Opening the Floodgates
As a man who profited from human pleasure, Ahmed Hashim was one of the wealthiest men on the continent.
His first impression was surprisingly favorable for the lord of a pleasure district.
His bronze-colored body was firm and free of excess fat, while his eyes seemed to shine with vitality.
He was the complete opposite of the dull-eyed nobles commonly seen throughout Halim.
Ahmed personally handed Ferda the tea prepared by a maid.
"This is Assam tea. I heard that you enjoy tea, so I brought this instead of alcohol."
"I'll gladly drink it."
"It is an honor to receive you in private like this. I did not attend the Grand Duke Council, but I heard that you made quite an impressive statement there. I sincerely hope for the Far East's prosperity."
Anyone could say such things.
"Your words alone are appreciated."
"Words alone? Would I, Ahmed Hashim, commit an act that would incur Set's wrath?"
Set was a god of the southern desert.
Ahmed stroked his long beard as he continued.
"I only wish I had a gift I could personally offer you as well. Ah."
Ahmed snapped his fingers.
"I have just thought of something suitable."
He whispered something to the maid standing beside him and fanning him.
Understanding immediately, she stepped outside.
Ahmed smiled at Ferda.
"You are aware that many visitors to our city enjoy gambling, are you not?"
"Of course. I gambled here once myself."
"We have something prepared for those who regret having to stop after losing only the money they brought."
"A pawnshop?"
Ahmed nodded.
Though Ahmed was called the lord of Halim, only two of the city's twelve casinos were directly operated under him.
Instead, every pawnshop in Halim was run by his subordinates.
Those pawnshops alone brought him three times the combined profit of all ten remaining casinos.
"We accept collateral and grant the owner six months. Once those six months pass, I am free to dispose of the item however I please."
"You intend to give me one of those items."
"Precisely. You may look forward to it."
The auction held after this exhibition would likely feature items gathered from Ahmed's pawnshops.
The fact that he had mentioned them meant he intended to hand over one of those pledged objects.
'These places go far beyond ordinary pawnshops.'
Most of Halim's customers were nobles and wealthy merchants.
They brought not only jewelry, but sometimes rare treasures used as family heirlooms.
'Of course, most families borrow money if necessary to reclaim those.'
Using a family heirloom as collateral was practically an invitation to predatory lending.
Most of what remained unclaimed would probably be jewelry or mediocre magic items.
Even so, Ferda found himself curious.
Ahmed had told him to look forward to it, so it was worth seeing what he had prepared.
A short while later, four maids dressed as dancers carefully carried a palanquin into the room.
The reverence with which they handled it made clear that the object was a treasure no one was permitted to touch casually.
Ferda could not help but feel anticipation.
Resting atop the palanquin was a long, narrow box.
It was roughly large enough to contain a dagger.
Ahmed personally removed the object and displayed it across the table.
"This is…"
Ferda's eyes widened.
Having spent his life as a mage in pursuit of power, he recognized it immediately.
"Do you know what it is?"
"Is this… a branch of the World Tree struck by Heaven-Defying Lightning?"
Ahmed looked astonished by Ferda's answer.
"Exactly. You recognized it at a glance. Most people would never know…"
Until broken off, branches of the World Tree contained pure mana.
When struck by lightning, however, their properties changed, allowing them to amplify electrical power.
For any mage who specialized in lightning, such a branch was one of the essential materials for crafting a staff.
However, more than a thousand World Tree branches had fallen after being struck by ordinary lightning, so they were not particularly rare.
Heaven-Defying Lightning was different.
'Lightning that only Lucy Philius, the First Witch, could wield.'
Lucy Philius was a witch who possessed the only power capable of defying natural law and opposing the gods.
The most famous example of that power was Heaven-Defying Lightning.
Unlike ordinary blue lightning, it was red and rose upward into the sky.
Only seven World Tree branches had ever been struck by it.
One was in Erdes's possession.
One belonged to the Blue-Eyed Magic Tower.
The remaining five had been divided among renowned mage families.
However, two of those families had fallen, and their branches had disappeared along with them.
'Is this one of the missing branches?'
There were several possibilities.
Perhaps a gambling-addicted heir from a mage family had stolen the heirloom and pawned it, only for the family to claim later that it had been lost out of shame.
Or perhaps a thief truly had stolen it, then gambled away everything and pledged it here.
Whatever the process had been, it was insignificant compared to the shock of seeing the branch itself.
'One million two hundred thousand golden.'
It was a sum even most kings would struggle to offer.
