NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 3
Philip concealed his true feelings and spoke with a solemn expression.
“The great Eldir has revealed this to me for the sake of this humble servant. You must also be careful not to let this secret technique leak.”
“Of course, without a doubt.”
Eldir, the god of fire and blacksmiths.
Among the Twelve Great Deities, he held the lowest rank, and his religious following was weak, but he was still a god and not to be taken lightly.
‘Besides, my own interests are at stake!’
As soon as Delpharos returned to Campania, he planned to inform the trading company and buy up the remaining ore slag from lead extraction in bulk, setting up a silver refining workshop.
“Ah, by the way, Master Trader, regarding the 2 million Dalant you are to pay me—just give me an IOU and manage it yourself.”
“Are you entrusting it to our company’s vault?”
“That seems like the safest option. With the famine these days, bandits are running rampant everywhere.”
That was why Hyunsoo believed it would be better to store the enormous sum of 2 million Dalant in Campania, which was far safer than a rural barony.
“As long as you guarantee the principal and some of the interest, I don’t care how you invest it.”
“Understood. I will make sure to increase it well.”
From Delpharos’s perspective, the money that was supposed to be paid out was now back in his hands, so it wasn’t a bad deal.
“Then, my lord, I look forward to your continued patronage of Callisto Trading Company.”
Gone was the cold and arrogant demeanor from when he had come to collect the debt. Now, wearing the face of a courteous merchant, he bowed respectfully and departed.
*****
On the way back to the lord’s manor.
Riding side by side, Carpenter spoke with a hint of regret.
“I understand the urgency of repaying the debt, but was it really necessary to sell that technique?”
“Why? Do you regret it?”
“Yes, if we had refined the slag ourselves in large quantities, wouldn’t we have made far more money?”
To Carpenter, the silver refining method seemed like a golden goose.
But Hyunsoo shook his head.
“Keeping this a secret is difficult.”
The refining method wasn’t particularly complex.
The fact that lead ore contained trace amounts of silver and that silver could be extracted by melting it at a higher temperature than lead—people simply hadn’t realized it yet.
Fire-resistant bricks could also be easily made by firing clay.
In real history, Joseon’s silver refining method had leaked to Japan not long after it was developed.
“But still…”
“Don’t worry. There are plenty of ways to make money.”
Of course, that didn’t mean he would be careless about protecting the refining method.
For now, the only people in the territory who knew the technique were Carpenter and Old Man Hans.
And both were trustworthy.
“Anyway, let’s hurry back. There’s still a final touch to take care of.”
“Heh, indeed. We still have a great spectacle to enjoy.”
Shortly after, upon their return to the manor, the vassals were astonished by the news they brought.
“The lord’s words were true!”
“So, we really repaid the debt and earned 2 million Dalant?”
“Thank the heavens! What a relief!”
However, not everyone was happy.
‘This is absurd…!’
As Robert stood in shock, Hyunsoo approached with a triumphant look and handed him a small pouch.
“My lord… this is…?”
“Your severance pay. You’re dismissed immediately.”
At the ruthless notice of termination, Robert’s face hardened.
“I’ve served this territory for over twenty years. Could you not grant me just one chance?”
“Nope. Not happening. Get lost.”
Robert’s face turned bright red as he looked around at the vassals, silently pleading for help.
But they either avoided his gaze or smirked in satisfaction.
“Kuh! Fine, I quit! Do you think I have nowhere else to go but this backwater territory? For your information, I graduated from the most prestigious college on the continent—”
“Yeah, yeah. Good riddance. It was disgusting having you around, and let’s never see each other again.”
Hyunsoo’s mocking interruption cut Robert off completely. Robert trembled like a leaf in the wind, but there was nothing he could do.
In the end, he had no choice but to pack up his family and belongings and leave Baron Brandel’s territory.
‘Ah, that felt great!’
Looking down from the terrace at Robert’s pitiful departure, Hyunsoo wore a satisfied expression as if a weight had been lifted off his chest.
Somehow, it felt like his body’s original owner was even more relieved than he was.
That probably meant Robert had been hated that much.
