NOVEL NEXT Chapter 230
North of the continent, Nobogord. Demon Tribe Council.
“…So, the reality is that many fishermen are currently worried.”
As one councilor finished speaking, the other councilors present murmured in acknowledgment.
Their faces clearly showed their discomfort with the unexpected situation.
“I never thought we’d face something like this. I didn’t expect it to affect both the catch and the whaling.”
“The fact that it’s a natural issue that we can’t control makes it even worse. If this continues, it could seriously disrupt the governance of the nation.”
Recently, bad news had come from fishermen crossing over the North Sea.
It was reported that the sea was less bountiful than before, and this year the yield might be lower than last year.
With fewer fish, whales would likely be spotted less frequently as well.
This northern region is not particularly conducive to crop growth. The land is not fertile, and the weather is cold.
Thus, they relied heavily on the sea and conducted trade with the specialties harvested from it.
And now, that very sea was drying up and yielding less than before.
“….”
Charlua, with her arms crossed, fell silent, deep in thought.
“I had a feeling this would happen. With the empire’s relations improving so much, I was anxious about exporting our seafood resources excessively last year.”
When one remains unaware, they can go on without concern, but once they know, they cannot escape the thrill of making money.
Although they had some specialties, it wouldn’t be possible to do business without a sound relationship with the empire.
Now that they could trade freely and amass wealth, why would anyone want to miss this opportunity?
Moreover, with the battlefield no longer present, many demons were redirecting their combat prowess toward commerce.
Their passion and zeal, along with their determination to succeed, were being channeled elsewhere.
This had indeed benefitted all of Nobogord, so there wasn’t any reason to stop it, but who could have anticipated it would come to this?
“When a once-blazing fire begins to die down, it’s always a precarious situation, as if it could extinguish at any moment.”
This was the time individuals and nations alike should be the most cautious.
Bewitched by the current boom, one wrong step could lead them to a life worse than before.
If that happens—both the people and the nation will undergo drastic changes, impossible to compare with the past.
When that collides, it turns into a fight and then a war. That madness is hard to stop.
The problem is that the enemies are simply too strong. They can easily crush that madness.
Before they send out the message, “Do you want to die?” through meaningless flames, a different plan is necessary.
So, while Charlua was struggling for nearly two weeks, thinking about other national projects—
“They say the emperor of the empire has shown a willingness to abdicate, Charlua.”
The chairman of the Demon Tribe Council, Caland Estania, who had not much time left in his term, shared the unexpected news from the empire with his daughter.
“Abdicate, you say? Just like that?”
“Well, we may have already received some hints within the imperial family without realizing it.”
“But that’s….”
“Right. As you said, that’s that, and it’s only natural to reject the abdication in the most vehement manner. So, how about you go see it for yourself and get back a better understanding of the imperial political scene, considering how closely connected you are to the empire?”
I wonder if it’s just my imagination that I’ve been a dedicated channel to the empire.
Of course, Charlua didn’t dislike it. Rather, she thoroughly utilized it.
This position and value exists solely for her in Nobogord.
It is the result of her unique connections and not merely the fact that she is the chairman’s only daughter.
Thus, Charlua crossed directly over to the empire where she soon encountered Kael.
“Welcome, Lady Charlua. You must have rushed over upon hearing news from the empire?”
Kael wore a friendly expression as if greeting an old friend, but his words were rather sharp.
He likely believed he knew the reason for her visit to the empire and meant to say, “Don’t bother dodging the subject.”
Charlua had no intention of hiding her true feelings in front of this remarkable tactical expert.
“I heard the emperor has revealed an intention to abdicate, so I came to confirm how things are unfolding… I never thought the situation would resolve itself just as I arrived.”
Even if this was merely a show to strengthen imperial power, it ought to have dragged on for a few more days.
However, the emperor had no real reason to do so. His authority had reached a point where it was almost breaking through to the heavens.
Rather, it seems he genuinely wished to hand over the throne to his successor.
But then, why did the emperor withdraw his intention so soon, in less than two days?
“According to sources, all nobles and various officials of the empire gathered to plead for the abdication to be revoked. But that can’t be all. There must be something more decisive at play.”
Upon further investigation, it turned out the Crown Princess and Crown Prince, along with Kael, had gone to see the emperor.
As daughter and heir, son and prince, and as son-in-law and subject.
And immediately after, the emperor was said to have retracted his intention—Charlua took note of that.
