Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 173 A Clever Way to Give Gifts
Since the successful defense of Bearhold, the undead have not launched a new attack, and the Marquisate has entered a period of peace.

In recent days, many lords from cities in the western hinterland have brought trade caravans to Longlet Castle, hoping to reach new deals.

After Forrest was promoted to lumber master, timber production skyrocketed, and he commanded all three forest farms, making him almost the largest timber producer in the kingdom.

Previously, trading cities could perhaps use trade routes as leverage to lower the exchange rate for timber. However, after the Month of Calamity, lords realized the importance of logs and flocked to Longlit Castle to purchase them, making it impossible to stop them.

After more than a month of fertilizing with log ash, the land around Kuragi and Longlitburgh has been restored to arable conditions, and the harvest is even better than before the disaster.

Seeing that the trading city was hoarding grain and driving up prices, many lords came to Langlit Castle through various channels to buy it. Sumu, however, did not act as a profiteer. He kept enough grain for the city for several months and sold the rest to lords in other places at a fair price, thus winning the favor of the nobles.

After their crushing defeat at the Battle of the Valley, Amirka of the Bucks family recuperated for a period of time and gradually recovered. However, the Valley was not rich in timber, so they could only trade for timber through the northern trade routes.

Su Mu greatly admired the bravery of the Amirka family, providing them with a large amount of food aid free of charge. He also traded timber with the Buck family at a very low cost price, earning the Buck Duke's gratitude.

Therefore, the Duke's family specially donated a batch of unenchanted boundary stones for the construction of Kuraki Castle.

This should also be the boundary stone that the kingdom rewarded the valley nobles with after the start of this battle. It has no geographical restrictions and is highly valued. Amirka knew that Kuraki City was in dire need of development, so he catered to their preferences and used the boundary stone to show his goodwill.

Following the Battle of Bear Fortress, the Tribunal reported Kuraki's extraordinary troops to the Church of God, expressing great admiration. Nobles like the Duke of Stag no longer considered Su Mu merely a viscount, but rather the de facto ruler of the Shilin Plain, and thus were willing to invest heavily.

“Look at the Duke of Bucks, defending his homeland with unwavering courage, even his sons died on the battlefield, refusing to let the enemy cross their city. And look at the Salman family, the brothers Rhodes and Gabe killed each other, only caring about their own interests and not the fate of the nation.”

"If anyone ever says again that the North is the cornerstone of the kingdom, I'll punch them!"

Forrest was furious. He had just captured the western forests of Bearhold when he heard that the northern defenses were shrinking. With Isildur's Frostwoods paving the way, directly threatening the central Drygrass Plains and the northern Hillin Plains, the forests would be in grave danger.

Even more outrageous, the vassal families under Salman, upon hearing that the abandoned forest had been revitalized, forcibly came to exercise their territorial rights. But that area was basically deserted; even if it belonged to Bearhold, it was their territory. It's unclear where they got the audacity to want a share of the profits.

So Forrest led a large number of griffin troops to teach them a lesson, and even sent Ivan to lead a large army to circle around the northern border several times, which finally suppressed the greedy nobles.

If it weren't for the current national crisis, Forrest would definitely have taught them a lesson.

"This batch of boundary stones is timely, but we are still short a small portion. The council needs to build, and with the construction of our special buildings, the demand for boundary stones is huge. However, I will remember Amirka's kindness."

Su Mu had no prejudice against nobles, only some dissatisfaction with fools. Rod Salliman retrieved the Key to the Duchy, but the process was very disharmonious. There were rumors that he killed his brother, and others that he froze him in ice forever; in any case, he disappeared without a trace.

As a result, many nobles in the North were very dissatisfied with him. After all, the succession to the dukedom had already been settled, and Rhodes still wanted to exterminate them all. No one would like such a cruel and bloodthirsty character.

Lacking the support of the nobles, Rhodes had no choice but to rely more heavily on the Void Cult. He had reportedly established a Void Enforcement Office in Winterhold, ostensibly to control spies and prevent buildings from being damaged by disasters. In reality, however, it was a means to arrest human nobles who opposed him and strengthen control over the North.

The dignified Grand Duke of the Northern Kingdom has been reduced to relying solely on the Void God Cult, and has already alienated most of the nobles.

"Rhodes Suliman is playing with fire and will get burned sooner or later; the Arcane Empire will turn against him!"

In fact, Su Mu vaguely guessed some things. When Marquis Carson came to Longlit Castle, he didn't intend to harm Gabu; he just wanted to hand over the key peacefully. However, Gabu was unwilling and ran away on his own. It's very likely that he was killed by the Void Cult and the blame was shifted to Rhodes, forcing Rhodes to rely more on the Arcane Empire.

Ultimately, it was because Rhodes was too weak, unable to control his subordinates, and lacked sufficient ability of his own, so he could only rely on the Void God Cult.

However, he still needs to step in to help in the current situation. Elton hopes the Arcane Empire will mediate and won't do anything to Rhodes. In Su Mu's opinion, the Arcane Empire probably only dares to make threats and may not dare to provide any substantial help.

