31: Chapter 31 Use your money to do my thing

His hand was already on the hilt of the longsword at his waist.

The cold metallic touch spread from his fingertips, like the only point of clarity amidst his boiling rage.

A Battle Qi fluctuation, solid as substance, erupted from Karl Byron, making Evelyn's hair and skirt flutter and dropping the ambient temperature by several degrees.

The Orc guards, who were maintaining order, instantly felt the bloodline suppression from a high-level martial artist. They let out uneasy growls from their throats, their muscles tensing instinctively.

However, this killing intent, enough to make ordinary soldiers tremble with fear, failed to shake the business smile on Evelyn's face in the slightest.

She didn't even blink, merely turning slightly and making a 'please' gesture, as if Karl's About to be drawn sword was merely an overly ornate accessory for a distinguished guest's arrival.

"Get lost, servant of the devil!" Karl's voice was squeezed from between his teeth, filled with the cold hardness and disdain of tempered steel.

He completely ignored the succubus and had no interest in accepting that ridiculous 'white paper'.

He was not here to listen to any reports, but to execute judgment.

He violently pushed Evelyn aside, his actions rough and completely devoid of tenderness.

Evelyn stumbled but immediately regained her elegant posture. A hint of coldness flashed in her purple eyes behind her glasses, quickly masked by her perfect professional demeanor.

Karl strode forward, his knights behind him instinctively wanting to follow, but found their steps involuntarily slowing.

Their gazes were completely drawn to the temporary exhibition stands on either side of the street.

On the left, a row of gleaming farm tools shimmered with a cold metallic light under the sun.

These were no ordinary iron tools; some officers, with their sharp eyes honed from years of dealing with weapons, immediately noticed a faint magical glow on the blades of the plows and sickles.

This meant their durability and sharpness far surpassed ordinary farm tools, even comparable to some standard military sabers.

How much would efficiency increase if these were used to cultivate the stone-hard frozen lands of the Northern Territory?

A thought flashed through their minds.

On the right side was a row of weapon racks.

The battle axes and plate armor displayed there were heavy and ferocious in design, imbued with the unique rugged aesthetic of Dwarves.

What surprised them even more was that almost every piece of equipment was engraved with intricate runes.

An officer skilled in enchantment leaned closer and gasped.

That was a dual enchantment of 'Fortification' and 'Armor Penetration'!

Enchanted equipment of this level would fetch an astronomical price in the royal capital's weapon shops, enough to shock ordinary nobles, yet here, they were casually displayed like cabbages in a market.

Further away, several elves were showcasing a silk as thin as a cicada's wing, the fabric shimmering with a dreamy luster under the sunlight.

Some noblewomen, from a distance, had already let out suppressed exclamations.

The air, besides the dust raised by the arrival of the knight order, was also mixed with a rich and mellow aroma of wine, and the potent scent of roasted meat seasoned with some peculiar spices wafting from the food stalls.

All of this was completely different from the barren, dilapidated, and lifeless Blackstone Territory they had imagined.

There were no panicked commoners, no heavily guarded soldiers, only a... a heart-accelerating scent called 'wealth'.

"Keep up!" Karl Byron, sensing the delay behind him, impatiently turned and roared.

His voice, like a clap of thunder, temporarily roused the officers from the dazzling array of goods.

As if waking from a dream, they withdrew their greedy gazes and hastily urged their warhorses to follow Karl's pace.

But the shock and doubt had already been quietly planted like seeds in their hearts.

Karl Byron could no longer tolerate this eerie atmosphere.

He pushed aside the commoners 'watching the show' in the square; they didn't even show much fear, merely curious to make way.

He finally saw the culprit—his useless younger brother, Levi.

Levi was standing on a temporary wooden platform, his back to him, seemingly adjusting something.

He was wearing a well-tailored linen suit, his figure tall and straight, completely different from the timid, sickly youth in his memory.

"Levi Byron!" Karl's roar echoed throughout the square, his Battle Qi-enhanced voice making many people's eardrums buzz.

