Unlimited Event Pass
Unlimited Event Pass
For a moment, I thought I'd misheard.
'What? They want to put up their territory as collateral and borrow Monopoly? Are they insane?'
Is there some superstition about white powder symbolizing the devil's temptation?
No matter how delicious the bread is, to go so far as to offer their territory as collateral just to borrow more?
"I'd love to bring in commoner living supplies right now, but if I collect any more taxes, the livelihoods of my territory's people will be shattered. They say production will take time."
"Piel, I think this is a very good opportunity."
"I had no intention of refusing either. I'm just dumbfounded because it all seems so reckless."
Perhaps 'giving back' is firmware engraved in the genes of primates?
In the end, I decided to hold a group business meeting with the customers who had boldly spent 1,000 Monopoly.
***
"So, are all of you distinguished guests agreeing to put up collateral and borrow Monopoly rights?"
"That's right! Wouldn't that make things progress much faster?"
"If some buy in kind and others put up territorial collateral, it slows everything down too much!"
"Please understand this is our consideration so Ainshuvan need not be inconvenienced!"
Naturally, among the nobles offering collateral were the 15 great nobles who had pushed the 'Noble Council's Covenant'.
Those who once watched us warily, feared us, tried to exclude us.
The faces that once dripped with selfishness, content as long as their own territories were safe no matter what happened to the North, were now filled only with greed for delicious white powder.
'I wonder what Father would think if he saw this.'
I suddenly thought of my imprisoned father.
Not that I have any intention of forgiving him or seeing his face again.
What expression would he make, seeing those great nobles putting up the territories they cherished so dearly as collateral just for some North American flour?
'Actually, carbohydrate addiction is number one among all nutrients.'
The brain uses only glucose for energy.
Because of this, the brain perceives 'glucose = survival,' so when you eat something sweet, the dopamine reward circuit activates similarly to nicotine or cocaine.
And as for the flour bread the nobles eat, everything from seed variety differences, milling technology differences, taste and texture differences—ours is overwhelmingly superior.
'But there should be enough regular trade goods. They're putting their territories up as collateral to borrow? Are they doing it just to borrow Monopoly a little faster and eat bread?'
And as the group business meeting began, I came to understand.
While part of it was wanting to eat bread right now, there was an even bigger reason.
"100,000 Monopoly! I will borrow 100,000 Monopoly!"
"This viscount will borrow 200,000 Monopoly!"
"Then this viscount will borrow 300,000 Monopoly!"
It wasn't even a Dongdaemun marketplace, but everyone was going wild trying to borrow more than each other.
'I mean, can they even pay all that back?'
"Distinguished guests, please calm down. Please calm down!"
No matter how much I shouted, there was no sign of the uproar dying down.
In the end, Hildea and Rebecca drew their machetes with a chaeng! and clashed the blades together, producing a loud noise to calm them down.
When the two Masters (employee uniforms) struck their swords together, making a metallic clang, everyone fell silent as if nothing had happened.
'The Master effect is killer. There's a reason nightclubs station big bouncers around.'
"The flour supply has limits. We cannot release Monopoly rights indiscriminately."
"Heh, do you take us for fools?"
One noble suddenly stood up and shouted in an angry, ringing voice.
"A loaf of bread and 500g of castella costs 20 Monopoly. That means ordering one each equals 20 times the flour. And if you order 2 cups of barracks coffee here, you must pay another 20 Monopoly."
"That's right, that's right!"
"2 barracks coffees with 1 loaf of bread and 1 castella is the standard ordering rule!"
I was at a loss for words, but the noble, emboldened by the support around him, continued shouting.
"In other words, even if we pay 40 Monopoly equivalent to 40 kilos of flour, the actual flour consumed is only 1/40th. That's what I'm saying."
"...."
"Do you know what this means? It means that if Ainshuvan supplies not through flour raw materials but through this Hot Hot Bakery, you could release up to 40 times the production volume in Monopoly!"
"Hear, hear!"
"As expected of the Finance Minister! Truly brilliant with numbers!"
"Furthermore, barracks coffee has a smaller volume compared to bread. There will be many who order more than 2 cups, and some who order only barracks coffee.
Conversely, there is absolutely no one who orders only bread without barracks coffee."
The Finance Minister continued his argument with a highly encouraged expression.
"In other words! Not 40 times, but 50 times, 60 times! You can lend Monopoly even more than that!"
"Hear, hear!"
"Well said! Truly the Finance Minister!"
"Duke Valkenhart must release Monopoly without limit!"
"Please fulfill your noble duty as a Standing Inspectorate councilor!"
"Is Ainshuvan afraid that we of the Noble Council will devour all the castella?!"
Hildea, Rebecca, and Elenoa looked at me with exhausted expressions.
They seemed to have lost words at the sight of them clamoring like monkeys who'd been notified they'd receive three feedings in the morning.
Hildea and Rebecca approached me and asked in low voices.
"Colonel Piel. D-did I also look like that in front of you at first?"
"Piel... I didn't, right? Huh? I didn't, right?"
"That's what you were worried about? Absolutely not. So please rest assured."
The two of them had quite vivid food reactions in the past, but since the subjects were so pretty, that too was part of the charm.
