The Road to Prosperity
Even though his final remark had been a bit annoying, a smile never left Donghee’s face. After all, she had just gained a whopping 800 hidden points. This time, she was definitely going to expand her inventory.
Donghee decided that no matter what other temptations came her way, she would expand the inventory first without fail.
While she was excitedly reviewing her plans, Scrooge continued with his financial report.
But right now, the exact amount of money they had left didn’t concern her at all. She could always bring jewels to exchange for cash, and she was confident that she would soon be earning a great deal of money anyway.
“Therefore, we estimate that at least 200 gold will be required to complete the road passing beneath Morta and Enol.”
As he made his report, Scrooge carefully observed the lord’s expression. He was worried she might get angry about how expensive the construction was turning out to be. No matter how much the estate’s finances had improved, 200 gold was still no small sum in Grace Territory.
Contrary to his concerns, however, the lord answered with bold enthusiasm.
“Don’t worry about the construction costs. Build a road so sturdy that it will never break no matter how long it’s used. One that won’t collapse in the rain, won’t kick up dust, and is perfectly flat and wide. A road that can easily handle two or three carriages passing at once. Understood?”
Scrooge had been drawing up plans, but no matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t imagine that such a wide and long road would actually see much use in Grace Territory. Moreover, the construction costs were enormous. Even if they collected tolls, it was uncertain whether they could ever recoup the investment.
Reading the subtle look on Scrooge’s face, Donghee grinned and continued her explanation.
“The road is only the beginning. I’ve heard that even now, many merchants take a long detour around our territory just to reach Heron. Think about it. If they use the road we build, they’ll have to pay a toll, but they’ll save a tremendous amount of time. For them, time is money. Merchants who need to transport fresh goods quickly will need that road even more. And not only that—we’ll also provide clean, excellent lodging and various rest areas like restaurants. It means our local residents will have ways to make a living without relying solely on farming.”
When she had looked at the map, Grace Territory was perfectly positioned like a strategic point connecting to the central continent.
“M-My lord…”
Scrooge’s mouth fell open in awe, his jaw practically dropping.
No matter how much the lord had changed, he had never dreamed it would be to this extent.
His fingertips trembled with excitement and anticipation.
“Treasurer.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Overcome with emotion, Scrooge answered with a sniffle. The tip of his nose was even redder than before. And that wasn’t all—his hands holding the financial documents were visibly shaking.
“Are you cold? Why are your hands shaking like that? You don’t seem old enough to have shaky hands yet.”
Seeing Scrooge’s trembling hands, Donghee asked the question while thinking she should quickly open more sections of the mart and bring back a pair of warm gloves.
“It’s not that, my lord. I am simply overwhelmed with emotion. I truly had no idea you cared so deeply for the people of the territory. My lord!”
Under Scrooge’s fervent gaze, Donghee felt a little embarrassed and subtly looked away.
“I will devote myself to serving you with all my heart until the day I am laid to rest in my coffin.”
Scrooge bowed deeply at the waist.
Crack!
“Ugh!”
In his overwhelming excitement, the deep bow caused a gruesome sound as bones ground against each other in his back.
His face, which had been wearing a serene smile, twisted for a moment. But after patting his lower back a few times, Scrooge slowly straightened up.
Crack, crackle!
“Oh dear, my back!”
“Are you okay? Did you throw your back out?”
When Donghee asked worriedly, Scrooge smiled brightly as if he had never been in pain and proudly spread his arms, doing waist exercises. Every movement produced another crack, crackle.
“S-Stop that! Don’t move your back!”
Donghee urgently tried to stop him, but Scrooge twisted a few more times before flashing a refreshed smile and leaving the office.
“Will he really be alright? Those sounds were awfully loud.”
The moment Scrooge left the office, as if it had been waiting, the status window popped up again with a sparkle.
Wow! You even secured the Treasurer’s oath of loyalty! Not bad at all.
I’m impressed. As a special gift for earning the sincere loyalty of that picky Scrooge, I will open additional sections of Happy Mart within the activated area.
Please choose one number from 1 to 10.
“You’re only giving me numbers? If it’s multiple choice, you should at least show what each option is.”
It’s random.
“Don’t tell me it’s already decided?”
Please choose one number from 1 to 10.
The status window repeated the same line as if it hadn’t heard her. Donghee pondered for a moment which number to pick, but since it probably didn’t matter, she chose the first one.
