“Ohwi.”
Even I had to admit it was quite an impressive sight.
I nodded, picturing how the territory would one day be transformed like this, and anticipation swelled within me.
“Home… …”
But unlike me, the three wore rather dissatisfied expressions.
They even seemed to be glancing at me, as if they were clearly displeased with something.
Well, is there something that’s bothering you?
“I, uh, the thing is…”
Heather Wing couldn’t answer my question right away.
“Just say it. I promise I won’t get angry or blame you for anything.”
With my encouragement, he finally spoke up after much hesitation.
“Since Lord has said so, I’ll go ahead and speak my mind.”
He then began to carefully share his thoughts.
“First of all, the Lord’s mansion needs to be relocated. Where it currently sits just doesn’t fit with the sightseeing spot you have in mind.”
What he was suggesting was nothing less than moving the mansion to the West of the territory.
The West of the territory was partly farmland, but much of it was barren and open.
Although there was a bit of the northern mountain included, it was just a portion.
“There’s a reason the Lord’s mansion… no, the Castle should be built here. First, in case of unexpected territorial wars, having the territory’s residents and farmlands protected here is crucial. Usually, the biggest losses in territorial wars are the farmlands. If we prepare in advance, we can avoid that. Second, since the mountains to the North are close to the Lord’s Castle, if Monsters appear unexpectedly, you can respond quickly.”
I listened to him attentively. I didn’t show any reaction or take any action, simply listened in silence.
“I see. But judging from what you’ve said, this isn’t going to be a cheap or short construction, is it?”
“That’s the issue. This will be at least a four-year-long Construction. We’re expecting significant manpower and resources will need to be invested.”
“How much are you estimating the costs to be?”
I asked about the most crucial matter—the money.
“It looks like we’ll need at least 3,000 Gold for this project.”
3,000 Gold… That’s just the construction costs, which, in modern terms, is about three billion won—a massive Construction project.
It was enough to drive me mad.
Even if I scraped together all the money I currently had and all my savings, it would barely amount to 400 Gold.
I’d need eight times my current capital.
“Securing funds will be a major problem.”
This wasn’t an amount I could just squeeze out of the territory’s residents.
Unless I robbed some other territory…
“Isn’t there always something that just falls into your lap at times like this? In the novels I’ve read, it’s always a mine or something special… Oh, that’s right.”
Suddenly, something came to mind.
When I was given this Ajof Territory, the fact that it was by the Sea and had Salt was the reason I accepted it.
I recalled everything I knew about Saltworks.
Knowledge I’d learned in the modern world and the experience of working part-time at a Saltworks.
“Basically, you draw in seawater, repeat the process of concentrating it, and obtain Salt. You could do it the usual way, but if I use my magic, maybe I can make it faster?”
Of course, the coast of the territory wasn’t shaped like a bay.
But there was a fine Sand Beach, so maybe if I built a floor out of wood there and made gates to open and close, that would do the trick.
“Still, I can’t just jump into it right away.”
First, I should run a simple experiment, and if it’s successful, then proceed in earnest. Besides, it’s not like we can’t start Construction immediately.
For now, I’ll start with the 300 Gold I have on hand. So, what should we do first?
At my mention of 300 Gold, Heather Wing thought for a moment before replying.
“It would be best to begin with the western Castle walls. Even for basic toll collection, Castle walls are essential.”
“Good. Let’s do that, then. We’ll arrange support funds through these folks, and from now on, hire laborers from the territory and outside regions to get started. Is there anything else we need?”
“We’ll need a significant amount of stone and earth to build the Castle walls. Also, the manpower to transport them.”
“We’ll use the territory’s Slaves for that. We’ve already secured a good amount of timber, so check that as well.”
“Understood, Lord.”
I rose from my seat and added one last thing.
Heather Wing is in charge of this project, with Hadid as Deputy. When the Construction is finished and everything goes well, I’ll make sure both of you are handsomely rewarded.”
At my words, their eyes grew wide with surprise.
“A reward, you say…”
That was Hadid’s voice. It must have slipped out unconsciously.
I didn’t mind and told them,
“At the very least, a Quasi-Noble’s position would be appropriate.”
With that, I left the mansion.
As expected, I was curious whether Salt could actually be produced.
I headed for the Sand Beach.
***
After Solo left, a quiet silence lingered in the spot.
“Heh heh heh…”
Heather Wing couldn’t help but chuckle to himself.
Of course, all he could think about was the word Noble.
Noble…
It was a chance for social advancement.
So Heather Wing’s ambition started to burn. No, it was only natural.
He wasn’t the only one.
Deputy Hadid was no different.
“Let’s do our very best.”
“Agreed. Let’s put down our roots here and give it our all.”
Their clasped hands felt so fiery with determination. That’s how much passion they had.
“Then, let’s begin.”
The two stood up hurriedly.
Starting with checking the timber that had already been secured, they made a list of what was needed, and planned to begin Construction as soon as they’d sorted out what could be procured.
They would be busier than ever.
“Come on, let’s go. We have work to do, don’t we?”
Thanks to their enthusiasm, the next ones to become exhausted were none other than Deckard, Kane, and Kai.
Of course, Smith was no different.
“Hey, just because you’re becoming Nobles, don’t look down on me, all right?”
