The steward was very displeased with what he saw right in front of him, but did not dare to cancel or challenge the decision made by his master.
His lord had changed greatly after waking up. He began promoting strange ideas, inventing unusual devices, and according to soldiers' rumors, possessed magic they had never seen before.
As manager of Baltes estate, he suppressed all these rumors and even punished servants for gossiping. Although such talk should not leave the castle walls, merely discussing their master's life was enough reason to dismiss or even whip them. However, knowing the temperament of the lord, he dared not treat the servants harshly, so he tried gently guiding them within the house to control their tongues.
At that moment, he watched as a merchant conversed with his master, waiting impatiently for it all to end and this "filthy" man to depart from the castle.
Vorkat stood opposite the lord, head bowed, awaiting new orders. Despite appearing calm on the outside, his heart raced wildly inside. He already envisioned his future life. Having obtained this position, he now ranked higher than many others in this world.
If everything went well, he could marry the daughter of an impoverished aristocrat, granting his children noble status. In one or two generations, they might become full-fledged nobles themselves.
Normally, if a nobleman didn't seek people onto his land, even just to acquire a piece under his authority, you would have to live three generations there. And if you managed to maintain your peasant status while accumulating wealth, someday your descendants might be able to buy a plot of land and gain illusory freedom.
It was illusory because no documents guaranteed anything. Enrage a nobleman, and he could take back your land with a single word.
While Vorkat daydreamed about his new life, Victor ordered a cup of salt to be brought. As soon as the cup arrived, it was handed over to Vorkat.
— My lord, what is this? — asked the merchant when presented with a bowl filled with snow-white sand.
— Taste it and tell me, — replied the lord succinctly.
With some hesitation, the merchant took a pinch of salt and tasted it. Instantly understanding its nature, he also realized how valuable this treasure truly was. The salt was pure like snow, without any impurities or bitterness. What lay before him differed from ordinary salt as much as diamonds do from road dirt.
— My lord, how much does such salt cost? — he asked nervously, having thought through everything.
Vorkat feared that the price set for this salt would be prohibitive. Given the appearance of this product, its production must involve extremely complex processes and techniques. Therefore, it likely costs at least ten times more than regular salt, perhaps twenty times more.
— I intend to sell this type of salt for ten silver coins per barrel, — answered Victor.
Vorkat couldn't quite grasp what he'd heard. A barrel of common salt typically sells for fifty silver coins, yet this was forty cheaper. Even he planned to charge two gold pieces per barrel, which seemed reasonable given its quality.
— This isn't all, — announced Victor, gesturing for another cup to be passed over.
Taking the second cup, he found it contained finely ground salt, each crystal sparkling like tiny diamonds in Vorkat's eyes.
— This commodity cannot be sold to ordinary merchants; it's intended exclusively for aristocrats, — declared Victor.
A small trick allowing him to manipulate the nobility who would never deign to purchase salt meant for peasants.
Of course, poorer aristocrats will still buy regular salt, but they'll also buy fine-grained salt to display prominently during receptions. Wealthy noblemen, however, will only purchase the finest variety.
— My lord, how much does this kind of salt cost? — asked the merchant, stunned by what he'd witnessed since arriving at the castle.
— Such salt will be sold in special boxes priced at one golden coin per box, — replied Victor.
Each box holds a maximum of five hundred grams of this salt. He has already begun designing the box himself. There are four carpenters on site capable of handling such work.
The lord chose boxes and barrels because he wanted to introduce the concept of branding into this world. Barrels already bear the Baltes coat of arms, ensuring these barrels appear throughout the kingdom. Once empty, nobody throws them away; instead, they're reused everywhere, keeping the crest visible to everyone.
When Vorkat saw the design of the box, he doubted anyone could afford spending money on something like this.
— My lord, will someone actually pay such a price? — asked the merchant.
— No need to worry. You'll receive seven such boxes; your task is simply to deliver them to aristocrats accompanied by my letter, — responded Victor immediately.
Once prominent aristocrats obtain this item and learn that only seven individuals in the entire kingdom possess it, they'll proudly show off this precious object to less wealthy nobles and vassals alike, eager to boast about owning something worth an entire golden coin among affluent friends.
They may even host banquets solely to flaunt their rarity in front of others. Nobles frequently held feasts for various reasons, and showing off was considered proper etiquette.
Word-of-mouth would then spread, prompting others to seek out what they'd seen among the wealthy nobility.
The key lies in selling limited quantities. Victor prepared additional moves, even two.
In the first case, he knew exactly how to reach the Duke and turn it into a spectacle. But reaching the King, he had no idea how.
After issuing instructions, he sent Vorkat along with the steward to attend to matters, returning to his study alone.
He needed to resolve several issues. At present, he focused on planning the central village.
Victor drafted plans for renovating the village and constructing new homes for serfs, intending to build a market where traders could gather. He contemplated ways to attract merchants here.
