Chapter 198: The Bottom of the Bottom
He met Arma in his deep consciousness, just like when he first entered the vegetative body.
—It seems the soul exchange was successful…
“Yes, Master is currently inside Leobold’s body. We plan to replace all the internal organs and tendons, so it will take some time.”
He seemed to want to get both the biopack and the modification surgery done at once.
—Well, you do as you please. How about the language part?
“I added various languages to Master’s memory. For a while, the continental common language will be the main one, but you will also be able to learn the Elven language Elnopeir and the Beastmen language quickly.”
It was convenient to learn languages naturally by reading along with the pronunciation marks.
Arma also explained about the units and currency.
The standards were more headache-inducing than Earth, but they would be unified around Banda’s territory, so he only had to endure for a while.
“I will convert all the units that Master encounters to Earth style for a while.”
—That would be helpful.
“Master’s family is dead and the only relatives are the administrator of the territory and a few mercenaries. The former has little knowledge of the second son since they parted when they were young, and the latter are wanted, so I will be able to explain them soon.”
-Good. There won’t be much trouble for me to enter the territory.
“I will also enter. A noble needs a servant.”
-Right. Just in case, play some videos or related materials about the daily lives of the nearby residents. I need to get used to it so I don’t get surprised.
“Understood. Please rest well, Master.”
He was a very kind artificial intelligence.
He watched the videos flowing in his deep consciousness.
He said it was a civilization with trains, but somehow it looked no different from medieval farmers.
-Well, Earth also had a huge gap in civilization…
When some countries like America were seriously considering space exploration, somewhere in the Middle East nomads were herding sheep and baking bread in ovens.
It was not that such a life was wrong, but that there could be a huge gap in civilization within the same world.
And if they tried to forcibly integrate them, there would be tremendous friction.
—I guess I’ll have to take only those who follow me here…
There would be bigger waves than developing from Korea to the United Federation of Humanity, and there wouldn’t be many people who could endure it with a sane mind.
He wondered if he had to achieve such development in his hometown of the prophet.
—What if I just make an ordinary kingdom and look for information about the prophet?
It would be enough to crush Elvrande, so he wouldn’t need much national power.
His goal was to find the prophet, not to unify Astera.
On the other hand, he was curious about why the prophet sent him here.
—If all this was his intention…
If going back to the past and traveling for 50 years were according to his intention, what should he do here?
He kept worrying, but as always, there was no answer.
He could only think of doing his best in his field.
—Let’s start with developing the territory first.
He tried not to forget his duty as he brought a pioneer group.
The settler ship, which meant immigrants, also agreed with that.
He and Arma were immigrants who arrived at an unfamiliar alien planet and soon became pioneers.
He opened his eyes and confirmed that the water level of the capsule was going down.
From now on, he had to live as a noble of Astera.
***
One night in 1036 by continental calendar.
A huge spaceship that approached 1 million tons of displacement and 700 meters long submerged into the deep sea of ??the western part of Astera continent.
The pioneer group decided to settle in Astera and temporarily checked the engine room including the fusion reactor.
Each facility of Settler ship was under considerable overload after traveling for nearly 50 years.
It wasn’t broken yet, but it needed maintenance activities such as finding errors and replacing parts.
The mining ship and supply ship moved north instead of Banda’s territory.
It was to mine resources from the floating continent.
Leobold saw the floating continent for the first time during that process.
“There are quite a lot… How high are they in the sky?”
“They are densely located at an altitude of 10~11km. The average temperature is not low at around 10 degrees Celsius, but we are tracking down the cause.”
The temperature should be below minus tens of degrees at an altitude of 10km.
This place was not Earth, so there might be some other factors involved…
Leo saw something falling from the floating continent through an exploration ship.
“It looks like a lot is falling. Is it buoyant stone?”
“The crust including buoyant stone is falling little by little. There are a lot of mineral resources, so the nearby countries are eager to secure them.”
“It’s like getting resources for free from the sky.”
“Since it fell from such a high altitude, the damage was so great that there was no one around. Except for the armies sent by various countries.”
“There will be frequent battles.”
“Elvrande’s army occupies most of the resources, as if it’s natural. There is a lot of dissatisfaction, but they can’t form an alliance and are in a precarious situation.”
“When will this elf talk end?”
“This is just the beginning.”
It would be strange if they didn’t have much influence, considering that they occupied 25% of the continent.
Anyway, the Vandus territory had to find other ways to survive, since it didn’t have much resources other than salt and fishery resources.
