Chapter 11
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: The Golden Statue (2)
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“In case we can't meet at the primary gathering point in Norinton, our secondary rendezvous is Baltimore, the capital of the Felix Kingdom.”
“Baltimore is a huge city. Which exact spot in Baltimore do you mean?”
The one-eyed elf raised an objection to the words of the wrinkled old man.
“Precisely the central square. We'll meet at the statue of Wilhelm I.”
“Ah... that ridiculously oversized statue?”
The three had agreed to wait for each other there.
“But we can't wait around forever, right? What do we do then?”
The one-eyed elf voiced her concern.
As the elf said, waiting was fine for a day or two, but they couldn't sit around for months on end.
The central square had another name: the 'Square of Meetings'.
It had earned that moniker because it was so famous, and most Baltimore residents set their appointments with a casual “Let's meet at the central square.”
Of course, there was another reason it deserved the name.
A massive bulletin board stood there.
It was used not only to spread important announcements from the Felix Kingdom but also by ordinary folk to exchange urgent messages or reschedule when times didn't align.
This bulletin board, alongside the statue of Wilhelm I, was one of Baltimore's landmarks.
And there was a black-haired boy staring intently at that very board.
'Nothing! It's gone!'
Blanc checked the notes pinned to the board, his hands trembling in utter panic.
“Young master, it's been two hours already. What's so fascinating?”
“Just a moment.”
“I wanted a scone...”
“Rakshar.”
“I'll stay by the young baron's side.”
“Billy.”
“Shall I show you the way?”
“If possible, take your time.”
“It's a famous place anyway, so there's always a line.”
After brushing off a whining Emilia who craved scones, Blanc scrutinized the board once more, but still—nothing.
No trace at all from the two regressors who should have left something behind.
'This doesn't make any sense.'
He hadn't been too rattled by regressing a full month past the appointed time. He'd braced for some margin of error from the start.
Even if it meant scraping through a near-death ordeal.
But now? He couldn't hide his bewilderment at the situation unfolding in Baltimore.
He hadn't even hoped the two regressors would keep waiting in the square.
His position was already fully exposed, so if they'd wanted to meet, they would've come long ago.
Those two had the skills to sneak past the Tolome Family's security like it was a joke.
Yet no one had come looking for him. Not in the square, not on the board.
No one.
One person failing to show due to some accident was plausible, but both? That strained belief.
Besides, these weren't ordinary experts—they were the type to smash through any trouble and emerge unscathed.
'So why aren't they here?'
Rakshar watched worriedly as Blanc slumped against the board, unable to mask his dejection.
Filling Blanc's vision was the golden statue of Wilhelm I, standing proud and gleaming majestically.
That thing only deepened his confusion.
In his previous life, it had been bronze, not gold. No mistaking it.
'What lunatic in this world decided to make that massive statue out of gold!'
The statue defied all common sense.
Exhausted by the utter chaos of the current timeline, Blanc stopped thinking for a moment.
The sun dipped low behind the glittering statue of Wilhelm I.
From the edge of the square, Emilia approached with a paper bag stuffed full of scones, beaming ear to ear.
It was time to head back to the Tolome Family.
With the sturdy backing and safe haven of the Tolome Family, Blanc had tasks to tackle before venturing out to build his strength.
First: solidify his nominal title as Baron Cardmus by leveraging the Tolome Family's influence as much as possible. Then...
'I need to master White Lightning for sure.'
Strengthening his personal power came second.
He'd secured an Aura Cultivation Method in his previous life, but not swordsmanship.
That's why he'd asked Count Bartolomeo Tolome to summon master swordsmen.
He had some crude grappling techniques picked up as a mercenary—hardly worthy of the name 'swordsmanship.'
More like desperate flailing to survive.
This time, Blanc planned to learn proper fundamentals from the guild's experts, step by step.
Solid basics, his soul-deep experience, and the excellent White Lightning Aura Cultivation Method would propel him to the ranks of the strong.
'And I need to reclaim Norinton.'
Reclaiming Norinton, the Cardmus Family's territory, wouldn't happen overnight.
It required territorial warfare, not personal might—beyond Blanc's current reach.
