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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 5: The Moment You Must Stake Everything
In the audience chamber, Calyx rejected the gold that Nova had prepared.
Fear gripped her.
‘We brought half the profits we earned from the Cron territory… and that still isn't enough?’
“Lord Calyx, is the amount we prepared not to your liking?”
“I didn’t summon you here to accept something like this.”
“Then… for what reason?”
His reaction was unlike any noble or lord she had ever dealt with before.
Any other noble would have lit up at the sight of gold, reaching for it with a smile.
But the young Lord of House Cron had refused it outright.
With a sigh, Calyx got to the point.
“I didn’t call you here to squeeze out more taxes. In fact, it’s the opposite.”
“The opposite…?”
“That’s right. I intend to reduce the transit tax in Cron territory—from 30% to 10%.”
Nova couldn’t hide her shock at his words.
‘Did he just say… he’s lowering taxes? A noble? Lowering taxes?’
On instinct, Nova activated her blessing.
—Vwoom—
As mana surged into her eyes, the world turned to shades of black and white.
Only those speaking truth would retain their color in this view.
She looked at Calyx to confirm whether he was telling the truth—and was stunned once again.
‘He’s not lying.’
The young lord, his silver hair shining under the light, retained his full color.
In that moment, her mind went blank.
He wasn’t lying.
Everything he had just said… was sincere.
“But there is one condition.”
Calyx continued.
“Please, tell me, my lord.”
At those words, Nova felt a small sense of relief.
‘Of course… so that’s what this is. He’s not just lowering tariffs out of goodwill—he must be after something bigger. But what? If reduced tolls are what he’s offering, then maybe what he wants in return is exclusive distribution rights for one of our key products… like the Blue Slime Mana Stones. I’ll have to speak with Father about this.’
As she thought that, Calyx spoke again.
“As much as the guild benefits from the reduced tariffs, I want the people of Cron to benefit too.
Sell your goods in Cron territory at prices reflecting the tariff cut.”
Nova activated her blessing once more.
And again—Calyx did not lose his color.
He truly meant it.
He was sincerely attempting to revitalize commerce in the territory and give back to his people by lowering taxes.
And in that moment, for the first time in her life—Nova felt something unfamiliar.
She was… moved.
“May I ask you one question?”
“What is it?”
“I’m curious about what Your Lordship hopes to gain by doing this.”
Nova was genuinely curious.
She desperately wanted to know why this young lord was willing to give up such enormous profits for the sake of his people.
But what came from his mouth surprised her even more.
“The happiness of my people.”
“Truly… Is that really the only reason you are lowering the tariffs?”
“Yes.”
“That can’t be…”
“Why are you so surprised? Is it really that strange for a lord to lower tariffs for his people?”
Nova kept using her blessing.
And until now, Lord Calyx had never lost his true color.
In this black-and-white world, only this silver-haired lord shone brilliantly, proving that his words were the truth.
Nova had been taught by her father since childhood that humans were endlessly greedy creatures.
She herself, as a merchant, had always believed that was the way of the world.
But the lord standing before her now was clearly a contradiction to that teaching.
Trying to make sense of this impossible situation, her thoughts reached a new realization.
‘Wait… could it be…’
The current state of the Empire was unstable.
The Emperor, weakened by a long illness, had lost real power, and the prince, princess, dukes, and countless lords were all vying for the throne like wolves.
Each prepared their own weapons—some recruiting mages, some the blessed, and others legendary assassins—readying for the coming 『War for the Throne』.
But what if… a lord appeared who wielded ‘the people’ as his weapon?
It was so obvious no one paid it much mind, but the greatest component of the Empire was its ‘people.’
If the people, who were seen as the spoils of victory, chose to support their lord, and that lord was the very Lord Calyx before her…
What would happen to the Empire?
No one could imagine the future, but one thing was certain.
A future beyond imagination was coming.
Nova found herself fascinated by this lord who sought to create such an unimaginable future.
‘I want to witness that scene from the closest seat possible.’
“So, have you decided to negotiate?”
Nova recalled her father’s words.
He said that in life, there comes a moment when you have to bet everything.
She thought that moment was now.
“I will agree to whatever conditions Your Lordship desires.”
“Good, you’ve thought well.”
“However, I have one request.”
“A request?”
Nova stepped closer to Lord Calyx, knelt down, and kissed his hand.
It was the kiss a subject gave to the lord they served.
