Ark

ACT 4: See you again, Silvana!

Crack!

The door broke off with a harsh sound. Several knights and soldiers suddenly came through the door. The priest who was praying got up with a surprised expression.

“What are you doing? Don’t you know where this is?”

“Shut up!”

The knights glanced at the soldiers and pushed the priest outside. The soldiers held up a bucket with a strange smell and poured it on the statue. The statue’s face instantly changed into that of a crow.

“Ankh, the god of death!”

The knight exclaimed and pulled out his sword.

“There is no need to look anymore. Capture all the wicked ones! If they become rebellious then kill them!”

A continuous uproar took place. The priests began to resist, forcing the soldiers to draw their swords and a messy fight suddenly occurred. It wasn’t limited to that room. Throughout the cathedral, the same scene was occurring at the temples that worshipped Asyeosu. However, in this situation the soldiers had already completely surrounded the temple. The priests soon gave up their resistance and the soldiers bound them.

“This room belongs to Asyeosu’s Archbishop!”

The soldiers who were clearing the top floor of the temple plunged into the room. However, the Archbishop was not in the room. He had sensed the commotion and fled.

“Damn……..he couldn’t have been able to run far away. Send soldiers to every exit and block his escape!”

“I understand!”

The soldiers ran away in a hurry. Soldiers from the Schudenberg Kingdom were raiding Asyeosu’s temple! They found a secret meeting place to worship Ankh inside the cathedral. After searching and seizing documents, they found irregularities with the church of Asyeosu. Unfortunately, the Archbishop and several senior priests had fled beforehand but the church of Asyeosu was still destroyed. Taking into consideration the impact on the kingdom, they did not disclose any further details. Thus the church of Asyeosu quietly disappeared into the depths of the history books, while a hobbit merchant who was imprisoned for life in the cathedral dungeons was released.

“Uh, my sore eyes…….!”

The hobbit frowned at the painful sunlight. It was none other than Sid who had spent a month in jail.

“I wonder why I was released?”

Sid didn’t know what had changed. His day in the prison had begun like normal until a soldier suddenly approached and asked.

“Are you Sid?”

“Yes? Yes I am, but why?”

“You’ve been released from prison.”

The soldiers just released Sid without any notice. He didn’t know what happened today but Sid didn’t bother questioning it.

“Anyway, I can now play the game again. I’ll never come near the Cathedral again!”

Sid quickly left the tedious Cathedral. But a few minutes after Sid had gained precious freedom, his face darkened. It was because he had found a letter from Ark in his mailbox.

Although I managed to get the confiscated 5000 gold back, there is no way to obtain the 3000 gold that you lost to a scam. In such a situation Ark had no intention of letting his food go. The poor hobbit had once again gone from the mouth of a tiger into the wolf’s trap.

‘Since the letter is written by Ark-nim………it is impossible not to go………..’

Sid sighed and headed towards Nagaran.

‘How did my gaming life become like this?’

……………The King congratulated him after listening to the situation. But there were still remnants of the social party. The church of Asyeosu had gathered a lot of social power, so if it was discredited then confusion would spread throughout the continent. So he had to wait for the King’s permission to disclose the secret. Once the political situation calmed down then he would have a chance.

‘Huhuhu, okay, Alan and the Cathedral have been dealt with.’

There was a sudden warm smile on Hyun-woo’s mouth. Yes, it wasn’t necessary to explain once again but Ark was behind the church’s downfall. Ark collected the fragments of memory crystal from the dungeon and headed straight to the young Lord of Jackson. He relayed what he found with the memory crystals as evidence. After that it progressed rapidly. The young Lord realised the severity of the problem, the King mobilized his troops and Asyeosu’s temple was raided. Of course, Asyeosu’s destruction was unrelated to Alan and Sid. However, Ark had gained a lot of recognition from the situation and Sid was released from the prison based on his words.  Well Sid was imprisoned for an ambiguous reason by the church of Asyeosu in the first place, so he was released once the charges were reviewed………But what made Ark even more cheerful was the situation surrounding Alan.

The Pope had sent him a report from the King.

‘Now he doesn’t have a chance.’

The crime of socializing with the church was hidden. Instead his sin was deceiving the kings using a ghost guild. Thanks to that, overnight Alan went from being a Lord to a fugitive. The guild master was accused of a crime so the Dawn Blade guild was also dissolved. Alan had lost all his power and his entire support base. But was that all? Since he was a wanted man then he couldn’t even hunt properly. If it was to this degree then Alan was already over. In addition, the same thing applied to Andel who relied on Alan.