They could only try to secure those fishery resources after repelling the shadow elves who landed on the territory and plundered the villages from time to time.
Arma presented a roadmap.
“The key is fishery resource exports and airships.”
“Yes. We can’t say we suddenly found a gold mine.”
Airships were rare, but the Bagran Kingdom also had a few.
They just didn’t find any use for them and left them idle.
His plan was to borrow them and mine resources from the floating continent.
“Will they lend them to us at the palace?”
“We’ll have to pay a fair price. They’re short of food, so if we use salt and fishery resources, they’ll lend them to us. They have no use for them anyway.”
No one in Astera had ever gone up to the floating continent.
It wasn’t that they lacked initiative, but the nearby environment was too harsh and they gave up on it.
But according to Arma’s information, the upper part of the floating continent was surprisingly warm.
There was also enough oxygen for them to function, so it was a sufficient environment for them to operate.
The important thing was that there were a lot of resources on the floating continent.
According to Arma’s report, he had secured more than 20 resources, including open-pit gold mines, so it was better to enter quickly.
The other territories or elves wouldn’t just watch that, but this side’s development would far outstrip their response.
Arma bowed his head and left, then came back after changing his clothes.
He looked like a typical medieval maid, which made Leo chuckle.
“Are you going to be a maid for real?”
“The Vandus territory is poor, so I’m going to take care of you, sir.”
“Sir?”
“I’m of lowly status, so this is the only way I can serve you.”
His voice sounded sarcastic, as if he had an ulterior motive, but maybe he was mistaken.
Arma took off his glasses and tied his platinum blonde hair into a ponytail, but his appearance wasn’t hidden by his shabby clothes.
They had to move to the territory now, but they couldn’t go alone, so they had to bring some escorts.
Fortunately, there were quite a few dummies that could be used as escorts in Settlerhohen.
They had no physical difference from humans and had faint egos, so they blindly obeyed orders.
Of course, Arma was stronger than them, but he couldn’t reveal his identity recklessly.
Finally, Lucia changed her appearance into a fairy with magic and sat on Leo’s shoulder.
Fairies were very rare in Astera continent, but their existence was known.
He looked over the people and nodded his head.
“Good. Let’s go to the territory now. We have to do something before it collapses.”
That’s how a few people sneaked into an exploration ship and moved to Vandus territory.
“Hoo…”
Carson Zebastian threw a miserable gaze out of the window.
He was the only bureaucrat who kept the Vandus barony family.
This territory wasn’t very prosperous in the first place, but until recently it had been doing well enough.
But the flames of war didn’t just pass by this territory.
The Bagran Kingdom got involved in the war with Elvrande and its troops were withdrawn.
Administrator Carson sent off the few troops he had and prayed for their safe return.
But what came back after a few months was only a seal that proved the lord’s identity and two mutilated corpses.
The lord and his eldest son, who was his successor, died at once.
“My dear! My son! Aaah!”
Carson had never seen the lady cry so miserably before.
After that she languished and died in a few weeks.
The Vandus barony family was on the verge of ruin after one war.
But there was still hope.
If the second son who left the territory when he was young came back, he thought he could somehow continue the family line.
The palace felt responsible for sending him on an unreasonable expedition and decided to persuade him and bring him back.
But looking at this situation now, he doubted what it meant.
Administrator Carson took out a pouch from the drawer with trembling hands.
“I’ve worked hard to save 112 gold…”
Considering that 1 gold could feed a four-person peasant family for a month, it was a considerable amount of money.
But if it was the operating fund of the entire territory, the story was different.
He clutched the pouch preciously.
“I didn’t want to give this money away, but…”
He had no choice.
The Vandus barony family had a lot of debt from the war and there was also a lot of compensation to be paid to the soldiers.
If he paid that, the operating fund of the territory would run out right away.
Administrator Carson looked at the dark clouds in the sky with a miserable eye.
Winter was coming soon, but he didn’t think there were many people who could withstand the harsh cold.
He wished he could get a lot of firewood, but it was difficult because of the friction with the neighboring territories.
“Is there no choice but to dig a hole and go in?”
It might sound ridiculous to dig a hole unless they were beastmen, but even that was a blessing for the people of the territory.
The anthracite mine was closed and they couldn’t get any food to eat.
Some of the people went to the forest owned by the neighboring territory and got beaten up and chased away.
There were also many people who fled at night, realizing that there was no hope in this territory.
It was a complete disaster, the bottom of the bottom.
“The only hope left is the second son, but…”
Administrator Carson was the only bureaucrat who had experienced Leobold in the territory.
