Chapter 61: Erecting the Statue (1)
Cremo, the city of commerce, was the central city of Cremona, the eastern province of the kingdom. It went without saying that Count Cremo was the great lord of the province. In other words, he was the senior boss of Baron Frontera.
To compare it with South Korea, the guy is, hmm… a governor?
He wielded the greatest influence in the province. The count’s power could even be seen far into the kingdom. Thus, Lloyd cocked his head in curiosity.
“Hmm… The count will really be purchasing the treasures?”
“I was told he is. Why else would he send this letter?” the baron replied.
“But why?”
“What do you mean?”
“Those treasures don’t actually hold much value because the orcs treated them as fitness tools and horribly wore them down. They are chipped and cracked in several places.”
It was true. Regardless of how precious a treasure was, it needed proper maintenance.
The prolonged years of using them as fitness tools ran them down pretty bad. At first glance, they did look valuable. If they were wiped well, they even became nice and glossy. However, it was a slightly different story upon a closer look. There were dents and chips here and there. There were quite a lot of them, actually.
“So,” explained Lloyd, “I actually thought our customer would be one of the provincial nobles who wish to purchase treasures at a low price and boast around or the merchants who benefit by acting a middleman to such customers.”
That was what Lloyd had in mind. After all, these were used treasures. That was why Lloyd was confused all the more.
A count with his status wouldn’t need to buy these used-up treasures.
Certainly, if he desired, he had the means to splurge his money away on new and shiny treasures. He could even call for a jewel master to personally make them. Instead of doing that, he was trying to purchase these used treasures. Something certainly didn’t add up. It was like if a CEO of a multinational company purchased a used car because he wanted a luxury vehicle, or a rich lady going through thrift shops to get her hands on designer bags.
“Is the count planning on using them for another purpose?”
Lloyd asked. The baron shrugged.
“I do not know. But…”
The baron stroked his chin as he frowned.
“According to rumors, the count has recently been planning to build a huge statue in Cremo city.”
“A statue?” asked Lloyd.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I am not sure about that. This is my presumption, but it looks like he plans to decorate the statue by detaching the gems he buys from us.”
“Oh, that makes sense.”
Lloyd nodded his head at last. Small jewels would be used to decorate parts of the huge statue. Lloyd could understand the count after hearing that explanation.
It’ll certainly save him some money if he detaches the gems from the secondhand treasures and reuses them. After all, statues are meant to be enjoyed from afar, so even the lightly-scratched jewels won’t be much of an issue.
Lloyd recalled the chandelier among the treasures stored in the storage. It must have once been used to lighten the hall of a noble estate. However, when it came into the hands of the orcs, it turned into a giant hula hoop. Thankfully, the gems densely studded around the chandelier were mostly in one piece save for some. The count would be able to take quite a large number of gems from it.
What a frugal count he is.
No matter, Lloyd was happy that he secured a buyer. The news was even more welcomed since he could sell all the treasures to one buyer. Lloyd was greeted with good news upon arrival. To give what he owed, Lloyd shared his own good news with the baron.
“Then, is it my turn now?”
“Is it about your visit to the viscounty?” asked the baron.
“Yes, I’m referring to the water bill I told you about this morning.”
“How did Viscount Lacona react?”
“Whew, you should have seen it yourself.”
Lloyd began to chat, walking through what happened in the reception room with the viscount. Lloyd shared in detail how pitiful the viscount made himself look. As the baron listened to the story, the corners of his lips curled upward in overwhelming happiness. His expression looked like someone who finally cured their century-long indigestion. His cheekbones rose, reaching to the sky. Honestly, his reaction was understandable.
It must have been terribly humiliating when the viscount sent Sir Curno to threaten him.
The threat had pushed him into a corner. That day, the baron was mortified not by the viscount himself but by a menial knight sent by the viscount. There couldn’t be anything more humiliating than that.
But right now…He was listening to the story of how the viscount, the very enemy that shamed him, signed the contract in tears. As if that wasn’t enough, Sir Curno wet his pants. These events would become a painful memory for his tormentors who’d humiliated him. How could he not be elated when he heard the story?
I’m sure the words flow into his ear canals like honey.
Lloyd became happy at the sight of the joyful baron and the sight of his people enjoying the town festival comforted his heart as well.
That’s why I must pay off the debt fast.
Lloyd recalled the first day he came to this place. It was a ruckus as his manor was on the verge of being foreclosed. Ever since then, he had worked very hard.
I’m almost there. Just a bit more.
Little by little, he started to believe that he could pay off the debt. Just like his rising hopes, the night of the small festival deepened.
The following morning, Lloyd began to get busy. Time wasn’t on his side. That was the truth he always held tight in the corner of his heart. It was no different today even though he had fallen asleep once the sun started rising.
I’ve got mountains of work to do! All right! Let’s go!
Rising from bed early and getting ready for the day was a habit Loyd had cultivated since he was in Korea. He always woke up at the same hour. When it became bright outside, his eyes opened, and he woke Javier up. He started preparing for his trip to Cremo, the city of commerce.
