CHAPTER 56: CHAPTER 56: A SUBTLE WARNING

Irina followed along to the Frozen Wastes Territory—not only for the three magical beast eggs, but also to personally observe this land.

She had read the intelligence reports about the Frozen Wastes from Razor Rose before, but with every surprise Ryan delivered, she was beginning to doubt their accuracy.

As she beheld the dramatically transformed Frozen Wastes, Irina was at a loss for words for quite some time.

By the time she took away the three magical beast eggs, her view had completely changed.

She remembered her original purpose in coming here: to assess the commercial value of both the Frozen Wastes and Baron Ryan. With the Empire beginning to abandon the Northwind Province, the resulting ripple effects were comprehensive.

For instance, their own merchant guilds might drastically reduce their visits to Northwind Province. And even when they did travel north, it would only be for short-term trading—no more permanent offices in every county town.

At such a time, strategic choices became crucial. Some guilds would directly abandon remote regions to conserve costs; after all, a few thousand or even ten thousand gold coins were not worth the logistical expense.

Irina knew that several guilds in Zero Crossing City had already decided to withdraw from all trade operations in the entire Zero Crossing County. Even Cold Mountain County—bordering the fertile Xiangshan Plain—was now seen as more valuable.

That meant that, in the future, merchant convoys would no longer appear in Zero Crossing County. And because of the choices made by those few leading guilds, others hesitated as well. Fewer guilds meant dwindling trade, and Zero Crossing County could face economic decline. Those who stayed behind would suffer too.

Since the Miles Viscountcy returned from Northwind City, they had been in disarray over the issue—receiving southern merchants daily. Because, in truth, it wasn’t the guilds themselves making these decisions, but the powerful nobles behind them.

If the Miles family wished to retain the merchants, they had to win over those nobles.

What the final outcome would be, Irina did not know. But she felt that perhaps she should maintain some form of relationship with this baron.

The new baronial system had not yet been widely publicized across the continent. For now, it only circulated within noble circles. But Ryan had already decided to take preemptive action and inform certain people.

He placed his hand on the slightly swollen belly of the Viscountess of Whitman. Only when her ears turned red with embarrassment did Ryan finally withdraw his hand.

"I’ve heard that quite a few women in the territory became pregnant last winter. Our population in the Frozen Wastes is going to grow."

"Management will become an issue. Although the old steward has started training some young people, it’s still not enough."

"Teach those maids more—at the very least, they need to know how to count and understand basic geography."

As Ryan spoke, the Viscountess could only comply. For now, she was still living under someone else’s roof and had no power to oppose Ryan’s orders.

Eventually, Ryan brought up the matter of Baron Azel.

Of course, he was no longer a baron.

"Your father and a few others have been gathering at the tavern lately. They’re planning to build a workshop in the territory to produce clothing. Many people still don’t even have a second set of coarse hemp robes."

Ryan understood. These nobles from Eksnel may have lost their titles, but they still lived far better than most. They brought with them a unique presence and dignity formed over generations—along with the wealth, knowledge, and former slaves or commoners who once served them.

And the dozens or even hundreds of gold coins hidden on their persons were enough for a solid head start in rebuilding their fortunes.

Ryan, too, valued their education and authority.

"Call them over."

Ryan spoke casually, but when Baron Azel and the others arrived before him, they were visibly nervous.

Baron Azel looked to his daughter standing behind Ryan, hoping to glean some hint from her expression. Their anxiety stemmed from two things: fear that Ryan would question the source of their wealth, and concern that their recent growing reputation in the territory had drawn his displeasure.

One had to admit—this group had adjusted more quickly than anyone to their new status. Facing Ryan, they no longer held their former arrogance. Were it not for Ryan’s pleasant expression while sipping wine, they might have dropped to their knees outright.

"Mr. Azel, gentlemen, I have one bad news and one good news. Which would you like to hear first?"

The seven or eight men exchanged glances, and eventually all eyes turned to Azel—after all, his daughter, the Viscountess, had some standing in Ryan’s eyes.

Azel bent forward with a courteous smile and said:

"My Lord, we’ll hear... the bad news first."

"The bad news is this: I once promised that, in return for your donations, I’d allow you to claim a piece of land on my territory to build a manor, buy your own slaves, hire a few guards, and cultivate the land."

"That promise may no longer hold."

The moment Ryan spoke, Azel and the others turned pale. Some looked at him in alarm, and one even fell to his knees.

"Lord Ryan, you gave us your word! As a noble, how can your promise be so easily withdrawn?"

Ryan said nothing, merely placing his wine cup down. The Viscountess, understanding the mood, dutifully filled his cup with wine gifted by Irina.

Azel’s face turned ashen. Without Ryan’s promise, how could they distinguish themselves from the others in the territory? Were they to dig and till the earth like the common peasants?

But glancing at his daughter standing nearby, he managed to calm himself and asked:

"My Lord, may I ask what the good news is?"

Ryan smiled.

"The good news is: the dream you’ve always had of reclaiming your noble status... might just come true."

All of them turned toward him in shock. Those pale faces lit up with wide eyes in that instant.

During Ryan’s absence, they had done little other than pool some gold coins to build a stone courtyard—the closest one to the foot of Rhinoceros Horn Mountain.

Only recently had they begun to gather and plan to open a workshop in the territory, hoping to use their knowledge to earn some profit.

Their true aim was to expand their influence. Once they had their manors, they could rise to wealth quickly.

But none of that compared to the hope of once again becoming nobility.

Once, they gave up everything just to survive.

Now, they would give up everything again—for a chance to reclaim their titles.