Chương 335: Chapter 318. Roads Are Key To Life

" Are you sure that we only want some sheep from them, My Love?"" Yeah, we have Farmers to look after them after all. Besides, this town can't afford to pay what it would cost to fix the road to Paradise. Let alone what Lady Cindy and Byron have gone through... I think it's fine, we scratch their backs with some food and a decent road for that food to arrive quickly and we get sheep to allow our people to start playing around and making things that might become good sellers for visiting shoppers.

I say it's a win-win, wouldn't you?"" I understand where you're coming from, Darling, but we can't afford to look too kind. If so, others might come and seek us out to solve their problems."" Believe me, I won't have issues telling people no in the future. Besides, they're not random strangers to us, they're our Neighbors.

At first, yes, I thought it might be best to just use this as an opportunity to raise the anticipation for Roseland Products and announce when we'll be taking in orders, things can change, they're not bad people. I thought that with them not coming to welcome me was a blatant sign of protesting a Human being a Marquess here in Diablos. In actuality, Gasha broke her leg during training, so Gordon and Lady Diana decided to stay put and make sure Gasha healed up properly.

Then the Sarks were struck with bad news as well, Phil's mother was deathly ill at the time, so the Sark Family all left for Phil's father and mother's retirement villa in the Southern part of Diablos. Then there's Count Tye, he misread Gordon and Phil's decisions and just followed their lead since he's younger and they're his elders. I think we can cut them a break, don't you? If something actually does happen, I'll react accordingly." Sarah and Anna looked at me with a contemplative look on their faces.

This conversation had started as soon as we entered our room for the night. After Lily showed them the Spell that would revive the lands around Zana, we all decided to call it there and eat dinner. We were all still pretty tired from the battles last night, so we decided to call it a night after dessert and head to bed. It was an early time to go to sleep, but I'm sure Byron and Lady Cindy wanted to take some time to think about a few things and to grieve. I'd imagine they'll be doing that for the next few months.

I know it took me years before I felt like I was even ready to try and move on from losing my Parents. I hope they can pull through their grief in time." Very well, we'll try it your way, but I still think it's too light a price for all of the work you're going to be doing. You're basically providing them back their lifeblood and a lifeline to Paradise and in return, all we're receiving are 50 sheep that we most likely could've bartered for elsewhere for a way cheaper price than the work you'll be doing."

Sarah was not a fan of what I was doing, but she decided to back me on this. I know the concern is coming from a few places, both not wanting to look weak to outsiders, not the Counts that we've already befriended from all the chaos we've had to deal with since coming to Zana, but pretty much everyone else.

Warrick did tell me while King Alan and Princess Alice were busy picking clothes for Princess Alice to take with us to Paradise, that I should be careful moving forward since Roseland Products has a real good chance of stepping on the toes of other Businesses in the Food Industry of Diablos. I think the strength of ice cream and the other associated foods should be enough to silence any negativity, but Sarah and Anna are more concerned about assassination attempts, rather than losing in a business competition.

Since I got poisoned, you'd think I'd be a bit more concerned, but with Holy Heal being such a powerful neutralizer of any kind of damage I could be given, I guess I just feel assured in my abilities? I guess I should work on my perspective along with my training, I know back in my old world, the business world is a cutthroat place regardless of it just being filled with Humans." We're just worried is all, Darling. I mean, you did so much already, are you sure you can handle all of the work?"

Anna also was concerned about the workload I placed on myself. It was a lot, but when I think about how many people would go hungry without the farmland around Zana, I can't just sit back, since the people here are technically under my watch as the acting Fief Lord of this whole area.

Warrick did tell me that the Rose Swamps were a huge area, but I thought he only meant the area around Paradise, it wasn't until he showed me a map of Diablos that realized I was in charge of an area that in sheer size, is around 25% of Diablos's size. The only issue was that it only had 4 decent-sized cities, but not a lot of anything else. Paradise used to be something special, but when we showed up it was a ghost town.

That's why my long-term plan was something I've been wondering how to make a reality for a while now." Well, I mean, it's not all bad though."" What do you mean?" Sarah was confused, Anna also looked at me with a strange look. Well, I guess I do own them an explanation for what I've been able to do." Well, think about it. We've showed them how tasty the ice cream and cheesecake are, right?" Sarah and Anna nodded their heads to my statement."

With that, we've created demand, I'm pretty sure the other Counts are going to want to make similar deals with me. When the time for transportation talks begins to come up, I plan on offering similar offers since they all have things that I want from their town's products."" How is that not all bad for us?" Sarah wasn't catching on. Well, Anna wasn't either, I guess I should give them a way better hint for it." Well, the deal I'll make is the same, a road to Paradise, but I'm not promising roads anywhere else.

With all 4 of the towns around Paradise hooked on Roseland Products's food items, they're going to want more. This funnels them back to us for more of our foods. But more importantly, the products we've sold to them will be in their local Shops, that includes their restaurants and the like. Traveling Merchants trade in Zana, Trapa, FallenRoack and Skion. Not just that, but they get hungry." The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation."

And they'll try the foods we're selling to them and funnel them back to us?" Sarah finally caught on to what I was planning for the initial phase of my plans." Yes, but that's only the first part of my plan."" First?"" Yup, first." Sarah was surprised at that not being the end of my idea. Anna on the other hand seemed to have some kind of an idea about what I was going to do." The Tax Rates?"" That's right."" What does that mean?"

