Chapter 247: Gawain’s Daily Work

Gawain sat in the study of the lord’s manor, reviewing the latest reports from the Kant and Leslie territories.

More than half of the reports focused on the establishment of trade routes. The man Gawain trusted most—Patrick—was already proving his worth. Thanks to the efforts of this so-called “merchant scholar,” the southern merchants who had long traded with Kant were now being linked together one by one. Along the way, Patrick had brought a large number of traveling merchants under his wing—not by spending much money, but by paying them in alchemical potions. In a short time, quite a few merchants voluntarily became distributors of “Cecil’s Potions,” carrying the goods on their journeys.

Because these merchants frequently traveled between territories, they often dealt with mercenaries and the like. Low-level mercenaries, who charged modest fees, were happy to be hired by merchants to fend off bandits and wild beasts on the road. During these encounters, the cheap yet effective Cecil healing potions caught the attention of these mercenaries, who often had limited funds.

No one is stingy when it comes to protecting their own life. A bottle of potion that could cure diseases and infections, plus a weak healing potion to stop bleeding, cost less than three silver coins combined—affordable even for the most down-and-out mercenary. So before the merchants even reached their destinations, Cecil’s healing potions had already begun circulating widely among mercenaries throughout the southern lands.

Mercenaries, who often ventured out on adventures and frequently needed treatment for injuries, would be the earliest and most stable consumers of Cecil’s healing potions.

Meanwhile, the Leslie territory had sent a new order for mining equipment, along with a letter requesting that Cecil send a few more “magic network technicians” to help expand their magic network.

Gawain read the handwritten letter from Viscount Andrew Leslie, a smile slowly spreading across his face.

The first batch of technicians sent to Leslie had helped lay the foundation of the magic network at the Tansang mine, enabling the mine to use powerful magical engines to haul carts and crush ore. Before the viscount fully optimized the production efficiency of these magical machines, there was no real need to expand the network further. Now, his request for more technicians showed that he had already tasted the sweet benefits of the magic network.

What would he do next? Perhaps extend the network to his castle, or cover the entire mine, or maybe take this opportunity to learn the technology of laying magic networks himself.

Whatever the case, it was exactly what Gawain had hoped for.

He summoned the technical lead responsible for laying the magic network—a rune craftsman originally from the capital, who had now firmly decided to stay in this territory as a “naturalized talent.” Gawain assigned him the task of leading a team back to Tansang town. After giving the orders, he warned, “I suspect Viscount Leslie might try to bribe you this time, hoping you’ll reveal the key secrets of the magic network…”

The technician’s face immediately turned serious. “My lord, I will never be swayed by money!”

“No, I want you to accept the bribe,” Gawain shook his head, surprising the technician, “but make sure you act conflicted and reluctant about it.”

“My lord… what do you mean?”

“The magic network is a simple thing; sooner or later, someone will learn it. I don’t mind the technology spreading, but we should at least charge a tuition fee,” Gawain said as he drafted a reply to Viscount Andrew. “Raise the price of the bribe a bit—the technology has value.”

After the technician left, Gawain called for Hetty.

As soon as she entered the study, Gawain got straight to the point: “Notify the ‘population recruitment officer’ in Tansang town. Over the next while, there will be a large influx of cheap mine slaves and unemployed free miners. Try to recruit as many as possible—we’re seriously short on workers in our factories.”

Hetty looked puzzled. “Ah? How do you know this, my lord?”

“Viscount Andrew bought a large amount of mining equipment. At least two-thirds of the miners will lose their jobs,” Gawain smiled. “By tradition, nobles won’t keep useless laborers on the payroll—especially since there’s no extra land around Tansang to absorb the displaced population.”

Once Hetty left, Gawain finally finished handling his current affairs and stretched, ready to take a short break.

But just then, he heard a faint clicking sound from the windowsill, followed by a crisp snap of springs and mechanical parts releasing. Gawain whipped his head around and immediately saw a mechanical device on the windowsill springing up high!

The fully automatic anti-Amber early warning device had been triggered!

Without hesitation, Gawain reached out and pressed down on the head of a half-elf who was awkwardly falling off the windowsill, her body shifting out of shadow form to reveal her true self. “Why don’t you just use the door?”

Amber yelped and lunged at him. “Who puts mouse traps on the windowsill?!”

