System vs Rebirth

Maxwell had a big smile on his face as he said, "The Golden Trade Road has finally been completed."

"Indeed. With this, we are able to start the trade." Theressa smiled, looking at the giant train passing before their eyes.

"Are they bringing the wool to the main city?" Zephyr asked with an ignorant expression.

"That's what I heard. If you take a look at it, there are several soldiers guarding both the inside and the outside." Maxwell raised his head. To ensure that no bandits or even a hidden army could destroy the train, Noel created a small platform for people to protect the train from above.

In addition, the train also increased its speed slightly since it didn't need to pass through the towns anymore.

If there was indeed a bandit with the strength to destroy the train, it could be said that this person was not a bandit anymore.

Yes, according to the calculation, the train was able to withstand an attack from a spirit grandmaster, and no bandit was that strong. This was a trap that Noel had devised to find out strong people that were hiding inside his territory.

"Where did the train come from by the way?" Zephyr asked.

"If I'm not wrong, they sent the item last night from Countess Christina," Theressa answered as usual.

"Eh? It brings all that material overnight?" Zephyr widened his eyes in shock.

"It's amazing, right? If we add their number, we can actually trade with the people near the border of the Atracaeca Kingdom in just one day. The cost is also not big. A lot of things that were not possible before will become possible. And only the three of us can take advantage of it." Theressa smirked.

"I personally don't want to fight both of you out of greed." Maxwell glanced at them.

"I have the same intention. It's not like you are able to utilize everything. And I don't want to get trapped in a monopoly scheme as well." Theressa thought for a moment. "We don't have any similar goods, right?"

Maxwell nodded. "Indeed. So, it's not a problem for us."

"Madam Theressa… We have though." Zephyr raised his head with a wry smile.

"How about I get the cotton and you get the wheat? The cotton has a high price but a low supply. Wheat has a low price but a high supply. Their overall earnings shouldn't be that different, right?"

"True. The train will make transporting wheat easier." Zephyr nodded. "Alright. Let's do that."

"How many trains do we have right now by the way?"

"There are currently six trains. Two are going to the west, two are going to the center of the kingdom, and the rest are used for circulation around this area. It seems the Marquis is planning to add more. In addition, he is planning to create a schedule and route for them. From what I've heard, there are going to be at least twenty of them before the main city is opened to the public," Maxwell explained.

"That sounds good." Theressa smiled. "By that time, the road can be refined even more."

"Indeed." Maxwell nodded. "Anyway, I'm planning to visit a few nobles first. They are interested in the new goods circulation method."

"True. I have received several letters as well." Theressa chuckled.

Zephyr was standing with a wry smile. He couldn't help but wonder, "Several? Am I the only one getting more than 20 letters?"

Definitely not because he was a pushover, so nobles thought it would be easier to get the best deal from him.

The merchants looked busy. However, Noel was actually busier.

The first thing he did after his marriage was actually set up the meeting with all his pillars.

"Those nobles are struggling because they have a hard time getting the essentials. I heard from Earl Haverson that he managed to seize more than a hundred tons of goods that were about to be smuggled to Earl Canmond's territory.

"If this continues, they are going to destroy themselves before winter arrives. We don't have to get involved anymore," Rose explained.

"Good." Noel thought for a moment and turned to Harley and Dimitri. "Do you think we can get some people from their side?"

"I think we can use them, but of course, they won't migrate to the main city. They will live in the cities around us. It will boost their construction rate as well." Dimitri agreed without hesitation.

"In that case, I can use the girls from the brothels located in their territory to spread the rumors about our land." Harley also approved the plan.

"Will it cause a revolt or something?"

"Don't worry. I will just make a subtle rumor. Besides, if more and more people leave, they will have fewer people to set up a revolt." Harley smiled. "Besides, a revolt is bad for my girls, so I would like to avoid it as well."

"Alright. I'll leave the details to you, Harley. Get as many as possible. With the current number of cities, I think we can host more than fifty thousand people in our territory. I want to get at least a hundred thousand before the main city is opened."

"Understood." Harley bowed politely, receiving his order.

"What about the winter preparation?" Noel asked.

"The soldiers are ready." Howard pumped his fists.

"We will get the first harvest in two weeks and change them to another variety that can withstand the cold." Jasmine explained. "Depending on the number, we will be expanding the farmland right after the winter."

