Chapter 231: A Different Kind of Talent

Gawain was quite pleased with how his territory had developed since the onset of winter.

All the construction projects were progressing smoothly—actually, even faster than he had initially expected. The craftsmen had taken the initiative to incorporate the magic network and basic runes as auxiliary tools in their daily work. This directly accelerated the progress of most engineering efforts across the territory. What delighted Gawain even more was the shift in mindset this process revealed: ordinary people were beginning to realize how these new “magical facilities” impacted their production and daily lives, and they were adapting accordingly. This was exactly the kind of change he had hoped to see.

Of course, this transformation wasn’t widespread yet. Those who quickly grasped the convenience of magic and applied it to their work were mostly skilled artisans—people who already held a relatively privileged position in commoner society. They had broader horizons, experience dealing with nobles, and some were even literate and numerate. Naturally, their minds were more flexible than the average person’s. As for the rest of the common folk… changing their mindset and integrating magic into everyday life would take more time.

Aside from construction, another source of satisfaction for Gawain was the smooth start of commerce.

Driven by profit, the Kant territory to the north and the Leslie territory to the northwest had quickly established commercial ties with the Cecil territory. Through two main routes—the northern wastelands and the Whitewater River—mass-produced alchemical potions and basic mining machinery were continuously delivered to customers. In return, they brought back abundant gold and, even more valuable, trade routes and intelligence.

For Amber, though, it seemed that gold was still the most precious thing…

In the lord’s study, Gawain glanced helplessly at the half-elf lady who had buried her head deep into a chest of coins, inhaling greedily. He sighed and said, “It’s just the first payment for the mining equipment. Do you really have to be like this? Aren’t there enough big chests in the mountain treasury for you to dive into?”

“That’s different!” Amber popped her head out of the pile of coins, hands on hips, looking at Gawain. “This is money coming back! It’s earned! It’s a return on investment! It’s not like money that’s destined to be spent!”

“I just can’t understand your worldview,” Gawain shook his head. “Money is meant to be spent. Only coins in circulation are real coins; those locked away in a treasury are just metal. And honestly, trading with precious metals directly is still too cumbersome. Once the Cecil merchants gain enough influence, we’ll have to seriously consider a credit currency system…”

Amber’s ears perked up at that. “You mean that thing you mentioned last time—using paper as money? And buying things with promissory notes? No way!”

As she spoke, the half-elf looked up at the ceiling at a forty-five-degree angle, a wistful expression on her face. “My biggest dream in life is to lie down and sleep on a pile of gold coins. If you turn them all into paper, what happens to my dream…”

“…It’s not as simple as just swapping coins for paper. And besides, you’re a dragonkin—wouldn’t sleeping on a pile of coins be uncomfortable?” Gawain gave her a helpless look, then turned his attention to a report in his hand. “Hmm… That Padrick really is a talent. He’s already drafted a list of the first batch of distributors and an initial market expansion plan. Using the map I gave him as a base, he even drew a simple radiating diagram… Not bad, not bad at all.”

Seeing that Gawain wasn’t going to continue the “coins to paper” topic, Amber strolled over to the desk and glanced at the report. Her well-shaped eyebrows lifted slightly. “Don’t get too carried away praising him. First, you need to figure out how to gather the manpower. I remember you said you wanted to build a synchronized intelligence network based on this commercial network. Padrick can handle the merchants, but you’ll still need a dedicated group of people to pass along information. Are you planning to send out the few clerks you’ve managed to train across the entire southern territory as your spies?”

She shook her head as she spoke. “Let me tell you, if you do that, Hetty will come after you with a vengeance. She’s worked so hard to train those apprentices and gather her assistants. If anyone asks her for people, she’ll just start swinging her staff like a club…”

Judging by Amber’s confident tone, Gawain was certain she’d been on the receiving end of that “club technique” just a few days ago.

He shook his head. “At this early stage, the intelligence network doesn’t need such high-level personnel. It’s hard enough to train a batch of clerks who can read, write, and think quickly. I’m not about to send them all out, not even Hetty’s.”

“Then how do you plan to organize your intelligence operatives? Rely on those merchants Padrick recruited? Or the soldiers Byron and Philip trained? I’m telling you, those soldiers are good at fighting, but this isn’t their line of work…”

Before Amber could finish, Gawain looked up and interrupted her with a smile. “I asked Pittman.”

