HTLCCBFT Chapter 222

Has The Lord’s Career Chart Been Filled Today? – Chapter 222

This was only to be expected.

For the three lords content with their isolated domains, the influence of the royal capital felt distant and intangible. The only troubles it brought were the tax collectors who arrived with unwavering regularity each year, along with officials responsible for tallying and transporting the annual mineral yields.

They never received any assistance from the royal capital—only constant demands.

In contrast, Duke Oliver, who had risen with unstoppable momentum in just a few short years and firmly controlled their eastern territories—particularly Albury, which held the lifeline of their material supplies—was someone they had to handle with care, even to the point of currying favor.

If this duke were to suddenly decide to launch an attack against them, their only option would be to surrender without resistance. The royal capital was utterly unreliable; even if it were willing to send troops to aid in their defense, by the time the message reached the capital and the ministers finished their squabbles to agree on dispatching forces, their city gates would have long been breached.

Even Gride’s pride, Gregor City, had failed to withstand Duke Oliver’s fearsome assault for more than half a day. How could their own dilapidated walls, comparable to Albury’s in its former state, be of any real use?

“In fact,” Spire stated frankly, “their indecisiveness is entirely built upon Your Grace’s tolerance and generosity. The moment you hint at cutting off all trade with the west, they will have no choice but to send envoys begging for your mercy.”

The northernmost territory, Iron, might fare slightly better. If it could endure the initial surge in prices, it might manage to forgo supplies from the east and rely solely on its northern neighbor for essential goods.

But the other two territories south of Iron would find themselves in an extremely awkward, if not desperate, situation—especially Copper City, which would face both the constant threat of a potential attack from Albury and the high costs of longer transportation routes.

A sack of wheat sufficient to feed a family of four for a month might sell for six silver coins in Iron, but by the time it reached Copper City, the price would be no less than nine silver coins.

Gemstone, as remote as Laina, was the weakest of the three cities. In the so-called tri-city alliance, its lord had always been the one who obediently followed the lead of the other two.

Oliver pondered, “Hmm.”

After a brief moment of reflection, he looked at Spire, whose reserved expression barely concealed his eagerness, and couldn’t help but chuckle. “However, rather than resorting to threats or intimidation to seize complete control of the negotiations… I prefer to initiate talks first.”

There’s a difference between squeezing a soft persimmon and cornering a desperate dog.

Especially after he had already taken the initiative without holding back, it was time to ease the pressure and achieve a balance of firmness and flexibility.

Spire nodded without hesitation. “Understood.”

“Those in the know might think this approach is inefficient—perhaps too merciful, or even weak,” Oliver said with a slight shake of his head, cutting off Spire’s eager rebuttal. “Rest assured, I will always prioritize the interests of the cities under my governance.”

From the perspective of residents of any territory, matters that can be resolved peacefully should never escalate into war.

“Your Grace,” Spire pursed his lips, ultimately unable to resist speaking, “What you need to consider is only your own interests.”

In his eyes, selfishness was inherent to all humans—and this nature was always most vividly displayed in nobles of the purest and most exalted bloodlines.

Even while feeling genuine admiration for his new master, to the extent of being willing to lay down his life for him, Spire could never understand why this most noble Duke would treat those regarded as lowborn with such gentle kindness, so naturally incorporating their interests into his considerations.

No.

Spire realized that His Grace actually never needed to explain anything to him from the beginning: a subordinate’s duty was to carry out tasks and comply with their master’s wishes.

Yet Duke Oliver would quickly detect his confusion and tactfully, respectfully explain the reasons.

This brought him joy and moved him deeply, but also inevitably stirred up worries similar to Mr. Fosse’s: His Grace was simply too magnanimous and kind-hearted. Having been hurt by that damned Cameron before, might he suffer harm from others in the future?

“That won’t do,” Oliver, unaware of his concerns, smiled gently. “In reality, when we incorporate more people’s feelings and interests into our plans, the perspective we gain and the territory we expand are far greater than if we only considered our own interests.”

If a ruler only valued himself, only cared about whether his own desires were fully satisfied, then maintaining the status quo would be sufficient—there would be no need to consider expansion at all.

After all, no matter how greedy a person might be, the resources they could consume were limited: extravagant balls, grand hunting parties, young and beautiful lovers, and absolute power over their territory that even the King couldn’t interfere with.

Could anyone actually sleep on a hard bed made of gold coins?

It would be far better to sleep on the soft, warm belly of a golden giant cat—even if that cat happened to be a cat god.

Oliver casually offered him some inspirational words: “The joy of realizing ideals and creating beliefs cannot be brought by cold, hard coins.”

Spire was momentarily stunned.

Hearing this, he couldn’t help but recall the slave who had recently been written into the textbooks—the slave who died for his faith.

On the surface, people’s lives remained the same, with children at most secretly complaining about having one more text to memorize.

But the former butler Gregor, who was most skilled at reading people, quickly detected a remarkable change in people’s attitudes—particularly among the slaves.

