Chapter 60 - 56: What a Messy Circle

Chapter 60: Chapter 56: What a Messy Circle

「One month later...」

The fervor for getting cards and undergoing testing among the people of the Green Shade Territory finally subsided, as the vast majority of them had already completed both tasks.

Many of them received Green Cards, only to discover their talent trait was having no talent at all.

If one had to pick the buzzwords of the year, they would undoubtedly be "cuckold" and "green-hatted" within the noble circles.

Basically, 90% of the nobles possessed one of the two, perfectly demonstrating that the aristocratic circle was a complete mess.

While the Minister of Finance, Omari Hani, was ecstatically taking stock of the financial revenue, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Karel Dennis, had meticulously compiled a list of those who hadn’t undergone the trait detection.

Lian sat in his study, rubbing his temples as he looked over the thousand-name-long list.

He had thought that Green Shade Territory had many spies, but he never thought there would be this many.

"Anna, what do you think?"

"Lord Lian, perhaps some of these people have committed crimes but were never caught, so they don’t want to be tested."

Anna said with a smile.

Lian nodded slightly. "Yes, Anna has a good point."

"I’ll have the Guards arrest everyone on this list and put them in prison at once," Karel Dennis said.

Lian was very satisfied with his work ethic. "Go on. Just remember not to be careless. I want one hundred men assigned to capture each person. These people are likely desperados."

Karel Dennis opened his mouth, but then closed it again. He couldn’t help but feel that Lord Lian was being overly cautious.

"Speaking of prisoners, the inmates in the prison... we haven’t tested them, have we?" Lian asked Anna, who was beside him.

Anna nodded. "Yes, Lord Lian. The prisoners do not have the right to be tested."

"Karel, you’ll be in charge of issuing a new decree. It should state that all residents who complete their prison sentences will be granted an opportunity by the Lord to be tested for their traits on the day of their release. Based on their talents, we will arrange suitable work for them. Express our hope that they properly reform in prison, turn over a new leaf, and start their lives anew."

Of course, Lian wasn’t doing this out of concern for the prisoners. He simply didn’t want anyone to slip through the cracks. This approach also prevented him from giving observant people a reason to gossip or guess his true intentions.

"Lord Lian, you are truly a merciful Lord," Karel Dennis praised.

Lian nodded humbly.

"Lord Lian, we have money now. Is it time to start construction on the world’s tallest building?" the pot-bellied Omari Hani asked, rubbing his hands together excitedly.

"Build it? Of course, we’ll build it. But not with our money."

Lian said with a smile. His Green Card policy had already generated a large workforce under labor contracts, all ready to be put to use.

It was also time to put his GDP plan on the agenda. Although the Green Card program had earned a large sum of money, it couldn’t be counted toward the territory’s gross domestic product because it fell under the category of social security.

"You mean...?" Omari Hani said hesitantly, "...to take out a loan from the bank?"

"Of course. The Green Shade Territory Bank is running smoothly under Emran’s management. The nobles have deposited a lot of money there, just waiting for us to borrow it."

Lian said as he patted Omari Hani’s shoulder, "This will also set an example. Many people still don’t believe that loans are available to them. We need to be the ones to lead the way."

Omari Hani nodded and asked,

"Lord Lian, what should the world’s tallest building be called?"

"The Empire State Building," Lian said without hesitation.

’Since it’s going to be the tallest building in the world, no name could be more fitting.’

Upon hearing the name, all three ministers felt their blood race. It was as if a great tower was rising from the earth right before their eyes, one that would soon become a symbol of the Empire.

"As for our money, of course it’s to be used for military funding. We are going to launch a campaign against the Bone Forest."

Lian’s tone shifted as he looked toward Alex Pool and Kob, the commander of the Southern Army, who had been summoned to a meeting for the first time.

"Prepare yourselves. I want to launch an attack on the Bone Forest as soon as possible."

"As you command!"

Kob placed a fist over his heart, his eyes shining with a determined light.

He had long coveted the Bone Forest, that stretch of land spanning the southern border of the Green Shade Territory. Although the Green Shade Territory had never given up on pushing into the Bone Forest, every attempt had been a minor skirmish, with slow progress.

There were three main factors for this. First, the monsters in the Bone Forest were too difficult to handle. The Guardian Witch, Sophie, would only use her Magic to defend the city when monsters attacked; she would not personally join them on an expedition. Trying to defeat these monsters with human Power alone was incredibly difficult.

Second, the old Lord, Moria, was a hedonist who didn’t advocate for a strategy of external expansion. He only thought about throwing parties every day. The Guards’ main duty was defense, not offense.

Third, the financial deficit led to a reduction in military funding, leaving no money for external campaigns.

"This time, will the Ice Witch go on the campaign with us?" Kob asked excitedly.

"Of course. Not only Sophie, but I will also be joining everyone on the campaign," Lian said with a smile.

"Lord Lian, that’s too risky," the three ministers said in unison. In their view, the Bone Forest was filled with too many monsters and was too dangerous for the young Lord to lead the expedition personally.

Lian waved his hand. "With Sophie protecting me, I’ll be safer than anyone."

"Your Knight Personal Guard hasn’t finished its training yet. If you truly wish to go on this campaign, you must wait until their training is complete—at least a year from now," Karel Dennis said with a frown.

"That’s too long. I can’t wait that long. Even if I could, my fiancée can’t."

Lian stood up, set down his coffee cup, and walked straight to the door. "This matter is decided. The meeting is over. Everyone, go back and take care of the tasks I’ve assigned you as soon as possible."

The ministers looked at each other.

Lian looked back and said,

"Karel, by tonight, I want to see everyone on that list in prison."

"Yes, Lord Lian."

Karel Dennis nodded.

Lian left the study, with Anna following close behind.

"Has Annie started designing the clothes? I want to see simple, beautiful long gowns for noblewomen at the next ball. And have her make Catherine’s engagement gown. Anna, I’m sure you can find a way to convince her, right?" Lian said to Anna.

"Of course, Lord Lian. I will try to persuade her," Anna said with a smile. "Are you going to see Miss Catherine now?"

"No, to the High Wall. I want to see how the construction of the railings is going," Lian said seriously.

"You’re really going to see Miss Sophie, aren’t you?"

"Oh? What a coincidence. Sophie’s at the High Wall too? Perfect. In that case, bring the 100 goldfish. I’ll give them to her myself."