'I already have the justification. Now I need fame and funds to raise an army.'
Three generations of Cardmus lords over Norinton. The three families that seized it by force couldn't complain if judged by the same measure.
But assembling a strong army demanded vast resources.
Impossible for Blanc alone.
'If only I could meet them.'
The two regressors would back Norinton's reclamation without hesitation.
They were powerhouses in his past life. Ulrich Tideman, the Grand Archmage and head of the Illusion School, lorded over the Tower of Mirages.
With full support from a titan like Ulrich, the Tolome Family would likely join in.
If those two forces rallied under Blanc's banner, others would follow for profit and prestige.
But first, he needed to meet Ulrich—no contact yet.
'Too far to seek him out myself...'
Ulrich currently resided in the Red Desert beyond the Gartaria Kingdom.
Reaching him meant crossing a kingdom to the Tower of Mirages in the desert's heart.
Unless Ulrich came to him, the path was grueling.
“Hoo... Guess I should handle what's in front of me first.”
“Exactly. Put the books away and eat lunch already.”
Emilia cleared the stacks of books and papers before Blanc, setting down bowls with practiced ease.
“What on earth have you been researching that you're skipping meals? At this rate, you'll never hit your growth spurt.”
Lately, Blanc muttered to himself more, skipped meals, and buried himself in... something.
To him, it was just methodical planning for the future. To others, it looked off.
A boy who'd lost his parents and house overnight—naturally, his mutterings drew worried glances.
And at fourteen, prime growing age, skipping proper meals? Emilia fretted endlessly.
His father, Baron Palad, stood nearly 190 cm tall and sturdy. Blanc had that potential too.
Failing to reach it would be her fault for not caring properly.
“So eat every meal, sleep early, and don't overdo training...”
“One more word, and this stays untouched.”
“...”
Emilia's nagging had spiked lately.
Under Emilia's watchful eye—supervision, really—Blanc finished lunch and turned back to his papers.
'Steel Bank.'
An organization that didn't exist in his previous life.
Dwarves: masters of ores, minerals, and machinery.
But costly materials and labor often bankrupted them, birthing the Steel Bank to support them.
From a dwarven economic alliance, it grew into a global wealth titan.
Its history predated even the Felix Kingdom—firmly entrenched in this world.
'Definite. It wasn't around last time.'
A group that famed and ancient? He would've heard of it.
Puzzled by the giant golden Wilhelm I statue, Blanc dug in—and uncovered the Steel Bank at its origin.
No secret. The statue symbolized Felix Kingdom pride and Steel Bank opulence.
'So they proposed gilding that monstrosity—and footed the bill?'
Records showed it was planned in bronze, like his past life.
Bronze was pricey and tricky too.
Still, Felix committed to honor Wilhelm I and flaunt its might.
Enter Steel Bank.
They suggested gold—and offered to pay.
Historians speculated the then-nascent group aimed to announce itself boldly...
—Yet their idea to gold-leaf such a colossus transcended boldness into sheer audacity, teetering on violence.
Even the chroniclers were awestruck by the golden statue.
'I need to investigate that statue properly.'
Spotting this divergence from his past life, Blanc resolved to probe deeper.
Absorbed in his research, Blanc barely noticed.
Emilia, quietly clearing dishes beside him, glimpsed a paper on the golden statue and spoke up casually.
“Speaking of which, the statue of His Majesty Wilhelm I.”
“Yeah.”
“There's a beautiful legend about it. You know the book he's holding? They say there's a picture inside.”
“Huh?”
So fixated on the statue's origins, Blanc overlooked the book.
Wilhelm I, Felix's founding king, had achievements too numerous to count. But two stood out:
Expanding northward and codifying the kingdom's first legal code, enforced nationwide.
To commemorate: sword in right hand, open lawbook in left.
A picture in the lawbook?
“Go on.”
“So, lovers who view the picture together in that lawbook are said to have their love protected by Wilhelm I himself...”
The statue held sword and book in his past life too—no mention of any picture.
A singularity.
“Emilia.”
“Yes?”
“Those scones from the central square. Don't you want more?”