In This Life I Will Be The Lord Novel - Episode 79

“A mine…?”
Violet asked blankly.
“Yes. A mine. We’re going to buy a mine under the name of Pellet Trading Company, Violet.”
“Ah, yes…”
She answered, but her face didn’t show understanding.
Well, it was understandable.
“I know, mines are expensive.”
Very much so.
A mine is often worth as much as an entire territory.
There are often cases where the value differs by several times depending on what is buried there.
“Excuse me, Lady Florentia.”
Violet cautiously raised a hand.
“Which mine are you thinking of…?”
“A coal mine.”
“Ah, in that case, it might be possible.”
Violet seemed to be calculating, probably thinking of the one year’s worth of operating funds I had given her when I opened the Pellet Trading Company.
“We won’t use the Pellet Trading Company’s operating funds, Violet.”
“But even a relatively cheap coal mine would cost at least a thousand gold.”
An ordinary laborer with no special skills earns about 3 silver a month.
And 40 silver coins are equivalent to 1 gold.
In this situation, the money I receive monthly just by breathing as a Lombardi is 8 gold.
Once I become an adult, this amount will increase to 20 gold.
Of course, the money needed for my basic living expenses is separate.
Since my birth, this money had been steadily accumulating in my vault at the Lombardi Bank.
After Father’s ready-to-wear clothing business began and I made Clerivan my person,
I entrusted all the money I had saved to Clerivan and invested it in Gallahan’s clothing store.
And the result, of course, was highly successful.
“Clerivan, are the funds ample?”
I asked Clerivan, who was enjoying his tea.
“Hmm. If the price of the mine doesn’t exceed 3,000 gold, there’s no problem. If it’s more than that, it will take about a month to raise the funds. Because we have to convert it to cash.”
“Then that’s fine.”
Violet’s face was stunned as she listened to the casual conversation between Clerivan and me.
“3,000 gold…”
She mumbled softly, as if she couldn’t quite grasp the enormity of that amount.
She probably just needed a little time to adjust.
“Anyway, to successfully execute the businesses I have in mind in the future, we need to significantly increase our capital at this opportunity.”
With this single investment, the Pellet Trading Company will become one of the top trading companies in the empire.
I guarantee it.
Clerivan asked me, who was smiling meaningfully.
“You have a specific mine in mind, then.”
As expected of Clerivan.
He reads my mind well.
“The old coal mine in the ‘Lyra’ region in the northwest should be up for auction. It’s on the Lenkanta family’s property. The mine itself is quite large, but the expected amount of remaining coal is very low.”
In my previous life, the story of the Lyra coal mine was discussed for a long time, so much so that it caused a stir throughout the entire empire.
The Lenkanta family, who owned the Lyra region, suffered from continuous droughts and poor harvests.
However, since they had to pay a fixed tax to the imperial family every year, they borrowed a large sum of money from other nearby noble families.
As the debt grew, they eventually put one of their old assets, the coal mine, up for auction.
It was a truly unremarkable coal mine.
The last mining operation had been decades ago.
But directly beneath this old coal mine was an un-discovered raw gemstone.
A gemstone that, once polished by a skilled artisan, would be coveted by everyone, from the imperial family to the nobles.
“If it’s that kind of mine, it should be auctioned off for under 1,000 gold.”
Violet, who seemed to have recovered a bit, said in a cautious voice.
“If there’s no competition, we might even be able to lower it to 600 gold.”
Clerivan was also optimistic.
But I shook my head.
“2,000 gold.”
The original auction price was 1,800 gold.
I was planning to bid exactly 200 gold higher.
Since it was a simple auction where each person only had one bid opportunity, it was easy to win the bid if I just knew how much the opponent would bid.
“To win the bid, you’ll probably need to bid around 2,000 gold.”
“Huh?”
Both of them were surprised.
“An old coal mine is not worth 2,000 gold, Lady Florentia.”
Clerivan tried to dissuade me.
Of course.
Unless it was a newly discovered coal mine with a lot left to excavate.
2,000 gold was an excessive amount.
“You said a moment ago, didn’t you? That if there’s no competition, we can lower the price.”
It was Clerivan’s own words from a moment ago.
“Conversely, since there will be competition, it’s unavoidable for the price to go up.”
“Even if there’s competition…”
“Angenas will bid.”
In my previous life, it was Angenas who won the bid for this Lyra coal mine and hit an enormous jackpot.
Even as her relationship with the Emperor soured, Empress Lavini was able to maintain her power and bribe nobles to support Astana thanks to the gems found in Lyra.
The office fell silent.
Then Clerivan made a low sound.
“Indeed, to deal with Angenas, we might have to endure that much loss…” Angenas had been aggressively investing in mining recently and rapidly expanding their power.
“Could it be more than just a coal mine?”
“Why do you think that, Violet?”
