Chapter 4: The Price of Ambition
The decision to leave Marrowport was not merely a change of location; it was a liquidation of our current assets. I sat in the center of a half-empty office, watching Barry move with a new, frantic grace. My CEO's mind knew that time was our most expensive resource.
"Barry," I called out. "Sell it all. The mansion, the headquarters, the furniture. We leave in seventy-two hours. I want liquid capital, not stone and mortar."
As Barry bowed and hurried toward the door, my vision flashed with a familiar blue light.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: Barry has unlocked Sub-Class: Footlad (Butler Class) – Level 1][SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: Barry has unlocked Sub-Class: Seeker (Negotiator Class) – Level 1]
I smiled. My management was already bearing fruit. By giving Barry the title of Grand Butler, I had triggered his professional evolution. In Eldpiire, responsibility was the catalyst for cultivation.
The following three days were a whirlwind of logistics. While the men sharpened steel and packed grain, I tapped into my Free Intelligence. The system provided a tactical map of our upcoming journey toward Dragonia City.
[INTEL REPORT: THE ROAD TO THE CAPITAL]
The Threat: A bandit group is entrenched 50km past the Great Road bend. They plan an ambush in 48 hours.The Prize: Their headquarters, hidden on a westward hill, contains a cache of 3,000 gold coins.The Bounty: The bandit leader is a wanted criminal. His head is worth 500 gold coins in the Capital.The Opportunity: Five Wind-Flash Wolf cubs remain in a den near the bandit HQ. Their mother is dead. If retrieved now, they can be tamed as legendary mounts.
I leaned back, calculating the ROI (Return on Investment). A potential 3,500 gold gain plus rare mounts? The bandits weren't an obstacle; they were our first major revenue stream.
By the second day, Barry returned with the ledgers. The mansion had fetched 300 gold coins, and the city-center HQ brought in another 150. Combined with the 2,000 gold from the kitchen cache and the 367 gold left by my mother, our war chest sat at 2,817 gold coins.
In this world, that was a staggering sum. On Earth, I would have called this "Seed Funding." Here, it was enough to hire a thousand elite mercenaries for three years. I still held five high-class cultivation potions in my private storage—incentives for future performance.
Before the sun rose on the third day, we gathered in the courtyard. The air was crisp, smelling of wet earth and horse leather. I looked at the new faces in our ranks. Barry had recruited two young maids and two sturdy manservants to handle the household logistics on the road. More importantly, I had visited the local slave markets. Ten Slave Warriors, all at the rank of Low Tier Warrior, stood in a line, their eyes dull but their bodies strong.
It was time to formalize the hierarchy. I stood before them, the Black-Glass Steel sword at my hip.
"Osmund Steellay," I announced. "Step forward." The True Knight knelt. "I appoint you Lord Commander of the Sylvrwynn Family Guards. My brother, Foalan, will serve as your Deputy Commander. Teach him to lead as our father taught you."
I turned to Karl. "You were born in the gutters, but you will die a legend. From this day, you shall be known as Karl Guttersharp. I appoint you Guardian Knight and Captain of the Melee. You will lead our heavy cavalry and infantry."
I watched Karl's eyes widen at the gift of a surname—a mark of true nobility. I then assigned him two Adjutants: Rick, a Squire Knight, would lead our six cavalrymen, while Sven would take command of the ten newly acquired Slave Warriors.
Finally, I looked at the hunter. "Cedric, your name shall be Cedric Farcave, in honor of your origins. You are the Captain of the Rangers. Keep your eyes on the treeline."
As the wagons began to roll, the reality of our departure hit me. We had lived in Marrowport for five years. It was where we mourned, where we struggled, and where we grew. But the "Silver Group" was a cocoon; today, the Sylvrwynn House was emerging.
Fifty kilometers into the march, I checked my final pieces of intelligence for the day.
[INTEL 1: THE BEAST]A Lightning Boar roams the brush 10km ahead. Its meat provides high-density mana nourishment for battle classes. It is ineffective for non-combatants.
[INTEL 2: THE AMBUSH]The bandits are exactly 50km beyond the boar's territory. They are currently sharpening their spears.
"Osmund! Karl!" I called out, my voice ringing with a CEO's clarity. "Form up. We have a Lightning Boar to hunt for dinner, and a bandit camp to liquidate before dawn."
The march toward the Dead-Winter Land had truly begun.