‘You shouldn’t have picked a fight with me.’

Ark felt refreshed at the thought of their downfall. But it was only the start. Ark’s motto was to step on them again and again until they became trash.

‘Even though the conclusion is that I won, Alan still has my 3000 gold. I won’t be pleased if it ends like this. Since his crime was stealing my money, using Lariette and killing Roco, I won’t be pleased until I kill him at least three or four times!’

Once he made up his mind, Ark was more persistent than anyone else.

“We have the same thoughts. We won’t be satisfied with this.”

JusticeMan and the rehabilitation members nodded.

“Park So-mi’s medical expenses……urgh, the resentment of 3000 gold is deep!”

“How dare he kill our cutie Roco right in front of us……!”

“That’s not the problem. Alan used a woman as a shield……! I have to make sure such a person doesn’t step foot into New World again.”

Roco growled fiercely. Ark who had been listening in silence finally said.

“The problem is that there is no way to figure out Alan’s location. When Alan was the Lord the castle was his resurrection point. Since we’ve captured the castle, he will resurrect in the location before the castle. But we can’t just go out and search the 1~2 villages in the vicinity. And Alan probably won’t travel like he did before.”

“The time has come to show my skill.”

At that time, Hae Gyeol-sa smiled and cut in.

“Don’t you know I’m a professional at finding people?”

Hae Gyeol-sa……..In other words, his former job was recovering money from people. Thus he was an expert at finding people who hid with the money.

“But isn’t this a game?”

“The method to find people doesn’t actually change. Everyone has similar habits in regards to hiding.  If I go out and search the vicinity then I’ll quickly be able to catch his trail.”

Hae Gyeol-sa replied. Ark had already seen Jjak-tung’s and Tazza’s skills a while ago.  Hae Gyeol-sa would only tell him that if there was a good reason.

“It will be difficult alone……if I had a few people then I could find Alan within a couple of days.”

“I’d go. Because I have no interest in levelling up.”

“It might be too dangerous with just you.”

Tazza and Bul-kkun volunteered.

“Okay let’s start straight away. Send any information about Alan to my mail.”

So Hae Gyeol-sa, Tazza, and Bul-kkun left to track Alan.

‘Now I just have to wait.’

Once Ark organized that he turned his attention to the problem of Silvana castle. There was no way that Ark could defend Silvana with his power. He had no money or organizing ability to create a ghost guild like Alan did.  When the next siege began there was a 100% chance that he would have his Lordship taken away. At best he would only receive 1 copper from being the Lord before being kicked out. But Ark had already found a way to solve the problem.

“For the moment, I’m going to transfer this castle to Raiden.”

“What?”

JusticeMan and the rehabilitation members’ eyes opened.

“W-what are you talking about?”

“Why are you handing the castle over to the guy who betrayed us?”

“Of course it’s not for free.”

Ark shook his finger left and right as he laughed.

“As you know, we don’t have a way to keep the castle. But we have the right to choose a challenger. I’ll sell that right to Raiden. Since he’ll definitely obtain the castle once he gets the challenge right, there is no way Raiden would refuse.”

“Certainly but…….”

“Giving a castle that we worked hard to capture to a guy like him…….”

“Didn’t you hear? I said for the moment.”

“Huh? For the moment?”

JusticeMan and the rehabilitation members were puzzled. Ark smiled and explained in detail what he had envisioned.  And JusticeMan and the rehabilitation members expressed their admiration.

“That, that method…..!”

“Now do you understand? Silvana isn’t like that now, but in the future it will be a goose that lays golden eggs. It isn’t possible to overlook such a place. So I’m going to install a few precautions before I pass it to Raiden. And since I developed the idea, I want Hyungs to make it possible.”

“I got it. Leave it to us.”

The rehabilitation members rolled up their sleeves with excited faces. JusticeMan nodded and looked at Ark with admiring eyes.

“I see why you picked Raiden to make the deal with.”

“I have to return the favour at least once.”

Ark replied with an evil grin. Although he had to deal with Alan, there was still a debt that Raiden needed to repay. A few hours later, Ark sat facing Raiden in his office.  Raiden’s face was haggard since he couldn’t sleep after the siege. Indeed, on the way here Raiden vomited on the road which Ark noticed and couldn’t help making insinuations while smiling.