“I fear it will cause trouble if I have too many people with me. Please keep the size of security to a minimum,” said Lloyd.
“Are you certain that it will be fine? If you consider your safety…”
“It is all right,” said Lloyd.
“I have Sir Asrahan with me.”
“Hmm. You are right, yet…”
Lloyd planned on personally going to Cremo City himself. Knowing that, the baron had put together a delegation of one hundred members. Lloyd was obviously shocked.
“The more mouths we have, the more supplies we will need. Besides, the civil engineers need to stay here and keep constructing the heated flooring system.”
It was true. The amount of food and other cargo they needed would increase when there were too many mouths to feed. Their pace would decrease in proportion to the increase in items they had to carry. Moreover, winter was drawing near.
“The contract I signed in the spring specifies that the ondol construction will be finished before winter arrives. We should have finished up the entire construction by now, but we didn’t,” explained Lloyd.
It was because of the construction of the water supply system. The unplanned project required the mobilization of workers on the ondol construction, putting it to a halt.
“So I will bring the bare minimum number of civil engineers with me. I must finish the ondol construction before winter arrives, even if it means I have to put everyone on the project.”
“Then, how many do you plan to take with you?”
“I believe about twenty people would be enough to guard and load the treasures on the carriage”
“Are you sure that’s sufficient?” asked the baron again.
“Yes.”
As per Lloyd’s adamant will, twenty civil engineers, Javier, and Lloyd were the ones chosen to travel to the city of commerce. However, the final decision on the delegation size didn’t mean that Lloyd would set off for the journey right away. There was a task they needed to do before departing. It was constructing the pipes for the water supply system for the dye workshop in the viscounty.
Regardless of anything, I did sign the contract with him.
Lloyd needed to hurry and install it. That way, he would be able to get the large water bill as quickly as possible.
“All right, do not rush yourselves. Take it one step at a time. What’s the number one priority in construction sites?” asked Lloyd.
“Safety!”
“Good. You’ve done this an awful amount of times on the mountain, yes?”
“Yes, Young Master!”
“Then let’s get right to it!”
“Woah!!!”
Lloyd mobilized a portion of the civil engineering group from the purification plant of the fiefdom to the dye workshop of the viscounty. They repeated the job they had done over and over again in the mountain range. Ppodong dug the designated route and the soldiers smoothened it. They inserted, connected, and buried giant bamboo pipes. Everything took place in one unified flow.
The work was so smooth because I had everything planned out beforehand.
From the survey to design, Lloyd had finished everything before visiting the viscount and getting the contract signed.
The same went for the giant bamboo. He had already acquired the extra bamboo stalks in advance when he constructed the facility for his fiefdom in the mountain. Lloyd had already pruned them up and added stiffeners around altogether. In other words, everything was set.
Thus, all they needed was for Ppodong to dig the ground at the site and the soldiers to smoothen it up. The pipes could be installed right away.
Working my ass off back in the mountain felt like grilling for a barbecue, but this job feels like I’m tossing some frozen meals into the microwave.
It was very convenient and quick. Within fifteen days, Lloyd was able to construct almost all of the pipes. There was a difference in elevation between the Frontera fiefdom and the viscounty, which Lloyd adequately overcame with the eastern mountain range. Thanks to that, the average elevation of the overall pipes was approximately 0.7 percent.
This is good enough.
On the last day, when the pipes were connected, the viscounty’s dye workshop finally saw the provision of the first water supply system. The water wasn’t limewater anymore. It was the water that directly flowed from Lake Kapua. That eventually revived the viscounty’s specialty product, the Laconata.
Its former color and gloss returned. Viscount Lacona was obviously overwhelmed at the sight.
“Finally. Finally…”
He gasped out between his sobs.
“How do you like it? Don’t you think you made the right decision to install the water supply system?”
“Truly, yes. It is beyond me why I hesitated to sign the contract for this…”
“Well, of course. It was because of the water bill.”
“Please make sure that you do not get behind on your water bill from the first month.”
“Understood,” said Viscount Lacona.
The viscount had been overwhelmed with emotion and hugging the recovered Laconata cloth. But the word ‘water bill’ instantly dampened his spirit, and his face turned gray and sullen. Lloyd’s lips curved into a villainous smile.
Oh, pushovers like him are always welcome.
Not a single cell in him felt sorry or pity towards the viscount. The crisis was turned into an opportunity. It was the viscount himself who first put Lloyd in crisis. By overcoming it, he used the water bill as a straw to suck the viscount’s wallet dry. It was a titanium straw that no one would dare think of even touching for at least a couple of decades. Those weren’t the only things he earned.
The moment Lloyd turned around, abandoning the sullen viscount, a clear alarm rang with several messages sliding down in front of his eyes.
[You have succeeded in establishing a water supply system.]
[This marks a significant milestone in the history of the Lorasia continent.]