The price had been so extraordinary that Ferda remembered it clearly.
For lightning mages, this was one of the rarest and most precious materials in existence.
"There is something I would like to ask."
"Yes, of course. Please."
"How much was this branch pawned for?"
Ahmed grinned as though Ferda had asked exactly the right question.
"Ten thousand golden."
One hundred and twenty times less than its true value.
Once again, Ferda was reminded of just how completely gambling could ruin a person.
Someone had surrendered an item worth 1.2 million golden for such a pitiful amount.
But that was not the important part.
'Ahmed understands how valuable this is.'
Even if he did not know its full value of 1.2 million golden, he must have believed he could sell it for at least five hundred thousand.
It was far too costly to hand over as a casual gift.
That meant Ahmed considered Ferda more valuable than that enormous sum.
He had clearly finished making his calculations.
"Are you truly comfortable giving me something this precious?"
"Objects eventually find their rightful owners. Would it not be proper to give lightning to one who wields lightning?"
The spells Ferda had used during the wolf monster incident were Lightning Spear and Lightning Bolt.
Ahmed had apparently concluded that Ferda was a lightning mage.
'Even so, a staff made from this would certainly help.'
It was a material that could only benefit him and would never become a burden.
Ferda accepted Ahmed's gift.
"I accept it with gratitude. After receiving such a gift, I'm unsure whether I can simply remain still."
"There is no need to worry. Shouldn't comrades in the same situation help one another?"
"The same situation?"
"Yes. We are both people who must build something from barren ground."
Ahmed rose from his seat and walked toward the window.
Ferda followed him.
Beyond the window lay a wasteland beneath the scorching sun.
"Halim was once merely another dying city built upon arid land. When the mages began pursuing their ambitions, our city became one of their targets as well."
Interference by mages in domestic affairs was common throughout the south.
Water was always scarce there.
Because of that, anyone capable of wielding the water element was treated with great respect.
And if they could command not merely water, but ice as well, they could name virtually any price.
"To revive Halim, my grandfather devoted everything he had. A mage plotted against him, and yet he made every possible sacrifice for this land that people believed the gods had abandoned."
Tears welled in Ahmed's eyes.
His expression was steeped in resentment, as though he had personally endured that sorrow.
"Everyone cursed us, saying we were doomed. But look at how it ended! They called this an unholy land, a place abandoned by the gods, yet we grew so strong that no one can ignore us now. This was achieved through human strength!"
A prosperous city wholly at odds with the barren wasteland surrounding it.
Many small cities had adapted to the southern desert, but none had achieved the same level of luxury and civilization as Halim.
"And my father, Abdul Hashim, always told me never to hesitate when helping brothers who shared our circumstances. The Far East is our brother—a brother walking the same path and deserving of the same prosperity!"
Ahmed spoke with enough passion to set the world ablaze.
His fervor was impressive enough to move anyone who heard it.
Ferda, however, did not take his words at face value.
To rule over a land this deranged, one had to remain sane every day of the year.
That was not a choice.
It was a necessity.
There was no reasonable explanation for Ahmed offering such generous support out of mere gratitude.
'Burnell must have left quite an impression on him.'
He had likely realized the value of magitech.
This was a chance to gain access to a weapon capable of killing a monster in a single shot.
Ahmed had no intention of letting that opportunity slip away.
Having reached his conclusion, Ferda spoke.
"As it happens, we are currently constructing a settlement under Valdrova Castle as part of our campaign to develop the Far East."
"I heard about that as well. I imagine you are severely lacking in both labor and materials. When is the projected completion date?"
"They say the foundation work and water and sewage systems alone will take a year. Even with an optimistic estimate, surrounding the entire settlement with walls will require five years."
"Five years!"
Ahmed stroked his beard thoughtfully.
Then, without warning, he raised two fingers.
"Two years."
"Excuse me?"
"We will provide the materials and manpower necessary to shorten the construction schedule to two years."
The proposal was so extraordinary that Ferda could not immediately judge whether it was even realistic.
Ahmed was claiming that he could reduce the schedule by three full years.
The only shortages were labor and materials.
If Ahmed supplied both, construction of the city would accelerate dramatically.
"A city plan of this scale will naturally require a direct road to Valdrova Castle as well. We will support that project too."
"Doesn't a road already exist?"
"That road passes through the Empire. It is not a direct route, is it? Traveling that way is inconvenient. More importantly…"
Ahmed suddenly looked around like a treacherous courtier checking whether anyone was listening.