Gawain held her head firmly, easily suppressing all her struggles. “What mouse trap? That’s an early warning device. You wouldn’t get caught if you didn’t climb through the window.”

Amber stuck out her neck, trying to maintain the last shred of dignity as a master thief. “I wasn’t caught! I just got startled!”

Not sure what dignity she thought she was preserving…

Gawain gave the shameless half-elf a sidelong glance. “How long have you been listening outside the window?”

“Since you shamelessly sent the magic network technicians to extort money for you,” Amber said without hesitation, a look of admiration on her face. “Man, old dumpling, I realized you could do pretty well even if you weren’t a noble. Your talent for trickery… alright, alright, I won’t say more.”

Gawain lowered his fist, looked her over, and then got down to business. “I heard you’ve brought back a big group?”

“About a hundred scoundrels, all people I knew back in the day. But that’s not all,” Amber said proudly. “There are even more, scattered across neighboring territories. It’s winter now, and those bastards are all holed up in the Black Tavern, drowning themselves. We’ll have to round them up one by one—but I don’t have to do that myself. I’ve already brought back my most trusted people from back then. They’ll go out and recruit others.”

Gawain looked at Amber with some surprise. “So, by that count… you had quite a following back then?”

“Actually, these people can’t really be called ‘my followers,’” Amber grinned, knowing Gawain was clueless about this. “These thugs and ruffians don’t have a stable organization. They make a living on the streets, meet up in alleys, and loosely band together for mutual support. I just happened to know more people because I traveled a lot back then. It’s a sparse network—I’m just helping you connect a few nodes. But if these people are willing to work, they can help you find even more.”

Gawain’s expression brightened. “I see. Is there anything you need me to do?”

“Of course,” Amber nodded. “I want to send my most trusted people to other territories to recruit, but you have to know how difficult it is to cross other nobles’ lands. They’ll need documents and guarantors proving they’re acting on behalf of Duke Gawain Cecil. This prevents local nobles from hanging them and their recruits on the road.”

In this era, people were tightly bound to their native lands. Every commoner was essentially the private property of a noble. Ordinary folk were rarely allowed to leave or enter any territory freely, or they risked being hanged. To become a traveling merchant, mercenary, or adventurer, one needed official documents from nobles. Even with papers, if the issuer wasn’t influential enough, travelers could still be harassed and extorted by local noble soldiers—this was a major source of income for many private armies. Such was the reality of the times.

But if they had documents signed by a powerful noble, they could travel freely.

Though Gawain was no longer the High Protector of the southern lands, his name still carried great weight here. At least, as long as there was no conflict of interest, the conservative nobles had to show him proper respect. This respect for higher-ranking nobles was a key part of maintaining noble dignity. So anyone holding a travel pass signed by Duke Gawain Cecil could move freely throughout the southern lands, with little fear of harassment or extortion. This was a crucial factor in the smooth expansion of Gawain’s trade routes.

Gawain agreed to Amber’s request without hesitation. “No problem. But you must ensure that those who receive the passes are trustworthy. Before they set out, they need to understand their mission and the importance of keeping a low profile. I don’t want them flaunting my passes and making this whole thing public knowledge.”

Amber chuckled. “Don’t worry. The ones I bring out are old hands. They’re experts at keeping a low profile, playing submissive, and acting like victims. They can walk around with the duke’s pass looking like refugees. If you want them to parade around, they might as well die.”

Gawain: “…”

Not sure that’s something to be proud of, but Amber looked like she’d just saved the world saying it.

Then Amber sighed. “A travel pass signed by the duke… if it were an unconditional pass, who knows how much it’d fetch on the black market. You’re probably the first high-ranking noble to issue such documents to a bunch of thugs and ruffians.”

“I’m not the first,” Gawain waved his hand. “When we first took the northern territories, Charles alone signed over a hundred permits and licenses for the local mountain folk. By today’s standards, those northern mountain people were uncivilized barbarians—not even ruffians. But they’re the ancestors of today’s Northern Mountain Legion.”

“Whoa—so you mean I’ll be leading a regiment someday?!” Amber’s eyes lit up.

Gawain gave the opportunistic half-elf a look and raised his hand. “Speak. Should I just give you a direct order or go through the proper channels?”

Amber: “…”

(End of chapter)