He drew the longsword from his waist, a refined steel longsword inherited from the Byron Family, with a faint blue light flowing along its blade.

Pointing the sword tip at the back on the high platform, Karl's voice was filled with a condescending tone of judgment: "I, Karl Byron, in the name of the eldest son of the Byron Family, hereby declare! For your illegal embezzlement of Ironhoof Territory assets, collusion with abyssal demons, and tarnishing the family's reputation, your inheritance rights to Blackstone Territory and your title as Lord are hereby revoked! Kneel, and accept the family's judgment!"

He expected to see Levi turn around in a panic, to see his ugly display of kneeling and begging for mercy.

However, the officers behind him did not, as he expected, draw their swords in unison and echo his words, creating an overwhelming sense of pressure.

They merely reined in their horses in silence, watching the scene before them with complex expressions, their gazes occasionally darting towards the tempting exhibits around them.

Levi didn't even turn his head.

He ignored the sharp sword behind him, capable of piercing his heart in an instant, and also ignored Karl's self-righteous judgment.

He calmly completed the final adjustments in his hands, then turned around to face everyone in the square, including Karl and the fifty elite knights he brought.

There was no fear on his face, only the composure and confidence of a project manager before a product launch.

He lightly clapped his hands.

As he did so, a peculiar device beside him—composed of several polished crystals and a few covered magic lamps—lit up.

A bright beam of light projected onto a large white cloth already prepared behind him, forming a clear image.

It was a chart.

A bar chart that Levi had personally drawn over several nights with charcoal and a ruler.

The horizontal axis represented months, and the vertical axis represented gold coins.

He ignored Karl, as if the longsword gleaming with Battle Qi was just a boring poker.

He picked up a slender wooden stick and pointed it at the white cloth.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Blackstone Territory." His voice, amplified by a simple sound-amplifying magic array, clearly reached every corner of the square. "I know that many people, including our guests who have traveled a long way, still have an impression of Blackstone Territory from the past—barren, chaotic, and utterly destitute. So, before I introduce our magnificent blueprint for the future, I would like to show everyone something."

His wooden stick pointed to the far left of the chart, to a barely visible, short red bar representing Blackstone Territory's financial income three months ago.

"Three months ago, Blackstone Territory's quarterly tax revenue was three hundred and twelve gold coins. After deducting various expenses, it was a net loss."

Then, his wooden stick moved to the right, pointing to the second, slightly taller red bar.

"Two months ago, after we implemented new agricultural and mining production responsibility systems, this number became one thousand five hundred gold coins."

Finally, his wooden stick landed heavily on the far right, on the tall red bar that shot up like a rocket, almost touching the top edge of the white cloth.

"And last month, after we initially integrated the resources of Ironhoof Territory and opened two new trade routes, Blackstone Territory's single-month profit was..."

Levi paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone below the stage, especially the noble officers who had unconsciously held their breath, and clearly articulated a number.

"Nine thousand four hundred gold coins."

Buzz—

The entire square was instantly drowned in a wave of irrepressible gasps and sharp intakes of breath.

Nine thousand four hundred!

Single-month profit!

What kind of concept was this?

An ordinary inland earldom, after a year of hard work and deducting all expenses, would be considered well-managed if it had a surplus of twenty to thirty thousand gold coins.

And this God-forsaken Blackstone Territory, in one month, earned nearly ten thousand gold coins?

Karl Byron's sword-wielding hand trembled imperceptibly for the first time.

His mind was in chaos.

This is impossible!

This must be a lie!

It was a ridiculous scam concocted by this good-for-nothing to prolong his existence!

However, the officers behind him, looking at the chart, had expressions that had changed from initial doubt to shock, and then to greed.

They might not understand 'production responsibility systems,' but they understood what that steeply rising red line represented.

It represented gold, mountains of gold!

Levi handed the wooden stick to Evelyn beside him, then stepped back, yielding the stage to his 'Golden Sales Director'.

Evelyn walked to the front of the stage, pushing up the crystal glasses on her nose. The lenses reflected the light of the magic lamps, making her purple succubus eyes appear even deeper and more professional.

