System vs Rebirth

Two weeks later.

"We have sent out the people as you ordered. We have split five hundred people into five groups and sent them to the north to build five different villages. Each of them has enough food and soldiers to protect themselves." Rose reported.

"Good. Record all their requests and progress." Noel nodded. "Also, what's the situation with the Demon Banner Army?"

"We've sent the request to the Demon Banner Army, and it appears that several captains have been interested in going."

"We only need one of the five Shield teams and one of the Utility teams. I guess the latter is the Demon Relief Squad." Noel shrugged.

"Yes. Does that mean you want one of those Shield teams to create their base here?"

"Tell them that they will be able to do it in one of those five new villages. It will grow into a city soon, and it'll be developed with Rune Technology in mind."

"Got it. Does the commander have something to say?"

"No. We're going through the normal channel, so there's nothing to say about our method. However, there is a problem with the movement of the demons in the north."

"What do you mean?"

"It seems that the Supreme Devil Organizations are planning to hinder our expansion even with their current strength. They might make the move because the Greenwood Kingdom has left the area."

"That doesn't really matter. In fact, more demons is good since we will have more fuel for our rune technology and it can also be a good opportunity for our people to show their abilities." Noel shrugged.

"Understood. Then, we'll proceed according to the plan." Rose nodded. After growing a bit more accustomed to the work here, Charlotte gradually gave more and more tasks to Rose, including becoming Noel's assistant.

"Alright. Let's go to Roel's workshop to check the new thing." Noel waved his hand.

While they were walking down the hallway, a maid looked panicked, as if she were trying to find someone. When she turned around, Noel could see her face, which turned out to be Sandra.

"Master!" Sandra rushed to him while panting.

"What's wrong?" Noel furrowed his eyebrows.

Sandra handed him a letter.

Noel grabbed the letter with a serious expression. From the shape and color alone, he knew that this was Harley's letter. It seemed that something was going on.

When he opened the letter, he couldn't help but sigh. "I see. Rose, there is a change of schedule today."

"Is there something wrong?" Rose looked concerned.

Noel simply gave her the letter.

"This…" Rose gasped, finally understanding what happened.

'Four Nobles: Lesen, Caulbot, Canmond, and Yatcher have decided to ban all the trades to Lounstein.'

This sentence alone was enough to explain the entire thing. Rose couldn't help but think, 'These four nobles are from the royal faction, so it's no wonder if they strike against us now. At the same time, this is quite troublesome.

'The Lesen family is the number one producer of bricks in this entire kingdom, the Caulbot family is blessed with iron mountains, the Canmond family has a lot of wool, and the Yatcher family is known for their clay handicraft.

'This is not a simple ban. It's limiting the trade. In other words, it's going to be impossible for us to procure the materials directly. Even if we go through a separate channel, we will end up with a higher price… probably close to two times its original price. They must be planning to limit production as well so as to jack up the price even further.

'This is not looking good for us. We use a lot of bricks in our building, so this is going to impact us pretty hard. In addition, all iron tools, from nails to hammers, are produced by the Caulbot family. We have been able to get them pretty easily, but if they're going to impose this ban, the construction will definitely suffer.

'And the Canmond family is the most troublesome. We are only three months away before the temperature starts to drop and another month before winter fully arrives in full force. Even though we have no shortage of firewood and possess the rune technology, we need those clothes to make sure no one dies.

'It's normal for people to die in the harsh winter, but the problem is that if we have a lot of people dying right now, not only would we lose the trust of the people, but we also lose a lot of manpower. This is even more concerning for those new five villages.

'Last but not least, the Yatcher family has been the one distributing the clay pots and other household items. If the price increases significantly, the common people will have a hard time leading a normal life.

'This is going to get even trickier. We can somehow fight them with the ban of the rune technology, but the technology is still new, so the impact won't be as big.'

Rose accurately assessed the impact after learning from Charlotte. This would be hard even for them. On the one hand, they could get it from the Greenwood Kingdom. On the other hand, the royal family might use this as an excuse to attack Noel.

Noel had been doing his best to purchase the local products so that he could say that he loved the people in this land instead of importing stuff from foreign kingdoms. So, if he abandoned this trick in order to get those items, the royal family would definitely launch propaganda or even ban imported goods.

That was why Noel had no choice but to continue purchasing items locally. The problem was whether he could do it or not.

"Thank you for the information, Sandra." Noel smiled and patted Sandra's head.

"Yes, Master." Sandra couldn't contain her smile. "In that case, I'll excuse myself."

"En. Be careful." Noel nodded.

When she was gone, Noel asked, "According to you, what will be our course of action?"

"If we follow the book, we'll have to purchase these items from merchants. But the merchants have a high chance to increase the price significantly, especially with the risk that they will be banned from purchasing those goods from those four nobles.