Smith said that to the two of them, but apparently, they didn’t even bother to reply.
***
At the Sand Beach opposite my mansion, I arrived with a pot I’d brought in advance.
It was a small pot, something I’d been about to throw away, so I’d brought it without hesitation.
I also had a wooden spatula.
Shall I try a little at a time?
I filled the pot with seawater.
“Fire.”
Then I evaporated the water little by little.
During the process, I kept stirring with the spatula, making sure not to forget.
Swish, swish.
As the seawater evaporated to a reasonable amount and a bit of Salt formed, I poured more seawater in.
Swish, swish.
Then stirred again.
I repeated this dozens of times, until I lost track of how much time had passed, just repeating the process.
“Hoo, this is seriously so much work.”
Normally, you’d do this slowly under the sun. That way, impurities would be minimal, and the Salt’s purity would be high.
Right now, what I was doing was just checking whether this was even possible, and confirming if what I remembered was correct.
“Ah, my arm is killing me.”
Here I was, alone, on a Sand Beach under the sun, with a little pot and spatula, doing this. It was almost funny.
“Tsk. Who’d have thought I’d come to this world and end up doing something like this?”
Who would have imagined I’d be here making Salt?
But I was confident. It was seawater, after all.
After repeating this process for a few more hours, when I saw the results, a big smile broke out on my face.
I pinched a bit with my fingers and put it in my mouth.
“Ka—”
It’s salty, incredibly salty. And it tastes good.
This will be one of the main sources of income for our territory.
***
While I was making Salt, six people were wracking their brains, trying to come up with something.
“What a mess.”
The reception room, which should have been neat and clean, was filled with all kinds of paper.
From a distance, Cal stood with an anxious face, and Lamia and Remia clung to his side, chattering about something.
“What are you doing?”
I asked Cal.
“They, um, were asking me for advice about the Castle’s structure when building the Lord’s Castle, but Remia and Lamia butted in, and now they’re completely redesigning everything.”
“Well, those two should be good at it.”
I figured there was no need for me to meddle and just let it be.
“Lord, what are you holding?”
“This? Want to try a bite?”
“Then, excuse me.”
Cal pinched a little and put it in his mouth. As soon as he did, he reacted violently.
“Uugh!”
Cal jumped in surprise, shouting.
“Was that Salt? Did I just eat Silver’s worth in one bite?”
At the word Salt, the eyes of all six snapped to me.
I went over and asked them,
“How much would this fetch?”
The amount in my pot was about five handfuls.
It was quite a lot, and appearing out of the blue with Salt surprised them all.
“Grain is bought with Gold by weight, and Salt is bought with Silver by weight.”
“With this much, you’d get at least 1 Gold.”
“Really?”
I was overjoyed to find that Salt was more valuable than I thought. It would be a substantial source of income.
“Then, the amount Cal just ate is about 2 Silver, right?”
Twitch.
Cal flinched and froze.
Seeing that, I grinned slyly and turned to Smith.
“I’m planning to start a Salt business to feed our territory, and I’ll need your help, Smith.”
“Yes, Lord!”
I discussed with Smith about a device to draw and process seawater.
Smith promised to come up with an idea and started thinking.
In the meantime, I came up with another way to make money.
The Salt business is a long-term venture that will require time and dedication.
For now, I need something to bring in quick money, and that’s something only I can do.
“Maybe it’s time I go Monster hunting again?”
Time to return not as Lord Solo, but as Mercenary Solo.
***
The next morning, I was chatting with Arnold in front of the mansion.
“I’ll be counting on you.”
“Understood. You too, Lord, make sure you come back safely.”
“Come on, I’m just going to hunt a few Monsters. What could go wrong?”
For the first time in a while, I put on my old leather top and pants, strapped on my sword, and shouldered my bag.
It was a simple outfit, but for me, it was the most comfortable attire.
“I’m ready, too.”
Wow, why is your bag so big?”
Irene appeared behind me with a huge bag slung over her shoulders.
It was so stuffed, I couldn’t even imagine what she’d packed. She looked like someone going on a long trip, or maybe running away.
“I ended up bringing a lot of things.”
“My goodness.”
I took the bag, put it in my spatial bag, and got ready to leave.
With all preparations done, I looked over to see Jenny off in the distance, looking at me with the face of someone who’d lost her country.
“With Sir Arnold and Jenny here, I can leave with peace of mind. Don’t be too down about it.”
Arnold would be acting as my deputy in the event something happened to the territory, and Jenny was to remain as the one to train the Slaves when Arnold was busy.
That’s why I was taking Irene, who was little more than a glutton, with me.
Since I was going Monster hunting, I needed someone to help me.
And Irene was currently the most idle.
“You need to get stronger through real training if you want to get revenge quickly.”
“Yes!”
Actually, I think Irene’s feeling for revenge had softened a bit. Since becoming a Slave, she seemed to desperately want to stick by my side.
She followed me around like a puppy following its parents.
I’d told her several times to try to get stronger in the meantime, but it was pointless.
I’d planned to go hunting alone, but when I mentioned it, she immediately clung to me and insisted on coming along, so I had no choice but to bring her.
Well, at least it would be less boring than going alone.
Though, I wasn’t sure I’d have a moment to be bored.
With that, I took Irene and headed up the Mountain in my territory.