During dinner, Olivia asked, "So, Little Trib, what are your thoughts on this nation? What improvements do you think could be made?"
"Well..." Tribios hesitated. The question was far too broad. How could she possibly answer it? Besides, even if this place was dilapidated and outdated, it was still a nation. Theoretically, any major decisions affecting the country would require the Ruler's approval, wouldn't they?
So Tribios replied, "There are certainly areas for improvement, but what's the point in discussing them with you? Even if you agree, your father, the current Ruler, might not."
To her surprise, Olivia took a sip of wine and said dismissively, "Oh, don't worry about my dad. He's probably still toiling in the fields right now. He'll definitely agree."
Her words made it sound as if the current Ruler had been completely sidelined. It was common knowledge that in monarchies, there was often an irreconcilable conflict between the reigning Ruler and the Crown Prince.
The reason was simple: Emperors wanted their Crown Princes to be capable enough to succeed them, but they also feared these heirs becoming too competent, potentially seizing power or overshadowing them while they still lived.
For some emperors, imperial power far outweighed family ties. History records instances of emperors killing their own children to secure their authority.
But Olivia and her father's situation was entirely different. Seeing that his daughter surpassed him in competence and reliability, the father entrusted nearly all matters of state to Olivia's discretion.
Though Olivia nominally lacked the title of Ruler, in reality, she was ruler in all but name.
Having learned this, Tribios couldn't help but marvel inwardly at the absurdity of this father-daughter dynamic. After a moment's pause, she didn't answer Olivia's question but instead asked, "Do you know the current population of the Grand Duchy of Augustus?"
"Population? Oh, you mean how many people there are!" Olivia replied decisively. "I have no idea! We're a small country, but there must be at least a few hundred thousand people, right? Too many to count!"
At this wildly unreliable answer, Tribios's lips twitched slightly. "If you don't know the population, do you at least know what your people do in their daily lives?"
Olivia replied, "Farming, of course!"
Tribios waited a moment, but when Olivia didn't continue, she asked, "That's... that's all?"
Olivia took another sip of wine. "Yup! That's it~"
"Then where did all this bread, meat, and wine come from?" Tribios asked, astonished. "And what about the clothes?"
Olivia belatedly realized her omission. "Oh, there's a bakery in the city that makes the bread. As for the meat, some people hunt in the nearby forest in their free time. And the wine? Well, merchant caravans occasionally pass through here and sell it to us."
"Hey! They say it's a specialty from some kingdom in the south. It's super tasty, Little Trib! Wanna try some?"
As she spoke, Olivia offered her half-empty wine glass to Tribios. Tribios could see white foam lingering at the corners of Olivia's lips and along the rim of the glass, while the liquid inside was a cloudy, slightly yellowish brew.
But Tribios didn't show any disgust. Instead, she genuinely took the glass and took a small sip. Then she stuck out her delicate pink tongue and made a face: "Pleh~"
To be honest, this "specialty of the Southern Kingdom" that Olivia was raving about was utterly disgusting!
Though Tribios hadn't been fond of alcohol in her previous life, she had inevitably tried it on various occasions. Compared to the wines she'd tasted back then, the swill in her hand now was utter garbage!
Bitter and astringent, it tasted like rotten persimmons soaked in water and fermented for days. The only redeeming quality was that Tribios could detect a hint of alcohol—just a hint. "You really think this tastes good?" she asked.
Olivia nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! It's the best wine I've ever had! What about you, Little Trib? Is your tolerance really that low? Can't even handle this?"
No, it's not about tolerance! It just tastes terrible! Tribios couldn't help but imagine how wildly popular the wines from her previous life would be in this place.
Suddenly, an idea sparked in Tribios's mind: the Grand Duchy of Augustus was hopelessly backward! If she wanted to rapidly enrich this region, the simplest approach would be trade!
Let's set aside high-end industries like winemaking for now. The Grand Duchy of Augustus is surrounded by vast forests. Even if we just chopped down all the trees and sold the timber, we could make a considerable fortune, right?
Tribios explained her idea, but Olivia countered, "Selling timber? I've tried that before, but you barely make any money!"
As mentioned earlier, Olivia had ventured to the Northern Territory to trade with the barbarians, specifically to sell timber. The Northern Territory's frigid climate meant they desperately needed firewood, but the problem was, the Northern Territory barbarians were dirt poor! They simply didn't have much money.
Many times, Olivia would haul a massive pile of timber across mountains and rivers to the Northern Territory, only to end up trading it for a paltry pile of animal furs.
On some occasions, the barbarians even tried to seize the timber by force, seeing Olivia's small group, but she had dealt with them swiftly.
"What about the Southern Kingdom? Why not trade with them?" But as soon as the words left her lips, she realized the answer herself: it was too far!
Imagine a large group of people, burdened with mountains of timber, trudging through rugged terrain just to sell raw materials for a meager profit. The effort simply wouldn't be worth it.
As the saying goes, "To get rich, build roads first." Only by improving transportation and simplifying trade can prosperity be achieved.
A moment later, Tribios realized something else: she had the Century Gate! She could completely eliminate the need for long journeys, reducing them to zero!
She turned to Olivia and asked, "If I could enable people to instantly cross thousands, even tens of thousands of kilometers, reaching the southern cities in the blink of an eye to sell wood there, what do you think?"
Olivia's eyes lit up immediately. "Really?! Instantly cross tens of thousands of kilometers? Little Trib, are you a wizard?"
