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Chapter 160: Feudal Lord

Before I knew it, summer was already here while I spent the days hunting with Pokey Stick EX, making stuff that I lacked, planting trees on the island.

「Riche, it’ll be cooler over here once I open the sluice, so why don’t you come here? 」
Riche was staying in the corner of a dark room where sunlight doesn’t reach.

Days with clear skies, bright sun and no humidity are perfectly great for me, but Riche finds them too hot for comfort. It wasn’t to the point that he’ll get weak, but he likes to lie down spread-eagled with his tummy flat on the floor, as if trying to enjoy the sensation of the cold floor to the fullest.

I opened the sluice this morning after inspecting the water channel underneath the room. The stone slab was quite thick so it took me some time, but the room turned cooler than the rest of the house.

Since we’re avoiding the heat, stroll time with Riche has gotten earlier by the day. Well, it’s okay because I take naps in the afternoon anyway.

Alright, today’s the day I’ll be working on the second floor. I can just chuck all the furniture and stuff into 【Storage】so it wasn’t that hard, but I guess there’s no one else who excels in tearing down stuff, building walls then smashing them again than me, if I say so myself. It’s like having ants in your pants; I can’t even settle down.

Anyway, the summer heat started on the island, then in my house, before spreading to Canum. The cold in Canum’s house can be quite intense, so other than the area near and around the fireplace, everything else is made of wood. The third floor is tiled because of the fireplace, but it’s easier to clean.

The existing fireplace was remodeled so that it’ll be suitable for cooking, so it’s wider and deeper, and I can make it burn up to waist level. There’s a workbench opposite the fireplace, and I used stone tiles in the area between them so that it’s easier for me to clean.

I left the small hearth that I installed after turning this room into the guestroom as it is, and added some tools and stuff so we can brew tea over it. The nearby spot might become the reserved seat for Butler, I guess.

Bang — I heaved the wine barrel to its special stand, then another bang for the beer barrel on its own stand, too.

I pushed the bench against the wall, put a table in front, and placed the chairs across. How nice it’ll be if we got water service —thinking so, I also installed a gigantic water jug. I’ll expand the firewood storehouse later and hoard wood when it’s cheaper.
I arranged the dishes I took from the first floor onto the shelves. My goal is to move the stuff that might be troublesome if somebody else sees them, but yeah, this room completely turned into a restaurant. What to do now with my dinner appointments with Ash? Honestly, I liked the atmosphere of the first floor before. The attic had completely turned into the game room, and it’s also an extension of the bedroom, after all.

Maybe I should give the bedroom above the courtyard, ah, no, the third floor above it, a little makeover? It’s the season of less rainfall, so I should also work on the sanctuary in the forest. We have plenty of materials, after all!

I already have a rough idea of how I want the forest house to turn out, so let’s go to the island and get some materials.

Oh, speaking of the island —

Gold and Silver brought some wild news to me.

「Buying the land and the people in it? 」
「You are currently renting it, no? 」
Well, I guess it wasn’t clear?

「You will inherit the land and the people here, and be independent. 」
「The son of the lord is getting married six months from now, and he also has four daughters after that son. 」
「…so it’s about money, huh. 」
Gold nodded.

It’s currently the end of the transition period of the country being a state. Most of the feudal lords had already been absorbed into the nobility.

Because free commerce is the mainstay around Nalhuadid, the merchants have more power, so it’s still considered a feudal unit. This place can be considered a commercial state in a sense, but feudal lords who aren’t involved in trade are considered useless, something like that?

Other than the feudal lords with good foresight who owned ports, or ships, the rest of the feudal lords who owned the islands were already cut off from the areas where ports can be established, as well as places facing the sea. They are also considered nuisances, commonly ignored.

Well, since I’m also a free knight, I guess I’m also one of the rural feudal lords.

「A trading company became bankrupt, so the ships are put up for sale. Seems like he wanted one no matter what. 」Gold.
「What, I thought he’s going to use the money to fund the wedding. 」
I feel like that feudal lord isn’t good at making a deal.

「If he has a ship, it’s enough as assets, and if he’s lucky, he’ll be able to pay off his loans while earning money. 」Gold.
「Not sure if that guy has business acumen or what, but for that family, it’s their dearest wish to have their own ships. 」Silver.

Wait, we’re having this conversation in such a dim room, it’s as if we’re doing some conspiracy of sorts, don’t you think? Gold and Silver are also acting suspiciously.

「At first, they were acting ridiculously by demanding the loan cost of the entire ship, but when we ignored them, they lowered the price, so low that it could barely cover the down payment for the ship. 」Silver.
「It might become a dispute if that guy got crushed and replaced by another feudal lord. I believe it would be in our best interest to become independent. 」Gold.

「Yeah. There’s no strife around here, but if trade fails, I don’t think that feudal lord guy will be able to stand his own ground. 」
「Isn’t this idea better than spending money to aid them if that happens? 」
Yeah, Silver is right. It’ll be a pain in the neck to negotiate with a new feudal lord, so I’ll probably end up going through the hassle of funding the old feudal lord just to keep the contract going.

The island will have changed a lot by the time a new feudal lord comes, and he might strike a hard bargain after seeing the worth of the island after all the improvements. Such a hassle.

「Got it, then go ahead and pay him. 」
Ack, more expenses!!

I was hoarding aquamarines bit by bit, and I don’t think I’ll go in the red, but stop with the unplanned expenses, they’re emphasizing just how haphazard I am in planning, you know.

The house is already enough for having haphazard plans. Ah no, I guess this is also part of house expenses, huh.

「Yes, Milord. 」
「As you command. 」
Gold and Silver bowed to me.

「Eh? Am I the feudal lord now? 」

「Indeed, it’s the automatic outcome. 」
Gold broke into a huge grin with one hand still over his breast while stooping down.

「Did you even listen to what we just talked about now? 」
Silver coldly replied.

So harsh.