"We might be able to withstand it for a while by buying it at twice the normal price, but we won't last long." Rose explained.

"In that case, which merchants have a good reputation and are willing to do this?"

Rose thought for a moment. "This is rather tricky. They should have caught the wind of the Runegard company. Their position will be threatened because of the potential of our Runegard company. So, not a lot of merchants would actually help us."

"What about the nobles?"

"No one is actually close to our territory, so it's going to be costly to transport that stuff."

Noel nodded in agreement. "In that case, what do you think we should do now?"

"Using the neutral nobles to purchase these goods?"

Noel shook his head. "No. It's to gather those merchants in Laivaen City."

"Gather them?" Rose looked shocked.

"Yeah. I've expected this, so I want you to do three things for me. Send invitations to the ten biggest merchants in this kingdom and tell them that Marquis Ardagan wants to meet them in Laivaen City two weeks from now.

"Second, I want you to assemble three hundred people. If there is someone who has experience as a mayor, include them as well. Of course, send a word to Dimitri that we will need more people after this.

"Third, I want you to tell Howard. There is a new mission for the military. Eliminate thoroughly all the demons and bandits located west of this city."

"Understood." Rose still didn't fully understand the meaning behind those orders, but she knew that Noel must have foreseen something. So, it was better to focus on it.

After Rose left his side, Noel's expression turned grim. "I have expected this, but they are making their moves one month earlier. I guess I can't really be idle anymore."

When he was about to take a step forward, he suddenly noticed a presence behind him. Noel couldn't help but say, "Geez. It seems that there are a lot of visitors today."

Noel had already known whose presence he felt, so he turned around while asking, "Is it time for you to speak your real intention in coming here, Duke? You have seen enough to finally pass on the message of that person, right?"

Yes, the one who got the information about the ban wasn't just Noel. Duke Lorelei immediately sought Noel the moment he got this information because of one reason.

"It seems that you're already aware of what's going on." Duke Lorelei took a deep breath. "In that case, I'll give you the message that Her Highness, the Third Princess, has entrusted me. Don't seek the answer from the east, but go to the south instead."

As he originally expected, the duke was indeed related to the Third Princess. The neutrality he maintained this whole time was just a facade so that other princes and princesses didn't pressure him to choose a side. After all, the Third Princess he served had been acting as a controlled princess. In the end, Duke Lorelei was a noble who wanted the country to prosper, and the Third Princess seemed to be his answer.

After seeing the true ability of the Rune Technology, Duke Lorelei thought that Noel would definitely become the Third Princess's strongest weapon.

Unfortunately for him, Noel said, "I appreciate Her Highness's care, but the Ardagan family has their own way of fighting. Instead of worrying about my family, I think you should worry about the twelve arbiters as a whole, Duke."

"The arbiters?"

Noel smirked and walked toward him. "You should have heard the citizens talking about how demons managed to enter the city in the previous war, right?"

Duke Lorelei's expression turned grim. He obviously didn't come here just for Rune Technology. He also tried to get as much information as possible while assessing Noel's trump cards.

During his investigation, he had learned that despite fighting tremendously well, the demons managed to enter the city. The cause was still unknown.

After all, there were only two people aware of the culprit. They were Noel and Anna.

When Noel reached the Duke, he leaned closer and whispered, "After fighting those Devil Saints, I didn't immediately go back to the city because there was a hidden threat outside the city. A threat that could send the demons inside the city."

"!!!" Duke Lorelei's body shook. He understood what Noel was trying to imply. Josephine was probably the only person who had the ability. He had heard that Josephine had come to the palace less and less. This only implied one thing, Josephine had changed her affiliation.

"Instead of worrying about me, I think you should take care of yourself, Duke."

Duke Lorelei was aware that the Tower Association had been infiltrated by the organization. While the arbiters cooperated with the organization, they were still affiliated with the royal system.

But what happened to Josephine changed everything. If she was indeed a mole, there would be another few arbiters that might switch sides.

And at that time, the fight wasn't just against Noel. It would be a battle royal between the royal family, the Supreme Devil Organization, and the Ardagan family.

If Noel told him about this before he deemed Noel strong enough, he would just dismiss his words as a seed of doubt. Noel knew exactly that and waited until he revealed his true intention.

There was a chance that they already knew about the secret of the Third Princess. And if, by chance, they assassinated the Third Princess to deal heavy damage to him, the game would be over.

"It doesn't seem that you don't have a lot of time left, Duke. Have you made your purchase?"

Duke Lorelei bit his lips. "I'm thankful for your kind reception, Marquis. It appears that I've just gotten joyous news from my territory that a child will be born in my household. I have to excuse myself."

"Please take care." Noel smiled. After Duke Lorelei left, Noel couldn't help but sigh, thinking, 'The preparation is complete. It seems that the time has arrived for me to crush a few nobles and merchants. Let's fight with the power of money, shall we?'

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