Anna was on the right track, but it was about what my idea would make Paradise into that I wanted to do it." Why don't you try telling her, Anna? I want to see if you can figure it out."" Well, I can certainly try..."" Oh, for the love of the Gods, just tell me!" Anna didn't seem too sure of herself, but I think she can figure the rest out, so could Sarah, but she was still a bit angry about the work I would be doing in the future."

He wants to bring all the initial attention to Paradise from the desserts, that's when he'll show that there's savory options to the public."" Okay, but what does that have to do with the Tax Rate?"" Well, Traveling Merchants have to pay a tax to enter the city that they're visiting, as well as there being small Sales Taxes for when they wish to sell their Items. The closest town to Paradise that acts as a trade hub is Sunburst City.

Which is closer to Blackstone than to the Eastern Border, which is where these Merchants who sell and buy products from us have to cross and pay a travel toll to exit and enter through."" I see... So, Our Love is going to lower the Tax Rate to enter and conduct sales in Paradise once we draw them all into our town from Roseland Products. Along with that, we'll have good roads for traveling on to get there safely and fast from each of the 4 towns closest to us?"" Yes."

Sarah and Anna finally understood some of what I had planned, but they missed something crucial to my plan and honestly, was the crux of the whole thing." What? What did we miss?" Anna saw the look on my face and understood that there was something else that I had planned for." You forgot our People."" Ah!"" So that's it." They both seemed to click everything into place now."

So, to explain it, the first phase of the plan is to offer to make good roads back to Paradise, along with selling ice cream and cheesecake to the 4 Count Families and their towns. Once that's done, Traveling Merchants will come from either word of mouth or trying the foods and wanting more of it themselves. Either to eat or to sell elsewhere, who knows?"" You're just going to let them sell your product?"" It'll all come back to me regardless.

If it's bad, the Traveling Merchant obviously did something to it and ruined it. In which case, the good word of mouth about our foodstuffs should either convince them to travel to the 4 towns or to Paradise. That's where a Customer will try it fresh from the source and they should fall in love with it like everyone else.

Add onto that, the King and Queen will support us as they're technically our first patrons, and I don't think any spoiled products from Merchants should reflect badly on us too much, unless they're biased towards me because I'm a Human... Calm down." Sarah and Anna started to grow angry just imagining the scenario I pointed out, once they calmed down, I continued."

Along with that, from the meats of Rare Monsters that we've hunted from around Paradise, along with the items we've made from their materials should fetch a good price because of the skills that our Blacksmiths have developed from working with the materials for so long now, which I'd imagine will become even better once the Apprentices all come back from Kuga, they'll be able to share what they've learned and be able to make something truly unique.

Add onto that, all of the herbs, spices, clothes and other such odds and ends that the people of our town have been producing together and..."" It'll be able to rival Sunburst as a trading hub... No, it might become even bigger, the best in all of Diablos... No, if it all works out, it could be like how Atheis was called the trading hub of the world since we already have the Dark Elves and Dwarves as paying customers. Along with that, the Dwarves are even willing to deliver it to places for us for a price..."

Anna seemed to finally put the pieces together." You..." It finally dawned on Sarah how big of a project this was for me." That's right, Sarah. I plan on making Paradise more or less, one of, if not, the Greatest City on the Continent. And the first step for that, is a road, funnily enough."" Who else knows?" Anna seemed concerned. Sarah seemed surprised that I shared this with anyone else." Just 2 people. Warrick knows, because I asked him about the legality of everything before we left for Paradise.

Since I'm a Fief Lord, I'm expected to pay a certain amount of tax every ten years to the Crown. Besides that, Fief Lords don't really need to follow many rules. So, I made sure to check every Economic Law book I could find while I was studying under him and only after double checking a few things by myself, I brought the idea to him, he said it was alright to do it.

So, I've been thinking about how to make it possible and once Gil Formed a Contracted with me and all of the initial product testing finished up, I knew I had a real shot at doing it."" Who else?" Sarah pressed me for the 2nd person's identity. Anna was also keen on knowing." Just Emily..."" Emily!?" Sarah shouted so loudly, I thought she woke everyone in the house up. She noticed what she did and looked concerned for a moment, when no one ran into the room for around 5 minutes, we continued speaking...

More like I did, under the watchful and very accusing stares of my Wives." Well, it's not like I told her, she realized it after she looked at the Economic Development plans, I've been enacting. The final piece of the puzzle for her was when she saw the Tax Rate plans I made. But besides that, I've only spoken about it to you two and Warrick." I tried to placate them with a few words at the end. Sarah and Anna ended up sharing some glances at each other before Sarah began to speak after sighing."

While I admit, this is a giant plan and if it plays out, we'll be set for life. That definitely deserves our praise, My Love."" We know you've always been thinking long and hard about Our Future, Darling." They both began to walk towards me with neutral expressions on their faces, I can't tell if they're angry or not?" But this and that are different things. You've admitted to us that you informed my Father before Your Own Two Loving Wives about all of this. Isn't that right, Anna?"" Yes, he just did, Sarah.

What would his sentence be, I wonder?" Sarah and Anna both looked at each other and smiled. I tried to quickly speak to stop them." Wait, we're guests in a very small ho-"" Guilty!" Wrap! Wrap! Fall! Soft! Soft! Soft! They both said that one word and then tackled me onto the bed. They weren't even actually angry with me. They're both smiling and giggling as they begin to rip my clothes off. I couldn't help but sigh in my mind and apologize to Byron and Lady Cindy in there as well.

Really, My Wives are too much for me sometimes.