“What happened to your pretty face?”

“You bastard…..!”

Raiden drew his sword as his shoulders shook with anger. Well, if he tried to kill him then the NPC soldiers would expel him like a dog…….. Ark seemed carefree as he said.

“In this situation there is no reason to be angry with me.”

“Did you call me just to say things like that?”

“No, I called because I have a good proposal.”

“What? Proposal?”

“I’ll skip the small talk and just simply say it. Do you want Silvana castle?”

Raiden’s eyes flinched.

“………What does that mean?”

“The next siege is in 5 days. If you want then I’ll give Silvana to you then.”

“Are you serious?”

Raiden asked Ark in an incredulous voice.

“Of course it’s not for free. 6000 gold.”

“What, what the? This kid, are you crazy?”

Raiden jumped in surprise. However, Ark just replied as if he hadn’t said such outrageous words.

“Hey, we’re talking about the Lordship here. You could get that much from selling cookies at a small store, yet you think that 6000 gold for a territory is too expensive? Besides, you offered me 3,600 gold the other day. You’re willing to spend that much on war funds but you won’t part with 6000 gold to buy you’re precious territory?”

“T-that is…….”

“You wouldn’t have this issue if you had just given it to me in the beginning.”

Ark coolly replied. Ark and Raiden had been willing to spend money during the siege because they thought there would be an enormous profit once they had the castle.  But that wasn’t what he found once he finally occupied the castle. Occupying the castle would certainly be profitable.   However, he had to defend it until he obtained the profits. Even if Hermes was an enormous guild, it wouldn’t be easy for them to have the funds necessary for the siege. Since he had been in Nagaran for a while, he probably already knew that.  There was a high chance that Raiden had already organized that with the other guilds in the alliance. The 5 guilds invested in such a way that they would receive the profits after the estate upgraded. After all, Raiden betrayed Dark Eden over the promise of 30%. No, Ark was the one who didn’t know anything when he was making the demands.

“The problem was that I didn’t know anything about the castle. Anyway, my requirement is 6000 gold. You decided whether you will take it or not.”

“The salary of Silvana’s Lord is only 3000 gold!”

As a pioneer, he also had access to such information. However, Ark retorted without even blinking.

“Yes, so that payment is the profit for two months.”

“Don’t joke around. Do you think I’m a fool? Two months in New World is 3 weeks in reality.  I’ll have to participate in three sieges in the meantime.  We need that money to pay for it. Thanks to the siege, developing the estate until it’s not in a deficit anymore would take a few months.  But you want to receive 6000 gold without even lifting a finger?”

“I’m not playing around.”

The smile disappeared from Ark’s face. Ark lowered his upper body and threatened.

“Weren’t you aware of it before the first siege? You had confidence that you would be able to obtain a profit, wasn’t that why you started the siege in the first place? And if you defend it a few times then you’ll definitely get a lot of benefits. Well, I lack the ability to defend the castle which is why I proposed a deal. But I’m the Lord now. I can choose any challenger.”

“What………?”

“Apart from you, there are other people willing to buy the castle. For example, the Grey Wings guild.”

“Grey wings!”

“The Grey Wings guild would respond to my offer without complaining. Nevertheless, I offered it to you first. Although you betrayed me in the end, I still managed to occupy the castle because of you. I have my own kind of loyalty. That’s all I have to say. Do you want to buy it or not?”

Raiden rolled his eyes at Ark’s words. But he had already decided the answer from the beginning. If Silvana was owned by the Grey Wings then Raiden would have no choice but to siege again.  That would require thousands more gold to be poured into his military power. There was also no guarantee of a victory. So he might not even get a profit from it. All Raiden could do was bargain for the best price. As expected, Raiden muttered in a strained voice.

“But right now 6000 gold…….”

‘I made the right call. He should be a beginner in regards to these kinds of deals.’

Ark didn’t seem like he would be good at it compared to Raiden. However, Raiden didn’t know that Ark had been in charge of the family budget since he was young, so he had twice the experience in making money transactions.

“I’ll simply say it. How much can you possible save up?”

“I can only gather 3000 gold in a week.”

“That’s a bit difficult.”

“W-wait a minute. I will give you 3000 gold in a fortnight and write up a contract.”

“I do not believe in contracts now.”

Ark added in a cold and quiet voice.

