Chapter 105

Chapter 105

#105. Two People’s Birthdays (1)

Thereafter, the High City treated the Empire’s envoy delegation like forgotten brooms in a corner.

Because lately, the High City was too busy preparing for the Polar North Expedition.

Despite this treatment, neither Duke Sedes nor the envoy delegation abandoned their assigned mission.

“Lord Arad Jin! Please, by all means, visit our Empire! The entire Empire will welcome Lord Jin, and His Majesty has personally guaranteed your safety! He even swore upon the Golden Throne!”

Their top priority was securing Professor Arad Jin’s agreement to visit the Empire.

Though they had already extracted a promise from the High City after overcoming the wrath of the Viscount of Jin, they still needed a definitive confirmation directly from the concerned party.

“Of course. It’s only natural that I should go. However, there’s an upcoming Polar North Expedition planned, so it might be delayed.”

Even though Arad had no intention of going, he delivered a friendly lie with brazen confidence this time around.

“I completely understand. Once the expedition is over and things settle down in the north, please do come then.”

“By that time, relations between the Empire and the Northern Region will surely have improved greatly.”

“Hahahaha! Naturally, that will happen.”

Since it would take at least two years for everything to stabilize after the expedition,

the Empire’s envoys surprisingly accepted the obvious stalling tactic of “two years later.”

Their real mission was to secure thorough justification rather than any tangible results.

With their zero-priority mission successfully completed, the Imperial envoy group proceeded to their next task.

“The issuance of fiat currency and implementation of the Magic Stone Standard in the Northern Region are problematic, but we must also investigate why they’re so confident about doing such things! Let’s gather as much information here as possible!”

This was none other than intelligence gathering on the High City.

They had Bishop Entaire, the High City expert, who could provide decent information, but the world of adults wasn’t that simple.

To build up some solid accomplishments, they needed unique information beyond what Bishop Entaire could offer.

“When they’re not paying attention to us, that’s our chance!”

“Visit the factories, especially Arad Works!”

“How about checking out Professor Arad Jin’s house located on the outskirts of the High City?”

“We must visit Lenslet Academy, Lenslet Mage Guild, and Lenslet Order as well!”

In their own way, they tried hard to gather information on the High City.

“Hahaha… Where exactly are you all wandering off to?”

But their efforts were repeatedly thwarted by Entaire’s relentless interference.

It wasn’t absolutely necessary to interfere to such an extent, but Entaire was desperate.

After all, it was technically his fault for bringing unwanted guests the Northern Region didn’t want.

“You mustn’t wander outside the designated areas!”

“Not really! We’ve come all the way here to the north; isn’t this a bit excessive, Count Entaire? This feels like a prison!”

“Would you like to die in the hands of the Lensretians? I can’t possibly take responsibility for that!”

“……”

Above all, Entaire simply didn’t want to see the prosperity of the progressives.

“Alright! Let’s head back to the Empire soon!”

“Already?”

“What do you mean ‘already’? We’ve been here long enough.”

Therefore, Entaire hastened to return to the Empire as soon as possible.

Despite the envoy group’s dissatisfaction due to insufficient information, they prepared to leave alongside him.

‘We need to prepare against Lensletization.’

Besides the walking time bomb that was the envoy group, Entaire had another reason to rush back to the Empire.

‘We must apply as much of the Arad Bank system to our Bishopcy!’

While Central Banking and Lenslet currency existed, the biggest factor was the Arad Bank itself.

The official opening of the Arad Bank headquarters four days before Entaire’s departure was nothing short of another world.

Everywhere, one could witness groundbreaking systems and innovations that defied belief as a first opening.

It was rumored that limited operations involving securities and deposit services had already been running prior to the official launch.

‘Comprehensive finance, huh? A bank handling deposits, loans, insurance, and stocks?!’

Entaire’s eyes gleamed with excitement as he headed toward the Empire.

The Arad Bank he had seen was so revolutionary that offering interest on deposits seemed trivial in comparison.

* * *

Finally, Entaire and the Imperial Envoy Group returned home after a series of events.

Although the envoys claimed they would stay until Lady Ariana’s birthday two months later, the sharp-eyed Entaire forcibly escorted them out. It felt refreshing.

“Shall we head out?”

Having watched through a telescope as Entaire and the envoy group disappeared into the distance, I turned around and addressed the group executives.

“To Cadia, let’s go.”

“Yes, sir!”

As soon as Entaire and the Imperial Envoys left, I headed toward Cadia, one of the key cities in the Northern Region—a hub for mining and industry.

I decided to take a business trip partly to clear my mind of recent complexities (Ariana and Mary), giving myself a rare break without unnecessary distractions.

Though my fief, the Jin Viscountcy, was initially considered as a destination, it fell lower on the priority list.

“But really, aren’t you leaving Lady Mary behind?”

“She needs to represent the company and prepare for the Polar North Expedition from the High City.”

“Ahh… Considering Lady Mary’s background, that might be better.”

“While you’re in Cadia, Manager Te, you’ll handle her responsibilities as well.”

“Understood.”

To avoid stirring up unnecessary emotional turmoil in Cadia, this trip was a rare opportunity to leave Mary behind.

-Yes, I’ll remain in the High City. Have a safe trip.

Mary readily volunteered to stay in the High City.

Apparently, she wanted to focus on helping Ariana prepare the expedition forces.

“Is this Cadia?”

“My memory of Cadia seems to have faded away.”

“In less than a year, it’s changed this much?”

Thus arriving at Cadia, we found ourselves amidst a breathtaking scene of towering buildings rising every day, mingling with factory chimneys already spewing smoke.

“Has the Viscount arrived?”

“Please address me as Chairman.”

“Understood! Chairman!”