Perhaps they stood straighter, worked more diligently, encouraged their children to study, participated in training themselves, and actively prepared for the next round of preliminary guard selections.

It was truly incredible—they were just slaves after all: beings not considered as combat strength, not regarded as part of the territory’s defense forces, but merely property bound to the fate of this land.

Though he couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason, Spire knew clearly that they… had become different.

Oliver was also lost in thought at this moment, allowing the cat god beside him to secretly hold his hand.

He was willing to give the lords of those three territories more time to consider, not only because he wasn’t some warmongering maniac who preferred peaceful resolutions through negotiation over military force whenever possible, but also because by his standards, those three individuals were actually performing quite decently.

He didn’t possess supernatural abilities nor was he greedy enough to micromanage everything personally. Establishing appropriate overarching policies, then entrusting the cities to the most suitable candidates for detailed management—that was what he hoped to achieve.

Unfortunately, there were too few talented people available for such roles: nobles and stewards with certain capabilities and relevant experience often held ideologies that dissatisfied him and seemed unlikely to change. Meanwhile, due to the indirect monopoly on educational resources, finding qualified talents from the lower classes was purely a matter of luck.

Fortunately, his education plan had achieved its primary objectives. Once the new batch of talents fully matured, he could smoothly implement a more detailed official selection program. Until then, those three neither-outstanding-nor-faulty lords would suffice temporarily.

“Let’s leave it to time for now.” Seeing that it was getting late, Oliver decided to end the day’s conversation. Smiling, he instructed Spire: “Please continue having people keep an eye on that side.”

Spire bowed respectfully: “Yes, Your Highness.”

After Spire left the hall, Oliver let out a soft sigh and completely relaxed, allowing the cat god to embrace him.

The handsome golden-eyed deity held him with a concerned expression: “You don’t need to work so hard.”

“It’s not really hard work.” Oliver had always been frank with Him: “I’m just a bit impatient, but I know impatience won’t help.”

This somewhat convoluted statement made the God of Wealth frown seriously. After quietly digesting it for a moment, He finally understood the meaning.

Even though He knew His little partner was unlikely to agree, He still tilted His head.

The furry ears deftly turned backward, transforming into alert airplane ears, as He seized the opportunity to propose what He considered the most effective solution: “Can I help Oliver kill Cameron?”

Ever since sensing Cameron’s hostility toward Oliver, He had wanted to do this—especially after Deyth forcibly took away His beloved little partner, His wariness toward gods or humans harboring similar unpleasant thoughts had peaked.

Oliver: “……”

Usually appearing gentle and harmless, obedient like a big cat without temper, suddenly uttering such terrifying words inevitably made him, completely unprepared, flinch.

Although he clearly knew the cat god would respect his wishes and was seriously asking for his permission, he still instinctively pressed down on the cat god’s hand, lest this completely biased deity truly fly straight to the royal capital and kill Cameron.

The golden-haired deity blinked as Oliver slowly explained: “Although I’m deeply touched by your concern, doing this probably wouldn’t be appropriate.”

“Why?”

He cast a puzzled look.

Oliver continued: “My enemies are far more than just Cameron. In fact, his control is much weaker than he’d like, and the impact he can have on me is minimal. Even if you really killed him, the nobles in the royal capital would only support his heir instead…”It was that one-year-old infant who ascended to the throne, and naturally became the puppet they manipulated.

Especially the nobles Cameron had painstakingly courted—most were individuals with extremely low moral standards. These profit-driven supporters even endorsed a new king who rose to power through patricide. Oliver didn’t trust that any of them would willingly relinquish the power they held.

The Cat-eared God, listening attentively with a slight twitch of his ear tips, blurted out an even more terrifying proposal without hesitation: “Then kill them all.”

“……No.”

“Moreover, not all nobles are irredeemably corrupt. Sometimes they stand on opposing sides merely due to differing interests,” Oliver said. “Even for the goal I wish to achieve, under the most ideal circumstances, I would need their assistance to ensure a smooth transition. A sudden collapse of the ruling class… well, all this requires patience. Let me first secure those three cities and obtain more strategic resources.”

Whether war with the capital ultimately breaks out or not, it’s always wise to be prepared.

At this point, he glanced up and saw the slightly perplexed expression on the handsome deity’s face, which made him chuckle involuntarily.

Without overthinking, he wrapped an arm around the other’s slender neck, applying almost no pressure, causing the pondering deity to naturally lean forward with his movement.

The distance between them instantly vanished to zero. In that moment, the blond lord gently kissed the corner of his lips.

In the deity’s eyes, those beautiful blue eyes clearly reflecting his own image were like the brightest and most beautiful star: “See? These troublesome but trivial matters shouldn’t trouble my dear cat god. Leave them to this cunning human to handle.”

Under the active coaxing of the “cunning, beautiful human,” the “naive and gullible” Cat-eared God clearly had little resistance.

Thus, after that dragonfly-like peck of a kiss, the utterly enchanted God of Wealth completely forgot his earlier proposal.

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