“Please appoint me as your treasurer.”
After being disappointed with the world, Nova always wore a mask.
Not even her family had ever seen her smile genuinely.
But at this moment, Nova was truly smiling.
＊ ＊ ＊
The storm had passed.
Or was it more like an avalanche?
Nova’s sudden request to be appointed treasurer shocked not only me but also Hart and the other retainers.
For the guild’s leader and heir to seek the position of treasurer for the lord was no ordinary matter.
It wasn’t just a business relationship—it was a declaration of alliance.
It was like Zhuge Liang betting on the Sun family, or Mi Zhu backing Liu Bei in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms—a statement that she was betting on me.
No, what is this all of a sudden for someone who just wanted to live quietly!
Refusing would be a matter of pride, and accepting was a heavy burden, so I asked her for help, at least as an advisor.
She was satisfied with that for the time being and left.
‘But… she really is incredibly beautiful.’
『Nova White』
A World Archive character rated SSR—both a merchant and a strategist—and if you start as a lord in the southern region, she’s a must-have character to play.
I never managed to summon her; I only vaguely heard about her existence.
The only reason I remember her is one simple fact—She was stunningly beautiful.
Like a goddess of pure white snow.
Especially when she bowed to greet me at the end—oof my heart…
Trying to keep a poker face during negotiations with Nova almost killed me.
Anyway, she had a big, beautiful chest.
Plus, I’d heard she possessed a unique blessing that made her a near-100% success rate in merchant negotiations—a broken character, basically.
I wonder what kind of blessing it is… did she use it on me?
Well… honestly, her blessing didn’t matter much to someone like me who just wanted to live quietly.
If anything, it was more troublesome—if I accidentally kept her as a retainer and got pulled into the 『War for the Throne』, that would be a real headache. Best to stay out of it.
‘Come to think of it…’
Before she left, she said something strange.
Clearly…
‘Your Lordship’s plan will surely succeed. I’ll be waiting for ‘that moment’ when you need me for your next move.’
What does that mean?
I don’t have any plans.
I spent the late night pondering her words like solving a riddle before finally falling asleep.
What exactly is ‘that moment’?
＊ ＊ ＊
I don’t know if this was the ‘moment’ Nova was talking about, but the moment she was needed came sooner than expected.
“Line up!!!”
“Hey! Please move faster!!”
“Let us through too!!”
I was standing at the gate of the Cron family estate.
Normally, hardly any carriages passed through the gate.
After doubling the toll, a few more carriages started coming by, and after the knights cleared out the bandits, the carriages passed more frequently.
Now, with the tariffs lowered, the gate was completely packed with carriages.
It was like a holiday traffic jam on the highway—tens, no, hundreds of carriages stretched as far as the eye could see, all waiting to pass through the gate.
“Hart… what on earth is going on here?”
“It’s all according to the Lord’s plan.”
Plan?
I never made any plan like this.
Hart smiled and continued.
“The average toll in the southern region is 35% of the item’s price. In the domain of the Ryan family, which has the best roads, it can go up to 50%.”
What? A 50% toll on the price of goods!?
That’s beyond common sense!
I almost cramped trying to keep a straight face.
“But under these circumstances, we lowered the toll to 10%. No matter how long it takes, it’s far more profitable for merchants to deliver goods through our territory.”
“......”
Suddenly, I remembered my past life working as a delivery part-timer, getting ripped off mercilessly by those crazy delivery app companies.
Those delivery guys were the worst…
Just as I was starting to understand this chaos, Hart spoke again.
“Look at this, my lord.”
“What is it?”
“This is the toll revenue recorded by the gatekeepers. Just from today’s earnings, we’ve made more than 130% of the revenue compared to before the toll was lowered.”
“What!? 130%!?”
“Yes! That’s right. It’s all exactly as you planned.”
The ledger Hart showed me was filled with detailed toll records.
Just by glancing, it looked like the revenue had at least doubled since last month, with high-end items like fine wine and magical tools included.
“However, there is a problem.”
“What problem?”
“Because the number of carriages increased so suddenly, our clerks alone can’t handle all the administrative work. We’ll need more people, my lord.”
Hearing that, I thought of her.
With a sigh, I said the words I really didn’t want to say.
“Hart… summon Nova.”
“Yes, my lord.”
And just like that, I ended up with an SSR-rank merchant character I never wanted.
Nothing ever goes as planned in this world.
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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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