Chapter 108 - 104: Expenses and Gains (Part 1)
Chapter 108: Chapter 104: Expenses and Gains (Part 1)
The silver-haired witch’s exasperated shriek pierced the clouds, echoing long over Newly Town.
Caroline, her face flushed red, stomped her foot fiercely and stormed off. In her haste, the lace hem of her magnificent gown snagged on a roadside bush. She yanked it free, flustered, and rushed into town without a backward glance.
Velin stood where he was, a little confused. He had only proposed a more rigorous contingency plan.
’What was wrong with that?’
’It was logically flawless.’
However, he no longer had the energy to delve into the intricacies of a woman’s mind.
Because in the next moment, a deafening roar of cheers completely engulfed him.
This cheering was no longer just a tribute to the victor, but a release of long-suppressed tension.
The residents of Newly Town—whether blacksmiths, farmers, or artisans—looked past Velin, their gazes fixed upon the unbelievably massive corpse of the Giant Crocodile being dragged by the beetles.
Its body, thicker than an ox-cart; its bizarre, vine-covered form; its giant maw, still radiating a vicious aura even in death.
Many of them had only ever heard of a monster of this caliber in the drunken tales of their ancestors.
Now, it was dead.
Lying right before them.
And the one who had killed it was their lord.
The way the crowd looked at Velin changed completely. Their previous respect and affection was now rapidly fermenting, transforming into near-fanatical worship.
They couldn’t comprehend how the giant beast had been killed, nor could they imagine the power it must have required.
In their simple worldview, this was a feat beyond mortal capabilities.
Their lord was simply omnipotent.
...
In the meeting room of the Lord’s Mansion, no one dared to break the silence.
Caroline, having changed into a sharp black dress suit, sat at the head of the long table, her anger from the morning still simmering.
Flanking her were Velin, Ryo, Ola, and Valerius.
She was pinching a battle damage report between two fingers, as if it were something filthy.
She placed the report gently on the table, making a crisp sound.
"A full set of masterwork enchanted Dwarven plate armor. Upon assessment, the breastplate has sustained structural damage, the vambraces have multiple fractures, and the overall enchantment aura has dimmed by sixty percent. The preliminary estimate for repairs is no less than one hundred Golden Suns."
Caroline’s gaze swept over everyone, her voice as cold as ice.
"Add to that the custom-made warhammer. The head is chipped, and restoring it to its original condition means sending it back to a Dwarven forge. That will cost at least thirty Golden Suns, and I’ll have to dispatch a trusted merchant caravan to take it there, which is yet another expense."
Her gaze finally landed on Ola, a hint of sarcasm playing on her lips.
"I must admit, Baron, your heroic stand against the Giant Crocodile’s charge was indeed valiant. I’m just curious—aside from satisfying your personal desire for theatrics, what else did this unnecessary valor bring us? Oh, that’s right. A repair bill for one hundred and thirty Golden Suns."
Ola’s face instantly flushed a deep crimson. His massive hand slammed down on the table with a loud BANG, making the cups and plates jump.
"What the hell does a woman like you know about a Warrior’s honor! I..."
He roared halfway through before his voice suddenly caught in his throat.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Velin looking at him.
Velin wasn’t angry. On the contrary, his expression was calm. He was just... looking at him.
Just looking.
Without warning, a chill shot up from the base of Ola’s spine to the crown of his head.
He swallowed the words that were meant to follow, his neck stiffening as he sat back down in sullen silence.
This dramatic turn of events left even Caroline stunned.
She looked at Velin with suspicion. ’What in the world did this bastard do to that hot-tempered Half-Dwarf to make him so docile?’
But seeing Velin’s faraway expression, the flames of her anger only grew hotter.
"It seems Baron Ola has recognized the ’value’ of his ’valor’," Caroline said, retracting her gaze, the dissatisfaction in her tone even heavier. "Of course, this loss is nothing compared to the expenses of our lord."
She picked up another list, her slender fingers tracing the items on it.
"Potions of the Slow Skill, three vials; Glimmer Potions, seven vials; Alchemy materials for ’Longstride,’ enough for seven people;"
She paused, taking a breath to visibly compose herself. "But the most outrageous part is the ’Touch of Frost’ potions—fifty-two vials! Did you drown that Gray Swamp Giant Crocodile in the town square with them? And Ryo, I’ve also factored in the material costs for his two ’Annihilation Tuning Forks’."
"In total, that’s three hundred and seventy-eight Golden Suns. And that’s not even including the enhanced nutrient paste for those three hundred precious beetles."
Caroline finally looked up, staring directly at Velin.
"A glorious victory, Your Excellency Klein. The price was a month’s worth of our association’s liquid capital, or Master Ola’s salary for the next two years, thrown into the swamp."
The entire meeting room fell silent once more.
Only the sound of Velin’s fingers tapping a gentle, rhythmic beat on the tabletop could be heard.
TAP—TAP—TAP—
He seemed completely unaffected by Caroline’s words, looking as if he were calculating something instead.
The moment Caroline finished speaking, the tapping stopped.
Velin looked up, meeting her furious gaze, and nodded seriously.
"I heard you, Caroline. Five hundred and eight Golden Suns. It’s a massive expense, enough to bankrupt any ordinary barony."
Velin first affirmed her conclusion, causing her anger to falter, as if a fully-charged punch had just sunk into a wad of cotton.
"Well, now that we’ve tallied the expenses," Velin said with a rare smile, "shouldn’t we discuss the profits?"
"Profits?" Caroline looked as if she had just heard the world’s greatest joke, almost laughing in exasperation. "Lord Velin, we’re on the verge of bankruptcy! And you want to talk about profits?"
This only infuriated Caroline more.
"I hope your ’profits’ can at least cover this deficit."
Her fingers tapped crisply on the tabletop.
"Otherwise, all of the Golden Sail Commerce Association’s investment plans for the next quarter will be forced to a halt—including those for the Origin Association."
It was a blatant threat. The air in the room grew heavy.
Ryo subconsciously fiddled with the expensive ring on his finger.
Valerius looked at Velin with concern, his lips moving but no sound escaping.
Only Ola seemed completely unconcerned about the outcome of this battle.
Velin stood up, walked to the window, and pushed open the heavy oak shutters.
Afternoon sunlight streamed in, along with the distinct, damp smell of the swamp.
"Master Valerius," Velin said without turning around. "In your capacity as a senior Alchemist, please take this list and explain to our Miss Channing the pile of ’spoils’ we’ve brought back."
With that, Velin handed the master a piece of parchment covered in writing.
Valerius took it reverently. His cloudy old eyes had only scanned two lines before his grizzled beard began to tremble uncontrollably.