[The water supply system and its usage will be recorded for many years as one of the leading examples of civil construction in the kingdom and continent.]
[Your name will be recorded in the history of construction for the kingdom and continent.]
[For your first-ever continental achievement, you have been awarded a large amount of bonus RP.]
[You have earned 600 RP.]
[Current RP: 2275]
Lloyd stopped moving, but the messages kept appearing.
[The rumors about your great achievement will spread to nearby regions.]
[In particular, the bureaucrats and civil engineers of the kingdom will be deeply interested in the engineering and social value of the water supply system.]
[You have started to become famous as a developer.]
[Those who come across the rumors about you will show greater trust toward your construction plans than before.]
My reward for introducing the water supply system, huh.
Lloyd grasped the meaning of the messages as he slowly read them.
I was wondering why I didn’t get any rewards after I built the water supply system for my fiefdom.
That was something Lloyd was actually curious about.
But when he saw the messages popping in front of him, he was able to guess the reason.
This time, it wasn’t just about installing the water supply system. I had to meet the condition of properly using the built structure.
He couldn’t just lay down the water supply system. The condition for the accomplishment was to actually provide water using the installed facility and ultimately introduce a system that would be ‘used’ to collect water bills.
Good. Excellent.
The reward messages beautifully adorned the front of his eyes. Lloyd smiled in contentment as he looked at them.
I’m overflowing with RP.
This was the largest amount of RP he had ever received at once so far. But there was more.
Authority and credence as a developer is a huge reward. Though it wasn’t expressed in numbers, I’m sure it’s the largest reward I received.
Lloyd wanted to continue getting big construction projects down the road. That was how he would be able to make a lot of money and pay the debt of the baron. Just now, in the process of doing so, he had gained authority and credence as a developer. As such, it would be easier from now on to win over clients for construction projects.
This reward will help me throughout the future.
He liked it very much. Behind it, there were smaller rewards that followed. He earned five points of likeability from both the baron and baroness. Two points from Sir Bayern, who oversaw the construction. Four points from all the residents in his fiefdom. Thanks to that, he garnered over 126 RP, and people started to have fonder feelings toward Lloyd.
“Travel safely,” the baron said.
It was the day after the water supply system was connected to the viscounty. Lloyd departed to Cremo, the city of commerce. The baron couple escorted Lloyd on his way. The baron showered Lloyd with endless words of concern.
“Be careful all the time, and do not act rash wherever you are. Do you understand?”
“I’ll make sure to remember your words.”
“And if something happens, make sure you hide behind Sir Asrahan.”
“Yes, I promise that I will do that.”
“If you are in danger, make sure you run away before anything else.”
“Then, what about the soldiers?”
“Uhm, then run away with them together.”
The baroness was no better than her husband when it came to showering Lloyd with endless concerns.
“If things get hard, come back anytime. Promise me that you will never go on a strange, dark road or anywhere dangerous like that.”
“Yes, yes. I promise I won’t.”
“Make sure you do not skip meals.”
“Yes, I will eat on time,” said Lloyd again.
“And keep your blanket on when you sleep. Do not kick it away.”
“Mhm, yes.”
“And take this,” said the baroness.
“What is this?”
“It’s a talisman.”
“This cutesy pink doll is a talisman…?”
The baroness held out the talisman, and Lloyd slightly frowned when he took it. It was a teddy bear, too cute and chubby to call a talisman. Not only that, the color was pink, the pastel shade that teenage girls loved. However, the look on the baroness’s face was serious as she handed it over to Lloyd.
“Do not doubt its power. You should watch your words, Lloyd.”
“Uhm, but…”
“Your mother spent all night making that.”
“Oh…”
“Come on. Take it instead of just standing there.”
“But what power does it have, really?”
“I heard that it keeps away nightmares if you sleep with it every day.”
“Woah.”
“You see, sleep is necessary for a good life and luck naturally follows behind it. So I want you to tightly hug this at night while you are away. Okay?”
This was the baroness’s way of showing concern for him. He couldn’t bear to reject her efforts. At that moment, Lloyd was suddenly hit with thoughts about his mother back in Korea.
I guess all mothers are the same.
Even when things seemed unnecessary and at times pestering and embarrassing, they never stopped embracing and taking care of you. Why he thought he didn’t need any of it at the time was beyond him. He didn’t know why he thought they were a cumbersome existence. Lloyd regretted it as he looked back.
I should have accepted her when she reached out. I should have thanked her more.
Lloyd regretted that he didn’t do so in the past. So, maybe that was the reason behind his current behavior.
“Yes, thank you. Sincerely.”
He beamed and took the doll. He tightly hugged it to relieve his mother, trying to compensate for the hugs his biological mother missed out on because of his immaturity. Just like that, escorted by the baron couple, Lloyd left the fiefdom. Up until this point, nobody knew. Lloyd was simply heading to the commerce city to dispose of the old treasures. Nobody saw the future wherein the noble young master and knight of this rural province would accomplish something legendary in Cremo, the city of commerce.