“But the circumstances are difficult so I’ll concede one thing. 4000 gold in cash. I’ll allow you to use something else to pay the remaining 2000 gold.

“Something else?”

“The shoes that Duke is wearing…….it looks pretty good?”

Raiden was surprised and shook his head.

“That’s impossible.”

“I won’t accept anything else. 4000 gold and Duke’s shoes. Or I’ll meet up with Grey Wings and sell them the challenge rights next week. If I don’t receive a call tomorrow then I’ll see it as a rejection and make a deal with the Grey Wings guild.”

Then Ark ended the negotiations. Shoes that enabled him to move freely without breaking his posture! It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that Ark’s primary purpose was those shoes.

Raiden had just gone through a siege. In order to get the money, he would have to scrape it from his war funds. If he paid Ark 6000 gold then Raiden would have no money left in his funds. The maximum he could get from scraping money together was 4000 gold. So Ark asked for 6000 gold and stealthily sneaked in Duke’s shoes as if it was just a side concession. These kinds of sale pitches done in black market shops were nothing to Ark.

‘Raiden absolutely can’t refuse. He will bring the shoes even if he has to kill Duke.’

As expected, Raiden sent a notification the next day accepting the deal.

“The deposit is 1000 gold. The rest will be paid after you accept Hermes’ challenge.”

“Okay.”

‘Raiden will regret this decision for the rest of his life.’

Ark gave a wicked smile and collected the 1000 gold.  Anyway, his problem regarding Silvana was solved. Silvana which had been empty will be turned into 4000 gold and unique shoes after 6 days.

‘In the meantime I won’t just play around!’

“Ajusshi, has everyone done what I told them to?”

“Yes, Berami will take care of the rest.”

“Then gather all the NPCs together. From now on we’re exploring the dungeon!”

“Good, I’ll finally get to see an elite monster!”

JusticeMan grinned and raised his arms.

“What? What did you say?”

Duke looked at Raiden with an amazed expression. Raiden scratched his head and muttered an excuse.

“That…….you know the guild’s situation. Since we had to pay for the siege before, we’ve ran out of money. It is much easier to gather 4000 gold in a few days than 6000 gold.”

“But to give that guy Ark my shoes? Does that make sense?”

“I didn’t want it to be this way either! All of this is to take the castle away from him. I’m the one that should be more irate at him! Even though I want to kill him dozens of times, I can’t think like that!”

While he was trying to persuade his guild members, Raiden’s resentment burst out.

“But there is no other way. We can’t miss this opportunity to occupy the castle. I know, I know. After being threatened I also felt ill. But now there is no way to turn around. I’ve already given the 1000 gold deposit to Ark. If I don’t pay the rest then that would be wasted for nothing! Furthermore, all of our efforts will be in vain if Ark just hands the castle to the Grey Wings guild.”

“Indeed……….”

The guild members that had been gathered nodded. In fact, so far the power of Hermes outnumbered Grey Wings by 6:4.  But if Grey Wings occupied the castle and becomes the Lord, that would change. Since they’ve already participated in a siege, they knew that defending was more advantageous than attacking. If they took into account the damage Hermes received in the failed siege, their current ratio was 4:6…….No, Grey Wings would have the upper hand with a ratio of 3:7. No matter how much time and money they spend, it would be impossible to take back the castle once it is in Grey Wings’ hands.  He wasn’t going to let his pride get in the way.

“I promise that when we occupy the castle, I’ll reward you first.”

“Yes, the guild master is right.”

“We’ll help you get some shoes later.”

“You’re not going to betray the guild just because of some shoes are you?”

The guild members surrounded Duke and started pressuring him.

‘Damn, I handpicked that item and now I have to give it to that guy…….’

Curses rose in Duke’s throat. Those shoes made moving while shooting possible! It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that it had the best possible option for a ranger. Although his level was less than the other pioneers, he was able to fight side-by-side with Raiden and Jewel because of those shoes.

However……..now he had to give it to Ark?

Frankly, in this situation he was angrier with Raiden and his guild then about giving Ark his shoes. Meanwhile, the guild members had slowly narrowed the distance. They had already decided to just peel Duke’s shoes off.

“No! I’ll never do it!”

Duke stared at Raiden and the guild before turning around. He was going to defend his shoes. He just had to hide until the next siege occurred in several days. Well, he might be chewed out by his guild later on but it was better than being deprived of his shoes.

