Chapter 130
Blink. Blink.
Thick and large Clang Devon’s eyes closed and opened slowly.
Flint, who was listening to Clang Devon’s conversation with me next to him, was surprised and hardened.
"Uh..."
Clang Devon, who had been pouting for a while, suddenly shouted at Flint.
"Drink! Flint, get me a drink!"
"Wait, brother!"
Flint, who shouted in a loud voice, quickly brought water in a large glass.
Glup, glup.
I was watching leisurely as Clang Devon, who emptied the glass and wiped the water from his mouth with his sleeve.
"I’m... awake, now. Go ahead, Lady."
Obviously, Clang Devon’s usual serious eyes were back.
"I’ve always admired the potential of Lombardy Transportation. And I’ve been sad that that potential doesn’t shine properly."
"...Thank you."
A little embarrassment flashed over Clang Devon’s face filled with gratitude.
He must be remembered the whining while drinking a little while ago.
"There’s nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone gets sad and angry if they don’t get the right credit for their hard work."
Clang Devon looked at me at my words.
"Why do you look at me like that?"
"I was wondering when you grew up like this...”
As I stared at him without a reaction, Clang Devon nodded and said.
"I’m sorry. Excuse me, Lady."
"No, I’m offering business proposals to the Devon family. My age can be a concern. No, you must pay attention."
"...Thank you for your understanding."
"But one thing I can assure you is that none of the people who use Lombardy’s name understands the advantages of Devon’s transportation better than I do."
Clang Devon nodded silently at my words.
And asked.
"As I understand it, you’re going to use your authority as the direct lineage of Lombardy?"
"Yes, but I don’t intend to push ahead with things that Lord Devon doesn’t want just because of my direct lineage."
"Why are you taking such a cumbersome route?"
"Because I have a lot of ways to develop Lombardy. But I’m not good enough to force someone who doesn’t like it."
"Haha..."
Clang Devon laughed.
It was a smile of tension.
"Then may I venture to ask you for an explanation."
Clang Devon, who said so, gave Flint a wink.
Now Clang Devon was not Flint’s brother, but Devon’s household lord.
Flint and Laurel took Marilyn out of the drawing-room.
Now, just me and Clang Devon stayed.
As Lord Devon looking at me with a serious eye, I opened my mouth.
"It’s not a business that requires a lot of change. Rather, it’s enough to do with what the Devons have now. No one has thought about it yet."
"A change of thought..."
"But at the same time, is it something only Lombardy can do?"
Clang Devon’s eyes showed more anticipation.
"Imagine."
I spoke in a low voice.
"One day, the madam of that wealthy Southern estate wanted to change the atmosphere of the mansion ahead of the banquet a few months later. ’The old decoration looked a little gloomy.’"
I could see Clang Devon slowly sinking into my story with his head down.
"She heard that the precious jade in the East is so shiny and pretty when it’s lit. ’How nice it would be to have a jade decoration on that sunny window!.’"
"Hooo..."
"The madam who thought so picked up a booklet that read ’Pellet Home & Interior’. And as she turns over the booklet with various pictures and explanations. ’Oh, my God! It just so happens that the Eastern artisan is selling a large jade vase.’"
"What a relief!"
"’But how do we order this from the far East and bring it to the Southern territories? Besides, there’s no Pellet Home & Interior branch around here.’ And then, there was a name that popped into her head!"
"What, what is it?"
"The Reliable Lombardy Transportation."1
"Oh!"
"We will deliver the items she wants right in front of her house."
The big Clang Devon’s eyes became fist-sized.
And he shouted in a loud voice.
"What an innovative idea! The shipping business that delivers it to the front of the house!"
"It’s not just about delivery - the life of the transportation industry is about speed and precision. Isn’t it about trust and entrust"
"Right! Quick and accurate!"
Clang Devon clenched his fist.
"Lombardy transport is already in charge of the Top of Lombardy that extends throughout the Empire, isn’t it? It’s just a matter of connecting the Top retailers with stores and adding a door-to-door delivery process.”1
"Our Lombardy Transportation has already dispatched staff to Lombardy’s Top branches throughout the Empire. The door-to-door delivery procedure requires the hiring of an additional person who knows the geography of the area."
"As expected, you are quick-witted."
"And..."
As expected, experts are different.
As a master of delivery, Clang Devon began to pour out all kinds of professional knowledge like a bot.
All I had to do was listen to the knowledge and tell him a few complimentary points.
But that alone surprised Clang Devon.
"I didn’t expect to have such a good conversation with who is not an employee of Lombardy Transportation. You were the most knowledgeable person in Lombardy about transportation!"
Clang Devon was shining so brightly that it was hard to think of him as the same person who was drunk and complaining of his disappointment.
"Of course, that’s not all. We need to find the Top and shops to keep our customers’s belongings that are valuable to Lombardy Transportation. But leave it to me, Devon."
Clang Devon covered his mouth as if he were choking and nodded.
"I believe that Lombardy Transportation in Devon will fulfill the purpose of this project that I have been picturing in my head."
"The purpose... What is it?"
I replied with a big smile.
"When someone knocked on my door and said, ’Delivery’s here.’ the happiness and excitement of running towards the door!"
Wow, I’m so happy just imagining it!
"I think anyone who can afford to pay for it should be able to feel the beating heart pounding."
"Oh, right!"
I and Clang Devon clenched fists.
"This innovative business needs a new name. Simply saying ’Transportation’ simply does not mean everything!"
"Then I have something in mind..."
"What is that, Lady Florentia!"
Although Clang Devon already seemed to agree with anything I said.
I looked into Clang Devon’s eyes and said.
"Why don’t we call it ’Delivery’ with the meaning of ’Delivery to your house’?"