“I’d like to check out the mines first.”

“Right this way.”

Our first stop in Cadia was its mines.

“Thanks to the newly introduced coal mine trains, we can achieve remarkable industrialization in mining.”

Massive amounts of iron are required to produce armor and weapons. Even more iron is needed to create weapons made from Northern Cold Iron, which rivals Imperial Steel.

Kang! Kang! Kang! Kang!

Gurrrrrr

Kwa-a-aang!

Chikchikchikchik

From all directions, the sounds of pickaxes, explosions, and steam engines echoed ceaselessly.

Here, outside the coal mine, we only saw ‘regular’ miners, but deep down in the mineshaft, prisoners bustled about.

Lensretians have always been a practical and efficiency-driven people.

If someone commits a crime, they don’t just rot in jail. Wasting food on bloodthirsty individuals is unthinkable to them.

For this reason, Lenslet has employed prisoner labor for a long time.

Very dangerous and grueling work.

‘What was his name again? The guy who got dragged away after slashing swords on my first day. Is he doing alright?’

Suddenly, I remembered someone from the first day of my reincarnation, who had drawn a blade at Jack’s Inn and ended up sentenced to hard labor in the mines.

I vaguely heard he received forced labor in the mines, but I wondered if he was faring well.

But curiosity stopped there. I couldn’t even remember his name—how could I find him?

“These minerals produced here are transported directly to the adjacent steel mill.”

The president of Arad Energy, who led the tour, continued his explanation with a bow.

Guided by the executives, I moved toward the steel mill under construction in Cadia.

‘It’s fascinating how these two core technologies of the Golden Age survive here at the edge of barbarism.’

Northern Lenslet may claim descent from the Barbarian Druids, yet their metallurgy and architecture skills are remarkably advanced.

Take the High City and the Great Northern Wall, both built using reinforced concrete technology combined with witches’ Spirit Arts.

How strange it is that the Druids, who revered nature so deeply, possessed opposing skills in metalwork and construction.

According to ancient tales, these technologies were passed down from the Golden Age, and even during their Druidic period, they couldn’t discard them entirely, using them very sparingly.

Eventually, disputes among the Druids arose, leading to today’s civilized Northerners.

“Anyway, is there any resistance?”

While observing the production of steel at the mill, I asked.

“Resistance to what, exactly?”

“This division of labor, standardization, mechanization, and mass production of iron and weapons. Wouldn’t the traditional Lensretian artisans object?”

Just look at the Empire, where blacksmiths wielding Imperial Steel held significant sway for a long time.

Given that Northern Cold Iron matches Imperial Steel, the backlash from local artisans here could’ve been immense.

“Ah, don’t worry about that”.

The executives dismissed my concerns with ease.

‘Hmm… Did they resolve it violently?’

“Hahaha! Nothing like that. Since we’re here, would you care to visit a famous workshop in Cadia?”

The executive grinned after looking at my face.

My thoughts must’ve shown clearly on my expression.

“Sure, but let’s keep it low-key with just a few people. And change clothes.”

I nodded at the executive’s suggestion.

A while later…

Upon secretly visiting the workshop of a renowned Northern Cold Iron master in Cadia, I immediately understood why the executives said what they did.

“There’s too much work! Too much!”

“How does Northern Cold Iron require so much effort?!”

“Aaaaaaah! We must outfit our Lensretian sons with weapons and armor made from Northern Cold Iron!”

‘Something feels… staged?’

Though slightly suspicious, I quickly grasped the overall mood.

‘The artisans’ livelihoods won’t be significantly affected, it seems.’

The Northern Region and the Empire differed in scale.

In the Empire, artisans formed guilds, their numbers vast and their influence strong, but not so in Lenslet.

High-level talent was scarce, and skilled tradespeople like artisans were relatively few.

“Let’s manufacture basic weapons ourselves and leave custom knightly swords and ceremonial blades to them.”

After peeking into the workshop, I felt more at ease approving full-scale operation of the military supply factory.

“Hmm…”

Having finished the approval…

I lingered, gazing toward the direction of the workshop.

‘Is it because I haven’t made anything with my own hands recently? My fingers itch.’

Though endowed with the soul of a businessman, this body of Arad was inherently a maker. Perhaps because I hadn’t created anything with my hands lately, the urge to make something bubbled up.

‘Mary handled swords well, right?’

Naturally, Mary, who occupied most of my thoughts recently, came to mind.

‘How about making a sword for Mary? Come to think of it, I don’t even know when her birthday is. I’ll have to ask her when I get back to the High City.’

* * *

Upon arriving at the High City, Arad bluntly asked Mary,

“Mary, when is your birthday?”

“Birthday? The twenty-fifth of Sayah… Ah!”

Caught off guard by Arad’s unexpected question, Mary accidentally revealed her real birthday.

“?? Same as the Crown Prince?”

“Eh? Ah… Yes!”

“I should’ve asked sooner. When I was crafting gifts for His Highness, I could’ve made one for you too.”

Every year on Ariana’s birthday, Arad would handcraft gifts.

Usually, they were practical items imbued with subtle enchantments, like desks, sofas, or beds for her office.

These were far more functional and convenient than any furniture she’d used before.

“Hmm… Now that I think about it, I haven’t paid attention to employees’ birthdays. Even though the Northern culture doesn’t emphasize celebrating birthdays, it’s pretty heartless of me. I should add this to employee benefits moving forward.”

Muttering to himself about employee benefits, Arad turned to Mary and asked,

“What would you like? Speak up.”

Though Mary (and Ariana) tried to decline, having unexpectedly been granted double birthday gifts, Arad was unexpectedly stubborn about this part.

And thus, the highly anticipated birthday arrived.

It was around the fifth year since he had come to this world.