“Eh? Catch him!”

Raiden shouted when he sensed Duke’s aim and Duke ran away. However, Duke used his shoes to escape from the guild’s encirclement.

‘I did it! Heh, do you think I would give up these shoes so easily?’

Duke smiled with satisfaction as he walked through the door. Then a dozen wind chains abruptly rose from the ground and wound around Duke.

Duke looked in surprise at the magician who suddenly appeared at the door.

“Eh? J-Jewel, even you……!”

“We have no choice. This time you’ll have to concede a little bit. You’ll still be compensated for it. And we still owe Ark a debt. When he leaves Nagaran then we’ll strike and get back the shoes.”

“Son of a bitch, you’re not serious?”

Duke seethed with rage but it was all over from the moment he had been captured by the chains. After that, he was surrounded by the guild members who used intimidation, confusion and hit him for 20 hours until Duke eventually raised the white flag.

“Damn, I got it! I understand! Kuhuk, you dirty bastard. I’ll give it!”

Duke shouted, his eyes brimming with tears. However, Raiden’s face was still dark even after he got the shoes.

“Phew, I’ve got the shoes…….but how am I going to get 3000 gold in a few days?”

If he scraped all the japtem together and sold it, he might just be able to make 3000 gold. The deadline was slowly drawing closer.

“Now! Artillerymen, fire!”

He shouted after Ark and the rehabilitation members are cut Goat’s health in half. The thieves who were in the back fired the cannons simultaneously.

Tu tu tu tung!

Roaaaaar!

Eventually Goat was engulfed in flames and collapsed. Meanwhile, another Goat was having a fierce struggle against the Meow. The Meow weren’t bothering to defend against Goat. Instead they used several reckless attacks that made Ark stiffen with fear.  But the situation was different from the time Ark was fighting alone.

“The source of life which boils up from the heart!”

When Roco used the song of recovery, the Meow immediately recovered their health. When Ark, the rehabilitation company and the thieves helped, the remaining Goat instantly collapsed.

‘Hahaha, that was pretty quick!’

Ark confirmed the message window and let out a cheer. After Ark decided to sell Silvana, he brought the rehabilitation company and the NPCs to the ‘Cradle of Evil’ dungeon. The dungeon was overflowing with elite monsters that dropped experience and a magic item every time they killed one. And he was also able to monopolize the dungeon! However, the downside was that the monsters’ stats were so high that he couldn’t hunt alone. But once he gathered the rehabilitation members and the NPCs, that problem was solved straight away. Ark and the rehabilitation members’ intimacy with the NPCs also rose as a result!

‘It’s good that I didn’t tell anyone about this dungeon.’

Ark had not told anyone about the dungeon, including the Lord of Jackson. He reported that the memory crystals were found in a few places in the castle. Because there was a possibility of a team being sent to investigate the dungeon if they knew about it, and in the worst case situation close up the dungeon. This meant that Ark wouldn’t have his golden farming ground.

‘But I can’t use the dungeon for long.’

Once he sold Silvana then he won’t be able to enter the dungeon anymore. Ark was so enthusiastic about hunting that he got almost no sleep. After spending 4 days in the dungeon, he was able to reach the 5th floor underground.

“Character information window!”

Even though he was in a party, he was able to gain 14 levels in a few days! Because of the relatively low level of the rehabilitation members and the NPCs, they got an experience bonus and gained an average of 20 levels during the dungeon hunt. It was also common for the monsters to drop magic items. Of course, Ark couldn’t grab everything as he wasn’t hunting alone.  Although it was so valuable that he shed tears, he still had to share the items properly. Well, he couldn’t hunt along so he couldn’t really complain…….

‘I’ve managed to collect 300 gold which isn’t bad.’

Anyway, the hunting speeds became faster and faster because the rehabilitation group and the NPCs had better equipment.

‘I have to hunt even more during the remaining time!’

“Dedric, find the next prey!”

JusticeMan turned pale when he heard Ark give the enthusiastic command.

“Huk, you want to immediately hunt again?”

“Yes, there’s no time.”

When Ark gave the natural sounding reply, the rehabilitation members let out a cry. While the NPCs inevitably had to rest, Ark and the rehabilitation group hunted without getting any sleep.

“Huk huk, Ark, we’re going to die.”

“Are you always like this when you play the game alone?”

