Chapter : 17

'Interesting.'

Leaving the domain castle, Baron Pierre raised the corners of his mouth.

He had simply stopped by to confirm what kind of lord the Bellua Margrave was.

But... the Bellua Margrave was a person to watch more closely than expected.

'A noble who combines intelligence and negotiation skills….'

The Bellua Margrave was like watching a seasoned merchant, not one of the old-fashioned nobles.

Baron Pierre had never seen such a figure in a noble of that age.

It was as if he was looking at the King or the Grand Duke of Bourgogne.

'If I give him a little push, he seems like he could grow significantly….'

According to the reports from the merchants below him, the Bellua Margraven was developing at a very rapid pace.

He had reclaimed the Great Forest to secure vast farmlands, and was actively introducing new farming methods from the Bourgogne region to increase productivity.

And that 'factory'.

If he was churning out a vast amount of goods from a workshop called a factory, using the poor, it was clear that he would quickly become rich and powerful if he helped just a little.

'Will he really be a source of strength for me?'

Although he was of illegitimate birth, Baron Pierre had a big dream.

The dream of becoming the head of the House of Viscount Bardi.

That's why Baron Pierre was being extremely cautious right now.

If the horse he bet on were to be caught powerlessly by the King or the Grand Duke of Bourgogne, his steps toward his dream could be delayed.

'Well, there's no need to be hasty. The Margrave, he said it was a deal.'

That's right, a deal.

So, for now, let's make a few deals without any burden, giving and taking. And... if the Bellua Margrave turns out to be a truly fine person, it won't be too late to think about it then.

* * *

A cool breeze blew through the warm sunlight. The clear, blue sky announced that autumn had arrived.

The vast farmland, where reclamation was complete, was filled with golden wheat fields.

This scene, so fulfilling and overwhelming just to look at.

The memory of the past eight months of hardship made the feeling fresh.

The domain's people were already excited about the first great harvest of their lives.

From children to the elderly, anyone who could muster the strength went to the fields, busy with the harvest.

Of course, it wasn't just the domain's people.

“It is a record-breaking harvest.”

“Meeeh~ The new farming method is amazing. Merrr~.”

“It seems we will earn about 5,000 gold from farming this time, my Lord! The effect of the new farming method is truly great.”

All the vassals attending the meeting were excited and praised the new farming method.

And for good reason. In the past, my domain's tax revenue was only about 1,700 gold.

But now, it had increased nearly threefold to 5,000 gold in an instant.

Even considering the increase in farmland from the Great Forest reclamation, this was an unbelievably enormous figure.

As large landowners, they couldn't help but be pleased.

And this wasn't the only change.

“We have made a profit of about 1,000 gold from the sale of Bollinwood and monster byproducts. The profit from the sale of goods produced at the other workshops is about 500 gold.”

The factory that was operated through the poorhouse.

The factory, now expanded to all workshop areas within the domain, was churning out a vast amount of goods.

“How are the artisans that Baron Pierre sent for support?”

“Yes, they seemed flustered at first, but they quickly adapted and are improving the processes. Thanks to that, the quality and productivity of the goods from the factory have improved.”

“Ah. I see. Continue to support them further.”

Baron Pierre, who was recently busy cleaning up after his sudden confession of his identity, sent various artisans as a reward for the deal.

Thanks to that, I was able to raise the skill level of the factory artisans in the domain, which had been lacking.

Recently, the city guilds, which had a monopoly on high-level artisans, had been showing an uncooperative attitude, so it felt like a nagging tooth had been pulled.

'Now, if we just get some mechanical equipment, full-scale mass production will be possible.'

However, the technology was still lacking. The technology to execute the ideas in my head.

'Can't some good talent just drop from the sky?'

It was about time for various sciences and engineering to develop and for talented individuals to appear... but the perception of the Bellua Margrave had not yet improved, so there were many difficulties in recruiting talent.

It wasn't like the 21st century where there were job search sites.

The reality of [Pangea Universalise] was that you found people through reputation and connections, by word of mouth.

'I should have pestered Captain Konrad more to bring in Dwarf artisans.'

I smacked my lips in regret.

As expected of Dwarves, they were very proud. Thanks to that, I was staying up all night preparing a truly amazing 'item' to melt their hearts.

'Just you wait. Just try and come in later.

I'll grind you down like Jang Yeong-sil who toiled under King Sejong.'

It was frustrating, but what couldn't be helped, couldn't be helped.

Thinking so, I moved on to the next agenda item.

There had been a rather interesting development recently.

“There are random markets popping up all over the domain?”

“Yes, my Lord. With the recent good harvest, the domain's people are secretly selling their surplus grains and goods to merchants who visit the domain on the quiet.”

“Hmm…. is that so?”

Finally, we were moving beyond a self-sufficient manor economy and a basic commercial system was beginning to be introduced.

It was a pretty good sign.

A self-sufficient economic system could never grow in scale. To bring about an economy of scale, commerce had to develop.

But the vassals seemed to have a different idea.

“They must be punished. Unauthorized commercial activities must be strictly prohibited.”

“The city guild members are already in a state of great discontent. They see it as an infringement of their privileges.”

“If markets are allowed to open in a disorderly fashion, the influx of criminals will increase. For the sake of maintaining public order, unauthorized commercial activities should be banned.”

