A month had passed since I went over to the Ediab forest. The C-Ranked stones that we had pulled out were depleting fast and now only 7 remained. As the gentle morning breeze flitted up the piles of documents kept on my table, a knock sounded out on the study's door.
"Come in," I said.
The door swung open and the creaking of wheels followed as Lily pushed a service cart in. On it was a kettle and some confectionaries arranged neatly. I glanced at it and went back down at the paperwork kept in front of me. There were a lot of things to consider these days with the changes in the village, or should I say villages, that I felt it necessary to prepare beforehand.
"I've brought you some tea, young master." Lily kept her head low as she lifted the kettle and poured the tea into a cup before placing it in front of me. The girl gently curtsied and was about to leave when I clicked my tongue.
"Lily."
"Yes, young master?"
"Sit and have some tea with me if you don't mind."
Lily beamed a smile, I guess she did, and nodded fervently. This was becoming slightly annoying. By now, whenever Keith or Maria would come in with any food they'd naturally sit beside me and join in on sating their stomachs, but I had to ask Lily to have a seat every damn time.
I took a quick sip from the tea while Lily prepared her own. It was quite good.
"Young master."
"Mhm?"
"The construction of the buildings are almost complete in the village."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, it sped up well since the other villages settled in too. Accommodations for them are still an issue though..."
I smiled at Lily who had the best intentions for the people in mind. I, on the other hand, was equally focused on getting a return on my investment and improving cash flow before thinking of the people.
A few days after I started employing all the villagers and began the construction of a road from the village to the path leading to the baron's territory, the other villages in the surroundings got wind of the events and came asking for food and work too. They were more than welcome, naturally.
To begin the growth of the village, the first and foremost thing required was supply lines. We began construction from the village to the road leading to the baron's territory, and another leading to the Ediab forest's borders. When I went in there with Keith, we made sure to scout the outskirts of the forest for any danger, aside from a few small monsters that most adults could take on, there wasn't anything to worry about. Lastly, to take this 'testing' one step further, I had left our horses on the outskirts for a long time.
If something had killed them, that would have been enough to deduce the safety of the place. I remember Keith suggesting we keep them tied up so that we could ascertain the degree of the danger from the wounds they might have, he was quite similar to me in those aspects.
The Ediab forest was a great source of natural resources, from lumber and firewood to fruits and game, it was a great place to tap into and set up a small-time market from. Of course, relying on a forest was never going to be enough to change a village, but we had to proceed in small steps.
I had been feeding the people and paying them, and then having them spend the money I gave them in my own shops. We had also taken control of the way trade happened in the place, not only inside the village but also in the town of the baron. I had a monopoly on everything.
I wasn't growing a village into a town anymore. It would be smelled up and used away by the Marquis the moment the village grows big.
What I was doing was creating an organization solely for myself. These people would be functioning only for myself and bringing me all the profit.
That was the plan, but honestly, I also wanted to help them.
It was a win-win situation. I was going to make their living conditions better anyway, there was no reason not to make mine better at the same time.
"Young master..."
Lily stood up while I was lost in thought. She grabbed a cookie from the plates and leaned close to me from the back.
"Have a cookie as well," her hands wrapped around my face as she brought the cookie close to my mouth.
This kid was trying to act bold.
It seemed a lesson was due.
I didn't pay her actions much heed and opened my mouth. Lily slowly dragged the cookie to my lips and I bit on a small part of it, not taking the entire thing in my mouth. Lily was about to pull her hands back when I grabbed her wrist and leaned my head back to face her. With half of the cookie still sticking out of my teeth, I mumbled out loud.
"Haf sum too."
"Y-yes?" Her act broke apart in pieces within seconds. "M-me? I'll take some too!"
Lily tried to break free from my grasp and get another from the plates, but I stopped her in place and perked my chin, gesturing at the cookie in my mouth.
"Y-y-young master..."
I smirked and let Lily go, swallowing the rest of the cookie at once. That should serve her well enough to remember not to mess with me.
Spinning the quill in my hand, I stared at the paper again. For some reason, Lily was still standing behind me. I would have loved to let her stay in shock or surprise, but duty called.
"Lily, it's time we take things to the next stage."
Lily immediately forgot her bashfulness and jumped into work mode.
The roads had been completed, and the buildings I commissioned were almost done as well.
"First things first, we're going to loan out some money to all the employees and have them commission us to build their residences. We'll give them an interest rate of 2% and cut it off in small installments from their salaries. Of course, the construction cost will be the absolute lowest it can go."
"Understood, I'll be informing the accountants we have selected right away."
"Good, and also. It's about time that my teacher comes around for some money. Tell Maria to fetch him and bring him to me right as he comes over."
"Yes, young master. Please call me if you need anything."
With that, Lily bowed and walked out of the study.
My mind drifted back to the matter with my teacher.
I sighed and slammed my documents on the table, ready to head out. I was itching to see how the place looked now.
If I was going to build up a town, I'd rather it be a town of art.