“You only got 3 hours sleep last night after hunting for 30 hours non-stop! Did you even go to the gym?”

“Teacher told me to rest for a few days. I don’t get many chances to happily hunt like this.”

Ark replied with a smile. In recent times, Lee Myung-ryong hadn’t been coming to the gym a lot.

“B-Bastard…….!”

“Ugh…………there are two coming!”

Then without any notice……No, the astute Dedric had been herding the Goats.

“Son of a bitch!”

“I’m never hunting with you again!”

The rehabilitation members cursed as they had to stand up again. Thus they once again spent 10 hours hunting. By the time Ark reached level 180, it was time for Raiden to pay what he owed.

‘Okay, I’ve achieved the level that I wanted. My heart would like to earn more but…….’

There was a lot of work to do before he could give the estate to Raiden. So Ark ended the hunt and left the dungeon. When he arrived at the Shrine of War, Raiden had reached it first and was waiting nervously.

“Are you ready?”

“Here it is. 3,000 gold and…….”

Raiden handed him a purse and quickly averted his gaze. Duke was standing behind him with a red face and handing him the shoes. He had taken off his equipped item. That was a cause of tears for any gamer. Although it was related to the profit of the guild, Duke couldn’t help but stare at the shoes with bloodshot eyes before tears started falling.

“Don’t worry, I’ll receive it thankfully. I’ll treat it well.”

“Oooh!”

Ark quickly packed the shoes while Duke made an expression that seemed like he was going to cry out. But he swallowed the curses that rose in his throat. Raiden looked at Duke apologetically and bluntly said.

“Ark, now it is your turn to keep your end of the deal.”

“I got it. Unlike you, I keep my promises.”

Ark replied before calling the priest over.

“I designate the Hermes guild as the next challenger.”

“I understand. “Thank you. The siege will start tomorrow at 6 a.m.”

The priest explained the siege information.

“By this time tomorrow, the castle will be ours”

“………..I got it. See you tomorrow.”

Ark smiled as he watched the two of them leave the shrine.

‘Huhuhu, I’ve finally obtained the shoes! Now, should I look at it?’

“Information Window”

He was stunned by the stats! The leather armour had amazing defense while the option was the best.  And Ark could use the skill ‘Slide’ that he desired more than anything immediately. The methods to utilize this skill were endless.

‘All right, I’ve collected everything. Since the remaining time is 20 hours, I’ll put on the finishing touches!’

So Ark restlessly returned to Silvana. He visited Berami as soon as he got back.

“Berami, have you finished what I told you to do?”

“Yes, I’ve finished it for the moment…….”

Berami replied, looking at a huge building that had been erected near the castle. After negotiating with Raiden, Ark had ordered Berami to build a large trading post on the estate. Of course, the money came from the estate’s funds. Although he couldn’t embezzle the money for personal use, as the Lord he could decide what the money could be used for on the estate.

“Stop any other construction and create a trading post instead.”

When he heard the command, Berami asked with an outraged face.

“But that money is needed to repair the Defense Towers and castle walls. But you really want me to stop that construction?”

“Of course.”

Ark nodded with a calm face.

“Because of the repeated sieges, the development of Silvana has been delayed and it is an unnecessary waste of money.”

“That’s true but…….”

“The castle shouldn’t rely on such foolish things. Anyway, I have no confidence that I will win in the siege. In that case, shouldn’t I do something for the estate while I’m still the Lord? Fortunately, Silvana is located in a good position where it can be a trading post. If we can build a trading post on the estate then it will accelerate the development of Silvana. Then the lives of the people living here will become a little bit better. You don’t have to waste the precious funds on defending my position.”

“M-my Lord!”

Berami shook for the first time. He was different from the other Lords that had only cared about defending the castle! He was sincerely concerned about Silvana’s future!

……….That was what he thought.

However, Ark wasn’t that good of a person. Berami was so impressed that he started the construction without any protest. Meanwhile Ark proceeded with another plan along with Jjak-tung. Shortly after the construction started, Ark contacted Wolkosu who came from Cairo.

“Wolkosu ajusshi, didn’t you manage a large store in Selebrid before?”

“I did.”

“Then do you want to operate a trading post here?”

“Trading post?”

“Yes, it is a trading post on the grounds of Silvana and ajusshi will receive substantial compensation. As the Lord I can give permission for Lorenzo to stay here if he wanted to and we’ll give you a piece of land to live in.”

