Magic Stone Tank (5)
"Blood gold, you say..."
"Gold soaked in blood. There was an incident like that before. A small territory discovered a gold vein. At the time, the lord of that territory was very happy. He was overjoyed to find gold in his land."
The lord continued.
"But he didn't know that it was the beginning of a disaster. At first, it was good. The territory's financial problems improved, and it became easier to borrow gold coins just because a gold vein was discovered. But as the rumor spread far and wide, even strange people came to show interest in the gold produced in the territory."
The overseer could roughly guess the continuation of the story.
"I think I've heard of Blood Gold somewhere. So that's what it was called."
"It can't be a good story. Why would it be called Blood? There's a reason for it."
The lord went on.
"An untimely storm of blood blew through that territory. Suddenly, people appeared claiming rights to the land. When the land wasn't a goldmine before, they didn't even care about it. But as soon as it was discovered that there was a gold vein there, they suddenly showed up and caused a ruckus, insisting on their rights to the land."
The lord shook his head calmly.
"Excessive wealth can rather be a disaster. If you can't protect it, it's better to give it away."
The overseer expressed doubt at that statement.
"Give it away just like that?"
"Don't you know that story? When you encounter a gang of thieves. It's better to give them what they want and run away immediately."
The overseer straightened up with a fake cough and fiddled with the sword belt at his waist.
"I would fight back."
"Well, you have the skill to say that. But what would someone who can't even use a sword do in that situation? Would they find a way to live knowing their place, or would they fight fearlessly against the angry gang of thieves to avoid losing what they have?"
"In that case... it would be wiser to give it away and run away. The gang of thieves would not be ordinary."
The lord nodded and continued.
"Yes, if you mess with them recklessly, you might not even be able to save your own life."
The lord knew very well about the gold ore that continued to be discovered after the great change.
And the following words were his decision.
"Whether there's a living gold vein here or not, there's nothing good about this matter being known to the outside world. So let's start cracking down on the citizens' loose lips now. That's our way of living. And let's inform the prestigious Rothsmedici family about this matter. If they've become guild masters, it'll be easy to station a mercenary force here. Anyway, it's not just my concern."
The overseer expressed concern.
"I'll crack down on it, but I can't stop the rumors from spreading. Even the neighborhood kids are making a fuss about picking up gold ore. Will the crackdown work properly in this situation?"
"Still, shouldn't we try our best? At least until those proud landowners take proper action, we have to move. What can we, who receive salaries, do later when the matter explodes?"
"First, I'll take all possible measures."
The lord didn't like getting involved in troublesome matters either.
"If we had the power, this matter would have naturally been a good thing. But we don't have the power to protect what we have."
There were many hyenas in the empire who would covet this matter right away.
But there were others who were even more frightening.
"And the original owners of this land were the dwarves. The other lords may not move easily because they are now under the royal gaze, but the dwarves are different. To be honest, I'm curious how they will react. They are a race that goes crazy for gold and beer."
As the dwarves were mentioned, the overseer chimed in.
"I agree with that. If there's one thing the dwarves don't compromise on, it's gold and beer, right? If they want this land..."
The lord finished the sentence.
"They would go as far as to wage war. Even if they maintain a friendly relationship with the empire, they may change when it comes to the issue of gold."
"Will the royal family help?"
The lord was 100% confident in his answer to that question.
"When the Totem War broke out in the past, they didn't care about this matter, but if there's trouble with the dwarves because of the gold produced here, the royal family will help in any way they can. I can guarantee that."
"Well, the royal family wouldn't just watch when gold is being produced."
"Why would they abandon a golden land? We may not have the power, but the royal family does."
Having finished their conversation, the lord gave the overseer instructions.
"Anyway, inform the Rothsmedici family. There's no point in talking to me about this anyway, since the money comes from them."
"By the way, if we go to war with the dwarves, it would cost a fortune."
At that, the lord chuckled.
"Why should we worry about that? They said they would take responsibility for the money issue anyway."
The overseer seemed to agree with that.
"That's true."
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