Chapter 149

Dominic, just as he had promised, drafted a complete list of all his assets and handed it over to Lucian.

It was written in such detail that recovering his entire fortune didn’t seem difficult. If any handwritten document was needed, he didn’t hesitate to write it himself.

“If you need anything else, just tell me. I’ll do whatever you require.”

“…It’s surprising you don’t show a hint of hesitation. Merchant’s pride? The idea that a promise must be kept?”

At Lucian’s words, Dominic shook his head and gave a bitter smile.

“What pride could I have left after throwing away my credibility? I simply no longer have any attachment to the outside world.”

“After pulling off a scam like this, even if you regained your freedom, living a normal life would be impossible. You’d be met with scorn and ridicule everywhere, and even getting food would be difficult.”

“Since I can no longer live outside, I’ll hand over everything I have left.”

“Your Highness is the victor who exposed my scheme flawlessly. Rather than let my fortune rot in storage or be looted by anyone, I prefer to offer it as spoils of war to the victor.”

Dominic’s face, as he said this, was completely calm.

Whether he truly believed it or was just convincing himself, it was a favorable situation for Lucian.

He had managed to recover Dominic’s vast fortune easily and without omissions.

However, aside from that, the mission assigned to the guild leaders to “find hidden assets” continued without pause.

After all, that task had been created from the start as an excuse to put a leash on them, whether hidden assets existed or not.

***

“Guild Leader Hagen, the price of the food we agreed to purchase this time is quite high. Hasn’t it increased too much compared to before?”

“Th-the situation is unstable, and prices have inevitably risen! We’re supplying it to Your Highness at the lowest price possible!”

“Oh, really? That’s unfortunate. So the prices rose, but your profit margin, on the other hand, must have decreased.”

“I greatly appreciate your understanding.”

“By the way, is the task I gave you earlier progressing well? By now, a chest full of gold coins should’ve shown up, at least.”

“…We haven’t found any gold coins yet, but now that you mention it, I think we could lower the price a bit more.”

With the leash pulled tight, the guild leaders had no choice but to let Lucian drag them around.

Except for the minimum margin needed to keep the guild running, they had to sell most products at near-cost prices.

Lucian distributed these goods, bought at rock-bottom prices, among the foreigners from the tribes.

They had arrived from beyond the tundra with nothing, so they practically lacked everything.

The foreigners, upon receiving the goods given by Lucian, trembled with emotion.

In the tundra, all those items were extremely valuable, yet they were being given away so easily.

“Every day feels like a dream. No, I’ve never even dreamed of such an abundant life.”

“We were right to follow the king. If we had kept living in the tundra, we’d be wrapped in furs and chewing bland meat right now.”

“Or maybe we’d be dead from an infected hunting wound. Here, I tasted real medicine for the first time.”

The foreigners’ loyalty to Lucian kept growing. Naturally so—he was offering them a comfortable life that no one else had been able to give them.

However, at the same time, a vague unease began to arise deep in their hearts.

“But… is it really okay for us to just keep receiving like this? Shouldn’t we be paying something… like taxes or something?”

“That’s what I’m saying. I’m scared they’ll treat us like parasites later. The people who lived here before do pay, apparently.”

“As long as the king keeps helping us, we have to quickly find a way to earn a living. We can’t depend on his grace forever.”

No matter if he was the king of prophecy, one person’s personal wealth had a limit.

Lucian’s aid wouldn’t last forever, so everyone agreed they needed to become self-sufficient before that happened.

It was an admirable thought, but in reality, those worries were almost baseless.

‘With the fortune I took from Dominic, I’m not short on money. Since we’re at it, better to spend freely and make sure they settle in well. Once they’re established, I’ll earn back that investment many times over.’

Lucian wasn’t giving everything away for free out of pure duty. He had plenty of plans to recover that investment in the future, so he didn’t mind spending now.

Each one of them was larger and stronger than imperial citizens; individually, they weren’t inferior to knights.

In any job requiring manual labor, they would clearly generate at least double the profit.

Moreover, the foreigners came from the tundra, where warrior worship was natural.

The idea of getting paid for fighting didn’t even exist, so even if a standing army was created, it could be maintained for a time at extremely low cost.

‘The important thing right now isn’t taxes, but investing to increase their loyalty. They’re golden geese about to lay eggs—I won’t gut them for a few coins.’

In this way, Lucian felt no dissatisfaction with the current situation, where he was giving everything away thinking of the future.

But the foreigners had no idea what was going on in their king’s mind.

Naturally, to prepare for an uncertain future, they began racking their brains.

“What about blacksmithing or carpentry? We also have quite a bit of experience making weapons and building houses.”

“Are you kidding? The skill gap is way too big for that.”

“The technical level here is too high. Everything we’ve done so far feels like child’s play.”

“Then let’s try being hunters. At least we’re confident in hunting.”

“I heard that hunting grounds are regulated here, and you get punished if you hunt without permission.”

“You need permission to hunt? What strange laws.”

The foreigners debated intensely day after day, but couldn’t come up with a good solution.