Charlotte raised her hand. "We have just received a new batch of wool. We are preparing all the warm clothes in full force, making sure that each person has a roof above their head, enough firewood, and warm clothes. Normally, it won't be weird for a city to lose about a hundred people and villages to lose ten percent of their numbers. But I believe Master doesn't want it, right?"

"Yes. Even if we have to subsidize everything, I'd like to do my best to contain the casualties."

"Even the best lord or your father still loses about fifty people in their city. But with the help of the rune technology, I think it's possible to reduce that number even further. May I know your target, Master?"

"I don't wish for anyone to die… but I know it might not be possible. So, I'll set up the target to be a single digit. Both for this city and Laivaen City. Of course, the six new villages too. Those people are essential to growing those villages into cities after all." Noel explained.

"I understand." Charlotte nodded.

"Roel?" Noel turned to Roel since he had given him some projects.

"They are almost ready. Normally, the road will be closed because of snow, but if we attach this new thing, we can push the snow in front to the side. By adding more of them, we can because of snow, but if we attach this new thing, we can push the snow in front to the side. By adding more of them, we can still transport goods easily even during the winter."

"That's good." Noel nodded. "If necessary, it's fine to use the airships."

"I believe it's better to have them remain hidden for now. They're the greatest secret of the Ardagan family after all." Roel rejected the idea.

"Alright." Noel glanced at Anna. "Suppose I and the lady are going to hunt in the demon territory during the winter…"

Anna's eyes brightened. That was right. They had been so busy with all these projects that they didn't have time to progress. Noel and Anna had to become Spirit Transcendence soon and visited the Beast Kingdom.

"As a fighter, I don't personally have a problem. But as a soldier… I'm feeling rather conflicted." Howard obviously didn't want the lord and the lady to get injured.

If they had a child already, Howard might feel a bit relieved. If Noel died, the Ardagan family's bloodline would be cut after all.

"Do I have any way to convince you to bring me?" Dimitri asked.

"You know that I'd like to have some time alone, right?" Noel smiled. He and Anna often hunted together without anyone else, so he would like to do the same. Besides, since their energy reserve was already at the peak spirit grandmaster level and both of them had a True Spirit Body, even if an Ancient Demon came, they should be able to run away at the very least.

"How about Old Jade?" Dimitri pointed at Jayden, which was also rejected.

The problem would be that these two might actually sneak out if he stopped them.

"In that case, please give us the route so that we can understand your situation from time to time."

"You're such a worrywart, Dimitri." Noel sighed. "Well, I think it won't be a problem if I give you the route and a simple report. But I'll just write it and place it on the camp… maybe leaving before you arrive."

"That's…" Dimitri scratched the back of his head. If he continued, it would just annoy Noel. So he accepted the arrangement. "Alright."

"Well, we are planning to hunt a lot of demons and probably visit multiple ancient ruins. I'll leave the signal by burning a piece of wood with my black flame."

Dimitri's face turned pale when Noel said he was planning to visit ancient ruins. Even the Demon Banner Army required a lot of preparation to do that.

"Wait, Dimitri. Look, I have talked to Khalid about preparing some medicine for us. Even if we can't conquer those places, we are still strong enough to escape. Besides, the demons won't move far away from those ruins during the winter. This is a perfect time to explore them." Noel had a wry smile, knowing how worried he was.

Dimitri bit his lips and glared at Khalid.

Khalid panicked and hurriedly explained, "I will prepare some pills for every kind of situation…" Dimitri still had that murderous gaze, which forced Khalid to correct his statement. "Dozens of pills… Yes, dozens of pills for all situations. Whether they're healing pills or antidotes."

Noel could understand Dimitri's feelings. After all, even when he was sent to the army, Dimitri was still there to protect him.

And the last time Dimitri wasn't there, he almost died. So, he could understand why Dimitri would be this worried.

"Anyway… that's that. I'll tell you about the details of the hunt later. Or more like, Anna will be giving the details." Noel pointed at Anna.

"Eh? Me?" Anna widened her eyes. Noel was much better than her, so giving her the job would just worry them.

However, this was Noel's way to give her the opportunity to grow even further. If what was written in the Sword Saint's record was true, it meant they needed to be on the same level.

He said, "That's right. I still need to do a lot of things. I mean, the meeting is still going on. We have yet to discuss those merchants, the roads, or even the new trade with the Atracaeca Kingdom. There is snow and a new method of preservation from the Atracaeca Kingdom. I want this land to not worry about food and even export the excess food to other nobles."

"If you put it that way…" Anna nodded. "Alright. I'll think about it seriously. We still have a month, so it should be fine."