This is the land of the knightly family of Arden.
A territory long abandoned, ignored by every neighboring kingdom.
Once, this land had been part of the greatest empire on the continent the Empire of Broughton. But a devastating war one hundred and fifty years ago shattered the empire into dozens of smaller kingdoms and minor empires. When the dust settled, Arden's territory was left behind, claimed by no one but still the land was been rule by the Arden's.
Even so, it remained one of the largest unclaimed lands on the continent, spanning nearly 220,000 square kilometers.
Unfortunately, size did not mean prosperity.
Much of Arden's territory had become barren wasteland, almost desert-like. For hundreds of years, the empire had stripped the land of its forests to fuel expansion and war, never bothering to replant what it destroyed. The soil was exhausted, the climate harsh, and powerful monsters roamed freely.
Only about ten square kilometers were truly habitable and even that small area lacked natural resources. Because of this, every neighboring kingdom refused to annex Arden's territory. To them, it was more burden than prize.
And I Ryan vel Arden was the sole heir to this forsaken land.
I had been living as Ryan for six months now.
In my previous life, I was a thirty-five-year-old engineer from Earth. I died in a construction accident and woke up in this world as the son of a noble family.
A noble family that was not affiliated with any country.
My father, Val Arden, had spent years trying to persuade bordering kingdoms to accept our land, hoping they would help develop it. He sent letters, proposals, and envoys.
All six neighboring kingdoms rejected us.
This world resembled a medieval fantasy setting. Other nobles lived in grand castles, but we lived in a humble stone house barely a hundred square meters in size.
Some noble territories held tens of thousands of people. Others ruled over millions.
The entire population of Arden?
Eighty-six.
People with nowhere else to go.
Most of them couldn't read or write, yet they were fiercely loyal to the Arden family. Perhaps because we were just as poor as they were.
We had only one servant a butler named Hans. He was trustworthy, reliable, and practically family.
Calling this place a "territory" felt generous. It was little more than a struggling village surrounded by wasteland.
Still, as someone born into a noble family, I was grateful I hadn't been born a serf or worse, a slave.
The social hierarchy of this world was strict:
Royalty
Priests
Nobles
Knights
Commoners
Serfs
Slaves
Even among nobles, there were ranks:
Duke
Marquis
Earl
Viscount
Baron
Hidalgo
The Arden family was a Hidalgo, the lowest noble rank.
And we were poor.
Our monthly income was thirty-two silver coins.
The currency worked like this:
15 small copper coins = 1 large copper coin
100 large copper coins = 1 silver coin
60 silver coins = 1 gold coin
....
An average commoner family earned about
10 silver coins a month.
Middle-class commoners earned around one 30 silver coins.
Wealthy commoners could earn gold coins or more.
In other words, some commoners were far richer than us nobles.
But I wasn't here to complain.
The reason I was explaining all this was simple:
I planned to turn this wasteland into a rich and powerful territory using my modern knowledge…
…and the system I received when I transmigrated into this world.
A young man sat at a wooden desk, writing furiously with a grin on his face.
Ryan glanced at the translucent blue screen floating before him. Its interface resembled a smartphone.
There were two tabs.
Status- displaying his personal information.
Online Shopping - connected directly to Earth.
From there, he could buy almost anything.
He had tested it once. One large copper coin was equivalent to one thousand Korean won.
Over time, he saved every allowance his father gave him amounting to three silver coins.
Roughly three hundred thousand won.
With this money, he planned to buy supplies from Earth and trade them to other kingdoms.
His first target was the Kingdom of Tartarus.
Tartarus was famous for its open trade policies.
And the product he planned to sell was sugar.
In this world, sugar was a luxury. One kilogram cost three silver coins far beyond what ordinary families could afford.
Ryan browsed the online shop.
Two products caught his attention.
Brown sugar.
White sugar.
Brown sugar cost 90,000 won per 50kg sack.
White sugar cost 110,000 won per 50kg sack.
He bought both.
Brown sugar for commoners.
White sugar for nobles and the wealthy.
The blue screen shimmered, and two massive sacks of sugar appeared in the room with a dull thud.
"…That's heavy," Ryan muttered.
Carrying this to Tartarus alone would be impossible.
Then his eyes lit up.
"Hans!"
Since their house was small Hans room is just next door.
"Hans, come with me! We're going to the Kingdom of Tartarus today!" Ryan said excitedly.
"But, Young Master," Hans replied, surprised, "Tartarus is very far from here. Why would we go so suddenly?"
"It's a secret," Ryan said with a grin. "If you come with me, I'll give you two silver coins."
Hans froze.
"…Two silver coins?"
"Yes. I promise. Once we return, I'll pay you."
That was all it took.
"Then hurry, Young Master! Let's go!"
By the time Ryan turned around, Hans was already seated on the wooden carriage.
Ryan laughed helplessly.
"Oh Hans, don't forget the sacks. I need those."
Hans bent down to lift the twin sacks of sugar. The moment he tried, his face contorted.
"G-Good heavens, Young Master! What did you put in these sand?!"
Ryan waved a hand dismissively.
"Ah, those? That's a products that will be a money! ."
Hans froze.
"…Money?" His gaze slowly drifted back to the sacks.
"Yes. gold coins."
The pain vanished from Hans's face as if it had never existed.
"Why didn't you say that sooner, Young Master?!"
With sudden enthusiasm, he hugged the sacks and hauled them onto the carriage.
"Careful now," Hans muttered, patting them fondly. "yoshh yoshh I need to drive carefully . This is gold coin."
Ryan stared. "That's not how money works."
Hans was already climbing onto the driver's seat, a grin stretching ear to ear.
"Then let's depart at once! The sooner we arrive, the sooner this money multiplies!"
The carriage creaked forward, leaving Ryan shaking his head in amusement.
Hans was the Arden family's only servant. Around thirty years old, he had come from the Kingdom of Randal as a war survivor.
Ryan's father had taken him in and given him work.
His salary was only ten silver coins a month, lower than average, yet Hans had remained loyal for sixteen years.
Ryan was deeply grateful to him.
Still, Hans had been saving money.
On his last journey with Father Arden, he had fallen in love with a woman from the Kingdom of Tartarus.
He was saving for a dowry money given to a bride's parents in exchange for permission to marry their daughter.
And today, their journey would take them one step closer to both their dreams.