“Really?”

“But there is one condition.”

“What condition would make me refuse? I’ll do my best to set up the best trading post in Schudenberg.”

Wolkosu nodded and grabbed Ark’s hands. It wasn’t possible to give the funds designate for the estate’s facilities to the user.  However the Lord could hire the managers of the facilities, so Ark succeeded in assigning someone to the trading post. Of course the income from the trading post would go to the castle. Ark wouldn’t get any profit even if the trading post did well. However, Ark had learned something from Raiden.

“There are also skills to overturn the rules of the game system!’

In reality, the laws in New World weren’t perfect. Users could find a way to get around the rules depending on the skill. While Ark purchased the land and set up the trading post, Jjak-tung fabricated some documents. It was called ‘Dual Registration’! Of course, the trading post didn’t belong to Ark even if there was dual registration. However, if he created two sets of books then if wouldn’t be difficult for him to hide a part of the trading post’s profits by fabricating the books. But he definitely needed the help of the NPC in charge of the trading post. The condition he required from Wolkosu was to make these double ledgers. And the monitoring station was left to Sid.

“I’m sorry.”

Sid had murmured with a poor expression after he arrived a few days ago. Ark and the rehabilitation members had entrusted Sid with 5,500 gold. After Sid only had the 5000 gold he received back from the Cathedral. He didn’t receive compensation for the 3000 gold Alan stole through a scam. But Ark just hit Sid’s shoulders and said in a soft voice.

“That’s okay. Sid-nim as already suffered in the prison.”

“A, Ark-nim…….!”

“However…….wasn’t it Sid-nim’s fault that the money was lost?”

Ark replied with a smile. As expected, Ark wasn’t going to let him get away with it. Sid gave him anxious glances and stuttered.

“I-I don’t have the money right now!”

“I know, I know. Do you think that I am someone who would ask you to pay it back straight away? Once you earn it then you can pay me back.”

“E-earn? But……..”

“Huhuhu, I’ve even prepared a job for you. Sid-nim, from now on please help Wolkosu ajusshi manage the trading post here. Aren’t you thankful? The job isn’t that difficult. Wolkosu ajusshi will take care of most of it. Of course, 50% of your salary will be used to pay off the 4000 gold.”

“4000 gold? Eh, how come……..?”

“Since you’re only paying it off with 50% of your salary, I don’t know how long it would take you to pay it all. If I deposited it in a bank then I would’ve gained interest…..you should be glad that I’m not making it more expensive.”

Sid’s face withered at Ark’s words. Since Ark had stared and threatened him indirectly, he had no other choice. Eventually he had to write up a contract stating that he would give Ark 50% of his income until 4000 gold was paid off. It was the perfect slave contract! Thanks to that, Ark could somehow place two people at the trading post. Of course, all those preparations would be useless once Ark wasn’t the Lord anymore. So Ark also proceeded with another plan.

‘The secret lies within the dungeon!’

Ark had paid attention. If he participated in the siege again one day, he could take advantage of the dungeon to get in. Ark had a crazy idea and ordered the raccoons to create a secret passage out of the dungeon. Then he had them seal up the entrance of the dungeon. It could only be penetrated using the raccoons’ skill ‘Den Destruction’…….

‘That’s it, now I can use the secret passage to access the castle anytime I need to.’

That was the reason why Ark willingly handed over the castle to Raiden.  While other people were struggling as the Lord to develop the castle, he could just eat up the profits! Once Ark finished all the preparations, he once again visited Berami.

“Berami, how much of the castle’s funds are left?”

“Because we completed the trading post in a hurry, there is 50,000 gold left. But after paying 17,000 gold to the employees for their salary, there will be 33,000 gold left.”

“You said I was free to use the public money?”

“Yes, of course. You can use it on the Lord’s personal business……..”

“I would like to give the soldiers and administrative personnel a bonus.”

“Yes?”

Berami’s eyes popped out. So far, there have been no Lords that have given a bonus to the NPCs.  Of course, most users wouldn’t give up the castle early like Ark.

“Well, it’s possible but………”

“Then you can take care of the bonus for the soldiers and administrative staff. Please evenly distribute 20,000 gold between them. I’ll also give you a bonus of 200 gold.”

