it was a lot of money.
Even putting money aside, Shylock’s opinion was more convincing.
I fell silent, and Jeanne looked up in surprise.
“…G-God?”
Meanwhile, Shylock stroked his beard with a slight smile.
“Saintess, in my hometown, there’s a saying: ‘Money brings good things to the virtuous and bad things to the wicked. In the end, money itself isn’t bad.’”
Shylock glanced around the Sanctuary as he continued.
“To support the devotees of the Sanctuary, money is indispensable. Thick wallets aren’t always good, but empty wallets are certainly bad.”
That made sense to some extent.
Money was necessary everywhere—to expand the trade route, to build more needed facilities, and to purchase essential goods.
As a result, the lives of the devotees would become more affluent, and their quality of life would improve.
Still, Jeanne d’Arc’s sulky expression weighed on my mind.
In the end, I proposed a compromise.
“…Three silver coins. Let’s set the standard price at 3 silver coins. That’s neither too cheap nor something commoners can’t possibly afford.”
Jeanne’s face brightened instantly.
“Yes! I think following God’s words is the right way!”
“If God says so… Although it’s a bit cheaper, I’ll accept three silver coins. Somehow, I think it’s okay.”
A dramatic negotiation concluded.
Once settled, Shylock lifted the bulging pouch he carried at his side.
“God, as you said, I offer a portion of the Sanctuary’s income as tribute to You.”
—Ding!
[System]
- Would you like to receive the tribute? …… (Y/N)
- Tribute: [Franz Gold Coin], [Franz Silver Coin]
- Origin: Fortress World [Sanctuary]
[Franz Gold Coin]
- Gold coin issued by the Kingdom of Franz.
- Both sides of the coin feature a profile of the first King of Franz.
[Franz Silver Coin]
- Silver coin issued by the Kingdom of Franz.
- Both sides of the coin bear the emblem of the Kingdom of Franz.
Along with appointing Shylock as the Sanctuary’s finance manager, I made a proposal.
‘Ten percent of the Sanctuary’s weekly income will be offered as tribute.’
But Shylock always complained the amount was too little and has faithfully given twenty percent of the income instead.
Meanwhile, the package of tribute contained a hefty amount of gold and silver coins.
The only drawback was that, due to my insufficient Creator level, the coins were sent in grain-of-rice-sized miniatures.
All the gold and silver coins in the package combined weighed about the same as a single 100-won coin.
Still, these tiny coins were no joke.
Checking the current gold and silver prices online, the package was worth roughly 300,000 won.
About 300,000 won per week.
That meant 1.2 million won per month, 14.4 million won per year—practically a pension.
…Creator pension, not bad at all.
And as my Creator level rises, I would be able to receive full-sized gold and silver coins.
When that happens, the income will increase further, and I’ll easily be able to earn millions weekly.
Just as I dreamed of this golden future, Shylock cautiously spoke up.
“God always blesses us with abundant resources like iron ore and timber, but I worry that giving only twenty percent of profits as tribute is far too little.”
Shylock seemed genuinely concerned about this issue.
But I almost wanted to throw his own words back at him.
‘We’re getting a few tens of thousands won worth of gold and silver in return for just a few thousand won worth of goods. We’re the ones who benefit more.’
Meanwhile, profits excluding the tribute are recycled into the Sanctuary’s development fund.
An investment for a better future.
Anyway, since there seemed to be no other problems in the Sanctuary, I decided it was time to return to the real world.
I originally stopped by home briefly because I had things to pick up.
“I won’t be back for a while, so if anything happens…”
“God, now that the Sanctuary’s militia is more functional, you don’t need to worry about nearby bandit groups. Also, my swordsmanship has improved quite a bit!”
Jeanne d’Arc lightly tapped the scabbard at her waist.
Thanks to Militia Captain Hans’s systematic training, the militia’s strength was increasing day by day.
But apart from that, it still bothered me that Jeanne was only carrying an old short sword.
‘I’d like to get her a better weapon if I get the chance…’
With that thought, I prepared to return to the real world.
“If an emergency occurs, just pray. I’ll come back immediately.”
“Understood, God!”
…Flash!
As soon as I returned to the real world, I immediately reached for the piggy bank sitting on my desk.
Clink! Clink—!
These were offerings sent intermittently by the Sanctuary’s children.
Among them were shiny stones, pretty crystals, and expensive-looking carvings collected in this piggy bank.
One by one, they accumulated until the small piggy bank was completely full.
So now, I was about to visit the jeweler’s appraiser that Dae-ri had told me about.
‘…My aunt runs a jeweler’s appraiser shop near Dongdaemun. Her skills are truly exceptional. She’s proud of her work and would never cheat anyone.’
Dae-ri sent me a map of the jeweler’s and added a few words.
‘If you’re worried about anything, it’s probably because my aunt has a somewhat peculiar personality…’
The jeweler’s appraiser was near Dongdaemun.
Dae-ri repeatedly urged me to be careful.
I didn’t really know how strange her personality could be…
‘Personality doesn’t matter. If she’s skilled and doesn’t mess around, that’s enough.’
I put the piggy bank full of minerals and sparkling crystals into my bag.
Sunglasses, mask, hat—all fully armed, I slowly opened the front door.
“…I hope these are valuable.”