Tribios shook her head. "I'm not a wizard. Just... think of it as my special ability."
Normally, most people would react to such an outrageous claim with skepticism. But Olivia believed her without hesitation. "Then I'll arrange for people to start cutting down trees tomorrow!"
Just then, Jay finally limped back. At first glance, Tribios didn't even recognize him.
Jay's head was wrapped in layer upon layer of bandages, leaving only his eyes and nose visible, making him look like a critically ill patient on the verge of death.
Tribios couldn't help but exclaim, "Did the landlady really go that hard on you?"
Jay paused, seemingly searching for the right words. After a moment, he replied, "Uh... yeah, she went a bit overboard. It hurt like hell."
As he spoke, Jay reached for some food on the table and brought it to his mouth, only to freeze in shock. His mouth was also bandaged several times over, leaving him wondering how he was supposed to eat.
Regardless of Jay's predicament, Olivia had already finished her meal. She stood up and said, "Little Trib, I'll get you settled into your lodging for the night. Get some rest, and we'll start your official work tomorrow!"
With the two women gone, only Jay and Tide remained at the table. Jay asked, puzzled, "Tomorrow's the official start? Start what?"
Tide grumbled, "Selling wood."
Jay stared in disbelief. "What the hell?!"
Tide, as if thinking Jay hadn't heard him clearly, drawled slowly, "Sell-ing—wood."
Jay was speechless. But looking at Tide's clueless expression, he decided not to press the matter further. He knew he wouldn't get the answers he wanted anyway, so he might as well finish eating quickly and go ask Olivia directly.
Meanwhile, back with Tribios, Olivia led her to a plain, unremarkable wooden house. Olivia said, "The former owner went hunting nearly ten days ago and hasn't returned. He's likely been killed by a wild beast, leaving the place empty. You don't mind, do you, Little Trib?"
"Ah?" Tribios was taken aback by her words. She stared at Olivia, whose face showed no trace of pity, sorrow, or regret—as if she were merely mentioning a trivial matter.
Olivia sighed. "It can't be helped. During their leisure time, people often venture into the forest, hoping to hunt animals. Any successful hunt, no matter the creature, can drastically improve a family's livelihood, especially during the winter months when farming is impossible. Such incidents are all too common."
"Every year, countless people venture into the forest, never to return. Yet still, an endless stream of people continues to journey into the woods."
If not for the desperation of survival, who would willingly risk their lives on such dangerous expeditions?
Olivia had simply grown numb. She knew that even grief and regret wouldn't change anything. Instead of dwelling on sorrow, she chose to focus on finding practical solutions to improve everyone's lives.
If everyone had work, food, and warmth, they wouldn't resort to venturing alone into the forest, would they?
"So, Little Trib," Olivia said, "if you really can teleport people thousands of kilometers instantly to the Southern Kingdom, so they can cut down trees and sell them for money, it would be far safer than hunting!"
Truth be told, Olivia's faith in Tribios' words stemmed less from blind trust and more from a desperate hope that what she said was true.
"Is that so..." Tribios sighed. "It's alright, I'm fine here. I don't mind."
"Alright then, I'll come find you first thing tomorrow morning!" Olivia waved goodbye and left.
Not long after Olivia and Tribios parted ways, a Little Husky materialized beside Olivia, crossing his arms and declaring, "Hey, do you really trust that Trib... whatever her name is? I have a feeling she's definitely not an ordinary half-elf. There's no way she's only twenty years old!"
Olivia smiled gently. "My opinion differs completely from yours, Half. I can sense that Little Trib is a very kind person. As for the rest, I don't think it matters much."
Meanwhile, after Olivia left, Tribios remained deep in thought. Selling only raw timber wouldn't cut it. Everyone knew that raw materials brought in the lowest profits. Then... she couldn't help but think of oil.
Well, to be precise, selling timber alone wouldn't make her rich. Once she had weathered this initial challenging phase and secured her first capital, she would need to shift her business strategy.
It was obvious: in this era, the nobility held the greatest wealth. Even the Ruler might be less affluent than some nobles. Therefore, the key was to find ways to extract wealth from the nobility.
For instance, she could craft high-end products like musical instruments, wood carvings, and other exquisite items, collectively branded as "artworks." If meticulously crafted and limited in quantity, commanding premium prices, the nobles would undoubtedly swarm to acquire them.
For nobles, money is just a number. If they can exchange that number for prestige and status, most would hardly refuse.
This stunning, limited-edition artwork, its primary appeal lies in its exorbitant price. If I have it and you don't, can't I flaunt it and show off in front of you?
As for how to make these "high-end products" famous? It's actually quite simple. Take the initial profits from selling timber and spend it all on hiring hordes of bards to travel the land, singing their praises to the skies. That would do the trick, wouldn't it?
In the entire process, the easiest part is crafting the "artwork" itself—as long as it's not too ugly.
Of course, these are just initial ideas. To actually implement them, we'd first need to conduct some on-site research and then develop a more detailed plan.
Beyond this, there's the brewing industry. If Tribios can replicate even half the flavor of any wine from her past life, it would be a dimensional strike against this world's entire brewing industry.
As Tribios pondered these ideas, she stepped into the wooden hut before her. Suddenly, a realization struck her: Wasn't I supposed to stay out of the country's governance? Yet now my mind is filled with thoughts of how to develop this nation.