The Story Of The Second Son Of The Baron Family [EN]: Chapter 102

It’s been over ten years since I discovered the magic stone mine in the monster territory. Even after a decade, development has been actively underway. Some of the resources are used for the homeland, and some function as cores to be installed in the Glory, which is currently being built.

If I hadn’t discovered and developed the magic stone mine early on, the production of Glory might have been disrupted, just like with other minerals. Therefore, the solution was simple.

Just like finding the magic stone mine, I needed to awaken the iron ore, mithril, gold, silver, and other mines that are still dormant, hidden from the world.

Others might exclaim, ‘That’s easier said than done!’ but I know I can do it. I have the ability and the precedent. The only downside is that I have to do the legwork myself, but since there’s no urgent matter and I’m not indispensable, I can put in that much effort for the future.

‘I just need to let them know there’s a mine here.’

It won’t take long. After all, there are many people who will act on my word, especially since mine development can bring a lot of profit.

Why would they invest in miners while still struggling to find a mine? Because the potential gains outweigh the initial investment. The probability of lords leaving a confirmed mine untouched is extremely low. Even if they try to be cunning and ignore it, they won’t be able to disregard me with the Emperor backing me.

‘The South would be better than the North.’

The North has cold weather, barren land, and relatively many mountains, so mining is fundamentally more developed there. The South has warm weather and many plains, so agriculture is more prevalent. Therefore, it might seem like I should head to the North to discover mines, but the fact that mining is developed also means that the easy-to-find mines are either under development or have already been developed.

Of course, there is still more untapped mineral wealth in the North than in the South. There must be many mines that are difficult to develop with current technology.

However, simply discovering them isn’t the end goal. The cost of developing them and the profit that can be gained through development must be balanced. Discovering a lot of mines that are difficult to develop with current technology will only increase the costs. It would be better to choose the South, where development is easier, even if there are fewer resources.

“For these reasons, I think I need to get personally involved.”

It wasn’t difficult to get the Emperor’s cooperation. I was going to fill the Empire’s coffers on my own, so the Emperor would have asked me first, not refused. The risk is low, but the return is high. Isn’t it a clear low-risk, high-return deal?

“If that is the Count’s wish, then so be it. Is there anything else you need?”

“The title of Count you gave me before is enough.”

Even without a territory, the title of Count cannot be ignored. Usually, unless there is a special reason for not having a territory, you can’t rise to the title of Count no matter what you do. That special reason usually compensates for the lack of territory.

Moreover, in the current situation where the Empire’s attention is focused on Glory, if they refuse to let me, who is practically the chief manager, develop a mine for the Titan Project, it would mean that they could fall out of the Emperor’s favor.

‘Should I go see my nephew’s face first?’

First of all, there were three places I needed to visit and check. Dragnil Territory, where I was born and raised. Zeke Territory, my wife’s hometown, and Kramer Territory, which has been providing various assistance from the beginning to the end of the Titan Project.

As I said before, mine development can bring enormous benefits to a territory. Whether there are many or few places that want it, it’s not like food that has to be thrown away if stored for too long. But there’s no reason to only do good for others. I have to take care of my family first.

“Honey!”

“You’re home very early today. Is something wrong?”

“Let’s go.”

“……Yes?”

This trip had plenty of time. It wasn’t dangerous either. So I was planning to travel slowly with my wife, like a leisurely vacation. It’s not like the production of Glory would be disrupted if I didn’t discover a mine right away. I should tell JoJo and Armin to take a vacation this time, too, if no one else is available.

“Really?”

She was noticeably happy after hearing my story. She had spent her whole life in Zeke Territory and the Imperial Capital, so the word ‘travel’ itself would bring a very different feeling to her than it did to me.

“Yeah. We’ll start with Dragnil Territory, pass through the southern part of the Empire, and return to the Imperial Capital, ending with Zeke Territory. We’ll take our time to look around in between.”

“That’s great.”

“Are you coming with me?”

“Of course.”

#

This trip – disguised as an investigation – was completely different from the trips I had experienced so far. Except for once – when I was forcibly conscripted and headed to the Tera Barrier [a magical defense line] in a group – I had never traveled with more than a handful of people, so the dozens of people mobilized for this trip were quite unusual for me.

It was also different from riding a horse or walking, traveling in a luxurious carriage pulled by two horses, protected by magic, and feeling only slight shaking. But I didn’t have any complaints. It was necessary for my wife, and there was no reason to dislike a comfortable trip.

Rustle-

I glanced at her and saw her reading a book, occasionally looking at the scenery outside. It’s a picturesque scene no matter when I look at it. The person I couldn’t even dream of in my previous life is now my wife. Even though I’ve lived longer in this life than in my previous life, it sometimes makes me laugh.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

I pulled myself together and refocused.