On the other hand, the sight of middle-aged and elderly nobles clamoring in collective protest was truly something else.
"Distinguished guests, please listen."
When I spoke into the megaphone microphone, everyone quieted down.
"Very well. For the stable operation of the bakery and flour supply, please promise one thing on your noble honor."
"What kind of promise?"
"Ainshuvan promises to do its utmost for the operation of the bakery—that is, the sale of coffee and bread, and the flour exchange.
Even if unavoidable delays in supply or exchange occur, you must not press any demands whatsoever."
To put it simply, this is it.
'Guarantee us unlimited Moratorium free event rights. Then we'll do as you wish.'
If they accept even this, it's truly serious.
"If Ainshuvan promises to do its utmost for bakery operations, we too can endure any operational delays!"
"Hear, hear!"
"As long as you don't close the doors, it's fine!"
'Wow, they're accepting this?'
Is this... the level of medieval economic understanding?
So when medieval nobles lose their minds over modern baking and coffee, they become this depraved.
Come to think of it, even Hildea had been completely disarmed after eating Geisha Coffee and beef brisket combat rations just once.
"Then please sign!"
A written pledge is needed, a written pledge.
As soon as I thought it, Luna brought over the written pledge.
"Huh? Where was this?"
"I thought this kind of thing would come up often, so I always keep it prepared!"
And so Luna went around the tables herself, collecting signatures.
"Ah, Duke Rosenberg... To think the Duke himself would undertake such menial work, it is an honor."
"I heard you received territory from His Imperial Majesty to establish a new family. Congratulations."
"Yes, thank you. Since you've all signed here, you must never press demands even if flour supply is delayed."
"How could we defile a signature pledged on our family's honor?"
There are imperial nobles here as well.
And even at the same rank, imperial titles are considered one or two levels higher.
But while Luna is a duchy of the kingdom, she received territory directly from the emperor.
She now carries authority equivalent to an imperial duke.
'Looking at it that way, Luna has the highest seniority in this room.'
After collecting all the signatures, Luna returned triumphantly.
"Colonel-nim, it would be good to display this in a place visible as soon as you enter the café."
"Yes, that would be good."
With the signing done, everyone began stamping their feet roughly and making demands.
"Now lend us the Monopoly!"
"Hurry and take my territory as collateral and bring the Monopoly!"
Now it was time to write the collateral loan contracts.
Facing so many nobles to process loans, a sigh escaped me first.
"Luna, will you take charge of this? I'm tired."
"Understood. Colonel-nim, please go in first and rest comfortably. Once the total loan scale is confirmed, I'll come and report.
Hildea! Rebecca! Can't you quickly escort the Colonel-nim inside and melt away his fatigue with a full-body close-contact massage?"
"Uh, today is the commander-in-chief's turn, so I'll stay here and help."
"Can't you see how tired the Colonel-nim is right now? Don't skip out—both of you do it together today."
Both Hildea and Rebecca were showing reluctance to do it simultaneously.
Since being alone means they can suck my energy dry, they were hesitating at Luna's urging.
Because both think they're the only one who's unlocked kissing with me.
Suddenly my eyes met Luna's, and she gave a wink that the two of them couldn't see.
'Ah, Luna. So that's why....'
I realized Luna's deep consideration.
She meant for me not to have my energy drained by solo massages, but to comfortably receive a massage and recover from fatigue.
Since when two do it together, it focuses purely on the massage itself.
And so I returned to my quarters in our villa with the two women.
After a long time, I was able to receive a pure mana massage and rest comfortably.
***
Sword Master Duke Delpode, hiding himself in a tree, was watching the Anvelrum villa.
He had confirmed that Piel and Luna had gone out.
But he could not detect the movements of Hildea and Rebecca.
Therefore, he could not rashly infiltrate the villa.
'Her Highness the Imperial Princess must certainly be there.'
Despite His Majesty's earnest entreaties, he had ultimately failed to prevent Princess Yuzel's elopement.
He recalled the moment he was subdued by Hildea in a single stroke and chewed on his lips.
'No matter how she's said to be a once-in-a-millennium talent, how could someone her age to me...
Is the difference in real combat experience, staked on national fate, truly this vast? Or is it truly a difference in talent?'
One-shot suppression.
Delpode never imagined it was due to the difference of mandrake root and machete buffs.
***
The evening after I'd taken a nap and woken up.
"What? 60 million Monopoly? Is that really true?"
"And I barely managed to reduce it to that. If I'd accepted everything they demanded, the total would have exceeded 300 million Monopoly, you know?"
To think they'd go this mad, thirsting like blood-crazed zombies over nothing more than instant coffee, white bread, and castella.
"Wow, if we add samgyeopsal... no, Marshall meat stew to the menu, it'll absolutely explode."
"Then everyone will end up like Yuzel, Colonel-nim."
At those words, my eyes fell on Yuzel, who was munching on an apple.
When our eyes met, she suddenly stopped eating and her shoulders trembled.
"Officer-nim? Hing, I'll just finish this and quickly do the laundry. I'm sorry...."
"No, no, eat comfortably until you're full."
If they knew that a day's wage in the North is 2 Monopoly, the nobles might collectively have a mental breakdown.
'Surely no nobles will go bankrupt later, right?'