He used to treat the servants with contempt and when he found out that he wouldn’t inherit the territory, he threw a tantrum and left.
He said he was making a living as a mercenary, but he wondered how much help he would be if he returned to the territory.
The war he participated in ended in a miserable defeat.
Suddenly, a sigh mixed with despair escaped from his mouth.
“I hope he doesn’t cause any trouble when he comes back…”
The only good thing was that there was nothing to give away even if he caused trouble in the territory.
The door of the lord’s mansion rattled and made a noise.
“Gasp.”
Carson was startled for a moment and clutched his chest, then slowly let out a deep breath.
They came.
The mercenaries of Harpy Talon, who came to settle their unpaid wages from their previous lord.
He didn’t understand why they were asking for something without a contract, but they happened to sit at the entrance of the anthracite mine, which was the only source of income in the territory, and he couldn’t work.
As he hesitated, the old door made a sound as if it was going to break.
Bang! Bang!
“Hey! Open the door!”
“We came to get our money! The money we deserve!”
Did mercenaries ever move without a deposit?
Unfortunately, there was no one or power in this territory to argue with them.
Nor anyone to help Carson.
“Mercenaries…”
“Wha, what do we do, administrator?”
Among the few servants who murmured, he turned the doorknob with trembling hands.
The door opened wide and the mercenaries rushed into the mansion.
“Give us the money! Money!”
“Just give us the money and we’ll leave quietly! You’ve never seen such obedient mercenaries!”
Obedient my ass!
They caused a lot of damage by blocking the anthracite mine.
The bigger problem was that there was no guarantee that they would leave even if he paid them.
They must have realized that this territory had no owner and it would be strange if they didn’t take advantage of it.
The servants backed away and Administrator Carson blocked the mercenaries’ way.
“If I pay you the overdue wages, will you really leave the territory?”
“You’ve found some money, huh?”
A big man came out among the mercenaries.
He was a fallen nobleman named Husran, and he was the only knight among the mercenaries who could control Goliath.
He was a self-proclaimed knight who had no lord or even a position, but no one could say anything to him.
In the age of war, power was justice.
He crossed his arms in front of Carson.
“I promise. If you pay us 110 gold, we’ll remove Goliath from the anthracite mine and leave the territory right away. Everyone here is a witness.”
“…”
Carson smiled faintly.
He knew better than anyone that he wouldn’t keep his promise, but he had no choice.
He had to appease the mercenaries’ anger and think of another way.
As he tried to hand over the pouch with trembling hands, it happened.
The bell outside the lord’s mansion rang loudly and a man in shabby clothes ran in shouting something.
“Administrator! He’s here! He’s here!”
Everyone turned around and frowned.
Who could be a guest in this remote territory other than a debt collector?
A person stood out among those who appeared blocking the morning sun.
That big figure, could it be…
Hus asked as he clenched his jaw.
“Do you know him?”
“I think so. I don’t remember well because it’s been a long time…”
Carson looked at the man on the horned horse with a frown.
His huge physique definitely told him that he was of Vandus barony blood.
Leobold Vandus.
He had returned after a long wander.
But what did it mean now?
The territory was on the verge of collapse and there was no hope…
Hus sneered as he realized his identity.
“It looks like the person who will be the lord of this territory has arrived. It will be easier to talk to him than these lowlifes.”
But the mercenaries were more interested in the woman next to him.
“What a beauty!”
“Captain. Isn’t it a waste to have her in this backwater territory?”
“Let’s ask for her instead of 10 gold!”
“Hahaha!”
The mercenaries looked at Arma and laughed.
She was too precious to be stuck in this corner of the territory.
Leobold approached the mansion without greeting them and looked at the mercenaries with a scowl.
“What are these bastards doing?”
The mercenaries were about to explode when Hus stopped them with amusement.
“I’m sorry for interrupting your return, but do you know that your father owes us money? If you borrow money, you have to pay it back, don’t you?”
“How much is it?”
“110 gold with interest. Give us Zaium gold. We don’t like Bagran gold because it has low purity. Then we’ll leave quietly.”
“Captain! Ask for that woman!”
“Let’s say we’ll cut 10 gold if you give us that woman!”
“Hahaha!”
The mercenaries laughed as they looked at Arma.
Leobold nodded his head.
“I see. I’ll pay you.”
Hus smiled and reached out his hand, but Leobold moved his arm instead.
“Huh?”
Hus felt something empty under his shoulder and looked down, then widened his eyes.
His arm had disappeared somehow.
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