With his debt repaid, extra money earned, and an annoying old vassal kicked out, a translucent scroll suddenly popped up before Hyunsoo’s eyes.
[Mission complete. You have received 200 points.]
‘Points, huh… I got some a few days ago, too.’
Three days ago, when he first extracted silver using the refining technique, a similar scroll had appeared.
[Eldir is pleased that you have introduced a technique that enriches the world.]
[You have been granted 1,000 points.]
Thus, his total points now stood at 1,200.
While he was curious about where he could use them, there was something he wanted to confirm first.
“Hey, Mau!”
After making sure no one was around, Hyunsoo called his guardian angel, and Mau instantly appeared before him.
“Am I really unable to return to Earth? Not now, but maybe in a year or two…?”
“Damn it…”
Seeing Hyunsoo’s deep disappointment, Mau tilted his head in confusion.
Hyunsoo’s grandfather, his last remaining family, had passed away last year.
He had no close relatives or friends.
“Do you want to become butterfly soup?”
“Oh, really?”
As Mau quickly floated up toward the ceiling, Hyunsoo pulled out a bootleg magic book he had stashed under his bed.
“Maybe I should just escape like the original owner did. Then that fluffy angel might turn into a frog angel.”
Pale-faced, Mau immediately changed his tone and began coaxing him in a gentler voice.
“It’s not necessarily a prison sentence. A big-time lawyer reached out to me and said that since I didn’t harm anyone or conspire to commit a crime, I could get off with just a fine.”
Hyunsoo wavered at Mau’s words but soon shook his head.
“But this world’s civilization is at a medieval level. The food isn’t great, and there’s no internet…”
“Anything?”
“That’s true… This isn’t Earth.”
On Earth, there were laws regulating everything—firearm control laws, sword regulations, and more.
There were countless legal restrictions on the things Hyunsoo wanted to indulge in.
But in this world, Laterran, no such laws existed!
‘I mean, I’m a lord. Even if I make guns—or no, cannons—who’s going to report me?’
Within his own domain, a lord was practically a king.
As long as he didn’t rebel against the royal family or start unnecessary conflicts, he could do whatever he wanted.
A sailing ship, a steam locomotive, even a castle for an amusement park—he can make all of those!
‘Alright, I’ll live as Philip!’
Mau gleefully zipped around in the air in front of him.
“Is that so? How generous.”
Of course, Hyunsoo had no intention of obediently following Mau’s words.
His only goal was to indulge in his hobbies to the fullest and enjoy a comfortable life.
What did he care about some divine mission?
Seeing that Mau seemed to have read his mind, Hyunsoo quickly changed the subject.
“By the way, what exactly are these points used for?”
“Might Skills…?”
“Wait, I actually have one of those? Oh, right… that ‘Golden Hammer’ thing?”
As he dug into the original Philip’s memories, it came back to him.
At the age of nine, he had received Eldir’s blessing and acquired the divine ability Golden Hammer.
The original Philip had never used it, disliking the idea of being blessed by the god of blacksmiths.
So he had no idea what it even did.
Curious, Hyunsoo—no, Philip—focused on the name of the skill in his mind.
With a flash of light, a massive anvil and a golden hammer appeared before him.
“…Don’t tell me I have to actually forge things myself?”
Mau scoffed.
For example, if he placed iron and leather on the anvil and activated the skill, a sword would be produced.
The more complex and sophisticated the item, the more points would be consumed.
“This feels just like a crafting skill in a game. But… can I make guns with it? Like flintlocks? Or even modern firearms?”
Philip asked seriously.
“How much?”
“Yeah, well, that sounds like a pain.”
“A guardian angel in a medieval fantasy world, and you’re talking like you know everything…”
Immediately, a translucent scroll appeared before him.
[200 points will be consumed for production. To proceed, strike with the Golden Hammer.]
Following the instructions, Philip raised the golden hammer and brought it down on the poker.
With a deafening sound, golden light exploded outward.
When the light faded, an unexpected object lay atop the anvil.
A long, slender shaft.
A rounded, smooth head.
A firm, sturdy grip.