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**Chapter 332: I Really Wanted to Try This. (1)**

Thinking back to the appearance Ghislaine had shown when he came to find me, he must have been hiding some degree of skill even when he was acting like a pathetic fool, known as the ruffian of the North.

However, what I know about the Forest of Monsters has nothing to do with swordsmanship.

“You couldn’t have come up with this on your own. It’s not a place where such things would work.”

Even back then, when Perdium was just a Count, he knew nothing about the Forest of Monsters. If he had known something, he would have explored the forest much earlier.

This implies that Ghislaine must have obtained information from somewhere.

One thing is for sure: at least regarding the entrance to the Forest of Monsters, he must have some reliable information.

The difference between having information and not having it is huge. If I knew what kind of monsters might appear, I could explore the Forest of Monsters.

Amelia reflected on Ghislaine’s actions. Besides the exploration of the Forest of Monsters, everything he had done so far was not something one could come up with alone.

While technology development could be assisted by dwarves, predicting a drought could be considered lucky. However, most of the other things would be difficult to succeed in without information.

“Does he have a backing? Or did he find some ancient texts?”

Perhaps within the Perdium family, they discovered records of attempts made by their ancestors to explore the Forest of Monsters.

After all the northern lords had given up on the development and forgotten about it, Ghislaine might have rediscovered and attempted it. For now, that seemed to be the most plausible hypothesis.

If not, perhaps someone like a Mage or a Sage has been advising him.

“What’s clear is that he has enough information power to know things that others don’t.”

To have anticipated and acted upon his rebellion would also have been difficult without information.

Whether the source of his information is hidden forces or an information organization, it’s clear that Ghislaine possesses something.

If only I could learn how he obtains his information, it would be a huge help for me. Conversely, I could use that information to gain an advantage or coerce the information himself.

“I need to be careful. He might be watching all my moves even now.”

Amelia would never have imagined Ghislaine was a reincarnator. Still, realizing he has tremendous information power was significant.

The incidents she had thought were just nonsense luck and coincidence could now be interpreted as driven by information power.

Of course, just because there’s information doesn’t mean one can actually achieve those things.

“Seriously, he’s quite the intriguing character.”

Amelia wore a smile tinged with discomfort. She had to keep in mind that Ghislaine might be watching her from now on.

“Alright then, I need to move in an unpredictable manner.”

If the opponent is irrational, she too must act irrationally.

Of course, not right now. There’s no gain in fighting Ghislaine at this moment.

She didn’t even care about being the strongest in the North. What she wanted was something much higher than that.

So for now, she should remain cautious of Ghislaine, but there was no need to expend energy to confront him.

“Is it almost time?”

It wasn’t just Ghislaine monitoring her. The Duke, having lost Harold, was trying not just to watch her but to control her entirely.

Thus, she needed to act unpredictably in that regard as well.

“I’ll have to deal with the deputy who’s coming first.”

A cold murderous intent spread across Amelia’s face.

* * *

“Woooah! My Lord is the best!”

Upon seeing Ghislaine, Claude couldn’t help but scream in joy out loud.

He had already heard through the messengers that the exploration had been a success. He nearly fainted upon hearing the types and quantities of resources acquired this time.

“I’m alive! I’m finally alive!”

With the Rune Stones running out and cash starting to dwindle, the money earned from selling cosmetics, food, delivery services, and road projects was enormous, yet still not enough.

Due to the lack of funds, the territory’s growth had recently plateaued. There were many projects going, and while expenses were through the roof, income was still lagging behind.

But now, with so many resources acquired, he felt he could finally breathe a little easier.

Seeing Claude jumping around, Ghislaine couldn’t help but smirk.

“Happy, are we?”

“Oh, absolutely! I was so stressed with the money dwindling!”

Ghislaine spoke to Claude, who was flapping about like a fish out of water.

“Good. You need to handle compensations for the people who participated in this exploration first.”

“Of course. I’ll figure it out…”

“No, I already said it.”

“…How so?”

Claude’s expression turned anxious. He knew Ghislaine was the type to spend impressively when it came to finances.

