Chapter Thirty One
BAM!
I dropped the heavy wooden table and chair onto the packed snow right in front of the igloo.
Moving around has really become easier since I first possessed this body. My muscles don't scream in agony anymore, and my breath doesn't rattle in my chest like a broken bellows.
"Huff..."
I wiped the sweat from my brow, even though the air was cold enough to freeze spit before it hit the ground. I popped down on the chair as I placed my feet on the table.
Finally, peace.
System, Open Notifications.
[Ding!]
[500,000 Gold Coins Have Been Transferred To Assets!]
Show Total Assets.
[Ping!]
[Assets: 1,500,300 Gold Coins]
My money. Sweet. Sweet. Sweetest money. How can I withdraw it, System?
[Ping!]
[They are stored in sacks in inventory. Host just has to close his eyes and wish for them to appear.]
I see. Does that work for the bow in inventory too?
[Ping!]
[Yes.]
I see. Show me Total Gacha Points I have.
[Ping!]
[Balance Gacha Points: 1280]
That's quite a bit I saved up. What are the upgrade options I have with this many points?
[Ping!]
[Option 1 : 500 Points --> Tier 3]
[Option 2 : 1200 Points --> Tier 4]
Hmm... It seems like a rip off.
[Ping!]
[It's very cheap. You just lack people who like you.]
You... Ugh... Forget it. I'll take Option 2. And, just to set the record straight, it's Veryon people don't like.
I have a lot of people who like me.
[Gacha Spin Upgraded!]
[Tier 4 Gacha Spin Unlocked!]
[1 Spin = 2000 Points]
What the fuck! Why didn't you tell me that before!?
[Ping!]
[Host didn't ask.]
Ugh... You yap all the time. But, you need me to ask you to inform me about important things?
[Ping!]
[The Seller isn't at fault if the customer doesn't enquire about the product.]
I think I have-
"Your Grace! I brought all the approved residency licenses for the people of the fief like you asked." Vizen huffed as he carried a heavy stack of paper and placed it on the table.
Thud.
"Good job, Vizen," I said, not moving my feet from the table. I was still busy mentally strangling the system.
Two thousand points for a single spin!? Are you kidding me? I just spent all gacha points to upgrade a shop I can't even afford to browse!
[Ping!]
[Higher tiers offers better items, Host. Quality over quantity.]
Whatever. I don't feel like talking to you, right now.
I looked down at the stack of licenses, the parchment feeling brittle under my touch. "How many licenses do we have here, Vizen?"
"Six hundred, Your Grace. That is excluding the ones who have already perished or those who have fled to join the bandits in the foothills."
"Why would people join the bandits?" I asked, my brow furrowing. "Being an outlaw in a tundra sounds like a spectacularly fast way to die."
"The caves in the lower region of the mountains are surprisingly better than the crumbling slums, Your Grace. They are shielded from the wind and stay slightly warmer than a broken home with no firewood. They still suffer from extreme hunger there as finding food in the wilderness of Northern Mountains is extremely dangerous. But, they prefer an instant death hunting and living that life instead of a slow, painful one by freezing in their beds."
"I see. Let's talk about recruiting them back later. You should prepare the forms to register them in advance."
"But, they hate you, Your Grace. Why would they-"
"Don't worry, Vizen. I have a plan. We need to make sure that all the people that are alive now live for a long time."
Or else, who will do the mining of the mana stones? My precious labour.
[Ping!]
[Butler Vizen is on the verge of crying. He thinks Host is a God. Feel a little shame.]
Shame? What's that? A fish? A bird? Can we eat it?
[Ping]
[We wish we could bonk Host.]
"Your Grace! The porridge for a total of seven hundred people has been made as you requested!"
I looked up to see Kaelen, Elena, and Selia struggling toward us. They were carrying a massive, soot-stained iron pot that emitted a thick, savory cloud of steam. Kaelen, demonstrating the ridiculous strength of a high-ranking swordsman, was effortlessly carrying a second heavy wooden table in his free hand as if it were a tray of snacks.
I should make him do more work. He just doesn't get tired at all.
Thud.
Clang!
The table hit the snow, and the pot was settled onto it soon, relieving the ladies as they plopped down on the snow to catch their breaths. The scent of hot grain and salted broth immediately began to dance in the frigid air, creating a visible cloud of steam that could probably be seen from the village.
"Set it up," I commanded, finally taking my feet off the table and sitting upright. "Vizen, organize those licenses by alphabetical order of name. We need to be fast. If the residents stay out in the cold too long while waiting, they will focus more on their freezing toes than my brilliant proposal."
"How long until Hans comes with the residents?" I asked, checking the position of the sun.
"It has been three hours. I think Lord Hans should have convinced the people and will be arriving any moment now," Vizen replied, wiping his brow despite the chill. "He has helped the residents an awful lot of times. They won't be able to decline his invitation. You made a good choice sending him to convince the citizens."
I nodded.
When immediate rewards need to be reaped, the classic maneuver of the "good cop" and "bad cop" was indeed the most efficient path.
Hans was the "good cop" in this scenario. He was the friendly face they trusted, the soft-hearted fool who had tossed them scraps in the past.
I, however, was the "Demonic Duke" they feared. The tyrant who had tightened the noose of taxes until they could barely draw breath. Fear and hope are the two strings that play the human heart. I simply needed to pluck them in the right order.
"Master, why are we doing this?" Kaelen grumbled, rubbing his shoulder as he stood guard by the steaming pot. "You usually charge me a fee just for asking a question, and now you're feeding six hundred people for free?"
I cast a sideways glance at him, my eyes as cold as the frost on the table.
Crunch. Crunch.
Looks like Hans finally brought them. Time for the show to hit the road.
"I am just repenting, Kaelen!"
I got up from my chair, turning my face towards the greenhouse as I spoke with a voice that was cracked yet loud enough to strike the ears of the six hundred people trembling behind me.
Drip. Drip.
I squeezed my tear ducts, forcing a glistening stream to spill over and trace a path down my cheeks.
"I have finally realized my hideous mistake!" I cried out, my knees buckling just enough to look like a man crushed by the weight of his own conscience. "Looking at the faces of my people... the cold they have endured because of my greed... it is a stain on my soul! How will I ever face God after this life ends!?"
Kaelen froze, his hand halfway to the porridge ladle, staring at me as if I had suddenly grown a second, more terrifying head.
"This meal!" I gestured wildly with a trembling hand toward the steaming pot, my voice thick with theatrical sobbing. "It is not free! It is just a pathetic payment to buy my people's forgiveness and thank them! Thank them for not giving up on a monster like me!"
Silence.
Come on. Clap for me.
[Ping!]
[Tch. Has Host ever considered a career in acting?]