In this era, a village chief's authority rivaled that of a ruler. The moment the chief agreed, the entire village began preparing for relocation. As for the reception process in the Grand Duchy of Augustus, Tribios didn't need to handle that; she quickly took Olivia to the location of the second village.
This was the large village they had stumbled upon earlier with Jay while searching for the Southern Kingdom—the one with vast fields but few people farming them.
Without Melly, a local villager, to guide them, finding the village chief took considerable time. Fortunately, this chief proved amenable; after witnessing the Grand Duchy of Augustus for himself, he readily agreed to the relocation.
As Tribios watched the villagers line up to enter the Century Gate, each carrying their meager belongings, she couldn't help but imagine the Kingdom of Ukel's reaction when they came to collect taxes and found both villages utterly deserted, their inhabitants vanished into thin air. What would their faces look like then? she wondered.
Olivia suddenly spoke up, "Little Trib, Little Trib, since you can open the Century Gate to instantly transport these villagers to the Grand Duchy of Augustus, couldn't you also rescue the captives and slaves?"
The Grand Duchy of Augustus had risen to prominence precisely because of its slave trade, so it was natural for Olivia to think of this. However, Tribios replied, "Slaves are different from free citizens. If large numbers of them suddenly vanish, it will immediately raise suspicions. Moreover, slaves are always guarded by soldiers, and convincing them to voluntarily join us through persuasion won't be easy."
The reason was simple: fear of retribution and fear of death.
However, the solution was equally straightforward: seize them by force. Wipe out all the guarding soldiers, force the slaves through the Century Gate to the Grand Duchy of Augustus, and then gradually persuade them and grant them their freedom.
After explaining her plan, Tribios added, "Let's wait until the Grand Duchy of Augustus develops its own military force before attempting to rescue the slaves, Olivia. You're incredibly strong, but you can't single-handedly kill the guards while forcing the slaves through the Century Gate, can you?"
Olivia nodded, her spirits dampened. "I... I understand."
But Tribios quickly added, "Of course, we should start gathering information on slave detention locations in various countries right away. This will prepare us for future operations, which might come sooner than we think."
Hearing this, Olivia's dejected expression instantly transformed. She threw her arms around Tribios, exclaiming excitedly, "Thank you so much, Little Trib!"
And so, while Jay continued selling timber, he also began actively gathering intelligence on nearby villages and slaves. Whenever concrete information about a village came in, Tribios would open a portal and bring people over. Without exception, every village chief who witnessed the Grand Duchy of Augustus chose to join.
As for the slave information, it was all meticulously recorded for future use.
At that very moment, the Kingdom of Ukel's high-ranking officials remained completely unaware that another nation was clinging to their back, greedily draining their lifeblood.
With their workforce gradually expanding, Tribios proceeded to develop plans for high-end art, winemaking, and papermaking.
For high-end art, she focused on the woodworking half-elf from before. Tribios assigned her several apprentices to assist, allowing them to learn the craft while helping.
To be honest, the half-elf's craftsmanship was truly remarkable. She quickly produced her first finished piece: a lifelike wooden carving of a Dire Wolf.
However, she once asked Tribios, "Do you really think this will sell for a high price?"
While the carving was undeniably beautiful, there were certainly many others with similar skills who could create similar pieces. Given that the cost of materials was merely a small block of wood, the half-elf genuinely doubted its market value.
After a moment's thought, Tribios replied bluntly, "This... how about we price it at 50,000 Gold Dragons? What do you think?"
The half-elf young girl: "???"
Tribios continued, "Of course, to sell it at that price, we'll need to embellish it further."
For example, they could add "unique" "features" to the carving, replace the eyes with beautiful glass beads, engrave a striking name beneath it, and add a tamper-proof serial number.
These seemingly worthless additions, when applied to a work of art, could instantly multiply its value a hundredfold, a thousandfold, or even more.
Of course, another crucial aspect was publicity. Tribios had already dispatched agents, armed with ample funds, to bribe bards throughout the Kingdom of Ukel, instructing them to sing her praises far and wide.
Tribios gently ruffled the half-elf young girl's hair. "Just focus on your work," she assured her. "I'm confident it won't be long before you become a world-renowned artist."
As for the brewing and papermaking, recall how Tribios had previously remarked on her heightened intelligence? Her computational and memory abilities had dramatically improved. While contemplating and recalling brewing methods, vivid images flashed through her mind and slowly solidified.
It was as if she were unintentionally remembering brewing techniques she had glimpsed online in a previous life. Normally, such fleeting glimpses would vanish instantly, forgotten within moments. Yet now, Tribios could effortlessly recall every detail.
The process was straightforward: simply follow the brewing steps from her memory. Of course, given the different brewing environment and materials, some adjustments would be necessary based on the actual circumstances.
Papermaking followed a similar pattern. Based on her recollections of the process, Tribios began experimenting.
The only real challenge was the Grand Duchy of Augustus's low literacy rate. With no educated intellectuals to take over her work, she had to personally oversee both brewing and papermaking.
"Sigh, the pressure is mounting again..." Tribios sighed softly, collapsing onto her desk like a boneless cat at the thought of the endless tasks awaiting her each day.
She even considered abandoning the project altogether. After all, the Grand Duchy of Augustus had already become vastly wealthier, and selling timber alone would suffice. Why bother developing other industries?