“Eek!” Amber’s ears twitched. “You asked that old rogue what…”

“You know plenty of shady friends, right?” Gawain gave her a half-smile, then pulled out a slip of paper from his pocket and began reading off the list one by one: “The southern territory’s master thief, queen of the taverns, ruler of bar counters and card tables, leader of the gossipers in the fields, reaper of wallets and pockets, sovereign of copper, silver, and gold coins, self-proclaimed chosen of the Night God, undefeated after three barrels of ale—Amber, in short, is just awesome…”

By the time Gawain reached the middle of the list, Amber had already jumped up, trying desperately to snatch the paper away. The rest of the titles were read out amid her frantic attempts to wrest the paper from Gawain’s much taller frame. Despite her shadow-step talents and acrobatics, her 1.6-meter height was no match for Gawain’s over two meters. In the end, she failed to reclaim the slip from Pittman’s hand.

“Who gave you all these titles?” Gawain asked, pressing Amber’s head down gently, looking at her with a mix of amusement and exasperation as her face flushed bright red. “Your shady friends? Or did you come up with them yourself?”

“Some were given by others, some I made up when I was drunk,” Amber glared at him fiercely, then awkwardly looked away. “But can you please drop the ‘self-proclaimed’ before ‘chosen of the Night God’? I really am…”

“Alright, alright, you’re the chosen one, you’re the chosen one,” Gawain said, satisfied, removing his hand and sitting back down at the desk. “Honestly, I’ve been curious from the start. With your shadow talents, stealth skills, and knack for sneaking around… Although some of those skills don’t sound very respectable, there’s no denying they’re survival skills in the ‘underbelly.’ And someone as skilled as you must know some friends who live in the shadows—why didn’t you say so earlier?”

“You never asked,” Amber pouted. “And like you said, they’re just a bunch of shady friends, not many respectable ones. Back when I was wandering around in my younger days, I teamed up with them to stir up trouble. But after settling down in old Cecil territory and adopting a more stable lifestyle, I naturally stopped associating with them so much…”

“You mean your ‘stable lifestyle’ is switching from roaming crimes to fixed-location crimes?”

“Exactly~~”

Gawain: “…”

After a brief awkward pause, he cleared his throat and steered the conversation back. “Anyway, I need you to take the lead and help me recruit a batch of talents in this area. I don’t care about their backgrounds or pasts. I only require that they be sharp-minded, observant, and, as long as the pay is good, maintain at least basic loyalty and obedience. I want you to bring these people into the territory and give them short-term training.”

“As long as the pay is good…” Amber twitched the corner of her mouth. “You’re being awfully straightforward.”

“Can’t help it. I have no choice,” Gawain sighed. “You know the makeup of the Cecil territory—over 800 original settlers, nearly 10,000 exiles and slaves. That’s the main population structure. Besides that, the talents we’ve hired or brought in by various means are still in short supply. I can’t possibly build an intelligence team from this territory alone. The people you know—they might have questionable character and shady pasts, but the fact they’ve survived proves they’re clever and capable of self-preservation. And in their environments, they must be sharp and well-informed. In this era, people with these abilities aren’t easy to come by.”

Starting from the “rats in the gutters” of society’s lowest rungs to build the most basic intelligence network had been an idea Gawain had entertained long ago. He knew these “gutter rats” were despised by nobles and citizens alike, but he also knew that those who survived in such harsh social environments were naturally the best spies: alert yet calm, cautious yet bold, sharp-eyed and observant, and usually with their own channels of information. These channels were often their lifelines—mercenaries and adventurers traveling around were happy to buy intelligence from these gutter rats. As long as the price was right, they were the most reliable sources.

These two groups—on the social margins and at the very bottom—had a naturally symbiotic relationship.

Of course, the “gutter rats” had many flaws: they were weak, and kindness was hardly part of their nature. They lacked noble ideals and any real sense of loyalty. They could sell you intelligence for money, but just as easily sell your secrets to others for the right price. They were a group almost entirely devoid of morals and discipline—concepts utterly useless in their lives.

But Gawain didn’t care—or rather, compared to their value, these flaws were entirely acceptable.

Their loyalty could be bought with money, and that was enough. At least for now, it was enough.

(End of chapter)