Dwarven Craftsmanship (2)
Hanes County.
Situated along the fertile Insid River, it was widely known as the hub of trade in the region. Having secured exclusive trade rights from the royal family, it continued to grow rapidly, collecting substantial taxes from the surrounding territories.
By leveraging its strategic geographical location, the house had amassed vast wealth. They had showered the central political stage with bribes, successfully elevating their status from a barony to a county in the previous generation.
Though Count Hanes was not a military noble, he was famous as a "golden noble" who resolved political issues with money.
Of course, the Hanes family had not always been golden nobles.
Three hundred years ago, during what was called the golden age of mages, they had actively participated in wars. But in the present era, mana had grown scarce across the continent, and the Hanes family could no longer exert much influence in warfare. Still, that was not a major problem.
The Count had more than enough gold to compensate.
Count Hanes had also studied magic in his youth, but he had grown old without ever managing to surpass the 1st Circle. Conversely, his eye for anything related to wealth was exceptionally sharp, so his development had not been entirely wasted.
Count Hanes stared in sheer disbelief at Junior Baron Romid, who had returned from collecting taxes at the Farrow Barony with an unexpected heirloom in hand.
"You say this is the Farrow family's heirloom?"
"Yes, my Lord. Not long ago, Baron Farrow lost a significant portion of his forces during an expedition. A battle broke out as the barbarians descended from the north, and with rumors of war spreading, the Baron seems to have grown extremely anxious."
"Even so, to send their heirloom? Does that make any sense?"
Count Hanes wondered if he should return it, but the moment he laid eyes on the ring, he gasped in astonishment.
On the case containing the ring, a mystical creature was depicted ascending to the heavens. He could not tear his eyes away from the beautifully embroidered illustration.
The gold-based, densely set gem craftsmanship looked impossible for human hands to achieve, and the ring inside was even more spectacular.
A mystical beast was ascending while clutching a blue sapphire in its mouth. The carving was so incredibly precise that it looked as if the creature might leap out of the ring at any moment.
With his years of experience in trade, Count Hanes knew instantly that this was no human creation.
"This is Dwarven work!"
"D-Dwarven, you say!?"
Junior Baron Romid, who had been listening, was also shocked.
Indeed, the craftsmanship was so beautiful that had he not sworn his loyalty to the Count, he might have run away with it himself.
But to think it was Dwarven work.
He had suspected as much when it was called an heirloom, but the title was clearly well-deserved.
"It seems the Farrow family has decided to forgo passing down their legacy to the next generation and stake everything on the present."
"That could not have been an easy decision."
"Still, shouldn't we show them proper respect?"
The Count chuckled.
What did it matter if it was an heirloom?
As long as he paid a fair price, it was fine. If he could buy an item of this caliber with money, there was no better bargain.
In this era, where family honor was held as the highest value, leaving behind an item to be passed down as an heirloom was considered a monumental achievement.
The Count calmed his rising excitement.
It was certainly too grand a piece to receive as a mere gift. From his perspective, having to send a return gift worth at least ten percent more than the item's value was indeed a burden.
There was no way they would have sent a Dwarven piece without expecting something specific in return.
"What did the Barony ask for?"
"They requested a mana cultivation method and military equipment."
"A mana cultivation method?"
The Count frowned.
He had wondered what grand prize they hoped to secure by parting with their heirloom, and indeed, they wanted something of equal weight.
Although magic was on the verge of extinction due to the depletion of mana on the continent, a cultivation method was still not something to be handed out lightly. The Hanes family's cultivation method had been passed down in secret for generations. Except under extraordinary circumstances, it was never revealed to outsiders.
"My Lord, magic is on the verge of dying out anyway. Why not handle it like this?"
"Do you have a suggestion?"
"The young lord was the one who requested the cultivation method. The Baron is set to retire soon anyway. Having lost his right arm and suffering from a deep illness, it is uncertain how much longer he will live. This means the young lord will be the one practicing it. We can provide him with a transcribed copy and have him sign a contract forbidding him from passing it on to anyone else."
"Oh? Go on."
"The moment the young lord signs the contract, it becomes legally binding. If anyone practicing the Hanes family's cultivation method appears in the future, it will give us a pretext for a territorial war, which works in our favor. And if he keeps the contract, the intangible cultivation method will simply disappear with Jeron Farrow's generation."
The Count smiled with satisfaction.
As expected of his tax collector; the man was a bag of tricks. When it came to money and calculations, Junior Baron Romid's mind worked incredibly fast.
"That would leave us with a bit of a surplus."
"Since they requested military equipment, sending thirty sets of armor, helmets, and swords each should suffice."
"Hahaha! This is entirely your achievement. I know it is troublesome, but return to the Barony immediately. We must act before they have a change of heart."
"I shall carry out your command!"
***
Jeron was barely holding back his itch to cross over to Earth immediately.
The Golden Key was currently recharging.
It took three days to recharge naturally, so he had to wait until at least this evening for it to be fully ready.
Since Baron Ark Farrow was still recovering, Jeron had to act as the deputy lord, running ragged all over the fief.
Labetan, a subordinate village in the southern part of the territory.
Because the Farrow Barony was located at the northernmost edge of the kingdom, the climate was bitterly cold. The weather was one thing, but Jeron also realized that the soil of the fief was a grayish, acidic earth that yielded very poor crops. Because of this, the territory could never escape poverty.
It was entirely different from the blessed lands of Hanes County.