* * *
A big dinner was served at the Empress’s Palace.
Today’s guest, Roncent Ivan, was Ivan’s eldest and deputy.
The kitchen of the Empress Palace was stirred up all day, and the huge dining table was filled with only the food Roncent liked.
Seeing it, Roncent bowed his head a couple of times and greeted the people waiting for him.
"The Empress, and the First Prince. Thank you so much for inviting me."
Astana shook her head silently, and the Empress replied with a big smile.
"The Deputy Patriarch Ivan came to the Imperial City. Can I just let you go without serving you at the Palace?"
It was Roncent who had replaced Patriarch Ivan, who was unable to travel between Imperial City and Ivan Territory due to his old age.
The word ’Deputy Patriarch’ was really sweet to his ears.
Roncent also greeted a less-presence figure who sat quietly on one side.
"Patriarch Angenas, I haven’t seen you in a long time."
"Yes, it’s been a while."
It was a fact that every Imperial nobleman knew that Ferdick Angenas was a puppet of the Empress.
The opponent that Roncent should pay attention to today was neither Angenas nor the First Prince, who kept his mouth shut.
"Take your seat comfortably."
It was Empress Rabini who was in power.
Roncent started eating with a polite and courteous smile at the Empress.
And by the time the meal was over, Empress Rabini, who had eaten a lot of food and had a good feeling, clean the corners of her mouth with a napkin and talked.
"Sooner or later, our First Prince is going on a hunting trip at north with his friends. He wants to stop by at the Ivans during his journey."
"Oh, is he?"
"...I hear there is no better place to hunt wolves than Ivan Estate.”
Astana, who answered as the Empress had said before the dinner, put a glass of wine to his mouth with a sullen face.
He was sick and tired of his mother’s attitude of holding his hands and doing whatever she wanted as if he was still a child.2
"Right, the wolves in the North are quick and big, so they good to hunt. The door to Ivan’s Estate will always be open to the First Prince."
"Thank you."
The Empress, who was looking at the scene with delight, said to Astana in a heartwarming voice.
"The Ivans are a strong and noble family that protects the Northern part of our Empire. Don’t forget that, First Prince."
"...Yes, Mother."
"And the Ivans has a very strong relationship with our Angenas. Am I right, Deputy Patriarch Ivan?
"Of course, Empress."
The western development plan, which Angenas has been pushing for recently, has also helped Roncent’s position within the Ivan family.
While his younger brother, who is one year younger than him, was constantly anxious, his contract with the Angenas allowed him to take the lead in the race for succession.
"While we’re here today, I’d like to ask you a favor, Deputy Patriarch Ivan."
Now it’s time to come.
At the sign of the Empress trying to get to the point, Roncent replied, nervously.
"Tell me, Empress."
"We’ve accelerated the development of the West, but I don’t think the amount of wood that Ivan has been sending us will be enough."
The Empress was trying to develop the West as a tourist destination for the upper class, and she needed well-polished roads and luxury houses for it.
And Ivan supplies the wood needed to build them at a low price.
This was the content of the contract between Ivan and Angenas.
The Empress said with a beautiful smile.
"So I think we’re going to need four times as much wood in the future. Of course, the Ivan family can help me with this, right?"
"Oh... I’m sorry, Empress. It’s beyond Ivan’s ability."
Roncent said with a stiff face.
He didn’t mean to haggle.
"The tree we’ve been supplying to the Angenas family is a tree called the Triva. It is a sturdy, durable wood that can withstand moisture and heat without warping. But logging is difficult and it takes a long time to process.”
"Then why don’t we use another tree?"
At the words of the Empress, Roncent shook his head.
"Other wood will not withstand the humid, hot days and cold nights of the West. Of course, you may want to ask other families for wood to replace the Triva tree. But their answer will be the same as mine."
It was already known by the Empress even before the development began.
The lipids are not good and the climate is bad.
There was a reason why the West remained a barren land until now.
Nevertheless, the reason for spurring the Western development plan was because of the thorny Second Prince.
She tried several times to hire mercenaries to kill while he was out of the academy, but all failed.2
And the Second Prince, who returned safely to the Capital, was, as expected, a stumbling block in Astana’s path.
The Western development plan was a way to overcome this situation.
"Then how much can you increase the supply of that Triva wood?"
"It’s hard to be sure, but I think it’s twice as good as it is now."
There was no chance of that.
The Empress clicked her tongue inward, but smiled on her face and said.
"Then I’ll ask you to do that. I’ll trust the Ivan family to do their best."
"Yes, Empress."
After dinner, Roncent Ivan left the Palace.
"He doesn’t even know how to handle a tree."
The Empress looked nervously at the distant Ivan family carriage.
"Don’t worry too much, Empress. The Ivans aren’t the only ones with the Triva Tree Forest."
"So you’re saying another family can supply as much wood as Ivan, Father?"
"Of course, not as much as the Ivan family, which has the largest land, but if you knock on the doors of other lands around him, wouldn’t there be hope?"
Not complacent.
Empress Rabini pressed her father, who only talked about weak things.
"We have to secure the wood at all costs. Do you understand?"
Then the Patriarch Angenas replied embarrassedly.
"Well, let’s check the other Tops to see if they have any Triva trees."
But Empress Rabini was not satisfied.
After a moment’s thought, she ordered her father.
"No, that’s not enough. After contacting the Top, Dad goes directly to the North and transporting the wood."
"...Yes, Empress."
Empress Rabini walked to the window and looked down at the darkened Palace.
The fate of Angenas, and the Empress herself, depended on this Western development plan.
Her hands, which were placed on the window sill elegantly at a glance, were clenched so tightly that their bones turned white.
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