Naturally, one could assume that as soon as the Crown Princess received the intent to abdicate, she likely resisted vehemently.
The Crown Prince would have been present in the imperial palace, rushing over immediately to ask for the intention to be revoked.
How is it that the emperor who managed to hold firm until then suddenly changed his mind when a new figure appeared?
“It’s you again, Kael Clausewitz. Honestly, I’m not just curious about the limits of your abilities anymore, I’m starting to feel a bit scared.”
His expression and gestures seemed so unimposing, suggesting he wouldn’t cause any harm.
Yet within, there lay a deep strategy that no one could dare to imagine.
Even more frightening is that even those who consider themselves competent, like herself, are utterly unable to predict his thoughts.
“Is there nothing unusual happening in Nobogord?”
“…!”
At Kael’s question, Charlua flinched in surprise.
Was that question genuinely innocent, asked out of curiosity without any knowledge?
Or did he already know everything and was merely testing if she truly aligned with the pro-imperial side?
Charlua thought hard and eventually decided on her response.
“Since the cooperative relationship with the empire solidified, we have made rapid advancements in various sectors. It’s certainly true that redirecting our combative spirit elsewhere has yielded positive results.”
“That’s good news.”
“However, alongside that, some problems have arisen.”
“What kind of problems?”
“Though temporarily, the fish resources in the North Sea have decreased compared to last year.
In turn, the movement of the whales will change as well, meaning we cannot entirely avoid damages.
We’ve been exporting a significant quantity of seafood resources to the empire since last year, so it seems we may have been too greedy.”
“Mm.”
Once Charlua finished, Kael pondered for a moment before speaking.
“It seems we’ll need legislation to prevent indiscriminate fishing starting next year.”
“We already have a pending motion regarding such legislation in the council. It should pass soon, to prevent further damage to our sea.”
“Then let’s assume we’ll handle that. What do you plan to do now? I don’t know the specifics, but I believe the trade volume with the empire is quite substantial.”
“I’m considering various options, but I don’t have any sharp ideas.”
With an awkward smile, Charlua responded that she’d think more thoroughly if she returned.
Kael gazed at his friend, then casually remarked,
“Then we’ll need to cover it with something else. Let’s see… something unique to Nobogord.”
Caressing his chin thoughtfully, Kael suddenly snapped his fingers.
“I’ve heard there’s a lot of very clean ice in Nobogord. It’s been frozen for ages, and they call them eternal glaciers, right?”
“Eh? Ah, yes. That’s right. Most of the northern mountain range is like that. But why….”
“There’s no reason the fish resources only found in the North Sea must be the specialties of Nobogord.”
“Are we going to use the eternal glaciers? But how can we use mere ice?”
“Don’t focus solely on the objective aspect of the ice. Concentrate on the fact that it’s only found in a specific section of Nobogord, at the very northern tip of the continent, Lady Charlua.”
Perhaps with the eternal glaciers. Yes. Why not try to launch a new business idea: eternal glacier dessert?
Charlua couldn’t hide her surprise and asked, “Dessert, you say?”
“Of course, it wouldn’t sell in the northern part of the empire. But how about in the southern part where ice is hard to come by? Moreover, it’s not just any ice; it’s eternal glacier ice.”
“That’s….”
“Don’t just look at it as a simple product; consider the premium it could carry. Hm, let’s see. Rarity, yes. Let’s focus on the rarity, Lady Charlua. By nature, humans are usually curious about new products, and we have a desire to stand out with rare items.”
Charlua was a clever demon. She immediately grasped the direction of his thoughts.
Don’t fixate on the eternal glaciers or the desserts. What matters is beyond that.
Create some solid uniqueness that can stir and shake the desires of others.
She didn’t hide her eagerness to seize the proposal and seemed to be thinking ahead to the next step.
“This will make Nobogord synonymous not just with demons but with eternal glacier desserts.”
Oh. If anyone were to ask why Kael imparted such a good idea to Charlua, it’s simply that the empire had already considered attaching premiums to the goods offered from Nobogord.
Things that are hard to come by over there. Especially fruits could easily be utilized in such a venture.
If we gain something big, they’ll have to gain something too to maintain a decent give-and-take relationship.
In fact, just recently, I received good news from my territory, Neomes.
Finally, we succeeded in developing a new variety we had been researching since the time of the imperial direct rule.
As soon as I laid my eyes on the outcome, I was certain it would become a new cash cow for my territory.
“The fantasy craze of the Shine Muscat has only just begun!”