CH 14

The age of jewels. 

An incident later called the ‘Jewelry Innovation’ came to her mind. That said incident was so grand that it was called Jewelry Innovation. That was because it was used as a cheat that caused a great boom in the Empire. They needed jewels  to refine magic as magic was also developing more and more. The more advanced gem, the more magical power it could be purified and stored. 

Although this fact is still far from being revealed, some families including the Imperial Family, made a lot of money from this and so she remembered about it. 

Alexa glanced at the table. The gemstones were scattered around, while Visten was picking some of them. 

“I think this, and this is the best.”

My goodness, how can you choose such a random item? 

It was easy to understand why Baron Visten in the novel blew away that great jewelry innovation era. 

Alexa waved her hands to dry them.

“You can’t.”

“Huh?” Visten’s eyes widened. 

“You should never use that. Uhm, I think this and this looked better.”

Alexa chose bright red top-notch red rubies and pink diamonds. 

Large and dark red rubies mined in ruby mines were sold at the highest price as she can recall. Was it called ‘Dragon Heart’? Also, the pink diamond was one of the hot-selling jewels in high society. 

Visten glanced at the two jewels Alexa picked. In fact, he asked for Alexa’s opinion because he thought that he wouldn’t fail no matter what she chose. 

And, the Grand Duke’s family hit the jackpot. Money came pouring like rain. 

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

After going through one of those situations, Visten unwittingly turned to Alexa after going through one of those situations. Compared to the wolves, Alexa was still small and fragile, but she was just as sharp and agile. It seemed like he could take over the role of an Imperial Representative instead of the Grand Duchy’s head if there were two more Alexa. 

Visten nodded in delight.

“Alexa, your dress looks old.”

“Pardon? No, it has only been a week since it was bought.”

“Tch, does a lady wear a dress for such a long time before buying a new one? Don’t mention to me your dressing room. Since I’ll be going out tomorrow, I will get you a new dress. Shoes, ribbons and laces too.” 

“Oh….”

Alexa nodded sheepishly.

These Grand Duke’s people are strangely kind to her. Weren’t they the pack of wolves who lived with the Grand Duke of the Darkness that lacked humanity? But Alexa’s obsession with Ysildus was to protect her own life….

Alexa tilted her head with a smile as she looked at the stock of papers. It was a document of the land to be reclaimed. She didn’t remember where the land is located, but she knows where the medicinal crops would grow. Alexa chose the ‘Vermound’ land. 

“It would be better here.”

And as Alexa said, this time too, the Grand Duke’s family hit the ‘jackpot’.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

There were many native plants in Vermound, but there were no varieties with proven efficacy among those plants, that’s why they were treated as weeds. Farmers were troubled by the plants that grew back even if they were cut down, so they had to put in a lot of effort every year just to turn the land for growing crops. Nevertheless, the yield gradually decreased due to the climate and topography, so the Lord gave up the land. 

The Vermound farmers were also contemplating if they should stop working for it. They won’t even have a bite to eat if their new Lord demands more taxes than their original Lord. However, a special order was issued from the Grand Duchy, who had newly purchased the Vermound this time. 

Growing ‘Gavis’!

Gavis was the main character who gave farmers a headache. Moreover, there was no need to grow it separately as it was a plant that could grow in two weeks by just taking its seeds and sowing them. 

“What do you think they are going to do with this?” 

“How do you know what the Elders think?”

The peasants were dubious, but they still harvested Gavis, sent it to the Thersion Grand Duchy and they were paid the price. One year was enough money for them to live on. 

Farmers thought that Thersion had finally gone crazy, but they still harvested Gavis and brought it to the Grand Duke’s castle in exchange for money. The reason was revealed after a month had passed. 

An epidemic broke out through the cold winter. It spread rapidly through the respiratory tracts, and the death rates began to soar. All of the doctors were called to treat this unknown disease, but many of the medical staff were also infected and fell ill. 

Alexa also heard about it. 

‘…was the invention of the therapeutic drugs originally this slow?’ 

Alexa stared at the newspaper with a depressed face. She knew how to save them, but her heart was heavy from waiting. 

The utility value of Gavis was dealt with in great detail in the novel. It was the Imperial Family who originally bought Vermound. They bought it because its border was Thersion, so they could be ready to strike the Grand Duke any time. But an epidemic broke out soon after, and it was discovered that Gavis could be a medicine, so the reputation and wealth of the Imperial Family grew even more. This is because the epidemic did not stop within the Empire and spread to many countries.

Alexa stomped her feet and jumped up.

“What’s the matter?”

Terrun raises his head as he eats bread with a lot of butter. Alexa leaned back and brushed the breadcrumbs on his lips, then brushed his frizzy hair. 

This was customary.

When it was time for her to comb Ysildus’ hair the other day, Terrun pushed his hair up and begged her to comb it too. He was just like a wolf, and he liked the cool brush. Thanks to that, brushing Terrun’s and Ysildus’ hair was added to her task. Terrun trembled with a happy face and then blinked. 

“Did something happen?”

“No… I just remembered what I had to do.”

As Alexa moved, Ysildus also stuck out his head, overturning the basket with the bread and sleeping in a circle on it. He was also covered in breadcrumbs. Alexa took him out of the basket and brushed off the crumbs. 

“Something to do? Where are you going? I’m coming with you, I already finished all the bread.”

I knew you were going to follow me anyway. 

Terrun and Ysildus always accompany Alexa wherever she goes these days. It was cute, like ducklings chasing after her. In any case, the place Alexa took the two of them was the doctor’s laboratory inside the Thersion Castle.  

Actually, it was someone else who developed Gavis as a drug, but…

‘I have to see people be saved.’

Alexa nodded her head and took a deep breath.

Changing someone else’s fate – she knew it was very dangerous and arrogant of her, but more people will die if she just waits. 

“Come on in.”

The door that swallowed Alexa, Terrun and Ysildus was closed.

And the Thersion’s doctor succeeded in creating a drug to treat the respiratory infections using Gavis. 

Alexa was tasked to hand out the recipes to make medicines for free, but the doctor accepted it in exchange for fame. Actually, it was her idea. 

Anyway, thanks to the medicine made from Gavis, ten thousands of people’s lives were saved, and it was almost possible to sell it without Gavis. Money sprung up from the ground. Visten came to believe in Alexa’s words even if she said that red beans were rice, reaching a level where he praised Ysildus for choosing Alexa, and it became an opportunity for the Empire to look at Thersion with a different view. 

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

“Was it a herb that grows wild in Vermound?”

“Yes, it is, Your Majesty.”

The Grand Chamberlain bowed his head in front of the Emperor, while the Emperor’s sharp gaze and narrowed eyes were locked on him. 

“Is the revenue that Thersion earned from the Vermound land more than the Imperial budget this year?”

“… That is right, Your Majesty,” the Finance Minister mumbled under his breath with his head bowed. 

The infectious disease was transmitted through the respiratory tract, so there were many people who needed medicine from Gavis. But in the case of Gavis, it only grows in the Vermound land, so they have no choice but to fill Thersion’s belly. 

He heard rumors that other countries directly contacted Thersion to buy Gavis. People’s lives were at stake and they were in an urgent situation, so they also knew that they were buying it at a premium price. 

“They could have all been mine.”

The Emperor twisted his lips. Just before the Imperial Family was about to buy the Vermound land, they lost it from Thersion. He felt displeased, but the Imperial family couldn’t claim rights to the land that had been already sold. 

I didn’t like it, but what can I do?

But his displeasure multiplied by several folds now.