Everyone expressed their own opinions, but the general consensus was to ban the random markets.

Of course, they had a point.

As Chamberlain Hamil said, there were public order issues, and as Treasurer Palmer said, there were cases of infringing on the privileges of the city within the domain.

But I, who came from the modern era, knew well.

That free commercial activity was the cheat key to economic development.

“But the poor people of the domain are selling their surplus grain as a means of self-help to obtain other things…. Must we stop that? What do you think, Bishop Marco?”

“Me, meeeh? What do you mean~ merrr.”

Suddenly being asked a question, Bishop Marco asked in surprise.

“Did not God once say that we should save the poor and show mercy and compassion?”

“Th, that's right. Merrr.”

“Then, like God's word, instead of giving the poor material goods to save them, wouldn't it be more appropriate to create the means and places for them to earn material goods? Like the poorhouse. Bishop Marco.”

At that, Bishop Marco said, as if moved.

“Meeeh~~. Your Lordship's mercy is truly beautiful. Merrr~. I cannot speak lightly, but our Lord would also wish for that. Merrr.”

“…….”

I even brought up God to defend my thoughts.

By this point, the vassals realized that I had no intention of banning the proliferating markets. In the end, after a brief sigh, they exchanged glances and offered a word.

“In that case, let's rather create a place where they can conduct commercial activities freely. We can make them conduct their business only there, and maintain public order by collecting taxes.”

“That is a very good idea.”

Oh, finally, something useful has come up.

This was exactly what I wanted. Not just banning it outright, but relaxing the rules while minimizing the side effects as much as possible.

My face brightened as I asked.

“If we were to create such a market, where would be a good place?”

“Isn't there the fortress we just built?”

“You mean Fort Proven?”

Fort Proven was the fortress that was built after talking with Captain Konrad in the past.

After repeated expansions, the wooden palisade had been built sturdily in two or three layers, and various facilities and buildings had been erected inside.

If we just built a stone wall on the outskirts, it would be at a level where it could be a city rather than a fortress.

“Yes. Since it is a key location where the Seine and Ram rivers intersect, why not expand it and open it as a market?

Besides, since it was originally a fortress, there are enough soldiers to maintain public order.”

“Ho….”

It was a better idea than I thought.

If need be, it was also convenient to expand the river to create a canal and use it as a transit trade point.

“Very good. Implement it immediately.”

* * *

An edict bearing my official seal was immediately promulgated throughout the domain.

The main points were as follows.

A market will be opened at Fort Porvain.

All domain residents can conduct commercial activities there by paying taxes.

The tax is 20 percent of the sales amount.

A dispatched official will supervise unfair practices in the market and manage related disputes.

Some grumbled about the taxes being taken, but the majority of the domain's people praised me, their lord, for creating a safe place for them to conduct business.

Since individuals were trading, various fraud incidents had been occurring.

In addition to this, I began to release the goods produced in the various factory workshops at low prices.

Thanks to this, the free trade market established at Fort Proven quickly prospered, and soon began to expand into a permanent market where merchants and traders from various regions gathered.

Thanks to the report, I smiled with satisfaction.

'Very good.'

Everything was going smoothly these days.

From the Great Forest reclamation industry, the introduction of the new farming method, the establishment of a division-of-labor factory utilizing the poorhouse, and this time, the free trade market.

Everything was proceeding smoothly without any hitches.

'Usually in novels, a problem would pop up around this time….'

But fortunately, there were no major movements from the outside yet.

The King and the Grand Duke of Bourgogne didn't seem to have the capacity to pay attention to me, and the lords around me and Count Bozen were also quiet without any major movements.

'Still, just in case, I should tell them not to let their guard down.'

If rumors spread that my domain had become rich and powerful, it was clear that flies would gather. So it was right to prepare in advance.

Organizing my thoughts, I rose from my seat.

I was thinking of trying something I had been putting off.

'Now that I have enough soldiers and food, and plenty of manpower, it's worth a try.'

Extracting sugar from sugar beets.

I only knew how to extract sugar from books; I had never done it myself. In the end, I had to do everything from scratch, by trial and error.

I immediately called for Treasurer Palmer.

“Find some merchants and have them purchase a large quantity of turnips.”

“Yes? Turnips? Are you planning to start a private livestock farm or something? Why are you suddenly asking me to buy livestock feed….”

At the incomprehensible order, Treasurer Palmer scratched his head.

“Livestock farm? Ah-! Come to think of it, the leftover byproducts from production can be used as fodder. Yes, while we're at it, buy a lot of cows too. I'll have to raise them and distribute them to the domain's people.”

“What?”

Treasurer Palmer let out a sigh.

He seemed to be wondering what kind of trouble the lord was trying to stir up today.

Whatever.

I looked at Palmer and replied with a sly grin.

“Hehehe. I'm going to try and make a pure white gold nugget.”

“White gold? You mean salt?”

“No, not salt. Isn't there something as precious as gold with an ecstatic sweetness?”

“Don't tell me you mean sugar?”

“Yes!”

At that, Treasurer Palmer's expression became bizarre.

But soon.

“I see…. Give it a good try, my Lord. I will be cheering for you.”

He said so, with a look of exasperation.

Treasurer Palmer had, at some point, gotten used to the strange things I did.