As expected, Ghislaine cheerfully declared, “The exploration team will receive three years’ salary all at once. The laborers will get three times their usual allowance.”

“…….”

“Make it quick.”

“…Umm… We don’t have that kind of money immediately.”

“Didn’t you just bring a ton of resources? You’ll keep bringing more, and we should have enough to pay that much, right?”

“But that’s in materials… To pay them, we need to convert it to cash…”

“Oh, I don’t care. Just handle it fast.”

“…….”

Ghislaine tossed back his thoughts, then vanished into the castle.

Claude stared in disbelief at his retreating figure, tearing his hair out in frustration.

“Argh! Why can’t I be happy!”

He had managed to bring in valuable resources, only to face another huge expense.

What was even more difficult was that the compensation for exploration needed to be handled immediately.

To thank those who worked so hard, this statement was made by none other than the lord himself. If not handled on time, people would lose trust in the lord, and they’d grow resentful towards ongoing activities in the territory.

Reluctantly, Claude gathered the managers and urged them.

“Quickly get in touch with the merchants and the Mage Tower!”

Penris is the strongest in the North, a center of food production. This was a call from none other than its chief officer.

The merchants around Penris set aside their tasks and rushed over.

When the merchant leaders gathered, Claude crossed his legs and spoke with a haughty look.

“I won’t be taking ‘service fees’ this time.”

The Lord of Bribes saying he wouldn’t take a bribe left the merchant leaders in disbelief.

“Instead, make sure to buy as much as you can.”

The traders’ jaws dropped upon seeing what Claude was offering.

In addition to the usual food and iron ore, there was an array of various medicinal herbs lined up.

Even amidst cash shortages, Claude didn’t sell the Rune Stones and the Fairy’s Blessing.

He had deals to uphold with the Mage Tower, and Rune Stones were the most strategic resource for the territory, so he wouldn’t let those go.

To quickly increase the skills of the Mages and Knights ahead, a large quantity of Rune Stones was needed.

As for the Fairy’s Blessing, Ghislaine had mentioned he would have special uses for those, so Claude couldn’t touch them.

Unaware that the most important resources were missing, the merchants eagerly rushed to buy everything Claude had put on the table.

“Usually, even if we ask for more food and iron, it’s tightly controlled, but this time you’re letting it all out?”

“I heard rumors that someone had explored the Forest of Monsters? They must need rewards for the soldiers.”

“Well, at least it’s good that no bribes were accepted this time. Seems like money is urgent.”

“Right?! Wow, look at this Mandragora root! It’s so hearty! Where did you get it? This seems twice as big as the usual ones!”

It was indeed a rare occasion for Claude to not take bribes. The merchants left, satisfied from a successful transaction after a long time.

News of the massive stock of Rune Stones secured at Penris also reached the Tower of the Bloody Flame.

Due to purchasing food in the past, they had to reduce the amount of Rune Stones they could acquire. But as they heard that they could finally purchase more, they couldn’t contain their joy.

The Elders bustled excitedly around Hubert.

“Master of the Tower! It seems we’ve acquired a lot again!”

“It’s been a while since we had communication; shall we go visit?”

“We must show our faces often to grow closer!”

The Elders pestered him, but Hubert turned his head gloomily.

“I don’t wanna… I don’t wanna go…”

“Ah! Why not!”

“That guy has become a Count… Plus, he’s the strongest in the North now… I have to keep my etiquette if we meet…”

“Is that really the only reason?”

“Is that just?! That’s a huge deal!”

Hubert was raising absurd complaints, pointing fingers at the Elders.

It wasn’t the first time Hubert had endured humiliation inflicted by Ghislaine.

However, thanks to his position as the Master of the Tower, he had been able to maintain some pride, albeit barely.

But now that didn’t matter; Ghislaine’s standing was certainly higher than his.

“I’m not going! I won’t go! I’ll never meet him again! I have my pride too!”

Hubert is widely known to be petty and childish, irrespective of his abilities. The Elders who knew his character could only shake their heads in exasperation.