Anyway, it was somebody else’s money. Ark created a good atmosphere and scattered money around. Berami looked puzzled at Ark’s spending. If he used the public money so casually then there would be a setback for the future development of the castle. Moreover, Ark hadn’t paid the cost of maintaining the facilities required for a siege.  Thanks to the excessive trading post, the castle was in a serious deficit. Once it fell into a serious deficit, the aftermath might last for several years. Berami hesitated before closing his mouth and nodding.

“Everybody on the estate is thankful for the Lord’s consideration.”

Even if they were NPCs, there was nobody that didn’t like money. There were two reasons why Ark used the public money so carelessly. One reason was to screw with Raiden. Ark still hadn’t forgiven Raiden’s betrayal. Therefore he didn’t want Raiden to touch even one penny of the castle’s money once it was transferred to him.

‘Didn’t I warn him that he would regret touching me? Let’s see that empty head try to handle the castle’s deficit!’

And his second purpose was for the future when he had occupied Silvana again.

Thanks to the bonus, his intimacy with the soldiers and staff quickly rose. Their enthusiastic support would become useful once he had to try and take back Silvana.

So one week passed like a storm in Silvana. When it was time for the siege, Ark gathered the residents and made a speech.

“My work on the estate has finished. Although I might be lacking, I’ve tried to sincerely help everybody. Now the siege will begin soon.  But I have no ability to keep my position as the Lord.  In order to avoid the useless fight, I thought to just leave the castle.  But I will promise. Silvana is my 2nd home, so I will come back once I gain the power to defend it!”

Ark spread his arms wide and turned towards the castle.

“Goodbye Silvana, I’ll be back soon!”

“Hooray Lord Ark!”

“Kuhuk, goodbye. I won’t forget My Lord!”

“You must come back again!”

“We will wait for you My Lord!”

With tears in their eyes, Berami and the castle residents cheered like crazy.

“I’ve finally got my hands on Silvana!”

Raiden said as he sat down in the office on the top floor.

The castle that he had desired for so long was finally in his hands.  For the moment it didn’t give a lot of money, but it would soon be the goose that laid a golden egg! Duke who looked depressed sighed and said.

“Don’t forget to give the promised share of the profits to me.”

“Of course. Just hold on for 2 months. Think of how much footwear you will be able to buy when the castle is upgraded to B class. That Ark guy, he didn’t know the value of this castle……..Kukukuk!”

“Let me tell you the financial condition of the estate.”

At that time, Berami came to the office. Raiden nodded with an arrogant attitude.

“Yes, speak.”

“The current estate is suffering from a serious deficit. The current estate has 0 gold in its funds, and the money the needs to be paid over the next few days is 12,000 gold. It is because the costs of maintaining the facilities haven’t been paid for a while.  The previous Lord also didn’t repair the Defense Towers and castle walls.  Since it will be some time before the next tax, if you want to repair it then it will have to come out of the Lord’s personal funds.  Ah, we also won’t be able to pay the Lord’s salary until the deficit is cleared.”

“W-wait! What did you say? 0 gold in the funds?”

“The former Lord was a very good man.”

Berami pushed up his glasses and smiled. He sincerely viewed Ark like that after Ark gave a bonus to the residents. As a result, the castle had entered a deficit.  Raiden didn’t understand how Ark could be considered a good Lord. Berami made an official looking face and said.

“Do you want me to take out the budget?”

Now Raiden realized that he had been shot in the back by Ark.

“That, that bastard…….Ark! He dares……!”

Foam started frothing on Raiden’s mouth. Even though he had occupied the Lord’s seat, in this situation he was basically working for free. But was that all? There was another siege next week. It would be a tight schedule to repair the Defense Towers and castle wall. But the tax would only come after a few days. Even if he scraped the bottom of his personal funds, he would not be able to repair it in time. It wasn’t a goose that will lay a golden egg, instead it was a hippopotamus that was sucking all his money.

“Kill him. You have to kill that Ark bastard no matter what it takes!”

“We have to keep the castle first.”

Duke who had been restless since he lost his shoes said.

“Hell……It’s not possible. Call everyone in the Hermes Alliance together! They have to urgently secure funds and begin the repairs of the walls and Defense Towers for the moment. If we have the castle taken away now then we’re screwed.”

“I understand.”

Duke bolted outside. Raiden roughly smacked the table with his fists.

“Just wait Ark……..once the estate is stabilized then I’ll teach you not to mess with Raiden. No matter what, I’m going to pay back this debt!”

However, Raiden’s revenge was likely to take a very long time.