“Number one!”
Congratulations! The Egg Sales Corner has opened. Clap clap clap!
Eggs.
Donghee wasn’t sure whether she should be happy or disappointed, but she eventually smiled and spoke. Besides, if she brought fertilized eggs and hatched them, she might even be able to create a poultry farm.
“Well, it’s something that didn’t exist before. It’s fine, I guess. Thanks. Thank you.”
Oh my. Our user is gradually becoming more human. You even know how to say thank you now. Tomorrow the sun might rise in the east.
“I’ve always had pretty decent humanity, you know. And the sun has always risen in the east.”
When Donghee scolded it as if it should have known that, the status window floated a bit closer and sparkled with blue light.
Is that so? Aha! With your sense of direction, you probably haven’t figured out which way the sun rises in this world. Allow me, in my kindness, to inform you. Unlike Earth, the sun here rises in the west and sets in the east. Please keep that in mind.
“Really?”
Donghee looked genuinely surprised and poked her head out the window, glancing around. But just as the status window had said, her sense of direction was terrible, so even if she looked, there was no way she could tell which side was east or west.
As she shrugged and turned around, she caught sight of the status window quickly disappearing and couldn’t help but feel furious.
You actually believed that. Haha.
“Hey! You little—!”
When Donghee raised her fist as if to smack it, the status window hurriedly erased the short sentence and vanished from sight.
News arrived that some of the winter coats for the children had been completed.
Donghee rushed over at once and clapped her hands in delight at the mountain of coats piled up like a snowy peak.
“Oh my goodness! You finished all this already?”
In this era without sewing machines, it was hard to believe that fewer than ten tailors had produced so many garments in such a short time. They had made nearly fifty coats in total.
However, except for the few samples they had made first, all of them were small in size. When Donghee looked around in confusion, the quick-witted Monel noticed the lord’s question and answered.
“We thought it would be best to finish the clothes for the youngest children first. From now on, we plan to make coats that children around ten years old can wear.”
They had prioritized the work with the knowledge that younger children were more vulnerable to the cold.
Donghee was genuinely impressed by Monel’s planning and drive—she understood two or three steps ahead with every single instruction.
The coats made from thick fabric wouldn’t be as warm as down-filled padding or fur coats, but they would be far better than what the children were currently wearing.
Donghee gently stroked the finished coats with her palm as if they were the children themselves.
Just imagining the children’s happy faces when they received the clothes brought a smile to her lips.
“It’ll be tough, but please keep working hard a little longer. There are still many children who haven’t received coats yet.”
“Yes, we will do our very best.”
“How about we all take a break this afternoon and go together to distribute the coats to the children?”
She wanted the tailors to feel the satisfaction of handing over the clothes they had made with their own hands. Donghee was certain it would become a great source of motivation for their future work, separate from any rewards.
“Is that really alright?”
Monel’s eyes sparkled as she asked. Judging by their expressions, it seemed the other tailors felt the same.
“Of course. Let’s go to Morta and Enol to give the children their coats, and then we can eat something delicious for dinner.”
“Thank you!”
Cheers erupted from all around. Donghee planned to prepare a grand dinner for the tailors who had been trapped in the workshop, sewing endlessly day and night.
“My lord.”
While Donghee was looking at the tailors with a pleased expression, Monel called out cautiously.
“Yes?”
Even now, Monel still couldn’t quite believe she was allowed to speak to the lord, who seemed as high above her as the sky.
“May I write letters to my friends asking them to come work at Grace Castle?”
Even as she asked the question, Monel’s voice trembled with worry that she might be scolded. It wasn’t just because the workload was overwhelming—her heart ached for her colleagues who had been working day and night in the dressing room without proper pay.
“Of course. There’s so much work to do here, so tell them to come quickly. Of course, we’ll provide free room and board. You know that, right?”
At Donghee’s answer, accompanied by a slight wink, a bright smile bloomed across Monel’s face. The moment Donghee finished speaking, voices rose from every direction saying they would write to their friends as well.
So this is how talented people are gathering in Grace.
Donghee smiled contentedly as she imagined the fashion district that would one day appear somewhere in Grace Territory.
The city of youth, the holy land of fashion—Grace! Though maybe Ha Dong-hee Street wouldn’t be so bad either?
Just imagining it made her feel good. And of course, at the center of it all would be her own name, Chloe Grace, engraved for all to see.