Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 482 Wonderful Thoughts

Playing with the antique sword sheath in his hand, watching the envoy hurriedly leave, concealing his presence, Rean revealed a satisfied smile.

"Agula's oak scabbard, this is a relic of a legendary hero, how could he be so willing to part with it?"

Rean was starting to like these runaway nobles. The gifts they casually handed over were probably rare items that many knights would never have the chance to obtain even after going through epic adventures.

This legendary knight's relic allows the holy sword within to be "charged by the sun," greatly enhancing the power of its Evil-Slaying Slash, especially against undead creatures.

For knights of the Sun Realm, or rather, paladins, this extra power is doubly useful.

"This is probably more expensive than all my clothes combined. Uh, not counting the deer heart necklace."

After thinking for a moment, Rean shook his head.

The alchemical items created by the Beast Prince from the source are difficult to obtain, not because of his special circumstances. They are unusable for most life forms and are more like cursed items that wish them an early death.

This scabbard from an ancient hero could increase the combat power of a great knight by at least 20%. If he weren't in his current special state, he probably would have already picked it up and used it.

"A paladin's equipment isn't that valuable, probably only half the price of a warrior of the same caliber," Salman said nonchalantly, considering it just an ancient hero's relic.

Rean paused for a moment, wondering if he had been too distant by refusing Salman's sponsorship.

I'm afraid that nothing I own can compare to one of her spare items.

"But it's quite sincere, considering how hard it is to find someone like that." Was this Suliman's way of comforting him?

Rean was very touched, but please don't come again next time.

Those outsiders were indeed very sincere; at least they found the right people and offered gifts that were hard to refuse.

"They are probably already prepared, and they are serious about it."

This sincerity not only hinted at their accumulated wealth but also clearly indicated that they knew about Radiant City.

They probably also knew who they should approach if they really wanted to try and win over Princess Dania.
"Is this a bribe for the king's courtiers? Quite shrewd," Rean said with a laugh, putting away the sacred object.

I may not need anything else, and I might just refuse it, but it would be really unacceptable to let such a heroic and sacred object be lost outside.

As for kind words, he naturally wouldn't refuse them; he was also keeping an eye on the promised investment.

"Investing at least 30,000 gold coins within a month is ridiculously extravagant." This was the promise the other party had just made. The dock area would receive a large one-time investment, and the generous investor didn't even require a specific investment list.

This isn't just being foolish and rich; it's an outrageous act of "I trust you, so I'll give you all my money."

“This isn’t an investment; this money is just a bribe for you.” But Sallyman saw through it all.

Rean fell silent. This Rean, who used to carefully wield a steel sword worth five gold coins and treasured armor worth around one hundred gold coins, still lacked a proper understanding of "true wealth."

"Uh, I thought he was really interested in the dock area project."

At least in terms of emotional value, the other party was very generous, addressing him as a respected paladin and demonstrating insightful views on charity.

"So, I said they were well prepared. Buying the entire dock area wouldn't even cover a fraction of their investment. They want higher-quality, more valuable properties, such as building a new district on the outskirts of the city, or simply getting Princess Dania to allow them to build a new city."

This also means that they might carry enough wealth to build a new city from scratch.

Will Dania agree?

"Absolutely not. She will not allow a new city to emerge within her territory that is entirely controlled by foreigners. Otherwise, it will be subject to massive colonization."

War refugees are pitiful, but if they are allowed to enter our own country and given a designated area to develop on their own, it will be difficult to say whose country that area will ultimately belong to.

"Uh, I feel like I've seen this script somewhere before."

But thinking about it, casually offering such an exorbitant sum of 30,000 gold coins just to curry favor with Rean... inexplicably, Rean felt that his earlier joke had become a reality. Perhaps in the eyes of outsiders, he really had become a treacherous minister who bewitched the king. This money wasn't easy to accept. Since it wasn't a genuine investment but a bribe, he should probably refuse.
"It's only 30,000 gold coins, not even worth as much as the scabbard in your hand."

Rean, who was playing with the sword sheath, stopped and carefully placed it on the table, hesitating whether he should make a special box for the sheath.

"Stop joking around, what are you planning to do with those people?"

"It's not my problem. I'm just focused on attracting investment. Let them come if they want."

After some thought, Rean still had some additional ideas.

"How about we let them invest in underground cities? Don't you think that Underworld is big enough?"

"Building a city on the front lines"

"It's the front line now, but that might not be the case later. Besides, rather than letting those dark elves bother us, we should just send them to the front line."

"Will they agree?"

"In that case, even if the Lizardmen attack, they won't be able to do anything to this underground city."

The dark elves have people, and the wealthy merchants and nobles who are about to flee have money. If the two sides join forces, wouldn't it be enough to create a city out of thin air?

However, if they are in the underground area, the survival pressure is very high, and there is no need to worry about them going out of control.

"Will they agree?"

"It's worth a try. The chances are not low."

With the current financial and human resources of Radiant City, two front-line towns are almost the limit. Maintaining various logistical lines has exhausted human resources. Those adventurers are also fighting for money, and the recruited "heroes" often only hunt on the front lines, and their combat strength is still limited.

"The Bottom Lizard Demons can pass through walls, dig tunnels, and even pass through city walls underground. Can they pass through the underground ruins below us?"

Even if Suliman wasn't sure, Rean estimated the answer was no.

Because the Mirror Demon's teleportation and the Mage Tower's short-range teleportation can only travel freely in shallow areas, the energy consumption increases significantly as you go deeper.

It seemed that the beast's power was interfering with everything around it. But Rean felt that it might be the power that sealed it, which also sealed most of the high-dimensional teleportation abilities.
The soil beneath the underground ruins becomes increasingly hard as you go deeper, making destructive excavation impossible.

Since we can't pass through walls, those demons' wall-passing abilities are probably ineffective.

"If we use that as a selling point? Would they really accept it? I think that nobleman's lobbyist seems to have been terrified; they might actually want an underground fortress."

For the wealthy and powerful, besides preserving their status and wealth, their lives are paramount.

When a crisis strikes, if they can survive in a safe, they will naturally move into those doomsday bunkers without hesitation; it's quite common in this world.

"Most importantly, it's worth a try. Dania has complained to me several times that this year's fiscal deficit is astronomical, and she's afraid she won't be able to borrow any money at all next year."

Because they were worried about the large army outside, they retreated to the dungeon, which was full of monsters. It seems like a crazy move, right? It is indeed a ridiculous move, but it is actually feasible.

If they could avoid the Demon Tide War, they would rather dig a hole and bury themselves right now.

"Moreover, our city does indeed lack depth. If a large army were to invade one day, going to the city-states of the Underdark might be a good option."

Rean's implication was that the area led directly to the Underdark.

When necessary, it serves as a defensive fortress. If it develops into a city cluster, connecting the two towns together, it will provide new escape routes and areas for development.

Even if we fail, we won't be the ones who suffer the loss.

(End of this chapter)