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

"Thank you for the overview, My Lord."

Her voice was crisp and magnetic, carrying a power that made others unconsciously trust her. "Now, allow me to provide a detailed breakdown of the composition of this 9,400 gold coin profit."

She pointed to the second chart that appeared on the white cloth; it was a pie chart.

"First, accounting for 25%, is our exclusive trade channel established with the Tusk Tribe of the Southern Wilds."

"We trade refined sea salt for their specialty snow mink furs and various rare herbs."

"The monthly profit from this trade is stable at around 2,300 gold coins."

"Second, accounting for 30%, is our exclusive sale of 'Blackstone Spirits' to the Northern Dwarf Kingdom."

"Thanks to our unique brewing process, this spirit has become the most popular drink among the upper echelons of Dwarf society, with a monthly profit approaching 3,000 gold coins."

The nobles below began to whisper; although these two trades sounded amazingly profitable, they were still within their understanding.

But immediately after, Evelyn's words made everyone's heart skip a beat.

Her finger pointed to the largest slice of the pie chart, the area that accounted for a staggering 45%.

"And our largest, as well as most potential-filled, source of profit is this new type of metal material named 'calamity alloy' by My Lord."

"Just last month, the small amount of samples we sold to a few secret buyers brought us over 4,000 gold coins in revenue."

Evelyn curled the corners of her lips into a confident smile. She scanned the room, her purple eyes shimmering with a mesmerizing light as she dropped a bombshell.

"According to our precise financial modeling, once 'calamity alloy' achieves mass production, its estimated annual profit will be enough to... buy three Earldoms equivalent in size to any of the domains present here. And there will still be plenty left over."

Dead silence.

The entire square fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone's breathing stagnated.

Annual profit, enough to buy three Earldoms?

This is not business; this is a miracle! This is magic that turns stone into gold!

"Nonsense!" A discordant voice broke the silence.

Archbishop Gregory pushed through the crowd and stepped out from beside Karl. His chubby face, usually adorned with a compassionate smile, was now written with self-righteous greed.

He pointed at Levi on the stage and demanded in a booming voice: "Even if what you say is true, why has the Church not received the full amount of the 'tithe' for such immense profit?"

"According to the Code of Radiance, one-tenth of the earnings obtained by any of the Lord's lambs should belong to the Church, to be used for spreading the Lord's glory! You are stealing the wealth of the gods!"

Karl Byron's eyes lit up; he had found a new point of attack.

That's right, blasphemy!

This is a more serious crime than embezzling family assets!

However, Levi seemed to have anticipated this question all along.

He calmly took a document from Evelyn's hand and said with a smile to Bishop Gregory: "Respected Bishop, you have misunderstood."

"As a part of the Empire, every tax payment from Blackstone Territory has been strictly paid to the Royal Tax Collector in accordance with Imperial law. Here are the tax certificates personally signed by Princess Ella Radiant, accurate to the last coin."

"As for the 'tithe,' it is calculated from the profit portion after the Imperial tax has been paid. We have prepared that as well and can hand it over to the Church at any time."

He changed the subject, his tone becoming incredibly sincere: "However, compared to simply paying taxes, I personally believe there is a better way to make the Lord's glory shine even brighter on this land."

"The next phase of Blackstone Territory's deep mineral development plan is expected to require a massive amount of startup capital."

"I am here, very honored to invite the Radiant Church to join this great project as our 'Series A strategic investor'."

"In return, I promise that every fund the Church invests will receive an annualized return of no less than 15%."

"Using the Lord's money to generate more money to help more of the Lord's followers—is this not a benevolent act that better embodies the wisdom of God than simple tax collection?"

15%! Annualized return!

Gregory's breathing instantly became heavy.

The Church indeed has vast assets, but most exist in the form of real estate, antiques, and donations from believers. That money sitting in the treasury won't breed on its own.

A 15% rate of return!

What does this mean?

If he could facilitate this matter, then his status within the Church...

The gleam in his small eyes was almost overflowing.