“Angenas already owns enough coal mines. Even if there’s an undiscovered coal seam, considering the development costs, there’s no reason for Angenas to overspend.”
Violet rested her chin on her hand and began to think aloud.
“However, it’s common to secretly send experts to re-evaluate a mine before participating in an auction. So, they might have other information that the Lenkanta family doesn’t know.”
I enjoyed watching Violet’s deduction process.
“A gold mine? But if it were a gold mine, they’d be much more aggressive. They’d try to get their hands on it no matter what. But given the ambiguous bidding price, it seems they don’t want to show their cards too much…”
And I saw a realization flash across Violet’s face.
“…” But Violet remained silent.
So I spoke instead.
“An iron mine.”
“But an iron mine is…”
“It’s a property not permitted to Angenas.”
Iron ore, a military resource, was mostly monopolized by the imperial family.
It was common for families who discovered iron ore in their territory to offer it to the imperial family and receive a higher title or another territory in return.
Of course, Angenas didn’t do that.
They held onto the mine, claiming a small iron deposit, and officially became a family owning iron.
“But what I want isn’t an iron mine.”
Anyway, the iron deposit wasn’t very large.
Of course, I had a separate use in mind for that.
“For now, let’s talk about the rest after we win the bid for the mine.”
Pouring out all my plans now would only cause more confusion for Clerivan and Violet.
I rose from my seat and instructed Violet.
“Please investigate the Lyra coal mine, Violet.”
“Yes, Lady Florentia.”
As this was her first task from me, Violet’s eyes burned with firm resolve.
“And Clerivan, please come with me to the imperial capital in a few days.”
The gems discovered this time cannot be handled by ordinary jewelers.
A highly experienced and skilled artisan, one of the best in the empire, is needed.
Only by their hand will the raw stone truly shine.
Since I’m going to take it from Angenas anyway, I intend to do it properly.
So much so that Angenas will writhe in agony for losing the mine right under their nose.
After all, Lombardi repays favors tenfold, and enemies tenfold.
They should have been kinder.
Who told them to try and steal my father’s business?

Early in the morning, I set off for the imperial capital with Clerivan.
The pretext, of course, was an excursion to the imperial capital with my teacher.
I dressed with a little more care than usual.
Around my neck, I wore a flower-shaped necklace that Perez had carved from a single ruby.
The main road connecting the imperial capital and the Lombardi territory, which are adjacent, is well-maintained and used by countless people every day, making travel convenient.
Before long, we arrived at Sedacuna Street in the imperial capital, a bustling area primarily used by nobles.
Our first destination was ‘Caramel Avenue,’ a new patisserie that had recently opened on Sedacuna.
It was a popular place due to its antique atmosphere, making good use of marble and charred wood decorative materials.
Although I had intentionally left her behind today, Lauriel was also a huge fan of this place.
“Welcome.”
A neat-looking employee greeted us with a smile.
He was an impressive employee with beautifully combed curly brown hair and deep amber eyes.
“I am Bait, an employee of Caramel Avenue. Shall I guide you upstairs?”
The first floor was for display and sales, while the second and third floors were spaces for enjoying desserts and tea.
“No. I’ll buy cakes to go.”
“Yes, then I’ll lead you over there.”
The more I looked at him, the more his handsome appearance suited a dessert shop.
I followed Bait and stood in front of a display case filled with over thirty different kinds of desserts.
“Hmm.” They all look delicious.
It’s hard to choose.
As expected, in times like these, there’s no need to hesitate.
“I’ll take them all.”
“…Excuse me?”
Bait asked, still smiling.
“I can’t choose. Please give me two of each dessert displayed here.”
It was the famous ‘from here to there’ shopping method.
“Oh! Please divide the packaging into two.”
Being rich is truly the best.
While waiting for the packaging, I leisurely looked around the interior of Caramel Avenue.
“I’ll pay.”
Clerivan stepped forward and said.
“Yes, please do.”
It would be processed as an expense for the Pellet Trading Company anyway.
But Bait, who was about to calculate, stared intently at Clerivan’s face.
“What is it?”
“Oh, nothing. I apologize. I will assist with the calculation.”
When Clerivan, annoyed, asked, Bait quickly apologized with a smile.
“One of the packaged boxes, I’ll take home and eat with Lauriel, and the other, please send it to Perez through the Lombardi Trading Company. Is that possible?”
“Yes, Lady Florentia.”
Then, I turned my gaze and saw Bait’s amber eyes looking at me, just as they had looked at Clerivan a moment ago.
I smiled warmly.
“Let’s go, Teacher Clerivan.”
“Yes, Young Lady.”
Clerivan followed me, carrying two large boxes of cakes in both hands.
And Bait, the employee of Caramel Avenue, relentlessly followed us with his gaze until we got into the carriage.