The one who saved the crumbling Mage Tower was Count Perdium. Yet seeing him being so stubborn was a testament to how constant people can be.

In any case, they needed to visit and congratulate him, at least to offer some gifts.

That way, they could maintain a good relationship to continue obtaining Rune Stones in the future.

Thus, the Elders, packed with various magical tools as gifts, set off to the Penris territory.

Thanks to Claude’s remarkable skills, Penris secured a tremendous cash reserve in no time.

This was all thanks to the connections Claude had built with the merchants.

“Get moving fast!”

He nervously distributed the exploration rewards to the soldiers and laborers. Anyone who wished could take some food mixed in.

Once the reward allocation was completed, the territory was engulfed in a festive atmosphere.

“Woooah! I’ve never touched this much money in my life!”

“Told you it was a good idea to follow our lord, right?”

“Our territory is the best! Our lord is the best!”

The soldiers and laborers from the exploration team buzzed with praises for Ghislaine.

Just a few years ago, no one could have dreamt of such a thing.

Some struggled to make ends meet, while others did a good job but were unpaid.

The people of the North were living hopelessly like that.

But everything changed after Ghislaine became the lord. It was as if a new world had opened up for them.

And this environmental shift had astonishing effects.

“I’ll protect this territory even if it costs me my life.”

“This is our only hope.”

“We just need to follow our lord until the end.”

As everyone began to receive fair rewards, their wealth started to increase. Naturally, the quality of life improved too.

Consequently, people’s mindsets shifted significantly from before. Those with something to protect, whether money or family, tend to grow stronger.

Especially, their loyalty towards Ghislaine soared to levels that were unrecognizable.

Having suddenly received a large sum, the people squandered money lavishly within the territory. Surrounding merchants began appearing with various luxury goods and drinks.

Thanks to the revitalized economy, the territory buzzed with more energy than ever.

“Our lord is truly amazing, right? He pierced through a million enemies all by himself. Wow!”

“Really? Did a million monsters actually come out?”

“Ah! That’s right! Does that mean I caught those beasts alongside him?”

Rumors always tend to exaggerate. At some point, Ghislaine became a superhuman who emerged victorious against an army of a million.

The soldiers weren’t precisely sure how many had come, but they knew there were just ridiculously too many.

Thus, as they exaggerated, outlandish numbers spread like wildfire.

The territory thrived as rumors flourished, but Claude’s face began to turn a grayish hue.

“Money… I’m out of money…”

In a rush to distribute the rewards, the cash had vanished again.

Of course, while resources were still overflowing, those would continue to accumulate. It was far from difficult to secure large sums again with time invested in selling them.

The issue was that the surrounding merchants were also short on cash due to this recent transaction. With immediate cash flow shortages, Claude found himself in a bind.

“Ugh! I’m annoyed! Tell everyone to save their money this month! We’re out of funds!”

Seeing Claude throwing fits daily, Belinda, Gillian, Vanessa, and Galbarik couldn’t help but notice his gloomy demeanor.

‘How is it that I’ve pulled so many things that could make money, and yet we’re out of cash? Where else can one find such an annoying territory?’

While everyone rejoiced, Claude sulkily mumbled to himself while reviewing documents.

“Hmm… Still, things will somehow roll along. It’ll probably take just a couple of months to secure cash again.”

With resources overflowing, it was ultimately a matter of time. Claude thought if he tightened his belt and persevered a little, he’d be fine.

“Well, now that the businesses are entering stabilization… Surely our lord won’t come up with anything new to add, right?”

They were in the process of merging the Desmond Territory and steadily increasing military might. Various production capacities were steadily rising.

Improving the living standards or cultural levels of the people was something to look far ahead into. As long as they continued on this path, everything should be fine.

No matter how he thought of it, it seemed there shouldn’t be anything more the lord was conceiving to do.

“Alright, now the lord ought to quietly enjoy what’s already going on in the territory…”

Before Claude could finish his thoughts, Ghislaine barged through the office door.

“I’m starting the next endeavor.”

“…What is it?”

“I’ll be forming the Penris Mercenary Corps.”

Claude sighed, rubbing his forehead.