"The people in the imperial capital cannot be trusted."
Ferda silently agreed.
Despite Ahmed's exaggerated gestures, the depth of his thinking exceeded Ferda's expectations.
'Still, can he truly afford to make such a sweeping proposal?'
Reducing the construction period by three years and building a road went far beyond a noble merely declaring that he would "cooperate with development."
'Just as all roads are said to lead through the Empire, every road in the south leads through Halim.'
Halim was known as a pleasure district, but it was also the most commercially active place in the region.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the finest goods from across the south came here to be sold to nobles gathered from every corner of the continent.
In other words, Ferda was on the verge of securing direct trade with the south.
'Burnell has been far more useful than I expected.'
Without the opportunity Burnell had created, this meeting could never have happened.
The progress stirred by the winds of innovation made Ferda smile involuntarily.
Even so, he remained cautious until the end.
Ahmed's true intention emerged only afterward.
"Everything I have mentioned so far is what we are prepared to provide. Now, I would like to make you a proposal."
Ahmed extended his hand.
"How would you feel about forming a partnership with Halim?"
After finishing his conversation with Ahmed, Ferda returned to Stephan.
"Bwahahahaha!"
Meanwhile, Stephan was gripping Burnell's hand and laughing like a madman.
"What is wrong with you?"
"Hahaha! We've struck gold! We've hit the jackpot!"
"What? What?"
"Look at these!"
Stephan placed a thick stack of papers on the desk.
Every one of them was an investment proposal.
The amounts ranged from one hundred golden to ten thousand, with the largest reaching one hundred thousand golden.
"Not only merchants, but nobles from across the continent are showing interest in our products!"
"Is that a good thing?"
"The mere fact that they handed us these documents means we hold the advantage! The fact that they offered such extraordinary sums instead of making half-hearted proposals is extremely significant!"
"You mean we have the initiative."
"Exactly!"
Ferda, who had been completely ignored, quietly watched them for a moment before speaking.
"So what are you planning to do?"
"Ah! Regent, you're back. Surely you don't think we should accept these offers? Only fools would take the money when they want us this badly! We have several much better strategies available. Would you like to hear them?"
Excitedly, Stephan handed Ferda a business-model proposal.
"The major investors want us right now! Since weapons based on magitech are drawing interest from several places, I plan to consult with our newly appointed administrator and devise strategies involving real-estate auctions and investment!"
Everything he spoke of was money, money, and more money.
These were precisely the means they needed to fill the financial gaps Administrator Isabella had been most concerned about.
"With this much capital, we could establish an entirely new trading company. We would make the Far East its headquarters and—"
"A new trading company?"
Ferda interrupted him.
"Yes. Instead of relying on the existing Pascal Trading Company, we would establish an autonomous company based entirely in the east. The Duke would own thirty-one percent, Mr. Burnell twenty percent, I would own another twenty percent, and the remaining twenty-nine percent would be allocated to outside investors."
"Why would outsiders be necessary for our company?"
"To secure favorable trade terms with major companies, they sometimes demand a percentage of the company's shares. In return, we purchase a percentage of theirs as well, so it is closer to an exchange. It should not cause any major problems."
Their side consisted of professional merchants, and the people they would be dealing with were professionals as well.
It was a complicated matter.
Ferda therefore had no intention of involving himself too deeply.
"What do you think?"
"It is not mine yet. It still belongs to my father. And…"
Ferda reviewed Stephan's proposal once more.
"I have no objection if it will help the settlement grow, but I don't understand why you are so pleased."
As Ferda examined the strategies Stephan had presented, he noticed more than one strange detail.
He was no expert in economics, but even he could sense that something was off.
"Many of your proposals feel as though they require us to begin from nothing."
It felt like digging a new well despite having one right beside them.
As though they intended to start everything anew on barren land.
Ferda's intuition was correct.
"Yes. There are parts we would need to build from the ground up."
"Why?"
"Because that would allow us to obtain a trading company without relying on the Pascal Trading Company."
"So…"
Ferda's gaze sharpened.
Stephan involuntarily tensed under it.
"I am asking why you refuse to rely on Pascal."
"That company…"
The words did not come easily.
Yet Ferda's gaze forced the truth out of him.
"There is no particular reason that company needs to become mine."
"I see."
Smack!
Ferda threw the papers he had been reading onto the table.
To Stephan, the sound resembled a slap across his face.
Ferda's blue eyes seemed to grow even colder.
"Then you are of no use to me."
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