On one hand, selling salt, wine, and soap might suffice. Yet clearly, that's insufficient, considering both his serfs and peasants were destitute, unable to offer goods for sale nor afford purchases.
Distributing cash makes little sense either. They'd squander it quickly, benefitting only visiting merchants entering his territory. That wasn't his goal.
Late into the night, the lord sat in his study pondering next steps when he heard a knock on the door followed by guards reporting Alganis' return seeking entry.
Upon receiving permission, the knight entered the study smiling happily and recounted events.
They discovered the monster attacking the village, identified as a baryk—a beast resembling a pig but larger and more aggressive. Listening to his tale of killing this creature led them outdoors.
There lay a massive corpse nearly as tall as a horse lying sideways. Nearby bags rustled with sounds suggesting squealing piglets.
Hearing those sounds quickened Viktor's heartbeat. Though he despised pork since childhood, domesticating these creatures could provide excellent resources both for food and his soap-making enterprise.
Opening the sacks revealed piglet-like beings covered in fur similar to German shepherds. The lord promptly instructed construction of a pen behind the castle yard for their containment.
Thanking the knight and delighted soldiers who succeeded in killing a bronze-level monster, he returned to his study. These pigs gave him an idea for improving the welfare of his serfs and peasants.
Quickly jotting down notes on parchment, he leaned back in his chair, reflecting on recent developments.
Everything he did felt odd somehow.
His luck, previously negative in his previous world, was thriving here. Fortune constantly favored him, though it didn't affect the specific parameter listed in his stats.
From the book, he learned that this 'luck' parameter implied a chance in battle against enemies to deal damage five times greater than his max strength, ignoring enemy armor entirely. Currently standing at twelve points, giving him a 13% activation rate.
"This can't possibly relate to this, but why am I getting so lucky? I've barely done anything since coming to this world, yet I've received numerous good things." Pondering this question, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep unnoticed.
When the lord opened his eyes again, a blanket rested upon him, presumably delivered by Lulu. Discarding it, he glanced out the window, noting dawn breaking.
Washing up with assistance from summoned servants, Victor headed toward the dining hall, eating breakfast before returning to business affairs.
Lord located Jinn and issued immediate orders to visit neighboring lands, purchasing two hundred chickens, forty roosters, and additional grain. So far, the purchased supplies sufficed to last through winter, but he aimed to develop poultry trade.
The simplest option involved distributing birds for breeding and loaning grain. Reclaiming grown birds at thirty percent below market value represented a long-term investment. Yes, initial bird purchases entailed expenses, but if successful, locals would consistently sell him chickens. Then he could resale them to incoming merchants at local markets.
Eventually, once profits recouped investments, he could withdraw from this venture and allow serfs access to the marketplace. By then, they should understand market prices and basic trading principles.
These straightforward procedures occurred regularly across villages nationwide, except here no one had thought of doing so. Chickens are usually sold privately by minor merchants and peasants. No one opens large-scale chicken farms. But if every part of his domain traded poultry, it would train merchants to expect consistent availability of chickens in bulk.
Merchants would bring grain used as feed and pick up chickens. Thus, a cycle of commerce would emerge, revitalizing the economy. Serfs would grow wealthier, desire more purchases, and merchants would respond accordingly.
All Victor needed to do was manage the area and monitor merchants, preventing boundary crossings.
Specifically for this purpose, he designed a cart featuring five rows of cages for transporting large numbers of chickens simultaneously.
Pleased with his ingenuity, Victor wandered the castle grinning ear-to-ear. Any mundane item from his former world could yield mountains of gold here.
Strolling through the castle, he encountered Alganis, who suggested morning training sessions, which the lord accepted, heading to the rear courtyard. Training continued until lunchtime when Lulu informed him that Vorkat had arrived, ready to depart.
Victor halted practice and proceeded to the outer courtyard to inspect everything personally, wanting to see the boxes himself since drawing them on parchment hadn't shown results.
In the courtyard, Vorkat greeted him respectfully, extending a box.
This elegant box, coated with animal fat, featured a wind rose engraved on top. Unsure what else to draw, Victor deemed this acceptable since no such symbol existed in this realm. The box was polished beautifully, looking dignified enough to place on a table.
Returning the box, he dispatched the convoy and returned to the castle, instructing the steward to prepare for departure to the Duke's birthday celebration. Much preparation awaited him, including finding a gift worthy of such an individual.
Several ideas came to mind regarding gifts without excessive expenditure, as his treasury held only one hundred thirty golden coins, leaving him reliant on the returning convoy for further funds. Consequently, he decided to carry only one hundred coins.
Elated, he opened the menu en route to his office and noticed changes in parameters following training.
Strength: 39 (+5)
Agility: 37 (+5)
Intelligence: 18 (no change)
Luck: 13 (+1)
Armor proficiency increased from -23% to -9%.
Impatiently curious, he wondered what secrets armor would reveal once reaching zero.