The kingdom has to fight this battle itself; it can't rely on anyone else.

It would be best if the northern border could hold out for as long as possible. Kuraki has been recruiting soldiers for two weeks now, and the army is gradually growing stronger. The only problem is that we are short of gold coins again, which is really frustrating.

After the military meeting ended, a troubled Sumu returned to the courtyard and saw Valentine just returning from outside.

In recent days, many merchants from the hinterland have come to visit, but none have been able to meet Sumu in person; they can only discuss matters with Forrest. Forrest is notoriously stingy and has very demanding conditions. The supply of basic grains is not a problem, but the timber trade requires sufficient sincerity.

The lords and merchants were somewhat at a loss when faced with the exorbitant fees. But they couldn't blame anyone; after all, they had recently been the ones controlling trade routes and maliciously inflating prices, leaving Forrest with no grounds for complaint. The merchants, being more astute, saw that Forrest's route was blocked and tried another. Valentine's relationship with Sumu was common knowledge, and the merchants, carrying precious gifts and treasures, sought his help.

This baroness is now very influential in Longlet Castle. Ordinary viscounts and countesses can only smile and respond to her, and dare not show any disrespect.

However, Valentine was very sensible; everything she did was something Su Mu either tacitly approved or subtly encouraged, which showed her self-awareness.

Upon seeing Su Mu return ahead of schedule, Valentine took out the snacks she had prepared and placed them on the dining table for the lord to enjoy. She then used her upper body to support the back of the lord's head and gently massaged it to relax him.

What was supposed to be a routine stress-relieving activity turned into something else when Su Mu rolled over to get some fruit, only to notice the fireplace blazing and the heat intense. So he dragged Valentine to the stone wall to add some firewood together.

Valentine's legs were very long, so she had to bend down to add firewood to the fireplace. The lord was afraid that she might fall into the fire, so he could only support her slender waist from behind with both hands and keep passing her firewood.

The fire burned for more than an hour, and the house finally returned to its original temperature. The snow on the roof had collapsed several times, and the house was filled with moisture.

Valentine lay at the table, pouring wine for the lord, while Sumu remained silent, lost in thought.

Having served the lord for a long time, the baroness naturally knew his worries and took the initiative to speak up: "When I contacted merchants in the hinterland, I readily accepted ordinary treasures, but I didn't touch any of the valuable items needed for business."

However, the caravans of the trading city travel far and wide, and their news channels are extremely well-connected. They have heard that in the northern border region, where it borders the Arcane Empire, a large number of refugees are panning for gold in the rivers and have obtained a considerable amount of gold dust.

When gold dust appears in a river, there is often a gold mine nearby. However, such fixed resource sites are the targets of major powers, and it is impossible for them to remain completely unknown.

The only explanation is that gold coins or similar treasures appeared in the surrounding area, causing gold sand to be produced in the riverbed.

Sumu already knew the terrain of this area by heart. The river the merchants mentioned was near the border, northeast of Bearhold, and was originally under the jurisdiction of the North. However, the Northern Legion had recently retreated, and it had become unclaimed territory. Isildur was gradually approaching, but the enemy was advancing steadily, and the pace of their advance was not too fast.

The closest to them should be the newly emerged Hellish forces, the very area controlled by Karl who instigated the creation of demons. They are sparing no effort in digging underground tunnels, attempting to connect to the underworld.

The treasure may have been hidden somewhere, but it came to light due to changes in the terrain. After all, treasures are sentient beings, and if they sense that their living environment is not right, they may move to a different location, only to be discovered by the surrounding refugees.

After acquiring the advanced Dream Investment Technique, Maggie only lacked a gold coin-type treasure. If Isildur had already taken it, she currently had no way to seize it, but what about the demon's territory?

I'm sorry, but I'll gladly accept it!

Su Mu touched Valentine's oval face and gave her a rewarding kiss on the forehead.

"Accept the gift in full from the merchant who provided this information, and take him to the Interior Hall. Have Forrest give him preferential treatment, and say it was my order!"

It was obvious that this merchant, or the lord behind him, was quite shrewd; to get things done, one had to offer scarce resources. Su Mu didn't care about taking a few gold coins and resources, and wouldn't even bother with the other party.

But what he really cared about was breaking the monopoly of the trading city. Su Mu welcomed any merchant who was willing to cooperate and could bring benefits to Cang Mu.

With this precedent set, other merchants will follow suit. The trading city cannot control them through strict orders; merchants are profit-driven, and now it's a stage where resources control the market.

He wanted to see if the rest of the merchants would panic once some of them reached an agreement with Langlitburg.

Valentine's cheeks flushed; it was rare for her to be praised by the lord, and she felt useful.

This successful deal will further enhance her reputation. Regardless of how Valentine accomplished it, it's done; everyone only cares about the result. Respect is built upon interests and power, and Valentine will rise to a higher level.

It's a pity that Valentine, with such a brilliant mind, didn't become a hero.

We should find an opportunity to help her out.

(End of this chapter)