Compared to the citizens of the empire, they lacked too many basic skills and technical knowledge, so most discussions ended fruitlessly.

After several weeks with no progress, some of them finally realized the root of the problem and shouted in frustration.

“Damn it! We can’t start anything like this. Without the basics, we need to learn them first.”

“Learn…? Right, let’s start by getting trained!”

“What?”

“If that’s how things are, let’s learn from the humans who lived here before us. What do they call it… apprenticeship? They say you can learn a skill as a disciple for a small fee.”

“I’ve heard of that too… but would they accept us? We’re old, and it’d be like raising competitors.”

“At least let’s try asking. If they say no, we’ll think of something else.”

For some, that proposal might have seemed humiliating, but for the foreigners, it wasn’t a big deal.

In the tundra, dying because you lacked the courage to ask to be taught was simply a reason to be mocked.

Without wasting time, they chose representatives and sent them to speak with the imperial blacksmiths who had already settled there.

***

The blacksmiths who received the foreigners’ proposal were alarmed and gathered immediately.

Not only had they never expected something like that to happen, but the proposal itself seemed utterly absurd to them.

“Have you heard the proposal those barbarians from beyond the tundra sent recently?”

“Of course. It’s so absurd I’m left speechless. Asking us openly to teach them our techniques!”

“If someone wants to learn a technique, they should kneel first. Where do they get such nerve?”

A technique, once mastered, was the livelihood of a lifetime. In other words, the more people you taught, the less room there was for yourself, and the more competitors appeared.

That’s why, normally, the transmission of techniques was strictly based on personal or blood ties, and those without connections had to show extreme devotion to learn anything.

And yet, without the slightest bit of deference, they expected to learn while holding their heads high.

“That’s why barbarians are useless. They don’t even know the basics!”

“Was it really necessary to call a meeting over this? Let’s just reject the proposal and kick them out!”

“Exactly! We can’t hand over techniques passed down for generations so lightly!”

“Tsk, tsk.”

In the middle of the blacksmiths’ uproar, a tongue click was heard.

It was Igor, who had called the meeting and was also the most experienced blacksmith among them.

Igor scanned the room and slammed the table hard.

“Do none of you think at all? Do you really believe this is still the same territory as before?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Right now, the majority of Asagrim’s population comes from beyond the tundra. If you puff yourselves up in front of them, what do you think will happen next?”

“This is Asagrim, the sacred land of the north! They’d better not try anything just because they outnumber us!”

“I don’t know what you mean by ‘trying anything,’ but there’s something you’d better remember. All of them will be our customers. They’re not just outsiders.”

At those words that hit the mark, the blacksmiths all fell silent at once.

No matter how extraordinary their products were, a blacksmith without customers was destined to starve.

Even considering what they sold to merchants as trade goods, in the end, their main customers would always be the inhabitants of the same territory.

And yet, they were trying to divide and look down on those who would be their main buyers just because of where they came from.

“If I were treated like that, I wouldn’t buy anything from someone who insulted me either. I’d starve before I let myself get stabbed.”

“B-but even if we teach them the techniques, what will change? Once they learn, with the numerical advantage they have, we’ll lose all control.”

“Why are you still thinking so short-sightedly? Look further ahead. Do you really believe Asagrim’s expansion ends here?”

“What do you mean?”

“Asagrim was already famous as the sacred land of the north, but recently its population, production base, and trade network have expanded. There’s nothing lacking anymore. So, what do you think comes next?”

It was obvious that, up to now, the free men who had only watched cautiously would start settling in Asagrim.

Even if the walled city was full, the population would continue to grow outside the walls.

That’s how large cities worked—when they couldn’t hold everyone, they expanded outward.

“There will come a time when there are too many customers for us to handle alone. To meet the demand, we’ll need apprentices.”

“So you’re saying we should accept their proposal now and sell them that favor?”

“No. I’m saying we should train them properly and directly establish a guild.”

“…”

“All of them have only been in the empire a short time and lack basic knowledge. If we become their teachers and found a guild, who do you think will take the leadership positions?”

The blacksmiths’ eyes lit up.

If the city grew, the number of blacksmiths would naturally increase, and with that, a guild would form.

And in a guild, those at the top usually weren’t the most skilled, but the ones with the most influence.

In other words, if they trained apprentices now, the chances of becoming the future guild’s leaders were high.

“Our backs are already bent, and our eyesight’s starting to fail. How much longer do you think we can work at peak level? It wouldn’t be a bad idea to start training apprentices and enjoy a peaceful old age.”

“Hmm that’s not a bad argument…”

“I’m just worried if they’ll respect their masters like we do.”

Some blacksmiths agreed with Igor but couldn’t shake off their concerns.

They didn’t even understand the importance of techniques now and showed up without manners.

Wouldn’t they just ignore their masters once they learned everything?

“Don’t worry. You all know this yourselves. How are traditions born?”

Igor smiled slyly at the others’ doubts.

Those who suffer under a tradition rarely try to break it afterward. The reason is simple.

“When the apprentices’ turn comes to be treated as masters, they’ll start respecting tradition more fervently than anyone.”