But when she saw Olivia working just as tirelessly without a single complaint, she ultimately dismissed the idea.
And so, Tribios continued her daily routine: teaching students, researching brewing and papermaking techniques, and occasionally opening the Century Gate to bring in batches of commoners.
In the blink of an eye, another half-month had passed. Finally, just before the end of the month, Tribios successfully produced her first batch of wine.
The brew had a pale yellow hue, unlike the murky wines Olivia had tasted before. This brew was remarkably clear, radiating a sense of purity.
Tribios poured a bowlful into a wooden cup, took a small sip, and nodded gently. "Mmm, just the right flavor!"
It tasted exactly like the beer she'd drunk in her previous life. However, Tribios had never been a beer enthusiast. While others could easily distinguish between brands like Guinness, Modelo, and Budweiser, to her, they all tasted the same.
So if asked to describe the flavor of her homemade brew in detail, she genuinely couldn't. The only description she could offer was... "it tastes like beer."
That evening, Tribios brought a few cups of her brew to the tavern where the original quartet—Olivia, Jay, and Tide—still gathered for meals.
Despite their busy schedules, they made it a point to dine together every three or four days. After all, with the Century Gate eliminating all distance, such gatherings were incredibly convenient.
Unlike its humble beginnings, the Tavern had expanded several times its original size. It was no longer an open-air establishment but now featured a roof. However, due to Tide's immense size, Tribios and the others had to move a table and three chairs outside to dine near the entrance.
Why only three chairs? Again, it was because of Tide. He couldn't possibly sit on a chair; one wrong move, and the chair would likely collapse under his weight.
Just as Tribios settled down, Jay sighed and said, "I'm sorry, I still haven't learned anything about the Demon Lord or the Hero."
This was what Jay had been investigating all along, but without any results. Surely, the Hero would only appear after the Demon Lord emerged, right? It was impossible for the Seven Heroes to gather first, and then the Demon Lord to be born—that made no sense.
And if the Demon Lord were to appear, it would inevitably be accompanied by various disasters. Jay had been asking around, but he hadn't heard a single rumor of such events.
Or, to put it another way, because disasters were so common—neighboring countries were constantly at war, and death was everywhere—how could Jay possibly gather useful information by asking about calamities?
"The disaster you're asking about—is it the Grand Duchy A's mass slaughter of prisoners of war, or Kingdom B's city-wide massacre?"
Jay rubbed his temples wearily. "The more I investigate, the more I realize it's no wonder a Demon Lord, consumed by hatred for all and seeking to destroy the world, would emerge from such a backdrop."
"You can't rush these things," Tribios said, handing the beers she'd brought to the three of them. "Just let things take their course."
"What's this...?" Jay took the beer, momentarily surprised.
"My own brew," Tribios replied. "Give it a try. I think it tastes alright."
"I heard you were brewing beer, Little Trib! Did you finally succeed?" Olivia exclaimed before Jay could respond, grabbing her glass and taking a large gulp.
Visibly, Olivia's cheeks flushed crimson. Her eyes widened. "So... so delicious!"
Drinking was one of Olivia's few pleasures. Though Tribios considered her own brews merely average, to the people of this world—and especially to Olivia—they were truly exceptional!
Olivia had never tasted such exquisite beer before!
"Seriously?" Seeing Olivia's reaction, Jay took a sip himself, his eyes widening in surprise. "This is genuinely delicious!"
As for Tide, he delicately pinched the tiny glass between his thumb and forefinger, sipping slowly and deliberately. He could easily gulp down the entire glass in one go, but wouldn't that be a waste? If he savored each sip, he could enjoy it for longer!
Yet, taking too small a sip wouldn't let him appreciate the full flavor, so Tide took several slightly larger sips at once.
In short, he looked both eager to drink and reluctant to finish.
Seeing Tide's awkward expression, Tribios couldn't help but chuckle. "Don't worry, there's plenty more. I can get you a few more cups if you'd like."
Tide, the three-meter-tall behemoth, actually looked a little embarrassed. He awkwardly replied, "Thank you..."
Just then, the tavern's food was served. Jay raised a hand to stop the others. "This time, I'm paying!"
He reached into his pocket, pulled out several Silver Lions, and handed them to the waiter. "Keep the change. Consider the extra a tip for the Landlady!"
Though Jay had been incredibly subtle, leaving no visible trace of magic, Tribios knew he'd used it.
He'd muttered the spell in a near-inaudible whisper, and his hand had completed the gestures within the brief moment it was in his pocket, fulfilling all the conditions for casting the First-Level spell, [ Minor Illusion ].
Aside from the rather low-level spell, both the speed and technique of his casting were absurdly impressive.
Tribios didn't expose him, instead adopting an expression of practiced indifference. "So, you should be quite wealthy by now. Why are you still using this magic?"
Jay wagged his index finger back and forth. "No, no, you don't understand. This isn't about money at all. It's about vindicating my magic!"
"Every time I think my magic is perfect, flawless, the landlady here sees right through it with a single glance. I refuse to believe in this curse!"
"I've been perfecting my magic precisely for this moment! I refuse to believe she can see through it this time—"
"Jay—!" Before he could finish, the landlady's voice boomed through the tavern. Tribios could clearly see Jay shudder visibly at that moment.