Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
The rhythmic sound of the axe hitting rock echoed through the cave at short intervals. The man doing the mining used the rhythm to sing a tune of his own making.
"I was a genius~"
Ding!
"I was mediocre too~"
Ding!
"I was a businessman~"
Ding!
"I was a gambler too~"
Ding!
"Been a gentleman, been a waste of space~"
Ding!
"From peak to pit, I've done it all~"
Ding!
"Been a merchant, been a soldier~"
Ding!
"Been a lord, now I'm a miner~"
Ding!
"Oho oho~"
"Now I dig to be the richest man alive~"
Ding! Tak!
"Gonna be the richest man alive~"
Tick! tock—!
"Richest man alive!"
Another piece of mithril finally broke free from the stubborn rock. Ashen took it with care, his face showing a happy smile that had been quite rare before his recent discovery.
⁂
Ashen had gone into the mine alone.
For an entire month, he'd spent his days digging into the mountain with his superhuman strength that made conventional mining equipment unnecessary. His body had been tempered through Riven State repeatedly over the past year. Breaking rock was almost as easy as chewing on cotton.
When he finally struck mithril, he'd extracted the first chunk himself and brought it straight to Alice.
He knew the risk of selling it himself. If he did, countless eyes would turn his way. The mine would be discovered within weeks. So he did the next best thing and had Alice craft a story about her private surveillance drones finding mithril in an abandoned cave by pure coincidence, and let her handle the selling.
Despite being a count, he didn't have the connections necessary for this type of trade. Alice did. The Wrath Domain's merchant networks and noble houses were all within her circle through her operations.
As he'd expected, she sold it within a week.
And he instantly became five hundred thousand merit points richer.
That was five times the amount Ashen had used to kickstart the entire settlement. And it was only one large piece.
If he put his mind to it, he could produce ten times that amount in a single day from the mine.
Ashen shook his head, dispelling the greedy thought before it could take root. He knew the rules. Always take what is within your capacity. Don't chew more than you can handle, or you'd be left with nothing.
When he reached the power to face all the Sin Lords on his own and hold his ground, maybe he'd start mining openly. But for now, he extracted only three pieces total. One for Alice to sell. Another for Seraphine to sell later. The last stayed with him for special circumstances.
He didn't even allow Seraphine to sell her piece yet. Two mithril discoveries in quick succession would attract attention. It was better to space them out.
It didn't matter anyway. The initial merit from the first piece was more than enough for now.
With it, he asked Alice to recruit additional soldiers and buy more resources to accelerate the territory's development.
Alice started by negotiating with the Greed Domain. They already had a battalion that had fought alongside Ashen during the Narkal siege, and the Domain's generals were glad to let go of soldiers with questionable loyalties for a decent amount of merit. But further recruitment hit a roadblock; no one else wanted to part with their soldiers, no matter the price offered.
Ashen accepted that the only road left was training his own army from the ground up. Thankfully, buying resources encountered far less resistance, and he got most of what he wanted. Tools, building materials, agricultural equipment, and weapons for the growing militia.
Now they were more than ready to accommodate the immigrants coming with Lucia.
Another piece of good news was that Braun had come alongside the new Greed battalion. The old soldier had requested the transfer himself when he heard where Ashen was stationed.
Now Ashen was reunited with the only Seravellian friend he had left.
⁂
The festival filled the central plaza with light and sound.
Lanterns hung from every available post and building edge, casting warm orange light across the open space.
Citizens danced to traditional music played by a small group of musicians who'd come with the immigrants. Others mingled in groups, drinking, singing, laughing. The atmosphere was genuinely joyful.
It was the kind of joy the settlement hadn't experienced since its founding.
As to why it was happening…
The festival served multiple purposes. The first was to welcome the new immigrants.
Ashen decided to also warp it as a celebration of how far they'd come in building their home.
And lastly, according to Lucia's judgment, this would show the count's generosity to his subjects.
And now that he actually had the resources to be generous, Ashen didn't mind doing this kind of thing occasionally.
So he sat at a table in the plaza's edge with Lucia to his left and Braun to his right, watching the festivities with satisfaction.
"Ten thousand new mouths to feed," Braun said, shaking his head with a smile. "You've got your work cut out for you, Ash."
"We've got our work cut out for us," Ashen corrected. "You're stuck here too now."
"It's not that bad, actually." Braun raised his cup. "Better than dying slowly at some outpost or by some noble brat's tantuirm."
"True… if we were to die here, it would only be by the hands of those monsters, not by brats." Ashen smiled.
Lucia sipped her wine with her composed expression, but Ashen knew that this was actually her pleased face.
"The integration is proceeding smoothly. Most of the immigrants have been assigned housing and work rotations. The merchants are already setting up shops in the trade district. And the laborers are being distributed to the workshops."
"Yes, you breathed life into our little city, love," Ashen said. "Bringing ten thousand people across multiple domains without losing them to bandits or starvation. I don't know how you did it, but I'm grateful."
"I'm your partner," Lucia said simply. "Of course I did it."
Braun laughed. "You two. Always so serious." He gestured at the dancing crowd. "Look around. People are happy just dancing and singing. Why don't you join them?"
"Maybe later…" Ashen said after hesitating. "Having their lord join would surely make them uncomfortable. This is the closet I can get without having them stare at me nervously every two seconds."
"Fair enough." Braun took another drink. "Though I have to say, accommodating this many people is going to be a logistics nightmare for the next few months. Housing, food distribution, job assignments—"
"Worth it," Ashen interrupted. "Every headache is worth it if we're actually growing instead of stagnating."
Lucia nodded. "Growth requires pain. As long as we are prepared for it, it is worth it."
The conversation continued in that vein… lighthearted banter mixed with practical concerns, teasing mixed with genuine gratitude. The wine flowed, and the music played.
The festival atmosphere made everyone temporarily forget about the hardships awaiting them tomorrow.
Then Lucia's expression changed slightly, suddenly remembering something.
"By the way," she said, her tone still casual but turning colder, "I knew cultists were cancerous, but for them to reach this far… how bold of them."
Braun's countenance darkened immediately. His hand tightened around his cup.
Ashen froze on the spot.
When he finally unfroze, his voice came out almost robotic.
"What did you say?"
⛧ ⛧ ⛧