Just then, a loud mechanical roar came from the open space on the side of the square.

Everyone looked toward the sound and saw the Elf Engineer Hill standing next to a hideous steel monster composed of countless gears and pipes.

The core component of that machine presented a dull black color that seemed to absorb light; it was none other than 'calamity alloy'!

As Hill pulled down a control lever, the water pump began to operate.

A thick pipe extended into a giant, pre-dug mining pit filled with murky, muddy water nearby.

Amidst the teeth-grinding sound of metal friction and the tremendous roar, the water level in the pit dropped rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In just a few minutes, the huge water pit, large enough to submerge a dozen cows, was pumped completely dry, leaving only the damp mud at the bottom.

Efficient! Powerful! Peerless drainage capability!

All the officers present thought of the military applications of this thing at almost the same time—whether for mining development, or water attacks and anti-water attacks during a siege, this machine would be a disruptive strategic weapon!

Levi's voice rang out again at the perfect moment, like a devil's whisper, striking precisely at everyone's heart.

"Ladies and gentlemen. This is the first-generation engineering machine we built using 'calamity alloy'."

"Its power core, its material technology—all represent the highest secrets of Blackstone Territory."

"However..."

He paused, his scorching gaze sweeping over the noble officers behind Karl, whose eyes were already gleaming.

"Considering the deep friendship between the Byron Family and you, my Lords, I have decided to open the exclusive military authorization of this technology for bidding to our most important 'partners' present here."

"The highest bidder wins."

This sentence, like a lit spark, instantly ignited the powder keg already piled high with dry wood.

The officers behind Karl became completely restless.

They began to whisper to each other, exchanging information with burning eyes, no longer able to maintain the reserve of nobles.

Some were estimating the value of this technology, some were calculating their own financial resources, and others had already begun to eye the 'competitors' beside them with unfriendly glares.

The way they looked at Levi had completely changed.

It was no longer looking at a piece of trash waiting to be slaughtered, but looking at a God of Wealth holding a golden mountain, radiating light from head to toe!

Karl Byron stood there blankly, feeling as if the whole world had gone mad.

The army he brought, the blade he used for liquidation, had turned into his brother's potential clients and loyal listeners in just half an hour.

The greed and fanaticism in their eyes were so blinding.

Humiliation! Unprecedented humiliation!

A violent rage overwhelmed the last shred of his sanity.

"Enough!"

A beast-like roar exploded from his throat. Violent Battle Qi surged into the sky, forming a visible cyan cyclone around him, blowing the sand and stones on the ground in all directions.

The clamor in the square was instantly ended by this terrifying pressure.

"A bunch of fools blinded by gold coins!" Karl's eyes were bloodshot as he stared fixedly at Levi on the high platform. "Today, I will personally purge the family, and execute this traitor who bewitches people with lies and devilish tricks!"

Before the words had even faded, the ground beneath his feet shattered instantly. He turned into a cyan afterimage, like a cannonball fired from its chamber, rushing straight at Levi on the high platform.

On the longsword in his hand, Battle Qi had condensed to its peak, emitting a piercing sword hum.

He wanted to crush this ridiculous farce with the most direct and pure violence!

However, at the very moment he took his first step, a figure silently blocked his path.

Immediately after, a second figure, then a third.

Karl Byron's figure came to an abrupt halt; he looked at the scene before him in disbelief.

The ones blocking him were not Levi's guards, nor were they the orcs, but the allies he had brought himself—those noble officers who had been calling him brother just moments ago.

The leading officer already had his hand on the hilt of his sword, but he did not draw it.

He stood sideways, blocking the space between Karl and the high platform. Without looking back, he stared at Levi, who remained calm and composed on the platform, and said in a voice suppressed with extreme excitement, sounding almost like a dream:

"Lord Karl, calm down."

He paused, seemingly weighing his words. Finally, he spoke in an unprecedented, almost devout tone, uttering the words that made Karl Byron's blood run cold.

"Before we figure out this investment return rate, no one is allowed to harm our... 'Financial Advisor'."