Out of necessity, the people turned to nomadic herding, and gatherers roamed the deep mountains for herbs. With so many mountains nearby, wild beasts were common, and it was a frequent occurrence for livestock to be killed or for gatherers to meet untimely deaths deep in the wilderness.
The stench of decay hit Jeron's nose the moment he entered Labetan. He had grown somewhat used to the smell of manure, but the stench of rotting corpses was still difficult to stomach, even after witnessing countless deaths across his past and present lives.
"Terrible."
"The drought last year was severe, so we had almost no harvest. We provided relief aid to the limit of our budget, but we have hit our wall. Well, it is a common occurrence."
Cain, who had served as the territory's treasurer for two generations, spoke as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.
In this bloodless, tearless world, it was common for peasants to starve to death. The administration did its best to prevent starvation, but when barbarians began to run rampant like this, the problem became critical.
In a village of several hundred people who lived off farming, over a hundred bodies had already been recovered.
The treasurer remarked that they were fortunate an epidemic had not broken out.
Even for a medieval society, is there really this little regard for human life?
The treasurer and the soldiers were only worried about catching a disease while clearing the bodies; none of them seemed to feel any pity for the dead. Since everyone else was so stoic, Jeron, as the one responsible for the territory, could not afford to show weakness either.
"How is this year looking?"
"Sigh, the drought is severe this year as well. By next year, we will likely see even more starvation. We are already short on soldiers and labor, so it is a grave concern."
Adults, the elderly, and children alike were starving to death. If this continued, a major crisis would unfold.
We need food.
Fortunately, Jeron still had a decent amount of jewelry left. Since a tacky dragon ring could pass as a family heirloom, wouldn't the other pieces he brought also fetch a good price? Even in a drought, money could solve almost anything.
The County of Hanes was an international trade city. He could simply import food from there. Until now, the Farrow Barony had only failed to buy food because they lacked the funds.
They might get through this winter somehow, but they couldn't keep living like this forever.
Watching the people strip bark from trees to eat, a brilliant idea flashed through Jeron's mind. He immediately pulled out his notebook and jotted it down.
[Famine relief crops. Various other seeds.]
He would bring back genetically modified seeds from the ruined Earth. Famine relief crops grew well even in barren soil. After all, they were designed to be grown and eaten during times of scarcity. Furthermore, the crops developed over thousands of years on Earth possessed incredibly resilient vitality. In the modern era, their DNA had even been modified by scientists to yield massive harvests.
What if he planted those crops here?
It might take a few years to see the full effects, but reducing the number of people starving to death in his territory would be a massive achievement. While there was a weight limit on what he could bring back from Earth, carrying mere seeds would be effortless. And in the rural areas of Earth, seed shops were practically everywhere.
By the time they finished clearing the bodies from the village, the sun had set.
"Is it already this late?"
"Haha, indeed it is. Lately, I lose track of how time passes."
"It would be incredibly useful if we had a way to tell the exact time."
"Is there such a way? I hear there is a sundial in the royal capital, but it costs an astronomical fortune. Even then, they say it cannot tell the time precisely."
"Clocks?"
If clocks existed, they would not only be highly useful for farming but would also allow for the design of precise military operations during war. Jeron immediately pulled out his notebook again.
[Clocks]
He didn't know if he could find everything, but if he wrote down what he needed one by one, he would be able to bring them back when the opportunity arose.
The cleanup of the village was finally nearing completion. It was just then that his adjutant, Garcia, came running toward him.
"Young Lord!"
"What is it?"
"The Count's house has sent an envoy!"
"Oh?"
This was perfect timing. With starvation rampant in the territory, he needed to squeeze as much food out of them as possible.
***
Jeron met with Junior Baron Romid, the tax collector he had seen a few days ago. Romid looked quite excited, which told Jeron exactly how much of an impact the dragon ring had made on the Count's household.
The junior baron handed over a copy of the cultivation manual.
"As you well know, young lord, a mana cultivation method is a secret passed down through generations of a noble family. Under no circumstances is it to be taught to outsiders. However, our Lord highly valued your passion and decided to allow it, provided you sign this contract."
"What kind of contract is it?"
"It is simple. You must memorize it within a week and burn it, you are forbidden from teaching it to others, and violating these terms will bring about severe consequences. That is all."
"My word!"
"To think they would demand such terms even after we gave them a clear Dwarven artifact!"
The watching knights lamented. But Jeron merely smirked. He could sign a contract like that all day long.
In addition, Junior Baron Romid had brought thirty sets of military gear. Sir James inspected the equipment and confirmed that it was indeed of high quality, ready for immediate use in battle.
To get all this in exchange for a single tacky dragon ring that only old men in the countryside would wear was nothing short of highway robbery.
The signing of the contract was conducted solemnly. A contract between noble houses was important enough to decide the fate of a family. People of this era took contracts very seriously.
Once the formalities were complete, Jeron spread a handful of jewelry across the table.
Clatter.
"Oh."
Many of the pieces were actually of superior craftsmanship compared to the dragon ring he had given them a few days ago. Jeron expected the junior baron to offer a high price for them. However, the reaction of the junior baron, as well as the knights, was somewhat strange.
"These are indeed excellent pieces of craftsmanship. They may not be heirloom-grade, but we can certainly offer a high price for them. Do you wish to sell them?"
"Yes... I do. I will take the payment in food."
"You are a wise and benevolent young lord. The people will surely praise your virtue."
At this point, Jeron was left feeling quite bewildered.
Do these people just have a thing for tacky designs? Like those snake-shaped knives?