Map(地圖) [Jitu: Chinese word for map]

The existing map was a great thing. It could detect even a slight magical reaction, and unless you used a special method to completely block the external emission of magic power, you couldn’t avoid the map’s search. But that also meant that if there was no magical reaction, the map was useless.

Therefore, it was necessary to overhaul the existing map. If it was a mineral that inherently contained magic power, like magic stones and mithril, the existing map would be sufficient, but in order to achieve the current goal, a separate improvement was needed.

Map(地圖) [Jitu], Search(探索) [Tansuo: Chinese word for search], Iron Ore(鐵鑛石) [Tie Kuangshi: Chinese word for iron ore].

I could achieve my goal by adding these three keywords and a few more.

‘There’s no end to it.’

I did it very easily, but if it was me when I first made the map(地圖) [Jitu], or if it was me before I met Serena, it wouldn’t have been possible so easily. Even if I knew the principle, I wouldn’t have been able to handle a number that I could barely count on both hands so easily.

But it’s different now. I consumed more magic power than usual, but that’s to be expected considering the function given. More than that, it was amazing that it worked properly even while giving so many functions to just one piece of paper.

It’s infinitely close to omnipotent.

If a simple minor copy is like this, what would the original be like? Could it really be a power that fits the meaning of omnipotence(萬能) [Wanneng: Chinese word for omnipotence]?

‘So don’t waste your energy on unnecessary things and practice hard. To be so lazy with the luck that only happens once in the history of mankind, if there is someone who gave you such luck, they would be hitting the ground and regretting it.’

‘Well. Wouldn’t they rather praise me for using it appropriately?’

‘What?’

‘No, honestly, if there was such a person, they wouldn’t have wanted humans to freely handle dragon words.’

I said half-jokingly to the red-haired cat, who now felt awkward if he wasn’t attached to me, and entrusted myself to the slight shaking felt in my buttocks and back.

#

“Welcome. My dear daughter-in-law.”

“I’m sorry I haven’t visited often.”

Despite the unannounced visit, my mother greeted us, or rather, my wife, warmly. Her son, who had been worrying her until he was thirty without any news [of marriage], suddenly brought her the most beautiful woman in the Empire as his marriage partner, so how grateful would she be? Still, I wonder if she should ignore her son and go straight to her daughter-in-law. Instead, my older brother’s family welcomed me.

“What brings you to this humble territory, Count Hughes?”

“……What’s with you all of a sudden?”

“Isn’t it funny?”

“It’s not funny. You’re just a Count without even a fingernail-sized piece of land.”

I left my brother, who was making unfunny jokes, behind and greeted the people who were waiting.

“It’s been a while, sister-in-law.”

“Welcome, young master.”

My sister-in-law hadn’t changed much either. But somehow, a familiar yet awkward child was clinging to her leg, peeking out and looking at me.

“You have to say hello. He’s your uncle.”

“Ah, hello.”

A face subtly resembling my brother, so that’s why it was a familiar face.

Lucius Dragnil.

My brother’s eldest son and my nephew, the child who is my father’s grandson, was the young boy right in front of me. When was the last time I met him? Was it at my wedding? I think it was then. How many years ago was that?

I slowly lowered my gaze to meet my nephew’s eyes, but he must have felt like I was a stranger, so he turned around behind my sister-in-law and hid his face. It’s only been once or twice at most, so it’s only natural for a young child to react that way, compared to the faces he sees every day.

“I’m sorry, young master. He usually sings about wanting to see you……”

“He wanted to see me?”

“He recently started learning magic. And it seems like Sir Adolf didn’t spare any stories about you.”

Sir Adolf was the magician who taught me magic when I first entered magic. But to teach my nephew as well, my story couldn’t help but come out. Wasn’t it a perfect example to motivate him?

I bent my knees once again to meet my nephew’s gaze, and my sister-in-law also brought her nephew, who was hiding behind her, forward. Only then was I able to meet my nephew’s eyes.

“Did you want to see me?”

“……A, are you my uncle?”

“Yes. I’m your uncle.”

His face was slightly flushed, and he looked quite cute as he fidgeted. If he grows up like this, he’ll make a lot of women cry. I smiled slightly and stroked his head, and I felt my wife’s gaze looking at the scene with a slightly envious look.

‘I’m sorry.’

I felt sorry for her. She is no longer young, and considering that most women of her age have become parents of one child, the fact that there are no children between us is entirely my fault.

“But where’s Father?”

But among the many people, my father’s figure was not visible. He’s not the type to not come out. I turned to my brother, and his expression was unusual.

“What’s wrong?”

“Uh……well.”